Chapter 92: Irons in the Fire (2)

The Irons family mansion was quite modest compared to their reputation.

However, it was still the mansion of a noble.

The sight of a large noble's mansion burning fiercely was bound to be noticeable even from a distance.

As soon as Miki realized that the burning mansion was his home, he started running frantically.

But even without his armor, there was a limit to how fast he could run, and above all, we (to be honest, I) couldn't easily catch up with Miki.

So.

“Woah!?”

We briefly ‘borrowed’ a carriage.

“Kid! Get in!”

Ibi, who had stopped a carriage running on the main road, jumped on it without hesitation and pushed the driver away, and the other companions, although flustered, got on the carriage.

I, who had also gotten on, threw a bag of gold coins at the driver, who was sitting on his butt on the main road, still unable to grasp the situation, and said.

“Sorry! We’ll return it later!”

“Hiyah!”

As soon as Miki was helped up by Toric, Ibi immediately grabbed the reins and shouted the signal to start.

Clip-clop, clip-clop!

The carriage sped along the main road.

Thanks to that, we soon arrived in front of the Irons mansion.

“Water! Is there no water!?”

“Mage! Someone bring a mage!”

Someone shouted urgently, but there was no suitable place to get water, and even if they did, the flames were not something that could be put out by just pouring water on them.

Perhaps that's why, outside the burning mansion, most of the butlers and maids were just stamping their feet, not knowing what to do.

“Heidi!”

Miki called out one of their names and rushed over.

“Y-Young Master Miki?!”

Seeing Miki, a maid was startled and followed him.

“Young Master! Wh-Where have you been all this──”

“T-That’s for later, Heidi! What, what on earth is going on right now!?”

“W-Well…”

Just as Heidi was having a hard time figuring out what to say.

“Th-There are still! Still people inside!”

An urgent shout was heard from somewhere.

“There are maids who haven't escaped yet, and the head butler said he would save them…!”

“Ugh…!”

As soon as he heard that, Miki turned around before Heidi could even open her mouth.

Then, without any hesitation, he kicked off the ground.

“Y-Young Master!? It’s dangerous!”

“What? Young Master?”

“Y-Young Master Michael has returned!?”

“No, Young Master!”

The butlers and maids, who had belatedly realized Miki's return, tried to stop him urgently, but Miki ran into the burning mansion without looking back.

“Brother Miki!”

“H-Hey! Kid?!”

Likewise, the companions were also flustered, but no one, including me, hesitated to follow Miki.

“Rine!”

As soon as I shouted, Rine immediately raised her staff.

Shwaaak!

A 「Water Bomb」 poured down, extinguishing the fire on the front gate.

Seeing this, Miki immediately raised the shield in his one hand and slammed it into the door.

Kwaang!

The gate was thrown open roughly as if it had been torn off, and the interior of the mansion, completely engulfed in flames, greeted us.

“Wait a moment, everyone!”

At that moment, Lily, who had stopped us, immediately placed a hand on her prayer book and cast the 「Blessing of Fire Resistance」.

At that, the heat that had been burning hot until just a moment ago, turned into a warm warmth, as if sitting by a fireplace.

“Thank you, Sister!”

Miki, who had expressed his gratitude, started running again in a hurry.

Miki knew the structure of this mansion the best.

Even though it was hard to see ahead because of the thick smoke, Miki ran through the mansion without stopping.

“Is anyone, is anyone there…!?”

At that moment, a cry for help was heard from somewhere.

“Everyone! Where are you!”

At Miki's shout.

“T-The second floor! The second floor servants’ quarters!”

“I’m coming now!”

The urgent shouts of those who had finally found hope returned.

As soon as he realized that the sound was coming from the second floor, Miki, this time too, ran up the stairs without hesitation.

“H-Here! Help us!”

Miki, who had arrived in front of the door of the servants’ quarters, immediately raised his shield and slammed his body against the burning door, breaking it.

Crack!

As the burning door was torn off, the maids who were trapped inside let out a cheer, saying that they were finally saved.

“Y-Young Master Michael!?”

But after realizing that it was Miki who had broken the door, and being startled for a moment.

“U-Upstairs! There are still a few people left upstairs!”

One of them shouted with a voice that still couldn't shake off her worry.

“The head butler said he would find those who haven't escaped yet…!”

“Ibi! Toric! I’ll leave these people to you!”

As soon as I hurriedly asked the two, Toric nodded his head and approached the Halfling maids, asking.

“Can you move?”

Most of the maids nodded their heads, but one maid who was being supported by them couldn't.

Blood was flowing from her scorched foot, as if she had been hit by a burning pillar.

“Get on my back.”

Toric, who had grasped the situation immediately, carried the injured Halfling maid on his back.

Thus, Toric took care of the Halflings.

“Hey! Let’s go! You want to be burned to death!?”

“Heeik!”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

And Ibi, somewhat roughly, urged the human and half-elf maids, who were of a similar height to her, and led them out.

In the meantime, we headed to the stairs to go up to the third floor where the remaining people were.

