“President, please don’t push yourself too hard; you can leave the rest to me.”
Standing beside Bai Xiao, Secretary Huang looked at her with a worried gaze.
Even though she was dragging her weary body, Bai Xiao continued to direct the on-site personnel in conducting mental evaluations.
If this continued, she would surely collapse!
Secretary Huang had learned from the medical ability users that Bai Xiao’s severely injured body had only just been repaired, making strenuous activity ill-advised.
She needed to prioritize rest.
Yet, no matter how much they tried to persuade her, Bai Xiao persisted in her own way.
Secretary Huang had been summoned by Bai Xiao’s call, and this, combined with the information gathered from the medical ability users, provided clarity.
She naturally understood the reason behind Bai Xiao’s urgency.
It was for this very reason that she had offered to take over the remaining duties from Bai Xiao.
“Then I’ll leave it to you.” Bai Xiao didn’t resist; she inherently knew her body had nearly reached its limit.
While Aya Tone’s magic could repair physical injuries, its capabilities extended no further.
The energy Bai Xiao had expended during her prolonged battle, along with the internal power within her, all required time to recuperate.
“Leave it to me.” Secretary Huang tacitly accepted Bai Xiao’s heavy burden.
As she watched Bai Xiao’s retreating figure, a peculiar glint flickered in Secretary Huang’s eyes.
The next task, then, was to ascertain whether any “replicas” existed among all those present.
****
The sky gradually brightened.
Sunlight dispelled the darkness, yet it could not dissipate the sorrow lodged in people’s hearts.
“Ah… ugh…”
Aya Tone, having been guided by ‘Aya Tone’ all night, slowly opened her hazy eyes.
After a night’s sleep, her internal magic had finally recovered by half.
Perhaps having grown accustomed to the presence of magic within her, the sudden emptiness made Aya Tone feel profoundly uncomfortable.
“Lord Aya Tone, have you awakened?”
“?”
Aya Tone paused her stretch, looking towards the sound, to see a woman in a nun’s habit seated in the chair opposite her.
A nun?
Weren’t these only found in games? Could it be cosplay?
Ah, no, that’s not right!
Aya Tone slapped her forehead.
Wasn’t she one of the medical ability users responsible for healing Aunt Bai’s injuries?
She blamed it on getting too carried away playing with new equipment in her dream, failing to react immediately.
“Mhm.”
Aya Tone responded with a simple sound, then recalled Bai Xiao.
“How is President Bai doing now?”
According to ‘Aya Tone’, the efficacy of the [Touch of Healing] largely depended on how much magic the user—Aya Tone herself—poured into it.
Last night, in a moment of impulse, she had completely drained her body.
It seemed Bai Xiao’s life had indeed been saved, but it remained uncertain whether she had awakened.
“President Bai?”
Ling Xin was momentarily taken aback.
Wasn’t President Bai Xiao perfectly fine? From Lord Aya Tone’s tone, it sounded as if the President had been injured.
“President Bai has gone to rest; all current affairs are being handled by Secretary Huang.”
“Aunt Bai went to rest? In that case, never mind.” Hearing that Bai Xiao was resting, Aya Tone also let out a sigh of relief.
It was good that she was alright.
“If Lord Aya Tone needs to find Secretary Huang, she is currently finishing the tabulation of casualties…”
As she continued, Ling Xin’s voice gradually deepened into a somber tone, until she fell silent.
As a medical personnel in logistics, she hadn’t participated in the S-rank dungeon raid due to the unique nature of this operation.
Thus, from the outside, she had personally witnessed the teams confidently enter the man-eating portal, only for a scattered two or three individuals to emerge gravely wounded.
Despair and sorrow were etched upon every face.
The teleportation entrance had now completely sealed, and the dungeon had vanished.
However, one team remained trapped within forever…
“I’ll go take a look outside.”
The crowd was busily cleaning up the aftermath, but the moment they saw Aya Tone descend, they all halted their steps and saluted her.
Even those still engaged in tasks cast respectful glances towards Aya Tone.
Evidently, they had all learned from Lin Qingfeng and his group that this petite girl was the one who had destroyed the dungeon core.
It was through her actions that the catastrophe had been averted in its infancy.
“Please continue your work; don’t mind me.” Though unaccustomed to being watched by so many, Aya Tone politely waved to everyone.
Aya Tone navigated through the crowd and found Secretary Huang, who was tabulating the casualty list.
“Little Aya Tone, you’re awake?”
Secretary Huang smiled briefly at Aya Tone, then resumed her work.
She chose not to directly tell Aya Tone about the healing magic.
After all, it was better to leave such troublesome matters of child-rearing to the President, letting her play the role of the stern one.
As for herself…
Being the good person wasn’t so bad.
“Secretary Huang, the list in your hand…” Aya Tone’s brow furrowed slightly as she stared at the notebook in the secretary’s grip.
With just a glance, she saw roughly two dozen names.
At the very top of the list, a blood-red name sharply pierced Aya Tone’s eyes.
“Wang Lin”
How could this be possible!?
Aya Tone’s crimson pupils involuntarily constricted.
Three teams had entered; her own team had all survived.
What about the other two teams… And… Wang Lin!?
“Secretary Huang, from the other two teams… how many people survived?”
Secretary Huang: “…”
Her writing pen paused imperceptibly, and her voice, thick with sorrow, replied, “Three people…”
“The team led by Adventurer Wang Lin was completely wiped out…”
Aya Tone: “!!”
Although she had already had a premonition upon seeing Wang Lin’s name on the list,
hearing it from Secretary Huang’s lips still brought an undeniable wave of sadness.
The growth of an S-rank adventurer demanded not only resources but, more crucially, innate talent and time.
While the awakened ability level wasn’t everything, those who achieved S-rank were invariably one-in-ten-thousand geniuses.
The sudden fall of such a rising star was, without doubt, a devastating blow to Z Nation.
“Try to look on the bright side; they are all heroes.”
This raid operation had incurred heavy losses, yet thankfully, it ultimately succeeded…
Otherwise, the losses would have been even greater!
“I’m fine, I just feel that life is truly so fragile.”
Aya Tone gazed up at the nascent sun, lamenting the insignificance of humanity.
Her eyes seemed to return to that frozen, snowy land; if not for ‘Aya Tone’, perhaps she too…
…might have perished there.
“That… isn’t your fault.”
Secretary Huang had also heard from Lin Qingfeng that it was Aya Tone who had defeated the dungeon core.
The more powerful a person was, the easier it was for their thoughts to lead them into a dead end.
She truly feared that Aya Tone might blame herself for their deaths, much like Bai Xiao…
“Huh?” Aya Tone felt somewhat bewildered by the comfort; she had merely been expressing a sentiment.
Besides!
‘Of course it’s not my fault. I’m just a magical girl, not an omnipotent Doraemon.’
‘I don’t have a time machine to go back and save them.’
*Cough, cough.*
Of course, Aya Tone dared not utter these words aloud.
“Secretary Huang, I’m truly fine.”
“Alright, once everything is tidied up, we can head back.” Secretary Huang closed the notebook filled with crimson names.
“Really?” Aya Tone’s eyes lit up, all traces of her previous sorrow vanishing instantly.
They could leave soon, which meant…
‘Booking plane tickets!!!’
Secretary Huang: “…”
‘This child truly has a big heart; just a moment ago, they were concerned for the nation and its people, and now…’
‘Heh heh.’
Secretary Huang shook her head. ‘Perhaps this is for the best. Taking things in stride allows for a more comfortable life.’
‘Unlike Bai Xiao, who shoulders everything.’
‘One day, she won’t be able to bear it anymore…’
****