"I don't know! But it's definitely two separate reactions! Oh!"
"Huh?"
At the same time as Phoebe's exclamation, I caught sight of a clear, beautiful light blue amidst the brown and black of the sludge arm. Instinctively, I reached out towards the alluring blue, only to be knocked back by a tendril of sludge.
Fortunately, the blow wasn't strong enough to send me crashing into a tree, and as I pulled away, I got a better look at the sludge arm, noticing it seemed a bit smaller. I realized then that the light blue was Wendy...
"Rhea! Wendy's trapped in the sludge arm!"
"Is she absorbed? Parasitized? Either way, that's a problem! If we attack with a powerful spell, we might take Wendy down with it! We need to be careful!"
Defeating Wendy might not guarantee the quest's potion, but the NPCs had established a friendly relationship with Wendy, receiving her blessings during their information gathering. Killing her didn't feel like it would lead to anything good.
"Got it! I'll use Archie to peel off the sludge and save Wendy!"
"Lena, I've heard that Wendy is immune to water magic! Keep that in mind when we chip away at the sludge around her!"
"Understood!"
Dodging a crushing attack from the sludge-covered arm, I plunged Archie, infused with ice magic, into it again. The frozen sludge emitted a red effect as it disappeared, indicating it was taking damage. Yet, the sludge arm showed no sign of pain; it swung wildly, undeterred.
"Ugh… my legs are heavy—ugh!?"
Not wanting to endure repeated hits, I tried to evade, but the sludge at my feet tripped me, leaving me vulnerable to another attack. I was blasted away and slammed into a tree.
"Ow… by the time I realized it, the ground was completely covered in sludge…"
"Distract it for me, so I can heal! Magic Shot! Mirage Step!"
"Power Up! Regenerate! Speed Up!"
While Rhea kept its attention, I used a healing potion, and Phoebe recast her support spells.
"I'm back now!"
Ducking under the sludge, I approached the sludge arm and unleashed the power of resonance, cloaking myself in ice once again as I froze it, peeling away the sludge. In the process, I discovered a beautiful light blue hue within the muck!
"I see it, Phoebe! It's the image of water!"
"Yes!"
As Archie's ice melted into water, I struck the surrounding sludge with the shimmering light blue liquid, causing it to peel away. To my surprise, the light blue formed a transparent ball containing a stunning aquamarine inside, unscathed thanks to the water attributes.
"I'll seal its movements! If you can, do it now! Paralyze Wink☆!"
"Got it! Nnnooooo!!!"
Seizing the opportunity created by our water attack, Rhea immobilized the sludge arm. She released her hold on Archie and used both hands to extract the light blue ball from the muck, as the sludge struggled to cling to it.
"Keep it up, Lena!"
"Huhhh!!"
With Phoebe's encouragement fueling my effort, I successfully pulled the light blue ball free from the sludge and quickly distanced myself. As I did, the sludge began to harden and crack, as if it were losing moisture. Suddenly, a mole emerged from the dry sludge… It was astonishingly small, no bigger than a real mole, quite a contrast to the massive mass of sludge it had just been part of.
"Critical Ray!!"
With Rhea's strike, the mole burst into a red explosion and vanished. It was clear that the sludge armor was all the mole had, as it turned out to be quite weak.
"Look, the spring is getting clearer!"
"The dry sludge is disappearing too... Oh, this feels refreshing!"
As Phoebe and I chatted, I impulsively picked up Archie, who was now free of the sludge and looked as clean as before the fight.
Gazing at the spring, I saw it filled with crystal-clear water, the bottom visible—this must be Wendy's home.
"So, what do we do with this orb that looks like Wendy?"
The moment I spoke, the light blue ball in my hand floated and was drawn into the spring.
Then, it began to absorb the water, transforming into a human shape.
The figure that emerged was a stunning adult woman, with a skin-toned face and torso, while her hands and feet were a translucent blue.
"Ah! Finally, I'm free!"
Wendy began to speak.
"Um, I'm sorry to ask right after your resurrection, but are you really Wendy?"
"Yes, you're the one who saved me! Thank you!"
As I confirmed, Wendy took my hand—it felt cold and wrapped around me in a strange way.
"Um, I don't mean to sound ungrateful for saving you, but I'm looking for Wendy's elixir. If you happen to have any, could you share it with me?"
"I have the elixir!" Wendy exclaimed. "Of course, I'll give it to you! Come to my place! I need to thank you for helping me!"
With that, she eagerly pulled me toward the spring. Wait, is her place the spring? Am I going to be submerged? No, with my swimsuit's water breathing, I won't drown. But she sure pulls with great strength.
Just then, a door materialized at the spring. Could it be that stepping through will warp me somewhere else?
"Whoa, amazing..."
"Thanks to you removing the sludge from the river, I can finally go home!"
As Wendy led me through the door, it didn't open into the bottom of the spring but rather a spacious room. The walls were like aquarium glass, revealing fish swimming beyond. A chandelier hung from the ceiling, radiating an air of luxury.
The furniture was sparse, likely due to her living alone, though there were a few shelves.
"Wow, this is incredible... is it like a sea from the spring?"
"…It's spacious… but it's not underwater…"
Phoebe and Rhea, who were nestled in my pocket, reacted to the room, though Rhea appeared a bit cautious.
