"...my lady… I am so sorry for being a burden…"
Adrianna said weakly after waking up the next day in a fluffy bed and seeing Melinda's back.
"Adi, without your timing, all of us would die. We're all here because of team effort~"
The gold-haired girl put down the pen after writing three separate letters and smiled brightly at the worn-out maid.
"How are you feeling?"
Melinda left the table and sat down on the edge of Adrianna's bed.
"...bad… but grateful to be alive~"
Adrianna groaned but smiled weakly, lifting her hand and looking at the bandages covering it tightly.
"That's the spirit~! Zane, how about you?"
Melinda chuckled gently before turning to the side and speaking towards the other side of the room.
"Still can't walk. I… I think that you were right. My legs are broken after all, and yesterday I managed to remain on my feet only because of the adrenaline…"
The monstrous servant raised his hand from his bed and confessed in a dispirited voice.
"Yeah… that's what I feared… Because of that, I want to try something out. We should all form a party so…"
"My lady, don't do anything reckless!"
"Don't even think about it! You're wounded yourself!"
Melinda nodded with a troubled expression, but then her eyes lit up with a mischievous glare only for both Adrianna and Zane to call out in protest before she even finished her sentence.
"Not to mention, a person will automatically leave the party if they are too far away from their comrades! Whatever you are thinking of doing, don't! Just don't. You will only put yourself at risk!"
Adrianna ended up losing her strength and could only look at Melinda with upset, but Zane spoke on her behalf, too, scolding the gold-haired noble.
"I was going to say that we should all form a party because I want to go around the town to send those as well as maybe buy some equipment, and if we are in the party, all of us will know that we're okay…"
"..."
"..."
Melinda closed her eyes and took a deep breath before looking between the maid and the monstrous servant and explaining, causing them both to stare at her speechless.
"...umm… that… that would be very thoughtful and nice, actually, my lady…"
"Y-yeah… That's an amazing and very sweet idea…"
The pair lowered their gazes and nodded apologetically, ashamed of themselves for making assumptions about the gold-haired girl's recklessness.
The formation of a party was once again a mix of the game with real life - the person intending to be the party leader would channel the mana and hold hands with the people they wanted to form the party; adding more people would also happen by a handshake.
"Watch out for yourself, the heavy rain and winds blowing thorugh the city because of the superstorm at sea will not be just visual effects. Maybe just get the innkeeper to send those letter?"
Zane raised his head and said to Melinda as the gold-haired girl was putting on a hooded cape and stuffing the letters into her shirt.
"I know… But… It's a new location! It's only obvious to check the local shops for better gear, right?"
Melinda sighed, tilting her head to the side while tying the cape securely under her chin before grinning as her golden eyes shone with excitement.
"Heh… alright, just remember about the range of the party link. Don't wander off outside the city and make us worry."
"It will be fine~! I'll get you both something nice! Bye-bye~!"
Zane scoffed with a smile at the girl's reaction before dropping his head back at the pillow while Melinda waved her hand and left the room.
"...ghh…"
Outside the room, Melinda's smile disappeared, and she breathed out in pain, putting her hand to her side.
Zane wasn't wrong when he said she was wounded, too. It was just that her wounds were mostly limited to massive dark bruises and countless scratches, nothing close to broken bones and worse like the other two.
"Ah! Noble guest! How was the breakfast? Do you want to discuss the lunch or…"
As she was on her way out of the inn, the innkeeper spotted and approached her with the widest smile Melinda had seen on any humanoid except for Zane.
"The breakfast was acceptable and I leave the lunch to your disgression. Instead, could you tell me the way to the courier company, city hall, the adventurer guild, and the best shop with magic equipment?"
Melinda raised her hand, stopping the innkeeper from buttering her up even more, and inquired in a decisive voice.
"The… I mean, of course, I can, noble guest! But if you have any wishes, I can get you everything you want. There is no need to trouble yourself with some cumbersome chores!"
The man's eyes widened, but he quickly regained his composure, noticing a potential for an even bigger payout.
"Just tell me how to get to those three locations."
Melinda smirked, seeing straight through the innkeeper's intentions and entertaining exactly none of it.
"Noble guest… are you sure you want to go out there in this weather…?"
The man hesitated, glancing to his side right out of the window - where, in the outside world, the gusts of wind were occasionally causing the heavy rain to fall horizontally…
"Not to mention, there was a big accident in the port—a wrecked ship completely destroyed the dock… it's really chaotic out there even now…"
"Well, even so, I still want to see some things to be done myself."
The innkeeper warned the girl, but she breathed out and shrugged her shoulders.
"!!!"
A few minutes later, Melinda was making her way through the storm, buffeted by the wind and rain.
The only positive of that whole situation was that thanks to the levels she gained, she could at least oppose the weather conditions without getting blown away, as resisting nature was clearly a defense check.
Only that, considering that if she didn't gain those levels, the storm wouldn't happen at all, it was rather a bitter win overall…