The two wolf pups had been playing with Seto.
The wolf pack guarding the Fairy Dwelling feared and stood in awe of Seto's presence, but the two pups were completely attached to him.
Of course, the pack's initial attitude toward Rei and Seto when they first approached the Fairy Dwelling had been wary and, in a sense, hostile—so that history likely played a role.
It was only natural that the adult wolves and the pups would react differently.
"Compared to the last time I saw them, they've gotten quite a bit bigger."
"Yes. I know this might sound odd to say, but I think growing up in the Fairy Dwelling has something to do with it."
"Growing up in the Fairy Dwelling... I see."
No one had explained the specifics of how or why, but the mere fact that they were being raised in the Fairy Dwelling carried enough persuasive power to convince Rei.
"If that's the case, these two might eventually turn into monsters. I have no idea what kind, though."
The Smog Panther—which possessed the magic stone needed to create the Fog Sound with the functions Rei desired—was a rare creature, as far as panther-type monsters went.
Then again, that perception might simply stem from the fact that Rei had never fought a panther-type monster before, or at least had very few encounters with them.
Wolves, on the other hand, he had fought plenty of.
It was strictly based on Rei's own intuition, but he definitely felt that wolves were more prone to becoming monsters.
Seemingly satisfied with their interaction with Rei, the two wolf pups bounded away.
Seto glanced at Rei, purred, and chased after them.
"Setting those two aside... let's get back to the Smog Panther. Do you actually know where it's located?"
"Yes. Nielson should be able to guide you."
"...I don't think we need to insist on Nielson specifically."
Nielson was without a doubt the fairy Rei was closest to.
In that sense, he understood that the Chief was arranging for Nielson to accompany him out of kindness.
But knowing Nielson's personality, Rei suspected that if she came along, all sorts of troublesome things would end up happening.
"Whoa!"
The moment that thought crossed his mind, he sensed something hurtling toward him from behind at tremendous speed and reflexively dodged.
Whatever it was shot through the space where Rei's head had been just a fraction of a second before, then moved into the air above and came to a halt.
Hovering there with her hands on her hips, glaring down at Rei on the ground, her posture made it abundantly clear that she was angry.
And as for who would be striking such a pose... Rei knew as soon as he looked.
"Nielson, what exactly are you doing?"
"That's my line! I'm telling you I'll come along, so why do you look so unhappy about it? Normally, this would be the part where you'd be thrilled to have me!"
Nielson shouted at Rei, unleashing her frustration as though she were venting everything she had been holding back until now.
From Rei's perspective, he genuinely wondered if it was really something worth getting that upset over.
That said, given the current situation, he couldn't exactly say he didn't understand Nielson's frustration at least a little.
"Were you listening to my conversation with the Chief? ...Then I'd think you'd generally understand what I'm getting at. When you went to Gilm inside my Dragon Robe, you got pretty worked up and it was dangerous, wasn't it? If someone had spotted you, it would have definitely caused a commotion."
That was no exaggeration.
Fairies were, in a sense, regarded by many as a phantom race.
That was precisely why Rei had originally thought he could make a fortune by turning the Fairy Dwelling into a tourist destination—but when the Chief made it clear she didn't want outsiders let in, Rei had quickly abandoned the idea.
"Th-That's... but it can't be helped! I normally can't go to places where people are. And there were lots of sweets and everything!"
"No, that's not a valid reason."
"It'll be fine. There are no people living where the Smog Panther is. Even if I act normally, there won't be any problems."
"...I see."
The words out of Nielson's mouth carried enough persuasive power to convince Rei.
The main concern about bringing Nielson along was indeed the trouble it would cause if she were seen by people.
But to defeat the Smog Panther, they would naturally have to go to where it inhabited—and there was no way people would be living in such a place.
Well, in reality, there was always the possibility of adventurers being around, so it wasn't an absolute guarantee that Nielson wouldn't be spotted. Still, it would be far safer than going to Gilm.
"See? It'll be fine, right? Then there's no problem taking me along."
"Hmm... I guess so. When you put it that way..."
Even so, Rei wasn't readily agreeing to Nielson's company because he had a lingering feeling that she was something of a troublemaker.
It wasn't as though he was making that assumption based on any hard evidence. And if it was just about being a troublemaker, then it wouldn't be strange for Rei himself to be called one. ...No, in Rei's case, rather than a troublemaker, it would be more accurate to say he had a nature that attracted trouble.
In fact, in Egginis—where he had been taking shelter during the Crystal Dragon incident—he had ended up entangled in the Dolan Workshop's dark underbelly.
And ultimately, that had led to Dailas, one of the four people running Egginis, losing his position. That same Dailas had then rampaged through the city as a Necro Golem, causing massive devastation.
That said, if Rei hadn't put a stop to the Dolan Workshop's darkness—their practice of using necromancy to turn human souls into materials for golem cores—the Workshop would likely still be doing the same thing in Egginis even now.
It was a fact that he attracted trouble. But it was also a fact that many people had been better off because of it.
