Chapter 122 – A Ray of Hope

The Den of Cultist got exterminated. Along with this victory comes the loot for the whole operation. The other land dragon would go to the soldier encampment while the other half will be for the Sardis villagers. The materials that the cultist had will be taken by the soldiers of the encampment. They will be taken into research so that the demesne will be able to know what the cultists are planning.

The slaves will also be taken either to prison or to their families. Slaves have two classifications at least in the Gann. Prisoners who have committed a crime and were forced to slavery or innocent folks that have been captured by slavers to become test subjects for the cultist’s or for madmen that study magic and medicines. As for the slaves that have been captured in the den. They are mostly innocent villagers due to their neck having no brand of a criminal.

Most of the criminals forced to slavery have brands on their necks. The slaves in the den didn’t have them so they will be hopefully returned to their village or find work on a farm somewhere in the King’s Demesne.

The items that the cultists have will be either sold for taken by the soldiers. Abby who knows purification started working on purifying the items and see if they are used. Most of them items are conduits and magical artifacts so they are tough to handle.

The dead cultists that have been mostly killed by the local soldiers and the elite one’s will be burned. Along with them are the people that Ramiel killed. Since he burned some of them, the soldiers decided to leave them there. It was no use to take those burned and disfigured bodies anymore.

The Den will be destroyed by targeting the weak points of it. The den is too dangerous and for it to be used as a hold for another set of criminals is a dangerous thing. So the logical thing to do is to destroy these dens before they are infested with monsters or bandits.

Overall the task of exterminating the den of cultists was a success. Thanks to the elite mindset of the soldiers of the encampment, and their composed attitude dealing with the land dragons and cultists there were no casualties that happened.

Although they got branded by a cultist it was taken for and they didn’t suffer any misfortune. In fact, the only one that suffered misfortune here was Ramiel, who entered alone in a den filled with cultists, using only his tools and sneakiness to cleanse the insides of the den. Not to mention that he was also the one who killed the brander who would have given them a hard time.

But the point, to be honest, the soldiers could have broken through if they keep their attacks on the barrier. But by the end of it, they would have been exhausted battling the cultists inside might have caused more injured. So even though the Ser Knight who oversaw the whole operation found Ramiel’s action and the soldier who pushed him as idiotic and reckless, it doesn’t mean he won’t compliment Ramiel for taking part in the operation despite all of his injuries.

...

Ramiel woke up feeling his body hurting than usual, his throat feeling like it got punch, his arms burning, and his legs feeling like they were crushed. He felt trouble in breathing, and if it wasn’t for the cushion of grass he is lying he would have complained.

“You are awake?”

“I don’t think so.”

“It’s great that you are well. Apart from the injuries you have from recklessness, there seems to be nothing wrong with you.”

Peronell is concerned at Ramiel’s state. Ever since Ramiel fainted, she didn’t leave his side fearing that he wouldn’t open his eyes anymore, she stayed with Abby as she heals him.

“Nothing wrong with me is an understatement Peronell.”

“What do you mean?” Peronell tilted her head.

“There is something wrong with me. I know that when I went crazy in there I wasn’t thinking straight. I was trying to prove something, and I was trying to find a peace called death. Do you know why?”

Peronell was rather shocked as Ramiel revealed his thoughts.

“Why?”

“I don’t feel like there is no reason to go on. I have been living my past days without any goal or ambition. I am merely living because it is a natural thing to do. What should I do, what should I feel, what should I look forward to. It all bothers me.”

Ramiel said and added, “But, today I feel like I saw some ray of hope. It is odd how I found this ray of hope, and even though it shouldn’t matter, when I saw this ray of hope, I felt like I wanted to live. I was out of breath, I felt cold, and there was a sense of peace that I was longing for so long...yet...” Ramiel gazed at Peronell.

“But someone just have to make me see this ray of hope, I quite hate it how I saw this ray, and the way that faces loses her smugness, staring at me made me feel like I mattered, it made me feel like grasping for life, honestly, it would be better to die, but If I am dead then how would I be able to see such smugness again in the afterlife?”

Ramiel smiled. Listening to him talk, it was obvious to Peronell who is the ‘ray of hope’ that he saw. It made her face red, she looked away, and breathed as she subtly glances at the smiling Ramiel, who usually has the grumpy look.

Looks like he can smile like that too huh, she thought. It was quite an odd sight ever since she met him, and now that he is talking this way as if nothing while slowly turning his smile into a grin, it made Peronell flick Ramiel’s head, calling him.

“Dumbass.”

“Heh.”

At this point of his life, Ramiel met someone who appeared and gave him hope.

So with this hope, he continued living on.