Ren was shocked by the villagers' words. They were now calling their own king a criminal.
He thought, If the ruler has manipulated their memories again, then... Ryota might also try to kill me.
But when Ren reached them, he was stunned — Ryota was defending Hayato.
Tears fell from Ren's eyes. How... why...?
The soldiers shouted,
"How can you protect that wicked man? He killed our royal soldiers! You were fighting him yourself — he almost killed you! Now you're defending him?"
Ryota shouted back,
"No, you're wrong! He is your king! The royal soldiers attacked us, but Ren stopped them! Ren told me to carry Hayato and run!"
Ryota turned to Ren, confused.
"But why?"
Ren just said,
"Shut up and do as I say!"
One soldier charged at them, but Ren blocked the attack.
Without wasting time, they ran away.
The villagers chased after them, but Ren fought and delayed them one by one.
Finally, they escaped and hid inside a cave.
Inside the cave, Ryota sat down, unable to believe what had just happened.
Ren was also confused. How did Ryota regain his memories?
Soon, Hayato woke up, groaning,
"Looks like I managed to defeat him... but where are we?"
Ryota, still sad, said,
"Hayato, your people... they tried to kill you. They thought you were a criminal."
Then Ryota asked,
"Hayato... do you want to become a royal soldier?"
Ryota immediately answered himself, angrily,
"No! I will never become a monster like them!"
Hayato smiled softly at Ryota's words.
Ren then asked Hayato,
"How did Ryota regain his memories?"
Hayato replied,
"I think Ryota's magic power has increased. I can feel it — it's much stronger now."
Ren frowned,
"But now you've lost your kingdom. Your own people have turned against you."
Hayato nodded calmly,
"I had anticipated this. I knew the ruler might do something like this... but I don't know why he didn't do it earlier."
Ren thought silently,
Ryota became immune to memory manipulation... but why don't I have any memories of those five years? Why? There are so many questions, but so few answers. I need to find the real culprit behind this memory manipulation. Who is my father? And why am I immune?
Breaking the silence, Ren asked Hayato,
"During your fight with the stone guy, your speed went insane. You knocked him down instantly. How did you do that? What happened to your body?"
Hayato smiled faintly,
"It's called Hex."
"Hex is the ultimate move in magic. Only those who master their magic can use it. It boosts magic power greatly but at a cost. It can destroy your own body."
"Luckily, my injury is temporary, but if you overuse Hex, it will kill you. Only a few people in history have mastered it. If you master your magic, the side effects become smaller. Hex can completely change the outcome of a battle — just like mine did."
Ren thought, Why didn't Misaki tell us about Hex?
Suddenly, Ryota spoke,
"Can someone please explain to me what's going on?"
Ren and Hayato explained everything to Ryota.
Tears fell from Ryota's eyes after hearing the truth.
He cried,
"I can't believe you were fighting alone, Ren. You suffered so much... and I couldn't even help you!"
Ren smiled and said,
"No, Ryota. You've already done more than enough for me."
Hayato said seriously,
"We can't go back to the village. We need to stay hidden for a few days. Once I recover, we'll travel to the kingdom and find allies. We can't win alone."
Ren nodded,
"You're right. We must find others like us — those immune to memory manipulation. I can't imagine what they have gone through."
Hayato added,
"Also, once a person becomes immune, they cannot regain their lost memories."
Ren said,
"That might be useful for us somehow."
He clenched his fists, determination burning in his eyes.
"We need to grow stronger. We need to find allies. We will defeat the ruler. I will take revenge — for my mother, and for everyone's stolen lives."
"The journey of broken bonds had just begun
(End of Chapter)
The Crimson Village Arc has ended.