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Chapter 74 Part 7 – The Blazing Flames and Hearts That Scorch the Night

Only Ronny saw the brilliance of a star appear. It is said that when a person dies, everything he had experienced in his life up to that point flows through his mind like a revolving lantern. Being in his final moments gave Ronny an exceptional perception ability for a brief time. With that, Ronny knew that his last wish had been answered.

「…… Sister Rona. You don’t have to worry anymore. I can see that sister Rona’s prince has come.」

He assured Rona with a face full of joy to encourage her.

Matthew frowned at Ronny’s sudden change.

Ronny’s vocal cords had been crushed. And he was on the verge of death. There was no way he could speak properly. In fact, he couldn’t even utter a word properly until just a few moments ago. And yet, Ronny’s eyes were now filled with strong conviction and his voice rang out clearly. Ronny puffed out his chest and looked straight ahead at Matthew and John.

「…… I can see his red hair and crimson eyes. The color of his hair and eyes are more vivid than this flame …… He is …… not an ordinary human being. He is the flame that will condemn you. The witch-hunting farce won’t work on him. He will never forgive you guys for hurting sister Rona. Both of you have touched something you shouldn’t have.」

Ronny spoke like a prophet.

Rona was stunned. There is only one person who fits that description. But Rona never told Ronny a single word about him.

Ronny was enveloped in flames, but he acted as if he didn’t feel any pain. John was so overwhelmed by the divine spectacle that he stopped tearing apart Rona’s clothes.

Ronny smiled dreamily at Rona.

「…… Sister Rona, ever since you were little, it’s been your dream to meet a prince. God must have made your dream come true. …… What a relief. Don’t ever let go of his hand. …… I’m worried though. Because sister Rona is always so reserved. …… Ahhh, Teddy, you are also there …… Don’t you think so as well ……」

In Ronny’s eyes, he could see his deceased twin brother who had come to pick him up.

The sound of the firewood exploding rang like a thunderbolt.
And then, filled with a flood of emotions, Ronny said goodbye to Rona from the midst of the flames.

「…… Goodbye. Sister Rona. …… Thank you for everything ……」

「…… No …… Stop it ……!! No ……!! Ronny ……!!」

Rona desperately tried to reach out, but she couldn’t push away John who was straddling her body.

Ronny shook his head apologetically.

「…… I’m sorry, I have to go now …… Sister Rona …… Don’t cry. Smile. Be happy …… That is our only wish ……」

Then Ronny smiled a little shyly and closed his eyes.

「…… We are really happy …… that we were born …… as sister Rona’s younger broth- ……」

Ronny couldn’t finish the sentence.
He had passed away before he could do so.

「…… I’m the one …… who is happy to have the two of you as my younger brothers ……!!」

But Rona’s sobbing voice reached Ronny.
Ronny slowly collapsed with a smile on his face.

The flames swelled up and engulfed Ronny.
Like a tornado, it shot up to the sky.
Fire sparks soared in the air.
By the time the heat subsided a little, Ronny was no longer in sight.

「…… Aaaaahhh!! Aaah ……!!」

Rona’s sorrowful cries ripped through the night.
Flames and sorrow scorched the night.
Her younger brothers, whom she wanted to protect, died because of her.

But in the face of the shouts and noises of the riot, the cries of a little girl were too powerless. Everyone lost themselves in anger and agitation and Rona’s grief did not reach their hearts. The hell that Matthew had created would not come to a halt.

…… It was supposed to be so.

「…… I have a bad feeling about this.」

Matthew was the first to notice that something was wrong.
Although Matthew manipulates people’s hearts through logic and persuasion, when push comes to shove, he prioritizes his intuition over calculation, that’s the reason why he was able to survive until now. That’s why Matthew always makes his decisions extremely fast.

Matthew clicked his tongue and raised his hand.