"Lena… be careful, this room is too big… there might be something here," Rhea whispered.
Just because it's spacious doesn't mean there's something to worry about, does it? I'll stay alert, just in case.
"Sit tight over there! I'll give you Wendy's elixir and other tokens of gratitude!"
"Thank you."
As I sat near the table with Rhea, Wendy returned with an assortment of items. She placed drinks in front of both Rhea and me. Curious about what it was, I inspected it closely and saw the label: "Ultra Pure Water." Drinking this wouldn't harm me, but am I using it for the right purpose? Still, I was intrigued and decided to give it a try...
...It tasted like water... I couldn't really distinguish it from tap water at home.
"First, for you," Wendy said, "I'm giving you my elixir and a crystal of water. The crystal may not be perfectly shaped, but I guarantee its quality."
"Oh, is that okay? A crystal of this size is quite rare!"
"It's fine; something this size can take time to make, but it's not impossible. It's a thank-you for cleaning up that sludge."
Wendy handed Rhea the elixir and a large water crystal, essential items for the event quest. I felt a twinge of envy—my Archie was made with a large earth crystal, but with a large water crystal, I could create something new...
In front of me lay just one elixir from Wendy. Wait, is there no crystal or anything as a reward for me? Is it just luck? Or did Rhea avoid all the sludge arm attacks and earn a damage-free reward? Well, at least if we complete the quest, I'll still earn event points.
"How about Wendy's elixir along with my bond and protection?"
"Whoa, what?!"
"Cough?! Cough?!"
Phoebe nearly spat out the ultra-pure water she was drinking at Wendy's surprising proposition.
"Wait, are you saying you have a crush on Lena? Wendy?"
"Yes! She has such a deep love for nature, cleaning the sludge river faster than anyone, and possesses a powerful strength to brush off the muck with her small frame... She's truly captivating."
Wendy responded to Rhea, who seemed a bit taken aback. A crush? This was moving way too fast!
"No! That's not okay!"
Phoebe flew out of her pocket, hovering between Wendy and herself, emphatically shaking her head... Hold on, I can't keep up with this conversation.
"Um, I don't really get what's wrong here. Is it not okay to accept the elixir? Right, Phoebe?"
"The elixir is fine, but the bond and protection are not!"
"Lena... do you understand what 'bond' means?"
"I-I don't know, is it like a contract? But I don't even have summoning skills, right? Is the protection the same as the fairy protection I got from Phoebe?"
Lena answered Rhea's question honestly, prompting Rhea to mutter something about a lack of knowledge.
Well, I considered that the whole crush thing might lead to wanting to be a couple, but this was just too sudden...
For now, I'd better secure the elixir.
"Oh my, you're quite the innocent one. How delightful... I do hope to make you mine... my protection is quite powerful, you know?"
"No way! You can only have one blessing! You can't overwrite it! And besides, Lena already has someone she likes! She even confessed to them!"
"What?! Already that far?!"
Wait, why is Rhea shouting? And why does it seem like she assumes she knows who I like? Oh, the confession... is she talking about when I got charmed while changing into a swimsuit?!
Wait, this is too much to process...
I definitely don't want to give up the fairy blessing I got from Phoebe; it's part of our bond.
"Hmm, hey, aren't you going to choose the great water spirit over a little fairy?"
Wendy suddenly hugs me, pressing her body against mine... Wait, what is happening? This feels way too forced, and I don't like it!
In my confusion, a small burst of magic lightly pushes Wendy away, freeing me from her grip.
...The one who fired that magical burst was Phoebe.
"Phoebe, you can use attack magic?! Thanks!"
"It's not really strong enough to be called an attack... I just nudged her a bit..."
"Get ready! That nudge means we're in a hostile situation now!"
Just as Rhea shouted, a water bullet pierced through Phoebe...
"Oh no..."
My vision darkens as I see my HP dropping rapidly in the corner of my eye. No, this can't be happening... Because of Archie's effect, I'm taking Phoebe's damage, and my HP is disappearing! I glance at Phoebe, but she looks completely unharmed...
"Rhea! Please, Phoebe—!"
The moment I entrusted my last wish to Rhea, the world went dark, and when I regained my senses, I found myself standing on the very beach where it all began.
"Oh no!"
Of course, Phoebe was nowhere in sight. Without hesitation, I bolted toward the spring where Wendy was! The only clue I had about Phoebe's status was the HP bar of Rhea, my party member, at the edge of my vision.
I had no clear understanding of Rhea, but I had no choice but to pray for her help.
"Please, Rhea! Protect Phoebe!"
---
"Oh dear, I hit that fairy, so why did he fall instead?"
"Lena!"
Tears streamed down Phoebe's face as Lena's health was fully depleted and she vanished.
"Phoebe, get behind me. I won't let Lena's sacrifice be in vain. It's ruthless of her to come after us just because she was pushed aside…"
"Oh, if you're going to protect that insignificant fairy, I'll take you down too!"
Rhea stood resolutely in front of Phoebe, while Wendy prepared for battle.
"I'm so sorry, Rhea. It's my fault this happened because I attacked…"
"It can't be helped. Honestly, I felt uncomfortable with how much Wendy was touching Lena, and Lena didn't like it either. Depending on the situation, I might have been the one to strike first, so this works out."
Rhea took a deep breath, bracing herself.