Raging Flames (5)

One fortunate thing was that the map of the capital island in this world matched the map inside my head.

Of course, I didn't have the entire capital island map memorized. The capital island's map was mostly decorative in the actual game, and only the parts important to the story were implemented.

But those 'important parts' were, naturally, mostly important areas even within the capital island. In other words, they were places that served as landmarks on the capital island.

At the center of the capital island stood a massive castle—the imperial palace. It wasn't so enormous that you could look up at it from anywhere on the capital island, but it was visible from any spot in the central district. Even in the game, in areas set on the capital island, you could almost always see the castle from a particular angle.

The company called Millennium wasn't famous for its game graphics, nor did it possess the kind of technological prowess and capital needed to implement the entire capital island as an open world. But it was a company that paid a lot of attention to detail for its fans, so each district was designed to show the imperial palace from a specific angle.

In the imperial map you could see from the actual game menu, the proportions each district occupied were made to fit together perfectly, logically. Even if a place was blocked by an invisible wall and inaccessible, at least what you could see was made to make you think, 'If I really went through there, it would definitely lead to a road going in that direction.'

And I had wandered through those districts time and time again. It was to see bond events that only appeared on repeated playthroughs, or to find little memos and NPCs the developers had secretly hidden. On top of that, I had been serializing strategy guides and game-related stories for the series on a blog, so I had no choice but to observe even more meticulously.

Except for the slums being poorly managed, the capital island was fairly well-maintained, considering the era. Well enough that if you walked along the main roads and looked at the signs, you could find the right path.

However, there was one problem—

"Hey, you lot over there!"

—the capital island wasn't exactly kind to street orphans or the homeless.

That didn't mean the passersby weren't kind. Their gazes weren't much different from the looks people gave the homeless in the world I used to live in. Some glanced with pity, while others held their noses and kept their distance or frowned.

But one difference was that in this world, the concept of human rights hadn't properly taken hold yet.

The capital island was a place many foreigners visited. Looking clean was important, so they tried to clamp down on any 'filthy things' visible on the streets as much as possible.

And if that 'filthy thing' wasn't trash blowing in the wind but something with legs that walked around, the responsibility fell to the police.

"Ah, stop! Don't run! Stay where you are!"

And every time I saw the police, I grabbed the children's hands and ran like mad.

Obviously. Getting caught by the police only meant being sent to an orphanage.

I tried lying a few times, saying we had parents, but it didn't work at all. Once the police caught us, we were dragged by the scruff of the neck straight to the police station, and a few days later, handed over to some shabby orphanage.

And each time, I turned back time.

The baronial estate wasn't that far away, but getting there itself was the problem.

"Sis, I'm sleepy......."

We slipped out into the streets in the middle of the night. We had walked out among citizens running frantically, afraid the fire might spread to their own houses, so no one paid us much attention. But the kids didn't have the endurance to walk for hours through the night without sleeping.

Besides, the same went for me, stuck in a five-year-old body. After just an hour or so of walking, my legs grew stiff and fatigue washed over me. The mental exhaustion from burning down the house a little while ago was also considerable.

Our strides were already short, and we had to take frequent rest breaks, so it took even longer.

At first, the children had been relatively well-behaved, but as the uninterrupted walking grew longer, their whining grew worse, and I grew exhausted too.

"...... Alright, let's rest here."

In the end, we stopped to rest once or twice every hour. It was usually in an alleyway dark enough that we wouldn't be easily spotted.

It was a smelly, damp place, but still, as long as we weren't discovered—

"Hey, you kids. Who gave you permission to be here?"

—Right, if only we weren't 'discovered', we could rest for about an hour.

Looking up at the rough-looking man with a long scar on his face who was tapping my leg with his toes after I'd briefly nodded off, I muttered in a tired voice.

"...... Again."

*

Still, it didn't seem like my ability had any limits yet. I could turn back time whenever I wanted and start over from the most advantageous moment.

When I looked back while walking and found the number of children had decreased.

When we met a thug while resting in an alley.

When we were caught by the police.

When a resident reported us.

Time and time again, I turned back time and searched for the most ideal outcome.

The actual time we spent walking was probably around half a day. We arrived in front of the baronial estate around the time the sun rose and citizens began ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠coming out into the streets.

But to me, it felt like at least several weeks had passed.

When I turned back time, physical fatigue vanished. My head cleared even without sleep. The strength returned to my legs, and the soles of my feet stopped hurting.

But my mind couldn't rest. No matter how comfortable my body felt, I just wanted to collapse and rest, wanted to give up on everything. Would it be alright to give up on one or two of them? Even if the police caught us, couldn't we end up in a somewhat normal orphanage? Couldn't someone with a rough-looking face actually be a good person?

...... Every time such thoughts crept in, I turned back time again.

Because once my body was at least more comfortable, if I collected my thoughts and considered things again, it got a little better.

It felt like trying to do a no-miss clear on an insanely difficult action game, resetting over and over. No, in a sense, it also felt like attempting a TAS in real time. Either way, it was disgustingly exhausting work.

But......

"......I did it."

Yeah, I did it.

I muttered as I looked at the name hung on the main gate of the mansion before my eyes.

The Viscounty of Grace.

In the Aetherna Empire of this world's setting, a viscount did possess territory, but it wasn't very large. Moreover, a viscount's territory was less the viscount's own land and more a part of the domain belonging to the greater noble above them. And all land in the empire fundamentally belonged to the emperor, so a noble's territory was, in name, also land received from the emperor to manage.

