The Protagonist’s Party is Too Diligent – 4
EP.4 Raging Flames (4)
“Aaaaah!”
A scream echoed from inside the orphanage.
“Hmm?”
The man and woman waiting by the carriage turned their gaze towards the dilapidated building.
Horrific screams continued to come from inside the orphanage. The man recognized the voice as that of the old woman they encountered each time they visited this place.
“What could be happening?”
The woman asked anxiously.
She was a middle-aged woman, with heavy makeup attempting to conceal the wrinkles that had come with age. Her eyes were fixed on the old building.
The screams were so loud that lights began to flicker on in the windows of the tightly clustered neighboring buildings. Light also appeared through the orphanage’s windows. But this light was unlike the ordinary flicker of a single candle, gently swaying with human movement, just barely enough to illuminate a room. Instead, crimson flames seemed to dance within. Maybe it was because the building was an old wooden structure. Or perhaps the low water levels of the Splin River, caused by a drought, contributed to the fire.
The parched wooden building burst into flames like a pile of tinder.
“Tsk.”
The man clicked his tongue.
This wasn’t a normal fire caused by regular oil. The deep red flames flickered with a strange blue hue at their core, an indication that the oil had been mixed with magic stone powder, a common fuel for steam engines.
Could it be scraps of magic stone stolen from a factory nearby? He thought it was certainly something the old woman would do. She had likely sent the orphans to steal them.
However, magic stones had another effect: they made flames burn much larger. While useful for making the lamp burn brighter and hotter when confined within, once that flame was unleashed, it became uncontrollable.
With the fire now raging uncontrollably, even the fire brigade would struggle to put it out.
“…Let’s go.”
the man spoke up, adjusting his silk hat.
“But, what about the goods…?”
The woman hesitated, and the man replied in his usual flat tone.
“For now, we’ll have to source our supplies directly, without going through a distributor. It comes with risks, but there’s no choice.”
The man signaled the driver’s seat, and the waiting coachman took the reins and drove off.
“…And we’ll need to find a new distributor. Things have gotten annoying.”
The woman glanced at the now fully engulfed building with a look of unease. Screams echoed from all directions. She shivered once, pulling her collar tightly around her neck, then followed the man into the carriage.
*
Was it really a good idea to set the building on fire?
I had managed to avoid the man. Even after some time had passed, it seemed he wasn’t going to force his way inside. It made sense; the fire had spread much faster than expected, consuming the entrance before anyone could do anything about it.
Thinking back, it was like this in the original story. The lamp looked similar to the ones in my world, which didn’t seem to burn very strongly. Yet, the fire spread rapidly, leaving no time to react.
Many players questioned how a single lamp knocked over by Claire could cause such a fire. The developers used the “magic stone” resource, which played a crucial role throughout the story, to make it plausible.
The oil in the lamp had been mixed with magic stone powder to enhance its effect, which is why the house caught fire so uncontrollably. The flames weren’t the usual orange one might see from a lighter; instead, they glowed with a blue hue, like the flame from a gas stove. I had quickly stepped back, but even then, I could feel the searing heat rushing toward my face.
“Sister?”
Claire’s anxious voice brought me back to reality.
The old woman was already dead. The flames were so intense it was hard to tell the state of her body.
“Let’s go.”
I quickly turned around and grabbed Claire’s hand. The first thing we needed to do was get out of here. The fire I had started might burn down the entire neighborhood. We could end up harming people who were just living their lives, causing innocent victims to suffer. But right now, I had something more important to worry about: the safety of Claire and me.
We had to escape first. Once we were out, I could think more seriously about my powers and what to do next. At least I’d managed to prevent one disaster—
“Wait.”
She pulled my hand in the opposite direction. When I looked at her, I saw fear on her face, but her grip on my hand was firm.
“The kids… The kids are still inside.”
“…”
I froze. Claire had just watched me kill someone, but she still didn’t judge me. Even though I hadn’t done anything special to win her trust, she still believed in me. Maybe it was just in her nature to be this kindhearted, a trait that hadn’t yet been shattered by the harshness of the adults around her.
Or maybe, compared to the old woman who beat and abused her, I just seemed like the lesser evil. Still… this was Claire. Even in the original story, she had a good heart.
Even after escaping from that hellish place, she was tormented by the fact that many houses burned and people died because of the lamp she dropped. She only showed it in the episodes leading up to her death, but even while serving the Emperor and playing the role of a villain, she did her best to prevent innocent casualties and ultimately sacrificed her life for the princess.
So it made sense that Claire, before her innocence was shattered, would want to save the others.
“…Alright.”
I turned around. The fire was still raging, but there was still time.
Instead of heading toward the back door, we ran up the stairs to the second floor. I could hear Claire coughing behind me. I turned and quickly used her collar to cover her mouth. Then I crouched low and continued to move forward. The house wasn’t yet filled with smoke, which was a relief.
