Chapter 60 ….
I froze in place and faced him. His blue eyes flickered.
“Come with me. It’s dangerous alone. You don’t know what kind of accident it is.”
“I’ll just assess what happened and relay it back. That way, the rescue operation will go much more smoothly. I have the power of the gods, after all.”
“But, Saintess…”
“I won’t go inside or near any dangerous areas.”
I grew urgent and tried to convince Theodor.
He looked at me quietly.
“There’s no time, Your Majesty! People are in danger right now!”
I shouted in panic. Finally, Theodor let go of my hand.
“Promise me.”
“Yes, I promise!”
“Absolutely. No reckless acts, Saintess.”
“Absolutely!”
After he said that, I turned and ran.
[Someone is trapped in the mine. Dorothy!]
Immediately, the connection with Agasa became smooth.
[Agasa. I want to move quickly to the source of the sound.]
[Understood.]
At the same time, my body lifted into the air. Even without saying much, she guided me.
I soared into the sky and in an instant reached the mine where night work was ongoing.
“Where, where are they trapped?”
Even while flying, I asked Agasa for the details. Normally, I would communicate mentally, but in my urgency, I shouted.
[Fortunately, it’s not too deep. But a cheap support beam in the tunnel broke, soil and rocks poured in through the gap, and the workers are trapped. And soon… more could collapse.]
“How many are trapped?”
[About ten.]
“And the casualties?!”
[No deaths, but one is severely injured. It’s serious…]
“How… serious?”
[If delayed, we can’t guarantee survival. In fact, if delayed, everyone inside…]
People… might die.
“The collapsed—Agasa, can we clear the debris and rescue them?”
I tried to remain calm as I asked, but my words faltered.
[…We can try.]
Agasa replied.
The silence before her answer made it clear how difficult this would be.
“Is it okay to go inside?”
[Yes. The passage is intact. But as I said, if you touch the wrong thing, Dorothy, you could get trapped too.]
That would be a truly terrifying situation.
‘…We can’t waste any more time.’
I clenched my fists.
There’s a severely injured person, and the interior could collapse further at any moment.
If I go inside and use equipment to clear the passage, the rescue could be much safer.
But even after flying across the mountain and having several conversations with Agasa, I only just saw the mine entrance.
The mine was that far from the village.
Even if I returned to relay the necessary equipment and had it brought here…
Time was too tight.
What if the tunnel collapses completely before that?
Ten people would die.
I soon reached the mine entrance and landed.
A few people were standing in front of me.
They were probably workers who had been outside, panicking and shouting.
They were so terrified that they didn’t even notice me descending from the sky.
Time continued to pass…
I stopped hesitating.
I was scared, very scared.
‘If I fail to stop what I can prevent…’
I won’t be able to live in peace.
‘Theodor. I’m sorry.’
I promised not to do anything reckless.
Still, he’s a ruler who cares for his people. He’ll respect my choice.
“You said we can try, Agasa. We can do it.”
[I can’t guarantee it, Dorothy.]
“Still.”
She said the accident spot isn’t deep, and my divine power is fairly restored.
I stepped toward the mine.
“Hey! Don’t go in!”
A few workers outside shouted, surprised, but they were too far to stop me.
I entered the tunnel in an instant.
It was hot, stuffy, dusty, and humid.
Though some lights were scattered, a deep darkness remained.
‘If someone gets trapped in there…’
Fear made my toes curl.
[Dorothy?]
Agasa’s voice.
[…I’m going, Agasa.]
I summoned my courage. Yes, I have the gods on my side. So…
‘I can do this…!’
I leapt into the darkness.
[To the right.]
Agasa guided me, and I followed her.
I ran endlessly along the connected tunnel.
I could have used divine power to move faster, but I needed to conserve it.
If my divine power ran out like when I stole the ledger, it would be disastrous.
“Phew, huff…”
[Dorothy, are you okay? Use a little blessing…]
[Conserve it. Not now.]
Sweat poured down in the heat. I discarded my cumbersome outer clothing.
