Ilphyl is involved in the rescue, but they also are feeling pretty useless. Because so many things require hands or talking to people. And they are saving their time fighting the curse for things only they can do (like caring for the lizards in their houseboat, or moving their lodgings to a remote cove when Flotsam broke up).

But Link is a good person to be around when you can't talk, because Link is very good at understanding without speaking, and he doesn't particularly speak either. So Link is getting Ilphyl's cat form watching the weeding.