CH 31

Riett and Evan hurriedly informed the people about the fire. The principal’s face turned pale as he came out and assessed the situation on the rooftop.

“W-What is going on here?”

The administrator, who rushed over, replied, 

“It seems like the magical stone on the rooftop shattered and exploded…”

The administrator’s expression was filled with despair. 

“The surroundings are a forest, so if the fire spreads further, it will be dangerous…”

“You go and call the magic teacher. If magic is used, it will be much easier to extinguish the fire.”

“Understood!”

“In the meantime, I will gather the others here and go up to the rooftop. There are emergency water facilities there, so if there are no major issues, we should be able to put out the fire quickly.”

Following the principal’s instructions, the administrator quickly disappeared to fetch the magic teacher. The principal, along with nearby teachers, also headed to the rooftop.

Riett quietly observed the situation. As the administrator said, if the fire grew and spread to the forest, it would be a major disaster.

‘It needs to be resolved quickly.’

However, as time passed, the magic teacher did not appear, and there was no sign of the principal and his group on the rooftop.

Feeling anxious, Riett clenched the hem of her dress.

‘…Time is running out.’

She couldn’t just keep watching. There had to be another solution.

Riett looked around.

Then she noticed a particularly tall tree. Its branches extended over the rooftop.

‘They said there are water facilities on the rooftop, so if I can somehow get up there…’

Since no one had appeared on the rooftop yet, it was clear that there was a problem with accessing it through the stairs. But if she climbed that tree, she could easily cross over to the rooftop.

After considering her options, Riett decisively tore off a piece of her flowing dress. She removed the silk gloves she was wearing, dropped them on the ground, and tore the lower part so that the trailing fabric wouldn’t hinder her movements. It wasn’t as comfortable as pants, but it allowed for easier movement.

Riett placed her hand on her waist and looked up at the massive tree.

Fifteen years of tree climbing experience. The saying that even monkeys fall from trees seemed irrelevant because she had never…

‘Oh, come to think of it, I did fall once.’

She climbed an apple tree to get a better look at Evan and ended up falling. Fortunately, Evan caught her from below, and she wasn’t injured. But she acknowledged that she had been careless. However, she wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.

Just then, Evan approached her.

“Are you thinking of climbing the tree to get to the rooftop?”

“Yeah, we don’t have time to wait any longer. The fire might spread to the forest.”

Evan looked up at the tall tree.

“How do you plan on climbing up?”

Evan’s question made Riett’s mind race.

She was already contemplating it. She had confidence in her abilities, but she had never climbed a tree of this height before. The trunk was smooth, and there didn’t seem to be any suitable places to grip or step on.

At that moment, a scene from a past life movie flashed through her mind. The female lead used friction to climb a tall pole, and the graceful ascent left a deep impression on her.

‘I can apply that technique.’

Having found a solution, Riett’s expression became determined.

“There is a way.”

Riett, who was starting to prepare, received Evan’s gloves as he took them off.

“Put these on.”

They were sturdy black leather gloves. They appeared much more useful compared to Riett’s slippery factory gloves. They were a bit big, but if she tightened the wrist part, they would be much better than bare hands.

“Don’t overdo it,”

Evan’s black eyes stared at Riett with concern.

“If it seems dangerous, don’t hesitate and come down immediately.”

‘This expression…’

Riett felt a sense of familiarity.

She recalled the sight of Evan looking up at her when she fell from the tree and was about to climb back up.

He had saved her when she fell before, so if something happened this time, Evan would surely help in some way.

With groundless and vague trust, Riett smirked and nodded her head, then picked up the torn dress fabric from earlier.

Riett stood in front of the tree, wrapped the fabric around her hands, gripping one side with each hand. Leaning her body back, the fabric tightened against the tree trunk.

After confirming a place to step on, Riett lightly jumped up and started climbing the tree. It went smoother than expected. With the fabric that didn’t slip, supporting her body required much less effort than clinging to the tree with her arms, and she felt less precarious.

As Riett climbed halfway up the tree, voices could be heard from various places.

“Who’s climbing up the tree over there?!”

“Isn’t that Riett?”

All attention quickly turned towards her.

With each step she took, climbing up with her feet, amazed sounds echoed from below.

‘Alright! If I just reach out my hand…’

Finally, Riett successfully reached the branch that connected to the rooftop.

She let out a sigh of relief and looked down. She saw small heads looking up at her. Among them, Lucas with wide-opened eyes, and Samuel with a pale face could be seen. It almost made her laugh, which didn’t suit the situation.

After taking a brief moment of rest, Riett moved again. Fortunately, the rooftop was made of stone, so the fire wasn’t spreading quickly, and there was still some time left.

