Our Family Has Fallen

Hearing the refusal, the hooded figure assumed they were simply being greedy and inwardly cursed their avarice. Nonetheless, he turned and added more money to the bribe.

"This is all the money we have."

But the soldiers still shook their heads frantically, as if the man wasn't holding money, but a bomb.

Seeing that even such a large sum couldn't make these greedy soldiers grant passage, the hooded figure grew angry!

Meanwhile, the refugees ignored the instruction to leave. They grew restless and attempted to rush past the stationed soldiers to enter the town.

The soldiers, naturally unwilling to allow this, promptly raised their spears to drive them away. The situation was clearly escalating. Just then, a succession of hoofbeats sounded.

The refugees turned to see a cavalry squad galloping along the old road, their leader conspicuous in full armor.

"What's happening?"

Reynard brought his horse to a halt. The soldiers behind him, though somewhat inexperienced, managed to control their mounts and maintain formation.

Relieved to see the cavalry squad returning from patrolling the outlying farms, a foot soldier quickly explained that the refugees were causing trouble and trying to enter the town.

"No disturbances allowed! Kill anyone who dares to assault the guard post!" Reynard surveyed the chaotic scene, his gaze sweeping over the refugees. No one knew what expression lay hidden beneath his helmet.

At his words, the cavalrymen behind him seemed to sense the shift in atmosphere, their hands instinctively moving towards the weapons hanging from their saddles.

The refugees also seemed to sense something, but they neither panicked nor begged for mercy; they simply stood their ground.

However, Reynard made no further move. After the warning, his demeanor softened, and he gestured to the soldiers.

"Let them stay. Arrange for them to be taken to the temporary camp. Later, I will send someone with food and drink. We can organize their entry into the town tomorrow."

Reynard's words surprised the soldiers; even the dozen or so refugees seemed stunned.

But Reynard offered no explanation, instead leading the cavalry squad back to the training camp.

"Lord Reynard is truly a kind and honorable Knight. You're lucky to have met him; otherwise, you'd have to leave," one soldier said as he escorted the group, not forgetting to sing Reynard's praises.

After leading the people away, the soldier departed. Due to the temporary halt in admissions, this group were the only occupants of the camp.

It was then that they finally dropped their disguises. The individuals who had appeared as refugees couldn't help but ask the hooded figure.

"Deacon, what do we do now?"

"Wait. Tonight, we sneak in, kill that Lord, and burn this town to the ground." The hooded figure lifted his hood, revealing a half-disfigured face and pale eyes.

These were no refugees; they were members of the Sect of Ascension.

"But our mission is to cooperate with the Wasteland Witch…"

A cultist voiced his concern. The mission they had received from their superiors was not to directly assault the town. They had to remain hidden; otherwise, attracting the Church's attention would mean trouble and implicate the entire organization.

"Are you scared?"

One-eyed had been calm, but at the mention of this, his expression turned furious. The scars on his face tightened, making him look even more ferocious as he cut off the other man's words.

"I am ready to return to God at any moment," the cultist said. "It's just that with so few of us, it will be tough to accomplish the mission and might even affect the Sect's plans."

Although they had joined the Ascension Sect, it didn't mean they were fools. They knew better than to provoke the well-equipped cavalry they had just witnessed.

"So, now we are refugees, and that's why I'm waiting until night to act. Are you telling me you can't deal with a few soldiers? Besides, if *they* complete the mission, what credit will there be for us? How long will you have to wait to obtain the Seed? I fear nothing for the Sect and am always ready to sacrifice myself for God. If you're afraid, go back."

One-eyed sternly reprimanded them, laying out the pros and cons. He was the only one among them with a title, so the other adherents were nominally bound to follow his orders.

Moreover, although they had been blessed by God with strength, advancing further required merging with a Seed—a precious opportunity not easily obtained, but fiercely fought for.

