Some time later…
About three months later, there was an announcement that the queen was expecting, and the following year she gave birth to twins—a prince and a princess. The whole kingdom celebrated.
After that, more children were born to the queen every few years, and her sadness faded away. Lynn and I made it a tradition to craft new guardian rings from the leftover ingot for each royal birth and deliver them as gifts to mark the occasion.
Great job, stork! I would always cheer in my heart.
✦ ✦ ✦
I had two guardian rings left to give out, which meant only two more people remained on my list. And one day, they showed up together.
“Ana told us you’d come up with something amazing, so here we are,” Mark said with a grin.
That’s right, Mark and Letia were the last two people in need of their guardian rings.
“Since these are rather special, would you mind coming inside?” I led them to my laboratory in the back. Once there, I unlocked the drawer and took out the rings, placing them carefully into my hand so they could see them.
“These are guardian rings,” I explained. “They prevent all status ailments and gradually restore the wearer’s health. And they won’t work for anyone with an evil heart. I’d like you to have them.”
They both just stared at me in silence.
“Hm?” I tipped my head, confused.
“Don’t ‘hm’ me!” Mark exclaimed. “Don’t you realize what you’re giving us?! A ring that prevents any status effect and heals you over time?! That’s basically a national treasure!”
“This is way beyond anything I ever expected,” Letia murmured. Her voice was quiet but awed.
“Oh, so you don’t want them?” I teased.
“Of course we want them!” Mark said. “Didn’t I tell you last time we were stuck dealing with a monster with all kinds of status-effect attacks?!”
I shrank back a little, feeling like I was being scolded.
“Still, it’s not like we’re broke, but how in the world do we pay for something like this?” Letia muttered, rubbing her forehead.
“Lynn and I already discussed it,” I said. “Would it be all right if you repaid us by serving as our escorts whenever we need to gather materials? We don’t need any other payment.” I looked up at them hopefully.
“You want us to pay for it with labor?” Mark asked.
Letia nodded, looking satisfied.
“Don’t just say yes, Letia!” Mark said. “This is a lot to casually agree to! Honestly, between you, Daisy, and now Lynn, you need to take money way more seriously as proper artisans! Come on, we’re all going to talk to Lynn.”
Letia and I had no choice but to follow Mark. He led us to the Blacksmith district, and before long we were at Lynn’s workshop.
“Lynn, are you in here?” Mark called out through the open door. Her voice answered right away; she must’ve been in the middle of working on something.
“Lynn, about that ring…” Mark continued, “what do you mean, we can have it for free if we escort you? You can’t just blow off its value! You’re an artisan. You need to charge properly.”
“Oh, so the deal’s off?” Lynn shrugged, then grinned at him, sticking out her tongue. Mark bonked her on the head with his fist.
It seemed like they were close. That looked like it had hurt, but I was a bit envious of their easygoing friendship.
“So? What’s your offer, then?” Lynn rubbed her head, pouting.
“We’ll pay you ten million lira per ring. That means one large gold coin each for you and Daisy. On top of that, we’ll agree to escort you depending on your schedule. Honestly, ten million is still cheap for what they’re worth. So just take it, all right?” Mark said like he was scolding her.
“All right,” we both replied in unison, nodding without protest.
“You good with that too, Letia?” he confirmed, and Letia nodded.
“Yes, that’s fine.”
With that, we settled on a price for the rings. Mark took out two large gold coins from his magic bag and handed one to each of us, then I finally passed the rings over to them.
We all stayed at Lynn’s grandfather’s workshop for a while after that, sitting around the little break table and chatting idly.
“So, Daisy, Lynn, is there anywhere in particular you like to go to gather materials?” Mark asked.
“Not right now, really,” Lynn said. “But someday I’d love to team up with Daisy and make something amazing, like a magic sword, or armor with unbelievable resistance abilities. How about you, Daisy? Got anything in mind?” She leaned back, resting her elbow on the chair as she looked at me.
“I’d like to get some Sage’s herb and healing moss,” I said. “And maybe some special thread to make into robes. My family’s all Mages, so…”
Lynn’s question had me thinking about my own plans, so I couldn’t help but share my thoughts.
“Sage’s herb and healing moss? What will you use those for?” Letia asked, looking puzzled. She had likely never heard of those before.
“They’re for making higher-grade mana potions,” I explained. “I thought if Mages going dungeon diving didn’t have to drink as much potion, it might help with, you know, bathroom concerns.”
“Bathroom concerns?” Letia blinked at me, looking baffled. “If you need to go, just find somewhere discreet and let it out. That’s what I do.” She said it so plainly that I was too shocked to reply.
Mark smacked her lightly on the back of her head. “Can’t you be just a little more ladylike?”
I was starting to think this adventuring party was more of a comedy duo. Mark was the straight man, and Letia was the punch line.
At any rate, it seemed like they had plenty of quests in their queue, including the hunt for that monster that inflicted those nasty status ailments. Lynn and I decided not to gather materials until after those were handled.
But honestly? I couldn’t wait!