Clang, clang, clang.
The urgent ringing of the bell layered over itself, sounding like a hammer striking against their hearts. Through the gaps in the curtains, they could already see thick, billowing smoke rising outside.
The timing was too perfect!
Fire and water have no mercy. Hearing the shouting and footsteps echoing through the hallway, the two had no time to spare. Lynch snatched up several documents from his side, and they rushed out of the library together.
The hallway was already filled with smoke, though not yet suffocatingly dense. Within the haze, over a dozen servants were rushing out from various directions.
They were well trained and methodical. As they encountered one another, they immediately fell into lines, fleeing along the corridor without fighting or jostling. Upon seeing Miss Valente and Lynch, the servants directly shielded them in the center, ushering them toward the exit.
“Do not panic, the exit is this way, cough, cough, follow my voice, cough, cough, cough, someone go upstairs and alert the young mistress.”
The air was so acrid it was impossible to keep one's eyes open, and in the complex mansion, it was impossible to tell which way was which. However, the elderly butler, with his white hair and beard, stood perfectly straight in the hall leading to the entrance. He stood tall amidst the thick smoke, shouting directions between bouts of coughing.
“The Holy Spirit is above, may Sura protect us. The young mistress is out. Quickly, move, the exit is behind me.”
Lynch was momentarily dazed by the thick smoke. He was ushered toward the exit by a cluster of maids, while the elderly butler behind him stood like a knight from a classic novel, steadfast in his duty amidst the choking haze.
Bang! Lynch took two quick strides and kicked the door open, finally rushing out into the sunlight. He took a deep breath of fresh air, feeling as if he had finally come back to life.
He turned back to lock eyes with Miss Valente. Her fair face was streaked with soot from the smoke, and the sight made him want to reach out and wipe it clean for her...
Smack. He mentally slapped himself. Lynch took a few deep breaths, finally finding the leisure to survey his surroundings.
Although not billowing with flames, the mansion was smoking from various points. Even in the courtyard, the air was uncomfortably thick, but fortunately, no open flames were visible from the outside, suggesting the fire was likely small.
The group of maids had already crowded Lynch over to the fountain, where they were completely safe, and they began to chatter and fuss. Only then did Lynch, experiencing a fire for the first time, regain his composure.
Hm? Where were the male servants and the elderly butler?
Damn it, they stayed behind to fight the fire, didn't they? That really is the habit of the medieval aristocracy: women and children evacuate first, men stay behind to risk their lives.
Lynch’s mouth twitched. He quickly took off his coat, soaked a handkerchief to cover his nose, and prepared to charge back into the fire.
“Mr. Lynch.” Miss Valente grabbed his arm. “Stop. You are a guest; the Valente family has no reason to let a guest risk their life fighting a fire.”
“What guest? Let go. I’m helping my friend’s family fight a fire; that’s none of your business.”
“You...” The folding fan finally struck Lynch’s head, and her hand loosened. “Go then. I am coming with you. I am fighting the fire in my own home, and I do not need you to meddle.”
However, they had only taken two steps when a noisy clamor erupted behind them. Looking back, they saw the soot-faced maids all grabbing containers like garden watering cans from by the fountain, rushing toward them with claws bared.
“We are going too! We must protect the young mistress from harm!”
Are you a bunch of ordinary people going to water the flowers with watering cans? And fine, protect her if you must, but look at the fire when you talk! Why are you looking at me?
Forget it. There were no open flames yet, and the temperature shift was not obvious, so the danger should be minimal. Let them do as they please.
However, the moment they returned to the mansion, they realized something was wrong.
The smoke was too thick, yet they could not feel the temperature rising. Furthermore, while the smoke was choking, it lacked the burnt, charred smell they had encountered at the Hall of Order fire.
This did not look like a fire at all; it was smoke generation.
“Young mistress.”
Butler Louis was running around the mansion with several male servants, carrying water buckets. They had also realized something was wrong; they could not find the source of the fire.
