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Chapter 75 Part 5 – The ending of Rona’s awakening of love. And the people remember the sorrowful night and weep.

John’s state of insanity that feels life-threatening even when standing close to him caused the surrounding crowd to scream and run away.

Perhaps having lost the intelligence to wield a weapon, John threw away his battle axe and rushed at the mayor with his arms outstretched. The crowd that was standing on his way got knocked away and sent flying in the air one after another. He was like a dump truck with broken brakes.

「…… He’s been drugged. That guy has completely lost his mind. Mayor, stand back. Leave this to us.」

But the town mayor refused the proposal of the three old warriors.

「I refuse!! Words are my weapon. Talking to everyone here is my battle. This is my battlefield. Besides, if I back down here, I won’t be able to face Teddy!!」

At the mention of Teddy’s name, the three old warriors could not help but give up.

「Well, you’re quite a fool yourself. But I like that.」

「As expected from the man that Marielle chose. Do as you wish. We’ll do whatever we want to as well.」

The black-bearded Bobby and the white-bearded Brian laughed heartily and was about to intercept John. But the brown-bearded Bill stepped forward to stop them.

「I’m sorry, but I can’t concede this battle to you two. I see, so this person is John. I’m going to clear Teddy’s resentment.」

「Hey, are you planning to do this all by yourself? But we also ……」

「Please. Let me handle this. If I had been more careful when I went to pick Ronny and Teddy up …… Rona wouldn’t have lost her two younger brothers. I …… can’t forgive myself.」

Hearing the brown-bearded Bill’s serious tone, the black-bearded Bobby and the white-bearded Brian exchanged glances.

「All three of us are responsible for that. It’s not just your fault.」

「But even if we console you like that, you’re a stubborn old man that wouldn’t listen to it. Alright then, a verbal apology doesn’t suit us. Go and tell the rest with your blade.」

With a thud, the white-bearded Brian hit him in the back with his fist.

「Yeah!!」

With a loud battle cry, the brown-bearded Bill stepped forward.

As the brown-bearded Bill moved past John, his sickle flashed.
A whirlwind blew and a series of thuds resounded.
John came to a sudden stop as if he had been electrocuted.
His entire body was covered in cold sweat
He had not been cut anywhere in his body, but for some reason his hands were not responding at all.
And not only that ……!!

「Did you see that, Teddy? As your master, I have avenged my disciple. This is the blade of the Imperial Guards. This is a tribute to you. It’s the technique that I wanted to teach you. I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to do that much for you.」

The brown-bearded Bill did not look back at John behind him as he said this.
Looking at Rona’s tear-stained face illuminated by the pillar of fire, a sorrowful expression was etched into his face.

「I won’t let this guy die so easily. I’m not going to be satisfied until he’s suffered a million times what Teddy, Ronny, and Rona have suffered.」

Right at that moment, starting from his elbows, John’s hands fell off.
Then a chunk of flesh fell from between his legs.
One beat later, blood sprayed out like a fountain.

「…… Gyaaaaaaaahhh!!?」

With a beastly roar, John writhed on the ground.
His eye sockets had turned into a red cavern.
The scene was so gruesome that the people there turned pale.
In an instant, the brown-bearded Bill had sliced John’s hands off, crushed his eyes, and gouged out his vital points with the tip of his blade.

「Even a person poisoned with drugs would have a hard time dealing with this. If you’ve lost your mind, you’ll have to learn it with your body. You won’t need those body parts from now on. With this, when you go to the afterlife, you’ll never be able to make children cry again.」

As John screamed, foamed, and convulsed, the brown-bearded Bill took one cold look at him and trampled the chunk of flesh he had chopped off. A white ball protruded from under his foot along with blood and bodily fluids. As he stomped on it, the white membrane split apart and something resembling the insides of a sea urchin burst from it.

「I’m not satisfied, but the rest will be postponed until later. I’ll let you off with this for now.」

The men who were watching were struck by a feeling of shock and reflexively closed their knees.

「…… Sorry. I’m done with him. It’s your turn next.」

The black-bearded Bobby was stunned by the brown-bearded Bill’s words.

「What else do you want me to do to him? That’s enough already.」

The crowd was shocked, but the scene gathered their attention.
And the mayor turned it into an opportunity.

He gave a brief, but precise, impassioned speech about the inhuman acts John had done to so many children, and how much he deserved this retribution. The audience was captivated by the story. The audience was especially moved by Teddy’s sacrifice for his siblings, the way he apologized in his siblings’ stead, and the way he tragically died after being played around by John. Their hearts burned with righteous indignation.

「Teddy passed away while apologizing!! He didn’t hold grudges against anyone and was only worried about the future of Rona and Ronny!! He took my hand and said to me that he wishes that we can stop the conflicts between the townspeople!! That is why I came here!! Who should we hold accountable for this conflict!? Is it the poor siblings whose love for each other was taken advantage of by a terrible bastard!? No, that’s not right!!」

Hearing about Teddy’s final moments, Rona covered her face with both hands and cried.

The people who saw her tears no longer had anger or hatred in their eyes, but only pity and sympathy. With the town mayor’s persuasion, they were convinced that Rona was not a witch, but rather a brave girl with a tragic fate who risked her life in order to protect her younger brothers.

「We also testify for the atrocious acts that Matthew and John had committed!!」

The testimony of the officials of the Inquisition supported the mayor’s words.

Everyone’s furious gaze was directed at the main culprit, the Inquisition official Matthew.

The impoverished people from the slums were also making a commotion. They had just witnessed flames being lit all over the place at Matthew’s signal. Now that they had learned about Matthew’s despicable ways, it occurred to them that the arson in the slums was most likely also done by Matthew.
Now everyone has turned to be on the same side.

Without missing the opportunity, the mayor continued to speak.

「…… From what I’ve heard, this man named Matthew used to be a mercenary. When he is going to bring down a town, he would use a cowardly method of first causing a rift within the town and make the townspeople kill each other and destroy the town from the inside!! This riot is exactly that!! Without a doubt, Matthew is the mastermind behind this riot!! He wanted to destroy the unity of this town and make us hate each other in order to make it easier to conduct the witch hunt!! But we will no longer let things go according to his plan!! Who is our enemy!! It is that man who is not at all qualified to act as an apostle of God!!」

It was a forced conclusion, but the mayor’s words were right on target.
After all, a speech is successful if it moves the hearts of the audience.
Not to mention that justice is clearly on their side.
It was now the mayor’s sole stage.
No matter how hard Matthew tried to gain control of the crowd, it was all for naught.

「Ronny and Teddy were killed by Matthew!! They were the proud children of this town!! With their deaths, they informed us of Matthew’s scheme!! Let those children be vindicated!! With the hands of the adults of this town, let us proudly entrust the future to the children!!」

The mayor’s words set everyone’s hearts on fire.

Cries began to rise for Matthew to be judged. Before long, it became a unified cry. A wave of rage that shook the earth. The guilt of having listened to Matthew’s words and let the innocent Ronny die added fuel to the fire.

Ronny and Teddy’s deaths had meaning.
It was a small relief for Rona.