Rei had managed to destroy the Dungeon Core he found inside the storage facility, but not before a swarm of slimes manifested from it. These creatures exhaled a thick purple mist, which also lingered as a residue whenever they were defeated. Stepping outside to warn others about the hazardous fog, Rei found two soldiers collapsed on the ground.
"Tch, is that mist deadly poison after all?" Rei spat the words as he rushed to the fallen men.
"...!?"
He noticed the soldier nearest him staring up with a look of pure desperation.
"This isn't poison... It's paralysis, isn't it?"
The man must have heard him. Despite being unable to move his body, the soldier managed a tiny, strained nod.
Damn it, so the purple mist has a paralysis effect, Rei thought. Why didn't it affect Seto or me? If it's like the Magic Fever, is it because of our magic capacity? No, thinking can wait. Action first.
Rei looked back at the storage facility. Purple smoke was billowing not just from the wide-open doors, but from every vent and crack in the building.
"Seto!"
"Guruuu!"
Understanding Rei's intent, Seto gave a sharp cry and turned its back toward him.
Rei immediately hoisted the soldier he had been carrying onto Seto’s back, then did the same with the other man.
While Seto could normally only carry one person while in flight, they didn't need to take to the skies. While running on the ground, carrying two additional people didn't hinder it much.
"Let's go. First, we meet up with Sazanas!"
"Gurururuuu!"
Seto nodded, and the man and the beast left the storage facility behind.
Luckily for the residents of the City of Baar, the Dungeon Core had appeared in a storage facility located in an area with very few private homes. Consequently, the damage from the purple mist was significantly lower than if it had appeared in the city center. However, the risk was far from zero.
"Run! If you touch that mist, you'll be paralyzed!"
Rei shouted at the top of his lungs, warning the few residents he passed as they raced toward the city center where the Guild and the Lord's Mansion were located.
The purple mist seemed to move with a strange, lingering will. Once it had fully enveloped the storage facility, it began to creep outward—much slower than natural fog, but with an ominous persistence.
Because of Rei’s warnings, the nearby residents realized something was wrong. Most managed to flee before the purple mist reached them.
"What is that? What the hell is that purple fog!? I’ve never seen anything like it in these parts!"
"Father! My father still has Magic Fever! He's still in the house!"
"Rigulus! Where are you, Rigulus!?"
A man raved in a near-delirium; a woman wept, consumed by guilt for failing to save her family in her desperate flight; a mother searched frantically for her missing child.
Watching the panic, Rei bit his lip and shouted again.
"Head for the city center! If you stay here, that mist will leave you unable to move!"
He kept shouting as he ran, watching the people scramble toward safety.
Amidst the chaos, a few residents seemed to have had their spirits broken by this new disaster following so closely on the heels of the Magic Fever. They stood rooted to the spot, staring vacantly as the mist crawled toward them.
"Rei!"
Having arrived near the city center and finally catching his breath, he heard a familiar voice. He had been acting with this man since morning.
"Sazanas!"
"What in the world is happening!? What is that purple mist!?"
Sazanas looked frantic. He grabbed the collar of Rei’s Dragon Robe and hauled him close, shouting his questions.
Fortunately, the mist was moving quite slowly and hadn't encroached very far into the city from the East Storage Facility yet. As a result, most people from the eastern side had successfully gathered in the central district. Hundreds had already assembled. In the middle of this crowd, Sazanas had easily spotted Rei because of how much a gryphon like Seto stood out.
"Calm down. If you, the captain of the Guard Force, lose your head, the residents will panic even more. I’ll explain everything, but first, I need to report to Dialogo and the Guild Master. Lead the way."
"...Understood."
Sazanas gave a small nod. He quickly ordered nearby soldiers to take the paralyzed guards off Seto's back and then guided Rei toward the Lord's Mansion. At Rei's request, Seto flew to the roof of a nearby building to keep watch for any changes in the mist's movement.
The soldiers were opening the Lord's Mansion to accommodate the elderly, women, children, and the sick. Glancing at the orderly chaos, Rei was ushered into Dialogo's office.
Inside the office, besides Dialogo and Seis, were several influential citizens—elderly people and middle-aged men and women. The moment Rei entered, several of them looked ready to demand what he had done, but Seis spoke first, silencing the room.
"Ah, you're here. Tell us, what is happening out there?"
"Yes... To put it simply, I've confirmed that the cause of the Magic Fever was the Dungeon Core that Sazanas and I found."
A Dungeon Core. Dialogo had already informed the others of this possibility while Sazanas was out investigating. Even so, hearing it confirmed by Rei—the man who had seen it—stilled the room. The critics held their tongues, waiting for him to continue.
"So, can we assume this purple mist causing the uproar is the work of that Dungeon Core?" Seis asked.
