"Lena! That lich is watching us!"
"Give it to me! Hand over your power! Ah, I envy you!" Phoebe cried out. In response, the lich blasted a dark wind our way, its voice bordering on insanity!
"If it desires power, wouldn't it be better to take Ashton's?" I shouted, dodging the black gust. In that moment, Ashton charged at the lich, raising his axe high.
"The one you face is me! Sigad! Helm Splitter!"
With a resounding crash, Ashton swung down with all his might. The lich seemed to be blown away, but then it manifested a magic circle, disappearing only to reappear right in front of us.
"Give it to me! Hand it over! I want it all!"
"Wha-!? Why is it targeting us?"
Shrieking in that bizarre voice, the lich extended a bony hand toward Phoebe, who was tucked in my chest pocket. I fell back while striking the lich's skeletal hand with Archie.
"Sigad! Look this way! Holy Empowerment Potion! Heavy Slash!"
Ashton unleashed a glowing strike with his axe. Cracks formed in the bones, but I saw them quickly regenerate.
"Wha!? Not only can it withstand a special attack, but it heals almost instantly!?"
"Give her back, you monster!"
Rich unleashed a wave of dark wind that sent Ashton flying. He turned to us again, completely indifferent to Ashton's plight.
"Is he after Phoebe? He's clearly fixated on her..."
"Wh-why would I be...?"
"I don't know. He wants power, so why go for the weakest one, Phoebe? Maybe he's after magical energy?"
But Ashton had a decent amount of mana too, right? Something doesn't add up!
"Oh, I'm so jealous... I want to protect her... Oh! Give her to me! Hey, bring her here!!!"
"Stay away!"
"Lena! Speed up! Power up!"
Rich kept reaching out for Phoebe over and over. When he targeted her, he didn't attack with the dark wind; he just stretched out his hand. I could deal with it by hitting his bony fingers with Archie, but I was terrified of when he might unleash that dark wind. I managed to dodge his first attack, but if he kept firing those off, we were done for.
"I want her! I waaaaant her! Come here!"
"No way! Lena, help!"
"You want Phoebe? Don't be ridiculous! Phoebe isn't an object! Keep your hands off our fairy!"
Ugh! It's not quite as bad as a bug, but it's still disgusting! Don't creep around like some kind of stalker! Even a full-on punch doesn't faze him!
"Enough already! Turn around and listen to me! Earthbreak!"
From behind the lich, Ashton unleashed a devastating attack that threatened to wipe out my health points, yet the lich rapidly regenerated and reached once more for Phoebe. But perhaps Ashton's strike had taken effect; its movements were sluggish this time.
"Right here! Sigado! Phoebe is NOT your wife!"
Ashton tackled the lich, sending it crashing to the ground.
"Look! Your wife's soul is right here!"
He pulled a tattered pendant from his lab coat and thrust it in the lich's face.
"Ah… ah… Io… I'm… sorry…"
"Now sleep. Io has been waiting for you, and you need to face the consequences of your infidelity."
The lich crumbled and faded away, had we defeated it?
'You have defeated the Lich who could not be protected. Title acquired: Defender of the Precious Fairy.'
'Title: Defender of the Precious Fairy
While protecting a precious fairy, your agility and dexterity receive a bonus. The more the enemy focuses on the fairy, the greater the bonus.'
The system screen announced the end of the battle, but I felt numb with disbelief…
Ashton whispered a few words toward the worn pendant. Finally, he said goodbye, closing his eyes in prayer. When he opened them again, he drew closer to me.
"First of all… I'm sorry for putting you in danger, Phoebe." Ashton bowed deeply, falling to his knees.
"You don't have to go that far! Phoebe is safe, after all… and we managed to clear the number quest, right?"
"Please, lift your head!" I urged, helping Phoebe and Ashton to their feet.
"Yes, thanks to you, I was able to reunite with Io and Sigardo," Phoebe replied.
"Just to confirm, earlier, the lich mentioned that Sigardo's wife is named Io, correct?" I asked, realizing I needed to know as much as possible since I was involved.
"Yes, Sigardo had a special ability—he could see the future. He lived happily while protecting and loving his dear wife, Io. However, one day, he glimpsed a future in which Io would die at the hands of a criminal. Desperate to change that fate, he fought with all his might… but eventually, a moment of carelessness led to Io's gruesome death, one I can hardly bear to speak of. That shattered Sigardo's mind. He lost his power of foresight and could no longer recognize Io, ultimately becoming a lich."
"He targeted Phoebe either out of a mistaken belief that she was Io or simply out of instinct… I can no longer tell."
She showed me a battered pendant. "Though she's no longer here, I promised the ghost of Io that I would keep searching for Sigardo. It was tough gathering information from those killed by Sigardo, as it led to us being cursed and facing many challenges… But now, it's a bittersweet memory."
"Is there really such a thing as a curse? That's scary..."
"By the way, what do you mean when you say Shigado was trying to make a move on another girl?"
"Huh? Well, he was trying to approach Phoebe, and most of his victims have been women... I bet he's getting an earful from Io right about now."
