Chapter 4: There Is Only One Answer

"Saer?"

"Come here, good boy. Help Mom by taking this food to your uncle in the barn."

"And it's getting cold, put on this coat."

Saer stood in front of his mother.

This ordinary woman affectionately ruffled Saer's hair, stuffed a piece of meat she had just cut into his mouth, and then fetched a coat from the next room.

She was busy during the festival, with one foot barely touching the ground before the other.

Saer wanted to refuse; his mind was preoccupied, and he had no motivation.

But the dried meat his mother had stuffed into his mouth was a precious food brought back by the village hunter.

More importantly, this was his mother for this lifetime.

Saer had just heard a request from his mother, and saw the loving gaze in her eyes.

"The fibers are tough, a bit salty, a bit bitter..."

"Unappetizing, but the taste is good."

Evaluating it from the perspectives of his past and present lives, Saer bit into the meat and left, heading east.

That was the location of the Anvil Village barn.

After the rye harvest, it needed to be dried to prevent mold.

This ensured that the grain could survive the long journey, ultimately reaching the core of this world—the City of Law.

With his mind preoccupied, Saer moved quickly.

He delivered the food to the barn, received a few words of praise, and hurried back to the village.

Then...

"Baggett, are you insane!"

Under the night sky of Anvil Village, a roar echoed through the clouds.

After a half-night of revelry, the villagers of Anvil Village were already somewhat exhausted.

But under this roar,

Everyone felt as if their hearts had been gripped, and they all perked up.

—It was the village chief's roar.

—And this shout contained a certain power, intended to warn all the villagers of the village!

Saer was the first to realize the situation.

He turned his head toward the source of the shout, and more voices echoed through the village.

"She is a criminal, so judged by the law."

"Yarvite is the successor of the Sword of Heart, she is the future of the City of Law. You are the ones who are rebellious, causing chaos, and betraying!"

"Those who defy the law, even the king, shall be punished like commoners."

"I will never allow you machines to judge her!"

"Do you also defy the law?"

"To hell with the law, you won't take Yarvite away!"

"Stopping the law from judging a criminal, you are also a rebel."

"Baggett, what do you mean?"

"Organizer Lina, the villagers are all your supporters. All rebels shall be executed immediately!"

"The fire of law, burn away the wicked!"

In an instant, a fierce flame shot up into the sky!

At the edge of Anvil Village, a mysterious golden-red flame surrounded the entire village, the flames obscuring everything around, making it impossible to see anything outside.

In the blink of an eye, the flames fiercely devoured the houses at the edge of the village.

The villagers' cries of distress rose and fell.

A village that was still celebrating the festival a few minutes ago had turned into a scene of hell in the blink of an eye!

"Fire... Fire!"

"Help put out the fire!"

The villagers of Anvil Village, who had spent their lives farming, had never seen or imagined the battles of Awakeners.

Not to mention the judgment brought by the legendary Law Knights!

In their lifetimes, they had only heard of Law Knights punishing evildoers in legends, never imagining that such a thing would happen to them.

A few people still tried to put out the fire.

But they soon discovered that the flames could not be extinguished with water, only burning more fiercely on people and objects!

Despair spread instantly.

In the face of the merciless fire of law, they could only instinctively flee and scream.

But Saer was different.

In his past life, he was not a military elite or a sports star.

But having watched many games and movies, he understood that he could not sit and wait to die; he had to find a way to survive!

Should he try to stop the battle between the village chief and the Law Knight?

Without considering how to persuade the two, Saer would likely be killed by the battle's aftermath before he even got close.

Master Bailin?

This Awakener's ability was in agriculture, and he would likely be helpless in such a battle.

With the village surrounded by flames and no escape, how could a mere child like Saer act to turn the situation around and save his own and his family's lives?

"..."

"Then, there is only one answer!"

Saer's eyes tightened, and he instantly made a decision, immediately running toward the north of the village.

That was also the direction of the mill.

This was perhaps a faint glimmer of hope, but he had to try to grasp it!

The flames surrounding the village burned more fiercely, and the places where people could escape the fire became fewer. The Law Knight began to slaughter the innocent villagers, and despair spread throughout the village.

But Saer moved against the tide, running toward the flames amidst the surrounding cries of distress.

He rushed down the street, surrounded by burning houses.

Running at full speed inevitably led to heavy breathing, and the high-temperature air scorched his throat, causing immediate pain.

Boom—

After running a few dozen steps,

A house on the side of the road, burning, ignited some flammable material.

The explosion sent a ball of flames toward Saer, instantly knocking him to the ground.

"Hisss—"

Saer rolled on the ground, feeling intense pain all over his body.

But he had no time to cry out, quickly enduring the pain, using his hands to prop himself up, and getting up to continue running.

"Ah!"

The ground, illuminated by the flames, instantly burned his palms, and his heart pounded with the intense pain.

Saer gritted his teeth, not daring to clench his fists while running.

Soon, he had a feeling.

The terrifying flames seemed to be seeping into his body from every corner, ready to scorch his skin and flesh.

Under such torment, Saer had a fleeting impulse to flee, and in his panic, he could even hear his own heartbeat.

But where could he run now?

Giving up meant giving up his life!

Saer could only run for his life, dashing toward the only glimmer of hope!

A few breaths later, the mill appeared before him.

From this position, Saer even saw the water wheel by the river, also engulfed in flames.

The entire river surface was covered with the fire of law, preventing anyone from escaping from here.

Only the mill remained unscathed.

Each flame seemed to have a will of its own, actively avoiding this building as it burned.

The Law Knight intended to burn the entire Anvil Village!

But he had no right to kill the prisoner held here.

According to the law, Baggett had to take the girl back to the City of Law, where, in the presence of the world's authorities, the rebellious lawbreaker would be executed.

"Cough—cough, cough, cough!!!"

As hope arose,

The smoke from the flames almost knocked Saer to the ground.

A chaotic thought surfaced in his mind—most people in fires die from the problems caused by the smoke?

The random thoughts at the brink of death had no follow-up.

Relying on a strong will, Saer dashed toward the mill's door.

Bang!

Saer succeeded.

The mill's door was not locked.

He crashed into it, immediately pushing it open, and rolled on the ground like a coal ball.

At this moment, Saer could not open his eyes, his consciousness scorched.

He vaguely felt himself being embraced by something soft, lifted from the scorching ground.

"Save, save, save..."

Saer could only mumble a syllable.

He could not even see the girl who held him, but her voice said:

"Since you have sought my help, I will take your hand!"

(End of Chapter)