Patriarch Rylan quickly regained his composure. "Village Chief Brane, are you absolutely certain about what you're saying?" he asked, his lips quivering as he stared at the Village Chief in disbelief.
The Village Chief nodded firmly. "I see no reason to deceive you, Patriarch Rylan," he replied. "And as for the identity of this person, he goes by the name Ronan."
Boom!
When the Village Chief's words resounded, Patriarch Rylan, Isadora, Leona, and the others felt like their eardrums had been assaulted by a sudden explosion.
Upon hearing his name, Ronan couldn't help but curse inwardly as he froze, sensing the sudden scrutiny of all eyes fixed upon him.
As a tight grip clenched around his hand, Ronan turned his head to find his wife, Lirien, holding onto him with a look of deep concern in her eyes.
"Please, Ronan, tell me this isn't true," Lirien pleaded, her voice trembling with despair.
Instead of answering, Ronan closed his eyes, unable to bear the anguish reflected in Lirien's gaze.
Patriarch Rylan glanced briefly at Ronan, his expression a mix of astonishment and disbelief, before returning to the Village Chief. Suppressing the heaviness in his heart, he opened his mouth to speak.
"Village Chief Brane, I understand that you wouldn't speak without reason, but are you absolutely certain this is the information you had obtained from Captain Seig?" he asked.
"Patriarch Rylan, the information I've provided comes directly from Captain Seig, so there is undoubtedly some validity. However, confirming its truth is precisely why we are here," the Village Chief replied, his gaze shifting to the other Four-eared elves, landing squarely on Ronan.
Patriarch Rylan's body trembled with fury as he absorbed the Village Chief's words. "RONAN!" he bellowed, snapping his gaze toward him. His eyes narrowed as they fixated on Ronan's stiff figure.
Observing the intense gazes of the Village Chief and Patriarch Rylan, Ronan's body tensed even further, his grip on Lirien's hand tightening involuntarily.
"Is it true? Were you the one aiding Captain Seig in tracking us down?" Patriarch Rylan's voice dripped with anger, his eyes blazing with betrayal as he stared at Ronan, whom he had once considered a trusted ally.
"Patriarch Rylan, this must be a misunderstanding... I would never betray our people," Ronan stammered, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
But before he could finish, Patriarch Rylan's voice thundered, silencing him with a single word, "ENOUGH!"
A firm grip suddenly tightened around Ronan's neck, sending a chilling wave of despair through his body.
Ronan's eyes widened in shock as Leif tightened his grip and lifted him off the ground.
"You scoundrel! Are you suggesting that the Village Chief is lying, and we should believe you despite all the evidence against you?" Leif said, his voice seethed with fury as he gripped Ronan.
Desperately, Ronan tried to free himself, but Leif's hold was unwavering. His panicked gaze darted to Patriarch Rylan, Isadora, Lyndon, Leona, Carl, and the other gods' chosen, but their expressions mirrored Leif's anger and disappointment.
It felt as though they all wanted to take Leif's place and strangle him themselves.
The one person Ronan couldn't bring himself to look at was his wife, Lirien.
As if unable to bear the sight before her, Lirien steeled herself and grabbed Leif's arm. "Leif, please, let go. We need to hear Ronan out before jumping to conclusions," she pleaded, her eyes brimming with tears as she attempted to free Ronan from Leif's grasp. However...
PAAHH!
A resounding slap echoed as Leif's hand connected with Lirien's cheek, causing her to stagger backwards and nearly fall to the ground from the unexpected slap.
Ronan's eyes widened in disbelief at the scene unfolding before him. "YOU BASTARD!!" he screamed at Leif, his rage boiling over.
He unconsciously activated his Devourer's bracelet, causing it to hum and vibrate, its gears surging to life as they regulated the flow of Vylkr energy from the vial.
The Devourer's heart throbbed in sync with Ronan's emotions, pulsating with increasing intensity. As thick, inky black strands of Vylkr energy swirled around him—
BANNGG!!
Ronan unleashed a powerful punch at Leif's face, sending him hurtling backwards until he crashed into the wooden wall of the mansion with a deafening "BOOM!"
Without hesitation, Ronan seized the Lirien, ready to make a swift escape, but before he could take a single step, Seth immediately acted, activating his gift; a wall of thick lava emerged from the ground around Ronan, trapping him in place.
"Do you truly believe you can run in my presence?" Seth sneered, casting a disdainful glance at the now-imprisoned Ronan.
Glancing towards the Village Chief, Seth awaited his orders. "Go on," the Village Chief commanded.
With a nod, Seth refocused on the despairing Ronan. As he prepared to command the wall of lava to collapse inward, another voice pierced the air.
"WAIT!!" Isadora's cry echoed loudly as she sprinted forward, swiftly reaching the Village Chief, dropping to her knees, and pressing her forehead against the ground.
"What's this about?" The Village Chief inquired, his brow furrowing deeply as he observed Isadora's bowed figure.
He hadn't expected Patriarch Rylan's daughter to be the one opposing his judgment.
"Please, I understand Ronan's actions are unforgivable, but spare Lirien and her unborn child. They're innocent in all of this, Village Chief. Please, they don't deserve to die like this," Isadora pleaded, her eyes swollen with tears.
As Isadora spoke, a sudden realization struck Patriarch Rylan and the others like a hammer to the back of their heads.
Hold on!
Lirien and her unborn child... Could it be that...?
Their attention abruptly turned to the distraught Ronan, who held Lirien in his arms with a tearful, apologetic expression.
"I'm sorry... Hic!! I did what I thought was necessary. I didn't believe we would survive otherwise. If only I had known things would turn out differently, I swear I wouldn't have acted as I did, Lirien, please..." Ronan's voice trembled and cracked, tears flowing until he could no longer speak.
