The next day.
　We finished our preparations and left town early in the morning.

　We were able to proceed without incident...
　We were able to get close to Kagne in the early afternoon, much earlier than planned.

'And yet ... this is kind of amazing.
Neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

　There was a fog.
　Even though it was past noon, it didn't disappear and dyed the surroundings white.

''The source of the fog seems to be........Kagne....
Extreme weather?　Or.....

　Millefeuille and Chocolat get a quizzical look on their faces.
　It seems that although Millefeuille is also using magic to investigate, the cause of this is not clear.

''Nya.......Kagune is not exactly a city of fog, is it?
'It should be. It's a city that's growing its own culture, but it's not exactly famous for its fog.
'Yeah, I agree. I've never heard of anything like that before.

　Kanade's question was denied by me and Chiffon together.
　Then, for some reason, Kanade gets zit-eyed.

'Unya. We're both breathing great.
It's like we're practically tied together.
It's like we haven't just met, but old friends from way back.
It's like an old friend or something.

　For some reason, Tania, Sora and Luna join in, and everyone's face becomes indescribable.
　I didn't do anything, did I...?

All right, all right. Hey, everybody, calm down. I know how you feel, but for now, you might as well concentrate on the task at hand.
Unusual fog. You should be wary.

　Tina and Rifa said the most important thing and everyone meekly withdrew.

''There's no reaction from the enemy, is there?''
''That's right - there's no reaction from demons or anything like that. Naturally, there are no demons either!
"Hmm.

　I thought for a moment that it was a demon I didn't know, or a demon race, but it doesn't seem to be that way.
　Maybe they are more sensitive because of what happened with Krios.

''For now, let's go inside. There's no point in sitting here and watching.............of course, I'll be on guard.
Yes.

　Chiffon and I agreed on this.
　Everyone else didn't seem to disagree, and we each nodded in agreement.

Then, let's go.

　While bracing myself slightly so that I could slip out of my weapon at any time.
　We stepped into Kagne.



----------



　As we entered the city, the fog became even thicker.
　My vision was pretty much restricted and I couldn't see ahead.
　About five meters away, the fog almost took away their vision, and they could only see their feet or not.

　Despite these conditions, Kagne's people were in good spirits.
　There were no people holed up in their homes, and lots of people were usually walking around outside.
　There were also stalls and other stalls here and there, and a vigorous call to action.

''How unexpected this is,''
Yeah.

　I agreed with Kanade's impressions.

　Since it's foggy like this, I would have thought that the people in the city would be anxious or frightened...
　But he wasn't actually like that, he was just having a normal day.

　No ... it was more than normal, they seemed to be in good spirits and happy.
　The faces of the occasional person I could see were all filled with smiles.

''Danger, is.......no?''
I guess. Looks like there's nothing to see here.
Or rather, peace itself.

　I agree with Rifa.
　If this is not peace, what is it?

　It's just....

　I felt a little uncomfortable.
　It's hard to put into words, but it feels distorted or something....
　There was something unnatural about the smiles the people of the city were giving me.

　But I don't know more than that.
　There's no indication that anyone is being harmed or anything like that...
　We'll see what happens.

We'll go to the inn for a while.
'Yes. I'd like to get some accommodations early, and maybe we can get a lot of information from the people there.

　Chiffon and I agreed, and we decided to find a place to stay.

　It's in a deep fog, so it's going to take some time to get there, but....
　After about thirty minutes, we were able to find an inn without incident.
　Although we were a large group of eleven people, we got a room with no problem.

　Now, let's go ask around.
　I'm trying to be enthusiastic, but....

"...phew...

　Nina looked extremely sleepy and let out a sluggish yawn.
　Maybe she hadn't rested since she had just arrived in Kagne, so her fatigue was showing.
　When I looked, I saw that everyone else seemed to be in a similar state of mind, and they all seemed to be tired, depending on the individual.

'Everyone seems tired, so we'll have to wait until tomorrow to ask them about it.
'Yes. I don't think there's any danger, so I'm all for it.
It's a soft bed!　I need to take a hot bath too!
Oh, Luna!　I won't allow you to run off by yourself.

　Luna and Sora ran upstairs with dada dada.
　That seemed to relieve everyone's tension, and while laughing, they each headed to their rooms.

　Although they rested in the city on the way........
　I'm not completely exhausted because I haven't taken the time to settle down.
　Let's take a good rest today.

　Deciding that, I too went up the stairs of the inn.



----------



...?

　I thought I heard voices.

　I was in a deep slumber of consciousness, and my body wasn't moving properly...
　I'm vaguely aware that I'm asleep now, I think.
　It's not a lucid dream, but sometimes, I wonder if there are times when I can understand my own condition while sleeping, like that?

.........n.......

　I heard the voice again.
　It was interrupted and I couldn't understand what it was saying.

　But ... what is it?
　I missed it so much, I felt like I was going to cry just listening to it...I didn't understand the emotions I was feeling.

Rain. Come on, Rain.

　This time, I heard a voice clearly.
　As if drawn to that gentle voice, my consciousness surfaced.

''Hmm........''
Lane, are you awake?

　Slowly, he raised himself up and looked to the side.
　There he was........

...Mother?