Chapter 10: Marked by Fire, Saved by Rain

How would it feel if, after school, the house where your parents live was on fire?

Judging by the current situation, I can safely say it wouldn’t be pleasant.

“Damn it! Let go of me!”

Arthur, his mind seemingly collapsing, struggled with all his might, his body enveloped in magic power, trying to shake off my hand.

“Nothing will change if you go in, Arthur.”

Thump!

One of the pillars of Baron Pendragon’s mansion collapsed.

Arthur seemed to have given up and slumped to the ground.

Arthur is my excellent disciple, so I should help him, right?

I bound Arthur’s feet with magic and placed my hand on his head.

“I’ll go in instead.”

For Arthur’s adoptive father, I entered the inferno, unsure of where it started.

“Teacher!!!”

Arthur screamed from behind, but I didn’t stop to check if there was anyone in the house.

I kicked down the front door and entered the mansion, casting healing magic on each of the servants who came out.

Have the people downstairs evacuated, leaving only the ones upstairs?

I climbed the luxurious stairs and entered to see who was in the office.

Rattle.

As I opened the door, a burning bookshelf fell over right in front of me.

What the, that startled me.

It wasn’t threatening, but since a servant was pinned underneath, I lifted the bookshelf and rescued him.

“Thank…”

The fire on the bookshelf reached out towards the servant.

“Wait.”

I reached out and closed the servant’s mouth.

And then I summoned water and extinguished the rapidly approaching flames.

This fire is different from ordinary fire.

It’s not trying to cling to the wood, but rushing towards humans.

A characteristic only possible with artificial magic.

But why isn’t it coming towards me?

F*ck, I don’t know, I just need to put out the fire.

“Damn it.”

Having calculated whether it would be more efficient to run or use magic, I deployed several magic circles around me.

As a side note, the amount of magic power and concentration required for magic is determined by how much it goes against the laws of nature.

What I’m about to do goes against the will of the heavens itself, so I’ll just draw about 15 magic circles.

“Weather manipulation – Storm.”

Skipping the chanting, I launched the magic circles into the sky.

It started to rain soon, but as expected, the magic fire didn’t go out easily.

I knew that would happen, so I added a healing effect to the rain.

I broke down all the doors in the house and checked if there was anyone left.

When I opened Arthur’s room last, I saw an old man.

“Cough… Cough… ugh…”

Baron Pendragon.

His face didn’t resemble Arthur, but seeing him gesture for me to leave even as he was dying, it seems like their personalities are very similar.

I was about to take off my gloves, but then thought there was no need to reveal the secret, and poured in magic power.

“Haa…”

He had inhaled a lot of smoke and fainted, but his life wasn’t in danger.

Perhaps Baron Pendragon was trying to hand over Arthur’s belongings before he died, as he was clutching a book to his chest.

Just to hand over a diary…

What a foolish old man…

I carried the old man on my shoulder, kicked down the wall, and went outside the mansion.

Arthur saw his adoptive father on my shoulder and cried out in tears.

“Thank goodness… Really… Thank you…”

Arthur grabbed me and cried his eyes out, forgetting that I had tied his feet.

“When humans shed tears, they release substances that relieve stress.”

I wiped the tears from his eyes with a handkerchief and gave the handkerchief to Arthur.

“It’s a gift for crying sincerely.”

In the original story, he just endured everything like a pushover, so this was a monumental event.

This handkerchief has my favorite scent, the same as the product I use when I bathe, so I cherish it.

But I can just buy another one.

Duke Inverness is showering me with too much money.

“…Thank you.”

Arthur sniffled and put the handkerchief in his pocket.

A huge fire broke out at the mansion where my father was, and I saw it directly from the classroom window.

I don’t remember much after that.

In my hazy memory, I ran to the playground like a madman and Teacher Pest rushed out of the infirmary and stopped me.

Hmm… This must be a manipulated memory.

When the teacher went into the mansion instead of me, I was even sadder because I thought I could lose other precious people besides my father.

After what felt like years to me, Teacher Pest came out, breaking through the wall.

The teacher was carrying my unconscious father on his shoulder, and as soon as I saw that, I burst into tears that I had been holding back.

It was the life of me, no, the ‘heroes’, repeatedly losing, regaining, and losing good people.

The heroes I read about in history books all went to defeat the Demon King with companions like magicians and thieves.

On the way to the Demon King, the only one who always welcomed the hero kindly was the Saintess.

Yes, only the Saintess.

