Chapter 257.2 - Movements Throughout Town (2/2)
Chapter 257: Movements Throughout Town (2/2)
The person riding on the carriage was from the security company.
“Sorry to keeping you waiting. Security Team 7 will now be taking over the supervision of this area. Command requests that you head to the next location.” [Security Team 7 Member]
At that, the person that got off the carriage took over the supervision of the area, while Asagi’s group got on the carriage. After the coachman had confirmed that everyone had gotten on, he immediately drove away.
A special unit known as the ‘Magical Fire Brigade’ was formed to deal with the fires all over Gimuru. This special unit consisted of mages learned in spells that dealt with fire. They were mostly being sent to the areas where the fires were strongest.
As for the places they were not sent to…
“Save me, *cough, *cough… Ue.” [Husband]
“Hubbie!! Wait for me, I’ll save you!” [Wife]
“Wifey, don’t! You’ll just burn if you enter!” [Husband]
“Let go! I can’t just watch my husband die!” [Wife]
“Calm down! Hey, someone lend a hand!” [Townsman 5]
“NOOOOO!!” [Wife]
Next to a dilapidated house on fire was another house on fire. Smoke and fire could be seen billowing from the windows of its second floor, and there was a man pleading for help from the attic. Outside was his wife. The sight of him suffering would have been enough to send her rushing into the flames, but there were people around to hold her back. The situation was that desperate, and the people even started thinking of giving up, but then they appeared.
“Is this the place!?” [???]
“W-Who are you people!?” [Townsman 6]
When the townsmen were in a pinch, 10 men appeared on a large cart pulled by horses. They had helmets on and wore strange clothes dyed in flaming red. They even had a strange mask hanging on their shoulders.
Those clothes were none other than the fire department’s uniform that Ryouma did his best to recreate from memory. Due to being made by incorporating monster beast ingredients and magic tools, they are incredibly heat resistant. However, no one can deny that they looked out of place.
Because of that the people all eyed them with suspicion.
“Y-You’re from the Macho Squad.” [Wife]
“Yeah. We’re from the security company. Please be at ease, we’ll solve this problem. Is there anyone else that needs saving other than that man over there?” [Fireman Leader]
“I=It’s just him! He’s the only one that couldn’t escape in time. We were trying to take out the fire next door, and we figured it would be more convenient to throw the water from above, so we all brought the water up, but then some weird bastard suddenly threw something, and the flames intensified.” [Townsman 5]
“Got it, it’s fine now. Is everything ready!?” [Fireman Leader]
“We can start anytime!” [Fireman 1]
As the leader of the fire brigade yelled that, the other members removed the horse from the cart and pushed the cart toward the man they needed to save.
“Alright! Extend the ladder・・・!” [Fireman Leader]
At his behest, a giant ladder was extended from the back of the cart.
The ladder was already plenty big and long, but when its folded part extended, it doubled in length, and the platform beneath and in front of the cart quickly reinforced it.
The firemen moved the cart until the end of that ladder could reach the man clinging on for dear life.
Then after securing some hooks, two members of the brigade immediately dashed up the ladder and moved the panicking man to the ladder to secure him.
“…They did it! They saved him!” [Townsman 5]
“Thank goodness, Ma’am! Your husband is safe!’ [Townsman 6]
“H-Hubbyyyy!!” [Wife]
The husband borrowed the shoulder of a brigade member to gently go down the ladder. Upon seeing that, the people heaved sighs of relief and gave a big cheer for the fire brigade.
But their job wasn’t done yet. They didn’t come here just to rescue people.
“Please take a step back! Don’t push!” [Fireman 1]
“The fire hasn’t been dealt with yet! Please cooperate with us for safety’s sake!” [Fireman 2]
“Ma’am, please come here! I’ll bring your husband to the hospital!” [Fireman 3]
Around half of the fire fighters had to raise their voice so as to not be drowned out by all the cheers. They asked that the people cooperate with them to ensure everyone’s safety.
“Equipment check!” [Fireman Leader]
“Equipment check, good!” [Firemen]
“Masks check!” [Fire Leader]
“Masks check、good!” [Firemen]
“Charge!” [Fire Leader]
Before long, half of the fire men had charged into the building from the first floor.
The people that had noticed that started to make a commotion, but there wouldn’t be any problems.
