Reborn, Its Time To Save My Family And.. My Enemy!
Chapter 273: Guilt And Anger

Chapter 273: Guilt And Anger

"Did she get a burial at that time?"Liliana didn’t reply immediately. But the dim look on her face answered him. Now that he realises it was all their mistake. They were so scared and angry that they hid the truth and then lies were twisted by their imaginations.

"We should focus on the present instead of the past." She kept her eyes ahead, her steps steady despite the weight she bore. The man leaned on her, struggling to walk without crumpling again, and his father hovered close, ready to catch him if needed. The man was too ashamed to ask further so he bowed his head and continued to walk through her support. His father could feel the pain but he did not have words that could offer a perfect apology to Liliana. The fire that had burnt the village was their doing.

When they reached the edge of the plaza, they could already hear the commotion. Olivia stood at the center, composed yet firm, trying to maintain order without revealing too much.

men, women, elders, and even curious children who had been dragged along were staring at her in confusion. Their voices rose like restless waves:

"Why are we gathered here?"

"What is this about?"

"Is it about the raids?"

"Another warning from the witches or they have sent words?"

"Olivia, speak clearly. We left our shops and homes for this!"

Despite their pressure and unease, Olivia remained calm. Her gaze flickered toward the path Liliana was coming from. Relief softened her features for a moment before she lifted a hand to silence the crowd.

"We are here to discuss the war that had burnt your houses, et. but it was not only your houses that were burnt. Both parties had suffered equally." their faces changed from eagerness to anger and they looked at Olivia as if she was a traitor.

"You are here to speak for them?" their expressions changed but there was no surprise in them. In the end, she was a witch. How could she fight with them against her own kind? They have expected her betrayal. Perhaps the help that day was just so she could win their trust and betray them harder.

They wanted to hurl insults at her but just then, Liliana appeared, half-carrying the man through the narrow gap the crowd instinctively parted for them. Murmurs rippled through the people as they saw the man. He was thin, pale, scarred, and trembling but somehow upright. Some gasped. Others stared, squinting to make sense of his identity.

"Is that...?"

"No, it can’t be..."

"Who is he?"

"I’ve never seen him before."

"Could it be that the witches had burnt another man?" they all looked at liliana with hatred, ready to tear her into pieces. Not only had she burnt an old man but she had also dragged him in the plaza for everyone to see.

"What is the meaning of this, you witch." a woman hissed and came forward.

"He is the man who died a decade ago." Olivia cut them at once in a cold voice. "A witch had burnt five men and since then you started burning witches, do you remember that accident? He is one of those men."

Recognition struck some like lightning. Their Faces changed instantly; they looked at him with eyes widened. A few took a step back, shocked.

Someone blurted, "but how could you be alive? Didn’t all of them die that night in the fire?"

Another snapped, "He is cursed! He shouldn’t even be alive! Have you performed some kind of dark magic on him to bring him back?"

Liliana didn’t flinch. She helped the man to the center of the plaza and gently let go once she was sure he could stand. Her arm remained raised slightly behind him in case he stumbled.

"He had not died but hidden by his father because of his own selfishness." she said in a sharp and clear voice cutting through the noise like a blade. "I brought him here because truth has long been buried in this village and today, it will speak."

The man took a breath and stepped forward, visibly shaking. His father who stood behind him silently, nodded accepting Liliana’s words with a guilty look on his face. The crowd watched restless and confused.

He looked at all of them. His eyes were red, his throat raw. But when he spoke, the words rang like a bell, hoarse but full of purpose.

"My name is Eron," he began. "And I was one of the men who wronged the healer girl fifteen years ago. She did nothing wrong. She was only leaving after finishing her work. But we attacked her and tried to assault her. Whatever she did to us was her self defence. If any of us had the fighting ability we would have done the same. Her being a witch did not mean she was evil. She had worked there for years and never harmed anyone.

That night, she only wanted to protect herself from us. We are the real criminals. After that accident I was scared, I lost my voice because of it. I lost everything. But I deserved worse," Eron said, voice cracking. "Today, I have been given a chance to speak again... not to plead for forgiveness, but to confess what we did. What I did. And what this village let happen."

Gasps followed his words. A few clutched their chests. Some covered their mouths. And a man in the crowd sank to his knees, whispering a prayer.

"That could not be true.. There is another case."

"Where did a girl help a child in coming back from the dead?" Olivia asked with a look of pity in her eyes. "Perhaps, he was seriously ill and she helped him. Yet you exaggerated it because you were afraid of us?"

Eron looked at their confused state and felt guilt burning his chest again, "this is true, you can confirm from others, the girl had never harmed anyone. No witch had ever harmed us."