Huff, huff.
I ran through the flames, inhaling smoky air with my nose.
¡Bum! ¡Bum!
I squeezed through the rubble of a building that couldn't withstand the fire and collapsed. The reason my steps sounded like this was simple. I turned on Gigantization to increase my resistance to flames, even if just a little.
How far had he come?
I tried to somehow deduce my exact location while running, but I didn't know exactly. The palace, which always served to measure my distance every time I came to this city, was invisible because of the smoke. The only thing I could do was keep running.
¡Whoosh!
Anyway, since that lasted about an hour, I learned two things during that time.
¡Whoooooosh!
First of all, those flames that were intertwined everywhere could not have been caused by a simple spark, no matter how you looked at it. Flames that kept transferring and kept exploding at regular intervals?
Debe ser magic.
¡Kwaaaaaaclaim!
I stopped that thought and quickly moved my shield in the direction of the explosion, a red shield priced differently than the shield I temporarily borrowed from the knights after hearing about the assassin.
[The lava shield has absorbed the flames. The power of your soul is restored in proportion to the amount absorbed].
No. 4,819 Lava shield. I brought it because it came with a +30 Flame Resistance passive when wearing it, but I found it very useful now.
Ha, it would have been a big deal if I had arrived with nothing.
In life, prevention was always better than cure. Since this was an item that only reacted to attack ability and magic, I thought the soul power option would be useless. But without this, I would have been saved from using Gigantization.
The second thing was that wherever he went, everything was silent. Buildings were collapsing and the sounds of flames roaring and burning the city filled my ears, but I found no survivors. Not a single scream could be heard, much less a call for help.
...Even so, the lucky thing is that there are not many corpses.
The bodies I found were all lying face down facing away from me. They had fled inside to escape the fire that started on the outskirts, because the palace was also there.
I hope Raven arrived safely...
Although I hoped I had escaped the incident, I kept running through the flames because maybe I wasn't. According to the guard's words, the entire southern part of Karnon was engulfed in flames. Raven's accommodation was in the very center of the south.
I should be around here...
Tap.
I stopped dead. In front of me was a stone structure that stood amidst the hazy smoke.
¡Bannggg!
It was injured everywhere by the explosions that were exploding even at that time, but since it was such a large building, it was not difficult to recognize it as the third public platform of the royal capital of Karnon. I quickly looked around and was stunned.
Damn sea.
The address Raven gave me was right around here, but of course, I didn't know the exact location. But what did that matter? No matter where I looked, north, east, south, west, nothing was intact.
I tried to hold my breath to focus on the sounds too, but I still didn't hear anything but the damn fire. So what had happened to Raven? Had he escaped well as I expected?
«¡Arua Raven!»
Just in case, I screamed as loud as I could, judging that someone might be waiting for help around. But despite several calls, there was no response. I was about to resume my movements towards the palace when a voice rang in my head.
[«...¿Sr. Candle?»]
The Secret Voice was a magic that all magicians could do in a basic way.
[«What? What are you doing here, Mr. Yandel?»]
So it was really close. What would have happened if I had left like this? Dizzy, I hurriedly shouted: «Where are you?!».
[Come a little further, on the other side of the platform. Then you will see me»].
When I followed Raven's instructions, a square appeared. Raven stood by the central fountain along with ten survivors.
Deslick.
When I entered the fire-preventing mana field, I could see Raven standing proudly with her small body. «Why the hell are you here, Mr. Yandel?»
Can't you give me a little welcome?
I assumed reality was different from movies after all. Normally in the movies they came running for a hug.
«Have you... come here for me? Through that fire?»
That's what you would like.
«I was taking a walk.» Feeling embarrassed for some reason, that's what I spat. I was so glad he was safe. «But why are you still here and not near the palace? If there is a fire, you should flee immediately. You're crazy?»
After joining Raven, I first stopped to listen to her situation. Why was he still here near his house and not in the palace? The reason was really simple.
«Well...» Raven was testing her newly learned knowledge in the temporary laboratory set up in her bedroom. That's why he didn't find out about the fire in time when it broke out. «It is convenient to be close to the platform, but it tends to be noisy. I usually live with noise covered up, so...».
When Raven realized the change, the surroundings were already covered in flames, but it had not been as late as now. She could have avoided it.
«If I had left then everyone would have died».
However, as soon as Raven saw a woman lying on the street with a child in her arms, she decided to stay. His rationality may have been cold, but he tended to maintain his morals as much as he could. Probably, at that moment she was pleased to think that the fire would soon be extinguished with a little patience. I probably didn't expect the situation to get so serious.
«...Let me apologize first. I never dreamed that you would come looking for me, Mr. Yandel».
I told him I was out for a walk.
«Don't apologize.» This short guy pretended to be an adult. «Well done.»
«...Sorry?»
I looked around at the survivors looking here with anxious eyes and said: «You have to save whoever you can».
No matter how I looked at it, those people didn't just seem like NPCs to me. They were the same people as me, even though those people called people like me evil spirits.
