Raging Flames (4)
Raging Flames (4)
"Gyaaah!"
A scream rang out from inside the orphanage.
"Hm?"
The man and woman who had been waiting beside their stopped carriage turned their gaze toward the shabby building.
From inside, terrible screams continued without pause. The man judged the voice to be that of the old woman he saw every time they came here.
"What could be happening?"
The woman asked nervously.
The middle-aged woman, who had applied thick makeup to conceal the wrinkles that came with age, fixed her eyes on the old building.
Perhaps because the scream was loud, lights flickered on one by one in the windows of the closely packed neighboring buildings.
Light also appeared beyond the orphanage windows.
But this light was different from ordinary fire. Unlike the flame of a single candle, flickering gently with a person's movements and barely enough to illuminate a room, a crimson tongue was licking the insides of the windows.
Was it because it was an old wooden house? Or because of the recent drought that had reduced the Splin River's flow?
The bone-dry wooden house blazed as if it were kindling.
"Tch."
The man clicked his tongue.
It wasn't an ordinary oil fire. The deep blue tinge lurking within the red flames revealed it to be oil mixed with Mana Stone powder, the kind used as fuel for steam engines.
Had she secretly scavenged Mana Stone fragments from near the factory? He thought it was exactly the sort of thing that old woman would do. She probably sent the orphans to collect them.
However, Mana Stones also greatly amplify the size of a flame. While contained in a lamp, it burns brighter and larger, which might be useful, but once it escapes the lamp, it becomes uncontrollable.
Now that it had caught fire like this, even if the fire brigade arrived and poured water on it, extinguishing it would not be easy.
"...... Let's go."
The man said, adjusting his silk hat.
"But then, the goods......"
To the hesitant woman, the man spoke in his usual flat tone.
"For the time being, we'll procure them directly without a distributor. It will involve some risk, but there's no helping it."
When the man gestured toward the coachman's seat, the waiting coachman took the reins.
"...... And I suppose we'll have to find a new distributor. This has become a nuisance."
As if anxious, the woman glanced once more at the building, which was now completely engulfed in flames.
Screams came from all directions.
The woman shuddered once, pulled her collar tightly closed, and followed the man into the carriage.
*
Had setting the building on fire been a good idea?
Avoiding the man had been a success. Even after some time passed, he did not seem to force his way inside.
He had good reason. The fire spread much faster than expected, swallowing the entrance whole in an instant, leaving no time to intervene.
Come to think of it, it had been like this in the original story, too. At a glance, the lamps resembled those from the world I used to live in and didn't seem that powerful, but the fire spread uncontrollably before anyone could react.
Many players had questioned how a single lamp that Claire knocked over could cause such a disaster. And to make that story convincing, the developers utilized a resource that played an important role throughout the work: 'Mana Stones.'
The idea was that Mana Stone powder had been mixed into the lamp oil to enhance its effect, and that was why the house caught fire so quickly.
The color of the flame wasn't the orange glow you'd see from a lighter; it was the blue you'd see on a gas stove. I had retreated quickly, but it was still a hot blaze where I could feel the heat rushing at my face.
"Sis?"
I came to my senses only when I heard that anxious voice from behind me.
The old woman's breathing had already stopped. The flames were raging so fiercely that it was hard to tell what state the body was in.
"Let's go."
I quickly turned around and grabbed Claire's hand.
First, we had to get out of here.
The fire I started might burn down this entire district. It could harm ordinary people living their lives, and there could be innocent casualties.
But right now, I had a more important priority.
My safety and Claire's.
Let's run first. After we escape, I'll seriously think about my abilities and what to do next.
At least I prevented one misfortune—
"Sis."
But Claire took my hand and pulled me in the opposite direction.
When I looked at Claire, the girl was dragging me forward despite her thoroughly frightened expression.
"The kids...... the kids are still inside."
"......."
She had watched me kill someone right before her eyes. Yet Claire didn't suspect me. Even though I hadn't done anything particularly special for her, Claire followed my lead. This was probably her innate nature showing. A kind nature, before the adults shattered it to pieces.
Or perhaps she simply thought I, with my relatively gentler manner, was better than the old woman who beat and abused her.
But...... yes, Claire had a kind personality even in the original.
Even after escaping that hellish place, she had agonized over the fact that the lamp she dropped caused countless houses to burn and people to die. Although she only revealed this outwardly in episodes that took place right before her death, Claire, even while serving under that emperor and appearing as a nasty villain, did her best to ensure no innocent victims were made, and in the end, she gave her life for the imperial princess.
If she was like that even after being broken once, there was a chance she was like that now, before she had been broken.
"...... Fine."
I turned around. The fire was still blazing fiercely, but we still had some time.
Instead of heading for the back door, we ran up the stairs toward the second floor.
I heard Claire coughing. I turned to her and made her cover her mouth with her collar. Then we lowered our bodies and walked.
Thankfully, the house interior wasn't completely filled with smoke yet.
When we reached the second floor, I could hear children bursting into tears.
Holding Claire's hand, I leaped forward with all my might and flung the door open.
