Chapter 20 - Chapter 19: The Fire at the Textile Factory, Part 2
[Methtelte's Perspective]
Methtelte was praying to the gods.
Kneeling, bowing her body to escape the smoke, she prayed to the gods with all her might.
(...Please, let Nanzaro be safe. Gods, please protect my husband.)
When the fire broke out in the factory, Nanzaro had stayed until the very end, trying to save Methtelte.
But the flames spread rapidly, and Nanzaro himself was about to be engulfed by the fire.
Horatio, unable to bear watching, persuaded Nanzaro to evacuate.
Methtelte also pleaded. She begged him to at least evacuate.
Nanzaro initially refused to listen, but eventually, he had no choice but to accept that he could do nothing on his own.
"I will definitely! I will definitely come back for you! Just bear with it for a little while and wait for me!"
"Yes, I'll be waiting! So go quickly, Nanzaro! Please, escape quickly!"
As Methtelte pleaded as if shouting, Nanzaro bit his lips, wailed, and eventually ran into the flames and smoke.
By the time Nanzaro began to evacuate, the fire had already spread quite a bit.
Evacuating would not have been easy either.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... Cough-hack-hack..."
Horatio muttered as if in a daze.
Horatio had suffered severe burns on his back and an injury to his leg, and was now lying face down to rest.
He had been able to converse until just a moment ago, but now, perhaps due to his consciousness being hazy, he kept repeating "I'm sorry."
The fire had broken out suddenly.
Just as flames rose, they exploded outward, igniting the spun threads and raw cotton materials one after another.
Spinning factories are prone to fires.
A large amount of cotton waste floats in the air, and friction heat from the machinery can cause it to ignite.
Of course, we take various precautions to prevent fires, and we clean and ventilate frequently so that cotton dust does not remain inside the factory.
But even so, it happened.
Methtelte, Horatio, and a few others were holding a meeting deep inside the factory.
They were actually visiting the site to check on material management and the progress of production plans.
It was at that moment that the fire broke out.
As soon as Horatio noticed the fire, he immediately judged that extinguishing it would be difficult and ordered everyone to evacuate.
However, the location of the fire was bad.
It occurred deep inside the factory, cutting off the evacuation route for Methtelte and the others.
Even so, several people tried to carve out a path for evacuation, but unfortunately, a shelf stacked with materials collapsed.
It was the large amount of cotton and other materials that had ignited from the initial explosive sparks.
Thanks to Horatio shielding everyone at the last second, no one else was injured, but instead, Horatio suffered severe burns on his back and an injury to his leg.
Horatio apologized for the fire as a result of his lack of management, but Methtelte could not bring herself to blame Horatio.
A few months ago, the lord had suddenly ordered a significant change in the production plan, and Horatio had been too busy dealing with it.
Especially since the beginning of this month, he had been in such a state that he barely had time to sleep, and Methtelte was worried he might collapse at any moment.
Furthermore, on top of the scorching heat for consecutive days, there was no wind today.
No matter how much ventilation was done, without wind, they could not ventilate as intended.
To say that the overlapping bad conditions were Horatio's fault would be a bit too harsh.
When Nanzaro learned of the fire in the spinning factory, he noticed that Methtelte had not evacuated and rushed over urgently, but it was already too late.
Even so, Nanzaro tried to move the burning obstacles and create an evacuation route somehow.
Not caring that his own hands were being burned, he desperately fought against the flames to save his beloved wife.
But finally, he himself was about to be engulfed by the fire.
Horatio, unable to bear watching, repeatedly persuaded him to evacuate, but he would not listen, and only after Methtelte's desperate pleading did he finally leave the scene.
Methtelte coughed violently from the smoke and, in her suffering, prepared for her own end.
(...O Great Six Pillars of the Gods. Please guide this poor lost child to your presence. God of Light, God of Darkness, God of Fire, God of Water, God of Wind, God of Earth. Please protect my beloved husband, my beloved family.)
As Methtelte prayed with all her might, she felt as though she heard a voice.
"...Where are you... Is anyone there..."
At first, she thought it was her imagination, but the distant voice was gradually getting closer.
Did others hear it too? They exchanged glances involuntarily.
Like being shot, one of them began shouting loudly.
"Oooooooh! It's here! Gah-hack-hack!"
"Cough, cough... It's here!"
"Help us!"