But it seems that there are no nobles.
Taking a quick look around me, I realized that most of them looked like ordinary petty bourgeois. This was not strange. Although it was the royal capital, 90% of Karnon's population were commoners, after all, those who lived and worked here for the convenience of the nobility.
«But where did you get that equipment from?». As the situation began to clear up, Raven questioned my firefighter editing equipment and my Lava Shield.
Was it because she was a magician? His curiosity came first, even in the midst of all this. I briefly explained the origin of my team.
Then Raven's gaze began to become a little strange. «That's crazy. Master, I understand, but the others are not the type of people who do that».
«Even if I didn't tell you who they were?».
«To some extent. The wizard community seems large, but it is small enough for everyone to get to know each other.»
Ah, I see. But since we can't talk about this forever, let's change the subject.
«What is this barrier like? Can you use it while moving?»
When I got to the main topic, Raven also changed her expression and responded seriously: «I can use it. Although it will be much weaker».
«So what is your opinion? Do you think he can hold on?»
«You're using the Fire Orb, right? If I use Cold Blood magic here I think I'll be able to hold on».
«And your mana is fine?»
«...I'll have to try it to see it». Raven, like a wizard, did not give a definitive answer with empty words. Simply put, it meant it was a close call, but neither of them mentioned abandoning anyone.
«Have you all heard that? We're moving from now on, so if you have any objections, tell me now». Raven explained the plan to the survivors once again and naturally there were no objections. «So let's go.»
Once Raven finished transforming the barrier into a moving form, we headed out into the fire.
«How are you all? All good?»
"Es soportable, Sra. Maga ⁇ .
The survivors were sweating profusely, but not enough to burn. They seemed to have difficulty breathing because of the smoke, but Raven used wind magic on each other to push the smoke away and replenish oxygen.
«Follow them closely so you don't get left behind».
The radius of the Fire Orb was fifteen meters. Adjusting the speed to ensure that the survivors were not left outside that radius, we began a gallop.
¡Bannggg!
I blocked the explosions ahead and Raven took over the rear.
«¿Power?»
«Still plenty, don't worry».
Aside from Raven's mana being consumed in real time, it was a fairly stable move. After a long time passed like this, we received the first good news in a while.
«The flames have definitely gone down».
«Does that mean we can get out of here soon?»
«If my predictions are correct.»
Even the survivors who had reached their physical limits began to show their tenacity with hope. But they say that good news comes with bad news.
«...Mana forward!» As we talked, Raven suddenly exclaimed urgently. In response, I hurried to look ahead. That was the moment.
Damn sea.
A huge fireball appeared in front of me. I reflexively raised my shield to block it.
[Absorption limit exceeded. Soul power is largely consumed in proportion to the rate of absorption].
Far from recovering, a great sense of energy drain blossomed within me.
Shit. A fire attribute attack that cannot be blocked with a Lava Shield? What kind of bastard...?
I raised my head. The first thing I saw were the remains of buildings floating in the air.
They were falling apart...
Pieces of burning stone piled up densely and turned into golem shapes.
I could hear Raven's distraught voice from behind. «Mr. Yandel. This magic is...»
«Stop, you don't have to tell me. I know.»
Summoning Magic Rank 5, Fire Giant. It was a spell he remembered seeing before.
...No wonder the fire was strangely hot.
I grabbed the mace tighter and continued looking ahead.
Step step.
He couldn't hear the sound of footsteps, but an old man and a man following him appeared in the flames.
«I never thought I'd see you here». Soon, the old man stopped walking and said: «Luck is on my side».
Yeah, there was no way it would end so easily. The Fallen Scholar, Belbev Ruingenes.
And to think I'd see it here.
Yeah, one corner of my heart felt tight, but I learned one thing.
So they really were Noark's bastards.
The culprits of this fire were these guys. Well, it made sense when I thought about it. Who else in town would wreak havoc like that?
«Raven». I put everything aside for now and gave orders. «Take people outside. Since you said we almost got there, you can do it without me, right?»
«But...»
Oh, you and your answer.
«Do what I tell you. When have I made a mistake?»
The answer came after a moment of silence, not with his physical voice but with the transmission of the Secret Voice. [«...I'll bring people in as fast as I can.»]
Raven then used wind magic to push away the flames and create a path and guided the survivors through it. Surprisingly, Fallen Scholar left her alone. I was ready to stop him as soon as he did something strange.
Yeah, so it's easier for you to deal with me without a magician, huh?
He could roughly guess his thoughts. Not that there wasn't a sense of incongruity, but I judged that if there wasn't, there was no reason for me to let them go so easily.
«Since when?»
¿Eh?
«I heard you were in the palace. When did you arrive?»
What the hell was he talking about now? Before I could even tilt my head, the answer appeared before my eyes.
«A moment ago». A man in his 20s emerged from the flames as if he had been there from the beginning. «Hey, dentures».
«...Dentures?» I asked.
«Who said you can start a fire without my permission?». Baekho frowned looking at the Fallen Scholar.