"I'll go deeper into the fog."
Whether to wait here or press forward—between those two options, Bob chose to press forward.
If he considered his own safety, perhaps staying behind would have been the better choice. But if he remained here alone without Rei or Seto, Bob honestly wasn't confident he could handle the animals and monsters that might come hunting him.
There was no doubt that Bob was a skilled hunter. But even so, he was a hunter, not an adventurer. On top of that, Bob had heard from Rei that this place was the frontier. Given that, he must have figured he should choose the option most likely to keep him alive, however marginally—and as a result, decided that venturing deeper was the safer bet.
Of course, apart from his own safety, there was also the curiosity pulling him closer to the Fairy Dwelling. Considering his current situation, he wanted nothing more than to step inside right then and there. Doing so would guarantee his safety and, at the same time, satisfy the curiosity burning within him.
There was no way Bob would pass up that best option.
...Granted, it also meant he would have to stay with the wolves in the fog.
"I see. If that's your intention, I understand. I'll respect your decision."
"Gururu."
"Do your best."
Rei, Seto, and Nielson each called out to Bob.
Being addressed like that once more, Bob honestly felt a twinge of unease. He hadn't completely grasped Rei and Nielson's personalities yet. But precisely because he understood them to some degree, being told such things in this situation was naturally anxiety-inducing.
"Um, Rei-san. I'll ask just in case, but... it really will be okay, right?"
"Yeah, I don't think there'll be any problems. Though that's only as long as you don't attack the wolves or go wandering through the fog for no reason."
"O-Of course I have no intention of doing anything like that! I mean... well, it's true I'm curious about the Fairy Dwelling. But given the situation, doing something like that would only put them on guard."
"Then I don't think there's a problem. ...That said, that's just my take on it. If the Chief who rules the Fairy Dwelling doesn't take a liking to you... then I really can't say what will happen."
"H-Hey, Rei-san?! Don't scare me like that!"
Bob raised his voice at Rei's words. He was a curious person by nature, but even so, being threatened in this situation was enough to make him feel afraid.
That said, Rei wasn't actually trying to threaten him. The decision regarding the Fairy Dwelling was ultimately the Chief's to make. If she was unwilling to let Bob in, it would be fine if that was all that happened—but depending on the circumstances, it wouldn't be strange for her to take some kind of action against him. Still, considering that Rei was an acquaintance, it was more likely the Chief wouldn't do anything unreasonable.
"Anyway... hm? Looks like they're here."
Rei had been talking while heading toward where the fog thickened, but he suddenly announced this.
They're here? What exactly?
Bob wondered, but he quickly understood what Rei meant. After all, his own ears could pick up the sound of multiple sets of footsteps racing toward them.
As a skilled hunter, Bob could tell from the footfalls and the current situation what was approaching. And given what Rei and Nielson had just told him, it wasn't hard to predict what was coming.
Wolves.
"Whoa!"
A surprised cry slipped from Bob's mouth at the sight of the wolves bursting through the fog. The fact that he didn't reflexively reach for his bow was probably because Rei and Nielson were right beside him.
The wolves that arrived seemed calm upon seeing Nielson and Seto. Rei, for his part, didn't appear particularly concerned.
Nielson, being a fairy, was a resident of the Fairy Dwelling they protected, so she was no issue. And the wolves knew that Seto was an existence separated from them by an overwhelming gulf in power. That was what they felt toward Nielson and Seto.
...Furthermore, under normal circumstances, they should have sensed the gap between themselves and Rei as well, and it wouldn't have been strange for them to be afraid of him too. But they likely hadn't noticed Rei's presence because of Seto's overwhelming presence. If these had been monsters or creatures with sharper instincts, they might have picked up on Rei as well—but unfortunately, these wolves weren't beings of that caliber.
Even so, the fact that they didn't do anything to Rei was probably because the Chief had thoroughly drilled that much into them.
Unlike Rei's group, however, Bob was here for the first time. It was only natural for the wolves to be wary of a stranger.
The pack circled Bob, growling. The message was clear—if Bob made any suspicious move here, they wouldn't hesitate to attack. The only reason they hadn't already was probably because Nielson was present.
Bob cast a pleading glance toward Nielson. That he sought help from her rather than Rei was, naturally, because this was the Fairy Dwelling. He had judged that the one to rely on here was Nielson, not Rei.
Nielson, now relied upon, shot a slightly smug look at Rei before addressing the wolves.
"This person is Bob. He's planning to enter the Fairy Dwelling. We're going to get the Chief's permission now, so I'll have him wait here until then. And let me be clear—don't attack him."
At Nielson's words, the wolves stopped growling as if they understood.
Bob was relieved by the change, but the wolves hadn't completely dropped their guard. They weren't growling or circling him anymore, but their eyes stayed locked on him. If Bob made even the slightest wrong move, they would sink their teeth into him without a moment's hesitation.
Bob was relieved that the growling and circling had stopped, but he understood full well that the wolves still hadn't fully accepted him.
"P-Please come back as quickly as you can."
With Bob's voice fading behind them, Rei and the others entered the Fairy Dwelling.
