Chapter 20

【Mehiterte's Perspective】

Mehiterte was praying to the gods.

Kneeling and bending her body to escape the smoke, she earnestly prayed to the gods.

(…Please, may Nanzaro be safe. Gods, please protect my husband.)

When the fire broke out in the factory, Nanzaro stayed until the end, trying to save Mehiterte.

However, the flames spread rapidly, and Nanzaro himself was about to be engulfed by the fire.

Unable to bear the sight, Horacio persuaded Nanzaro to evacuate.

Mehiterte also pleaded, begging Nanzaro to evacuate.

At first, Nanzaro refused to listen, but eventually, he had to accept that there was nothing he could do alone.

"I will! I will definitely come back to save you! Please wait just a little longer!"

"Yes, I'll wait! Please, Nanzaro, go quickly! Please, escape quickly!"

As Mehiterte pleaded, Nanzaro bit his lip, sobbed, and finally ran into the flames and smoke.

By the time Nanzaro started to evacuate, the fire had already spread significantly.

Evacuation would not be easy.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry… *cough* *cough*…"

Horacio muttered as if in a daze.

Horacio had suffered severe burns on his back and injuries to his legs and was now lying face down.

Until a moment ago, he could still converse, but now his consciousness was fading, and he kept repeating, "I'm sorry."

The fire broke out suddenly.

As soon as the flames rose, they spread explosively, igniting the threads and cotton materials one after another.

Textile factories are prone to fires.

Cotton dust floats in large quantities in the air and can ignite due to the heat from machinery.

Of course, various precautions are taken to prevent fires, and regular cleaning and ventilation are performed to prevent cotton dust from accumulating in the factory.

However, it still happened.

Mehiterte, Horacio, and a few others were in a meeting at the back of the factory.

They were discussing material management and production plan progress, checking the actual conditions on the factory floor.

It was then that the fire broke out.

As soon as Horacio noticed the fire, he quickly judged that extinguishing it would be impossible and instructed everyone to evacuate.

However, the fire started in a bad location.

It broke out deep inside the factory, cutting off the evacuation route for Mehiterte and the others.

Despite their efforts, a shelf loaded with materials collapsed, further blocking their path.

The initial explosive spread of the fire had ignited a large amount of cotton.

Thanks to Horacio's quick action in shielding everyone, they avoided injury, but he suffered severe burns on his back and injuries to his legs.

Horacio apologized for the fire, attributing it to his own negligence, but Mehiterte could not blame him.

A few months ago, the lord had suddenly ordered a major change in the production plan, and Horacio had been extremely busy dealing with it.

Especially in the past month, he had been working tirelessly, and Mehiterte had been worried that he might collapse.

Furthermore, the recent heatwave and lack of wind had made it difficult to ventilate the factory effectively.

Blaming Horacio for the combination of these adverse conditions would be too harsh.

When Nanzaro learned of the fire in the textile factory and realized that Mehiterte had not evacuated, he rushed to the scene, but it was too late.

Despite this, Nanzaro tried to move the burning obstacles to create an evacuation route.

He ignored the burns on his own hands and desperately tried to save his beloved wife from the flames.

However, he was eventually about to be engulfed by the fire.

Horacio repeatedly tried to persuade him to evacuate, but Nanzaro refused to listen. It was only after Mehiterte's desperate pleading that he finally left the scene.

Mehiterte coughed violently from the smoke and braced herself for the end.

(…Great Six Pillars of the Gods. Please guide the lost and pitiful soul to your presence. O God of Light, God of Darkness, God of Fire, God of Water, God of Wind, God of Earth. Please protect my beloved husband and family.)

As Mehiterte prayed, she thought she heard a voice.

"…Where are you? Is anyone there?"

At first, she thought it was just her imagination, but the distant voice gradually grew closer.

Others also seemed to hear it and looked at each other.

One of them suddenly shouted out loud.

"Hey! Over here! *cough* *cough*"

"*cough* *cough* … Over here!"

"Help us! *cough* *cough*"

As one person shouted, everyone else, coughing and struggling, joined in.

Mehiterte also shouted as hard as she could.

"There you are! I'm coming right away!"

The response made Mehiterte so happy that she almost fainted.

In the smoke and heat, it was difficult to open her eyes, but she searched for the rescuers with tears streaming down her face.

Then, she saw a faint figure through the flames.

"*cough* *cough* … Over here! Please, help us!"

As Mehiterte shouted, a large amount of water was suddenly splashed on them.

At first, she didn't understand what was happening and turned away.

Then, she turned back to the figure and saw a child, no older than ten, standing there.

Why was a child here? As she wondered, the boy waved his hand to clear the smoke.

