"Bring the next person to me. And be quick. Amelia, can you take the people in the back?"

Reina took command of the healing area as she watched people pour in from all sides. She was well-rested, so managing the situation was currently easy for her. But she was also worried about what was happening.

There were far too many injured people compared to the previous rounds, and most of their wounds looked like they had been caused by carelessness. If it had only been one or two people, Reina would have scolded them before healing them. But too many people had similar injuries, and that made her uneasy.

Still, she was far more worried about Rin than these people.

She knew that Rin took situations like this hard, and she did not want him to worry. So she did her best to heal everyone as quickly as possible.

That was when she came across something strange.

[User is affected by a status ailment: Hallucination. Would you like to dispel it?]

Reina’s system displayed the prompt, and she finally began to understand what was happening. She dispelled the status ailment from a few people when a sudden commotion grabbed her attention.

She watched as Rin walked toward her, and Reina’s anger immediately surged inside her.

"What are you doing here? You should be in your room. Don’t you realize that you are the king? So why—"

"Reina, I need your help."

Rin looked at Reina with an almost desperate expression that made her words get stuck in her throat. She wanted to scold him more, but she suddenly realized where she was and what she was doing.

Rin decided to take advantage of Reina’s hesitation and immediately placed his hand on her shoulder. His face was almost too close to hers, and she could feel his breath against her lips.

Reina’s head spun from how close Rin was, and she could not think of a single thing she could do to get out of this situation.

’W-What is going on here? I...what should I do? He’s too close. I can feel his breath and see his eyes so clearly. Should I...reach for more?’

Reina unconsciously leaned forward until only a few inches separated her lips from Rin’s. She would have kissed him, but Rin tightened his hold on her shoulder and spoke up.

"All these people are under a status ailment, and you are the only one who can help them, Reina. So can you look past the fact that I came here and listen to me about helping them?"

Rin’s grip was tight on Reina’s shoulder, but his clear voice broke through the haze clouding her mind.

She still did not have enough courage to pull away, so someone else did it for her. She felt herself being yanked back, and her back collided with Shelly’s chest.

"You’re standing too close to Rin. But since this is an emergency, I’ll allow it this time. Next time, I’ll make sure to use a knife instead of my hands."

Shelly whispered in Reina’s ear, and that drained away any dreamy feelings Reina had been experiencing. She finally realized where she was and what was happening, and her face immediately turned pink.

The feeling of Rin’s breath against her lips was still fresh in Reina’s mind, but it quickly faded under Shelly’s glare.

She still felt a little unsteady, and Rin decided to press the issue while she was distracted.

"Reina, you are the only one we can count on right now. I know it might be difficult for you to keep your abilities active for three days, but this is the best option we have. Do you think you can handle it?"

Rin asked, and Reina immediately felt irritated at being doubted.

"Of course I can handle it. Three days should not be a problem for me."

Reina boasted in the heat of the moment and instantly regretted it.

She knew her own limits best, so she understood that three days would be a stretch and would leave her exhausted. But one look around told her that people were counting on her. She could not back down now.

Rin’s worried yet relieved gaze fell on Reina, and her pride told her that she had to make this work somehow.

"Leave it to me. I just need a high place and a few people to amplify my abilities."

Reina promised, and some of Rin’s worry eased.

"I’ll be counting on you, Reina. Please let me know if you need any help. I’ll do my best to assist you."

Reina opened her mouth and almost asked Rin to stay with her during this time. But in the end, she decided against it.

She needed to appear strong right now.

Reina needed to show Rin that she was a worthy choice and that he was right to trust her. It was finally time for her to showcase her full abilities.

__________

People were still fighting outside when Rin returned to his office. For some reason, his body felt heavier than before, and his head hurt worse than ever.

[Warning: You have been affected by the status ailment - Hallucinations.]

[Due to the sensitive nature of your ’job’ profile, your status ailment has been modified. You will be connected to the mainframe. Please find a safe place and close your eyes.]

Rin could barely read the message since his eyes felt heavy. But he somehow managed to make it to his office and lock the door behind him.

After making sure it was safe, he closed his eyes and felt his consciousness being pulled toward something.

[Connecting to Segment #00. Transferring consciousness to one of the branches. Establishing access connection.]

The voice sounded familiar, but Rin’s body was sinking deeper and deeper for him to properly notice what was happening.

He felt his back hit something, and when he opened his eyes, he realized he was in an unfamiliar laboratory.

[Strengthening connection to the mainframe. Uploading new context. Please remain on standby during the process.]

Rin could feel that something inside him was changing. Whatever he was connected to wanted something from him. But thinking clearly was becoming difficult.

So he looked around the place he was in and noticed a small screen. He walked toward it and saw an unfamiliar elderly woman on the screen wearing a familiar lab coat.

It was the same kind of lab coat Shelly’s mother often wore.

Rin felt intrigued and reached toward the screen, only to be absorbed into the space. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself inside the lab, and he could hear the older woman speaking clearly with her assistant.