[There! Up ahead!]
It wasn’t far. I stopped before a dusty area.
The ceiling support had cracked in half, with soil and rocks spilling through.
Even in its cracked state, it precariously prevented further collapse.
“……”
I lost words for a moment.
Agasa said we could try, but honestly, I had no confidence either.
[It’s okay to clear this, right?]
If I touch the support incorrectly, the rest might collapse.
[…We’d have to rebuild the tunnel by holding up the support. But that would take a very long time.]
[With divine power? Can it hold?]
[Not for long. This has to bear the mountain’s weight.]
Agasa’s voice trembled.
The mountain’s weight… a truly terrifying burden.
Ten people. If I could get all ten out quickly… maybe.
At least the severely injured person.
I approached the debris blocking the passage and put my ear close.
“N-nobody—ah!”
A desperate voice came from inside.
[Agasa, please amplify the voice.]
[Understood.]
Cooperation with them was crucial.
“We’re here to help!”
Here we come, here we come—
The echo in the cave made my voice roar.
“…Alive! Wow!”
Cheering voices came from inside.
I clenched my fists.
“Listen carefully! Clearing this passage will only hold for a very short time. All ten of you must get out in that window!”
“Who—how—”
“So, decide the order and move as efficiently as possible.”
“Got it! Hey, over there—”
[Seems they got it.]
[Yes. They’re moving.]
[Then…]
I took a deep breath facing the debris.
‘I can do this, I can…’
Fear made my hands tremble.
[You can do it. Even when your power was weak, you split my bed with divine power.]
[Dorothy?]
I recalled the time in the vagrant shelter to encourage myself.
Agasa seemed puzzled and asked.
[Right, Agasa?]
The gods don’t die, but I could if crushed.
I couldn’t live with pointless guilt.
[Dorothy. We’ll make it. Don’t worry.]
Agasa’s voice conveyed understanding and determination.
It was oddly reassuring, solidly supporting me.
[…Understood.]
I felt courage rise.
[Dorothy, ready. On my signal, break the debris and I’ll hold the support.]
[How do I break it?]
[The captain’s sword energy will manifest through you like magic. That’s what broke your bed.]
[Okay. Then it might be a bit rough.]
I steeled myself, took a deep breath, and placed my hands on the soil pile.
Hoping divine power would reach more easily.
“Now! Get ready!”
I shouted so they could hear inside.
[Go!]
Light streamed from my hands. I was momentarily startled, but steadied myself.
The light shimmered and then exploded with a “KWAANG.”
‘Th-this…’
Almost like an attack spell?
I had used divine power before, but the destruction surprised me.
“It’s—cleared!”
As dust erupted, I could hear the voices inside clearly.
‘No time to think of anything else!’
I rose to my feet. The whole tunnel vibrated.
[Dorothy, hurry! Our—strength…!]
I saw the supports creak and shake. The soil-filled passage emptied, removing the pressure holding the beams.
“Get out!”
I shouted desperately.
“Move! Fast!”
Noise came from inside. A hole just big enough for one person appeared.
People began coming out. Two dust-covered men struggled to drag the patient toward the hole.
I helped quickly to move the patient.
The first man lifted the patient, and I pressed them onward.
“Move, quickly. To the entrance!”
“Th-thank you!”
“Save the thanks for later!”
I counted as people came out, guiding them through the dust so no one fell.
“Eight, nine…!”
Creak. CRASH.
The ninth miner emerged. Only one left, but the support made strange noises.
“Hurry!”
“Ah!”
The terrified miner grabbed my hand and escaped last.
Then…
CRASH!
The support collapsed.
“If you don’t want to die, run!”
I ran like crazy.
I didn’t want to die, didn’t want to get trapped!
[Last one, my strength… Dorothy.]
I felt Agasa’s power boost me. My legs moved faster.
How long had we been running?
The tunnel was collapsing rapidly. I thought we might be buried alive, but then—
“Here! Here! We’re out!”
Finally, I saw the outside.
And there stood—
“Saintess! You’re here—”
Theodor.