Each time she moved towards the rooftop, the branches shook.

‘…It’s a bit dangerous.’

If by any chance the branch snapped…

Imagining her lips parching, Riett quickly shifted her body.

Riett cautiously stepped on the edge of the branch and reached out her foot into the air towards the rooftop.

And finally,

“…Phew.”

Riett stood on the rooftop.

“Wow!”

Cheers echoed from below.

However, she didn’t have time to revel in it. The nearby fierce fire made her face feel hot.

Riett thought she should open the rooftop door so that others could come in. However, there was also a fire right in front of the rooftop door.

‘So that’s why they couldn’t come in.’

The principal and the others were probably looking for water or trying to find a way to open the heated door. There was no time to waste until they broke through from the other side.

‘Where is the rooftop water facility?’

Riett looked around. Then she spotted a valve in a corner of the rooftop.

Fortunately, the area around the valve was not engulfed in flames, so it was relatively safe. Riett hurriedly moved towards it.

However, the rusty valve that hadn’t been used for a long time was too stiff to turn. Despite her efforts to force it, the leather gloves slipped without any resistance. That’s when she remembered the piece of wood that she had used as a lever when she climbed the tree earlier. 

With that added, she felt like she could make it work somehow. It had come in handy when she climbed the tree, after all.

‘Today, this dress is doing its job perfectly.’

It wasn’t designed for this, but…

Apologizing silently to her mother, who had carefully chosen the dress for her, Riett tightly wrapped the piece of dress fabric around her hand. Then, with all her strength, she turned the valve. The hose connected to the valve began to trickle water, and soon a strong stream burst out.

Riett struggled to hold onto the hose as it spewed out a powerful stream of water and started to extinguish the fire.

The first place she put out was near the rooftop door. If she could extinguish the fire there, other people would be able to come in.

Riett extinguished the fire on the rooftop side, unlocked the door, and kicked it with the hose in hand. It opened with a creaking sound.

Outside, the principal and his companions looked surprised as they blinked their eyes.

“The fire near the door is out, so come in quickly!”

From then on, it was a flurry of activity.

The people who came in from outside added water from the hose that had already been stretched out. Thanks to that, the fire quickly subsided, leaving only the blackened rooftop.

* * *

The unexpected commotion was fortunately handled well.

Afterward, the principal asked the attendees about resuming the party. Perhaps because they didn’t want their efforts in dressing up to go to waste, no one opposed the idea. The party resumed.

Exhausted, Riett leaned against the wall. Looking down, she saw her tattered dress and ruined shoes. Her neatly styled hair was also a mess. Her carefully prepared appearance had completely disappeared.

Even though she had accomplished something significant, she couldn’t help but feel out of place at this elegant and luxurious party.

She didn’t know if it would have made a difference even if she had dressed up properly.

Moreover, although the party had barely resumed, the opportunity to become this year’s Person of the Year had already flown away. When she thought about this crucial fact, her mood sank even further.

‘No, I still prevented a disaster.’

Riett tried to soothe her melancholic thoughts.

“Now, let’s begin the award ceremony.”

The principal was already standing on the stage, but she didn’t realize when Part 3 had ended.

“Every year, I sincerely thank the students and guests who make our school dance party shine. Even though there was an accident, I was once again moved by everyone’s calm response.”

The principal looked at the students with proud eyes.

“Personally, I would like to designate everyone as this year’s Person of the Year, but unfortunately, I believe only one person will receive that honor.”

The atmosphere heightened, and the hall became quiet. Everyone listened attentively to the principal’s announcement.

“Now, let’s begin the award ceremony. The Person of the Year of the year is…”

Who would it be? Who would receive a perfect score? Riett anxiously waited for the announcement of the recipient.

“Riett Marren!”

Clap, clap, clap!

The sound of applause echoed around her.

Surprised, Riett stood up from her seat and pointed to herself.

“Me?”

The principal nodded with a kind face.

“Please come up to the stage.”

Riett, unable to hide her flustered emotions, stepped forward a beat late.

“Miss Marren has shown the courage to prioritize others before herself in dangerous situations, the wisdom to come up with solutions that no one else dared to think of, and the perseverance and resourcefulness to not give up even in desperate situations. Thanks to her, a major disaster was prevented.”

The principal looked at everyone with a solemn voice.

“So I believe no one will have any objections to this decision.”

Once again, applause erupted. It was a sign of agreement and congratulations.

“Amazing, Riett!”

In the midst of it all, Samuel’s loud voice broke through the applause.

The principal extended the trophy, and Riett received it in a daze. Only then did a burst of joy explode in her mind.

‘I did it, an extra 50 points…!’