"Everyone...! Please, I'm begging you, stop this madness! Listen to my voice!!"
Marcos and the others watched with bated breath as Elena desperately cried out to the animals.
According to Melt, this was supposed to reveal a way to save them, but the situation had not improved in the slightest.
"It's no use. The rampage isn't stopping!"
"Some of them stop when they hear her, but they just start acting up again right away!"
"Tch...!"
The cycle repeated itself exactly as before. While a few animals paused to listen to Elena’s cries, the vast majority continued their violent spree. Even the ones that did stop resumed their rampage moments later. In the end, nothing had changed.
"I understand how hard she’s trying, and I appreciate her desire to protect them. But as I thought, there’s only one way..."
His voice thick with regret, a staff member groaned as he clenched his fists tightly.
Marcos, listening to him, was tormented by his own sense of powerlessness. However, Yugo seemed to have noticed something and spoke up.
"Wait, something’s not right. Why are some of the animals responding to Elena's voice while others completely ignore her?"
"Eh...?"
Prompted by his observation, the staff members reflected on the scene they had just witnessed.
Now that he mentioned it, they realized that even though the animals were all roughly at the same distance and could undoubtedly hear Elena's voice, there was a clear divide between those that stopped and those that did not.
One could have dismissed it as a mere coincidence, but it was certainly an anomaly worth noting.
The staff, who never truly wanted to cull the creatures in the first place, began to see a glimmer of hope. Melt, who had proposed the plan, began to explain her reasoning.
"I knew it. There are two separate causes for the Animal Rampage! I think the ones reacting to Elena's voice are under some kind of spell!"
"Wait! Why do you think that!?"
"I’m training to be a Magic Knight in the Royal Capital, so I’ve been studying my share of magic. When a target falls under hypnosis or Confusion Magic, they lose their grip on reality—they don't even know what they're doing. However, a strong enough will or a specific external stimulus can sometimes snap them out of it!"
"I see...! So Elena's voice is acting as that external stimulus. It’s not enough to fully dispel the magic, but it’s waking up their consciousness!"
"That’s why the ones who heard Elena stopped for a moment...!"
"Exactly! For this type of magic, the effect will vanish the moment we defeat the caster. Looking at the animals, I don't think the magic's grip is that strong. If we can keep them focused on her voice, we can buy ourselves some time!"
Just as Melt said, the rampaging animals lacked any real consistency; they were either fighting each other or mindlessly attacking nearby objects.
She implicitly suggested that it was a blessing in disguise that they weren't focused on the worst-case scenario—attacking humans—and the group began to see a way forward.
"The animals are being manipulated by someone. If we just take that person down, the rampage will stop!"
"Then what about the other cause? How do we deal with that!?"
"Sorry, I don't have a clear answer for the second cause yet. However, since they don't react to Elena's voice at all, there's a high probability that their consciousness has been completely hijacked. It's just a hunch, but it doesn't feel like they're being controlled by magic, and it doesn't feel like their aggression is simply being boosted, either..."
"But if it isn't magic-induced hypnosis, how could they possibly be controlling such a large number of animals at once?"
While nothing was certain, several facts had become clear.
First, the animals were being manipulated by an outside force. There were likely two culprits involved, each using a different method to incite the violence. Furthermore, these culprits weren't giving the animals specific orders; they were likely just issuing a broad command to rampage.
As the group pondered the methods of the second culprit, Raiha, who had been deep in thought, spoke up.
"Um, excuse me! Could you please catch one of the animals for me?"
"What is it, Raiha? Did you think of something?"
"It’s a bit dangerous, but if I touch an animal’s body directly, I can check for physical abnormalities. If there’s a Magic Item embedded inside them, I should be able to find it."
Previously, during the Hospital Incident involving Yui and Fee, Raiha had used her lightning to pinpoint the locations of Magic Armor Beasts prowling the building.
As everyone held their breath, wondering if she could uncover the truth, Ryuga—who had already moved into action—presented a knocked-out wolf to her.
"Is this one okay?"
"Yes. Thank you."
After their brief exchange, Raiha reached out toward the wolf Ryuga had provided.
As she began the Animal Scan, crackling lightning dwelling in her palms, Marcos spoke up with a pained expression on his face.