Chapter 11

"Miss, what are you talking about?!"

Tim, who had apparently been listening to our conversation, grabbed my shoulders in a panic. I thought it was a natural reaction.

"I think I can use water magic."

"Think? Are you going to rely on something so uncertain?"

He had a point. There was a risk that we would return inside, only to find out that I couldn't do anything.

I considered testing my magic right there and then. However, a book I read recently mentioned an example of a wind mage who, when using magic for the first time, lost control and created a massive tornado, depleting his magic in an instant.

When I first used magic as a child, I flooded the entire mansion and then fell into a deep sleep. It seemed I was quite the clumsy one.

I was probably at the same level now. That's why, even if I ended up using all my magic at once, I wanted to at least try to save the children in the center of the fire.

"I absolutely, absolutely oppose this!"

"But if we do nothing, they definitely won't survive."

Given the intensity of the flames, the building wouldn't last much longer. I couldn't just stand by and do nothing.

The child inside must be very scared, alone and separated from their mother. I understood that feeling more than anyone.

"If I do nothing here, I'll regret it for the rest of my life."

But it was natural for Tim to try to stop me. As my guard, he had to prevent me from doing something dangerous.

In such a situation, anyone would tell me not to do something so reckless. I thought that much, but then—

"Let's go."

Those words came unexpectedly from beside me.

"Hurry, it's about to collapse."

"…Rufus, are you coming with me?"

"I should be able to protect us from the debris."

He said this while looking straight ahead.

"…You believe I can still use magic…?"

"Yeah."

His casual response made my vision blur.

Honestly, I was terribly afraid to go in there alone. But knowing Rufus was coming with me made me feel so relieved that I almost cried.

"Alright, I'll go too!"

Then Tim, too, said he would come with us, and I was already on the verge of tears.

"I can't let Miss and Master Rufus go alone. If it gets too dangerous, I'll carry you both back, no matter what! Don't overdo it."

"Thank you, I promise…!"

I didn't want anything to happen to either of them. I resolved not to overdo it, and we headed into the burning building.

We ran toward the most intensely burning area. Thanks to Rufus's wind magic, we could breathe without inhaling smoke, which I was grateful for. Inhaling smoke for a long time could be fatal.

The building was already collapsing in places, and it was tough for my body, which wasn't used to exercise. Each time, Rufus helped me without a word.

"Thank you, Rufus."

"…Yeah."

His responses and attitude were as indifferent as ever, but his kindness came through clearly.

We finally reached where the boy was supposed to be, but the flames surrounding him were so intense that we couldn't even see him.

"Miss, can you really put this out…?"

"I don't know, but we have to try…"

The flames were dozens of times stronger than I imagined, and the heat was intense. I was sweating profusely just standing there. Without Rufus's magic, I doubt we could have even breathed properly.

"…I can do this."

Casting magic isn't difficult; controlling it is. I wasn't used to it, so I couldn't control it properly.

But now, I just needed to use all my magic. Anything less wouldn't put out these flames. I extended my hands and focused all my energy.

"Please…!"

At that moment, a torrent of water spread across my vision.

I was relieved that the magic worked, but the force of the water was several times stronger than I expected, and it felt like everything inside me was being washed away.

"Miss, you really can use magic…"

Tim, who was at the edge of my vision, whispered in surprise. I hadn't expected it to work so well.

"…Ugh…"

But the magic consumption was much more intense than I imagined. The boy seemed to be running out of magic too, as the flames were gradually weakening. It felt like we might make it.

I was sweating profusely and starting to feel dizzy. When I stumbled, Rufus, who was behind me, steadied me.

"…I couldn't do anything, I'm sorry."

"No, you did a lot, thank you."

Eventually, the water overpowered the flames. I kept encouraging myself that we were almost there.

At the last moment, I poured everything I had into the final push, and the world in front of me swayed.

When I saw the boy crying a short distance away, all my strength drained from me. Rufus, as always, supported me. Tim immediately ran to the boy and lifted him into his arms.

"Miss, you did great! We made it just in time! The building is about to collapse, so let's get out quickly."

Rufus nodded at Tim's words, picked me up, and ran out. I was too exhausted to feel embarrassed about the position or sorry for not being able to walk. I was overwhelmed by fatigue and an intense drowsiness.

"You did well."

With those words from Rufus, I lost consciousness.

◇◇◇

"Sadey, you're awake!?"

When I slowly opened my eyes, my parents were there. It seemed I was in my bed in the Arkwright family's room. Tim, Harla, and Gerald were also present.

Seeing me awake, everyone looked greatly relieved. I immediately remembered falling asleep in Rufus's arms after successfully rescuing the child.

"I'm really glad you're safe…"

"I'm sorry for worrying you."

Seeing everyone on the verge of tears, my heart ached. I didn't regret my actions, but I resolved not to cause such worry in the future.

"But the boy is safe. He's fine."

"Really? That's great… Thank you, Tim."

"No problem. Right now, everyone outside is talking about you. The infamous Sadey Arkwright, who can use magic and risked her life to save a child."

Tim sounded proud, as if it were his own achievement.

I had also involved him in my reckless actions and been saved by him. I wanted to properly thank him later.

"Where's Rufus?"

"He left as soon as he saw me."

Gerald said this with a look of regret.

I remembered that Rufus had also left quickly when he saw Gerald the other day. On the day our engagement was broken, he had even suggested that Gerald and I were involved. It seemed he had a major misunderstanding.

I needed to thank him properly later.

After my parents confirmed that I was fine, they left the room, leaving Gerald and me alone.

"I was just about to come see you when I heard this news. I was really surprised."

"I'm sorry for the shock. Is something wrong?"

He sat down next to me on the bed.

We used to huddle together in small spaces and chat, but now Gerald's face was so handsome that it was blinding, and I felt uneasy.

"Sadey, I have two things to tell you. First, I checked with the Ministry of Magic, and they said they've never heard of a spell to swap bodies."

"Really…?"

If there was no way to swap bodies, what was happening to us? Without a method to swap bodies, no one would believe our story. We would be dismissed as delusional, and no one would treat this as a serious incident.

"And the second thing is this."

Gerald handed me a letter. There was no sender, and I wondered who it was from.

Then Gerald said to me—

"It's a letter from Neil to you."