I Will Be the Greatest Knight
Chapter 177: Moving Quickly

Chapter 177: Moving Quickly

[TW Ahead]

It was no longer the moon that lit up Irene’s path, but the orange fire eating up what wasn’t made from stone on Samson’s shop.

Her heart was in her throat at the thought that something could have happened to the man so beloved to her father. Not only was he a connection to her father’s past, but someone who tried to ensure that he could remain a knight, or at least retain use of his hand through the care he put into something as precise as a prosthetic hand.

Beyond that, Samson was loud and happy. He was someone who deserved to live. She had heard of many mercenaries who went down dark pathways, but the man used his money for good. Not only did he help his family, but he also built himself an honest career where he actually helped the knights by making their weapons.

"Please, please," Irene begged over and over.

The Sünstoian gods and the monotheistic god more commonly worshiped were both prayed to as she ran with her sword in her hand and ready. If anyone was out there, she needed their help.

Perhaps even divine intervention would reverse time and give whoever was trapped in the half-collapsed building another chance. She had another chance from her past life. Would it work the same for others?

Since the front door was part of the major collapse, the girl could only climb through the rocks and rubble and avoid the wooden areas that were still lit up and hot. It felt like her face was burning as she came close to the smoke and fire.

She saw the body of an apprentice, and she grimaced but had to move forward. Based on the state they were in, there wasn’t an ounce of life left.

As certain as she was going through the rubble and hoping she could find signs of life, there was soon a crossroads she had to decide on. The roof had collapsed and blocked off the back half of the building.

In the back half were the rooms Samson seemed to work in the most. One was the armory, and the other was more of a workshop room where he measured her, her sword, and where she eventually stole arrows from him. She still wore the bow he allowed her to keep to that day.

The thought caused her heart to clench.

Since the left side led towards the fire but had a bigger opening, she decided that was the best route. Going towards the right seemed less hot, but the opening was much smaller and seemed as if it would collapse at any moment.

She had to crawl over more rubble, but soon she found solid ground and was able to sprint forward, thanking the universe for not having long hair at that moment that would have certainly kissed the flames she was required to run beside.

Once she got to a more enclosed space, her eyes squinted as smoke burned them. Unfortunately, they were necessary to see, so she had to keep them open regardless. Feeling her way forward wasn’t an option when there were piles of fallen brick and stone littering the entire way.

Since Samson was someone who would likely protect the smith until his dying breath, she moved past the hot ovens and towards the two rooms where he spent most of his time. Had he possibly brought the boys deeper in until they were trapped? She only got in because she was small. Someone of his size would have a lot more trouble getting through.

Irene eventually lowered herself closer to the ground. The smoke filled the more enclosed space as she moved behind the collapsed ceiling. An occasional cough escaped her lips.

She pushed the door of the armory open and was met with a dark room devoid of weapons, as if everyone had cleared out the space to fight the monsters. With less hope, she moved to the second room where the door was far more difficult to push open.

"Is anyone there?" she shouted, hoping they would hear her if they were blocking the door. "Anyone?"

She got the door open slightly, but it fell closed once more as if something was leaning against it. With a final shove, it finally did open, but what she was met with was another room that had caved in. The door behind her shut, and the room was obscured by darkness, so she turned to open the door again.

However, with the door only open a crack, allowing the flames to light up the space once more, she was met with the body of the oldest blacksmith apprentice she recognized from the last time she was there. He was older now.

The girl gasped, and her eyes began to water. Around his lips were black, and there were various wounds on his body where blackish purple veins seemed to get lost under his skin.

"Oh my—"

She was slowly walking backwards, but she stepped on something soft.

Jumping forward, the girl had no choice but to disturb the apprentice’s body so that she could prop the door open and see the full expanse of the space.

Irene realized the soft thing she stepped on was one of Samson’s large arms. Over three-quarters of the man’s body was buried under the collapsed ceiling. Just like his apprentice, there was a purplish black mark around his lips. Even if that wasn’t what killed him, it looked grim to her all the same.

"No," she gasped and finally placed her gloved hands over her mouth as her sword clattered to the floor, unwilling for sobs to escape her lips. "How is this fair?"

They could have been saved. If they weren’t trapped... they could have been saved.

She felt it was another failure of the knights, already spread too thin.

As it got overwhelming, the girl crouched for a moment, trying to gather what she was supposed to do next. If she were to leave them, they might get eaten up by the fire and not properly eulogized as they were meant to be.

The consideration of life felt extremely heavy all of a sudden.

Before she could make a decision, she heard shouting outside that brought her back to the urgent reality.

"Necromancer!"