Chapter 172: Ch 172: The Barrier went down

Reina’s complexion looked a lot better after having the potion, and her strength started to return. But Rin also noticed a disappointed expression on her face.

It disappeared as soon as Reina realized he had seen it, and Rin did not even have time to ask what was wrong.

"Ugh, I finally feel like I’m alive again. I should be able to handle another day just fine."

Reina commented to ease the tension, but she did not move away from where she was leaning against Rin.

Everything stayed quiet for some time before Reina finally decided she had had enough of sitting still and got up to take a short walk to ease the tension in her body.

"Take it easy. You’re still recovering from your energy loss."

Rin commented, causing Reina to scoff at his concern.

"Don’t tell me what I should and shouldn’t do. I’m the doctor here, so I know my limits. You, on the other hand..."

Rin decided it was time for him to stay quiet. Reina was finally hitting his sore spots.

Reina laughed once she noticed Rin’s defeat, and the atmosphere returned to normal.

...

Another few hours passed peacefully. The battle with the monsters continued below, but the situation was slowly becoming grim.

Since Amelia was the only healer, she was having a hard time keeping up with the patients. Their fighting force was decreasing.

’There’s still a whole day left before this task is over. Will we be able to hold on for that long?’

Rin bit his lip and made a decision.

He and Reina already had a barrier protecting them, so there was no need for Albus to remain here as well. Shelly and Collin could handle the situation.

"Albus, you can go help the others now. We’ll be fine without you."

Rin gestured, but Albus did not immediately follow the order.

The frown on the original protagonist’s face told Rin that he was unhappy with the decision, so Rin decided to explain further.

"We don’t have many monsters here, but the situation is getting harder to control. I need you to lend them a hand."

"Fine! I’ll head down. But call me as soon as you sense danger. And don’t try to take action on your own."

Albus scolded Rin, but he still followed the order.

Rin decided to overlook Albus’s cheekiness as he walked back toward the center of the barrier. But he had not gone far when he felt a presence creeping up behind him.

He immediately looked back, only to see a monster slamming itself against the barrier.

There should have been no reason to worry because the barrier was protecting Rin and Reina, but Rin suddenly had a bad feeling about the situation.

He took a step back and grabbed his weapon from his inventory. The barrier shattered the next second, and the monster entered the safe zone.

Rin immediately killed it and decided to look for the person in charge of the barrier.

Since the barrier needed to remain active at all times, Rin had made sure the barrier master stayed nearby. He was located one floor lower, inside a private room.

The door was locked, but Rin had the mansion’s master key with him. He used it to open the door and immediately found the barrier master passed out.

"Shit! Did he die?"

Rin panicked and checked immediately. Thankfully, the barrier master had only passed out from extreme exhaustion.

Keeping the main barrier active for two straight days must have been incredibly draining.

But Rin still needed the barrier master to do his job. So he took out a potion and fed it to him.

The man coughed and almost spat the potion out, but he managed to swallow it at the last second before slowly opening his eyes.

"Y-Young Master...what are you...doing here?"

The man asked weakly as he blinked and looked around. Awareness slowly crept into his eyes as he remembered what had happened.

As soon as he did, his cheeks flushed and he began to panic.

"I-I am sorry, Young Master. I swear I only closed my eyes for a few seconds. I didn’t mean to fall asleep..."

The barrier master seemed genuinely panicked over what had happened. This was bad for both his mental and physical state, so Rin placed a hand on the man’s shoulder to reassure him.

"It’s alright. I know it must be difficult to keep the barrier up for this long. I don’t blame you for wanting to rest."

Rin’s tone was calm and free of judgment. It helped the barrier master relax, and he nodded before quickly restoring the barrier.

"I’ll make sure to take better care of myself from now on."

The barrier master assured Rin, and Rin nodded in response. He spent a few more minutes checking on him and making sure he had everything he needed before heading back to Reina’s side.

But his path was blocked by monsters that had taken advantage of the barrier going down.

Rin could have ignored them, but he chose not to. He needed to protect the barrier master, who was currently focused on keeping the barrier operational.

"Hmm, looks like some pests managed to slip in while I wasn’t looking. Not that it’s a problem. I’ll take care of you all soon enough."

Rin flexed his wrist before taking out his bombs and knives. It was time for him to deal with the monsters himself.

Getting rid of the small horde was not difficult, but it was time-consuming. The monsters refused to stay down, even when Rin struck their weak spots. He had to destroy their cores to kill them permanently.

One monster tried to sneak up on him, but Rin threw an explosive over his shoulder and blew it apart.

The blast left marks all over the walls that would need to be repaired once the task was over.

"Ugh, when will this task finally end? It’s such a pain dealing with these monsters over and over again."

Rin complained as he hurried back toward Reina. His instincts were telling him that he needed to get there quickly.