In that instant, the smoke that had been tormenting them disappeared instantly.

Everyone present was confused by what was happening.

The boy, however, quickly looked around and checked the situation.

As Mehiterte stared at the boy in a daze, their eyes met.

"I've come to save you. It's okay now. Let's go."

The boy smiled warmly.

■■■■■■

(Think, think, think… There must be a way… …Absolutely!)

Amidst the encroaching flames, Mika was in a dire situation, facing a crisis of depleted magic power.

Mika desperately tried to find a way to survive.

(Can I lower the heat energy in the building? No, I probably can't interfere with it. Even if I could, I don't have enough magic power.)

Then, could he convert heat energy into magic power?

If he could replenish his magic power, he could at least avoid the immediate danger.

(I always convert magic power into energy, but I've never tried the reverse. If I can do it, can I handle the magic power properly? Do I need to absorb it into myself first? How do I absorb the magic power I create?)

Complicated procedures would be fatal in this situation.

If any part of the process fails, it's over.

There's no time to experiment and try different methods.

(…Then, I'll focus on one thing.)

Trying to do everything at once is impossible.

So, just one thing. Focus on one thing.

Magic power is everywhere in the world…

What he had learned from Rady at the church.

Magic power is present in everything in this world, and the world is filled with magic power.

No one knows how this invisible and unfelt magic power was discovered.

But that's what they say.

(I don't need to convert energy into magic power myself. If it's there, I just need to gather it!)

Mika doused himself with "Water Splash" and inhaled deeply with "Gale."

Then, he stopped both spells and closed his eyes, focusing all his consciousness.

Stopping "Water Splash" and "Gale" in the midst of the flames was, in a sense, suicidal.

But it was impossible to do multiple things at once in this situation.

If this method didn't work, there was no other option.

(The magic power in the air is a pre-existing substance. I've never been able to manipulate it before…)

He suppressed his anxiety amidst the burning heat.

Mika gathered the magic power around him, commanding his own magic power to do so.

(Who said I can't do it? I just assumed I couldn't. If I can, I can!)

The consumption of magic power increased even more.

More magic power was being consumed than when he used "Water Splash" and "Gale" simultaneously.

As his magic power rapidly depleted, his anxiety grew.

(Even if this method works, if I can't gather enough magic power… I'll just be strangling myself…)

Gradually, he felt cornered, and his anxiety grew.

The magic power he consumed and the magic power he gathered.

If the latter didn't exceed the former, he would just be wasting magic power.

Still, this was his only hope.

He had already bet his life on this gamble.

It was too late to back out now; the result would be the same as losing.

(Damn… If this doesn't work, I'll come back as a ghost, Rady!!)

Mika vented his frustration in his mind.

Rady had only taught him that the world is filled with magic power.

He never said anything about using it.

The lack of magic power made him feel ill.

Just as Mika was about to give up, the rate of magic power consumption slightly slowed.

At first, he thought it was just his imagination.

But the consumption of magic power continued to decrease.

Finally, his magic power began to recover.

(It's working!!!)

Mika carefully maintained the absorption of magic power and restarted "Water Splash" and "Gale."

He splashed water and covered his mouth and nose with his right hand, then exhaled deeply.

"*pant* *pant* *pant* *pant* … Seriously… I thought I was going to die…"

Now, Mika was using three spells.

"Water Splash," "Gale," and the absorption of magic power.

Despite this, his magic power continued to increase.

(That's amazing… How much am I gathering?)

It felt like he was absorbing magic power through his entire body.

He sensed ripples of magic power resonating throughout his body.

(This might work…?)

Mika cautiously moved forward, sprinkling "Water Splash" around him.

(No, I have to save them! Absolutely!)

Visibility was severely limited by the smoke, making movement difficult.

For a moment, he considered clearing all the smoke with a powerful gust of wind.

However, he quickly dismissed the idea.

If a large amount of air entered the building, the fire could intensify, and the building could collapse.

It was better to continue the search without taking unnecessary risks.

"Horacio! Where are you? Is anyone there?"

Mika called out repeatedly as he moved through the building.

He eventually noticed a place where the fire was particularly intense.

Perhaps it was an area with a lot of flammable materials.

The sound of air rushing and wood cracking was loud.

From the other side of the intense fire, a faint voice could be heard.

Despite the noise, he confirmed it was a human voice.

"There you are! I'm coming right away!"

Relieved to have found the trapped people, Mika carefully extinguished the fire.

The more intense the fire, the more damage to the building.

If the pillars supporting the ceiling collapsed, the building could collapse at any moment.

He couldn't afford to make a mistake now.

As he moved forward, splashing water, he saw figures through the smoke.

There were more than one.

The smoke made it difficult to determine the exact number.

