Chapter 170: Ch 170: Checking on Reina - Part 2

"Rin, shall we head back inside? Albus and Collin will take care of Reina for us, and they will inform us if anything happens to her. You did your duty by coming here. Now let’s head back."

Shelly wrapped her arms around his and tugged him back toward the staircase. Rin staggered for a moment before he remembered why he was here and put his foot down.

He was not as strong as Shelly, but she was not currently using her full strength. That was the only reason he was able to stop her and hold his ground.

"Is something wrong?"

Shelly asked with a confused look on her face as she watched Rin stop.

Rin debated whether he should go back with Shelly or check on Reina himself. But his worry about Reina won in the end, and he decided to stand firm.

"I would still like to check on Reina to ease my mind. It will only take a minute."

Shelly’s expression fell, and she bit her lip in agitation. But she did not stop Rin this time.

Rin headed toward where Reina was, and the first thing he noticed was her pale expression and sweat-covered face.

Anyone could tell that Reina was having a hard time controlling her skill. But that was to be expected because she had been keeping that skill active for days now.

Luckily, her condition did not look severe enough for her to collapse.

Rin watched her for a whole minute before deciding that it was safe to head back. He turned around when he heard Reina’s voice call out to him.

"Rin? What are you doing here? It’s not safe out here for you."

Reina sounded exhausted, and Rin felt sympathy for her. He knew how it felt to work until he was on the verge of collapse.

"Don’t talk too much and save your strength. I just came here to check on how you were doing. I’ll head back now."

Reina’s expression brightened with a genuine smile, and she looked happier than Rin had ever seen her.

"You came to check on me? You should have saved your time instead. As you can see, I’m far tougher than you expect."

Even though Reina was boasting, her exhaustion was obvious for Rin to see. The more he watched her work, the more certain he became that Reina deserved a vacation after everything was over.

Reina opened her mouth to say something else when Shelly slid beside Rin and tugged at his arm.

"It’s time to head back now. The longer we stay out here, the worse it will be for your safety."

Shelly decided that he had spent enough time outside and tried to pull Rin away. She looked unhappy seeing him out here talking to Reina.

Rin wanted to tell Shelly that it was alright and that they could spend a little more time outside. But before he could say anything, Reina decided to speak up.

"Actually, wouldn’t being by my side be the safest place for Rin right now? There’s a barrier around this place, and both Albus and Collin are keeping watch. It would be even safer if you joined us too, Shelly."

Reina’s suggestion caused Shelly’s eyes to flash with irritation. Rin had a feeling that a fight might break out if he did not intervene.

Honestly, Reina was not even wrong. Even Rin had to admit that the current lineup here was one of the strongest in the settlement.

But no matter how safe it was, Rin could not shake the feeling that a fight would break out if he stayed here too long. He tensed up, waiting for the argument to start.

And that was when Shelly surprised him by backing down.

"You’re right. Being by my side is the safest place for Rin. But some extra protection won’t hurt either. So I guess I can tolerate your presence this time."

Rin felt a little speechless as he listened to Shelly speak. He had never seen her be this openly rude to someone on purpose before...

Or rather, he had. But he had always brushed it off as Shelly being careless.

It turned out that he was the oblivious one in this relationship while Shelly had been the cunning one all along.

’Please don’t take offense to Shelly’s words, Reina. Should I apologize for her behavior to smooth things over?’

Rin wondered what he should do next. But it turned out there was no reason for him to do anything.

Unlike him, who had been in denial about Shelly’s true nature, Reina had seen through Shelly a long time ago and had grown used to it.

So she merely scoffed at Shelly and smirked.

"I’ll make sure to do my part. After all, I’m the one Rin is relying on right now. It’s only right that I repay his trust."

Shelly’s expression stiffened, but she did not argue.

Instead, she gave Rin a calm smile and ignored Reina’s presence.

"Rin, don’t worry too much. I’ll make sure to protect you from anything that can harm you. Call my name if you need anything from me, alright? You will always be my first priority."

Shelly promised with a desperate look in her eyes.

Her words left Rin speechless, but he slowly nodded to show her that he understood her devotion.

"Hey, aren’t you going to help keep us safe now? Or was that just an excuse to spend more time with Rin while pushing all your work onto others?"

Reina taunted Shelly, causing Shelly to glare at her. But she still stood up and headed toward the battlefield.

Both Albus and Collin exchanged worried glances but said nothing as they watched Shelly join the fight.

Rin also felt the tension leave him, and he sat down against the wall. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The argument had exhausted him, and all he wanted to do was close his eyes and pretend everything was alright.

A whole minute passed in silence before Reina decided to address him again.

"It seems like you finally found out Shelly’s true nature. She’s no longer holding herself back, even around you. I guess congratulations are in order?"

Rin buried his face in his hands at Reina’s words but chose not to answer. After all, it felt far too embarrassing to admit anything right now.