"Of all the places, a lumberyard is the source?! What was the manager doing?!"
"The fire is too strong! This place is a lost cause!"
"Don't give up! At the very least, we have to prevent it from spreading!"
"Damn it, the snow is making my footing—!"
Ryoma raced through the town, weaving between streets and utilizing his magic to combat the various blazes.
Even as he worked, new plumes of fire rose in one spot after another. No matter how extraordinary his slime-assisted magic was, a single boy could not handle such widespread, simultaneous disasters alone.
Just then, a carriage came thundering into the area.
"We shall lend our strength as well!"
"Oh! Are you adventurers?!"
"Water! We need someone who can use water magic!"
"Worry not, good people! Raypin!"
"I need no reminder! Wind Magic Unit, initiate Plan B!"
From his seat beside the coachman, the A-Rank adventurer Asagi raised his voice. Eight mages, including Raypin, leapt from the back of the carriage and fanned out. Arriving at eight different points around the building where the flames raged most fiercely, they began to chant their spells in sequence.
"Hey! Did you just say 'Wind Magic'?! Are you insane?! If you use wind now, the fire will—"
"Your logic is sound, but I must ask you to stand back and watch, forsooth. We mean no harm."
Asagi quickly intercepted a man trying to approach Raypin. Meanwhile, the mages completed their task.
"Become the wall that divides the air."
"Become the shield that wards off the flame."
A double-layered barrier magic unfurled around the fire. It cut off the inflow of air, starving the fire of the oxygen it needed to burn. By containing the rising flames, smoke, and flying sparks, it successfully prevented the disaster from spreading to the neighboring buildings.
"How can I just watch?! This isn't the time for games, eh—?"
The man Asagi had stopped tried to continue his protest, but his voice trailed off. Naturally so, for the fire in the building before him was visibly losing its strength. The transformation was obvious to everyone gathered; they stared blankly as the inferno withered away.
"H-How did that massive fire go out so quickly?"
"I do not know the fine details myself, but I am told this is possible by applying barrier magic, forsooth," Asagi stated simply.
Word of the mages' feat rippled through the crowd, and as the information spread, cheers began to rise.
"You guys are incredible!"
"Thank you!"
"The fire has weakened, but it is not dead yet! There are other sites to attend to! Gratitude can wait until later, forsooth!"
"Indeed!" Raypin added. "Leave this to us and go support the other districts! We shall follow as soon as we have finished here!"
"Right! Let's do it!"
"We're with you!"
"We appreciate the help! One more thing... Heat Conduction!"
As the people's morale surged, Raypin cast a spell. Instantly, the snow piled on the road melted away, exposing the stone paving.
"This should make travel swifter."
"Oh! Y-Yeah! Let's move!"
With their spirits bolstered, the citizens ran off in groups along the cleared path. Only Raypin and his team remained in that spot.
"...Was that last spell really necessary?" Asagi asked.
"Given that there are those lurking who wish to incite panic and chaos, it is vital to provide information that can serve as a psychological anchor."
"I won't deny that, but mana is a finite resource."
"There is no need for concern on that front. Ryoma provided us with a vast supply of these, though I know not where he obtained them."
Raypin pulled back his thick coat to show Asagi five test-tube-like vials secured to the lining.
"Mana recovery potions?"
"These were crafted using high-grade Running Mush. The efficacy is incredible, and the cost is surely astronomical. Yet Ryoma handed them over and told us to use them without hesitation if needed. Besides, while research is my life's work, I am still an A-Rank adventurer. I know how to manage my reserves. That last spell didn't create heat to melt the snow; it merely used mana to channel the heat from the fire onto the road. By utilizing the disaster's own energy, I used almost no mana at all. In fact, it helped sap the fire of its intensity."
"Did you learn that from Ryoma too?"
"Indeed. As the price for our aid, Ryoma ungrudgingly shared the 'scientific knowledge' he possesses regarding fire—what we refer to as the Principles, the very essence of magic. I have my own experience as a fire mage, but being taught the underlying theory from a different perspective was immensely valuable. Even this makeshift barrier technique works this well. Having received such compensation, I would be remiss if I did not do my utmost."
"Ryoma is clearly determined to save this city. Regardless, so long as it doesn't hinder the firefighting, I have no complaints."
"In that case, I leave our security to you."
Another carriage arrived just as they finished speaking. This one carried personnel from the Security Company.
"Apologies for the wait. Security Unit 7 will take over site management and monitoring. General Headquarters orders you to proceed to the next location."
Asagi and his team swapped places with the security staff. Once the mages were aboard, the coachman drove off without hesitation.
The "Magic Firefighting Unit"—a special force of mages trained in fire-suppression techniques—raced toward the most intense blazes in Gimul, determined to snuff out every flame illuminating the night.
Meanwhile, at a site they had yet to reach...
"Help me! Cough, cough... someone!"
"Darling!! I'm coming for you!"
"No, ma'am! You'll only burn to death!"
"Let me go! I won't just watch my husband die!"
"Stay calm! Someone, help me hold her!"
