Chapter 203: Ch 203: She knows what she is doing
[Give it up, Rookie. That girl has already accepted everything and she is willing to embrace her fate. There is nothing more you can do about it.]
The system reminded Rin of the fact that he was helpless in this situation.
He wanted to help Serena, but even if he could help her, what could he do for her anyway? He could not take away her corruption, so she was bound to suffer either way.
[It is better for you not to offer any help than to offer false hope, right? Serena is too far gone, so give up on her. Rather, you should focus on the person you can save.]
The system told Rin while pointing toward Teressa.
The succubus looked terrible as well, but her complexion was much better than Serena’s. It was all because she was not as far along as Serena was.
But if Rin did not do anything, then this would be the end for Teressa as well.
"Teressa, are you alright? Is the corruption spreading?"
Rin asked in a worried voice, and Teressa shook her head to indicate that it was not the reason she was leaning against the wall for support.
"I am fine...for the most part. But I think I am too exhausted right now. I would like to take a nap if you don’t mind."
She told Rin, and she was falling asleep even before she finished speaking.
Rin watched her slumber with a heavy heart because he knew that she was like this because of the corruption.
He needed to find a way to get rid of it quickly-
[Well, this senior knows of one way to get rid of the corruption in your companion.]
The system told Rin, and he paused.
’There was a solution? Then why did the system not tell him before? Was it necessary to wait this long?’
[It is a solution that the Rookie would not like. But since you seem desperate, I guess this senior should be a little lenient and tell you what can be done.]
Rin paid extra attention to the system’s words from then on. He did not want to miss a single word and misinterpret them.
[The way to get rid of Teressa’s corruption is simple—you will have to transfer it to someone else who has a higher corruption level.]
That immediately put Rin in a bad mood.
"Is that even a solution? Isn’t this just pushing your problem onto someone else?"
He questioned the system, but the being just shrugged.
[I don’t see the problem, Rookie. As far as you are concerned, both people with corruption are doomed anyway. So won’t it be better to sacrifice one of them to save the other? If you are too scared to offer this solution, then would you like this senior to tell Serena about it?]
"Don’t tell her. Knowing Serena’s nature, she would try to take this burden on alone. I don’t want her to waste what little time she has on something like this."
Rin told the system, and it fell quiet for a few seconds before continuing.
[I see. So you are willing to let Teressa suffer in exchange for giving Serena a few more days. What a noble master you are.]
Those words made Rin angry, but he knew that the system was right. He was making that choice because he was a coward who could not ask Serena to suffer more.
[Just so you know, Rookie. Your sacrifice won’t be appreciated by anyone. Miss Serena is too far gone to be saved now. But you still have a chance to save Teressa. Make the right choice this time.]
The system went away, leaving Rin with a difficult decision.
He did not know what to do with this information, and his heart and mind were at war.
His mind told him to do as the system suggested and transfer Teressa’s corruption to Serena. That way, at least one of them could be saved.
But his heart wanted to save both of them.
’What a nightmare. I wish someone else could come and take this burden off my shoulders.’
Rin begged, but there was no one else who could take this burden off him. He had chosen this path, and it was time for him to honor it.
But just because he wanted to keep things this way did not mean everyone else did as well.
The system ended up sending a message to Serena soon afterward, telling her that her life had yet another use.
__________
"Doctor Karina, the s-system...something is wrong with it. Look at this-"
Karina looked at the report her assistant had passed her with a bored look on her face. The patterns her assistant was showing her looked familiar, but they were none of her concern.
"It seems our dear Molly decided to break into the system and cause chaos. Let it be. It is none of our concern."
Karina told her assistant, and her assistant panicked.
"How can you say that, Miss Karina? The system operates on a delicate balance. What if Miss Molly’s actions harm it?"
"Hahahaha, is this some kind of joke? Molly and hurt the system? She worships this thing and has dedicated her life to serving it. She is the last person we should be worried about hurting this thing."
Karina pointed out as she tinkered with her experiment.
Her assistant looked terrified but slowly calmed down at Karina’s words.
"Y-You are right. But still...should we not do something? Who knows what Miss Molly is planning? What if it ends up killing us all?"
The assistant asked, and Karina sighed.
"I doubt things would get that bad. As far as I know, Molly is playing babysitter to Experiment #00. I doubt she would do anything to jeopardize his growth. Especially after her precious experiments managed to escape."
Karina pointed out and tuned out her assistant. She would have continued to work on her experiment, but another presence made her halt.
She looked at the elderly woman who entered her lab and let out a smile.
"Old Audit, you rarely visit me. What is this visit about? Do you need more coffee? More spare parts-"
"This is about Molly’s experiments that escaped. I just saw that one of them has participated in the rankings as a hunter. I thought that was not possible. Didn’t we regulate participation with the utmost caution?"
The old woman asked, and Karina sighed.
"Don’t be too rigid, my dear Audit. I am sure the system knows what it’s doing, and so does Molly. Let those kids have their fun. But if things do start to get out of hand, then we shall interfere."