At any rate, Rei reluctantly acknowledged that he possessed such a nature.
If the troublemaker Nielson were to accompany him on top of that, and they traveled all the way to the Smog Panther's habitat, there was no telling what kind of trouble they might get caught up in.
Still, judging by the attitudes of both Nielson and the Chief, Rei could understand that there was no other choice.
From Rei's perspective, Nielson didn't seem particularly competent. But seeing as she had actually negotiated with Daskar, the lord of Gilm, the results suggested she was likely more capable than his assessment implied.
(The Chief might actually be considering Nielson as her successor... No, that can't be. If she did something like that, the fairies here would suffer great harm...)
The moment that thought crossed his mind, as if reading it, Nielson dove straight toward him from the air above.
"Whoa."
Rei easily sidestepped Nielson's charge.
If she had launched a surprise attack like before, it might have been a different story. But right now, Nielson was in plain sight.
Fairies could fly at considerable speed, but even so, it was impossible to land a hit on Rei when he could see her coming.
"Hey, why are you dodging!"
She was clearly frustrated that her charge had been evaded.
At Nielson's protest, Rei replied with an exasperated expression.
"You're charging right at me. If I don't dodge, it'll hit me and hurt."
"Obviously!"
Rei hesitated over how to respond to Nielson's shout.
But as long as he didn't understand why she was angry in the first place, anything he said would only be a stopgap.
"Seriously..."
"Nielson."
Nielson had been about to launch into her complaints, but the Chief called her name, cutting her off.
Hearing that single word, Nielson fell silent, unable to say anything more.
What would happen if she were to defy the Chief's orders here—everyone living in the Fairy Dwelling understood that perfectly well.
"Sigh. At this rate, it really might be a bad idea to send Nielson along with Rei-san."
"No way!"
"...Nielson?"
"Ah, yes. I'm sorry. I'll be quiet."
She knew that speaking up in this situation was practically suicide. Yet, fearing she might miss the chance to go out with Rei, Nielson had reflexively interjected—only to be swiftly silenced once again by a single word from the Chief.
Perhaps taking pity on Nielson, or perhaps figuring that if someone had to accompany him, it might as well be someone he was at least somewhat familiar with, Rei addressed the Chief.
"Go easy on her. It seems like things are only going to get more complicated at this rate, so it's fine—Nielson can come with me."
Hearing Rei's words, Nielson wavered—should she be angry that he said she 'would do,' or should she be delighted that she was going out with him?
"Are you quite sure? If it would be too much for you..."
Even for the Chief, this was an important matter.
The Smog Panther's magic stone had a fair number of uses even for Magic Items other than the Fog Sound.
...Which was exactly why they had run short of them in the first place.
Starting with the Fog Sound, Magic Items crafted by fairies were superior in performance compared to those made by alchemists.
Of course, there were those among the alchemists who could only be called geniuses, and Magic Items created by such individuals were sometimes higher in performance than those made by fairies.
"Yeah, that won't be a problem. It's not like I'm forcing myself. Just... it would help if you could have a word with Nielson beforehand about not doing anything reckless."
The Chief nodded at those words and silently turned her gaze toward Nielson.
Nielson, subjected to that stare, opened her mouth as if to say something, but ultimately fell silent.
"Nielson will accompany you to subjugate the Smog Panther. You understand where it inhabits, correct?"
In response to the Chief's question, Nielson nodded silently.
She had plenty she wanted to say, but right now she wanted to extricate herself from this situation as quickly as possible.
And to that end, she understood that staying quiet was the best course of action.
"It seems we can trust her with this. ...Rei-san, if Nielson acts on her own, please don't hold back. Let's see... you might even use her as live bait to lure out the Smog Panther."
At those words from the Chief, Nielson shook her head frantically—quite unlike her reaction from a few seconds prior.
Even a prank-loving fairy like Nielson had no desire to be used as live bait.
...From Rei's perspective, he had no such intention to begin with, so he wished she would rest easy.
"Calm down. For now, I have no intention of using you as live bait, so relax. But if you try anything strange while we're traveling... I can't promise what will happen."
"Hey..."
"Nielson?"
"...Understood..."
Nielson tried to protest Rei's words, but that too was shut down by a single word from the Chief.
"Well then, that settles it for now. ...That said, where exactly is the Smog Panther? You mentioned Nielson knows the location, but I'd prefer to know in advance if possible. Otherwise, we might get lost along the way."
Rei said this, but in terms of getting lost, he was already somewhat prone to a poor sense of direction to begin with.
Even if the Chief told him the location, making his way there in a straight line would be difficult.
The Chief was unaware of his slight tendency to get lost, so she responded without giving Rei's words any particular thought.
"That's right. If you head east from here—the Treant Forest—you should find it. Unfortunately, I'm not well-versed in human settlements, so I can't tell you specifically which village or town it's near. However, Nielson should know the exact location, so I don't think there will be any problem."
The Chief turned an inquiring gaze toward Nielson, who nodded repeatedly.
She was acting on the understanding that doing so was the best choice available in this situation.