Fight Against the Flames

By the time Carolyn and Lavender returned to the site of the fire, it had already begun eating away at two neighbouring houses. The first responders were still trying to put out the fire with water, but they looked strangely tired and detached. There were more spectators than before, but all they did was spectate. They had realised that water would only feed this fire, but they didn't know what else to do, so they resigned themselves to fate. It wouldn't be the first time they had to bow before the unreasonableness of the world.

If she had come back without encountering Benedict's helper, Carolyn would have been intimidated by their hopeless expressions, but now she had a solution.

"Everyone! Stop using water! It'll only make the fire worse! Collect as much dry dirt as you can, and start demolishing the neighbouring houses! This is the only way to contain the fire before it spreads too far!"

Within the sack that Benedict's helper had carried was the same dirt that was beneath their feet. Using dirt would usually only work for small flames, but the helper then explained Benedict's plan. First, they would destroy neighbouring buildings to restrict the height and spread of the fire, and then they would use dirt to stop the fire from moving out of that region of collapsed houses. This idea took inspiration from a concept known as a firebreak, but it was still theory on paper and usually only used for small wildfires. As for the smoke carrying Henry's drug, the only option was to be careful breathing because they had no means of stopping the smoke before the fire. If Carolyn had her pick of medicinal herbs, then it might have been possible to mitigate the effects of the drug by using the fumes obtained from burning those herbs, but she couldn't do anything about what she didn't have.

Carolyn's passionate voice reached everyone in the area, but she received nothing but doubt and suspicion in the gazes they returned to her. This wasn't surprising. Although she visited the slums often, she usually went straight to the church, plus she was wearing a mask, so she was just a strange outsider to the people here. In fact, if she continued to interfere, it wouldn't be farfetched for them to blame her for the fire and take out their frustrations on her. Thankfully, Benedict hadn't sent just one helper.

People with weapons and sacks filled with rocks came out of nowhere and entered nearby houses that hadn't started burning yet. Some had their entire faces hidden, while others only covered their mouths. They threw out anything that was inside the houses before smashing them down, which was moderately easy since the buildings here were sloppily constructed. Naturally those who lived in these houses tried to stop them, but they were outnumbered and restrained or forced back.

"That unscrupulous priest! Cutie, this—"

"I know. I'll accept it."

Since these men had suddenly appeared and started doing what Carolyn shouted, it was easy to assume that she had something to do with them. Without her presence there might be more chaos, but with a clear target for their resentment, the slums' residents all turned their glares to her masked self.

"This is cus of you, ain't it!"

"You must have started the fire too!"

"Isn't pushing us here enough for you people?!"

"We're not your playthings!"

Carolyn gritted her teeth as she endured their sharp gazes and restrained the urge to refute their allegations. They wouldn't believe her, so the best option was to avoid getting into a pointless shouting match. One of them pounced at her, but before she could make a move, Lavender caught them and held a knife at their throat to turn them into a hostage instead.

"If you'll be the one to face them, I can handle this much. Go on, Leader."

Carolyn felt uncomfortable seeing the man's horrified expression, but unlike her, only the bottom half of Lavender's face was covered with a handkerchief to block the smoke, so this would surely bring more trouble to her. Therefore, Carolyn couldn't waste this opportunity.

"You can believe what you want, but the fact is that unless you do what I say, the fire will continue to spread and wreak even more havoc. So unless you want to lose both your lives and your property, get to work!"

Carolyn toughened her tone and glared back at the residents with as much intimidation as she could muster. Wells were routinely inspected by the guards so the more dangerous folk inside the slums didn't stay nearby, but the people here were used to death and violence, so they weren't easy to scare. However, they didn't share a cooperative spirit either.

"If we follow your instructions, how far will the fire spread?" one slums resident asked.

"If you work fast, it shouldn't go past this street."

"Are you sure?"

"I won't be sure if you keep wasting time."

Once they heard her confident response, a large portion of the residents backed down and started working with Benedict's helpers.

"Are you all crazy?!"

"You can't believe her! It's all a lie!"