If it was a duke's territory, that land was both the emperor's land and the duke's domain, and the same went for the territory of a margrave or a count. Of course, since titles were hereditary, an individual could hold multiple titles, making things far more complicated in some cases.

And below them were the viscounts. If a viscountcy was directly granted by the emperor, that viscount's land was the emperor's land and the viscount's domain. If it was granted by a duke or count, it was the emperor's land, the duke or count's domain, and the viscount's territory.

Therefore, a viscount appointed directly by the emperor, the very embodiment of central authority, could wield enormous power depending on the situation. Of course, that didn't mean they were always on equal footing with a duke or count.

The Grace family's case was that of a viscountcy 'directly granted by the emperor.'

Naturally, in the conflict between the Nobles' Faction and the Emperor's Faction, they were thoroughly part of the Emperor's Faction.

That would change little by little as the game's story progressed and then completely flip in the later stages, but at that point, long before the main story began, it wasn't something I needed to think about.

For reference, the entire territory of the Grace viscountcy was the land beyond this fence. Immensely vast for a personal residence, but considered as a domain, it was also incredibly small. That was only natural, since it was the emperor's land, and a part of the capital island at that.

"......."

But, how do I get in here?

There weren't any soldiers specifically guarding the front of the estate. But aside from that, the gate was firmly shut.

That was only natural. No matter how much they didn't post separate guards, they couldn't allow just anyone to enter a place that was nominally a noble family's estate.

Still, it wasn't as though there was no way at all.

Viscount and Viscountess Grace were people who could never simply pass by anyone pitiful—figures that players, outside the work, teased as pushovers.

So all I had to do was catch their eye when they came outside. After that...... they would either take care of us at their own orphanage, or even if not, they would entrust us to an orphanage run by someone with a verified identity.

The problem was that the viscounty was located in the middle of the capital island.

If I stood around here, the passing police would definitely catch me.

"......."

Was there no choice but to use my ability again?

When I let out a deep sigh, the children around me who had been looking up at me tilted their heads.

Well...... it was really almost over then, after all.

*

Still, I remembered the experience of hiding all over the streets and making it here, so hiding wasn't that difficult.

The most important thing was not entering the police officers' line of sight. And not having anyone report us.

I didn't necessarily have to crawl between alleys. I just had to avoid being caught by the people I needed to avoid.

"Ah, they're coming out."

Seeing the viscount and viscountess emerge, I muttered.

I was standing at the very back of the group. I couldn't lose even one of the children, so rather than leading from the front, herding them from behind was more efficient.

"Alright, let's go. We just have to get in front of those people. Then it'll really be over."

"Really? Is it really okay?"

Claire asked again, looking at the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠two people who appeared in every way to be an immensely wealthy upper-class couple, but I nodded.

I remembered those faces. Even though they had been 2D illustrations and models based on those illustrations, the impressions themselves perfectly matched how I knew them.

Blue hair that couldn't exist in reality. A well-groomed beard and mustache. An impression that seemed less middle-aged, as they were in the game, and more like they were hovering at the tail end of youth. The wife standing beside him likewise had blue, wavy hair and remarkably clear skin.

Watching them walk out arm in arm, I quickly followed behind the children and spoke.

"Go on, go on, hurry up."

The two had no ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠escort.

In truth, they weren't people who needed an escort. They were skilled enough to casually swing a sword and split a carriage in half. Even if we approached, they wouldn't be startled or frightened.

That was the reason they didn't bother to keep knights at their estate.

I diligently urged the children on. Even the kids who had been a little anxious at first eventually began moving toward the couple when I said so. These were children who had gotten through all sorts of dangers on the way here thanks to me. Over that half day, a fair amount of trust had built up.

Growl. Maybe because I'd skipped breakfast, a sound came from my stomach. The children were probably just as hungry—

—That was what I was thinking, letting my guard down.

In an instant, my mouth was clamped shut. So suddenly that I couldn't even cry out in surprise.

The children who had heard me were still walking forward. But I couldn't. Because before I knew it, my legs were dangling in the air.

Someone was holding me from behind, embracing me.

What? Had some pervert jumped out from the back alley? Thinking about it coolly, this body's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠appearance was quite pretty. I wouldn't have been surprised if I'd become the target of a pedophile.

Again—

"Ah, ah, wait a moment. Calm down. I won't do anything bad."

—I was about to turn back time when I suddenly stopped moving at that voice.

It was a fairly young voice. As if puberty had just passed and his voice was starting to settle. Maybe mid-teens?

......I knew this voice.

When I stopped my struggling legs, the strength in the hand covering my mouth eased a little. Though he still didn't lower his hand completely.

"You're smart. That viscounty will definitely take in those kids. They've been talking lately about expanding their orphanage, anyway."

Far ahead, the children had nearly reached the viscount and viscountess, and the couple, hearing the sound of them approaching, turned around.

"Whoops, we'll get spotted if we stay here."

My vision swirled. The man had spun his body around while effortlessly lifting me.

And then he ran quickly, putting distance between us and that place.

...... Ah.

It seemed I wouldn't be able to go to the orphanage. If this man had been following behind us from the very beginning, then no matter how many times I turned back time, I wouldn't be able to escape.

Well...... still.

The children arrived safely. At least those kids would grow up being properly protected in a proper place.

And the same went for Claire. There was no longer any need for her to go through that horrific past.

And as for me, if I followed this man, I could probably stay safe. At the very least, he wasn't a crazed murderer who kidnapped street orphans just to kill them.

...... The fact that I wouldn't get to see how Claire grew up was, though, regretful.