So I was so happy when I first saw her.

I mistakenly thought that such a beautiful and benevolent person would always be by my side, that precious things would always stay with me for a long time, and I let my guard down.

While I was being arrogant, believing in her power, my whole body was covered in wounds and diseases.

I didn’t want to lose another important connection like that.

I hadn’t seen a story where one connection goes and saves another.

I was so happy, the teacher was so cool.

Along with the unexpected words to commemorate the tears, the purple handkerchief I received looked luxurious, but rather than being polite, I accepted it without refusing because I thought it was the first gift I received from the teacher.

I carefully put the handkerchief in my pocket and was on my way to the security office to talk about the fire incident.

I still had some tears left, so I wiped them with the handkerchief the teacher gave me.

Then something stimulated my nose.

“Lilac scent…?”

A faint, pleasant scent came from the handkerchief.

Is it the teacher’s scent?

I smelled the handkerchief again.

Then, after spacing out for a moment, I realized what I was doing and blushed.

“That’s totally perverted!”

But the scent was nice. Once again.

I gradually came to like lilac.

My face slowly flushed with a slight sense of shame, but it soon subsided, perhaps because of the cold street.

Lilac scent… I want to smell it directly.

The guard behind me, noticing that I kept stopping, gave me a hint.

“Young Master, if you don’t hurry, you’ll offend the security officers.”

Ah, I should hurry if I value my life.

Surprisingly, there are some people who underestimate the security officers.

Most of the strange people who claim they came from another world consider the ‘people’s cane’, which the people ignore, to be not the people’s cane, but the people’s mace.

Even more so when you see a crime scene.

This is probably because they don’t get hired for the security force unless their power is at the level of the royal knight commander.

Since the security force is a place where you can enter if you have strength and a sense of justice, regardless of family or money, it’s also a place with many hidden monsters.

In the name of the first emperor, who established the rule that the order of the city must be maintained for the order of the country to be maintained, they uphold justice.

The only time I’ve met them was when my neighbor committed murder.

It was an experience where I could clearly hear the sound of a large mace crushing a person’s head.

As I entered the store where the security officers were waiting, a one-eyed giant spoke to me as a chair fell over.

“You’re Arthur, right? Who do you think set the fire?”

How would I know…?

“I…I don’t know.”

Bang!

The dining table I was looking at, which I mistook for a wooden table, turned into sawdust.

“Right, you shouldn’t know about such bastards. Well done.”

I thought he would be angry, but he’s praising me…?

Is the security force originally full of such people?

“Then I’ll go to your burnt house to find evidence.”

The security officer kicked down the store door and ran.

What should I say…

He was more like a water deer than a storm.

A water deer that screams “Aaaaagh!”

But seeing that power, it seems like he learned some martial arts…

“I set fire to my disciple’s house?”

“It’s the deduction I’ve made. Any complaints?”

I pretended to brush back my non-existent hair, thanks to the mask, and said.

“I have many complaints, officer.”

What nonsense is that giant spouting while I’m resting?

“First of all, there’s no evidence.”

“Still, what kind of crazy bastard has so many symbols of death at once?”

The security officer said, pointing at my mask and ID.

“The Black Death and a crow, the bird of death?

With this much, I’d believe it even if you committed murder right now.”

He leaves me speechless.

Still, I have a lot to say right now.

“It seems like the security force catches criminals based on their attire without any evidence.”

As I sarcastically rebuked him, the security officer suddenly knelt down and apologized.

“I’m sorry! My thinking was short-sighted.”

“You’re so simple.”

“Anyway, I have someone in mind.”

I brewed green tea and gave it to the security officer.

“Wh..who?”

I poured tea into the teacup and said.

“Ao, the emperor of the Akio Empire disguised as a student.”

Suddenly, the atmosphere became serious.

Well, anything involving the royal family is bound to become serious.

“Can you tell me more about that?”

“This is surprising, for such a pervert to still be the emperor.”

The security officer couldn’t close his mouth after hearing my story.

Of course, the beautiful woman that the emperor in the story wanted changed from me to my acquaintance.

“He humiliated my acquaintance, so could you do something about that bastard?”

Unfortunately, I don’t have the authority to do that.

The security officer, Jonas, whom I now knew by name, laughed heartily and said,

“I received such good tea, of course I can handle one emperor!”

Jonas stood up, holding the magic-enchanted mace next to him.

“Let’s go right now, follow me.”

You are my best friend from today.