(Kiyomi POV)
The fog was definitely thick. So thick that any normal person wouldn't be able to see their fingers if they stuck their hands out in front of them. It is fortunate that we are not normal.
"Are you sure you don't need these thermal goggles, sister Kiyomi?" Elaria asked, handing me some sort of complicated device that looked like an oversized pair of glasses.
"I am sure. My other senses are sharp enough to help me maneuver through this fog without visual aid."
Tsuki looked at me as though filled with doubt but chose not to comment.
She turned back and pointed towards a direction ahead of us, "The crevice where the lake might be is just up ahead. Let's go."
Just as those words left her mouth, a wall of people appeared in front of us, blocking our way to our destination.
Most of them looked like Adventurers judging by the gear they wore, though some of them were obviously peasants.
"Ehh… They look different than I think they would. Shouldn't they be like… Rotting, groaning and stuff?" Elaria muttered.
"Those are ghouls," I told her, seeing the characteristic white eyes and empty expressions on their faces. "There's someone practicing necromancy around here."
""Ghouls?"" The two little sisters parroted.
"Yes. They are living things that had their souls taken away from them. The necromancer would then enslave the bodies to do their bidding."
Tsuki looked at the ghouls pitifully, "How macabre, should I ask if there is any way to save them?"
I shook my head, "Unless either of the people involved in this process is especially strong, the soul would perish the moment it is extracted. And judging by how these ghouls are acting, I highly doubt the necromancer controlling them is especially skilled."
Elaria smirked, "I guess we'll just have to kill them all with fire!"
She took out some kind of cylindrical backpack that had a hose attached to it from her storage ring. At the end of said hose was a small flame that stayed alight even when the wind blew at it.
Not liking where that was going, I quickly stopped her.
"What did I tell you about destroying the entire forest?"
"Ehhh… But it's common sense to burn zombies with fire right?"
"First of all, they aren't even zombies, second of all…"
I waved my hand in the air and all the ghouls were immediately encased in a solid block of ice.
"Now, shall we go look at the crevice?" I asked rhetorically.
"Buuuu… I wanted to use my flamethrower…"
Ignoring Elaria's pout, I continued our way down the path to where the crevice was last seen on the map.
The 'crevice' turned out to be a ditch where piles upon piles of the deceased were dumped into and left to rot, leaving a foul stench in the air.
"Failed experiments," I explained, covering my nose with my sleeve. "I do not want to be here longer than I need to."
Elaria grimaced, "Agreed."
We turned on our heels and marched back the way we came, and of course there was another horde of ghouls showing up from within the fog to halt us.
None of us paid them any mind since I simply froze all of them with a wave of my hand, continuing onwards to the next possible location on the map.
We met no resistance at the next location, most likely because the only thing we found there was just a crater that looked like a giant monster's footprint with nothing else inside of it.
None of us were worried about the fact a giant monster was here since all of us had the firepower to take whatever it was down if it showed up anyway.
When we started heading towards the last location, however, a giant horde of ghouls appeared to block our way, this time looking more aggressive than the others. It was obvious there was something there this necromancer did not want us to see.
Still, no matter how many of these mindless ghouls they sent at us, it was still simple for me to just freeze them all instantly since the only thing they could rely on was their numbers.
We pushed through the horde without any of them being able to touch us, reaching a clearing that seemed to be the only place devoid of the fog.
A woman wearing a simple gray cloak with a hood that covered the upper half of her face was standing there waiting for us.
Behind her was a log cabin big enough to accommodate a large family living inside, presumably to be her home.
The woman crossed her arms, "So you're the ones who came here and started making a mess of things… I guess I have to applaud you for coming this far despite the odds stacked against you."
I tilted my head at her, "Odds stacked against us? I have no idea what you are talking about. We simply walked our way in here. It wasn't really a bother either."
A small frown seemed to cross her face, "Such arrogance from a fox youkai… I shall cut to the chase then, what are you doing here?"
Elaria stepped forward, "We are here to find the Fairy Lake rumoured to be in this forest. You don't happen to know where it is, do you?"
I noticed that Elaria was holding what I recognised to be a 'gun' behind her back, ready to attack the woman at the first signs of aggression.
The woman sighed audibly, "And for what reason is it that you wish to search for this fabled lake?"
Tsuki crossed her arms and sneered, "Is there even a need for you to know?
The woman gestured to the trees around her, "This forest is my home and all of you are trespassing. I'd like to think I have the right to know what you intend to do with something that belongs to me?"
I tilted my chin at her, "Audacious words from a necromancer. By all accounts, we shouldn't even be listening to your words right now."
She shrugged, "Perhaps. But without my help, how long are you going to wander in this forest until you find it? And the only thing I've done so far is to defend my home, you're the invaders here."
Elaria glanced at me and I nodded at her, "My beloved Onii-sama has lost his memories and we found out that he can be cured if we used the water from the Fairy Lake to create a potion. Is that good enough?"
The woman frowned, "Using the Fairy Lake's water to create a cure for amnesia? This is the first I've heard of this."
Tsuki rolled her eyes, "Then you're obviously not as well read as you thought you were. You asked the reason, we told you. Now are you going to tell us where it is or are you going to continue wasting our time?"
"You are really rude, you know that? What makes you think I would tell you after such an attitude?"
She snapped her fingers and the fog lifted up, revealing the biggest horde of ghouls we've seen surrounding us.
Of course, this horde is still smaller than the monster horde we had to deal with back then so it really doesn't scare us at all.
I raised my eyebrow at her, "Is this supposed to intimidate us?"
"Even if you're strong, it will still take you time and effort to defeat this many people. They may be ghouls but they still possess the skills they had when they were alive and some of them were top tier Adventurers."
Elaria turned to me and asked pleadingly, "Sister Kiyomi, please, please, please let me do it?"
I sighed, "Just a bit…"
Since it's a clearing, it should be alright for her to use that 'flame thrower' or whatever it was without burning down the entire forest.
"Yessss!!" She cheered and immediately started tapping away on a device that was strapped to her wrist. "OSSN Sun Destroyer! Initiate danger close air to ground bombardment at current coordinates! Register designated targets and eliminate them with extreme prejudice! Fire for effect!"
I summoned a transparent ice dome around us just as the air above us shook violently.
The woman looked up and only just realised the giant ship that was hanging above the skies, right as the first shells impacted the earth around us.
Ugh… Of course her 'just a bit' would involve blowing up half the forest anyway… Why did I think this girl would ever restrain herself?
I hope that woman is still alive…