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Chapter 74 Part 5 – The Blazing Flames and Hearts That Scorch the Night

Ronny’s head would have burst like a pomegranate if Rona had not jumped on him and pulled him down. Tangled together, the two fell to the ground. Sparks flew in Rona’s vision. They managed to avoid getting hit by the blade of the ax, but both of them were struck hard by the hard wooden handle of the ax. The strength of the blow was no different from a strong attack from a wooden sword.

Matthew grinned with satisfaction.

「How wonderful. It looks like you’ve got your answer. You’ve shown me the truth about families. Here’s your reward. Take it as a congratulatory toast. What do you think? The aroma and color is truly splendid, don’t you agree? Feel free to ascertain its flavor.」

「…… Why ……!?」

Rona leaned over to protect Ronny, who is now unable to move, and said with a heartbreaking and sorrowful tone.

「…… Why would you do this!?」

It wasn’t John who attacked Ronny from behind.

Rona’s father was gripping an ax with one hand and gulping down the bottle of liquor that Matthew had given him with the other. His larynx moved rapidly as he swallowed the alcohol into his stomach. The liquor that overflowed from his mouth drenched his chin and chest, but he did not care. He was like a starving animal. Instead of eating blood and flesh to survive, he sold his soul to alcohol for the pleasure of intoxication.

「…… You’re questioning me? You children shouldn’t talk back against your father about every single thing!!」

Rona’s father became enraged and threw the empty liquor bottle at her. He was filled with murderous intent. Rona deliberately did not dodge so that Ronny would not get hit by it. Her head got hit by it and blood began to flow from her temple. But Rona was not intimidated and put even more strength into her hands to protect Ronny.

Her resolute attitude irritated her father all the more.

「…… That look in your eyes is just like your mother’s. She acted as if she’s a respectable person and looked down on me. She always glared at me after I fell into debt …… Ridiculing me inside her heart ……」

Rona was stunned. His persecution complex is so extreme.

The mother Rona knew had always believed in her constantly drunk father. Her mother was beautiful and good-natured, and some men, seeing her plight, had offered to take her and her children in. And yet she did not abandon her father until the very end because she loved him. Because she believed that one day he would recover and get back on his feet. He can’t even understand such a simple thing?

「You guys are the children of that woman!! I’m sure that you are a witch!! You guys are the ones that made me misfortunate!! I testify as their father!! These kids are witches!! Servants of the devil!!」

Their father looked just like the devil as he pointed his finger at them and cursed them with saliva flying out of his mouth.

For what reason did her mother pass away from overwork?
Far from getting back on his feet, he can’t even admit that he was wrong.
Rona’s head burned with anger.

Then the Inquisition official Matthew clapped his hands.

「Their blood-related family whom they live with has declared that this girl is a witch. What better proof could there be? This girl is undoubtedly a witch. And witches must be burned to death. This man has pushed aside his own feelings as her father and testified that his daughter is a witch for the sake of justice. It must have been very hard for you. I commend your courage.」

Rona’s father truly believed that Matthew meant what he said and was so proud of himself.
Seeing that, the faint parent-child bond that remained in Rona’s heart snapped.

「Could it be that the mother of these children was a witch as well?」

「That’s right. That woman was always talking happily to other men. She wanted to go out to work. She wasn’t satisfied with just sucking up my fortune, so she went out and hunted other men. I’m sure that woman was a witch. That damn witch. She ruined my life. My life would have been happier if I had never married her ……」

「…… You bastard!!」

Rona cried and slapped her father on the cheek as hard as she could.

Their mother had no choice but to go out to work to support her young children and her husband, whose drinking was completely eating up the family finances. She never slacked on doing the household chores either. She sacrificed everything for the sake of the family.

「If it weren’t for mother, you would have died a long time ago!! How much more spoiled do you have to be!? Our lives!! Our happiness!! You’re the one that ruined it!! Give me back my mother!! You murderer!!」

For the first time in her life, Rona cursed at her father head-on.

Her father’s face turned red and then white. Not from shock, but from anger. His expressionless face with bloodshot eyes looked like a Noh mask. It was the look of a man possessed by the devil. At this moment, for her father, Rona was no longer a tool that could be used as he wished, but an insolent foreigner who wanted to destroy his closed world. He had to get rid of her at all costs.

「You all keep on getting in my way ……!! On top of that, you want to become happy while casting me away!? You guys will never understand how long I have suffered!! How dare you!! I’ll kill you!!」

Her father let out a breath that reeked of alcohol and raised his ax.
His eyes were hazy.

Selfish people are sensitive to their own pain and insensitive to the pain of others.
The hardships experienced by Rona and her younger brothers who have lived with clenched teeth are completely different from their father who used violence whenever things didn’t go the way he wanted it to and escaped from reality by being constantly drunk. And yet, surprisingly, their father truly believed that he had suffered more than them. Just like a child with an undeveloped mind, he considers that he is the only one that matters in the world.

The ax swung down with murderous intent and attacked from above Rona’s head.

She can’t dodge it!!

Prepared for death, Rona reflexively closed her eyes tightly.

The dull and terrible sound of bones and flesh being crushed rang through the air.
Death did not come for her.
She could hear her father screaming that it hurts.

Rona fearfully opened her eyes and saw her father waving his hands around as if it was on fire.

Leaning his whole body forward, Ronny stopped their father.
He had jumped out and shielded Rona from the deadly ax.

Ronny turned his head around slightly and smiled at Rona.

「…… Sister Rona …… I’m sorry …… for saying such …… terrible things ……」

He apologized to Rona for the abuse he said to her in order to protect her.

「Ronny!!」

A sorrowful cry gushed out from Rona’s throat.

As if triggered by the sound of her voice, the ax that had been sticking out from Ronny’s shoulder was dislodged and fell to the ground with a thud. Blood splattered on Rona’s cheek. Ronny had used himself as a shield. Ronny’s complexion became as pale as that of a dead man.

「…… I’ll …… make you …… accompany me …… to death ……!!」

A knife handle was sticking out of their father’s belly. It was the knife that John had dropped. The blade was buried deep in his flesh.
Ronny had picked up the knife, gripped it with both hands, and used all his strength to stab their father with it as he rammed his body against him.

「…… You ungrateful son!! You’re just a kid and yet you’re planning to kill your father!?」　

Their father punched Ronny in the face as hard as he could and tried to push him away.
Blood spilled from Ronny’s mouth.
But Ronny was undaunted.

「…… All you do is make sister Rona cry …… Someone like you …… should not be considered …… as a father……!!」

Ronny twisted the handle of the knife stuck in his father’s stomach. Their father’s mouth fell open in pain, so much so that he couldn’t even scream, and he stood still as if struck by lightning. He blacked out for a moment. Blood and urine wet his feet. The tip of the blade had pierced his internal organs and gouged it. Ronny took advantage of the opportunity and pushed him.