C138: Roteng Fire (2)
Fire giant Quasimodo proved that Rudger didn't mistake him for a highest level flame spirit for nothing as he killed the soldiers with overwhelming firepower.
The soldiers melted along with their armor and did not even leave their bodies behind.
In front of Quasimodo the elite troops of the noble were only firewood.
The flames burned using life and death as firewood and kept getting bigger and bigger. Flame rain poured down on the fleeing soldiers while Esmeralda wept endlessly at the sight.
-Why?
Just yesterday she was spending her day as usual.
The daily life of waking up listening to the birds chirping, playing with the spirits, and greeting the villagers whom she was close with. A dream where she danced, sang, and laughed endlessly.
The tears that flowed down her cheeks evaporated because of the heat around her. There were only dry traces of tears left like her now gone daily life.
Esmeralda rose and began to walk. Quasimodo, who was watching her, soon turned into a small flame and was absorbed by Esmeralda's body.
She left the burning village behind and disappeared beyond the black darkness without knowing where she was heading.
"I couldn't do anything then."
Pierre starred in the direction where Esmeralda disappeared with a sad face.
He was painting outside that day but when he realized what happened in the village and came to help there was nothing he could do as a beginner wizard.
"These two eyes were also lost during the fire that day."
The landscape has changed. Pierre, who had gone blind, was fortunate enough to survive. However, he couldn't even walk properly because he couldn't see, and it was only a matter of time before he was swallowed up by the fire.
Then someone grabbed Pierre's hand and dragged him.
– Hey, get up!
It was a childlike but slender voice so the owner of the voice was presumed to be a young girl but Rudger couldn't see her. There is only a scene in which the silhouette of a blurry black person grabs Pierre's hand and drags him.
The painting magic only shows what one's own eyes had seen so Pierre couldn't possibly draw what happened after he became blind.
With the help of the girl, Pierre was able to escape the fire safely.
– Thank you. You saved my life.
– I just did what I had to do.
– What about the others? Is there anyone alive?
– No, they're all dead.
– That's…
Pierre stared blankly at the burning town of Roteng. He couldn't see with his eyes, but the hot heat from there was telling him that there was a town there.
How absent-mindedly he must have been watching the scene.
He could feel the girl who saved him coming next to him.
– Hey, you're the painter who just got here?
-You know me?
– I remember you being emotional.
-……I'm sorry.
– There's nothing to be sorry about. No, it's not something you should be sorry about in the first place.
The girl's voice was filled with anger so Pierre asked cautiously.
– What are you going to do now?
– I have to get revenge.
-Revenge…?
– Isn't that obvious? All the villagers were killed. Soldiers set fire and slaughtered people just because the noble was upset.
-I…….
Pierre did not dare to fight but the girl sighed and approached Pierre.
– Are your eyes okay?
– I don't see anything.
-……You have a lot of burns. If you can't see when you're an artist, isn't that a problem?
– I should be thankful that I'm still alive.
-Thank you….Unlike you, I can't do that.
Pierre couldn't say anything at the girl's words.
He was only a short time in town, but this girl would have been around much longer. There were people who were close to her and maybe she had a family.
– Are you going to go?
Pierre was worried about the girl's future because he was blind and couldn't even look after her.
– Of course, I don't want to force you to take revenge but I can't do that.
-…….
-You can leave on your own. Just in case people come here.
The girl who said so left Pierre behind.
Pierre stretched out his hand towards the back of the girl who was blankly moving away. He wanted to ask what her name was but couldn't help it.
Pierre, who remained alone like that, continued to sit there until the fire extinguished itself because there was nothing more to burn.
The magic ended there.
Finally, the world of painting disappeared after the burning village, and it was an empty reality that took its place. The hot flames disappeared, and the dying people were erased without a trace.
Now, only the remains of a village remained.
"I couldn't bear to leave."
At the center of the ruins, Pierre muttered.
"All my close friends died, and I couldn't even draw what I wanted to draw, and now there are only nightmares left."
"Why?"
"I may have lingering feelings. It was the first town that accepted me or maybe it's a sense of duty. Someone needs to protect this place."
Thus Pierre remained in the ruins. He stayed and kept drawing, recalling the scenery from then. He went through countless trials and errors because he couldn't see, and sometimes desperately endured his heart breaking and collapsing.
He continued to paint in this place.
"After living like that, something changed. I didn't know much about magic, but I was able to put magic in my brushwork. Maybe this was my talent."
A painter that could only paint a proper picture after losing his sight. It was really ironic but Pierre was neither grateful nor sorry for not being able to see.
The only thing that bothered Rudger is that he doesn't know what happened to the survivor of that day, Lady Esmeralda, and the girl who saved Pierre.
"I see."
Rudger stood at the center of the desolate ruins and closed his eyes as the night breeze tickled his face.
He reflected on the sight he had just seen.
The fire wiped out the place and then the kingdom of Durman used the word Great Fire to cover up what happened in this town.
'It would have prevented the rumors from spreading abroad, but it could not prevent the internal anger.'
There must have been people who felt suspicious about the sudden fire. And if they investigated a little bit, they would realize that someone intentionally set the fire.
After the Roteng Great Fire, it was inevitable that the Kingdom of Durman would take a path of decline.
The anger of the common people toward the vested interests of the aristocracy, which had been accumulated before, ignited the incident as a fuse and exploded, raising the flag of revolution.
Nevertheless, the vested interests of the Kingdom of Durman would not have collapsed because they were in power.
If everyone used guns and gunpowder the same way as the Earth in his previous life, the one with more numbers will inevitably have an advantage but this world has an asymmetric history of magic and knights.