As one person raised their voice, everyone began shouting desperately while coughing.
Methtelte also shouted desperately.
"That's it! We're coming right now!"
With the reply coming back, just that alone made Methtelte feel so happy she nearly fainted.
Amidst the smoke and heat, where it was difficult to even open her eyes, she cried while desperately searching for the people coming to rescue them.
Then, a faint silhouette of a person was visible on the other side of the flames.
"Gah-hack-hack... It's here! Please, help us!"
As soon as Methtelte shouted, a large amount of water was splashed down.
For a moment, she couldn't understand what was happening and turned her face away.
And when she turned to look at the silhouette again, a child who looked to be under ten years old was standing there.
Why was a child in a place like this? As she was stunned, the boy waved his right hand to clear the smoke.
In that instant, the smoke that had tormented Methtelte and the others disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Everyone present was unable to understand what was happening or the situation.
Only the boy, looking at the people left behind, moved his gaze busily to check the surroundings.
As Methtelte stared at the boy in a daze, their eyes suddenly met.
"I came to help. You're safe now. Come on, let's go."
Saying that, the boy showed a bright smile.
■■■■■■
(Think, think, think... There must be a way. ...Absolutely!)
Amidst the approaching flames, a crisis of absolute death: the depletion of magic power.
Mika desperately thought of a way to survive.
(Can't I lower the thermal energy in the building? No, probably I can't interfere with that. Besides, even if I could, I don't have that much magic power to begin with.)
Then, couldn't I convert the thermal energy into magic power?
If I can just replenish my magic power, I can at least avoid the immediate crisis.
(I always convert magic power into energy, but I've never tried the reverse. Even if I can, can I handle that magic power properly? Won't I need to absorb it into myself first before using it? How do I absorb the magic power I create?)
Too complex a procedure would be fatal in the current situation.
If even one part doesn't work, it's over.
There is no time to try and error to see what didn't work or how to make it work.
(...Then, just focus on one thing.)
Doing this and that is impossible.
Then, just one. A single point breakthrough.
Concentrate on just one thing to do.
(Magic power is everywhere in the world...)
Something Rad taught me at the church.
That magic power resides in everything in this world, and the world is filled with magic power.
I don't know who checked or how they investigated the magic power floating in the world, invisible and unfeelable.
But it seems that's what they say.
(I don't need to convert energy into magic power myself. If it "exists" there, I should just gather it!)
Mika bathed himself in [Water Splash] and inhaled the atmosphere created by [Blast] to his heart's content.
Then, holding his breath, he stopped both spells.
Closing his eyes, he concentrated all his consciousness.
Surrounded by raging flames, stopping [Water Splash] and [Blast] is, frankly speaking, suicide.
But under these circumstances, it is impossible to do many things simultaneously.
If this method fails, there is no way back, so he had to steel himself.
(The magic power filling the atmosphere is also "originally existing matter." In my past experience, I couldn't manipulate this, but...)
He forcibly suppressed his anxious feelings amidst the heat burning his skin.
Mika gathered the magic power around him.
He commanded his own magic power to gather it.
(Who decided I couldn't do that? I'm just thinking that on my own. Then, it's not about can or can't, just do it!)
The consumption of magic power became faster than ever before.
More magic power was being consumed than when using [Water Splash] and [Blast] simultaneously.
As the magic power decreased before his eyes, his anxiety grew.
(Even if this method works, if the amount of magic power I can gather is small... In the end, I'm just strangling myself...)
Gradually cornered, anxiety rose to the surface.
Magic power consumed versus magic power gathered.
If the latter does not exceed the former, in the end, it is just wasting magic power.
Even so, there is no choice but to bet on this method now.
A gamble involving his life has already begun.
Even if he folds [Fold] now, the result is the same as losing.
(Grr... If this doesn't work, I'll come back as a ghost, Rad!!!)
Mika vented his frustration in his heart.
Rad had only taught him that the world is filled with magic power.
She had not said a word that it could be utilized.
He began to feel sick due to the lack of magic power.
Just as Mika was about to give up, the pace of magic power consumption slowed slightly.
At first, he thought it was his imagination.
But the amount of magic power consumed continued to decrease.
And finally, his magic power began to recover.
(Here it comes!!!!!!)
Mika, being careful not to interrupt the absorption of magic power, resumed [Water Splash] and [Blast].
