Chapter 31

(…Huh)

I thought it was a hallucination.

The end of the rope should have been completely submerged. Now that Emily and the others had let go.

So, I thought it was a hallucination.

I thought my wish had turned into a hallucination and appeared before me.

(Huh?)

But it was different.

The rope was being pulled. With tremendous force. Tien's body was being dragged forward.

Panicking, he grabbed the rope and strained to hold onto the site supervisor.

His breath was at its limit.

He was about to lose consciousness—

Splash.

He emerged into the air.

“Haaah!”

Tien took a deep breath, coughed, and collapsed in the shallow water.

“—You’re alive!!”

“—The site supervisor is with you, seriously?”

“—Wow, wow, Tien! Amazing!”

The voices were not Emily’s or Astrid’s, who should have been here.

Probably, but they—

“Let’s get him out quickly! Give me a hand!”

A red-haired, burly miner said.

They had rushed here after evacuating once.

“I’m so glad, so glad. You cut the rope and went in even though I told you to stop…”

Emily, who ran to Tien on the stretcher, seemed to be crying.

Her vision was blurry and she couldn’t see clearly.

“They dove into the water and found the end of the rope.”

Astrid said calmly, but her voice was trembling.

She was—soaked to the skin.

(Ah… that’s right…)

Tien thought in his fading consciousness.

(They saved me…)

And that was it.

△

When they carried Tien out of the mine on a stretcher, the rain had intensified.

Heading to the management office and cafeteria, which had been converted into an emergency medical facility, they found that the town doctor had already arrived, and serious treatment had begun.

“What… what is this…”

Emily was speechless.

She never expected to see such a scene.

“—Hey, more food!”

“—Idiot, I’m first! Over here, maid!”

“—I’ve never eaten such delicious food!”

“—Thank you, thank you, the maid is a goddess…”

“—What are you babbling about? The maid is a real person, you know.”

“—She’s a saint. A maid, but a saint.”

They were eating noisily.

And the miners eating were all smiling.

“Here! The next big pot is ready!”

The maid in the maid’s uniform, whom Emily and Astrid knew well, brought a large pot with the cook, and the miners with wooden bowls in their hands rushed over.

“—Out of the way!”

“—I should be first!”

“—I’ve only had one bowl!”

They swarmed around Nina like underfed children—though the real underfed child was unconscious on the stretcher.

“…You guys…”

The red-haired man accompanying Tien’s stretcher shouted,

“Shut up!! This is a medical facility!”

The miners, startled, turned around and smiled awkwardly, looking embarrassed.

“W-well… the food the maid makes is just too good…”

“Y-yeah. We have minor injuries, so it’s better to eat a lot and heal quickly.”

“Why don’t you try it, too?”

They said in unison.

“Emily! Astrid!”

Then Nina came over.

“Tien—”

Nina was startled when she saw Tien, who was closed-eyed on the stretcher, but—

“It’s okay, he’s just unconscious.”

“Yeah. Tien would want to eat your cooking.”

“I’m glad…”

Nina almost collapsed on the spot, but—

“I’ll go buy ingredients for Tien to eat!”

“Huh!? But you’re tired too. Don’t overdo it.”

“I’m fine. Compared to Tien’s efforts, I’m nothing.”

She said and ran out into the rain.

“……”

“……”

Emily and Astrid looked at each other.

“…We can’t say we’re tired now.”

“Seems so. Emily, can you use magic to dry your body?”

“I have no magic power left. Go change.”

They immediately decided to take over the work Nina had been doing and started moving.

“……”

“……”

“……”

“……”

“……”

“……”

The miners watched them.

Looking at their empty bowls and then at each other, they said—

“…Should we help the doctor?”

“I’ll go to the kitchen. I can peel vegetables.”

“I’ll clean up around here.”

And they started moving.

Thus, the management office and cafeteria, which had become a makeshift hospital, began to calm down by nightfall.

Teachers from the convent rushed over when they heard about the accident, and the miners’ families also arrived.

Those with minor injuries returned to their beds, and the doctor, who had finished treating everyone, went home.

“—Phew, I was surprised. The first aid was perfect. Thanks to that, I didn’t have to do much for the minor injuries, which made it much easier.”

He said, leaving.

Considering the scale of the accident, the damage was minimal, almost miraculous, and the day was coming to an end—.