<h4>Chapter 704 Punishment For Treachery </h4>
?Patriarch Rn quickly regained hisposure. "Vige Chief Brane, are you absolutely certain about what you''re saying?" he asked, his lips quivering as he stared at the Vige Chief in disbelief.
The Vige Chief nodded firmly. "I see no reason to deceive you, Patriarch Rn," he replied. "And as for the identity of this person, he goes by the name Ronan."
Boom!
When the Vige Chief''s words resounded, Patriarch Rn, 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 Rn nced briefly at Ronan, his expression a mix of astonishment and disbelief, before returning to the Vige Chief. Suppressing the heaviness in his heart, he opened his mouth to speak.
"Vige 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 Rn, the information I''ve providedes directly from Captain Seig, so there is undoubtedly some validity. However, confirming its truth is precisely why we are here," the Vige Chief replied, his gaze shifting to the other Four-eared elves,nding squarely on Ronan.
Patriarch Rn''s body trembled with fury as he absorbed the Vige 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 Vige Chief and Patriarch Rn, 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 Rn''s voice dripped with anger, his eyes zing with betrayal as he stared at Ronan, whom he had once considered a trusted ally.
"Patriarch Rn, 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 Rn''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 Vige 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 Rn, 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 ce 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 p echoed as Leif''s hand connected with Lirien''s cheek, causing her to stagger backwards and nearly fall to the ground from the unexpected p.
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 regted 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 ck 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 thickva emerged from the ground around Ronan, trapping him in ce.
"Do you truly believe you can run in my presence?" Seth sneered, casting a disdainful nce at the now-imprisoned Ronan.
ncing towards the Vige Chief, Seth awaited his orders. "Go on," the Vige Chiefmanded.
With a nod, Seth refocused on the despairing Ronan. As he prepared tomand the wall ofva to copse inward, another voice pierced the air.
"WAIT!!" Isadora''s cry echoed loudly as she sprinted forward, swiftly reaching the Vige Chief, dropping to her knees, and pressing her forehead against the ground.
"What''s this about?" The Vige Chief inquired, his brow furrowing deeply as he observed Isadora''s bowed figure.
He hadn''t expected Patriarch Rn''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, Vige 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 Rn 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.