Chapter 9 — The Fire Spirit, Spinel
―What's she doing here?! Why is she popping out of nowhere?
―I haven't seen you in ages, and this is where you've been sleeping?
Innocent and Tempesta stared in sheer disbelief at the fire spirit, who was stretching and yawning right in the middle of the surging lava.
―Hey! Are you out of your mind?
―Can't you see what we're in the middle of?
The surface was utter chaos. Shame had poured every last ounce of his strength into rescuing the trapped workers, only for the lava to threaten to undo it all.
Those lucky enough to be unharmed fled in a blind panic, while the injured scrambled and thrashed, desperate to somehow find cover. If not for Innocent and Tempesta, the scene would have claimed more than its share of lives by now.
―Oh! There you two are!
Only after finishing her yawn did the fire spirit notice the other spirits, and she broke into a beaming smile.
―Hi! It's been forever! How have you been?
―Seriously?! You can smile at a time like this?!
Had she a shred of strength to spare, Innocent would happily have delivered a slap of wind. As Tempesta roared, the fire spirit merely tilted her head. ―What's your problem?
―Stop lounging around and clean this mess up, you lazy little ember!
At Innocent's shout, a torrent of water came crashing down on the fire spirit's head. It turned to steam and vanished before it could even touch her hair, but it was more than enough to grab her attention.
―Huh? How did things get like this?
Waking from a deep sleep, she was slow to grasp the situation. As the fire spirit gazed down at the turmoil below, her eyes came to rest—and stay—on Bayul.
―Hehe, so now you can see me, can you?
Bayul's gaze was fixed on her. He seemed taken aback, saying nothing, yet it took her no time at all to understand what he wanted.
―Whatever you wish for, it's yours.
With a soft smile, she swept her hand through the air in one broad motion.
And then something astonishing happened. The lava that had been boiling and surging, menacing everything in its path, abruptly changed direction and flowed back toward its origin. Everyone was too busy fleeing to properly witness the strange sight, but to Bayul it was unmistakably clear.
Ssshaaaaa!
The rain kept falling from above. As Innocent lent her strength to the downpour, the scorching fire energy burning the ground and the strengthened sheets of rain collided, and a thick mist soon blanketed the entire area.
Visibility dropped to nothing. Just before the panicked cries of the people could erupt, the wind came sweeping through, as if it had been waiting for exactly this moment.
Whoooosh!
In an instant the fog lifted. The scene it revealed was still in disarray, but the worst of the danger had undeniably passed. The ground no longer shook, and no more lava spewed forth. If anything, the driving rain was helping to cool the fevered earth.
"Lord Bayul! Are you all right?"
Ian's urgent voice reached him then. The knight looked Bayul over from head to toe before exhaling in relief.
"Whew. Not a scratch on you."
Bayul had no way of knowing, but from the very instant Ian had sensed the earthquake, his first thought had been of Bayul. Restoring the tunnel was important work, of course—but for Ian, upholding his duty as an escort knight outweighed everything else. He had neglected it, if only for a moment, and he knew he would have no excuse to offer if he were later called to account.
"For now, I think you should withdraw to a safe distance."
Ian's face was grim as he swept his gaze across the site. It was hard to believe all this had happened in the span of a few moments. The earthquake was one thing, but the traces of lava were far too vivid.
However cold the North might be, was this truly the kind of weather where lava would harden this quickly? Winter was still a long way off—it was a deeply unnatural phenomenon.
"There's no telling when another quake might strike. Quickly—"
"Sir Ian."
Cutting him off, Bayul pointed ahead.
"Tend to them before you tend to me. I'm fine."
"I cannot do that. Once you have evacuated to safe ground, then—"
"No. I'm going to help too. This isn't the time for evacuation—it's the time for every spare pair of hands. Death, Bar, and Amon will help as well, won't you?"
"Of course, my lord."
At some point the Death brothers had drawn near. Amon answered Bayul's request with impeccable courtesy and moved to the fore.
"Over here! There are survivors here!"
The miners who had taken shelter were feeling the quake subside and emerging one by one. When Bayul waved both arms to signal them, they threw down whatever they were carrying and came running at full tilt.
"Gah! Wh-what is that?"
"Wh-what in the world—"
Their reactions were all the same. They had known there'd been an earthquake, but never once had it crossed their minds that the ground itself would be hoisted into the air. Only now, belatedly spotting the mountain of risen earth, could none of them contain their shock.
"Alex!"
"Ferguson!"
Most astounding of all was the sight of the buried workers standing before them alive. Some of the men raised prayers of thanks to the gods at the sight of their comrades—whom they had feared dead—whole and unscathed, while others wept openly with joy. It was nothing short of a miracle.
"My lord! Are you quite unharmed?"
The mine's overseer, predictably, checked on Bayul's welfare first. An accident, followed by an earthquake—and had Bayul been injured on top of it all, the situation would have become truly beyond mending.
Something was rotten here. His life had begun to unravel from the moment he'd become entangled with young Lord Derek.
"Move them indoors at once. Priests will be arriving from the temple shortly."
