At such a terrible sight, Cersinia closed her eyes tightly. She thought she could stop the plot flow like the original and had to spot it. However, just like in the original story, the fire broke out. It wasnât her who caused it, but it was still related to her.
Cersinia blamed herself. She should have noticed it in advance and stopped it, but she found out about it too late and felt resentful for herself.
âItâs dangerous to be there!â
At that time, a woman pulled Cersiniaâs hand, standing in a daze.
Thump.
As Cersinia was dragged helplessly by the womanâs hand, a burning tree fell over the place where she was standing. A huge tree would crush her own body if she was only a few seconds late.
âHold yourself together! Otherwise, youâre going to die!â
The woman grabbed both Cersiniaâs shoulders and shook them.
âHurry up and evacuate the people as much as possible!â
The more urgent the situation was, the more desperate each personâs help was needed. The woman gives Cersinia that advice and then leaves to save others.
At the womanâs voice in her ear, Cersinia slowly lifted her gaze. Her hazy crimson eyes were slowly returning back to normal. Soon after, vivid reality began to appear.
People trampled and pushed each other to survive and fled to escape the flames. The chaotic streets full of selfishness were like hell.
Cersinia bit her lip and clenched her fists.
The water has already been spilled.
The fire broke out, and time couldnât be turned back. Therefore, as the woman said, she had to evacuate people to help them even a little. That was the best thing she could do now.
âLady Cersinia!â
The knight she separated from before came running after discovering her.
âAre you okay?â
The knight was relieved to see that she was unharmed.
âLetâs go back to the inn right away.â
Cersinia ran toward the inn without hesitation. She had to check the safety of May and Verne, whom she left at the inn. Since there is a distance between this place and the Grand Duchy, their safety came to her mind first. He ran non-stop as she ran across the people who had run for their lives.
* * *
While riding a horse and running toward Fabian Street with a knight, Ben saw a city engulfed in smoke with a red fire. He gripped the reins strongly. The horse slowed down with a cry and soon stopped in place.
âIs that smoke only visible to my eyes now?â
The knight, who stopped at his Master, also opened his eyes wide when he saw the huge smoke rising in the distance.
âThat placeâŚâ
The knight swallowed his breath in surprise. The smoke and flames were coming from the inn where Cersinia was staying.
âSay it.â
âYour Excellency, the direction of the flames seemed to be where Lady Cersinia is.â
At that moment, Benâs heart sank with a thud. Her vision became blurry, and his hands and feet were trembling.
ââŚAre you sure?â
âIâm sure about it.â
âSh*t.â
Without delay, Ben pulled the reins again.
âWhy? Why is Cersinia over there?â
He couldnât breathe properly. It was as if a stone had landed in his chest and made him frustrated. Anxiety mixed in. Ben was terrified that the existence of âshe,â not Cersinia, appeared again. Still, he hoped that nothing would happen to Cersinia and that she would be safe without any injuries. He didnât want to experience the same thing again. His three years of separation from her and living as someone else were enough.
Ben pulled the reins hard to get to her as quickly as possible. He had to go there. If Cersinia no longer exists in this world, Ben had planned to leave this world after her. Thatâs why he had to check with his own eyes to see if she was safe and hold her in his arms. Only after doing that did he feel like he could breathe.
* * *
âMay! Verne!â
Arriving at the inn across the flames under the escort of the knight, Cersinia climbed the stairs at once. Fortunately, the flames didnât spread to the inn, but the smoke slowly rose there. The inside was quiet, as the guests had already been evacuated.
âMay! Verne!â
Cersinia once again looked for them loudly, but everywhere was quiet.
âWhere are you!â
When there was no answer, Cersinia became anxious. Frowning at the nervousness, she opened the door where Verne and May stayed. The blankets on the bed were scattered, and the two were nowhere to be seen.
âWhere did they goâŚâ
When she was chewing her lips at the anxiousness,
âCe-Cersinia?â
She heard a voice calling her from afar.
âMay!â
As Cersinia sprinted out of the room, the door leading to her room opened, and May showed her face out.
âCersinia!â
âLady Cersinia!â
When May and Berne discovered Cersinia, they ran to her.
âWhere have you been? I was worried that you werenât there! Huhuhu!â
May, wet with her tears, hugged Cersinia in relief.