Rei nodded. He continued his explanation under the focused gaze of everyone in the room, including Sazanas.
"Normally, I wouldn't take it upon myself to deal with something as significant as a Dungeon Core, so I sent Sazanas to get instructions from Lord Dialogo and Seis. However..."
"I see. This commotion started while Sazanas was delivering his report," Dialogo noted.
"Yes. After Sazanas left, I kept watch on the core to ensure nothing happened. The Magic Fever had stabilized, so I thought we were in the clear, but..."
"But something happened," Seis finished for him.
"Right. The Dungeon Core began to pulsate, and then it suddenly released a swarm of amorphous slimes."
"...Slimes?" a middle-aged man in the office muttered, sounding incredulous.
It was an understandable reaction. The city was facing a crisis that threatened its very existence, and the culprit was... a slime? To the man, it sounded like a bad joke. The others looked skeptical as well, with three exceptions: Dialogo, Seis, and Sazanas. Seis knew the extent of Rei's magic power. Dialogo knew Rei was an agent recommended by his former teammate Marina, and his old friend Seis had vouched for the boy's strength. More importantly, as a veteran adventurer, Dialogo could sense Rei's capability. Sazanas, too, had seen enough of Rei's skill to trust his word.
"They weren't ordinary slimes, were they?" Seis asked, cutting off the middle-aged man before he could scoff. He had no patience for petty bickering or shifting blame right now.
Rei gave a small nod of appreciation to Seis and continued.
"Correct. They were spewing purple mist from their bodies. I judged it too dangerous to leave them, so I attacked. When they take fatal damage, their entire bodies dissolve into that purple mist."
"Purple mist... I see. So that's the source of the fog in the east. Do you know what it does?"
Rei recalled the two guards outside the East Storage Facility. He hadn't performed a medical exam, but the symptoms were unmistakable. He also thought of how he and Seto had been unaffected.
"From what I've seen, touching or inhaling the mist causes paralysis. That’s what happened to the guards at the facility. Those are just the immediate symptoms; there could be other effects we haven't seen yet. And one more thing..."
"What is it?"
"Seto and I were able to move through the mist without any problems. I killed a massive number of those slimes, yet I don't feel any paralysis at all. My theory is that, much like the Magic Fever, the effect is automatically neutralized if you have enough magic power."
The revelation that magic power could neutralize the mist brought a collective sigh of relief from those in the office, who felt they might finally be able to bring the situation under control.
However, Sazanas, who had been listening intently, interjected.
"Rei, wait a second. You're sure the guards at the storage facility were paralyzed? The ones we spoke to on the way in?"
"Yeah. No mistake."
Sazanas frowned and let out a heavy sigh.
"In that case... Lord Dialogo, Seis, everyone. This is worse than we thought."
"How so?" Seis asked, his expression souring. Dialogo looked equally concerned.
"What's the problem? If people with magic can act in the mist, can't we just deal with it?" one of the powerhouses of the city asked.
Sazanas shook his head.
"The guards assigned to the East Storage Facility—the ones active today—were all selected because they had enough magic power to resist the Magic Fever. If they were paralyzed, it means this mist requires a far higher level of magic power to neutralize than the fever did."
"Do you know exactly how much power is required?"
"I don't. Seis says Rei has immense magic power, and he's clearly immune, so he’s safe. But for anyone else..."
"Then you're saying we have no choice but to entrust the fate of the city to this boy? To a foreign adventurer?" the middle-aged man demanded, slamming his fist onto his knee in frustration.
Rei cut in before the argument could escalate.
"Sazanas. I forgot to mention—I've already destroyed the Dungeon Core. It was spitting out so many slimes that I couldn't wait for you to get back with instructions. I took it as an emergency measure. I hope you understand."
The room fell into a stunned silence.
It wasn't the silence of despair, but of pure shock. They had been agonizing over how to destroy the source of the paralyzing fog, only to be told the problem had already been solved.
"...By any chance, was the plan to turn Baar into a Labyrinth City?" Rei asked, feeling a sudden pang of worry that he had ruined their long-term plans.
His concern was misplaced. A moment later, the faces of everyone in the room lit up with hope.
Dialogo, the master of the office, approached Rei with an expression of pure excitement and pounded him on the shoulder repeatedly. If Rei had been wearing an ordinary robe instead of his Dragon Robe, he undoubtedly would have sustained actual damage.
"You did it! Well done! Yes, a Dungeon Core is a loss, but I have no desire for one at the cost of my city. My duty is to ensure the safety of my people. You’ve done a magnificent job, Rei. Seis!"
After praising Rei, he turned to Seis. The joy of a moment ago had vanished, replaced by the sharp, focused gaze of the Acting Lord. This ability to pivot instantly was the mark of his competence.
Seis, knowing his old friend’s temperament, nodded immediately in silent understanding.