"But surely you should come first, my lord—"
"The workers trapped underground escaped by sheer luck when the earth rose. Which means their injuries may be every bit as severe. I need you to hurry."
Bayul's tone was courteous, yet firm beneath the politeness. The overseer faltered for a heartbeat, then bowed and dashed off toward the survivors.
"Sir Ian, are you planning to stand there all day?"
Bayul couldn't simply remain idle either. As he set off and asked the question, Ian gave in with a resigned sigh and joined the effort.
'Shame—is anyone still trapped underground?'
Bayul asked as he helped carry the wounded alongside the others. He knew the spirit was exhausted and running on fumes, but with lives hanging in the balance, he needed confirmation, even if it cost him.
—...None. You may... rest... easy.
Shame's voice was far hoarser than usual. The cracking in his tone suggested it would take a very long time indeed for him to recover his strength.
'You've worked so hard. Thank you.'
On behalf of his people, Bayul conveyed his gratitude to Shame. Only a few words—but Shame, of all beings, would understand the sincerity in them. It was a blessing beyond measure that he had been there.
"Bar, would you bring those people some herbs?"
Of the roughly fifty workers who had been buried underground, about a dozen had sustained injuries grave enough to leave them unable to move. Two of them, tragically, were in critical condition.
"Hold on with everything you have. You must survive."
All Bayul could do for them was use the herbs he'd brought along to staunch the bleeding and ease their pain. The mining village was too poor to have a temple of its own, but it did have healers to tend the sick—men and women stationed there in case of precisely such an unforeseen accident.
"We will escort you to your lodgings, my lord."
Bayul had done nearly everything in his power. All that remained now was to wait for the priests. The sun had already set in the interim, and the night sky hung pitch-black. Leading his spent body along, Bayul quietly made his way to his quarters.
"When the lord of the estate arrives, it is the room you have been staying in."
It wasn't large, but it was cozy. A fire crackled cheerfully in the hearth, and a single portion of dinner had been laid out on the table.
"I'd like some time alone."
"Are you feeling unwell anywhere, my lord?"
The man, too, had no doubt heard the rumors that Bayul was frail. The overseer rolled his eyes, searching Bayul's face for a hint.
"I simply wish to rest. I'm fine, so please go."
"If you're fatigued, I shall summon a healer. Or if you'd prefer, a masseur—"
"Do I look ill to you?"
"...Pardon?"
"As I already said, I merely wish to rest alone."
Bayul took a moment to collect his breath, then continued.
"Come to think of it, things were too hectic to ask earlier. What is your name?"
"Ah—I'm Belkovsky! Please, feel free to call me Bel!"
"Mr. Belkovsky."
"...Yes, my lord."
"Today has been exhausting. We'll hear your report tomorrow morning."
"...Report?"
For a moment, the man's face went blank, as though he hadn't the faintest idea what Bayul meant.
"Surely I'm entitled to know why the tunnel collapsed in the first place?"
"Ah, as for that matter—"
"You'll also need to explain why the miners were hard at work at four in the morning, wide awake and digging."
"...!"
The ice mine had never once had an accident. Considering how dangerous mines were by nature, that meant his father had spared no effort in keeping it safe.
When he'd first received the news, Bayul had worried with mounting anxiety—why, of all times, would an accident strike now, while his father was away? But now that events had more or less settled, a different question had surfaced.
Why were they working at four in the morning?
That was the hour when even the servants inside the manor were fast asleep.
The face of the overseer, who had been so peculiarly anxious in his presence, came back to him vividly. For now, Bayul would merely postpone the matter for urgent business. Once he had rested, come tomorrow, he intended to dig until the truth came to light.
"Now then, would you excuse me?"
"...Yes, my lord. Please rest well..."
"Sir Ian, you should go eat as well. And don't forget to look after the Death brothers."
"Understood. I shall return after my meal."
With even Ian gone, Bayul was finally alone. How long had he been wishing for this very moment?
Bayul turned toward the hearth where the firewood crackled and gazed at it steadily. A moment later, fire came walking out of it. More precisely, a spirit blazing like a living flame. The little girl who had popped out of the lava and stretched her arms now stood smiling impishly at Bayul, drifting slowly toward him.
Red eyes, red hair, reddish skin.
A child who was red in every possible way.
What set her apart was that, unlike the other spirits, she wore long, slender earrings set with red gems, one on each ear. Bayul had never seen a spirit wearing accessories before.
―Hi there!
The fire spirit greeted him with a bright, guileless smile.
"...Hello."
He had now met four spirits, and yet the first meeting still left him awkward every time. When Bayul hesitantly returned the greeting, she giggled.
―How did you know I was here? Can you feel me now or something?
How wonderful it would be if that were true. But in reality, Bayul knew only because the little creature had been trailing after him since earlier. Every time he turned at the feeling of eyes on his back, there she was, grinning.
―It's so nice to meet you! I'm so happy you can see me!
He had fretted inwardly over how wildly the spirits' personalities seemed to differ, but it seemed the worry had been for nothing. With the corners of her mouth curling upward at the end of every sentence, her constant beaming was almost too much to get used to.