As Dariann rushed out and arrived at the scene, the first thing he felt was an overwhelming heat.
From the first floor of the building, which was constructed with two levels, the flames raged as if the jaws of hell itself were opening from below, trying to swallow the entire building in one go.
“The flames are huge!”
“Damn it, what should we do?”
“Fire! Fire!”
People, unable to get close to the building because of the intense heat, stomped their feet in confusion, unsure of what to do.
“What are you standing around for?!”
In the middle of the panicking crowd, a man’s shout drew people’s attention.
“You! Where’s the closest well around here?”
“Uh, what?”
“Are you not paying attention?! Shut up and tell me quickly!”
“Well, there’s a well not far from here…”
“Good! You, go find any tools nearby that can carry water quickly. You, go straight to the well and get ready to keep bringing water! The rest of you, form a line from here to the well! Once you have the water, pass it quickly to start putting out the fire!”
“Uh, okay… got it!”
“We’ve got a scoop that we use to feed the animals nearby!”
“Is this how we line up?”
The chaos caused by the sudden fire was quickly calmed down as Dariann gave clear orders, pointing to individuals and telling them what to do.
The stunned people responded instinctively and began to move.
“Damn… this is a big problem.”
Having quickly organized the situation, Dariann muttered as he looked at the burning building.
Since this was a fantasy world, most buildings within the territory were made of wood, which was cheaper and easier to work with compared to metal, marble, or concrete.
As a result, the fire spread more easily than a modern fire, and if it wasn’t suppressed quickly, the entire area would turn to ash.
“Whose house is that?”
“Uh… who are you?”
“Does it really matter right now? Just tell me!”
“Uh… cough. It’s just an ordinary house. It’s a two-story house, but it’s been used as a family home for a long time, and now the Milton family is living there.”
At that moment…
“Ahhhhhh!!!!”
“Hey! Snap out of it!”
“Calm down!”
A woman’s scream, as if her throat was about to be torn apart, reached Dariann’s ears.
He turned his gaze.
A woman, her eyes bloodshot, was frantically trying to rush towards the burning building, while those around her struggled to hold her back.
“Mila! Mila!!! My child is still in the house!!! Let me go!!! Mila!!!!”
“…Is there still a child in the house?”
“Oh my, I see.”
“I understand why Lirin is crying like that now.”
“Ugh, what can we do? Once the fire’s out, we’ll comfort her…”
It seemed the woman lived in the burning house, and the others shook their heads, clicking their tongues in sympathy.
But none of them seemed inclined to risk their lives to save the child.
After all, they were powerless in the face of this fire.
They couldn’t douse the flames like wizards, spraying water from cannons, nor could anyone enter the inferno without being burned alive.
They could only hope that the water they managed to haul from the well would limit the damage.
That was the common sense and the best they could do in these times.
But there was one person who didn’t accept this logic.
Thwack
“Huh?!”
“What the hell?! What are you doing?!”
“Are you crazy? What the—”
Dariann, who had made his way through the crowd, lightly slapped the woman’s face as she was flailing in distress.
Her head snapped around, and those who had been calming her down stared in shock.
“Snap out of it. We don’t have time. Tell me the general structure of the house and where the child is likely to be.”
“…Ah.”
Dariann gave her a look that said only to speak plainly.
“…Second floor! Mila is probably on the second floor! She always spent time alone upstairs when the house was empty…”
“Good. How many rooms are there on the second floor?”
“Three, three. Mila usually played in the most secluded corner, the storage room that’s farthest from the stairs.”
“Second floor… three rooms… most secluded spot… got it.”
The woman, now calm after Dariann’s slap, spoke in a rushed but composed manner, describing the house’s layout and where the child might be.
Dariann quietly listened, murmuring it over in his mind.
He then turned and began running.
“I’ll get her. Stay here and wait.”
He shouted back as he quickly ran off.
“I don’t know whose this is, but I’m borrowing it!”
Dariann picked up a large axe, likely used for chopping wood, as he ran past.
Shriek Shriek
He tore off part of his clothes, fashioned it into cloth, and soaked it in the water from the bucket, soaking it thoroughly.
“…Entering through the first floor is impossible. It’s a wooden building, and it’s been standing for quite a while, so the stairs might not be able to support my weight. If that happens, it’s game over.”
“Then the only option left is to break through to the second floor… a ladder! Is there a ladder nearby?”
“Well, there is a ladder, but it was leaning against this building and is now burning up in the fire!”
“Damn it.”
It was now nearly impossible to enter through the first floor, and the path to the second floor wasn’t looking any easier.
As the axe handle in his hand groaned under pressure, Dariann reached a conclusion.
“Move, move!!!”
“Yaaah?!”
“Uh, where are you going..?!”
At the same time, Dariann turned and moved toward the building next to the one on fire.
Pushing past the people who were confused by his sudden intrusion, he ran straight up to the second floor and opened the window of the room closest to the burning building.
“This is the most likely option.”
As Dariann looked at the raging fire right in front of him, he smiled as if the answer he had been watching carefully from below was right all along.
There was a small balcony-like ledge on the second-floor window, and it hadn’t caught fire yet.
The only way for him to enter the building now was to jump from the neighboring building and land on the balcony to enter.
But the landing area on the balcony was small, and the distance was quite a stretch.
Without any safety gear, if he jumped and missed, he would end up throwing himself into the flames.
“Haah… haah…”
He had seen countless fires and flames while running through fire scenes, but Dariann was always afraid.
The fear that the flames would devour him whole, and that he might be the next one to join the ranks of his fallen comrades.
His heart pounded wildly, and his fingertips began to tremble.
“Well, someone has to do it, right? Who else will…?!”
But Dariann turned that fear into a laugh, burning it away, and then he leaped into the air.
“Whoaa?!”
“He’s flying!!”
“Yaaahhh!!”
As the people below watched in amazement and horror, Dariann threw himself into the air.
For a brief moment, the sensation of gliding felt like it lasted hours, far beyond the few seconds it actually took.
However, the return to reality was all too quick.
The instant Dariann’s feet touched the balcony…
Creak—
The small landing spot couldn’t bear Dariann’s weight and broke apart.
“Hah… hah… Damn it, I nearly died.”
Fortunately, as soon as his foot landed, Dariann stretched his empty left hand out to the window, managing to grab it just in time and dangle there, barely avoiding falling.
“Haah… entry!”
He quickly adjusted and, for the rescue operation, entered the second-floor room through the window.
“Ugh… Has the fire already spread this far?”
As soon as he entered, Dariann, holding an axe and wearing a soaked cloth over his mouth like a mask, lowered his posture and muttered.
The fire that had started on the first floor was slowly creeping up to the second, emitting thick smoke.
“Guess I’ll have to thank Gordon when I get back home.”
Dariann, moving forward through the smoke-filled fire scene, murmured in admiration of the durability of the hood covering his body.
The black hood, which covered his face and body, was surprisingly effective in terms of durability and heat resistance, allowing him to move comfortably even in this scorching environment.
“…I’m glad I didn’t try to enter from the first floor.”
Leaving the room he had entered, Dariann headed for the second-floor hallway and saw the staircase connecting the first and second floors engulfed in flames, roaring with fire.
But there was no time to admire his own sharp observation.
He had just entered the building, and the rescue operation had barely even started in this horrific fire.
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