“Kuwaaaak!”
A scream echoed from inside the orphanage.
“Huh?”
The man and woman, who had been waiting by a carriage, turned their attention to the shabby building.
Inside, the horrific scream continued unabated. The man deduced it was the voice of the old woman he heard every time he came here.
“What’s happening?” the woman asked nervously.
The middle-aged woman, whose face was heavily made up to conceal the wrinkles of age, gazed towards the dilapidated structure.
The scream intensified, causing one by one, lights to flicker on in the windows of the closely attached buildings next door.
Light also spilled out from the orphanage windows.
However, this light was different from normal. Far from simply illuminating the room like a lone candle, it flickered as if responding to someone’s movements, revealing glowing red tongues from within.
Perhaps it was because it was an old wooden house. Or maybe the drought had caused the water levels in the Splin River to decrease recently.
The parched wooden structure caught fire as easily as kindling.
“Tsk.”
The man clicked his tongue. This wasn’t just an ordinary flame. The strange blue tint deeply embedded in the red flames suggested it was oil mixed with magical stone powder, typically used as fuel for steam engines.
Had the old woman secretly picked up magical stone fragments from around the factory? That seemed like something she would do. Perhaps she had sent some orphans to fetch it.
However, magical stones also serve to increase the size of flames significantly. It might burn brighter and bigger when in a lamp, but once it leaves the containment, it becomes uncontrollable.
With the fire raging like that, even if the firefighters came to douse it, putting it out wouldn’t be easy.
“…Let’s go.”
The man said as he adjusted his silk hat.
“But if we do that…”
The hesitant woman heard the steady tone in the man’s voice.
“For the time being, we’ll get what we need directly without a distributor. It’s risky, but it can’t be helped.”
The man gestured to the driver, who had been waiting, gripping the reins.
“…And we will need to find a new distributor. This is becoming quite troublesome.”
The woman, looking anxious, cast one last glance at the fully ablaze building.
Screams echoed from all around.
The woman shuddered and tightened her coat before following the man into the carriage.
*
Was burning down the building a good idea?
She had succeeded in evading the man. It seemed he wouldn’t force his way in no matter how much time passed.
Not that it was surprising. The fire spread much faster than expected, swallowing the entrance without giving anyone a chance to react.
Reflecting back, the original story had also noted this. At first glance, it resembled the lamps in the world she came from — it didn’t seem to have such fierce firepower, but the flames spread uncontrollably, leaving no chance to act.
Many players questioned how a single lamp that Claire knocked down could cause such a fire. The developers brought credibility to that story by using the resource “magical stone,” which plays an important role throughout the work.
They mixed magical stone powder into the oil for improved effect, which ultimately led to the house catching fire before anyone could act.
The color of the flames was not the usual orange seen in lighters but a blue that would be expected only in a gas stove. She quickly retreated, but she could still feel the searing heat hitting her face.
“Sister?”
A worried voice called from behind, snapping her back to reality.
The old woman’s breath had already ceased. The flames were so fierce it was hard to tell the state of the corpse.
“Let’s go.”
I quickly turned around and grabbed Claire’s hand.
For now, we needed to escape this place.
The fire I had started could completely engulf this area. I could unintentionally harm people who were living ordinary lives, and innocent victims might arise.
But right now, there was something more important.
Claire’s and my safety.
Let’s just run. After we escape, I could seriously think about my abilities and the situation ahead.
At least one misfortune was averted—
“Sister.”
But Claire tugged my hand in the opposite direction.
Seeing Claire, her terrified expression was evident as she pulled me along.
“The kids… The kids are still inside.”
“…”
I had witnessed someone die right in front of me. But Claire did not doubt me. Despite me not having particularly treated her well, she was following me. This was likely her inherent nature. The goodness that remained before the adults shattered it into pieces.
Or perhaps she just thought I was a comparatively gentler option than the abusive old woman.
But… right, Claire was kind-hearted in the original story too.
Even after escaping that hellish place, she was tormented by the knowledge that many houses burned down and people died because of the lamp she dropped. She only revealed her distress during the episodes right before her death, but even while serving under the Emperor and acting as an antagonistic character, she had done her best to prevent innocent casualties, ultimately sacrificing herself for the Crown Princess.
Having maintained such a character even after being shattered once, it’s hard to say whether she retained that nature before the breakdown or not.
“…Alright.”
I turned my body around. The fire was still blazing fiercely, but there was still time.
Instead of the back door, we dashed towards the stairs leading to the second floor.
I could hear Claire coughing. I turned to her and covered her mouth with my sleeve. Then I lowered my body and walked.
The house was not yet full of smoke.
Upon reaching the second floor, I heard the cries of children.
