Although he intentionally showed Britt he is confident enough to outlast the upcoming battle, Gerard is tense up inside.
The only assurance he was holding to is the Spell Blade. It gives him a tremendous boost in terms of strength and its special effects are his ace.
If not for the Mists Ring, he won't try to delve deeply into this underground. The only valuable he can loot are the bones of the dragon that he can sell to the merchants or adventurer guild through Count Alvis when he returns to West Town, provided it is still intact and the fully mutated rodent didn't chew all of it. But the chances of it are very low.
Still standing in the ceremony, Gerard took a deep breath and brandished his sword. Before stepping inside the domain of the mutated rodents, he glances at his back and nodded his head.