Most of the drizzling rain is blocked by the branches and leaves of the trees, which are stretched out as far as they can, and not much falls on us.
　Every now and then, Krull would shake his head to keep the rain away. Lucy also sprinkled the water with a flourish, and Diana and Anne were screaming with what I couldn't tell if it was joy or scream.

"Speaking of which, is there any mist or fog?
"Yes. Sometimes it's so thick that you can't even see what's in front of you.

　I asked Samija if she thought it would be easier to see the mist and fog after it stopped raining, but she said yes.

I asked Samija if she thought it would be easier to get out after the rain stopped.
We do, because we can't see or hunt, but we can hear and smell them, so I guess wolves and deer do hang around a bit.
Oh, so you can move around a bit when you have a good nose?
I guess so.

　Even though Samias and other beastmen are much more sensitive than humans, they are not as sensitive as the beasts of the forest. They may rely heavily on visual information, so it would be difficult if there was fog.

That's not good. I have to go into town tomorrow or the next day.
I have to go into town tomorrow or the day after." "They're still around, but they won't attack you out of the blue. They're better off when there's no fog, that's for sure.
I see.

　I'm a cheat, but I'm basically in the realm of mere mortals, and it's hard to deal with an attack when the fog takes away your vision. If I were to be attacked by a pack of wolves in such a situation, I would feel helpless.
　However, it is also true that it is more advantageous to use your sense of sight to attack them than to use your sense of smell alone. I should say that I was saved by their cleverness.

So, if we go slowly and don't worry about it, it won't be a problem?
"Yes. I don't recommend it, though, because it's easy to lose your way.
That's true.

　I shrugged my shoulders as I said that. No matter how familiar you are with the Kuro Forest, it's quite possible to get lost easily if the fog changes its appearance.
　In order to avoid that, I should think about postponing the journey if the fog was too deep.

　And so, the entrance to the forest was approaching. The number of trees was decreasing, and the number of raindrops reaching us was increasing. Lucy shivered more often.

It's around here.

　It seems like a long time ago, but in reality, less than a week has passed since then.

Should we split up and look for them?
No, it smells like .......

　"No, it smells like ," Samija said with a look of disgust on her face. I think the smell of blood has disappeared with all the rain. If that's the case, .......

All right. Let's go over there.

　I said, without asking what the source of the smell was. Deanna and Rike didn't seem to get it. Helen seemed to have an idea right away, and her face twisted a little. It's not creepy that Anne seems to have an idea.

　We got to the source of the smell pretty quickly. It's covered up, but not very carefully. They didn't know when we were coming, so they couldn't cover it up properly.
　Still, it's hidden well enough that if you were to pass by without knowing anything, there's a small chance you'd notice the strange smell, but you'd probably just walk right past it.
　I told Deanna, Rike, Liddy, Chibi and the others to wait there, and approached the scene.