Even though the windows were tightly locked, the gray mist seemed like particles smaller than air, forcing its way into the manor and flooding the room.
Under the shroud of the gray mist, visibility plummeted. It was as if a thin membrane had been placed over one's ears, causing sounds to become faint and muffled.
Leon strode over to Alicia and asked with a solemn expression, "How could the gray mist have expanded again?"
Alicia shook her head blankly.
Seeing this, Leon asked again, "Then how did you know the gray mist was coming ahead of time?"
Alicia replied, "Sleeping... in a dream... an old... man... told... me..."
An old man?
Leon quickly realized she meant the God of Thieves.
He must have predicted that something would go wrong with the city's gray mist barrier, so he entered Alicia's dream to warn her!
Leon tried to ask for more information about the gray mist, but Alicia said the old man hadn't told her anything else.
He had only taught her a new rogue technique, telling her to follow Leon in the gray mist and protect herself.
"The God of Thieves actually knows about me..."
Leon hadn't expected that a small Bronze-rank priest like himself would be noticed by the God of Thieves, let alone that the deity would instruct Alicia to stay close to him.
But now was not the time to ponder such things. Leon looked out the window; the world outside was already enveloped in the gray mist.
The brilliant moonlight filtering through the mist was no longer bright, providing only a faint, dim glow.
"Master Leon!"
Thomas's shout came from outside the room.
"I'm fine!"
Leon draped his noble robe over Alicia's shoulders and then grabbed a pair of boots from the wardrobe for her to use as a temporary fix.
He then walked out of the room. Thomas was leading a group of fully armed bloodline warriors from the Falcon Warband toward him.
Old Hunter was among them.
"The gray mist has expanded again? Did you receive any warnings?" Leon asked.
Thomas replied in a heavy tone, "I only realized the gray mist had spread inside when I heard the three bells toll and looked out the window. There were no prior alerts at all."
"However, I believe that if the Gray Mist Barrier were functioning normally, the mist should have been blocked at the pass and unable to break through the protection."
"Now that the gray mist has flooded the city, it can only mean one thing—the Gray Mist Barrier has likely malfunctioned!"
This matched Leon's own deduction.
With the gray mist spreading into the city, the only possibility was that the Gray Mist Barrier was damaged.
"Master, we cannot stay in the gray mist for long. We must evacuate immediately!" Old Hunter said, understanding the severity of the situation.
Thomas agreed, but Leon shook his head.
"We can't escape. Without the protection of the Gray Mist Barrier, the mist will expand without limit. It can spread for dozens of kilometers in a short time."
"We can't outrun the gray mist."
Thomas countered, "Master, there is a small Gray Mist Barrier sent from the Imperial Ministry of Magic in the manor's warehouse. Perhaps we can use its protection to evacuate."
Hearing this, Leon suddenly remembered the small Gray Mist Barrier sent from the capital. Since Viscount Clyde had never returned, that device had remained in the warehouse.
He had previously thought that if he ever accidentally fell into the gray mist, this device might save his life, but he hadn't expected to use it so soon.
"Go, to the warehouse!"
His eyes lit up as he led the group to the manor's warehouse. The barrier device, about the size of two doors, was sitting quietly inside.
"Activate it!"
"Yes, sir."
Thomas sent Falcon warriors to activate the device and said, "Master, the device has the properties of a 'mist stone.' We can use its display to move away from the center of the mist and escape before the device's power is exhausted..."
"No," Leon said. "We don't know how wide the coverage is this time. Fleeing blindly is pointless."
"Take the device. We're going to the Holy Light Cathedral to find Bishop Miles."
With Viscount Clyde away, the only top-tier combatant in all of Solainem was Miles, a Gold-rank priest.
Relying on a Gold-rank powerhouse like Miles was the safest way to survive in the gray mist.
Furthermore...
Leon looked at Alicia, who had remained silent by his side, and then at the fully armed Falcon Warband warriors.
His intuition told him that this invasion of the gray mist was suspicious in every way.
...
Because the gray mist had spread without warning, the old residential district was already in a state of chaos. Panicked shouts echoed everywhere.
"Quick! Run! It'll be too late if we don't leave now!"
"Don't push me! Get lost! If you want to die, don't block my way!"
"What are you doing? Robbery! It's a robbery! Where are the constables? Where is the law?"
Ryan was leading the guard squad to maintain order in the old district, but the crowd was like headless flies, fleeing in a panic. They had completely lost their reason under the threat of the gray mist and its monsters.
Just as Ryan subdued a thief who was looting in the chaos, another incident broke out nearby.
"Damn it!"
Ryan rushed over and kicked a second thief to the ground, roaring for the residents to calm down, but it had little effect.
