Chapter 461: The Heroics at the  Scene of the Fires

At the next fire scene, the local soldiers had already rushed to the scene first and were prioritizing the safety of the residents by driving away onlookers and evacuating those in danger. However, the fire was spreading, and they were struggling to put it out.

When Tauro and his friends arrived, they immediately tried to help put out the fire, but to the soldiers they were just outsiders.

As Tauro and his friends tried to get close to the fire to help extinguish it, the soldiers regarded them with suspicion and readied their spears to apprehend them.

“We’re not suspicious individuals!” 

Tauro took out an expensive pen from his magic storage and showed it to the man who seemed to be the commander of the territorial troops.

“?—Th-this is! The lord’s family crest!? ”

The pen was a gift from Duke Bariella, the Prime Minister, to celebrate Tauro’s unveiling ceremony.

The fact that it bore the duke’s family crest indicated that its use was approved for such situations.

“—Excuse me, but what is your connection to our lord…?”

“I’ll explain after we put out this fire. —Aeris, please!”

“okay!” 

Aeris quickly began chanting a spell, summoning a contained downpour over the area just as she had done before.

Tauro, Ankh, and Ragune shattered parts of the burning building to prevent the fire from spreading any further.

The soldiers could only stand by in awe, watching this efficient response unfold.

Thanks to Tauro and his team’s efforts, what was on the verge of becoming a major fire was put out and contained before it spread to a wide area.

The onlookers and soldiers witnessing the scene cheered,

“It’s the ‘Saint’…!”

“The ‘Saint’ has extinguished the fire for us!”

“Thank you ‘Saint’ and her entourage!”

It was the same reaction as at the previous site.

The commanding officer of the soldiers must have also misinterpreted Tauro and his friends as members of the ‘Saint’s’ entourage, as he knelt down and said,

“Thank you for your efforts!”

He thanked us for our help.

“ah, it’s  not like that though “

Tauro tried to correct him, but there was another fire scene awaiting them.

Without being able to reveal their true identities, Tauro and his companions left the scene.

　The remaining scenes were also on the verge of becoming major fires, but thanks to the soldiers who rushed to the scene, they were able to prevent the fire from spreading, while Tauro and the others rushed in and put out the fire, resolving the issue.

By the time they put out the fourth fire, word was already spreading among the surrounding residents that the ‘Saint’ and her entourage had worked miraculous magic to extinguish the fire.

Although Aeris was drenched from the rain she had conjured,  she was a picturesque beauty, even dripping with water, that it only enhanced the perception of her being the ‘Saint,’ giving rise to the misunderstanding.

At that time, the real ‘Saint’ and her entourage were arriving at the Duke’s residence, where they were welcomed, which led to strange rumors,  but the reputation of the real “Saint” who had done nothing would continue to soar.

“… This is definitely arson, right?” 

Tauro looked at the scene after the fire had been put out and confirmed it with Aeris and the others.

“Four incidents happening all at the same time leaves no other explanation. Plus, I can sense traces of magic,” 

Aeris agreed with Tauro’s conclusion.

“… And of course, there’s a good chance the culprit is among the onlookers…” 

Tauro sensed a presence directed with malice amidst the crowd using his ‘Presence Detection’ ability.

That being said, there were too many faces to identify anyone specific.

But then, just as quickly, that hostile presence vanished.

They must have left the scene, he thought.

“This could be someone harboring a grudge against the prime minister, making a nuisance in his territory, or it’s some sort of scheme involving the ‘Saint,’ or possibly both…. Given that the ‘Saint’ and her entourage haven’t been attacked amidst this chaos, it might lean towards the first option?” 

Tauro organized his thoughts while consulting with Aeris and the others.

“If it’s the former, they must have planned to set fires in areas where the security was thin, capitalizing on the ‘Saint’s’ welcoming parade to create confusion in the capital,” 

Ankh carefully analyzed Tauro’s thoughts.

“Still, wouldn’t it be smart for them to have other contingencies in place?” 

Ragune raised a question, feeling something was amiss.

“Since none of the four locations turned into major fires, maybe they didn’t need to take any further measures,” 

Zion chimed in with a logical observation.

“Right. As zion said, our actions likely prevented that from happening,” 

Aeris agreed with Zion’s insight.

“This time, we owe it all  to efforts. —And as you can see, she’s treated like a ‘Saint’,” 

Tauro teased Aeris as the onlookers cheered her on, “’Saint’! Over here!”

“Please, stop it!” 

　Aeris looked truly distressed, so Tauro obediently followed her orders and stopped. Then the commander of the territorial Soldiers arrived and guided them to the Duke’s castle.

On their way, Tauro informed the commander that they were not the ‘Saint’ herself, but part of her entourage.

“… I understand. It’d cause quite a huge stir. Right? Yeah,”

The officer reacted as if he understood, which was strangely akin to a restaurant owner who, in my past life, dealt with celebrity sightings kept low-key by responding that it were just look-alikes.

“Well, it’s not a bad rumor, but… let’s save a more detailed explanation for later,” 

Tauro also seemed to think that explaining any further wouldn’t be able to make them understand, so he gave up.

　

Thus, Tauro and his party became unexpectedly popular among the residents of Bariella ‘s capital as the ‘Saint’ and her aides.

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