Uninvited Guests (4)
After entrusting the young siblings to Misha, Ibaldo raced straight for the fire.
Aena, meanwhile, stepped back inside the mansion herself and shut the front doors tight, determined that the intruders would not get another chance at Roy and Anna. She clearly meant to hold them off with only her own strength, Geren’s, and Boodle’s.
Roy wanted to add his power to theirs, yet he forced himself to stay put.
I have no choice but to trust those three.
They were strong. Without hostages to worry about, they would not lose.
Having settled his mind, Roy called for Misha at once.
"Misha. Lend me your ear a moment."
"Pardon?"
Misha had no idea what the boy was talking about.
Don’t tell me… the earrings!? Is that why?
Come to think of it, she had not worn the earrings the young master had given her, careful of the eyes around them. A sudden worry seized her—had she hurt his feelings?
Ugh… I don’t even have them on right now… I left them in my room so I wouldn’t lose them. How am I supposed to explain this?
Just look at those bright, shining eyes. The youngest master’s unblinking stare made her squirm with embarrassment. Left with no other choice, she brushed a lock of hair behind her ear and presented it.
I’m sorry, Young Master Roy…
It was only one ear, yet the shame of it burned her cheeks.
"What are you doing?"
"Huh? Well, you asked me to show you my ear…"
"What nonsense is that? I said lend me your ear because I have something to tell you."
"Eh?"
Misha’s face went as red as a beet. She was only grateful the firelight kept anyone from noticing.
"W-what is it that you need…?"
She finally collected herself and bent down to match Roy’s height. He leaned in and spoke with perfect bluntness right against her ear.
"Misha. You owe me a debt, don’t you?"
"Pardon?"
What wild claim was this now?
"M-me? Owe Young Master Roy?"
"Yes. The gift I gave you. That was rather expensive…"
"I-I’m sorry. There were so many people watching that I felt too self-conscious wearing it, so I left it in my room."
Roy’s eyes went round.
He had planned to declare, Those earrings were expensive, so you owe me! and freely order her about. Yet she was already this apologetic before he even finished the thought. No need to press further.
"Ah, is that so…? How cruel of you. After I went to the trouble of giving you a gift. Such a deep wound for a little boy like me…"
"N-no… it’s just… everyone kept asking who gave them to me…"
"I understand. A present from a snot-nosed brat like me. You were too embarrassed to wear them, weren’t you?"
"N-not at all! How could I ever—"
"Then you don’t dislike me, Misha?"
"Of course not! Why would I dislike the young master?"
"Then you’ll grant every request I make?"
"Well, of course…!?"
"That’s a promise, then. The truth is, I need to go somewhere in a hurry right now."
"What? N-no, you can’t. Absolutely not."
Misha had been no help at all putting out the fire. If she failed this new duty as well, she might truly be scolded half to death—or thrown out of the mansion entirely.
"So you do dislike me after all?"
"I told you I don’t!"
"Are you angry with me now?"
Utterly exasperated by the exchange, she even put on a teary-eyed face as she protested.
"No, that isn’t it… I’ll really get in trouble. You don’t know how terrifying the head maid is… I could actually be dismissed."
"Oh, don’t worry about that. I’ll do whatever it takes to stop anything of the sort. I’m the lord’s son, after all."
"Roy! What are you talking about? Ibaldo told you to stay with Misha!"
Roy looked at Anna, who had suddenly spoken up, and thought, Maybe I should have persuaded her first?
Well, since it’s come to this…
"All right then. The three of us will go together. That’s fine, isn’t it?"
"Pardon?"
"Roy, where do you think you’re going? I’m telling Mother on you!"
"Anna, you come too."
"Really? I can come along?"
Anna, who had been playing the older sister, seemed completely won over by that single invitation. Roy had always tried so hard to shake her off that the offer to take her with him swayed her at once.
With Anna now set on going as well, Misha reached a state of half-resignation.
"But… where exactly do you intend to go? Nowhere dangerous, absolutely not."
"Just follow me quietly."
Roy set off for his destination with Anna and Misha in tow. That destination was none other than the guest annex—the very building that stood right beside the burning hut.
