Chương 44: Chapter 43

While everyone was organizing themselves within the safe house, someone activated the projection system. Although the safe house had no windows, it had excellent ventilation and a special mode that allowed the outside world to be viewed as if the ceiling itself had disappeared. Once the projection was activated and everyone had settled down, the nobles quietly waited. The purpose was simple. When the parents and the others returned, they would be able to see that everyone was safe, allowing them to calm down.

However, instead of seeing their families return, they saw something else. An incomplete dragon. The moment the massive creature appeared above them, the people inside the safe house became uneasy. Fear spread quietly through the room. But then, their eyes turned toward Lady Rosa Roosevelt. She stood tall and calm despite the terrifying sight before them. If Lady Roosevelt, the person who was currently the most physically fragile among them, was not afraid, then they could not allow themselves to fall apart either.

At least, that was what they told themselves. Even so, their bodies continued to tremble. Lucian watched the people around him. He had planned to take a break after seeing the dragon. This was not something he wanted to handle. He was not the person meant for calming frightened nobles during a disaster. But seeing the fear in their eyes, he realized he could not simply leave. With a quiet cough, Lucian stepped forward and spoke once again.

"Everyone, do not panic."

"As you can see, because of the efforts of the Royal Knights, your parents, the masters present, and the military forces, the dragon was not able to fully form." The frightened nobles looked back at the projection. He was right. What kind of dragon did not have a tail or one of its arms? Slowly, the fear within the room began to lessen.

"With the nobles and fighters in the other area handling the situation, we will soon receive good news."

"Remember, this event did not prevent the kingdom's nobles from bringing protective artifacts with them." As Lucian spoke, Lily and the others within Nina's consciousness suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, right." Lily's expression changed slightly.

"Didn't Rosa explain that nobles usually keep their weapons and magical equipment stored away in secure locations?" Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

"Why would they have their magic equipment with them today?" Her voice became quieter.

"It's strange."

"You don't think someone knew about this, right?"

"That doesn't make sense." But as Lily spoke, a faint sense of dread spread throughout all of the personalities. The feeling arrived suddenly. Every identity within Nina's consciousness, including Lucian, felt pain shoot through them. Outside, people noticed Rosa Roosevelt suddenly clutching herself. Whispers spread through the room. Lucian gritted his teeth. He forced his hand outward while maintaining his expression. But internally, he was shouting. Check on Nina. Immediately. Fortunately, the others understood.

Despite the pain, they forced themselves to move and rushed toward Nina.

"Nina."

"Nina, wake up."

"Nina." But Nina did not respond. She remained trapped within her own thoughts. The system, unable to understand what was happening, could not determine the cause. Then a notification appeared. The system immediately reacted. No hesitation. No calculation. It moved toward Nina and activated an emergency response. A powerful shock traveled through her soul, forcing her consciousness back toward reality. Nina opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was the worried expressions of the identities around her.

"Hey, are you okay?" Elias asked.

"If something happened, you know you can tell us, right? That is why we are here."

"Yeah," Lily added.

"Don't keep everything to yourself. Suffering is already difficult enough. Doing it without anyone knowing makes it worse." Nina looked away. She stared at the projection showing the outside world.

"It's just..." Her voice was quiet.

"There is a high chance we are not making it out alive today."

"What?" Lily immediately looked at her.

"What are you talking about?" Before Nina could explain further, her consciousness began to fade. The host entered sleep. The system, which had remained passive until now, immediately reacted. A barrier formed around Nina, preventing the other personalities from reaching her. Its voice changed. Cold. Mechanical.

"Host requires emergency stabilization."

"Unauthorized individuals are not permitted to interact with host."

"System?" Lily asked. She reached toward Nina. A powerful shock forced her back. The system repeated itself.

"Unauthorized individuals are not permitted to interact with host." Lily stared at it.

"What is going on?" She tried to move again, but the system remained firm.

"Nina..." Lucian stopped her.

"System, is Nina's current state related to what we felt earlier?" The system remained silent.

"System, is Nina safe?" After a moment, the answer came.

"Host is currently in a sleep state."

"Host's soul requires stabilization." Lucian nodded.

"Understood."

"We promise not to interfere with the host."

"You may leave her there. We will handle everything else."

"Understood." The barrier around Nina disappeared. The system vanished.

"What are you doing?" Lily immediately looked toward Lucian.

"Why did you allow that?" Anger filled her expression.

"Someone." Lucian called out. Damien understood before anyone else. He grabbed Lily and forced her back into the subconscious state.

"Nina needs to rest." Lucian looked toward the others.

"It seems the remaining matters will have to be handled by us." Damien glanced toward Nina's sleeping area.

"Hopefully, the system's barriers will be enough to protect everyone."