He was anxious, knowing that the worst thing to do in the gray mist was to panic and scatter. Otherwise, they would eventually be targeted and killed by gray mist monsters after staying in the mist for too long.
Just then, a faint radiance lit up in the old district, like a lighthouse at sea, carrying a reassuring power.
Ryan immediately looked toward the light. A squad of towering, fully armed warriors was advancing with spears at the ready.
Behind them, an elegantly dressed young man in noble attire held a priest's staff, his expression exceptionally calm.
The orb of warm light was condensing at the tip of that staff.
As the young man entered the old district, the gray mist in the streets seemed to dissipate significantly... No, it wasn't just 'seemed.' The gray mist was indeed being repelled!
Ryan watched this scene in shock, with only one thought in his mind: "This youth is truly extraordinary!"
Leon's gaze swept over the thugs taking advantage of the chaos, and he said, "Uncle Thomas, in times of crisis, there's no need to hold back."
"Yes, Master."
The lead bloodline warrior, whose aura was like that of a ferocious beast, swung the black spear in his hand, battle qi erupting from his body.
A thug's body suddenly froze as a thin red line appeared on his neck. Then, his entire body stiffened and collapsed to the ground.
This scene silenced the panicked crowd.
"I am going to the Holy Light Cathedral to find Bishop Miles. Those who wish to go, follow behind us," Leon said, his calm voice breaking the silence.
A moment later, most of the residents of the old district lined up behind the group.
Even if only the central area could repel the mist, with the protection of the town guards and the Falcon Warband, the gray mist monsters were no longer an immediate threat.
Ryan stood beside Leon, his eyes filled with wonder as he looked at the repelled mist. "Is this the power of a Pure Love Warrior?"
Leon glanced at him but didn't say a word.
If a Pure Love Warrior were that strong, there wouldn't be so many tragic stories of unrequited love.
"This is the effect of the small Gray Mist Barrier," Leon said slowly. Only then did Ryan notice the massive device carried on the back of one of the Falcon warriors.
He was even more surprised. "This is the first time I've heard of a Gray Mist Barrier being portable!"
Even if it couldn't compare to the real Gray Mist Barrier and the area it repelled was small, the fact that it was mobile was incredibly useful in the mist!
After marveling at it, Ryan looked at Leon. "Priest Leon, thank you..."
"This is an emergency. Skip the pleasantries," Leon interrupted. "The gray mist spread so suddenly. Have you received any information?"
"None. But I suspect something went wrong with the Gray Mist Barrier at the Viscount's manor. Otherwise, there's no way the mist could have breached the barrier and spread into the city."
Leon nodded. Ryan's thoughts aligned with his and Thomas's.
He looked at the crowd, which had grown several times larger, and scanned through them until he spotted poor Granny Taylor. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.
"Don't worry, I'll protect Granny Taylor,"
Ryan said, noticing Leon's gaze.
When the gray mist descended, Ryan had quickly found Granny Taylor to protect the elderly woman who had lost her son years ago and her granddaughter recently.
The blow of little Juliet's death had left Granny Taylor in a daze, often falling into states of confusion as if she had developed dementia.
This poor woman couldn't handle any more turmoil.
Leon nodded without saying more and led the group toward the Holy Light Cathedral.
Along the way, the light from the Light Prayer attracted some gray mist monsters.
Fortunately, they weren't strong and were quickly dealt with by the Falcon Warband warriors.
As they neared the cathedral, they saw a massive light source shining from the spire at the top. The light pierced through the thick gray mist, reaching the eyes of people several blocks away.
"Silver-rank divine spell, Light..."
Leon recognized the spell. It seemed Bishop Miles had made the same choice, using an illumination spell to gather the surrounding people.
The difference was that while Leon relied on the small Gray Mist Barrier to use light in the depths of the mist, Bishop Miles relied on his own Gold-rank strength.
When they arrived at the Holy Light Cathedral, the area inside and out was already packed with people.
Not only common citizens but even most of the city's nobles were squeezed into the cathedral with panicked expressions, shouting things like "I want to see Bishop Miles!"
In times like these, the expressions on the nobles' faces finally became the same as those of the ordinary residents of Solainem—filled with terror for their own safety.
Thomas held his black spear and pushed through the crowd to clear a path, and Leon walked directly into the cathedral.
He found a priest on duty. "I need to see Bishop Miles."
"Bishop Miles is currently casting a protection divine spell and is not seeing anyone..."
"I have a way to solve the gray mist problem," Leon interrupted. "Tell Bishop Miles that I am Leon, Leon Douglas. He will see me."
The priest on duty hesitated for half a second, then gritted his teeth and said, "I will go inform the Bishop!"
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