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Chapter 75 Part 4 – The ending of Rona’s awakening of love. And the people remember the sorrowful night and weep.

Taking full advantage of his child stature, Wendell stepped through the blind spot caused by Matthew’s fluttering cloak. There was no hesitation at all. His extreme speed was like a bolt of lightning.

‘…… Tch!! He’s hiding behind my cloak ……!! And what’s with those ridiculously quick steps!?’

A series of attacks crossed like flying swallows.
Caught off guard, Matthew could not dodge the attacks.
Even though Wendell wielded a sword meant for children, the match was decided at this moment.
…… Or it should be.

Matthew’s cloak was not an ordinary cloak.

Along with scattered sparks, Wendell’s sword was repelled.
Matthew’s cloak had chainmail woven into the inside of it.

「Fufu, you’re so impatient. But I see that your little sword cannot cut through this specially-made cloak.」

Matthew regained his composure, and without taking his eyes off Wendell, he kicked Rona off with his other foot. Rona fell on the ground beside Matthew’s feet. The drugged Rona had no strength left to cling to Matthew again.

「…… It’s so frustrating …… I …… I can’t do anything …… Wendell-sama …… I’m sorry ……」

Wendell gently smiled at Rona as tears streamed down her face.

「There’s nothing you should apologize for. Rona’s smile has the power to make other people feel happy. That’s something only you can do. That’s enough for me. And it’s not just me. The three old men and Marielle-san also like you. They are worried about you from the bottom of their heart. The place you belong to is by our side. Let’s go back. To our house. After defeating this guy.」

His words made Rona’s heart tremble.
She could only nod her head while crying.

「Ohh, that sounds like a pick-up line. You realized that your sword wouldn’t work on this cloak, but you seem to still be calm.」

Matthew sneered.

But inwardly, he was shaken.

‘Is this guy really a child? He has the bearing of an experienced warrior and shows no signs of weakness.’

Matthew was trying to make Wendell upset and agitated, but Wendell’s sword and attitude did not waver. He also thought about killing Rona, but he had a bad feeling about it.

However, Wendell had his own reasons for not attacking recklessly.

「Come on. What’s the matter? The princess is here. You’re not going to come here to retrieve her? Is being a prince all talk? Hoho, you seem to be exhausted. I know that you’ve reached your limits.」

Wendell tries to move into a position where he can retrieve Rona, but Matthew is too shrewd to let him do so. He provoked Wendell with the tip of his sword.

Wendell had no choice but to circle around Matthew and look for an opening. On the other hand, Matthew was positioned in the center and only had to rotate his body around. There is also a difference in their attack reach, so he can’t jump in carelessly. Wendell’s breathing became more labored. The longer the time dragged on, the more fatigue accumulated, and Wendell’s lack of physical endurance put him at a disadvantage.

「What’s the matter with you? What happened to the courage you showed when you first appeared? Since you won’t come, should I be the one to go and play with you.」

Matthew concluded that if he continued to prolong the battle, he would be able to win without having to spend much effort.

「…… That cloak. It’s the same one as what the three old men has.」

Matthew started to verbally taunt Wendell.
But when he heard what Wendell said, his expression turned unpleasant.

「…… There are only three old men who would wear such an eccentric cloak. Those madmen of war. Are you acquainted with them?」

Unable to ignore it, Matthew ended up asking Wendell a question. For Matthew, who creates elaborate schemes, the three old warriors that would overturn the entire board with brute force are demons to be avoided.

「If you’re talking about old man Brian, old man Bill, and old man Bob, they’re my teachers – 」

Before Wendell could finish his sentence.

「Young lord!! The Inquisition official Matthew’s scheme has been crushed!! The town mayor and the others have also been safely rescued!!」

A voice pierced through the clamor of the chaos.
The white-bearded Brian and the others were literally pushing their way through the crowd.

「Get out of the way!! This ridiculous witch hunt and outrageous act of burning people at the stake is over now!!」

The three old warriors were like a group of bulldozers. Even if all the people in this place had remained as mobs, they would have been pushed aside easily.

「…… We didn’t make it in time ……!!」

The smell of burnt flesh mixed in with the smoke made the three old warriors have a gloomy expression. Having been through numerous battlefields, they immediately understood what had happened to Ronny.

