The beast tamer exiled from the hero’s party and the cat eared girl from the strongest race meet
"Ray… sa… this…"
"Iris?"
Static cut in, and the telepathic message was lost.
It was obviously because of this fog.
I had never heard of fog that could disrupt magic before.
"Everyone, we’ve got enemies."
"Looks like we’ve got a bite already…"
"Muu, this could be a little troublesome."
"Luna, do you know anything about this fog?"
"Mm. Just a hunch, but this is…"
"It not only blocks vision—it also seems to have properties that interfere with magic. And, to go further, it may even be able to move as if it had a will of its own, restraining its targets. You could call it… a prison of fog."
"Hey, that was my line!?"
Luna looked genuinely shocked.
I’ve seen scenes like this now and then…
Could it be that she just likes explaining things?
Anyway—
"Losing contact with Iris is a problem…"
Both Iris and Gray are strong.
I doubt anything bad will happen easily, but still, being unable to reach them is unsettling.
We had discussed what to do if we got separated…
But with so little information, it’s hard to fully predict the enemy’s moves.
In the end, we’d have to adapt to the situation.
"Rain, what do we do?"
"Not Yuki? I’m the one deciding?"
"Yeah. I’ve trained a fair bit, but my actual combat experience is way less than yours. I think you’re better suited for it, so I’ll leave it to you."
"…Alright."
After ten seconds of thought, I gave my answer.
"There’s no doubt the enemy has taken the bait, but we haven’t fully reeled them in yet. Let’s trust those two and watch for a bit longer."
"Rain, you’re sure about that?"
"Yeah."
Tania pressed me for confirmation, but my answer didn’t change.
Sure, we could rush in to help them right now—but that wouldn’t solve the root of the problem.
And besides, that would mean I didn’t trust Iris…
Which I do.
Iris will handle this just fine.
So for now, I’ll keep watching and believe in her.
Surrounded by fog, their vision dropped to zero.
Even so, Iris didn’t panic—in fact, she calmly tried to grasp what was happening.
First, she reached out to touch the fog.
There was no sensation to feel.
Instead, she sensed magic.
"So it is artificial… but was there ever such a magic that could produce fog? Well, I’m not particularly well-versed in human magic… Gray, what about you?"
"Beats me. Magic’s not my specialty either."
"Utterly useless, I see."
"For someone with such a cute face, you’ve got a sharp tongue, missy."
"Oh, do pardon me. I generally dislike humans, you see."
"So that includes me?"
"I do dislike you. Still, since Lord Rain seems to trust you, I bear you no hostility. You may rest easy on that point."
"Not sure if I should be happy or depressed about that…"
With a wry smile, Gray raised his greatsword.
Iris, as if to match him, took a stance at his back.
"For now, I’m counting on you to cover my back."
"It’s quite against my will, but very well, I’ll do it."
Iris didn’t trust humans other than Rain.
The desire for revenge had faded, but…
Even so, it was still difficult for her to interact with a smile.
That said, she acknowledged Gray’s strength.
For a human, he was impressive.
So she could entrust her back to him…
And conversely, allow him to rely on hers.
"They’re coming!"
The fog shifted form, as if with a will of its own.
It became hands, reaching for Iris and Gray from all directions.
"Hmph!"
Gray swung his greatsword without hesitation.
He couldn’t cut the fog itself, but the force of the swing scattered it.
Still, he couldn’t deal a decisive blow.
The dispersed fog quickly reformed and closed in again.
"Tch… I’ve never tried cutting fog before, so this is tricky."
"Do your best, please."
"Hey now, you do your best too, missy. You’re supposed to be one of the strongest races, right?"
"Is your brain empty? If the target realizes the one they’re after is a strongest-class being, they’ll be on guard. Until we lure them out, I can’t use my power."
Saying this, Iris met the fog’s attacks barehanded.
She carried no weapon.
Even so, her fists moved at blinding speed, striking back at the approaching fog.
"I get what you’re saying, but… if we keep intercepting them like this, won’t it end up the same? The enemy will be wary."
"The victims apparently include adventurers. The other side should expect some resistance. We just need to resist in a way that doesn’t surprise them, lull them into carelessness, and draw them out."
"You’ve thought this through."
"And you haven’t thought enough… really, you should learn from Lord Rain."
Even as they traded words, they continued to intercept the fog precisely.
The number of fog-hands steadily increased, yet not one had touched their bodies.
That said, there was a limit.
The hands multiplied exponentially…
Until they filled the field of vision entirely.
Even for Gray, this was rough.
Iris could have easily handled it by using her abilities, but…
As she’d said earlier, that wouldn’t lure the enemy in.
So she deliberately allowed herself to be caught.
"…About time, I suppose."
Choosing the right moment, Iris stopped resisting.
Of course, she made it look as though she had simply exhausted her strength, not as though she’d planned it.
Sensing her intention, Gray also ceased resisting.
And then… the fog-hands surged in all at once, restraining them both.
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