But, as soon as we reached the front of them, the stairs collapsed as if they had been waiting.

“Keuk…! Another way──”

At that, Miki was looking around to find another route, and suddenly his vision became higher.

Kugugung, Rine's 「Ice Wall」 had risen from under our feet.

Of course, in a much lower and smaller form than usual.

Just enough for us to climb the floor instead of the stairs.

“Thank you, Sister!”

Miki, who had nodded his head in gratitude, ran towards the hallway again.

“Sebastian! Where are you, Sebastian!”

“This voice… surely, it's not Young Master Michael!?”

“The drawing room…!”

As soon as he heard Sebastian's voice, Michael immediately ran out, as if he knew where it was.

“Young Master Michael?! How are you here…”

“Wait, Sebastian! I’ll break the door now!”

This time, the door was blocked by several burning wooden pillars.

Miki smashed one of them with his shield, Lily moved a pillar with her enhanced [Strength] through her gloves, and Rine shot a 「Magic Arrow」 and broke it in two.

After somehow clearing all the obstacles that were blocking the door, Miki kicked the door with all his might.

Kwaang!

As the door was thrown open, the old butler and two maids who were inside rushed out.

“Young Master Michael!”

“Y-Young Master Michael is here!”

“Young Masterrrr! Waaaah!”

Miki first calmed down the maids who were about to cling to him, crying.

“Now, let’s go down together!”

Then, just as he was about to guide them.

Rumble! a part of the floor we had just passed collapsed.

“Oh no…!”

At that, Miki showed a flustered expression for the first time.

He looked as if he wasn't sure if he could get the butler and maids down, even if we could somehow manage.

“Keuk, at this rate…!”

Then, as if he had finally judged that it was impossible, he began to look around for a way out.

“Miki.”

I said, placing a hand on Miki's shoulder.

Then, this time, I looked back at my companions.

“Everyone, do you trust me?”

At my sudden question, after Rine, who had nodded first, Lily and Miki also nodded their heads with determined eyes.

At that, as if to say that if the Young Master trusted me, they would too, Sebastian and the maids also nodded their heads.

“Good.”

I immediately stretched out my arm and pointed to the large window in the drawing room.

“When I give the signal, we all jump!”

The so-called ‘leap of faith’ operation.

Of course, there was no haystack, no pile of leaves, no river outside that window.

“……!”

The people of this mansion, who knew this well, including Miki, all looked surprised, but.

“──Yes!”

Soon, Miki shook off his hesitation and took a running stance, as if to follow my words.

At that, I prepared to follow right behind with the others, and.

“One, two──”

Miki kicked off the ground and started to run towards the window.

Then.

“──Now!”

At my signal, Miki slammed into the window.

Crash!

The large window shattered into pieces.

At the same time, we all followed Miki and jumped down.

“Kyaaak!”

“P-People!?”

Below, they screamed, seeing us suddenly jump down from the third floor all at once.

──But, they didn't know.

That I was already holding my lute.

After catching (?) Fernaga and reaching level 8, I learned a new skill.

「Song of Feathers」.

While playing this song, as the ‘title’ of the song suggests, I and the people around me can land softly as if we were feathers.

In short, it was a skill that prevented fall damage when falling from a high place.

But like most of a bard's skills, it required a performance to be activated, but.

『Yes I am』

I've already sung while flying in the sky a few times, so what's so difficult about singing with the moonlight next to me now?

──Fwaaak!

The moment I started playing the 「Song of Feathers」, a feather-like, fluffy sensation enveloped us.

Thanks to that, instead of crashing into the ground, we were able to land slowly, really like feathers, softly, on the ground.

Like Mary Poppins.

***

After escaping the mansion, we all sat down on the spot without anyone having to go first and caught our breath.

Everyone's faces were as black as charcoal from the scattered ashes.

So, while we were asking Rine for a 「Water Bomb」 and lightly washing ourselves.

“──Young Master Michael.”

The head butler Sebastian, and several maids, including Heidi, came to us.

Then, they all bowed politely.

“Thanks to the Young Master and his party, we were all able to escape safely without losing our lives. Thank you.”

“N-No!”

At that, Miki, who was startled, shot up from his seat and waved his hands as if to say not to.

“As a knight, and as a member of this house, I just did what I had to do.”

“Y-Young Master…!”

At those words, Heidi, who seemed to be overcome with emotion, began to look at Miki with teary eyes.

As Sebastian had said, as we succeeded in rescuing everyone who was trapped inside the mansion, there were no casualties from this fire.

However.

“Young Master……”

That didn't mean there were no victims.

“This, how on earth should I tell you…”

Sebastian, who was about to tell him this fact, couldn't continue his words, as if it were hard to speak.

“Wh-Why, what’s wrong, Sebastian…?”

Miki, who felt anxious seeing his appearance, asked again, and he finally let out a sigh and opened his mouth again with difficulty.

“The head of the family… has… uh… g-gone missing….”

“……Wh-What did you say?!”