"Alright... the tent setup should do."
Rest finished setting up the tents alongside Ostley, averting his gaze from the dark magic–like cooking.
The number of completed tents was three.
The breakdown was: one for Ostley, one for Yuri, and one for Urla and Earlie.
For certain reasons, Rest's tent was not built.
Night watch was unnecessary. Soldiers from House Lavender, who served under Ostley, were set to join them, and they would be keeping watch through the night.
"We're done, then. Count Clover."
Ostley rolled his shoulders as he praised Rest.
"Thank you for your help. Thanks to you, we finished ahead of schedule."
"Ah, don't worry about it... Well then, you go ahead and rest. I have one more job to do."
"Is there something you need to do? Shall I help?"
"No... this is something only I can do. Just rest your body for now."
Waving off Ostley, who was about to stand up, Rest moved away from the tents.
He made his way to the center of the campsite, focused his mind, and refined his mana.
"Barrier."
And then... he cast the magic he had just learned.
What he deployed was the "Monster Repellent" barrier he had learned from Jalana Maitis.
White lines shot out from above Rest's head, drawing geometric patterns in the air.
"And now...[]」
The pattern that had spread across the sky was transcribed onto the ground, completing the magic circle.
An invisible barrier expanded outward from the magic circle, driving away any monsters within roughly a hundred meters of the campsite.
"With this, worms shouldn't be able to come up from underground... or at least, that's how it should work. We've got lookouts, and we're outside the wetlands, so I might be overthinking it."
Still... this was a place that had once been part of the demon realm. A nest of monsters.
Yuri and Urla were here too, and with lives on the line, it was better to be overly cautious than not.
"Oh, Rest. Did you set up a barrier?"
"It's pretty..."
Noticing what Rest was doing, Yuri and Urla, who had been in the middle of cooking, came over.
The two of them were supposed to be in the middle of preparing food, yet their aprons were soaked through with green, black, and red liquids.
"...What's that?"
"Oh, actually, when I was cutting up the worm, some of the bugs..."
"No, never mind, you don't need to say it."
Almost catching more than he wanted to hear, Rest hurriedly cut the conversation short.
After clearing his throat, he began explaining the barrier once more.
"This is a barrier with a 'Monster Repellent' effect. As long as the effect lasts, monsters shouldn't come near."
"Oh my, how impressive!"
"Mm, Rest's is pretty."
"So you can use barrier magic as well. How resourceful."
Following Yuri and Urla, even Earlie praised Rest for his work.
"But... about this barrier, how long does it last? I've heard that barrier magic consumes quite a bit of mana?"
"It's permanent... as long as I'm here."
"Huh?"
"There we go..."
Rest sat down at the center of the barrier.
He could feel his mana being drawn out, but for Rest, who possessed infinite mana, it was no particular problem.
"This barrier draws mana from the person at the center of the magic circle. So as long as I'm here, the barrier won't disappear."
"Lord Rest, are you certain you'll be all right? We still have investigations to conduct tomorrow, you know."
Earlie asked with a dubious look, but Rest just shrugged.
"Don't worry, I'll keep plenty to spare. I won't be a burden, so there's no need to concern yourself."
"...I see. As long as my lady is not in any danger, then I am satisfied. I spoke out of turn."
"It's fine. Of course you'd worry about your mistress.
If Rest ran out of mana, Urla, who was with him, would also be put in danger.
That was presumably why Earlie was so worried.
(Well, I can't run out of mana, so there's really no need to worry...)
"I'm going to pitch my tent here and sleep, so everyone else, set up camp over there. If you enter the magic circle, you'll have your mana drained, so don't go inside."
It would be his first night alone in a while.
Neither Viola nor Primula were here, and he was separated from Yuri as well.
Partly relieved, partly disappointed... it was a complicated feeling for a man.
"Got it... Then I'll pour all my skill into making dinner, so Rest can keep the barrier going!"
Yuri puffed out his chest and declared with unwavering confidence.
"I'll make tons of nutritious dishes to help your mana recover!"
"Mmm... packed with nutrients."
"I was actually planning to toss those out, but since you're about to run out of stamina, I think we'll use those testicles too. Getting the smell out's gonna be a pain, though."
"I'll do my best."
"The best you can... wait, hold on!? What exactly are you three planning to feed me!?"
The women filed back into the kitchen with light, cheerful steps.
Rest was fairly certain he had just heard a truly terrifying word... but he couldn't move from the magic circle, and so he could only watch the three women disappear from sight.