"We finally made it. Ugh, my head is starting to feel like it'll burst any second. Should I take another potion?"
Rin complained as he rubbed his forehead. Sleep clawed at his eyes, but his sheer determination kept him awake and moving.
His hand hovered over the 'buy' option in the store, but Rin's heart hurt at the thought of making it even less appealing to buy one. He was not made of money and his sour mood made buying even less attractive.
'Ugh, but if I don't buy a potion, will I even make it inside'
Teressa was his only hope now, and he shook her awake. But she was also exhausted and she didn't wake up Rin tried to shake her awake more forcefully, but he had no energy left.
[User, you look really pale. Is life too hard? Worry not, the system has prepared a special reward for you.]
[A new feature has been unlocked in your panel- Exhaustion meter.]
[Current exhaustion level: 60%.]
[As part of the user benefits, user can manually lower the fatigue level up to 40%. But once the status is lifted, the exhaustion level increases by 10% of the current level.]
[The ability can only be used for up to 12 hours at max.]
There were a lot of words on the screen, but most of it went over Rin's head. What stuck with him was the fact that he could get rid of his exhaustion temporarily.
[How much would you like to lower your exhaustion level?]
"M-Maximum?"
Rin knew he was making a dangerous choice, but he couldn't bring himself to regret it. His body instantly felt lighter and the pain in his limbs went away as well.
He took a deep breath before he pushed himself to stand.
[Current exhaustion level: 20% (-40%)]
Rin looked at the system, wondering if anything else would change. But nothing changed on the screen.
So he turned to shake Teressa instead and she finally woke up.
"Are we there?"
Teressa's pink eyes looked past Rin toward the mansion behind him Rin felt a sense of satisfaction watching her awed look, but he needed her to move.
"Let's get inside. I will introduce you to everyone and then get you settled into your room."
Teressa nodded and followed him inside.
The first thing Rin noticed was the cleanliness of the mansion interior. The second thing he noticed was that the power was running again.
"Young Master, you are finally back? Please get yourself checked out by Miss Reina. I will call everyone for an emergency meeting to announce that you are back and the search party should be called back."
Collin's expression did not change at all when he delivered the news, but the tension in his shoulders eased, indicating that it had been a tense moment for him.
Rin felt sorry for worrying his butler and others, but he did not feel any guilt. Nor did he promise he wouldn't do this again.
"I see. Let me know once everyone gathers. I want to address them all. Can you do it within this hour? I will get myself checked by Reina in the meantime."
His butler's expression remained constant and he gave Rin a bow before going off to fulfill his order.
"Master Rin, you are kind of a big deal. I did not realize just how influential you were. It looks like I lucked out choosing you as my master."
Teressa didn't sound sincere in her attempt to act innocent. But whether she chose Rin because she recognized him or if it was a coincidence was hard to tell.
She followed Rin well and made sure to stay close. People noticed her presence but did not approach her. But Rin noticed her subtly positioning herself to draw attention that drew attention toward her.
'Is she trying to show off how close we have gotten in just two days? It's not a bad way to make herself seem important. She's got a good head on her shoulders.'
Due to Teressa's constant presence, no one else dared to approach Rin. At the same time, no one questioned her presence either. They thought Rin's lack of response was tacit agreement on his part.
Her sudden closeness with Rin did not go over well with everyone, but the first one to question this was Reina.
Rin knocked at her office door and was immediately grabbed when he entered.
"So, would you mind telling me where you were until now? Would we even have known if you ended up dead in a ditch somewhere?"
Reina's eyes were dark with worry and anger. There was no excuse Rin could make to ease her anger. So he decided to let her vent until she felt better.
At least, that had been the plan, but Teressa decided to interfere. She forced her way between him and Reina with a smile on her face and immediately tried to take control of the situation.
"Miss, I understand you are angry at Master Rin, but please calm down. Otherwise, I will have to do my best to protect my master."
Reina's eyes widened in anger. Teressa's words had ignored her anger and only worsened her anger.
"Stop butting in, outsider. This is between me and Rin-"
"But Rin is my master now. If it involves him, then it involves me as well. I won't stand down-"
"Teressa, Reina is right. This is between us and I am at fault here. I should have informed someone, but I was pressed for time. However, can you hold off on getting angry at me? The second task will start in a few hours and we need to prepare for it."
Rin kept his voice steady and it cut through the tension.
Reina didn't look happy backing down, but she was sensible enough to know when to pick her battles.
"Fine, let's talk later. But it'll be only between you and me. I don't know or care why you brought someone back but I will take it as a problem if she tries to interfere."
Rin nodded and Teressa stood quietly behind him, waiting to see what she should do next.
In the end, she chose the smart option and waited for Rin to address her. Her presence was noticeable, but not enough to feel like a threat. However, Reina's expression looked displeased.
She was too aware of Teressa and her subtle pressure. To ease the tension, Rin decided to introduce them to each other.