Mika created a large amount of air with "Gale" and controlled it to stay around him.

He waved his hand to clear the smoke and confirmed the people present.

(Two women. Three men. Horacio is here too.)

Horacio was lying face down.

He had severe burns on his back, and it was clear he was critically injured.

He also had injuries to his legs.

It seemed unlikely that Horacio could walk on his own, even with support.

However, the others seemed capable of moving on their own.

(It took quite a while. Going back the way I came might be too risky…)

This was a wooden building, and it could collapse at any moment.

He needed to quickly find a way to escape and act on it.

Mika quickly surveyed the surroundings.

(The fire is less intense on the right side. If I can break through the wall, I can get outside?)

He decided on a general plan and turned to the trapped people to call out to them.

However, everyone was staring at him in shock.

(…What? We're almost saved. You should be happier.)

For a moment, he thought they were too relieved to react.

Mika spoke gently, trying to reassure them.

"I've come to save you. It's okay now. Let's go."

He smiled, but they remained in shock.

Thinking that shock therapy might be needed, Mika doused the shocked people with "Water Splash."

"*choke*?"

"What the---!?"

"If you don't want to die, snap out of it! You two, support Horacio from both sides! We're getting out!"

Mika shouted at them, his voice harsh.

He extinguished the flames at his feet and moved towards the right wall.

He couldn't cause a strong impact to the building.

Mika used "Water Splash" to extinguish the flames at the top of the wall and then stopped the water.

"Freezing Breath!"

He directed a blast of cold air at the water-soaked wall, freezing it instantly.

While wood might become brittle later, he needed the ice to support the wall for now.

He confirmed that the wall was frozen and extended his magic power to it.

He shaped the magic power into a tall, narrow rectangle, about two meters high and one meter wide.

"Wind Blade!"

With a *whoosh*, the frozen wood was cut away, leaving a rectangular hole in the wall.

He then cast another spell through the hole.

"Ice Spear!"

He didn't throw a spear but created ice pillars on both sides of the hole to support it.

It might just be for reassurance, but he did it just in case.

"Come on, this way! Hurry!"

Mika went outside, and the trapped people followed one by one.

Horacio, supported by two men, was also able to get out safely.

Since it was dangerous to stay near the building, he encouraged them to move farther away.

As Mika was about to go call Rady for Horacio's treatment, he noticed that people in the crowd had also seen them.

"Hey, over there!"

"Look at that! There are people!"

"Someone's coming out!"

He saw people pointing in their direction, and several people, including Rady, were running towards them.

"Mehiterte!"

"Nanzaro!"

Nanzaro was at the front of the group.

One of the women ran to Nanzaro and embraced him tightly.

Mika couldn't tell who was who, and he didn't have time to check, but he was relieved that Nanzaro's wife had been saved.

"You idiot!"

Diego, who arrived a few moments later, punched Mika on the head.

It was a brutal blow that could have killed thousands of brain cells.

The shock and pain were so intense that Mika couldn't think for a moment.

(That hurts… If my brain cells die and I become stupid, what will I do?)

Holding his head, Mika complained in his mind.

"Are you hurt anywhere?"

Diego began to check Mika for injuries thoroughly.

"…I'm hurt now. My head…"

"What!?"

Just as Diego was about to punch Mika again, Rady arrived.

"Mika!"

"Sister Rady! I'm fine! Please, help Horacio!"

Mika pointed to Horacio, and Rady immediately ran to him.

After watching Rady heal Horacio, Mika exhaled deeply.

(I owe my life to Horacio. I was able to repay that debt.)

As Mika watched Rady heal Horacio, he noticed footsteps approaching.

Turning around, he saw the old priest Kifrodo.

"Well, well, you're safe. You really take unnecessary risks."

Kifrodo spoke to Mika in a flat tone, neither angry nor happy.

"…I'm sorry."

Mika hung his head and apologized.

"…You shouldn't be apologizing to me."

Kifrodo turned and looked at the crowd.

Understanding Kifrodo's intention, Mika bowed to him and ran towards the crowd.

When Mika reached the crowd, he quickly found the two people he was looking for.

Amalia was sitting on the ground, in a daze, tears streaming down her face as she stared at the burning building.

Loretta clung to Amalia, sobbing and repeatedly calling Mika's name.

Seeing them, Mika realized the full impact of his actions.

(I really am emotionally detached…)

If his beloved son had jumped into a sea of fire in front of him, he should have been able to imagine the extent of the worry and grief.

Yet, he couldn't imagine it.

He might say he loves his family, but he doesn't think of Amalia and Loretta as much as they think of him.

He has never loved anyone so deeply that he can understand the magnitude of their feelings.

Someone nearby was telling them that