Why had they joined the Sect of Ascension if not to pursue Ascension through flesh and blood? How could they ascend without the Seed? Opportunities must be seized! What was there to fear from a few mere soldiers? The Deacon was a powerful man who controlled the Seed!

"I'm not afraid!"

"We should have killed those damned nobility long ago!"

Watching the cultists regroup, One-eyed seemed unconcerned.

Last night's affliction was too vicious. It wasn't just its powerful corrosiveness; the flesh that initially grew back soon developed pustules and then rotted away. Moreover, it felt like something had entered my bloodstream, as if bugs were crawling all over my body, making me desperate to tear off my own skin. I'm acutely aware that I'm undoubtedly under a malicious curse. If it weren't for the Seed's power suppressing the strangeness within me, I wouldn't be able to endure for a moment. I need to hurry back to the Sect to seek help in removing this curse. But before that, I have to complete my mission: kill the Lord and destroy this town.

"When it gets dark, send someone to fetch the weapons from the forest…" One-eyed was arranging the night's operation when sudden shouts came from outside.

"Where is everyone?"

This shout nearly terrified them. They almost thought they had been exposed. Fortunately, they quickly composed themselves. At One-eyed's signal, the group walked out and saw a man with a bucket stopped at the entrance of the camp.

"What do you want?"

"Obviously, I'm delivering food."

"Just put the stuff down and go."

"No can do. I have to take the bucket back to report," the man said, patting the bucket beside him. "Hurry up, didn't you say you were starving?"

His words reminded the disguised refugees of their current roles, and they promptly chimed in.

"Right, yes, we've been hungry for days!"

They said as much as they approached, but then they saw what was in the bucket: porridge as thin as water, mostly filled with wild vegetables, with only a few rotten grains visible.

Hidden in the wilderness, we often ate meat, even if its origins were unclear. Who cared? And now we're being asked to eat something that even pigs would turn their noses up at?

"What's with that reaction? We're sharing the best food in town with you! Refugees, picking and choosing like this? I think you're not hungry enough yet."

Hearing such words, under normal circumstances, we would have killed this man already. But we're on an important mission right now.

Endure...

"We'll eat, we'll eat," One-eyed stepped forward. It's just some vegetable gruel. It's not like I'm being asked to eat shit, so what's the big deal?

They grew even more confused when the man handed over only a single long wooden spoon.

What about bowls?

"What are you looking at? Did you expect me to bring a stack of bowls? I've dealt with plenty of refugees, and it's always been like this. You lot are just hard to please."

The man wore a very unkind expression, and the Ascension Cultists seethed. They desperately wanted to draw their weapons and cut down this despicable fellow.

"Eat!" One-eyed ground out the word, his voice stiff.

Endure... We can't expose ourselves now. Wait until tonight, and we'll kill you all!

When he took a mouthful, the bitter, strange taste immediately assaulted his senses, his already twisted expression contorting further with frustration.

But for the mission, I have to swallow it.

Endure!

If their leader could do it, how could the followers dare to refuse? One by one, they stepped forward, took a few spoonfuls with grimaces, and retreated.

The man stood by, constantly urging them on, forcing them to consume everything in the bucket.

"Sleep after you're full. Someone will deal with you tomorrow."

Without further words, the man dropped this sentence and left, leaving behind a dozen people with ugly expressions.

One-eyed stared at his retreating back, consumed with the desire to kill him!

When the man carrying the bucket walked straight into the training camp, Reynard and the others were already waiting.

"How did it go?"

Only then did the man drop his disguise, revealing his true demeanor. Who else could it be but Dismas?

"There's definitely something wrong with those guys. I don't know where they're from, but they're certainly not refugees," Dismas said, then burst out laughing as he lifted the bucket. "But I did make them eat an entire bucket of pig feed!"

"HAHAHA!"

Dismas's words made everyone roar with laughter; even the usually stern Reynard couldn't help but crack a smile.