He bathed in a grand amount of water, pressed his mouth and nose with his right hand, and exhaled loudly with a "Buhhhhhhh!"
"Phew... Haa... Phew... Haa... Seriously... I really thought I was going to die..."
Right now, Mika is executing three spells.
[Water Splash], [Blast], and magic power absorption.
However, even so, the amount of magic power in his body continued to increase.
(Amazing, hey. How much are you gathering!)
Should I say he is absorbing it from the skin of his whole body?
It felt like a resonance of the magic power within his body, or ripples, were occurring all over his body.
(If it's like this, maybe I can manage...)
Mika sprinkled [Water Splash] around him again and began to advance cautiously.
(That's not it! I must definitely save them!)
Movement was extremely difficult as the smoke blocked his vision.
For a moment, since he had cleared the problem of magic power, he thought about blowing away all this smoke.
But he immediately rejected that idea.
If a large amount of air enters the building, there is a danger that the fire intensity will increase instantly, and it might even induce the collapse of the building.
He reconsidered that continuing the search as is was the best option rather than doing something reckless.
"Horatio-san! Where are you! Is anyone there!"
As Mika moved through the building, he continued to call out repeatedly.
As he advanced, he noticed a place where the fire was stronger than anywhere else.
Was it a place where many flammable materials were gathered?
The sound of air flowing, "Gooooo...", and the sound of wood cracking echoed strongly.
Then, from the other side of that place with strong fire intensity, a faint voice could be heard.
Despite being disturbed by various sounds, it was confirmed to be a human voice.
"That's it! We're coming right now!"
While feeling relieved that he had finally found the people left behind, Mika carefully extinguished the fire.
The stronger the fire intensity, the greater the damage to the building should be.
If the pillars supporting the ceiling fall, it would not be strange for it to collapse all at once.
Having come this far, he could not afford to panic and fail.
As he advanced while sprinkling water, he saw a silhouette of a person through the smoke.
It was not just one person.
Blocked by the smoke, it was difficult to even confirm how many people there were.
Mika created a large amount of atmosphere with [Blast] and controlled it so that a certain amount remained centered around him.
He swept the smoke away with his right hand.
In this way, he confirmed the people present at the scene.
(Two women. Three men. Horatio-san is there too.)
Horatio was lying face down.
He had extensive burns on his back, and it was obvious at a glance that he was seriously injured.
In this condition, it would be impossible for Horatio to walk on his own.
Looking closely, it seemed he had an injury to his leg as well.
Even with support from both sides, walking might be difficult for Horatio.
But the others seemed able to move with their own legs.
(It took quite a while. Is it reckless to go back the way I came...)
It is a fire in a wooden building.
Originally, the building could collapse at any time.
He must quickly consider and execute a way to escape.
Mika quickly checked the surroundings.
(Although surrounded by flames, is the fire intensity relatively weak on the right side? If I go through the wall, can I go straight outside?)
After deciding on a rough plan, he turned his eyes to call out to the people left behind, but everyone was looking at Mika with stunned faces.
(...What? I'll save you soon. Be more happy.)
He thought that for a moment, but perhaps they were so overwhelmed with joy at having escaped death that they were instead in a state of shock.
Mika spoke gently, as if admonishing them.
"I came to help. You're safe now. Come on, let's go."
He conveyed it with a smile, but they remained in a state of shock.
Thinking this might be a time for shock therapy, Mika decided to douse the people still in a daze with plenty of [Water Splash].
"Gah!?"
"What are you doing!?"
"If you don't want to die, snap out of it! You two over there! Support Horatio-san from both sides! Let's escape!"
Mika loudly barked "Hmph!" at the people who had returned to their senses.
Then, extinguishing the flames at his feet, he headed toward the wall on the right.
Even though he said he would go through the wall, he could not give the building a strong impact.
Mika extinguished the fire on the upper part of the wall with [Water Splash], then stopped the water for a moment.
"[Ice Breath]!"
He blasted cold air at the water-soaked wall to freeze it all at once.
Glass might crack when cooled rapidly from a high temperature, but what about wood?
The wood itself might become brittle later, but for now, he decided to freeze it to support it with ice.
After confirming it was thoroughly frozen, he extended his magic power to the wall.
He shaped the magic power into a vertical rectangle, slightly less than 2 meters high and slightly more than 1 meter wide.
"[Thousand Edge]!"