“Everyone, retreat for now. Don’t choke yourselves to death. Since we cannot find the fire, let’s open all the windows first.”
“Listen to Lynch. Mr. Louis, follow me—no, all of you, follow me.”
Seeing the elderly butler preparing to lead men into the thick smoke to open windows one by one, Miss Valente did not hesitate for a second. She pulled the butler away, led everyone out of the mansion, and incidentally shooed out the maids who were only adding to the chaos.
She turned and fired a shot at one of the windows.
Damn, this girl is ruthless.
This was the safest and fastest method. The other servants immediately followed suit. For a time, stones and debris flew around the mansion, and the sound of shattering glass was constant—Lynch was the one breaking the most.
I just wanted to help; it’s really not because I’m jealous of the rich and enjoying smashing windows.
Once the windows were smashed, the problem became even more apparent. Thick, rolling smoke poured out from every window, not just billowing out, but huffing and puffing incessantly. It was just like smoking out rabbits by pouring smoke into a hole when he was a child—it wouldn't stop.
Wait, smoking out rabbits?
Lynch suddenly realized something was wrong. Someone had clearly gone to these lengths specifically to drive the people inside out. What were they trying to do?
What else could it be?
“Diana, which window is the library?”
There was no time for politeness. Lynch grabbed Miss Valente’s arm and shouted. Miss Valente’s expression changed, and she pointed upward.
A diversion. The most likely target was those documents. Lynch did not have time to wonder how the opponent had timed this so perfectly, nor could he consider what the opponent’s next move would be. He leaped high into the air, using the exterior wall of the building to vault, and appeared outside the library window.
As his body rose to the window, he could already see the situation inside through the glass.
This was the only place without thick smoke. A man in a suit, covering his mouth and nose, was at the door, opening it to leave. Seeming to sense Lynch’s gaze, the man tipped his top hat, nodded at Lynch, and then turned to close the door behind him.
Bang.
In mid-air, Lynch swung his cane to shatter the window, then transformed it into a multi-jointed whip to lash inside, using the momentum to surge into... oh, hell.
The moment he broke through the window, Lynch sharply felt the room’s temperature rising rapidly. A scorching heat surged toward him as the window shattered.
The next moment, a blinding light exploded from the location of the documents on the table. A ball of high-temperature, scorching fire was born from thin air, swallowing Lynch—who had just broken through the window—head-on.
“BOOM.”
The sudden, explosive roar made everyone below shudder. They had all been looking up at Lynch’s movements, so in their field of vision, a ball of flames erupted from the window with a loud bang, directly consuming Lynch completely.
“Lynch!”
Miss Valente’s eyes turned red. However, she was a step too slow; there was nothing left to do. She could only scream as Lynch disappeared entirely into the flames. But just as her cry rang out, a ball of fire smashed down from the window, landing right beside her, causing the servants to scatter in shock.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh. The massive ball of fire was actually burning on the ground from thin air. Miss Valente, who was on the verge of losing her mind, suddenly had a flash of inspiration and lunged toward the fallen flames. At the same time, the light of the fire suddenly dimmed, then transformed into a humanoid figure emitting white smoke. It retreated a few steps, stumbling while wailing, and was caught just in time by Miss Valente.
“It hurts, it hurts, it’s killing me!”
Lynch was howling in pain. At the very last moment, he had activated the mystery relic The Passion of the Blazing Lady. Lynch had narrowly avoided the shockwave and the direct flame damage, but the pain of his soul being scorched was unavoidable. He wailed silently while crashing down like a meteorite.
However, as soon as he regained his senses, he squeezed Miss Valente’s hand to signal he was fine, then took to the air once more, rushing back toward the library, which was still billowing with heat.
Damn it, the documents!
I fell for their trap, but I cannot let them succeed and destroy them. This is the final hope.
Rate on N.U.