「…… Tch, it’s those madmen of war. How annoying. I’m really in trouble this time.」

Matthew grimaced.

The black-bearded Bobby lost his temper when he saw Matthew.

「You bastard!! I knew it!! You’re『Viper』, aren’t you!? You damn mercenary!! I’ll make sure to finish you off today!!」

「To think that we’d meet you here. This time I’ll certainly knock your head off so that you can never come back to life ……!!」

The brown-bearded Bill has a subdued tone, but the bloodlust in his eyes is no less than the one in black-bearded Bobby’s eyes.

「『Viper』? Isn’t that the name of a venomous snake?」

The white-bearded Brian nodded at Wendell’s words.

「That’s right. It’s a cunning, vindictive, and unusually tenacious snake. It’s a nickname given to him by fellow mercenaries because of his bizarre poison and techniques that reminded them of a viper. When he disappeared, we had no idea that he would become an officer of the Inquisition. He’s a devious fiend that has caused the deaths of so many innocent people. Hey『Viper』. You’re claiming to be an apostle of God so that you can do whatever you want? I will not let you live any longer. Because we don’t like you. I’ll make sure to avenge your victims ……」

The authority of the Inquisition will not work against these three old warriors.

It was just like these old men to not say that they’ll do it “for the sake of the world or for other people”.

They move according to their own way of being a warrior.
They kill devious fiends. Because those fiends cannot be corrected, and as long as they live, they will spread poison.
It is a violently simple and clear thinking.

And it is not only the three old warriors who cannot forgive Matthew.

「…… Listen!! Everyone who loves this town!! I am the town mayor!!」

The town mayor stepped forward from behind the white-bearded Brian.
The three old warriors stood beside him like guardian statues.
The crowd gasped when they realized that he was the town mayor.
The mayor nodded and raised his hand in response.
He took a deep breath, glared at the Inquisition official Matthew, and started talking.

「I was captured by that man, Matthew. He cruelly tortured me and attempted to force me to confess that I was on the side of the witches. And it was not only me, but also these people standing behind me.」

Behind the mayor, the town’s prominent figures who had been captured nodded.

「Matthew was after our fortune. Because there is a rule which states that anyone executed as a witch or one of her associates will have all their fortune confiscated by the Inquisition. That is why Matthew so desperately wanted to make us the witches’ associates. Look what he did to me!!」

The mayor held up a hand with all the fingernails removed.
His fingertips were still purple and crushed.
Even under the light of the flames at night, the miserable state of his hand was clear.
The audience was shocked by what they witnessed.
Then the mayor spoke in an even louder voice.

「If I was really on the side of the witches, I would give up and accept the punishment. But of course, that’s not the case. That is why Matthew wanted to get me to confess to being on the side of the witches, even if it meant torturing me. Because there was no other way he could get evidence. Matthew’s argument that we are on the side of the witches are all based on a statement made by a boy named Ronny. But even that statement was a trap set by Matthew. I overheard the truth when I was at the Inquisition building.」

The mayor changed the situation slightly to make it easier to understand and explain.

His storytelling skills were brilliant and he won the attention of the audience.
Everyone’s ears perked up as the mayor mentioned Ronny’s name. The boy whose statement had triggered the riot.
The mayor deliberately raised his voice and used his severely wounded finger to point at Matthew.

「Matthew had threatened Ronny!! He despicably took Ronny’s twin brother and older sister hostage!! Then he gave Ronny a list of the people they wanted to steal their property from and made Ronny accuse those people of being on the side of the witches!! He forced Ronny to do that!! And then he just pushed all the crimes to Ronny, pretended to not know anything, and sent him to be burned on the stake!! Matthew whispered to Ronny that he would save his older sister and twin brother if he kept the truth to himself until the end!! It was a truly brutal act that took advantage of the heart of a young child who loves his family!! To make things worse, Matthew and John broke their promise to Ronny!! He tried to kill all three siblings as only a dead man will not open his mouth!!」

「…… Eiiii!! Jo-o-o-o-hn!! Until when are you going to sleep!! Silence those people!!」

Matthew shouted in irritation.

With a deafening roar, John stood up.
His muscles bulged. But drool was still dripping from his slack-jawed mouth. His bloodshot eyes were unfocused. His roar was made up of an incomprehensible rant and blood began to seep out of his torn skin. He has completely lost his mind.