"Over there! Ice Spear!" As I hesitated, Phoebe launched yet another spell.
"Lena, I took out all the bees!"
"Seriously? Nice job, Phoebe!" I turned to see that all the swarming bees had disappeared, evidently felled by Phoebe's magic.
Now that the threat was eliminated, we took a moment to recover our HP with potions. We would keep countering the poison that was slowly fading away with our regenerative abilities. After regrouping, we finally made our way to the barrier.
We had to be careful; there had been ambushes before, and the Golden Ants and Dark Spiders—whom we had heard referred to as 'executives'—were likely to confront us again. We needed to find a way to deal with that horde at the insect gate, ideally before they could use it against us.
With those thoughts in mind, we passed through the boundary where the fairies lived. As soon as we crossed, the fairies rushed toward us.
"It's the cookie person!"
"The Messiah of food!"
"The human groom!"
"The ace of the Fairy Garden!"
Their reactions were overwhelmingly positive, but who was the fairy calling me a groom? I had no idea what that meant.
"Welcome, Lena! Welcome back, Phoebe... I'm glad you're safe."
"Mom... I'm home."
"Good morning! I brought as much food as I could."
I bowed my head to Phoebe's mother, then activated the system to produce a large quantity of baked goods and snacks. I felt, for some reason, that my body had become lighter... although there was no real change.
"Wow!"
"There's bread too!"
"A food bearer!"
"Can we eat a lot today!?"
The fairies, watching the piles of food appear, erupted in cheers!
"Is it really okay? Carrying all this must have been incredibly difficult!"
"Well, it was challenging, but I thought about how sad Phoebe would be if everyone went hungry, so please accept it."
"I understand. I appreciate your kindness... Everyone, let's take the food to the storage!"
""""Okay!""""
The fairies began to transport the snacks and pastries.
"Hmmm, I want to thank Lena, but... given the current situation, I don't have anything to offer..."
"Ah, then I have something I need to ask you. If you know where the All Mosquito... the enemy boss is hiding, please tell me."
"Does that mean you're planning to go fight it?"
Phoebe's mother's tone shifts from gentle to imposing, filled with authority. I instinctively want to say, "No, that's not it!" but swallow the words. I understand what she means... Challenging the All Mosquito also means Phoebe would be going into danger. As a parent, she likely doesn't want her daughter to face it.
"Mom, please don't stop me! I'm going to fight the All Mosquito alongside Lena!"
"…I know you'll fight eventually. At least, you don't intend to die or lose…"
I'm not strong enough to say "I'll be fine" without sounding naive. What should I say instead?
"…Sigh, I can't stop a benefactor and her daughter. I wish I could fight alongside you, but right now I can only maintain the barrier and can't leave this place. It pains me to just send you off."
Her voice softens again. It dawns on me that Phoebe's mother can't leave the barrier.
"Therefore, I will do everything I can to help you."
As she speaks, she casts a magic circle and reaches in, pulling out a piece of paper which she hands to me. As I take it, a system screen appears.
"I've obtained a map of the Fairy Garden (old version)."
"A map, you say?"
Upon examining it, I noticed a circle marked at one location, while another spot featured a digital arrow that shifted direction. When I turned right, the arrow turned right as well, indicating my current position. Quite convenient.
"There's a house occupied by All Mosquitos near the circle. I think it's easy to break in since it isn't locked... Could you lend me your weapon?"
"Oh, of course..."
As I handed Archie to Phoebe's mother, she began to pray.
"May my daughter's half-weapon be blessed..."
With her prayer, Archie emitted a gentle glow. Upon using my appraisal skill, I discovered it had been bestowed with a fairy's blessing.
"Did you enhance it?"
"Yes, and now... Phoebe, may I reinforce your protection a bit?"
"Well, if it's you, Mom, it's fine."
Though slightly annoyed, Phoebe consented. Phoebe's mother placed her hand on her forehead, radiating warmth.
"May you receive further fairy protection..."
[Fairy protection has been reinforced. While Phoebe is nearby, MP regeneration (minor) will activate.]
Wow, amazing! This is the continuous MP recovery effect I wanted! With this, my MP can gradually replenish over time, making it easier to maintain my armor's performance!
"Thank you for all your help in strengthening things."
"Mmm, I would have preferred to grow and enhance my protection on my own."
"Hehe, let's let it slide this time, okay, Phoebe?"
Seeing Phoebe pouting, her mother couldn't help but smile.
"It's limited, but this is everything I can offer as Phoebe's mother… Please take care of her, Lena-san. The rest is up to you…"
"Y-yes, understood."
For now, I think I'll head to the spot marked on the map.
I'm not going to fight right away, but I want to check the location.
Just as I was about to suggest to Phoebe that we go to the marked spot, her mother started to panic!
"Wait, Lena-san… Bugs are gathering around the barrier!"
"Wait!? How can you tell that?!"
"I can sense it if I concentrate, though it's a bit vague… But why are the bugs surrounding us…? They haven't done this around the barrier lately…"
And why are the bugs gathering near the barrier…? Oh…
"…Sorry, it's my fault. Before coming here, I was attacked by a smart, boss-like creature—a golden ant. I managed to escape, but… there was nowhere else to run, right? So the golden ant is probably gathering bugs around the barrier to hunt me…"
"Golden ants...? Just a moment…"
"They're stationed near the northern entrance."