Those whose houses were slated for destruction were naturally resistant to the idea, but they were now the minority. The rest didn't switch sides because they were afraid to fight; these people would risk their lives over an extra loaf of bread. However, they wouldn't waste their lives for nothing.

They weren't stupid; they could tell that water would only make the fire worse, though they didn't understand why. If Carolyn's suggestion worked, their houses would be saved, and if it didn't, they would be back to where they started, maybe a little better if they could steal something valuable from the houses being destroyed.

However, if it wasn't for the subtle influence of Henry's drug making them more passive, they likely wouldn't have given up so easily. Carolyn and Lavender both realised this, but they didn't want to speak a word of gratitude for something Henry had done.

After Lavender released her hostage, Carolyn started helping with the demolition. She knew this put her at risk of succumbing to the drug's influence and intended to take occasional breaks, but she didn't want to keep her hands clean of this affair. Lavender wanted to leave but decided to keep an eye on her reckless neighbour. Even if this incident ended peacefully, she planned on giving the good priest a satisfying slap for his troubles.

Elsewhere, Henry dragged his feet as he escaped the region of the fire through a tunnel. Just as Carolyn had faintly suspected, he hadn't burnt in the fire, though he did suffer some burns. There was a trapdoor near the entrance, which connected to a passage beneath the house that led to a basement outside the slums. This passage had been built by an old criminal organisation that was dissolved by the guards, but the passage itself was never found.

The Continental Courier Service bought the property the passage led to through a third party, and they allowed Henry to borrow it after he asked them for a hidden route he could use to escape the slums. Henry suspected that they used this passage to move the sacks of Serenity, but he didn't ask for confirmation.

"It's a shame that I was interrupted at the eleventh hour, but I can always make another attempt."

Henry had always believed that the young priest would be alerted of the fire once it gained strength, but if everything had gone according to his plan, the smoke would have spread through at least three-quarters of the slums before he could do anything to stop it. The masked young lady's interference ensured that the damage would be less than expected, but there would still be little they could do about the fire itself unless the government got involved. He judged that the smoke would cover a quarter of the slums and a small portion of the mixed district. Not a perfect victory, but he wouldn't call it a loss.

Once he arrived at the basement on the other end of the passage, Henry planned on treating his injuries before checking the reach of the fire, but the moment he opened the door, he was stunned in place by who he saw.

"I believe this is the first time we've met, Henry. Or would you prefer I call you Anthony?"

There, in the middle of the dark space, holding the only source of light in the form of a single lantern, was a smiling young priest wearing a monocle on his right eye.

"You're that priest. How did you find me?"

As frightened as he was, Henry still searched for a path of escape as he replied to Benedict.

"It was difficult, I must admit. You made me think we were your targets when in reality you only wanted to divert our attention so that you could start that fire. If I didn't know about this place and its connection to those couriers, I might have missed you tonight."

"So you've seen through that much. The youth are certainly terrifying these days. Seeing as you've caught me here, I should be graceful and accept my loss, but I'm afraid this old man still has goals to accomplish."

Believing that the only way of breaking through this trap was with force, Henry reached into his coat and revealed his secret weapon. It was shaped like a metal pipe bent in one direction, with one end facing down while the other was open-ended and aimed at Benedict.

"Hoh? A handgun of that quality could only come from the Republic. Did you get it from the official who released you from prison?"

"Young man, sometimes it's better to stay quiet. I didn't want to use this crude thing, but you're leaving me no choice."

"So much for your noble ideals. I think it's time we end this discussion."

With silent agreement, Henry reluctantly tried to pull the trigger, but suddenly his vision blurred, and as he staggered, the lantern was extinguished and darkness engulfed the room. He fired a few random shots, but a voice still reached his ears.

"Tell me, how does it feel to be defeated by your own tricks?"

Realising that he had been poisoned, Henry tried to figure out when and how, but it was too dark to see the faint powder on the hand that had opened the door to the basement, and he was too distressed to notice the strange smell in the room. With no more strength left to resist, Henry fell to the ground.