"Is he really? And what's the afterlife like in this world, anyway?"
"Anyway, with this, my quest dealing with the numbers—those prayers for the dead and the madness of being a guardian of foresight—is finally over. If you ever need help, please reach out! I'll make sure to support Lena and Phoebe for causing them trouble this time!"
"You've helped a lot on the way, but I'll definitely rely on you if Phoebe gets into a pinch."
Ashton extended his hand for a shake, and we clasped hands.
With that, we cleared the Wind Valley...
After defeating the Wind Valley, I arrived in Three Streets alongside Ashton.
"Registration of the magic circle is complete. You can now travel to towns you've visited before."
I touched the magic circle, making it possible to travel to other towns and Lily's home.
"Well... oh no, I really need to log out soon... Until next time, you two!"
"Is that so? Thanks for today! I hope we can adventure together again."
"Goodbye, Ashton."
And so, my adventure with Ashton came to an end.
After that, I logged out to have some food.
"Oh, by the way, Yuna, I made it to Three Town!"
"...That's fast, isn't it? I thought it would take at least another two weeks to reach Three Town."
I was chatting with my sister Yuna while washing dishes after lunch.
"I really struggled against the enemies in the Valley of Wind, but thanks to another player named Ashton I met along the way, it was a lot easier. I nearly lost my mind during the boss fight in Ashton's number quest, though."
"Wait, you fought a number quest boss!?
...From your reaction, it seems like Phoebe made it out okay, but how did you survive? If the boss was as easy as the other PLs in the Valley of Wind, I assumed you would have been taken out in one hit..."
Yuna looked at me in surprise; I was honestly shocked by my own reaction confirming Phoebe's safety.
"Well, the boss was magic-based but mostly avoided using spells while targeting me. It was terrifying when it kept reaching for Phoebe, but I managed to protect her."
"Wow, if I get attacked, you better protect me too, okay?"
"If we're talking about Fantasy Freedom, Lily is stronger. But if you were ever attacked by a criminal in real life, I would call the police right away and get you to safety."
Unlike Lena from Fantasy Freedom, who embodies a fantastical ideal, I am grounded in reality. I have the build of a man and greater strength than average, but my resilience as a person has its limits. If I were to be slashed by a knife or shot with a gun, my life would be forfeit; I can't magically recover from damage with drugs either. Dealing with criminals or the police is the best option for someone like me.
"Oh, by the way, big brother, from Three Towns, the gym clothes' defense is starting to lack power. Be careful not to get hurt!"
"Got it, I'll be cautious... but I actually came to Three Towns to upgrade my gear, so I need to collect flower threads from Maze Forest to graduate from these gym clothes."
"What's the next armor going to be? Gothic Lolita? Full armor?"
"Those are two extremes... I plan to make a regular jacket instead. I really can't handle any more bizarre gear... And that's it for washing the dishes."
Finishing the dishes, I stretched and yawned. Lately, I've been so focused on Fantasy Freedom that I might have gotten a bit out of shape. I should probably move around a bit before logging in.
"I really want to help, but I have plans to hang out with friends today, so I'll be heading out!"
"Have fun!"
Yuna exited the kitchen, her footsteps echoing as she merrily headed outside, vibrant even in the heat of the day. After seeing her off, I spent the next hour doing strength training and practicing swings with a shovel from the forge before finally logging into Fantasy Freedom.
While practicing with a shovel, I was caught by my father, and in my embarrassment, I awkwardly explained that it was for muscle training. It was mortifying.
I logged into Fantasy Freedom and joined Phoebe at Lily's house. Together, we stood at the entrance of the Three Streets.
"So, are we heading to the Maze Forest right away?" I asked.
"I want to, but... I'm worried about our strength," Phoebe replied.
I checked my stats and saw I was at level 19. I had met Ashton when I was level 15, and together we tackled the Wind Valley, but my rapid progress must be due to battling the boss from the number quest.
"Um, if I remember correctly, we can take on an additional class once we reach level 20, right? The enemies in the dungeons around Three Streets are probably tough... Maybe I should focus on crafting weapons to level up?"
"Excuse me, you there with the Topaz pairing, the fairy and the blacksmith?"
As I pondered this, someone called out to us. The way they spoke suggested they knew Phoebe, which made me glance around in surprise, but I couldn't spot anyone who seemed to be addressing us.
"Did something happen, Lena?" Phoebe asked.
"Phoebe, didn't someone just call out to us?"
"No, no one called for us," she said, tilting her head in confusion. Just as I was starting to think it was my imagination, I heard the voice again.
"I can only tell you this once, so please listen carefully... You need to go to the Maze Forest together by the end of the day; there you'll find the Second Quest."
"What!? Who are you, and how do you know that!?"
The Second Quest!? It must be referring to the numerical quests... If it's a Second Quest, it probably relates to Phoebe, right? But wait, who said that!? It feels like they were right next to me, yet the only person within reach is Phoebe!
"I hope this covers the compensation for the trouble I caused you... It's good that my glimpse into the future worked after such a long time... You must protect what's important to you... Don't end up like me… the fairy and the blacksmith…"