The moment they stepped inside, a swarm of fairies descended as if they'd been lying in wait.
"Ah! It's Nielson! Rei's here too! Hey, hey, do you have any souvenirs? Like sweets, or sweets, or sweets!"
"It doesn't have to be sweets—fruit is fine too!"
"I want dried meat!"
Rei was surprised to find a fairy among the group asking for dried meat. When he had visited before, the fairies had asked him for sweets and fruit, but never dried meat. Of course, given fairy nature, it wouldn't be strange for one to have snatched and eaten dried meat while pulling a prank somewhere. But still, considering their preferences, they should have favored sweets and fruit over dried meat.
Then again, people's tastes run the gamut. When it comes to fairies, with their intense curiosity, it wouldn't be strange for one to take an interest in dried meat.
With that conclusion, Rei handed out fruit and sweets at random. To the fairy who wanted dried meat, he made sure to give dried meat.
Strictly speaking, there was no need for Rei to hand out sweets and fruit every time he visited the Fairy Dwelling. He did so because he knew they would pester him relentlessly if he didn't. Of course, if the fairies got carried away and demanded more and more, that would be another matter entirely. Fortunately, the fairies were shrewd judges of such things. They likely understood that if they pushed too far, the Chief would scold them.
"Come on, we have business with the Chief, so knock it off. If you get in our way here, you'll actually get scolded!"
Once Nielson said that, the other fairies couldn't argue. They clearly had no desire to say something that might earn them the Chief's wrath.
Each fairy clutching their spoils, they scattered away from Rei. Naturally, the number of sweets and fruit Rei had was limited—not nearly enough to go around to everyone. The fairies who hadn't received anything chased after the ones who had, demanding a share. The ones holding sweets and fruit naturally bolted, wanting it all to themselves... but as the chase wore on, they completely forgot why they had started running in the first place.
Absorbed in their game of tag... the ones carrying the sweets and fruit were inevitably slower due to the extra weight. Finding them a burden, they'd toss the food aside—whereupon another fairy would snatch it up midair and try to claim it. Then yet another fairy would give chase, and the cycle would repeat endlessly.
"Okay, Rei. Let's go while we can."
Rei complied without argument. If they lingered, the fairies might tire of tag and come flooding back.
As they pushed deeper into the Fairy Dwelling, they spotted fairies who hadn't joined the group that swarmed Rei earlier. These were fairies who, while still curious, possessed a bit more composure—or perhaps they'd simply found something more interesting than Rei and were fixated on that. A few still glanced at Rei with mild interest, but none came charging over like the first batch.
Just like Nielson said, fairies don't necessarily have to sleep inside trees.
Rei mused to himself as he watched a fairy curled up asleep on a flower. A fairy sleeping on a blossom was an undeniably picturesque scene—though the sleeping fairy probably had no idea it looked that way to anyone else.
Taking in the sight, he continued through the Fairy Dwelling until at last they reached the very back—the Chief's dwelling.
Seto, meanwhile, had been waylaid by wolf pups again along the way and had peeled off from Rei's side to play with them. Rei accepted this; better that than having Seto cause a ruckus during his conversation with the Chief.
"You returned remarkably quickly."
The Chief said as much the moment she saw Rei and Nielson.
At first, Rei wondered if she was being sarcastic. After all, they had obtained the Smog Panther magic stones, camped by the river, and only then returned to the Fairy Dwelling. But looking at the Chief's expression, there was no trace of irony—she genuinely seemed to think, from the bottom of her heart, that they had come back fast.
In truth, the Chief had expected that even if everything went smoothly with the Smog Panther magic stones, it would take far longer to return—as many as ten days wouldn't have been surprising. Yet here they were, back in a matter of days. That was something that genuinely astonished her.
Sensing this, Rei replied with a touch of confusion.
"Is that so? I was sure you'd say we were slow."
"Not at all, slow... it's just that you seem to have picked up something unnecessary along the way... no, someone unnecessary."
The Chief abruptly shifted the topic. Rei immediately understood what she meant.
"Bob... you mean the one I left waiting outside the Fairy Dwelling?"
"Yes. That person. He bears some kind of defilement."
"...Defilement?"
Not understanding the meaning of the word, Rei initially wondered if she simply meant Bob was physically dirty—but one look at the Chief told him that wasn't it.
"Yes. Presumably, he came into contact with some such entity. Furthermore... through that defilement, he appears to be connected to someone."
"Ah... I see. So that's it."
"Rei? What is it?"
Nielson asked, apparently unable to follow Rei's train of thought, her expression puzzled.
"You remember how Bob wasn't being tailed, yet the enemies still showed up at our campsite? The reason for that is probably the connection through that defilement. I don't know the specifics of how they're doing it, but they must have some way of pinpointing Bob's location."
"Ah, so that's why... but what about the fact that they approached without Seto noticing?"
"I'm not sure. Honestly, I can't figure that part out either. But maybe they're using that defilement somehow. ...In practice, we'll need to capture those people and get the answers out of them."
And so, Rei finally understood how Bob was being pursued.
...Though that was, at best, only a conjecture.