episode_0004

“Kyaah!”

A scream echoed from inside the orphanage.

“Hmm?”

The two men and women who were waiting with the carriage turned their gaze towards the dilapidated building.

The horrifying screams continued without ceasing from inside. The man judged that it was the voice of the old man he had seen every time the screams came here.

“What’s going on?”

The woman asked anxiously.

The eyes of the middle-aged woman, who had thick makeup to hide the wrinkles that came with age, were fixed on the old building.

As the screams grew louder, lights began to flicker in the windows of the adjacent buildings.

The flames also entered through the windows of the orphanage.

However, the fire was different from a normal one. It was not just a regular flame, but a fuel mixed with magic stone powder that swayed gently with the movement of people, emitting a red glow from inside the window, unlike the usual flame that could barely illuminate the room.

Perhaps it was because of the old wooden house. Or maybe it was because the flow of the Splin River had decreased recently.

The dry wooden house caught fire as if it were a pile of firewood.

“Tsk.”

The man clicked his tongue.

It was not a regular fire. It was oil mixed with magic stone powder, which was used as fuel for steam engines, judging by the faint blue light emanating from the depths of the red flames.

Was it a piece of magic stone secretly picked up near the factory? He thought it was something the old man could easily do. He probably sent his son to do it.

However, magic stones also played a role in making the flames much larger. While it might burn brighter and larger inside a lamp, once it went out of the lamp, it became uncontrollable.

Once the fire started like that, even if the fire department came and poured water, it would not be easy to extinguish.

“…Let’s go.”

The man adjusted his silk hat and spoke.

“But, that means the goods…”

To the hesitant woman, the man spoke in his usual tone, without any particular intonation.

“For now, we’ll have to get them directly without a distributor. It comes with the risk, but we have no choice.”

As the man gestured towards the carriage, the coachman who had been waiting grabbed the reins.

“…And we’ll have to find a new distributor. Things have become troublesome.”

The woman looked back at the fully engulfed building, seeming anxious.

Screams echoed from all directions.

The woman shivered once and straightened her collar firmly before following the man into the carriage.

***

Was setting the building on fire a good idea?

Avoiding the man was successful. It seemed that even after some time had passed, the man did not forcibly enter.

It was understandable. The fire spread much faster than expected, engulfing the entrance without a chance to intervene.

Come to think of it, it was the same in the original. At first glance, it looked similar to the lamps in the world I used to live in, so the firepower didn’t seem that strong, but the fire spread uncontrollably without anyone touching it.

Many players questioned how a lamp knocked over by Claire could cause such a fire. To make the story more convincing, the developers used the essential resource ‘magic stone’ that played a significant role throughout the work.

They mixed magic stone powder into the oil used in the lamp to enhance its effects, which led to the fire spreading uncontrollably in the house.

The color of the fire was not the usual orange seen in lighters but a blue hue similar to what you would see on a gas stove. They quickly retreated, but the intense heat could still be felt on their faces from the blazing fire.

“Sister?”

At the sound of the anxious voice coming from behind, they finally regained their senses.

The old woman’s breath had already stopped. The fire was raging so fiercely that it was hard to tell the state of the body.

“Let’s go.”

I quickly turned around and grabbed Claire’s hand.

We needed to get out of here as soon as possible.

The fire I started might engulf this whole area. It could harm innocent people who were just living their lives without a second thought, or there could be innocent victims. But right now, what’s more important to me is our safety.

Let’s run away first. After we escape, we can seriously think about my abilities and what lies ahead.

At least I prevented one tragedy—

“Unni.”

But Claire held my hand and pulled me in the opposite direction.

Looking at Claire, the child had a frightened expression, yet she was holding my hand and pulling me along.

“The kids… the kids are still inside.”

I had seen people being killed right in front of me. But Claire didn’t doubt me. Even though I hadn’t done anything particularly special, Claire was following me. Maybe it was her innate nature, the kind nature she had before being shattered by adults.

Or maybe she thought that my relatively gentle demeanor was better than being hit and abused by the old woman.

But… yes, Claire had a kind personality in the original work.

Even after escaping that hellish place, she was tormented by the fact that many houses burned down and people died because of the lamp she dropped. Although she only showed it in the episodes leading up to her death, Claire did her best to prevent innocent victims, even under the emperor’s rule, and even when she appeared as a villain with a bad personality, she sacrificed herself for the princess.

Even after being shattered once, she had that kind of personality, so maybe she still had that kind of personality now.

“…Okay.”

I turned around. The fire was still burning fiercely, but there was still time.

