39 Chapter 39 - A Trial? (12)
The more Theodore thought, the more worried he got.
He looked toward the direction of his house, where his enemy had departed from, and saw a lot of smoke filling the blue sky; there was even more smoke than before he started fighting.
'Why has no one arrived to help put out the fire yet?' Theodore grumbled as he was feeling increasingly anxious.
Just as he was about to go to his house to take a look, his teammate's words stopped him.
"We need to report this matter to the captain immediately." The city guard, Theodore's teammate, solemnly said as he checked the corpse to search for evidence.
The city guard swiftly brought out and collected some proof that remained on the corpse's body, indicating he was one of the moles from the adversary's city.
Theodore halted when he heard what his teammate said and glanced at the evidence. He deeply agreed they needed to report this crucial matter, which might affect the war situation.
Still, he had other concerns.
"What about that fire? It seems no one had yet arrived to put out the fire." Theodore voiced his concern to his teammate as he pointed out the direction of the smoke near them that had yet to go out; there was apparent unease in his sound.
Theodore's teammate paused as he looked at Theodore's expression. The enemy's existence seemed to make him forget that Theodore had recently lost his composure due to the accident in that place.
He had some guesses that the misfortune might happen to someone close to his companion. He could understand Theodore's feelings, but the city guard also had their duty.
"Although regrettable, the city's safety was our priority. It was the main responsibility of us, the city guard." The city guard hesitated but still earnestly expressed his intention subtly.
How could Theodore not sense the hidden meaning from his teammate?
If he still insisted on his intention of checking out his house and his teacher's situation first, he could get charged for the negligence of duty.
"I will go report this to the captain. I need you to stay here to watch and protect the evidence." Seeing that Theodore could comprehend his reason, the city guard teammate said.
He then comforted his companion in a more relaxing tone as he gazed Theodore in the eyes, "When more people arrive, we will quickly go and help that place. It will not take too much time; everything will be alright."
Theodore stared back with many considerations flashing in his mind.
If he waited until more people arrived, it might be too late. He did not believe his teammate's word; he had already wasted too much time. If he continued, Nathan might have died.
Theodore quickly weighted his priority.
He became a city guard, hoping to save enough money to heal his teacher, Nathan.
He persisted in working as a city guard despite feeling uncomfortable because of his teacher.
He dared to risk his life, also due to his teacher.
Whether it was his duty, responsibility, safety, or even this city, none of them was as important as his teacher's to him.
How could he choose his duty as the city guard over his teacher's safety in this case?
With these reflections, Theodore firmly made his decision.
Finally, he bowed to his city guard's teammate and said decisively, "I'm sorry. I am willing to receive the punishment afterward, but I really need to go."
After finished saying, he ran toward his house, ignoring the calling of his teammate from behind.
...
Theodore rushed to his home, feeling extremely nervous in his heart. When he arrived, the screen in front of him dismayed him.
He saw many houses caught in the fire; most importantly, his and his teacher's home was among the burning places.
When he got close to his house, he felt a slight splitting headache from the choking smell of the smoke.
He caught many people escaping from their houses in time and trying to extinguish the fire, only to be of no avail; the fire was too intense.
Theodore quickly scanned the people, trying to find the figure of his teacher. He frowned as his chest tightened when he could not find Nathan among the crowd.
He hurriedly asked for a bucket of water from the nearby crowd and poured the water on himself before he strode into his house.
...
"Cough." Theodore choked as soon as he walked in, and his eyes blurred from the smoke. He also felt the high temperature and the burning sensation on his skin.
Theodore squinted his eyes, trying to search for his teacher in the common area.
'Teacher was not here, then he should be in his room.' Theodore swiftly deduced Nathan's location from his teacher's current condition.
With this thought, he endured the more blazing heat as he promptly walked to Nathan's room.
When he opened the door, Theodore immediately spotted his teacher's figure lying motionlessly on the bed with a pale face.
He strode forward and checked his teacher's breathing by placing his ear close to his teacher's mouth and nose for around ten seconds; it was one of the trivial methods he learned from the city guard training.
'Fortunately, I arrived in time. It seems teacher is still breathing.' Theodore breathed a sigh of relief when he sensed his teacher's breathing; however, things were still far from over.
Theodore took one last look at the room before reluctantly moving his gaze; everything was alright as long as he and his teacher were still alive.
He then swiftly carried Nathan up on his back and quickly ran out.
...
The further Theodore went, the harder it was for him to breathe and the heavier his body felt. It was more challenging to walk out with Nathan on his back than when he came in.
He could only grit his teeth to persist.
It did not take much time for Theodore to reach the common area; with a few more steps, he and his teacher would be temporarily out of danger.
Unfortunately, they were unlucky.
CA-BOOOOM!!!
Just a few more steps before Theodore reached the door, parts of the ceiling fell, blocking his path.
"Cough-cough," Theodore choked from the dispersing dust as he retreated to avoid getting buried.
With the door blocked, Theodore set his eyes on the windows with his blurry vision.
The longer he stayed here, the more nausea he felt. Theodore also understood that he should not stay here for long, but he could not do much in his trapped situation.
He endured his dizziness as he sped up toward the nearby window and quickly reached out his hand to open it.
'Ouch!' Theodore instinctively withdrew his hand due to the intense heat of the window frame.
He looked around, trying to find a towel; unfortunately, it was too far away on the other side of the room.
There was not much time left.
Theodore braced himself as he endured the blazing high temperature and quickly opened the windows. Parts of his hands turned red from the burn, but he ignored it and tried to push his teacher out.
One of the outside crowd then noticed his attempt and came to help.
Theodore subsequently handed over Nathan to that passerby.
The moment Theodore passed Nathan out, the rest of the ceiling crashed down, burying him below.
BOOOOOOOM!!!
With his smoke-filled vision, Theodore could barely see anything. He endured the pain and focused his remaining vision on his teacher's figure as he thought expectantly, 'I hoped he could survive.'
That was the last concern he had before he lost his vision.
It seemed that he had died, Theodore thought bemusedly. It was a strange feeling; death was not as scary as he had initially thought.
