Meeting again (...for the first time...?)

One of the telling signs that the flora-type creature was around was supposed to be the presence of plants and vegetation foreign to the area, so that's what the maid focused on.

It wasn't all that difficult.

The Kobolds' quarry had no biodiversity whatsoever, with plain stones and rock ruling undisputed over the whole area.

"...!"

For that exact reason, the spot of green in the corner of the maid's eye made her snap her head towards it.

"...?"

…only to disappear as if it was never there, making her furrow her brows in suspicion…

"My lady, is it okay for me to go look around a bit?"

The maid squinted her eyes, too cautious to write it off as her own imagination, and called out to the gold-haired girl in the middle of what looked like a spirited speech.

"Hm? Of course~! Just remember about the party link range limit."

"I'll be careful."

Melinda looked at her with surprise before smiling brightly and nodding, making the maid smile back.

The girl in the maid's clothing walked away from the gathering and began ascending the mountain.

The spot of green she believed to be there conveniently disappeared behind one of the larger boulders firmly stuck within the slope—very similar to the spot that her own group used as a cover a few minutes earlier.

It was hard to imagine a roundish creature like one of the Heads being able to hide behind it fully, but it wasn't completely impossible.

It also wasn't impossible for the SIlva Head to send in one of the monsters it controlled to spy on any potential threats.

The maid wasn't sure whether the spores' mind control would have any visual effects, but she imagined it would at least add some green to the usual colors of the creature that fell prey to it.

Even though she was getting closer and closer to the boulder, there was no movement or even a sound coming from the other side… but that as well might have been a trick so the girl did not lower her guard at all.

Relying on her ability to remain unnoticed, the maid braced herself for attack and counterattack before taking the final step to close the last bit of distance separating her from the truth.

"Why, hello~"

What the maid certainly didn't expect to see was a handsome green-haired young man lying down in a seductive pose behind the boulder as if waiting for her.

"!?!?"

The maid's first instinct was to back off, but she tried to do it so fast that she ended up tripping herself.

In an attempt to not fall back into a prone position, she desperately leaned forward…

"Whoa, there!"

*thump*

…tripping the second time and almost slamming face-first into the rocks, but ending up being saved by the green-haired youngster who startled her in the first place…

More accurately, saved by his wide chest and strong arms as the moment the girl's fall seemed imminent, he jumped up and cushioned it with his own body.

"Everything's alright, Miss? I must say, when women fall for me, it's usually in the metaphorical kind of way… but I must say this is equally flattering~"

"???"

The young man smiled cheekily as the maid slowly raised her head and stared at him with eyes widened like an isekai story's protagonist in the prologue, staring at the headlights of the oncoming truck.

Their position behind the boulder was a bit awkward, with the girl caught mid-fall and the young man half-standing up from a crouch.

"...?"

"???"

The green-haired youth raised his brows and stayed quiet, clearly waiting for the reaction. However, it seemed that the maid's brain was completely overloaded and could not process the situation.

Without any reaction in sight, the young man slowly sat down, lowering the girl with him and doing his best to place her in a safe position. He wasn't even sure she could keep herself upright.

"First things first. I'm sorry for being all sneaky like that. I kind of couldn't believe that I would actually come across young lady Fenrioette and her servants. Truth be told, I was convinced it was some identity theft going on and tried to investigate whether I should put an end to it since I am acquainted with young lord Lazurii."

The green-haired youth lowered his head and explained apologetically to the stunned maid while holding onto her hands.

"Speaking of. Laz certainly will be distraught if he ever learns that his precious little sister decided to explore Emeraldios Empire instead of returning home… I believe it will be best if that stays a secret for the time being."

He added, hoping that this would help ease the maid's nerves.

"You… you're the…"

"I'm the…?"

Finally, the girl was able to produce some coherent words, but not too many, which made the green-haired youth tilt his head and ask encouragingly.

"...n-nevermind…!"

The maid became flustered and took her hands away before hurriedly standing up and turning away so that her blushing face wouldn't be immediately obvious to the nonchalant youth.

"E-even though I d-don't know who might you be, s-sir. I am willing to believe that you a-aren't someone foolish enough to use the name of the next head of the Fenrioette family without actually knowing him…! P-please, f-follow me to the young lady!"

Despite her best efforts, the embarrassment in her voice was clear as day.

Even if it wouldn't be, her stiff movement completely betrayed her, as she led the green-haired man, who observed her walk like a rusty automaton with a gentle smile on his handsome face.

"..."

The smile that slowly subsided and disappeared as the two of them approached the others.

At first, the green-haired man's attention was focused on the large white-haired man with an uncanny - not to say monstrous - feel about him, but in the end, his eyes were pulled towards the petite gold-haired girl not that much taller than the Kobolds she was talking to with great energy.

Her silhouette was already mostly blocked by the leather armor and mostly male garments, but there was something… terrifyingly eye-catching about her.

It probably wasn't a charm ability, but it wouldn't be surprising if someone with limited experience would be able to tell the difference.

Because of the green-haired man's experience with Lazurii Fenrioette, he could tell what exactly it was.

The absolute confidence and unwavering pride.