"Quick, we have to get out of here!"
At my words, the children staggered to their feet. All of their faces were streaked with tears.
But we couldn't go back down the stairs from here. The moment I turned toward the door, I felt a rush of heat. The lower floor must have been a sea of fire already. Even if the flames hadn't fully engulfed the first floor yet, the hallway would be thick with smoke. The black smoke rising up the stairway was alarming.
I quickly shut the door. It couldn't stop the fire, but it would at least prevent smoke from filling this room for a while. Better it seep in through the gaps of a poorly fitted door than pour in through an open one.
There was no time to think.
I tore down the old curtain hanging on the window. A musty smell wafted up, but it seemed sturdy enough to support the weight of a small child at least.
Seeing me tear down the curtain, the children hurriedly did the same. We gathered four curtains in total.
I tied the curtains together as tightly as possible. Good. It looked like it could somehow support the weight of a child.
I opened the window and tied the curtain to the nearest bed frame.
Fortunately, the flames hadn't yet revealed themselves outside the building.
"Hurry!"
When I shouted, all the children rushed toward me.
Would the kids be able to grip the curtain and climb down?
But I couldn't lower them down one by one myself. There wasn't enough time for that. Still, I couldn't just give up on my own either.
Claire was only looking at me.
As if driven by her gaze, I called the children over one by one.
"James, hold on tight with both hands. I'll lower you down slowly."
At my words, a boy with hair the color of a bird's nest woven from straw nodded, his face still covered in tears.
"Everyone behind me, hold the curtain. We're going to lower them down one at a time, calmly."
Starting with the child who looked heaviest. With each one who went down, the pulling force from the others bracing behind me would weaken.
We lowered them down in order like that.
With every child who descended, my strength noticeably drained. Partly because the number of people helping to support the weight decreased, and partly because I was a five-year-old child with weak physical strength.
Still, since I had tied one end to the bed, there was no way a child would fall even if I lost my grip.
"Go on ahead."
Claire was the last in line.
Claire nodded, her expression still scared, and gripped the curtain tightly.
By now, smoke had filled the ceiling of the room. I couldn't check the situation below. Judging by the fact that the curtain hadn't caught fire, it didn't look like the flames had spread outside just yet......
"Sis! I'm all the way down!"
I heard a voice shout from below.
It was a faint voice, but I could hear it clearly despite all the noise around us. Claire must have yelled with all her might.
"Ah......."
But I had almost no strength left in my hands.
After lowering down several children in a row, my grip was gone and my hands were trembling violently.
Could I hold onto the curtain and climb down like this?
As I was thinking that, I heard a cracking sound, like something snapping.
I turned my head and saw that the fire had already spread to the bedroom door. My eyes and throat stung. I could still breathe because I was right next to the window, but if I delayed any longer, I might really die here.
"......."
I pulled the curtain up and tied it around my body.
Would this length be enough? No, if it was too long, that would be a problem. I'd just slam straight into the ground.
Well, even so.......
I would still have several more chances.
With the curtain tied around my waist, I mustered the last of my strength and jumped out the window.
*
The outcome was both good and bad.
"Ah......!"
The curtain was short enough. Even considering how I tied it, it was just barely enough for me to dangle before hitting the ground.
But it seemed I hadn't tied it properly when I wrapped it around myself at the end, since I had barely any strength left in my hands.
After jumping out of the window, my body stopped for a moment thanks to the curtain, but while I was lightly bouncing back upward, the curtain I had hastily tied around my waist came undone.
Because of that, I crashed straight to the ground.
However, since my fall had been decelerated once midway, I was able to avoid major injury.
It still hurt, though. But at least it wasn't enough to make me rewind time.
When I pushed myself up, all the children were staring at me.
I felt a wave of heat from behind me and turned to see that the old orphanage was now completely engulfed in flames.
"Fire!"
I heard someone shouting.
The sound of clopping horse hooves approached, and a carriage carrying a massive water tank rushed over.
"...... Let's go."
I quickly said, nudging the children's backs.
Many people had likely seen us by now. The whole area was brightly illuminated, and residents of this neighborhood were running everywhere. The surroundings were complete chaos.
Still, all the children had survived without a scratch. Claire and I were the same.
Unlike the red-light district, which was hidden away completely on the map, this was a place where carriages could reach, which was a relief. Since the fire brigade had arrived, the blaze probably wouldn't spread into the great fire from the original story. This was a world setting where magic was used to extinguish fires, just as it was used to start them.
But if we were caught by someone here, we would certainly be sent to another strange orphanage.
If that was the case, it was safer to slip away among the locals running around in fear of the fire spreading to their own homes.
The children did as I said. The reason they followed me, even while trembling in fear, was probably because they knew the one adult who had looked after them, even if only a little, was now gone.
"Where are we going?"
Claire asked. The other children also looked up at me, as if wondering the same thing.
"......I know a place we have to go."
I wasn't sure. I didn't even know if I could find the way there. Nor did I know how far away it was from here.
But...... right now, there was no other option.
I might end up needing my ability quite a lot.