No matter how commoners stand up, the revolution wouldn't have been as easy as it sounds.
'However, the started fire did not die down easily.'
The culmination of that was the "Blood Night" incident that took place five years ago in Gévaudan, a city of the Kingdom of Durman. In that incident the kingdom lost the trust of the people.
''The people who justified the evil of the established power based on the doctrine of the new kingship couldn't do anything about the cryptids.'
The divine right of kings. In other words, the king's authority was given by heaven, that is, God, so everyone should obey the power.
Durman, who used Lumenism as a state religion, followed this most fervently. However, as the cryptids ran rampant in Gévaudan their prestige plummeted in an instant.
The Kingdom of Durman couldn't properly deal with the Beast of Gévaudan rather the fact that it was not a wizard or knight belonging to the state but a wandering hunter who killed the cryptid further fueled people's distrust.
-What did the nation do?
– What did those great knights and wizards do?
In addition, the response of the Bretus Kingdom, their ally, was also a problem.
For an unknown reason the Holy Father of Bretus shut down the country 20 years ago and didn't send any Holy Knights outside.
At the same time, citizens' distrust of Lumenism, which had collected huge religious taxes every time, hit the sky.
It was the moment when their faith in God collapsed and the fire of revolution flared up again bigger and hotter than before.
Now, five years later the Kingdom of Durman lost its past prestige, and most nobles fled or defected abroad.
There was still a royal family left, but it was like a candle in front of the wind that could fall at any time.
The Kingdom of Durman was still in the throes of change and the end of that change will surely be in a better direction than before but there have been too many incidents in the process of getting here.
That's exactly what the Roteng Great Fire did.
What are the lives of those who have fallen like flames in the shadow of history?
Who should be held responsible for the monster born in it?
First Order Esmeralda and Fire Giant Quasimodo were monsters created by a terrible time. The monsters born by the world joined hands with the Black Hand Society and infiltrated Theon.
"Are all your questions answered now?"
"To some extent."
"Then that's good."
"Aren't you suspicious of me?"
Rudger didn't understand why Pierre had told him everything. In addition, the magic he used was eye-opening for other wizards. Pierre's actions showed that he had hidden his abilities. Nevertheless, he showed Rudger the magic of painting.
"I doubted it at first."
"At first?"
"But there was something I felt from Mr. Rudger looking at the past I showed him. Feelings of anger, compassion, sympathy."
"I've never revealed it."
"You may not believe it, but that's how I felt. Because I can't see, I'm more sensitive, that's why I believe that Mr. Rudger is not a bad person."
Is he saying that after losing his sight he opened his sixth sense?
"What would you do if it was all your own illusion?"
"Then it's because I wasn't good enough. But I don't regret it."
"And."
"And?"
"A really bad person doesn't say anything to confirm that."
Pierre smiled softly and said in a relieved voice.
Rudger, who saw it, took his hand out of his pocket and bowed to him.
"It must have been a painful past for you, but thank you for letting me know that."
When Rudger bowed his head with respect but Pierre shook his head, saying it was okay.
"Rather, I'm grateful. I've never been this honest with anyone before. Maybe it's because I've been facing the wounds I've been ignoring so far, but I'm more relieved now."
Pierre, who said so, was not a foolish young man, he was a wizard who overcame his wounds and trials.
"So, please. Mr. Rudger, please help the lady and the girl overcome this sadness. They may still be fighting a tough fight somewhere in the world."
The reason Pierre told Rudger everything was probably because of the hope that he might help. However, Rudger felt just bitterly sorry for Pierre's attitude. The girl named Esmeralda is burning people to death and became a revenge-mad arsonist.
Will Pierre ever know the truth? Should he tell this fact to him who knows nothing?
"……I'll try."
In the end, Rudger had no choice but to give a vague answer. That was the best consideration he could give Pierre.
"That's enough."
It was time to say goodbye now that he had achieved his goal.
Pierre knew it and tried to return to his cabin. Then Rudger asked Pierre.
"Are you going to stay here?"
"Yes. I'm going to stay here and continue to paint."
"Why?"
"Because I don't know if there will be new people here someday. As people gather one by one, there will be a new village here. They need someone to do that, someone who can tell them that there was once a beautiful village here."
"I see."
That was the end of their conversation as Pierre said goodbye to Rudger.
He'll stay here and paint until someone else comes here because it was the only way to repay those who once reached out to him.
The sublime belief caused a small stir in Rudger's quiet mind as he left.
When Hans saw him coming out he rushed towards Rudger.
"Brother, did you find anything?"
"I found out something, but it didn't help much."
All I found was the reason why Esmeralda acted like that.
"Then wasn't this a waste of time?"
"Not really."
He got a clue, so it wasn't a meaningless trip.
"Hans, I have something to look into."
"Say it."
"I would like you to find out who is a famous magician among the noble families who were once in the Kingdom of Durman and went into exile elsewhere."
"That's a bit too much. Do you have any characteristics that can narrow the range?"
"The family has been born blonde for generations and the current leader is a man in his early 30s."
"Hmm. It seems vague, but it's not to the point where I can't do it. All right."
Now that I'm done with my business, it's time to go back to Theon.
* * *
As time passed, the second test came close. The students, who were usually waiting in the lecture hall, stood in the open space around them with slightly nervous faces.
And in front of them stood Rudger Chelici, their teacher and general manager of the test.
"Since I announced it in advance, I believe everyone has been preparing hard."
There were no students who answered the question. Everyone just waited for the upcoming second test with a determined face.
"Let's start the test."
The second test [Magic manifestation based on the magic square] has begun.