Once I focused, I found it in no time… It's incredible, isn't it? Magic, really. Damn it, the golden ant must want me dead at all costs.
"Well, if we can hold out for a few days, the insects should disperse… If even All Mosquito can't break through, then we should be safe…"
"I'm sorry, Phoebe, but we can't barricade ourselves… If we do, everything will come to an end."
I recalled that if someone barricaded for more than a day for safety reasons, they'd be forcibly logged out… Taylor had complained about that before, and my parents would definitely worry…
But running away isn't an option either.
Even if I managed to escape, with the locations of teleportation circles and safe zones being known, the chances of being ambushed again are high. It's best to prepare for the worst and fight here, so I can retreat into the barrier if necessary…
"Phoebe, I'm going to fight…"
"Then of course I'll join you."
Phoebe's resolve to fight was unwavering, as if it were a matter of course. Even if I told her to stay with her mother, I knew she wouldn't listen.
"Wait a minute, taking on that many by ourselves is reckless! You should fight alongside other fairies."
"But if we're supposed to fight alongside other fairies, it's tough not knowing their special skills…?"
Phoebe's mother suggested teaming up with other fairies, but protecting anyone besides Phoebe while fighting is nearly impossible.
Just as I was about to refuse on the grounds that collaboration would be difficult, Phoebe's mother pulled out a book and handed it to me. When I took it, I noticed it was labeled in handwritten notes as "List of Fairies Within the Barrier."
What is this? I thought, flipping through the pages. The first page contained data about Phoebe, including her appearance, name, the magic she could use, and her strengths.
"What is this…?" I asked.
"This book contains self-reported information from the fairies currently within the barrier, along with what I know, magically transcribed onto paper. Even if collaboration isn't possible, it's still feasible to send supportive spells from inside the barrier. If there are any fairies who want assistance, they can stay, and I'll provide support," she explained.
As I turned the pages, I saw illustrations of fairy girls I recognized from inside the barrier, noting that one was particularly skilled at hiding her appearance through the refraction of light.
On another page, there was an illustration of what appeared to be a male fairy who claimed to be adept at wind magic. However, Phoebe's mother had added a note saying that in reality, he merely used wind magic to silence his surroundings, creating a playful form of silence.
Further along, I found a page with an illustration of a brown-skinned female fairy who self-reported her proficiency in support magic, yet Phoebe's mother had commented that she actually possessed talent in attack magic involving earth and gravity. Unfortunately, due to her lack of control, she focused exclusively on support magic within a limited area, making it a wasted potential…
The fairy had beautiful, luminous wings. As I absorbed the text, I heard Phoebe's voice.
"Um, Lena, have you thought of something?"
"Sorry, Phoebe, I was just really intrigued and lost in this."
"Lena, the barrier won't be breached by the bugs, so there's no need to worry about that, but do you have time to read this thoroughly? And it seems like you're flipping through the male pages faster while taking your time with the female ones."
Phoebe looked up at me, her expression curious.
"N-No, it's just your imagination, Phoebe… but I feel like there's something I might discover… So let me read it all first; we might be able to team up in battle!" I thought about fairies with powers that could seal the Golden Ant's abilities or ones that could unleash massive single-target attacks, and I continued poring over the book. I definitely wasn't just trying to memorize the cute fairy images… right.
"Ah, I've finished reading…" I let out a sigh after completing the list of fairies within the barrier. It seemed there was no information about Phoebe's mother… Did the author forget to write it down?
"So, what's our strategy, Lena?" Phoebe asked, with her mother joining in.
"If you want specific fairies, just let me know."
"I'd like to summon a fairy with black hair who can conceal herself using light refraction, Eurynoe; and a green-haired boy fairy, Roe, who can silence opponents with wind magic."
"I understand. I'll call them right away," Phoebe's mother said as she went off somewhere.
It wasn't much of a plan, really. I intended to use light refraction to conceal my presence and wind magic to silence any noise. In that state, I could launch a surprise attack on the golden ants and take them down almost like an assassination. Afterward, once their minions became susceptible to area attacks, I would unleash a barrage of spells with the help of the fairy fire and ice gates to scatter the swarming insects.
Even if it seemed rough around the edges, I couldn't argue against it. Unfortunately, I'm neither a genius strategist nor a cunning tactician, and it wouldn't be possible to devise a complex plan without sufficient cooperation from unfamiliar fairies.
As I was explaining this to Phoebe, her mother returned.
"Um, I'm sorry, I managed to call for them, but... the other fairies insist they want to help! They won't take no for an answer!"
"I'll help too! We owe it to food!"
"I don't want to keep losing!"
"I want to fight!"
"If we all join forces with magic, we should win!"
One by one, various fairies appeared. Come to think of it, most of them had been busy carrying sweets to the storeroom. Did Phoebe's mother call for Eunoira and Rou, and then everyone wanted to join in?
"Well, coordinating the abilities of so many fairies will be challenging… I don't want to risk a poorly thought-out plan leading to casualties…"