Chapter 88
Bohn's fireball hurtled toward me. Only the wounded Zeze and Jini were nearby, and there were no guards. A direct hit from those raging flames would be fatal. But I couldn't dodge it, either.
At the moment I sensed death approaching, Al leaped in front of the flames.
"I won't let you!"
Shouting, Al took the fireball with his body. The flames roared and engulfed him.
"Al!"
Seeing Al wrapped in flames, I stood there utterly stunned. The strength drained from my body, and my thoughts came to a complete halt.
"Heh, he killed himself."
Bohn was smirking, but even his voice passed straight through my ears.
I stared blankly at Al, engulfed in flames. A low growl came from the raging fire. It was the sound of his agony as the flames burned him.
Al's voice gradually grew louder and more powerful. No, this wasn't a scream of agony. It was a war cry.
"Impossible! That can't be!"
Bohn's face went pale. The next moment, the fire surrounding Al swelled to enormous proportions.
"Don't mess with me!"
With Al's piercing shout, the swollen flames burst outward in every direction.
Al emerged as though he had been born from the raging fire. His hair was singed, and smoke rose from his body. Yet he stood firmly on both feet and fixed Bohn with eyes hotter than the flames.
Al could use fire magic just like Bohn. He had probably expelled flames from his own body the instant he was engulfed, blowing Bohn's magic away. But Al had never practiced it, nor had anyone taught him. To pull it off on instinct required unbelievable talent and courage.
Overwhelmed by Al's intensity, Bohn stepped back. His face was twisted with anguish, but then his eyes suddenly hardened, and resolve filled him.
Bohn formed a ball of flame in his left hand. Al braced himself, but Bohn turned to his right instead. He launched it at the stern of the Flame Lion, where it struck the deck and set it ablaze.
Bohn continued firing one spell after another, setting the Flame Lion ablaze.
"Hey, you bastard, stop!"
As Al tried to stop him, Bohn threw down his sword and put one foot on the ship's rail.
"This ship is finished. You lot, jump into the sea and get away!"
After saying this to his crew, Bohn jumped into the sea.
"You bastard, don't run away!"
Al chased him to the rail and shouted angrily as he peered into the sea. Around him, the Flame Lion's crew threw down their weapons and leaped into the water one after another.
Because Bohn had set fire to various parts of the Flame Lion, the flames spread rapidly. There was no way to put them out.
"Al! Ray! Get back here!"
I waved to Al and Ray, ordering them to stop fighting and come back. Then I turned and looked at Captain Maurice.
"Captain Maurice, if this continues, the fire will spread to our ship as well."
"I know. Mary! We're pulling away!"
Captain Maurice turned the Silverwing's wheel and began pulling away from the Flame Lion.
"All hands, evacuate! Get back to the ship! Anyone who can't make it in time, jump into the sea! All hands, evacuate!"
Mary-san, who had been fighting aboard the Flame Lion, gave the order with a sword in one hand. She then kicked off the rail herself and leaped onto the Silverwing.
Al and Ray, along with the crew of the Lazybones who had been fighting aboard the Flame Lion, returned to the Silverwing. Those who couldn't make it back in time jumped into the sea to escape.
The Lazybones put some distance between itself and the Flame Lion. Captain Maurice stopped the ship once we were far enough away that the fire could not spread to us. Looking at the Flame Lion, I saw flames spreading across the entire ship.
Not only the crew of the Lazybones but also Bohn and the Flame Lion's crew were floating in the sea. We were in the middle of the ocean. If we didn't rescue them, they would drown. Clicking his tongue, Captain Maurice ordered everyone to be rescued.
Those who had fallen into the sea were hauled aboard one after another. As I watched the people being recovered, a small boat came sailing toward us. It was carrying the children who had been knocked into the sea during the earlier battle. They had climbed into their boat and caught up with the Silverwing, which had moved during the fighting.
Everyone who had fallen into the sea was hauled aboard. Kyle and Borel, whom we had sent to secure the letter, were there as well. They had escaped after noticing the fire aboard the ship.
When I questioned them with my eyes, Kyle and Borel shook their heads. They had been unable to recover the letter from the Kingdom of Hameil.
As my shoulders slumped, a mocking laugh rang out.
"Heh, looks like the letter burned up along with the ship. Tough luck. Things didn't go your way, did they?"
The one wearing that thin sneer was Bohn, who had been hauled aboard. He was bound with rope alongside the Flame Lion's crew. He no longer had a cigar in his mouth, but apparently his smart mouth was still intact.
The flames engulfing the Flame Lion spread even farther, reaching the fire-breathing lion at the bow. It looked as though the lion were being burned by its own flames. Before long, the Flame Lion would burn to nothing and sink into the sea.
I never imagined Bohn would burn down his own ship to destroy the evidence. It was my failure that I hadn't been able to predict his actions.
As I ground my teeth in frustration, a pained voice rang out across the Silverwing's deck.
"Gatt is missing! Does anyone know where Gatt is?!"
The one crying out was Paula-san. Her face had gone pale as she looked around. I hurriedly scanned the deck as well, but Gatt was nowhere to be seen.
"No!"
I rushed to the port side and leaned over the rail, searching the sea. But no one was floating in the water anymore; everyone had been rescued. I looked at Captain Maurice and Mary-san, but they both shook their heads. No one had been left behind. And if Gatt wasn't here now, that meant...
"Oh no..."
Paula-san collapsed where she stood. Her unfocused eyes were fixed on the Flame Lion, which was even now about to burn out.