Holding Claire’s hand tightly, I flung open the door.
“Come on, we have to get out of here!”
My words made the children rise awkwardly. Their faces were smeared with tears.
But there was no going back down the stairs. As I aimed for the door, a rush of heat hit me. The area below must already be engulfed in flames. Even if the flames hadn’t consumed the entire first floor yet, the hallway would surely be filled with thick smoke. The ominous black smoke rising from the stairs was a foreboding sign.
I quickly closed the door. While I couldn’t stop the fire, I could at least hold off the smoke for a while. It was better to have smoke trickling in through a slightly misaligned door than having it flood in from an open door.
There was no time to think.
I ripped the old curtain from the window. It smelled moldy, but it seemed sturdy enough to hold at least the weight of the children.
Seeing me tear down the curtain, the kids quickly followed suit. We gathered four curtains in total.
I tied the curtains together as tightly as possible. Great. At least it seemed like it could support the weight of a child.
I opened the window and tied the curtains to the nearest bed frame.
Luckily, the flames hadn’t yet revealed themselves outside the building.
“Quick!”
As I shouted, all the children rushed towards me.
Would they be able to hold the curtains as they went down?
But I couldn’t lower them down one by one. There was no time for that. Nor could I afford to give up just because I was panicking.
Claire was looking only at me.
Feeling 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.”
James, a boy with straw-colored hair resembling a nest made of rice straw, nodded, his tear-streaked face affirming my words.
“Everyone hold onto the curtains behind me. We’ll let one down calmly at a time.”
Starting with the heaviest child. With each child that went down, the pulling force would become weaker.
And so we lowered them one by one.
Indeed, with each child that descended, my strength waned. It was both because the number of those supporting from behind was decreasing, and because they were just five-year-old children who lacked strength themselves.
But I had tied one end to the bed, so there was no way a child would fall as I loosened my grip.
“You go first.”
The last in line was Claire.
Claire nodded with a fearful expression, tightly gripping the curtain.
The room was already filled with smoke. I couldn’t see the situation below. At least the curtains hadn’t caught fire, but…
“Sister! I’m down!”
I heard a voice from below.
It was faint, but it stood out amidst the cacophony. Claire must have yelled with all her might.
“Ah…”
But I didn’t have much strength left in my hands.
Having sent down a few children, I felt my arms trembling as the exhaustion set in.
Would I be able to hold the curtains and descend like this?
As those thoughts raced through my mind, crack, I heard something snapping.
Turning my head, flames had already spread to the door. My eyes and throat burned. I was close to a window, so I could still breathe, but if I stayed longer, I might truly die here.
“…”
I pulled the curtain up and tied myself to it.
Would this length be enough? No, if it’s too long, that could be a problem. I’d be crashing right to the ground.
Well, still…
I’d have a few chances again.
I secured the curtain around my waist and, using all my remaining strength, jumped out the window.
*
The result was both good and bad.
“Ah…!”
The curtain was short enough. Even with the knot I had made, I barely managed to hang on before landing on the ground.
But it seemed I hadn’t tied it properly when I secured it around my body because I didn’t have much strength left.
As I jumped out of the window, the curtain initially held me before giving way as I bounced lightly, causing the makeshift knot around my waist to unravel.
Thanks to that, I smacked right onto the ground.
However, I had slowed down slightly in the middle, so I avoided serious injury.
It hurt, but at least it wasn’t painful enough to warrant rewinding time.
As I got up, I noticed all the kids were looking at me.
I could feel the searing heat behind me and turned to see the old orphanage was now completely engulfed in flames.
“Fire!”
I heard someone shout that.
Clop, clop, the sound of galloping horses echoed as a wagon carrying a large water tank rushed over.
“…Let’s go.”
I said quickly, urging the children forward.
People must have seen us plenty already. The area had brightened up, and townsfolk were running around in a panic. The surroundings were utter chaos.
Still, not a single child was injured. Neither were Claire and I.
It was reassuring that this place, unlike the hidden brothel on the map, could still have carriages come in. If the firefighters arrived, the flames wouldn’t spread like the catastrophic blaze from the original story. In this world, magic was used to extinguish fires just as it was to set them.
However, if we got caught by someone here, it would be obvious we’d be thrown back into another strange orphanage.
If that were the case, then it was probably safer to blend in with the townsfolk who were running around, fearing their homes might catch fire too.
The children followed my lead. Despite trembling in fear, they knew that there would be no more adult looking after them.
“Where are we going?” Claire asked. The other kids looked up at me, as if they too were curious.
“…I know where we need to go.”
I wasn’t sure. I didn’t know if I could find my way properly. I didn’t even know how far away we were.
But… at least for now, there was no other choice.
I might need my abilities more than ever now.
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