Chapter – 19
With a pounding heart, I turned my gaze back toward the large creature. The battle was continuing, with Isis barely blocking its attacks and Jade keeping the surrounding creatures at bay.
“Luka, can you fight again?”
“Yes.”
It was an affirmative answer, but his complexion looked pale. Originally, even if his injuries were healed with a skill, he needed to rest, and it was unfortunate that the situation didn’t allow for it.
“I have a request.”
“What is it?”
“Lure that creature into the warehouse for me.”
Seeing the questioning look in his eyes, I briefly explained my plan.
“I’m trying to amplify the range of Jade’s explosion skill a bit. By using that warehouse.”
“How do you plan to do that?!”
At my words, Jade shouted from a distance.
“When I come out of the warehouse, you just need to use your explosion skill *inside* the warehouse door. Isis—”
“Buff.”
At Isis’s short reply, I looked back at Luka and spoke.
“When I shout from inside the warehouse, lure the creature inside. If possible, get the other creatures to follow too.”
“Understood!”
After hearing his confirmation, I entered the warehouse without hesitation.
I grabbed the sacks of flour in front of me and burst them. Then, I threw them spinning into the air, scattering flour throughout the space.
White powder spread out like fog.
Without pause, I kept grabbing new sacks, diligently turning the warehouse’s interior into a mess.
This was a task where time was crucial. If time passed, the flour would settle and become calm again.
It was a job only I could do.
As I was swiftly moving around the warehouse bursting flour sacks, I sharply turned my head at a faintly heard sound.
*cough, cough*
It was quiet, but it was unmistakably the sound of coughing.
‘Was there someone inside?’
Clenching my teeth, I headed towards the direction of the sound. Then I shouted.
“If someone’s in here, say something now! This place is going to explode soon!”
“Ex… explode?”
Only then did I sense a faint presence.
I met eyes with brown eyes.
Though it was hard to see clearly because of the hazy flour dust, a pale, thin girl was crouched down, trembling.
She seemed frightened by the word “explosion,” her whole body shaking.
‘I don’t have time to explain now.’
Making a quick decision, I slung the girl over my shoulder.
“Kyaaaah!”
Ignoring the girl’s scream, I hastily burst a few more flour sacks.
Then, I shouted loudly enough for the people outside to hear.
“Send them in now!”
*Creeeak.*
*Thud!*
As the warehouse door slowly opened, creatures poured in as if flooding inside.
Thump-thump.
Feeling my heart beating wildly, I pressed myself against the wall near the warehouse entrance, waiting for the swarming creatures at the entrance to fully enter the warehouse.
Among the many creatures was the large creature that had been shattered to pieces.
‘Half success!’
As the large creature moved deeper into the warehouse, I felt relieved, scanned my surroundings, and then immediately dashed out.
Jade and Isis were waiting in front of the door.
*Whoooosh!*
The moment I exited, Jade’s explosion, buffed by Isis, shot inside the door. Just before Luka used plant vines to close the warehouse door, the stream of hot fire continued.
After the door closed, I ran low to the ground and shouted with all my might.
“Now, everyone get away from the warehou—”
*KABOOOOOOOM!!!*
Before I could even finish my sentence, a massive explosion occurred.
I tried my best to get away from the intense heat. But there wasn’t enough time.
A hot pressure pushed against my body. My ears went numb from the loud blast. Holding the person in my arms tightly, I strained my legs, trying not to be flung away by this pressure.
Despite my efforts, my body was pushed back bit by bit, until I was briefly lifted into the air and then hit the ground.
Healing the aching parts of my body immediately, I looked at the girl in my arms.
Seeing the girl, who had been struggling, go limp, it seemed she had fainted.
*Crackle, crackle.*
Following the large explosion, smaller explosions occurred.
And after a little time passed, only a *crackling* sound could be heard.
It was the sound of the remaining debris burning.
Letting out a sigh of relief, I finally looked around and saw Isis, Luka, and Jade a short distance away. Apart from being slightly singed by the fire, they had no serious injuries.
Everyone seemed okay. Only then did I let the tension leave my body. I laid the girl I was holding in my arms down on the ground and plopped down beside her. A sense of relief washed over me.
“Larianna!”
Luka hurriedly approached, his eyes shining as he spoke.
“How did you cause that explosion just now?”
His face looked bewildered, as if he couldn’t believe what had just happened, and his flushed cheeks from running made him look like a curious, pure-hearted boy.
“Ah, this is…”
A powerful, large-scale explosion.
The reason it happened was—
“It’s because of the flour dust.”
“Flour?”
Jade and Isis, who had also approached, listened intently to my words.
“If flour dust in the air is at an appropriate concentration within a confined space, a chain explosion occurs, creating tremendous firepower. It’s called a dust explosion.”
It was something I had read in a book before.
It was written in one of the books I had reluctantly read to write a high school book report—it was a good thing I read it.
I smiled, feeling quite proud, but when I saw their peculiar gazes, I thought, ‘Oops.’
“How does Larianna know such information?”
‘Larianna Velotte’ is a noble young lady raised in privilege. Normally, she shouldn’t know such things at all.
I was about to roll my eyes but stopped and spoke immediately.
“…I wonder?”
Hesitating here would only make it more suspicious.
“How do I know such information…?”
As I muttered blankly, I saw Isis and Jade exchange looks.
After thinking for a moment, Isis eased the atmosphere comfortably.
“However you know it, thanks to you, we were able to easily take care of the creatures.”
“Ah, were all the creatures from before inside the warehouse?”
“Yes. We used the flames and plant vines to lure the creatures and drove them all inside the warehouse.”
How did they manage that? I found that even more amazing.
“That’s impressive.”
“Not at all. By the way…”
Isis’s gaze turned to the girl lying next to me.
“Ah, I found her while I was bursting the flour sacks in the warehouse. It seems she was using a skill to conceal her presence.”
“I see.”
Isis examined the girl carefully. I did the same.
She looked older than Yeniah, but younger than me.
Seeing her alone, it seemed she had lost all her guardians…
“Is it difficult to take her with us?”
“…We can take her to a survivor camp nearby.”
“Really?”
What a relief.
Leaving a girl like this here alone would have been too cruel, even by my standards.
I carefully brushed the dust off the girl’s cheek.
“Ah, the sun is rising.”
At Jade’s words, I looked up and saw the red sun dyeing the previously dark sky with various colors.
The scenery was intensely vivid. At the same time, it felt real.
The long, long night was over.
* * *
The young girl only regained consciousness 30 minutes later.
“Wh-who are you people?!”
The moment she came to, she pointed a sharp-looking tree branch she had nearby at us.
Seeing that, I let out a hollow laugh.
A tree branch in a place full of attack skills? It would probably only cause a slight scratch even if it grazed someone.
I signaled to Isis with my eyes and then slowly approached the girl.
“Don’t you remember?”
“Huh?”
“I carried you out of the warehouse.”
At my words, the girl’s expression turned strange, and she slowly lowered the branch. Though her still-wary eyes remained the same.
“Thank you for saving me.”
The girl started using polite speech, and I chuckled inwardly.
Not letting her guard down was probably natural in these times, and her sharp eyes were just cute.
Smiling as kindly as I could so as not to scare her, I asked.
“What’s your name?”
“…Marina.”
“Marina, where are the adults around you…”
“……”