Misha realized it and tried desperately to stop them, but it was useless. Roy seized Anna’s hand and dashed inside before anyone could stop him, leaving Misha no choice but to chase after the siblings.
Because the hut was burning on the far side of the building, the shadows it cast hid the three of them as they slipped inside. Even without that cover, everyone was far too busy fighting the fire to notice.
"Young Master Roy! Going in there is terribly dangerous. The fire could jump to this building!"
Misha pleaded with him, her face on the verge of tears. Roy, however, was firm.
"Don’t worry. If it gets dangerous, we’ll run at once."
Anna shared Misha’s opinion—until Roy promised to show them magic that would put out the hut’s fire. That swayed her.
Somewhere near this room, I think.
In the end the three of them reached the annex room closest to the burning hut.
"Ugh…"
A fierce wall of heat met them, and through the window the hut could be seen belching enormous flames. Compared with the first time Roy had seen it, the fire had not lessened in the slightest. If anything, it looked larger.
Magic had surely doused it with water more than once, yet unburned firewood still lay thick underneath, so the blaze would not die easily.
"Anna, stay behind me. The moment the fire jumps to the mansion, you run."
"What about you?"
"I’m going to use magic from now on."
"Then I want to stay too."
"Fine, do as you like. Misha! First, take down every curtain in this room and spread them out beside us. Then go to the next room, strip those curtains as well, and bring them here."
"Pardon?"
"Hurry! We don’t have time!"
"Ah… y-yes…"
The Greenhilt domain lay in the southern reaches of the continent. Snow fell perhaps once in ten years; winters were mild, while summers could grow quite hot. Most houses therefore had large windows, and the baron’s mansion was practically all windows—every chamber fitted with enormous panes. Naturally the curtains that matched them were enormous as well.
Thank goodness the thick winter curtains are still hanging.
Once Roy had checked the growing pile of curtains and their sizes, he gave the next order.
"Spread them all out and tie them to the ones next to them. Make it as large as possible—and pack it tight."
Tying the curtains together took a fair amount of time. While they worked, someone outside sprayed water against the windows—clearly trying to keep the fire from spreading to the annex. The sudden splash startled them, yet the blazing light of the hut reflected so brightly off the glass that no one outside could have seen into the dark interior.
When the curtains were finally bound together, Roy began to chant. First he created water and soaked the fabric thoroughly; next he summoned cold air and froze it just slightly. The room had become a shallow lake.
This is still nowhere near enough.
Two spells alone would never extinguish that fierce blaze. He needed far more protection.
"Enchant."
The magic pen Roy favored rose into the air. Misha and Anna could only stare, mouths open at the wondrous sight.
"Flame Resistance Enhancement."
At his words the pen raced across the curtains at tremendous speed, inscribing glowing magic circles. Unlike the amulets meant for long-term wear, these needed only a few minutes of use; speed and raw mana mattered more than precision.
Flame resistance settled over the lightly frozen curtains.
"Next… Cold Retention Improvement."
Second, so the ice would not melt easily in the fire.
"Cold Diffusion."
Third, so the icy particles would spread of their own accord.
"Mana Control."
Last of all, a reinforcing spell so the enchanted curtains would not simply ride the heat and fly off into the sky beyond the caster’s will.
Roy bundled the wet, lightly iced curtains into one mass and called out.
"Anna, wait outside the door. Misha, open the window when I give the signal. A blast of heat may rush in, so fling it wide and duck at once. Come here a moment."
He formed a Water Ball and drenched Misha from head to toe.
"This should help you endure it."
Misha still had no clear idea what the little boy intended, yet she moved exactly as ordered. She could only guess, vaguely, that he might somehow quench the hut’s unrelenting fire.
Roy immediately began another chant. He did not use Silent Casting; the mana cost was too high.
From beyond the door Anna listened to his voice and thought the opening phrases sounded rather like the Psychic Bind she herself was practicing.
"Now! Open the window!"
"I-I don’t know anything! I only did what Young Master Roy told me!"
At Misha’s hands the great window flew open. The shouts of the people outside and the crackle of burning wood, which had been only faint before, suddenly became vivid and close.
A few who stood nearest the hut started in surprise when the annex window suddenly yawned wide and turned to look. What they saw next was a mass of something black bursting out from inside.