Chapter 290: Understanding.

Chapter 290: 290: Understanding.

At night, Commander Lynn and Ayra walked side by side along the waterside.

The full moon illuminated the calm, flowing stream, its glittering light reflecting off the water as the two of them enjoyed their stroll along the bank. They were quiet and relaxed, simply absorbing the peaceful atmosphere as they walked together.

After a while, Commander Lynn spoke. "It’s cold tonight... I think we should go inside so you don’t catch a cold."

Ayra immediately smiled. "Lynn..."

She called out to him, and the two of them turned to look at each other. For a moment, there was silence.

Commander Lynn raised an eyebrow. "Huh? What is it?"

He tilted his head slightly before asking, "What do you want to talk to me about?"

Ayra hesitated. She wasn’t sure how to bring it up, but she guessed she’d have to start somewhere.

"Do... Do you know my rank now?"

Commander Lynn paused, tilting his head as he answered, "An A-rank... Why?"

Ayra smiled. "Yes... That’s my rank. Do you think that rank is weak?"

Commander Lynn hesitated before shaking his head. "Not at all. Why?"

Ayra smiled as she gathered her thoughts. "I understand that you’re trying to make me feel comfortable..." she began, rising onto her toes to pat him on the head.

Commander Lynn bent down slightly to make it easier for her.

Ayra continued, "I’m extremely grateful that you feel concerned about me and want to take such good care of me and all... I understand and appreciate everything you’re doing. But..."

She hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Sometimes, doing too much for someone can be bad for them, even when you have good intentions."

Commander Lynn fell silent, listening as he tried to understand what she was saying.

Ayra smiled gently. "Sometimes... Doing too much can actually make the person you’re trying to help feel bad."

Commander Lynn finally understood what she meant. Feeling guilty, he immediately said, "I’m sorry if I’ve made you uncomfortable... I was just trying to take good care of you."

Ayra shook her head with a smile. "No, you don’t have to apologize at all. It’s a good thing that you want to take care of me in every way..."

She paused before adding, "But you should remember to ask the other person how they feel about it, so you don’t end up making them feel bad. Okay?"

Commander Lynn slowly nodded. "Mmm. I will... Thanks for letting me know." He awkwardly scratched his head. "I guess I got a bit carried away..." He laughed. "I’ll work harder!"

"..."

Ayra was immediately alarmed by the words work harder!

"No... I don’t mean you should work harder like that, but..." Commander Lynn tried to explain himself, only for the two of them to end up laughing.

They laughed beneath the calm moonlight, occasionally looking out at the water before turning to smile at each other.

"You should laugh more. It looks great on you," Ayra said, leaving Commander Lynn feeling shy as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Don’t worry, I won’t do it again," Lynn promised with a laugh. "I was actually worried I might be overdoing it, but since you didn’t say anything, I thought it was okay..."

Ayra realized she should have spoken up much earlier. "Don’t worry. I’ll speak up next time, then."

And so, the two of them stood there, smiling at each other as they enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere.

---

Ayra and Ally were back at work the next day. Some warrior beastmen had sustained injuries after encountering wild beasts in a contaminated zone, and the two of them were helping to heal them.

Ayra was doing most of the work while Ally watched closely, paying attention to every detail. However, Ally was especially excited that day because Ayra had promised to let her put what she’d learned into practice.

She would be attempting to heal a beastman for the first time, so she was both excited and anxious. She was curious to see whether she could actually do it, considering she had never officially healed a beastman before.

So far, she’d only used her pheromones for certain purposes or helped heal the women of the Green Snake Tribe. Now, she would be treating her very first patient.

Ally was so anxious that she’d spent the entire night reviewing everything she’d observed from her mother and practicing what she’d learned. Standing beside Ayra as she healed the injured beastmen, she could hardly wait for her turn to begin.

She glanced at Ayra, who was busy working, before asking, "Mama..."

Looking around, she continued, "I didn’t see Papa around here. Have you finally spoken to him?"

Ayra smiled. "Well, yes, I did."

Ally’s curiosity immediately piqued, and she leaned closer. "Really? So, how did it go? What did Papa say?"

The beastmen who had come for healing were curious too. Some of them subtly leaned closer, eager to hear the full story.

Ayra glanced at them all before smiling and shaking her head. "Nothing much. We confessed our feelings, kissed, and all that. That’s it," she teased.

Ally sighed and rolled her eyes. "So boring... No news at all. You’re no fun, Mum!"

Ayra smiled as she continued her work. "Instead of waiting for gossip, you should be thinking about how you’re going to heal your first patient."

She glanced at her daughter and added, "You should keep reviewing everything in your head instead of worrying about gossip right now."

Ally sighed. "Don’t worry about me! I’ve already done all the practice, and now I’m ready for anything!" she declared proudly.

Ayra smiled. "Is that so? Then that’s great. I can’t wait to see what you’ve got."

She returned to her healing, leaving Ally to wait eagerly for her turn.

Later that evening, while they were still treating the remaining injured beastmen, Rai and Kan suddenly rushed into the room, looking utterly panicked.

Ayra and Ally immediately stopped what they were doing and turned towards them. Judging by their expressions, they could tell something was wrong.

"What is it?" Ayra asked.

Ally straightened up, her expression growing tense as she waited anxiously to hear what news they had brought.

"The kids..." Rai managed to say, struggling to get the words out. "The kids are missing..."