The team that had charged in was wearing protective gear, and they had also put on special masks right before jumping into the burning building.
These special masks were equipped with a ‘magic tool that produced air’ to enable breathing even inside a burning structure, as well as a ‘cooling magic tool’ to protect from respiratory burns.
Ryouma wasn’t a specialist by any means, but he worked together with craftsmen that handled monster ingredients and magic tools to create these equipment. They also had to finish the designs in a short time, but despite that, they managed to produce equipment that could protect the human body in a fire, albeit for a short time.
The firemen would have to deal with the fire during that time.
As the firemen communicated with each other through hand gestures, they held up the tubes connected to the magic tools on their backs, and activated them. These magic tools were attached to tanks filled with ‘water mixed with a fire extinguishing agent’, and when they activated them, that water sprayed out. Yes, in other words, ‘fire extinguishers’.
Potassium carbonate could easily be extracted from the ashes of plants and vegetation, and when mixed water, it could greatly enhance the cooling effect of water. In the face of a solution like that, the roaring flames all too easily waned.
Of course, that alone wasn’t enough to extinguish structural flames, but while the raid team were suppressing the fire inside, more firefighting teams have already gathered outside. As a water cart with a giant water tank instead of a giant ladder arrived, the rate the fire was extinguished dramatically increased both inside and outside of the dilapidated house. Seeing that, the people became even more at ease.
“Please clear the roads! We’re transporting the injured! Clear the roads!” [Fireman 4]
“The wounded that can walk please come here! We’re accepting evacuees too!” [Fireman 5]
“More carriages will come! There’s no need to hurry!” [Fireman 6]
But the fire brigade’s work was far from over.
Most of them haven’t been in Gimuru for long and didn’t have a deep relationship with the people here, yet despite that, the thought of being able to save even just one more person in front of them made them move.
What were the people of Gimuru doing?
Of course, they were not just standing around idly, watching their city go up in flames.
“Ora!! And that’s the last I’ll be seeing of you!” [Delinquent 1]
“Alright! We got rid of them!” [Delinquent 2]
“We’re done here too!” [Delinquent 3]
“Are there fires elsewhere!?” [Delinquent 4]
“There’s a fire here! And there’s another fire there too!” [Townsman 7]
“What!? We’re going now! Hey! If any of you bastards are free, come lend a hand!” [Delinquent 4]
“I swear if I ever find the person responsible for this, I’ll smash him dead!” [Deliquent 5]
“Someone help! There’s a grandpa that can’t move here!” [Townsman 6]
“I’ll go!” [Delinquent 7]
The people of the city all did what they could to help in the efforts to extinguish the fire and evacuate their fellow man.
“The criminal is here!” [Delinquent 8]
“Tch!” [Criminal]
An arsonist was in the middle of setting fire to a trash can in a narrow alley when he was spotted by a resident of Gimuru. He hurriedly tried to run away, but…
“You’re not going anywhere.” [???]
“What— GAH!?”
When the path through the alley took a turn, a man suddenly appeared as though he had been waiting for him. Suddenly, the butt end of the man’s spear found its way into his stomach, and then the handle swung down straight for his head. With two consecutive attacks landing cleanly on him, the arsonist could only collapse without even being able to resist. The men that have been extinguishing the flames caught up from behind.
“Jeff! You did it!” [Delinquent 8]
“More like, hurry up and deal with the fire, so we could hand this guy over to the security, but speak of the devil, our guy’s here already.” [Delinquent 9]
“Excuse me, you’re Jeff-dono, a B-Rank Adventurer, yes? Are you sure that this man is an arsonist?” [Guard]
“Yeah, this guy saw him, and this should be more than enough as evidence.” [Jeff]
As Jeff searched the criminal’s body with the butt-end of his spear, a magic tool and a vial that smelled of oil rolled over.
“I can see that he was definitely caught red-handed. You can leave this man to me. You can handle the fires yourselves, right?” [Security Personnel]
“It’s no problem, right?” [Jeff]
“Just leave it to us! A small fire like that is nothing we can’t handle!” [Deliquent 9]
As the man said that, he joined the fight against the fires himself.
Upon seeing that, the person from the guards took the arsonist away.
Jeff looked up at the sky once, and then ran down a different road.
The people of Gimuru fought against the fires that rose one after another, every one of them doing their best in their own ways.