"Nooooo!!"
Beside a burning derelict building, a man was screaming from the attic of a structure choked with smoke. Outside, his wife was being restrained by a crowd as she prepared to rush into the inferno. Just as despair began to take hold, they appeared.
"Is this the place?!"
"Who the hell are you?!"
Ten men arrived on a large horse-drawn cart. They wore strange outfits made of flame-red fabric, topped with helmets and peculiar masks slung over their shoulders.
This was the "Firefighting Suit," reproduced by Ryoma through memory and the help of local craftsmen. Incorporating monster materials and magic tools, it offered exceptional heat and fire resistance, though its appearance was undeniably bizarre. The onlookers stared in confusion, but then—
"Ah! You're the Macho Squad!"
"That's right. We're from the Security Company. Rest easy. Is that man the only one trapped? Anyone else?"
"Y-Yeah! Just him! We were carrying water to help the house next door, thinking we'd have a better angle from the top, and then some bastard threw something in. The fire exploded in seconds!"
"Understood. Everything's fine now. Status!"
"Ready to deploy!"
The squad leader shouted, and the other members unhitched the horses, manually turning the cart toward the building.
"Good! Extend the ladder!"
At the command, a massive ladder rose from the back of the cart. Already long, it doubled in length as its folded sections extended upward. At the base, the mechanism was quickly reinforced. The cart was positioned so the tip of the ladder reached the window where the man was clinging. Once the hooks were secured, two members raced up the ladder. They safely grabbed the man, who was delirious from smoke and about to jump blindly.
"They did it! He's safe!"
"Madam! Your husband's alright!"
"Oh, darling!!"
As the man was helped down the ladder, a roar of cheers erupted. People wept in relief, praising the Firefighting Unit for their heroism. But the squad's work was only beginning.
"Step back! Do not crowd the area!"
"The fire isn't out yet! Please cooperate for your own safety!"
"Madam, this way! We need to transport your husband to the hospital!"
While half the squad shouted to maintain order, the other half prepared for the next phase.
"Equipment check!" "Equipment check, clear!"
"Masks on!" "Masks on, clear!"
"Entry!"
The remaining members donned specialized protective masks and stormed the ground floor. These masks featured a "magic tool for air generation" to allow breathing in thick smoke and a "cooling magic tool" to prevent airway burns. The gear—a collaboration between Ryoma’s modern knowledge and master craftsmen—could protect a human for a limited time, even inside a furnace.
Inside, the team communicated with hand signs. They drew tubes connected to tanks on their backs and activated the magic tools. A fine mist of "water containing fire suppressant" sprayed out. These were "extinguishers" in the truest sense. By mixing in potassium carbonate—easily derived from wood ash—Ryoma had created a solution far more effective than plain water at robbing a fire of its intensity.
While this alone wouldn't extinguish a structural fire, the entry team suppressed the spread just long enough for the rest of the unit to arrive. When the Water Cannon Truck—carrying a massive tank of Hardening Fluid Plates—pulled up, the combined effort from inside and out quelled the flames, bringing peace of mind to the watchers.
"Clear the path! We have casualties! Move!"
"Walking wounded over here! If you need to evacuate, follow the line!"
"More carriages are coming! Stay calm!"
The Firefighting Unit worked tirelessly. Most of them had no long history with the city of Gimul, but they moved with a single-minded determination to save every life they could.
What of the citizens of Gimul themselves? They certainly weren't standing by idly.
"Take that!! That's the last of it!"
"Yeah! It's out!"
"Over here too!"
"Any more fires?!"
"This way! Someone just lit another one over there!"
"What?! Let's go! Anyone who can move, follow me!"
"When I find the bastard who did this, I'll kill him!"
"Help! I need help over here! My grandfather can't walk!"
"I'll go!"
The people did whatever they could, assisting in evacuations and dousing flames.
"Found one! There's a culprit!"
"Tsk!"
An arsonist, caught setting fire to a bin in a narrow alley, tried to flee in a panic. But he didn't get far.
"You're not going anywhere."
"Wha—gah?!"
A man stepped out from a corner as if he'd been waiting. He jammed the butt of his spear into the arsonist's gut and followed up with a blow to the head with the shaft. As the culprit crumpled, the citizens who had been chasing him finally arrived.
"Jeff! Nice work!"
"Don't give me 'nice work'! Just put the fire out! The Guard Force will be here—oh, they're already here."
"Apologies. Master Jeff of the B-Rank adventurers, I assume? Is this man the arsonist?"
"Yeah. I saw him myself, and here's the proof."
Jeff nudged the man's body with his spear, causing an ignition magic tool and several oily bottles to tumble out of his clothes.
"Caught red-handed. We'll take him in. Can you handle the fire?"
"No problem, right?" Jeff asked the locals.
"Leave it to us! We can handle a little fire like this!"
The citizens returned to their work, and the Guard Force hauled the criminal away. Jeff took a quick look at the sky and then sprinted toward another alley.
In the Town of Gimul, every resident was fighting back against the rising flames with everything they had.