He sent a signal to his hidden subordinates to light the fire immediately. Unbeknownst to his close aide, John, when Matthew carries out a witch hunt, he always burns the town to the ground which will let him not be anxious about the grudge of the town inhabitants in the future and allow him to successfully withdraw. He made preparations in case the town inhabitants’ hatred is directed at himself, the Inquisition official Matthew.

「…… Tch, he really called out an unusual human.」

Matthew glanced irritably at the extinguished pillar of fire that Ronny had died in. Then he stared out into the night at a corner of the riot. Matthew hates existences that cannot be measured by common sense. Because they are foreign factors that make his calculations go haywire.

Frightened by Matthew’s disgruntled mood, John looked around at the surroundings and stopped his gaze at a spot and gasped in shock.

「What the heck is that!?」

The commotion was coming from the area of the riot caused by the mobs from the slums.

The mobs clamored as they wielded their pitchforks and poles and attacked at a single point. But after a few seconds, they all came crashing down into each other and fell to the ground. It looked as if they leapt backward on their own. It was exactly the same technique that Matthew had used earlier to silence the crowd. No, it was even more brilliant than that. No one would have believed it had they not been there, or even if they had witnessed the scene with their own eyes. They couldn’t believe that just a single person had done that.

And not just that –

The angry shouts of the mobs quickly turned into frightened groans.
The sea of people made a commotion and split into two like the sea divided by Moses in the Book of Exodus.
An empty space is created.

A boy in aristocratic clothes walked on the opened area as if nothing had happened.

It was an unbelievable sight.

A child of the nobility that is alone and unaccompanied is easy prey for the bloodthirsty, impoverished people of the slums. Throw a child like that into the middle of a riot and he would be a corpse stripped of all his belongings in less than a minute.

But the mobs acted like small predators in the face of a lion. Far from underestimating the fact that he was just one child, it made his exceptionality stand out and made them feel even more awe and fear. Their instincts told them that they must not go against him.

The crowd gasped as they realized what was happening. The astonishment rippled through the crowd, not only among the poor, but among the townspeople as well. The boy’s pure spirit overcame the murky hatred. The riot subsided as naturally as the ebbing of a wave. Fearfully, they opened a road.

The qualities of a hero who was later on feared as someone capable of single-handedly turning the tide of the war were exuding from him.

In the future, he even utilizes the strength of the horse he rode as his own. Compared to a horse’s mass of muscle and weight, a human being is merely a scarecrow with a poor balance that can be easily overturned by slightly shifting its center of gravity and timing of its movements. It doesn’t matter how many people crowd together. A former member of the 「Lawless Crew」, Marielle, described him as a child with terrifying potential because she saw that he had already reached that level.

With a fluttering red hair that resembles a burning flame and red eyes that can be seen even at night, he swiftly strode toward Rona as if he were walking through an uninhabited field.

Rona’s eyes opened wide and tears caused by emotions other than despair spilled out.
Her eyes reflected the figure of hope that was approaching her.

「…… Rona. I’m here to pick you up.」

Even though there was still some distance between them, and even though he was speaking quietly, the boy’s voice strangely got through to her.
The hand he held out seemed like a light of salvation coming through the clouds.

The boy’s crimson eyes paid no attention to the mobs.
He did not look at John or even Matthew. He just looked at Rona alone.

「…… Wendell …… sama ……!!」

Rona’s whole body burned with joy.
Wendell smiled and nodded.

Her younger brother, Ronny, did not lie.
Rona’s prince was indeed here.

Having just lost Ronny and Teddy, Rona could not smile. She doesn’t think she has the right to smile.

But.

‘…… I’m sorry. Ronny, Teddy. Please forgive me for crying. My heart is overflowing with feelings …… and I can’t stop it ……!! Now I understand ……!! …… I ……!! …… I ……!!’

Tears overflowed from Rona’s hazel-colored eyes.
Rona muffled her voice and kept crying.

At that moment, she clearly realized that she was so in love with Wendell to the point that she didn’t mind if she died right then.