We ran up the stairs leading to the second floor, ignoring the sound of Claire coughing. I turned to Claire, covered her mouth with her collar, and crouched down.

The house wasn’t filled with smoke yet.

As we reached the second floor, we heard the children crying.

I held Claire’s hand tightly and ran, opening the door with a bang.

“We need to get out of here!”

The children got up, their faces covered in tears.

But we couldn’t go back down the stairs. As soon as we faced the door, we could feel the heat. The lower floor was probably a sea of fire. Even if the flames hadn’t engulfed the entire first floor, the hallway was probably thick with smoke. The black smoke coming up the stairs was unsettling.

I quickly closed the door. We couldn’t stop the fire, but we could at least block the smoke from entering this room for a while. It was better for smoke to come in through a gap in the door than to rush in through an open door.

There was no time to think.

I tore down the old curtain hanging on the window. It smelled musty, but it seemed like it could support the weight of the children at least.

Seeing me tearing down the curtain, the children quickly followed suit. In the end, we had a total of four curtains.

We tied the curtains tightly together. Okay. This should be able to support the weight of the children.

I opened the window and tied the curtains to the nearest bed frame.

Fortunately, the flames didn’t reveal themselves outside the building.

“Hurry!”

When I shouted, the children all ran towards me.

Could the children hold onto the curtains and go down?

However, I couldn’t afford to send them down one by one. There was no time for that. But I couldn’t just give up either.

Claire was staring at me.

As if pushed by her gaze, I called out to the children one by one.

“James, hold on tight with both hands. I’ll lower you down slowly.”

In response to my words, a boy with a head the color of a nest made of straw nodded with tears streaming down his face.

“Everyone, hold onto the curtain behind me. We’ll calmly lower one person at a time.”

First, the heavier child. As each one went down, the strength pulling from behind would weaken.

And so, they descended one by one.

As each child went down, it became harder. The number of people supporting them decreased, and they were still young children, so their strength was lacking.

Still, I had tied one end to the bed, so there was no chance of them falling.

“Who’s next?”

The last one was Claire.

Claire, with a frightened expression, nodded her head and tightly held onto the curtain.

The room was already filled with smoke. I couldn’t see what was happening below. But since the curtain wasn’t catching fire, it seemed like the fire hadn’t spread outside.

“Unnie! We’re all down!”

A faint voice came from below, but it was audible amidst the chaos. Claire must have shouted with all her might.

But my hands were losing strength.

Would I be able to hold onto the curtain and go down like this?

As I was thinking that, there was a snapping sound.

I turned my head to see that the fire had already spread to the door. My eyes and throat stung. I could still breathe since I was next to the window, but if I delayed any longer, I might really die too.

I tied the curtain around my waist and, with a final burst of strength, jumped out the window.

The outcome was both good and bad.

“Ah!”

The curtain was too short. Even considering that I had tied it, I could barely hang on before hitting the ground.

But when I tied the curtain around my waist at the end, I didn’t do it properly due to the lack of strength in my hands.

As I jumped out the window, the curtain momentarily stopped my fall, but as I received a light rebound upwards, the hastily tied curtain around my waist came loose.

And so, I hit the ground.

However, since there was a moment of deceleration in the middle, I didn’t sustain any major injuries.

It still hurt, though. At least I didn’t need to turn back time.

As I got up from the ground, all the children were looking at me.

I felt a warm presence behind me, and when I turned around, the old orphanage was completely engulfed in flames.

“It’s on fire!”

Someone shouted.

The sound of hooves and a large carriage carrying a water tank could be heard approaching.

“Let’s go.”

I quickly pushed the children forward.

There must have been many people who saw us. The surroundings were brightly lit, and people from the neighborhood were running around. It was chaos.

But all the children survived unharmed. And so did I, and Claire.

Hidden completely from view on the map, unlike the deserted beach, this place still allows for carriages to come in, which is a relief. Even if the fire department were to arrive, the flames wouldn’t spread like in the original fire. It was a world where using magic to start a fire was like using magic to put it out.

But if someone were to be caught here, they would likely end up being handed over to some strange orphanage.

In that case, it would be safer to blend in with the people running around here and there, fearing that the fire might spread to their homes and end up getting lost in the chaos.

The children listened to me. Even though they trembled in fear, the reason they followed me was probably because they knew that the adult who used to take care of them was no longer around.

“Where are we going?” Claire asked, looking up at me, as if the other children were curious as well.

“I… I know where we need to go.”

I wasn’t entirely sure. I didn’t know if I would be able to find the way properly or how far away we were from here.

But… right now, there didn’t seem to be any other option.

I might need my abilities more than ever.