Reborn, Its Time To Save My Family And.. My Enemy!
Chapter 245: I Could Rule Then

Chapter 245: I Could Rule Then

"You see who brought this upon you. Your homes, your children, turned to ash because of his stubborn pride. Because he refused to hand over the witches. If he had given up on witch sisters, we could have saved our lives."

She pointed at Rhistel with a trembling but resolute hand. "He protected them! He hid them! All while we begged him to protect us. And now look. LOOK what it has brought on us." the villagers looked around with burning rage, there was no sign of the village anymore. They could not even recognize their own houses.

The villagers’ states shifted, their grief twisting into fury. A woman sobbed, clutching the charred remains of a child’s toy. A man’s fists clenched around a blackened pitchfork.

"I fought for you!" Rhistel shouted, his voice hoarse from smoke and desperation. "If I had sided with witches, they would not have attacked me. But you all saw, I have saved a few of you while taking their attacks on myself."

But they weren’t listening.

"You protected the witches instead of protecting us!" one man cried.

"You promised safety but brought ruin!" another roared.

Evelyn stepped into the center of them. "It is not too late," she said with cold conviction. "Give us Olivia. Give us Oriana. The ones who brought this curse. As long as we sacrifice them, we can still survive or the witches will return. And this time, they would be worse." The thought removed even the knights who were still trying to find survivors under the debris and broken stones.

Hands grabbed Rhistel, dragged him forward. He didn’t resist. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing, the very people he had sworn to protect now dragging him toward the smoldering wreckage of what had once been their home.

"You’re making a mistake!" he gasped as they pushed him toward the fire. "I’m not your enemy!"

But they didn’t stop. They only burnt with fury.

"We have left with no choice. Only after you die, will we get the witch sisters. We can not let you protect them, my lord. We have our own lives to protect." their voice did not hold any negotiation. If they must kill him to get rid of witch sisters, they would.

Fear and desperation make people muddle headed. Rhistel knew they were driven with hatred but he was still disappointed in his men. He had always thought about them before thinking about himself. Even today, he decided to stay in the village instead of going to Oriana and protect her.

"Enough!"

The voice cracked through the chaos like thunder. They all stopped horrified when they saw two horses galloping toward them. Damon rode in, and his fierce eyes challenged them with a cold look. his sword was already drawn in his hand, his eyes blazing with the desire to kill. His horse reared, scattering the villagers for a moment.

"Get away from him!" But the fear was momentary! Villagers were maddened and vengeful after the loss of their loved ones. They turned on Damon too.

"He’s one of them! He protects the witches too!" someone shouted. "We should burn them both!"

They rushed him. Damon fought, but there were too many. He was forced off his horse, sword clashing against farming tools turned to weapons. Rhistel struggled to rise, but pain seared through his ribs.

But before they could force both of them in the fire, another horse reached closer. Olivia jumped from the horse and landed in front of Evelyn.

"If you attack them, I will kill them." she warned as her hand snaked around Evelyn;s neck and held her tightly. Then she whispered into Evelyn’s ear, "I am sure you know that I do not need strength for it. Just a thought would be enough."

Evelyn shivered with fear and shouted loudly.

"Stop, all of you. Stop it! Save me." her shoutings did not stop villagers. They were hesitant only for a second before glaring at Olivia.

"It is all because of you, we will kill you too. It doesn’t matter what it would take, but we will kill you." They all ran toward her to hold her but they could not. As if a strange power was stopping them from taking a step further.

They tried to struggle against it. Their faces contorted with fear and shock. In the struggle, Damon and Rhistel got themselves free from their grip.

Olivia only stared at them for a second before returning her gaze to Evelyn.

"When the witches came," Olivia said again, stepping closer to Evelyn "where were you?"

"I— I was—" Evelyn stammered.

"Rhistel was here," Olivia continued. "Fighting and bleeding. He tried to save people even when he knew he could not fight against witches. Where were you?"

Evelyn’s face twisted, but no words came.

"Tell me!" Olivia snapped. "Where. Were. You?"

Evelyn faltered, her mouth opening, closing. Her eyes darted from face to face. The crowd was watching now, not Rhistel, not Damon but her.

"I.. I was trying to protect..." she began.

"No," Olivia said, her voice cutting clean through her excuses. "You weren’t. Because the witches didn’t come on their own, did they? You called them." Gasps spread like wind through dry leaves.

"That’s not true," Evelyn whispered, but her voice was weak, almost dazed. She wanted to lie like she had always been but something was stopping her. She could speak the truth, but she could not lie. It must be witchcraft by Olivia! She wanted to kill the girl but she could not move at all and it scared her.

"Say it," Olivia demanded, stepping closer, her voice lowering to a whisper only Evelyn could hear, yet the weight of it seemed to press on everyone. "Say what you did."

Evelyn blinked, as if entranced. Her lips moved before she could stop herself.

"I called them," she said, spellbound. "I called them to the village. I told them to come. I wanted Rhistel gone. I wanted more power and more control. I thought if the witches helped me in getting rid of him, I could rule the land then."

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