"This is the second... no, the third time I've flown through the sky like this, isn't it?"
Vihera muttered as she clung to Set's front leg.
Far below lay the green grasslands of summer.
A short distance away, the highway was also visible.
Of course, "a short distance away" was something she could only say because she was clinging to Set flying at an altitude of a hundred meters; under normal circumstances, one wouldn't be able to see the road at all.
Looking up at the sky, there was nothing but a vast expanse of clouds.
The clouds were closer than she had ever seen them before, and Vihera gazed at them with keen interest.
They weren't rain clouds, but still, having clouds fill her entire field of vision like this gave Vihera a strange sensation.
(It's been quite a while since I fled the Bestia Empire... but ever since I became partners with Rei, I've been able to see things I'd never seen before and fight formidable enemies I'd never faced. ...Partners, huh.)
Her cheeks faintly flushed at the words "became partners" she had just murmured in her heart.
She understood that, under normal circumstances, "became partners" was a phrase used when getting married.
(But Rei's principal wife is Elena, while Marina and I would become concubines or mistresses, I suppose.)
If she were a common woman, being one of several wives might have been something to resent.
Unfortunately, Vihera was no common woman. Though she had already fled, she was originally of the Bestia Imperial Family.
Having been raised in a culture where polygamy was taken for granted, she harbored no aversion to it whatsoever.
Moreover, if the women who loved Rei just as she did had been so plainly inadequate that anyone could see it at a glance, Vihera might have considered eliminating them.
But Elena and Marina were far from women who could be described as inadequate.
Ability, appearance, personality. In all of those, they were above average... no, it would be fair to say near perfect.
And above all, the reason Vihera had no resistance to accepting the other two was that both Elena and Marina possessed strength equal to her own.
Appetite, sexual desire, sleep.
Humans were equipped with these three fundamental desires, but in Vihera's case, there was also what could be called a desire for battle.
Given Vihera's love for combat, Elena and Marina were the perfect companions.
And most importantly, Rei was there.
(It would be wonderful if the four of us could live together. ...But will that day ever come?)
She surrendered herself to a fleeting daydream while feeling the summer breeze, but quickly recalled how difficult that would be.
She herself was fine. Having already fled the Bestia Empire, she was now active as a mere adventurer, so if Rei went somewhere, she could follow him at any time.
Marina held the position of Guild Master, but even so, that was all it was.
Of course the position of Guild Master carried weight, but even so, it wouldn't be difficult for Marina to resign if she wanted to.
In fact, Marina was currently considering stepping down as Guild Master and returning to being an adventurer, searching for someone to succeed her.
Additionally, she had what could be called the bloodline of a Shrine Maiden of the World Tree, but that was not particularly well-known at present, so it wouldn't be a problem.
But... compared to Marina, who could so easily become free, Elena could not gain her freedom so readily.
The daughter of Duke Kerebel's House, which unified the Noble's Faction, and an Alias Holder bearing the moniker of Princess General, who symbolized the Noble's Faction.
She could not simply abandon her position just like that.
Above all, Elena was the sole daughter of Duke Kerebel's House and stood in the position of heir.
(I wonder how long it will take until Elena can move together with us...)
Watching the sunlight streaming through gaps in the clouds, she suddenly found herself harboring that question.
Even so, she had no doubt whatsoever that Elena would eventually end up acting alongside them.
"Hey, Rei."
"Yeah?"
Rei, straddling Set's back, responded to Vihera's call.
With Set between them, positioned top and bottom, the two still hadn't grown fully accustomed to conversing like this.
Even so, since they would be acting together with Rei, Vihera understood that she would have to get used to it eventually, and so no complaints left her lips.
(There's no comparison with Hester. ...Well, that's only natural, I suppose.)
Understanding that the very act of comparing Hester to Vihera was meaningless, Rei once again marveled at Vihera's greatness... her decisiveness.
"About the Werewolf pack — do you think there are two or more Werewolf Leaders?"
"Hard to say. Judging from past experience, I wouldn't be surprised if there were multiple Leader species."
The packs Rei had fought so far were Goblins, Cobolts, and Lizardmen.
Among those, all except the Cobolt pack had contained multiple Leader species.
(The fact that the Cobolts, who act in groups, were alone does leave me with some questions, though.)
However, if someone told him it was simply a coincidence that they had been acting as a solitary pack, he couldn't entirely dismiss it either.
