Chapter 31
Riette and Evan quickly alerted everyone about the fire.
When the principal came outside and saw the situation on the rooftop, his face turned pale.
“Wh-What on earth is going on?!”
A school administrator, rushing over, answered urgently.
“It looks like the mana stone on the rooftop shattered and exploded…!”
The administrator had a grim expression.
“With the surrounding forest, if the fire spreads any further, it could be dangerous…”
“You, go and fetch the magic teacher. Using magic will make extinguishing the fire much easier.”
“Yes, sir!”
“In the meantime, I’ll go up to the rooftop with the others. There’s an emergency water facility there—if it’s still intact, we should be able to put out the fire quickly.”
At the principal’s command, the administrator hurried off to get the magic teacher. The principal, too, gathered the nearby teachers and headed for the rooftop.
Riette silently watched the situation unfold. As the administrator said, if the fire grew and spread to the forest, it would be a disaster.
‘They need to put it out quickly…’
But time kept passing. The magic teacher never showed up, and there was no sign of the principal’s group on the rooftop.
Anxious, Riette gripped the hem of her dress tightly.
‘…This is taking too long.’
She couldn’t just stand around and wait anymore. Another solution was needed.
Riette scanned her surroundings.
Then her eyes landed on an unusually tall tree. Its long branches extended all the way to the rooftop.
‘There’s a water facility on the roof. If I can just get up there somehow…’
Judging by the lack of anyone on the rooftop, there was clearly a problem accessing it via the stairs. But if she climbed that tree, she could probably reach the rooftop easily.
Having made up her mind, Riette didn’t hesitate—she tore the cumbersome hem of her dress.
She pulled off her satin gloves and tossed them aside, then tied the shortened skirt to the side to keep it from fluttering. It wasn’t as practical as pants, but it was much easier to move in.
Hands on her hips, Riette looked up at the massive tree.
Fifteen years of climbing trees. That saying about monkeys falling from trees didn’t apply to her—she had never fallen…
‘Ah, wait, I did fall once.’
She had once climbed an apple tree to look down on Evan and ended up falling. Fortunately, Evan caught her, so she wasn’t hurt. But she admitted she had been careless.
There would be no second mistake.
Just then, Evan approached.
“Don’t tell me… You’re planning to climb the tree to get to the rooftop?”
“Yeah. We don’t have time to wait any longer. The fire’s going to reach the forest.”
Evan looked up at the tall tree.
“How are you going to climb it?”
Riette’s mind was already racing.
She was still figuring it out. She was confident in her skills, but she’d never climbed a tree this tall before. The trunk was smooth, with little to grip or step on.
Then a scene from a movie she had seen in her previous life came to mind. The heroine had used friction from cloth to climb a tall pole—it was impressive how easily she had ascended.
‘I can adapt that.’
Riette’s face lit up with confidence as she found her solution.
“There’s a way.”
As she prepared, Evan took off his gloves and handed them to her.
“Wear these.”
They were sturdy black leather gloves. Much more practical than her slippery satin ones. A bit big, but with the wrist tightened, far better than bare hands.
“Don’t push yourself.”
Evan’s dark eyes gazed steadily at her.
“If it gets dangerous, don’t hesitate. Just come back down.”
‘That expression…’
Riette felt déjà vu.
She remembered the look Evan had given her before—when she had climbed that tree and fallen.
He had caught her back then. Surely, if anything went wrong again, Evan would help her somehow.
A faint, baseless faith made Riette smile as she nodded. She picked up the strip of dress fabric she had torn earlier.
Standing before the tree, Riette wrapped the cloth behind the trunk and gripped each end tightly in her hands. Leaning back, the fabric tensed against the bark.
Riette looked for a foothold and, with a light jump, began climbing the tree.
It went more smoothly than expected. The cloth gave her traction, making it easier than hugging the tree with her arms. She used less strength and felt more secure.
As Riette climbed halfway up the tree, voices began rising from below.
“Hey, someone’s climbing the tree!”
“Isn’t that Riette?!”
All eyes turned toward her.
With each step up, gasps and exclamations followed.
‘Almost there! Just a little further…’
Finally, Riette reached the branch connected to the rooftop.