As we reached the second floor, the sound of children crying echoed through the hallway. Holding Claire’s hand tightly, I ran to the source of the noise and burst through a door.
“Come on, we have to get out of here!”
At my words, the children struggled to their feet. Their faces were covered in tears. But we couldn’t go back down the stairs. When I stepped closer to the door, I felt a wave of heat roll over me. The first floor must have already turned into a sea of flames. Even if the fire hadn’t completely engulfed it, the hallway would be choked with thick black smoke. I could see the dark fumes creeping up the staircase already.
I quickly shut the door. While it couldn’t stop the fire, it might hold off the smoke for a little while longer. At least it would slow down the spread of smoke compared to leaving the door wide open.
There was no time to think.
I tore down the old curtains from the window. They smelled moldy, but they seemed strong enough to hold the weight of a small child.
Seeing me tear down the curtains, the children started pulling down the other curtains too. In total, we managed to gather four curtains.
I tied the curtains together as tightly as I could. Good. They looked sturdy enough to hold at least the weight of a child. I tied one end to the frame of the nearest bed and opened the window.
Thankfully, the flames hadn’t spread outside the building yet.
“Hurry!”
The children rushed toward me.
Could they climb down the curtain by themselves? But there wasn’t enough time for me to help each one down. I couldn’t just leave them either.
Claire was watching me, her eyes full of trust.
Driven by her gaze, I began calling the children one by one.
“James, hold on with both hands. I’ll lower you down slowly.”
The boy with straw-colored hair, his face covered in tears, nodded at my words.
“Everyone, hold onto the curtain behind me. We’ll lower each person one at a time, slowly.”
We lowered them one by one, starting with the heaviest child first. Indeed, as each child descended, it became harder. The number of people supporting the curtain decreased, and my strength, being just a five-year-old, was limited.
Still, since one end was tied to the bed, there was no risk of the children falling if my grip weakened.
“You go first.”
Claire was the last one. She nodded, her face still pale with fear, and held onto the curtain tightly. By now, smoke was filling the room, hanging heavily near the ceiling. I couldn’t see what was happening below us, but the fact that the curtain hadn’t caught fire suggested that the flames hadn’t reached outside yet.
“Sister! Everyone’s down!”
Claire’s voice shouted from below. Her voice was faint, but I could hear it clearly amidst all the surrounding noise. Claire must have been shouting with all her strength.
“Ah…”
But my hands felt weak. Having lowered so many children, my hands were trembling from exhaustion. Could I even hold onto the curtain and make it down myself?
As these thoughts ran through my mind, I heard a cracking sound, like something breaking. I turned to see that the fire had already spread to the door. My eyes and throat stung. Being right next to the window allowed me to breathe, but if I hesitated any longer, I might end up dying here too.
“…”
I grabbed the curtain and wrapped it around my waist. Was it long enough? If it was too long, I’d end up crashing into the ground.
But then again… I had more chances than just this one.
With the curtain tied around my waist, I used the last of my strength to leap out the window.
*
The result was both good and bad.
“Ah…!”
The curtain was just the right length. Considering the knot I tied, it was just enough to dangle without hitting the ground. However, because my hands were weak when I tied it around my waist, it hadn’t been secured properly.
I fell straight to the ground. Fortunately, the curtain had slowed my descent enough that I managed to avoid any serious injuries. It still hurt, though. But at least it wasn’t bad enough to make me reverse time.
As I stood up, I saw that all the children were looking at me. Feeling the heat from behind, I turned around. The old orphanage was now completely consumed by fire.
“Fire!”
Someone shouted.
The sound of galloping horses and a carriage carrying a large water tank approached.
“…Let’s go.”
I quickly urged the children forward.
Many people had already seen us. The area was brightly lit, and people were running around in chaos. The scene was a mess. But the children were safe. None of them were hurt, and neither was Claire.
Unlike the hidden red-light district, where even carriages couldn’t go, this area was accessible, which was a relief. Now that the fire brigade had arrived, the flames wouldn’t spread into a massive inferno like in the original story. In a world where magic was used to start fires, it would be used to put them out too.
However, if we got caught here, we’d just end up being sent to another strange orphanage. It would be better to slip away while everyone was distracted by the fire, running around in fear that it might spread to their homes.
The children followed my lead. They trembled with fear but followed me because they knew the adults who had somewhat looked after them were gone.
*
“Where are we going?”
Claire asked. The other children looked up at me, curious about the same thing.
“…I know a place we can go.”
I wasn’t entirely sure. I didn’t know if I could find the way or how far it would be from here. But for now, we didn’t have any other options. This was all I could think of. I might need to use my powers quite a lot.