* "God, am I annoyed!" (Shari)

* "Why?" (Liqu)

* "Try again. You know the reason." (Shari)

I lift myself out of a tub within the barracks.

Looking around while I wait for a very hard pondering slime.

* "Because I'm inside you and you didn't have a single silent second for yourself?" (Liqu)

* "If you know that you can be quiet to make it easier for me. Or even better, leave!" (Shari)

* "I can't yet. The core expansion weakened me too much. My core is right now not only strained but rippled from the inside, burned, frail." (Liqu)

That doesn't sound good.

That sounds really, really bad.

* "Could you be more specific? How long will it take till you're restored? Don't tell me it's permanent!" (Shari)

* "No, no. Smaller cracks in a core can be mended and the burn will be restored with time. But forming a body or controlling enough slime to move at an adequate pace is out of the question for the time being." (Liqu)

* "How did you even survive this the first time?" (Shari)

It's her technique.

So she must have experience with it.

If she used it once, how could she escape the threats that came her way after this?

* "I didn't leave anything alive back then that could see me. First I could just appear like a stone. Then I could dig down and after some weeks I was at normal slime capacity." (Liqu)

* "Weeks!?" (Shari)

I have to endure this for weeks?!

* "Oh, I think it might go faster this time. I am stronger now than I was back then and tried to be a bit more careful to limit the damage. Becoming operable again shouldn't take too long but I might be weakened for quite a long time till I'm back at full capacity." (Liqu)

* "Damnit. Fine, I'll transport you a little longer. But try to make it easier for me. It's a bit much to hear you in my mind." (Shari)

I could try storing her here somewhere, but I don't trust each soldier here.

Even if we saved them, they might get some kind of existential fear because of Liqu's overwhelming power and decide to save mankind while she's out of it.

However, that becomes quite tempting when I have to experience her celebrating inside me.

* "Yay! Woohooo! I can stay! Wonderful!" (Liqu)

* "Liqu, quiet!!!" (Shari)

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This made her actually stop. I guess she can feel my emotions and like this knows how far she can push me before I snap.

Having settled my "internal" issues, I prepare for the day by putting my uniform on and gathering my weapons.

After yesterday I should receive more than enough stares.

The first piece of evidence of the profoundness of my worries would be the stupidly excessive number of guards in front of my room.

I feel Liqu shiver inside my chest.

Not that she would control any slime, but it's the feeling which runs rampant.

She's like an echo for all my internal reactions.

Even if she can't see anything.

I learned that Liqu is a bit cut off from the world since my slime vision sends the information only to me.

She may get the tiniest amount through my thoughts and reflections, but it's not much.

Not that she would care in all her bliss.

Did I mention that bliss can be a very annoying feeling if it's not your own, but you feel it anyway?

It's as if someone repeatedly tells you to be happy even if you don't feel inclined to be so.

And that on, and on, and on.

Honestly, I think I might go crazy.

Yet I accepted that I would transport her as long as she needs it and, as it should be known already, I feel quite obliged to keep my word.

So all I can do is tell her to shut up at times when I need a break.

I leave the room I arbitrarily occupied within the headquarters building.

For now, it seems like everyone was ordered to take temporary shelter here in case of another attack.

Also, the mansion got ruined to quite a degree.

Not that space is an issue.

Many died during that last attack, so most of the rooms are free.

I'm heading to the provisional sick bay.

This one is occupying quite a lot of space within the building.

And it's crammed full.

Count Kahan directly ordered for all the clearsprout in the garden to be harvested and the healers are truly doing their best, but it's still too much.

At the start, they could only give emergency treatment, which left them completely exhausted.

Now that things calmed down a little it seems that real treatments commence yet it's only helping a little, considering the sheer numbers of injured people.

Especially the soldiers.

The healers simply run out of energy too fast and it takes quite a while for them to replenish. And right now I'm going to visit someone on their sickbed.

I ignore the gazes and walk over to those I'm here for.

"Hey Jaren. How is it?" (Shari)

Did I mention that I'm terrible at interacting with sick people?

"Ah, you know, punctured organs, severe blood loss. The common issues." (Jaren)

"Ah, yes... Sorry to hear that." (Shari)

I fidget a little because seriously, would anyone like to be in such a situation?

"You know... It's good that you made it." (Shari)

He frowns at this, his gaze becoming sullen.

"Galos didn't have such luck, and Balion almost followed him. So sorry, but I don't feel like celebrating." (Jaren)

"Yes... okay. By the way, I can't see Balion. Is he..." (Shari)

"He's fine. To be precise, he was such a bad case that the healers had to treat him as one of the first. Just the most necessary but he got roughly patched up." (Jaren)

Seriously, that sounds unfair.

The most reckless get preferential treatment with the healing.

However, I remember how he looked like a pincushion during the battle.

So it's understandable that he needed some emergency treatment.

"And you?" (Shari)

"Well, apparently the healers are exhausted. For now, the priorities are healing the elites, so we're prepared in case of a second wave, and keeping the worst cases from dying. It's gonna take a while till they're done with this and can actually start to recover the rest. Urgh. I'm so far down on that list that I don't expect to be battle-ready anytime soon. I've heard that we're trying to hire more soldiers, but simply making the call will take days." (Jaren)

Seems like my team is basically neutralized.

Not like I have any intention to head out anytime soon.

My payment is already more than earned.