Lin's eyes sparkled as she drew closer to the pool of crystal-clear water before her.
She slipped her hand free from Kayo's grasp, slowly bent her knees, and crouched down to get a better look.
Her lips parted slightly as she stared in disbelief. Even though they were deep inside a cave, the water before her reflected light brilliantly.
The water was so clear that Lin could see both her own reflection and Kayo's on its surface with remarkable clarity.
The water was as calm as a lake. No one knew how deep it truly was, but that didn't matter as long as their group had a place to rest for a while.
Of course, the shadows of the monsters that had chased them here still lingered in everyone's minds.
Even so, they still had a little time before they needed to move again and continue their journey toward the place they had long dreamed of reaching.
—
"Lin-sama, please don't hesitate to drink it! We've all tried it already. There's nothing wrong with the water here," an elderly man who had called the two of us over earlier said.
I turned toward him and saw him giving me a thumbs-up before looking back at my reflection on the water's surface.
Seeing that I still wasn't moving, Kayo crouched beside me with a soft growl.
She rolled up the sleeve of her long shirt until it was just below her elbow, then carefully dipped both hands into the water before slowly scooping some into her palms.
Without making a sound, Kayo drank from her cupped hands. Her throat moved gently as she slowly swallowed the water, savoring its refreshing taste.
I did the same and quickly understood just how delicious the water truly was.
Unlike ordinary drinking water, it had no gritty taste whatsoever, and it was pleasantly cold despite being cave water.
As soon as the water reached my hands, its color turned completely clear. For a moment, I had expected it to remain bright, with a bluish-purple glow.
The instant it slid down my throat, my entire body trembled once.
Then, almost immediately, a refreshing sensation spread through my body. I felt so energized that my exhaustion and drowsiness vanished in an instant.
"Cough..."
Without realizing it, I let out a tiny cough after drinking too quickly.
I almost spat the water back out because my stomach churned as I choked. Fortunately, I managed to hold it in...
But even that small cough was enough to worry Kayo. She immediately looked at me and placed her warm hand on my shoulder.
"Easy, Lin... Okay? Are you feeling better now?" Kayo asked.
I nodded as I lowered the hand that had been covering my mouth in case I ended up throwing up.
"Mhm..." I replied with a quiet hum.
After that, Kayo asked the elderly man beside us to gather everyone who had already arrived.
She wanted to make sure no one had been left behind or gone missing during the attack they had suffered earlier.
Naturally, Kayo wanted everyone to stay calm while remaining alert, even if things had become much quieter now.
My heart is beating faster too... Is the effect of this water really that strong...?
——
"Alright, everyone. Please listen carefully. Since we're already here, I think it would be best if we stayed for the next few days."
"I know this means we'll have to rely on the food and water supplies we have, but do we really have any other choice?"
"Does anyone have any objections?" Kayo asked, making sure no one was uncomfortable with her suggestion.
Not a single person spoke after she asked, which meant everyone agreed with Kayo's proposal.
"Good. Then it's time to assign everyone's duties."
—
Several tents were set up around the smaller pools tucked away in the corners of the cavern, as the flat ground there made it an ideal place to camp.
Campfires were lit in front of the tents as everyone prepared to cook a meal.
Meanwhile, the foxes who possessed mining abilities began breaking apart large boulders to build small bathrooms that everyone could use during their stay.
Some of the people also began filling their wooden bottles with water from the spring in front of them, storing it as a supply they could use after leaving the cavern.
The children, meanwhile, had started splashing around at the water's edge. It seemed they had finally begun to feel at ease in their new surroundings.
As for Lin and Kayo—rather, the Princess and the Prince—they were given a tent much larger than everyone else's.
On top of that, their tent had been set up a fair distance away from the others.
Of course... there was a reason behind what everyone had done for their leaders. Ahem.
—
"Kayo... Are you sure it's alright for us to sleep in this tent? It just feels..."
I muttered as I stood frozen in front of the tent they had prepared for the two of us earlier.
They said they couldn't bring themselves to let the Princess and the Prince sleep in an ordinary tent, so they had prepared a different one instead.
Still, something about it confused me.
Where did they even get such a large tent?
We had all stolen our camping equipment from the same place back in that town.
So where had this one come from?
Kayo stacked the remaining firewood from several people's bags beside the tent before walking over to me and peering inside as well.
"It does feel a little unfair, doesn't it? But what can we do? They went through all the trouble of setting it up for us, so all we have to do is make use of it, right?" Kayo replied.
Well... It's not like I have anywhere else to sleep, anyway...
I ducked my head and stepped inside the tent before placing my bag in one corner and sitting down in the middle.
Honestly...
Isn't this thing way too big?
Even if Kayo and I slept here together, there would still be enough room for another two or three people our size.
Is this really okay?
Wait...
Together?
Sleeping beside Kayo?
E-ehhh—
—
Only then did Lin realize something that caused her cheeks to grow warm.
She could feel her body temperature rising as the thought crossed her mind.
Before the group had reached this place, everyone had always slept close together.
That way, if anything happened during the night, they would notice it immediately.
But this would be the first time Lin would be sleeping alone with Kayo.
And to make things even more embarrassing...
Their tent was set apart from everyone else's.
—
A-ah, right...
I just hope this won't last too long...
Or... maybe it wouldn't be so bad if it did?
We already sealed both the entrance we came through and the opposite tunnel—which we suspected led to the exit—with walls of earth.
Those spells would remain in place indefinitely unless something tried to break through them.
If the monsters returned and destroyed the barriers, the sound of them collapsing would reach us all the way here.
AHHHH!!! Who even cares?! I'm just going to sleep—
"Hey, Lin. The food's ready," Kayo called, looking at me from the entrance of the tent.
"O-oh... I'll be right there," I replied, my voice barely louder than a whisper.
"Alright, I'll be waiting," she said before walking away from the tent.
...Time to eat.
I'll deal with that problem after dinner.
Yeah.
After dinner.