My Milf System-Chapter 56. Her pain, My rage.

(Asher’s POV)

Damn it!

I hadn’t been considerate of Anna. How could I have entrusted her to that bitch Lorraine, thinking they were now friends? Yeah, right. As if that snake cared about anyone but herself and her pride.

With my speed buff still active, I found her floor quickly, thanks to my system’s terrain scanner.

And then I saw her.

Battered. Bruised. Yet, despite her injuries, she was desperately trying to clear the fallen rock door with trembling hands, her body barely holding itself together.

"Anna!" I called, screeching to a stop in front of her.

Her face lit up with relief. That smile—so fragile yet so bright—shattered something in me.

I couldn’t stop myself. I pulled her into a tight hug. The moment my arms wrapped around her, I could feel her shaking.

"Oh, Asher..." Her voice cracked, and then the sobs came. "I thought I was gonna die. I was scared."

I held her closer, rubbing her back, whispering against her hair. "It’s okay. I’m here now. Nothing is going to hurt you."

She pulled away slightly, sniffing as she wiped her tears.

"There’s a girl buried in the rubble. We need to help her. Maybe she’s still alive."

I turned to the massive pile of debris. Someone was buried under that? My stomach tightened. Wasting no time, I raised my hand and summoned a powerful gust of wind, blowing the rubble away.

And there she was.

My breath hitched at the sight. The girl was a mangled mess—her legs, gone, sliced clean off. Blood pooled beneath her, soaking into the dirt.

Anna gasped and turned away, squeezing her eyes shut as fresh tears streamed down her face.

The girl wasn’t dead—her pulse was weak, but she was hanging on by a thread.

I scooped her up, her blood staining my clothes. The sight was enough to make my stomach churn, but I had no time to hesitate. I summoned my item box and retrieved two healing potions, tossing one to Anna.

"Drink it," I ordered before tilting the other against the injured girl’s lips.

Anna hesitated but took a sip. Almost immediately, her eyes widened as she shot upright, touching her arms in disbelief.

"Asher... what was that?"

I smirked. "Just a healing potion. Don’t tell anyone about it, though. Right?"

She nodded. "Right."

I lifted the girl into my arms again, glancing at Anna. She was still shaken, the horror of everything weighing on her shoulders.

"Hey," I murmured as we began walking. "I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you."

To be honest, l was feeling terrible about myself. If I hadn’t been wasting time on the surface, flirting with my teacher, Anna could have been the one sliced apart. Or worse—she could have died.

She shook her head. "It’s okay... It’s not your duty to protect me, anyway."

"Don’t say that." I stopped, turning to her. "We’re friends, remember? Friends always have each other’s backs."

She met my gaze and we maintained eye contact. There was something about her—something that made my chest tighten.

"Thanks... for being different," she whispered before continuing to walk.

I raised a brow. "What’s that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing!" She flashed a small smile, wiping away the last of her tears. "Now let’s hurry up and get this girl treated."

"Right."

Maybe... I should spend more time with her.

Being with Anna made me feel alive.

*

*

When we finally reached the surface, chaos greeted us.

Students were bickering, some crying, others yelling. It was a complete mess.

And then, amidst the clamor, Lorraine stepped forward. The moment her eyes landed on Anna, they widened in shock.

"It was her!" she shrieked, pointing an accusatory finger. "She’s the one who ran into the boss room and led it to attack us!"

I froze. What?

The students erupted.

"You transfer student!"

"You wanted to get us killed!"

"Go back to your wretched kingdom!"

Weapons were drawn, hands curled into fists. The air was thick with rage.

I didn’t hesitate to activate a wind barrier around us, keeping the mob at bay.

Anna dropped to the ground, sobbing.

"Look at her!" Lorraine sneered. "She’s not even injured! Maybe she can control monsters! Maybe she lured them to attack us!"

The accusations only fueled the hysteria.

A girl, face streaked with tears, stepped forward and slammed her fists against my barrier. "I hate you!" she screamed at Anna. "Because of you, my sister is dead! You murderer!"

Anna flinched, curling into herself, fingers clutching at her silver hair. "I didn’t... It’s not my fault..."

But her voice was too small. Too timid.

And that only angered me. They were taking advantage of her.

I lowered the injured girl gently to the ground, then deactivated my barrier. With a swift movement, I sent a powerful wind gale through the crowd, blowing the students backward.

"Listen, you brainless pieces of shit!" I bellowed. "If any of you lay a finger on Anna, I’ll obliterate you!"

The camp fell silent.

Even my friends, sitting off to the side, looked startled. They’d never seen me like this before.

Then, Madam Sarah stepped out of her tent, now dressed in a simple sweater and trousers.

"Enough," she said firmly, scanning the terrified students. "No one takes the law into their own hands. This matter will be handled by the Duke’s house, as all kingdom crimes are."

The students grumbled but slowly backed off and I stayed right beside Anna.

Madam Sarah approached me, lowering her voice. "Please, calm down, Asher. Violence won’t solve this."

I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to take a breath. "...If you say so."

She turned to the injured girl and began assessing her. Meanwhile, I glanced back at Lorraine, who had slinked away to watch the chaos from a distance. A smirk played on her lips.

I knew it. She’d orchestrated this whole thing.

"Alright!" Madam Sarah clapped her hands. "Our field trip is postponed. The carriages are coming to take us back to the kingdom. Stay put until then."

She took a spare cloth and draped it over two lifeless bodies on the ground.

"Thanks to Asher, we only had two casualties. Otherwise, the situation could have been worse."

I frowned. "It’s actually three. There’s another dead body inside the dungeon. Sliced in two."

The students stiffened, whispering among themselves, trying to figure out who was missing.

Lorraine scoffed from her seat. "Tch... The Duke will definitely have this worthless noble executed. She’s an embarrassment to her family."

I clenched my fists.

Over my dead body.

If anyone dared to lay a hand on Anna—whether it was a noble, a Duke, or even a goddess—

They’d have to go through me.

TBC