Butler Collin’s words were like a wake-up call for Reina. But at the same time, she could not help but feel suspicious of him.

"Why are you telling me all this? Aren’t you rooting for Shelly?"

Reina asked, and Collin sighed before shaking his head.

"Miss Shelly is...in love with Rin. That much I cannot deny. But her obsession is not normal. I am afraid that it would hurt the young master more than it would make him happy. As for his feelings...I don’t think it is too late for you to win him over."

The butler reminded Reina, and she felt her jaw drop at those words.

She wanted to say something, but no words could come out of her mouth.

Thankfully, she did not need to say anything because Shelly decided to walk over to them after giving Rin his potions. It was impossible to tell whether she had paid attention to their conversation or not, but she did not say anything about it.

"Shall we get going now? Our guests are waiting for us."

Shelly took the lead once more, and both the butler and Reina followed her outside without a single complaint.

No one noticed the slight glow coming from Rin’s body or the sudden rise in his temperature as he absorbed the core he had been given.

__________

[User’s body has started to absorb the calamity core. Energy will be regulated within the user’s body, and new growth potential will be unlocked.]

[KPI achieved.]

[’Rookie’ has been promoted to ’Regular’ employee. Congratulations on your promotion.]

[Your clearance level has increased. Please check the new perks available with your position. Additional information can be found in the system database.]

Rin groaned as message after message appeared before him. He wanted to check them, but he did not have the energy to even focus on them.

His body was burning from the inside, and there was nothing he could do about it.

The core he had absorbed contained a tremendous amount of energy, and it felt as though it were tearing him apart from within. He wanted to take a potion, but even opening his inventory felt like an impossible task.

He looked around with feverish eyes, hoping to find something that could help him. But he saw nothing.

Rin felt something glassy touch his lips before relief flooded through his system. But he had a feeling the relief was only temporary.

He blinked his eyes as he regained consciousness and looked around the room he was in.

"This is...Reina’s office..."

Rin realized this as soon as his vision cleared enough for him to focus.

He wanted to be surprised that he was here, but he could still recall the phantom sensation of Shelly’s arms around him as she carried him back.

"Shelly must have brought me home. But where are she and Reina?"

It was rare for Reina to be away from her office. It made Rin feel as though he should find her and get a report on his condition.

But even pushing himself into a sitting position seemed like a daunting task. His body refused to listen to him.

His head spun when he tried to sit up, so he lowered himself back onto the bed and looked toward the door.

Rin did not expect anyone to come through it, so he was shocked when it suddenly rattled. Panicking, he decided to pretend he was asleep again.

The door opened, and hesitant footsteps made their way toward him.

Rin could tell that the other person was nervous, so he waited for them to calm down before speaking.

"Uhm, I know I have no right to come here and talk about Serena, but I felt like I had to make this confession. I...this was all my fault. Serena was not supposed to die from corruption, but she ended up like that because she took the corruption meant for me. I-I wanted to apologize to her, but she’s no longer here. So I decided to come to you because you are the next best option."

Teressa sounded upset as she spoke. Her voice trembled as though she were about to cry at any second.

Rin felt a sudden urge to stand up and comfort her, but he also had a feeling that it would not be a good idea to let Teressa know he was awake. He did not want to embarrass her.

Besides, right now she needed someone who would listen to her without judging her for what had happened. Rin could only be that person if Teressa felt comfortable enough to speak freely.

His reasoning was validated a second later when Teressa let out a sob and continued speaking.

"Ugh, I don’t even know why I’m saying this to you. Maybe because you’re unconscious and that makes it easier for me to get these words off my chest? Anyway, I just...don’t know what I’m supposed to do. How am I supposed to apologize to Serena for what happened and thank her at the same time?" 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Teressa asked, but Rin knew she was not actually looking for an answer.

Rather, it did not even seem like she expected one.

"Are you looking for someone to blame you for what happened? I heard that some people use that as a psychological coping mechanism to make themselves feel better. But I’m afraid it’s the wrong approach if you want to live a normal life...not that any of us are living a normal life."

Rin decided that he could not allow Teressa to think like this anymore. She was going to self-destruct at this rate, and he could not allow himself to lose her.

Teressa looked at him with wide, betrayed eyes. She opened and closed her mouth, unable to decide what she wanted to say next.

Rin understood her anxiety, but he was not going to allow her to run away from this conversation.

The poor succubus looked trapped. Her panicked expression made it seem as though Rin had bullied her, and Rin immediately felt that it was unfair for Teressa to make him look like the bad guy.

But he was willing to become the bad guy if it meant Teressa would feel better about herself.

After all, she was precious to him as his familiar, and he wanted to see her healthy and happy.