Chapter 41
As Gerald escaped the basement filled with thick smoke, a clattering sound was heard, and soon the presence faded away. It seemed someone had locked the basement door from the outside.
“Cough, cough! Ugh, good thing I left Ruby outside…!”
After confirming the animal carcasses in the warehouse, I’d left Ruby in a grassy area near the house, just in case. It turned out to be the right choice.
“Sophia, Sophia. Get a hold of yourself!”
“Ugh… Zo…e?”
In a situation where we were on the brink of being roasted alive, I shook Sophia awake. Finally, her eyelids slowly opened.
“You’re awake! Sophia, there’s no time to explain. We need to get out of here now!”
“Zoe… Gah! Wh-what’s… the fire…?”
“Sophia!”
“K-Kitten! Come here, quickly!”
Sophia, who had been coughing continuously from the smoke, hurriedly picked up Lunatis.
Sigh, how do we get out of here…? Should I summon Attica?
“Attica!”
[<System> You cannot summon weapons in the body of a foal.]
Damn it. I knew it wouldn’t work! I was planning to use the water stored in Attica…
Today is the third day… Why… Why is my body still like this?!
I was standing there blankly, overwhelmed by a feeling of helplessness I’d never felt before, when suddenly, debris started falling from the basement ceiling.
Is the basement collapsing because of the fire? Damn it!
“Kyah-! Zoe, look out!”
Sophia urgently shouted as she saw a chunk of rock falling directly towards me.
But there was no time to dodge. The moment the large rock was about to crush my small body, I squeezed my eyes shut, a scream tearing from my throat.
“Ugh, aaaah! Huh…? It doesn’t hurt…?”
Instead of the expected impact, I felt a warm warmth. I slowly opened my eyelids.
Then, Ruan came into view, perfectly shielding my body.
I slowly lifted my head to look at Ruan’s face.
“Ru… Ruan. B-Blood…!”
Blood was pouring from a gash on his head, drenching his face, but he didn’t make a single sound of pain.
With one eye closed due to the flowing blood, Ruan asked, “Zoe, are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?”
“I’m fine, but Ruan… your head, the blood…!”
“Right now, getting you to safety is more important than worrying about me.”
Despite likely feeling dizzy from the blood loss, Ruan held me even more tightly and firmly.
“Zo, Zoe. Gah! Mr. Ruan, are you okay? Gah!”
Sophia and Lunatis, who were behind us, were gasping for breath, clearly suffering from the smoke.
It was a scene of utter chaos.
For the first time since entering this game, I felt a profound sense of powerlessness.
If I had… my original body, Ruan wouldn’t have gotten hurt, and Sophia and Lunatis wouldn’t be in danger…
Please, go back to normal, come back!
Just then.
[<System> Quest ‘Recover the Lost Connection!’ has been completed.]
- Reward: Obtained ‘Great Demon Beast Encyclopedia’.
- Player’s ‘Stamina, Strength, Agility, Luck’ stats have increased. +20
*Special Reward: Obtained a one-time Status Ailment Nullification Buff.
Poof!
As the quest completion window appeared, the nullification buff seemed to take effect, and my body immediately returned to its original form.
“Zoe……”
“I, I’m back to normal…?”
Bewildered, I blinked my large eyes from within Ruan’s embrace.
My face buried in Ruan’s chest, his solid arm wrapped around my waist.
Wh-what is this? The position was a bit… an embarrassing shape of us tightly clinging to each other.
As soon as I realized it, my face flushed red.
“S-Sorry!”
“……”
As I hurriedly freed myself from his embrace, Ruan stared at me intently.
His earlobes were tinged red, as if he was flustered.
Damn it, wh-when I was a foal it was fine…!
No, that’s not the important thing right now!
I quickly pulled out a Healing Handkerchief and pressed it firmly against Ruan’s wound.
Instantly, the bleeding stopped and the wound healed.