With a "Bababashu" sound, the frozen wood fragments fell apart as if shaved off, and a rectangular hole opened in the wall.
Facing that hole, he manifested the magic again.
"[Ice Javelin]!"
He was not throwing a spear.
He erected ice pillars on both sides like a frame to support the hole in the wall.
It might just be a psychological comfort, but it was for precaution's sake.
"Come on, this way! Quickly!"
As Mika stepped outside, the people left behind also jumped out one by one.
Horatio was supported by two men and was able to get out safely.
Since it was dangerous to stay near the building, he urged them to move away as far as possible.
Just as Mika was about to go call Rad to treat Horatio, it seemed someone in the crowd watching the fire had noticed Mika and the others.
"Hey, over there!"
"Look at that! There's a person!"
"Someone came out!"
He could see figures pointing at Mika and the others from a distance.
He could see many people running from the crowd, and among them, he could confirm a figure that looked like Rad.
"Methtelte!"
"Nanzaro!"
The head of the rushing people was Nanzaro.
One of the women who had escaped ran toward Nanzaro and embraced him tightly.
Mika did not know who was who, nor did he have time to confirm, but he was relieved that Nanzaro's wife had been rescued safely.
"You damn fools!!!"
Diego, who arrived somewhere in the middle, slammed his fist down on Mika's head with a "Gon!".
It was a merciless iron fist punishment that could have killed thousands of brain cells.
The shock and pain were so intense that it rang deep into the core of his head, making his eyes flash and leaving him unable to think for a moment.
(Ouch... What if my brain cells decrease and I become an idiot!?)
Holding his head, Mika complained in his heart.
"Are you hurt anywhere, hey!?"
Diego began to check meticulously if Mika was injured.
"...I am hurt now. My head..."
"What!?"
Just as Diego raised his fist again to drop it, Rad arrived.
"Mika-kun!"
"Sister Rad! I'm fine! But more importantly, Horatio-san!"
As Mika turned around and pointed at Horatio, Rad seemed to understand immediately and ran toward Horatio.
After witnessing Rad giving [Heal] to Horatio, Mika let out a deep breath.
(...I was able to repay the debt of life saved by Horatio-san.)
As Mika watched Horatio recovering from the [Heal], he noticed footsteps walking up from behind.
Turning around, Elder Priest Kifrod was standing there.
"Well, well, it seems you are safe. Goodness, you are doing reckless things."
Kifrod spoke to Mika in a voice without inflection, neither angry nor happy.
"...I'm sorry."
Mika hung his head and uttered words of apology.
"...The one you should apologize to is not me."
Saying that, he turned and cast his gaze toward the crowd.
Understanding Kifrod's intention, Mika bowed his head to Kifrod and ran toward the crowd.
When Mika arrived at the crowd, the two people he was looking for were found immediately.
Amalia was sitting on the ground, in a daze, crying tears while looking at the burning building.
Loretta clung to such Amalia, sobbing and continuously calling out Mika's name.
Seeing the two of them, Mika finally realized the meaning of the actions he had taken.
(I really am shallow in affection...)
If his beloved son jumped into a sea of fire before his eyes, he should be able to imagine that it is not enough to just worry or be sad.
Yet, I could not imagine that far.
Although I say they are a precious family with my mouth, in reality, I probably do not think of Amalia and Loretta as much as they think of me.
Because I have never loved anyone that much, I cannot even estimate the magnitude of the feelings Amalia and Loretta have for me.
The people beside them were telling them of Mika's safety.
However, even that did not reach their ears.
Seeing Amalia in a daze like a husk and Loretta calling out Mika's name in a half-mad state, his chest tightened.
But considering the despair he had given these two, this level of pain is not even painful.
Mika stood silently before the two.
And slowly, he embraced them.
"...Mother, I'm sorry. ...Big Sister, I'm sorry."
Muttering that, he hugged them with all his might.
"...I'm sorry. ...I'm sorry. ...Really, I'm sorry."
Mika apologized to the two.
Over and over again.
As he apologized, tears overflowed from Mika and would not stop.
As Mika was apologizing like that, after a while, Amalia's hand slowly wrapped around Mika's back.
When Mika raised his head, the vacant focus in Amalia's eyes gradually aligned, and she firmly captured Mika's gaze.
"...Mother."
As Mika called out, Amalia whispered softly, "Mika..."
And then, she fainted.