She paused and looked down. Tiny heads stared up at her. She spotted a wide-eyed Lucas and a pale-faced Samuel—it almost made her laugh despite the tense moment.
After a quick breath, Riette moved again. Fortunately, the rooftop was made of stone, so the fire wasn’t spreading too fast—there was still time.
As she inched along the branch toward the roof, it started to sway.
‘…This is a bit dangerous.’
If the branch were to snap…
The thought made her lips go dry. She quickly pushed forward.
At the very edge, Riette carefully stepped out into the air—toward the roof.
And finally—
“…Whew.”
She made it onto the rooftop.
“Wooooow!”
Cheers erupted from below.
But there was no time to bask in pride. The nearby flames were scorching.
Riette thought she should open the rooftop door so others could come up—but flames blocked the entrance.
‘So that’s why they couldn’t get in.’
The principal’s group was probably fetching water or figuring out how to get past the heated door. She couldn’t just wait now that she was here.
‘Where’s the rooftop water system?’
Looking around, Riette spotted a valve in the corner.
Thankfully, the fire hadn’t reached it. She rushed over.
But the long-unused, rusted valve wouldn’t budge. Her gloved hands slipped despite her efforts.
Then she remembered the fabric she used to climb. It was still in her hand. Maybe, just maybe, that could help. It had worked before.
‘This dress is really doing its part today.’
Not what it was designed for, but oh well…
Apologizing silently to her mother who picked the dress so carefully, Riette wrapped the cloth around her hand and gave the valve a hard twist.
The hose at the end of the pipe first trickled, then shot out a strong stream of water.
Gripping the hose tightly, Riette began putting out the fire.
She started with the area around the rooftop door. Others couldn’t come up unless that part was clear.
After extinguishing the flames there, she opened the door. With the hose in hand, she kicked it open.
It creaked as it swung wide.
The principal’s group stood there, blinking in surprise.
“The fire by the door is out! Come in!”
From then on, everything moved swiftly.
People rushed in and splashed water on the remaining flames.
Soon, the fire was completely out, leaving only a blackened rooftop.
What had seemed like a crisis had been resolved.
Afterward, the principal asked the attendees if they wanted to resume the party. Everyone had put so much effort into dressing up, so no one objected. The party resumed.
Exhausted, Riette leaned against a wall. Looking down, she saw her tattered dress and ruined shoes. Her once neatly styled hair was now a mess. All her preparation had vanished.
Despite doing something heroic, she felt strangely out of place at the elegant party.
Maybe she would’ve felt that way even if her outfit was perfect.
And to make matters worse, although the party had resumed, her chance at being named “Person of the Year” had surely gone up in smoke.
The thought made her feel even gloomier.
‘No… At least I stopped a disaster.’
Riette tried to lift her spirits.
“We will now begin the award ceremony.”
At some point, Part 3 had ended, and the principal stood at the podium.
“Every year, we thank the students and guests who brighten our school dance party. I was especially moved today by how everyone stayed calm during the unexpected incident.”
The principal beamed at the students.
“I wish I could name everyone as Person of the Year, but sadly, that honor can go to only one person.”
The room quieted. Everyone listened intently.
“Now, let’s begin. This year’s Person of the Year is…”
Who was going to get those 50 bonus points? Riette waited, feeling a bit bitter.
“Riette Meren!”
Clap clap clap—!
Applause erupted around her.
Startled, Riette stood up abruptly.
“…Me?”
The principal nodded with a kind smile.
“Please come to the podium.”
Still stunned, Riette stepped forward after a moment’s pause.
“Miss Meren showed courage by putting others before herself in a dangerous situation, wisdom in finding a solution no one else thought of, and perseverance and wit even in despair. Thanks to her, a great disaster was prevented.”
The principal spoke solemnly, looking at everyone.
“So I believe no one will object to this decision.”
Applause broke out again—a sound of agreement and celebration.
“Amazing, Riette!”
Samuel’s loud voice rang out over the clapping.
The principal handed her a trophy, and Riette took it, still dazed.
And finally—celebratory fireworks went off in her mind.
‘I did it. 50 bonus points…!’