“Phew… Luckily it healed right away. Ruan, it doesn’t hurt, does it?”
“The bleeding stopped, I’m fine. More importantly……”
Ruan took the Healing Handkerchief from my hand, then carefully took my hand and gently wiped it.
It seemed some fragments from the falling debris had grazed my hand.
Though it was just a slight scratch.
“Ouch…?”
“This, it doesn’t work on you?”
“Ah, this Healing Handkerchief has a cooldown after one use… um, so it takes a little time before it works again.”
Hearing my words, Ruan sighed and tied the handkerchief around my hand.
“Use this only for yourself from now on, Zoe.”
“No, you were more hurt than me. I just have a barely noticeable little scratch…”
“Didn’t I tell you, Zoe. In situations like this, only think of your own safety.”
Honestly, what does he take me for…?
I pouted my lips and glared at Ruan with a displeased face.
I’d noticed it since last time; Ruan always acts as if his own safety doesn’t matter.
Seeing Ruan behave as if sacrificing himself is natural made my chest feel tight.
Who does he think he is, Mother Teresa? Why is his spirit of self-sacrifice so strong?
“Zo… Zoe! Gah…! The ceiling is about to collapse!”
At Sophia’s urgent shout, I looked up at the ceiling. It was sagging, looking ready to collapse at any moment.
Damn it, we need to get out of here. But first…
80% of fire-related deaths are due to smoke inhalation.
If we’re not careful, our lives could be in danger before we even escape.
Then… let’s see. Oh, this one looks good.
“Crafting!”
[<System> Item ‘Flame Demon Mask’ has been crafted.]
Attribute: A special mask lined with magical cloth, providing flame resistance and suffocation prevention effects.
Sompara’s ability, ‘Crafting’. The crafting ability allowed me to create items that Sompara had made before.
Using that ability, I crafted masks that blocked fire and smoke and put them on Ruan, Sophia, and Lunatis one by one.
“Wh-what is this, Zoe? Suddenly it’s easier to breathe…”
“It’s a mask that blocks fire and smoke. It should make breathing much more comfortable.”
True to Sompara’s items, its performance was perfect.
Wearing the mask made of leather lined with cloth, I thought of a way to safely escape this place.
Then, a brilliant idea came to mind.
……Should I try using that? Of course, I’ve never used it before, so I’m not sure if it’ll work properly…
“Evocation!”
- Huh? What is it, Zoe? I’m busy, why did you call me?! Kelrok, where is this place?
The summoning must have been successful, as Antragon #1, suddenly dropped in an unfamiliar place, looked around with a bewildered expression.
“Antragon #1, help me!”
I urgently shouted an SOS to #1, then looked at the basement’s solid stone wall.
Kwaang!
Taking a deep breath, I kicked down the basement wall, and the stone wall crumbled to dust.
A pile of dirt came pouring out from inside.
- Crazy… This brute-force, uncultured human…
“There’s a grassy area nearby where Ruby is waiting for us! Dig a tunnel there for us!”
Who knows what other underhanded tricks Gerald might pull if we go out through the basement entrance.
If it were just me, maybe, but since everyone’s lives are at stake, I chose the safer option.
- Haa, you’re really shameless… How am I supposed to dig all this by myself!
Just as #1 was grumbling, a familiar voice suddenly echoed in my head.
‘Hoho, Zoe. You seem to be in quite a predicament?’
‘…This voice. Quintilla?’
‘Hoho, that’s right. #1’s location suddenly left my domain, so I followed the traces. Anyway, you are in a difficult situation, right?’
As the queen of the Antragon tribe, Quintilla had the ability to observe and control the actions of the Antragons.
Especially Quintilla’s ability, Mental Resonance, allowed her to send thought transmissions, a kind of telepathy.
It seemed her thought transmission could reach me as well, since I had the Antragon mark.
‘Ah, sorry. For calling #1 without permission. Yes… it is a difficult situation…’
‘In that case, let me help you a little.’
