Following Andrew’s request, Rest prepared to enter the cave for the centipede subjugation.
Still... going in alone felt risky. Accidents happened.
It wasn't rare for adventurers to underestimate lower-ranked monsters only to meet a grisly end. He needed companions, just to be safe.
"...I understand the logic, but why this combination?"
"I-it’s been a while... Rest-kun."
The person who stepped forward was a tall woman in men’s clothing, her face inexplicably flushed.
She was an old acquaintance—his senior at the Academy and the leader of the Student Council’s Executive Committee, Isis Calvert.
Seeing her for the first time in a while, Isis was acting strangely fidgety, her movements betrayed by an odd sense of bashfulness.
"Lady Calvert... why are you here?"
"N-no... I just happened to be here on business with His Highness Andrew. I heard about the monsters in the mine and wondered if I could lend a hand. I don’t have any other motives, I promise."
"Oh, is that so?"
"Thanks to your road development, travel to the territory I was granted has become much easier. I wanted to offer my thanks. If it isn't a bother, please let me help!" Isis finished speaking in a rapid-fire blur.
Isis had also performed great deeds during the Subnock Plain Liberation and had been granted territory by the King. Because Rest had developed the roads in Andrew’s territory at the heart of the plain, Isis’s lands had also become far more accessible.
"Well, if it’s Lady Calvert, I certainly have no complaints, but..."
As the leader of the Executive Committee, she was an exceptionally talented mage. Although Rest was more highly regarded thanks to his infinite mana, Isis likely had him beat when it came to raw combat experience and a proven track record.
"And... you’re here too, daughter of Margrave Lavender."
The second companion was equally unexpected: Lady Ulula Lavender, daughter of the Margrave Lavender House. She was dressed in a lovely purple dress, looking up at Rest with her characteristically sleepy eyes.
"Ulula."
"Hmm?"
"Ulula... I’m Ulula."
"...I know that?" Rest tilted his head, puzzled. Surely they weren't at the stage of starting their introductions over again.
"Rest-kun. I think Lady Ulula is trying to say she wants you to call her by her first name," Isis interjected.
"Ah... come to think of it..." He felt like she had made that request once before. Rest cleared his throat with a polite cough and adjusted his tone. "Well then, Ulula. Why are you here?"
"His Highness Andrew, came."
"...You came to see His Highness Andrew?"
"Heard. Rainbow Crystals."
"...You overheard about the Rainbow Crystals and asked to participate?"
"You’ve forgotten."
"Forgotten... Hmm? What does that mean?"
Rest tried to decipher Ulula’s intentions from her fragmentary words, but the meaning of that particular phrase escaped him.
"Uh... so basically, you just happened to hear about the Rainbow Crystals and wanted some too, so you joined... is that right?"
"No."
"Eh?"
"No."
Apparently, he was wrong.
Ulula asserted this quite clearly, looking up at Rest with her sleepy eyes. Despite her vacant gaze, her eyes felt uncomfortably sharp, making him feel as though he were being interrogated.
(If Yuri were here, she might have been able to understand what Ulula is trying to say...) Rest scratched his head in distress.
He hadn't mentioned the centipede hunt in the mine to Yuri or the Rosemary sisters. Since the Rainbow Crystals were meant to be surprise gifts for them, bringing them along would defeat the entire purpose of the secret mission.
"Anyway... if you're willing to help, I’m grateful. Just please make sure not to overdo it."
"Of course. However... I will be expecting a proper reward, you know?" Isis said.
"Reward. Present," Ulula added.
"Alright, alright... I see. How about I make accessories for you two as well using the Rainbow Crystals?"
Rest made the proposal without much thought, but for some reason, the look in both Isis’s and Ulula’s eyes changed instantly.
"Are you really going to give one to me too!?"
"I want one...!"
"Whoa!"
The two of them pressed in on him. Rest leaned back, startled by the sudden, intense pressure. He hadn't expected them to react so strongly; he wondered what exactly had struck such a chord.
"T-then, once I get the Rainbow Crystals, I'll make something for you two as well..."
"I request a ring! Yes, a ring would be perfect!"
"Mm. A ring is the only option."
"Wha... huh?"
Swept away by their momentum, Rest could do nothing but nod in agreement.