âAre you okay? Did you get hurt?â
Cersinia looked closely at Mayâs body, ensuring she wasnât hurt.
âHuhu, yes, Iâm fine. What should we do nowâŚ? Outside, outside is already becoming a sea of fire.â
Cersinia comforted May, who looked fine, and looked at Verne.
âI was worriedâŚâ
A teary voice came out of Verneâs mouth. Whether she cried, the corners of Verneâs eyes were moist.
âWhy were you in my room?â
âThereâs a fire, but Lady Cersinia wasnât here⌠So we waited here because we might not have found each other.â
To reassure Verne, who was worried about her, Cersinia raised her other hand and patted her on the back.
âI see. Letâs get outside first. Itâs too dangerous inside.â
There was no clear plan, but they had to get outside first. If the inn catches fire, the inside of the building will be the threshold of death.
âYes, letâs go.â
Verna and May nodded vigorously, wiping away their tears. The three people with the knight came down the stairs and hurried to the door.
âEx-Excuse me!â
Someone desperately called them out.
âPlease untie this! Please save me!â
The tied-up innkeeper cried out for help.
âWhy did that person end up like thatâŚâ
Verne and May, who didnât know the situation, widened their eyes in surprise when they saw the innkeeper.
âIâll take care of it.â
âWait a minute.â
Cersinia stopped the knight who was trying to step up.
âI have something to say. You all go first.â
Without hesitation, she walked toward the innkeeper.
âPl-PleaseâŚâ
The innkeeper looked up at Cersinia and begged. She was upset by the innkeeper who tried to feed her a flower tea with a sleep inducer, but if she left him alone, he would surely burn to death. Cersinia reached to the string that tied the innkeeper with a brief sigh.
âArgh! Itâs hot!â
When the flame in her hand burned the string, the innkeeper screamed.
âFind your own way to live. This is the limit of my kindness.â
Cersinia said that to the innkeeper and went out without looking back.
âEscape! This place is dangerous!â
When Cersinia came out, the dispatched knights were evacuating people. They poured water into the growing flames with skilled movements and poured out sand. A long hose was connected to the water tank in the carriage to emit water, but it was not enough to extinguish the fire.
The whole world was already a sea of fire. It wasnât easily extinguished just by pouring the water several times or pouring the sand.
âAvoid it!â
âItâs collapsing! Everyone, get out!â
Along with the shouts of the people, the sound of a boom soon rang, and a strong vibration rang the ground. The house, which had been covered with flames, had collapsed entirely.
ââŚwhat should we do?â
May and Verne embraced themselves as they watched the terrible sight unfolding before their eyes. It was so scary. They couldnât even imagine what to do now because of the big fire they saw for the first time. It was like the whole world was being devoured by fire and collapsed to the point where there was no safe place.
ââŚâ
Cersinia stood, looking at the flames burning redder than the devil.
The Empire she lived in was collapsing. Due to the lack of manpower, the flames were not properly extinguished, and screams were heard here and there. The flames burned everything faster and faster, and thick smoke covered the whole sky. Looking at the current situation that had become a mess, her mind was in a mess.
âWhat should I do with this situation?â
âShould I sit by and watch? OrâŚâ
âShould I use my power?â
If there was anything she could do to help, it was right for her to help. Now they need even a small hand, and those hands will gather to create a big aid. However, since she didnât know how her aid would return and affect her, she wasnât willing to step forward.
Even though she had already decided to move on, she couldnât forget the criticized eyes of those who considered her a witch. Her white, slender hands touched the small scar covered by her eyebrows.
âArgh! This witch, go away!â
The scar that had been made from the stone seemed to be throbbing again.
People were bound to hate what they didnât know. Just like you canât believe what you havenât seen with your own eyes.
Cersiniaâs power was something like that. People feared and loathed her for having a different power than them. It has always been the same case while she is living in this body.
Cersiniaâs crimson eyes reached the frightened May and Verne.
âWould they hate me like them if they knew my power?â
She was afraid that the people who always smiled at her would change their attitudes instantly, like palm flipping. She was okay if it came from strangers blindly criticizing and fearing her. But if her own people and those she shared a laugh with will turn their backs on her, will she be able to survive living as Cersinia then?
Perhaps that would be impossible. Still, sheâs in trouble about that.
âKyaaa! Please save, save our child!â
All eyes turned to the woman at the howling scream.