"Surely this time we won't have a situation where other adventurers are being attacked again... right?"
Recalling the battle against the pack led by the Lizardman Leader, Vihera's murmured words reached Rei's ears clearly as well.
"That time, an adventurer party conducting an Investigation of other monster packs was attacked, right? I can't say it's out of the question, but... I wonder."
"Werewolves fight in packs, so considering that, the possibility is quite real, isn't it?"
"...Grrrrl."
It was not Rei but Set who answered Vihera's words.
His gaze was fixed on a grove of trees, located quite far from Gilm... about a day's journey by carriage.
Though calling it a grove might not be quite accurate given its scale; it was somewhere between a grove and a forest in size.
Even at a distance of about a day by carriage, it wouldn't take long for Set, who could fly through the sky.
Of course, with Vihera clinging to Set's front leg during transit, they couldn't match the speed of when Rei and Set traveled alone, but the difference was negligible.
"That grove, huh. ...Rei, is that—"
The moment she saw the grove, Vihera called out to Rei.
Rei understood perfectly well what her question meant.
After all, a battle was being waged so conspicuously inside the grove that it was impossible to hide.
Could it be that adventurers were being attacked again? Rei recalled their earlier conversation, but that doubt vanished immediately.
Because what was fighting there was a Cyclops, as tall as the surrounding trees.
"...A Cyclops, huh."
A hint of disappointment mixed into Rei's murmured tone, and it was perhaps unavoidable.
As for the Cyclops's Magic Stone, both Set and Death Scythe had already absorbed one, so there was little benefit to killing it.
No, the Cyclops itself was a fairly High-Rank Monster, and its meat was reasonably tasty, while its materials fetched high prices.
In that sense, it was undeniably a rewarding prize. ...If they could defeat it, that is.
With sheer strength befitting its massive frame, a single swing of its fist could easily snap the surrounding trees.
In fact, even as Rei watched from where he was, the Cyclops's swung arm was effortlessly snapping trees like twigs.
However, such a Cyclops was not unscathed.
Several Werewolves were latched onto its body, biting into its flesh and tearing it away with their fangs before retreating.
But of course, not all Werewolves could manage such a feat; those that bit too deeply and couldn't tear free even with their fangs had their bodies... and most notably their heads — easily crushed by the Cyclops's blows, as if it were swatting mosquitoes that had landed on its body.
The Cyclops's own blood and the blood of the crushed Werewolves.
Those two types of blood left the Cyclops's body drenched in crimson.
"Wow... I'm not sure what to say."
Even for Vihera, who loved combat, the sight of Werewolves swarming a Cyclops seemed to give her pause.
"Considering those numbers, it's safe to assume there are multiple Werewolf packs."
"You're right. ...Still, charging in there wouldn't be very interesting."
"Is that so? I thought you'd gladly charge right in, Vihera."
"Excuse me, what kind of eyes are you looking at me with?"
Vihera muttered with a hint of dissatisfaction at Rei's words, but contrary to her words, her lips curved into a faint smile.
She enjoyed fighting strong opponents one-on-one, but she didn't dislike a melee either.
(She's probably enjoying this, I'd wager.)
Anticipating Vihera's state from atop Set's back, Rei turned his gaze back to the ground.
There, even more Werewolves than seconds ago were sinking their teeth into the Cyclops.
If time continued to pass, regardless of which side won, there would be nothing left to profit from.
Thinking this, Rei couldn't simply leap off Set's back as he usually did.
Thanks to the trees growing in the grove, he couldn't tell where the Werewolf Leader — their primary target — was hiding.
Of course, even if he jumped down now, he didn't think it would escape, but considering the worst-case scenario, he wanted to take out the Werewolf Leader with a single blow right at the start if at all possible.
"Hey, what are we going to do?"
"Let's see. I'd have liked to finish it in one strike if possible, but... why don't we take down the Cyclops first so it doesn't get in the way of our fight with the Werewolves?"
If the Cyclops attacked them from behind while they were fighting the Werewolf pack, they risked taking a painful blow.
Vihera immediately agreed with Rei's assessment.
She would have liked to fight a Cyclops in perfect condition, but the current Cyclops was covered in injuries all over its body and couldn't possibly be considered a worthy opponent.
Above all, she had fought Cyclops before, but this would be her first time fighting Werewolves.
Their method of attack — closing in using speed, striking with sharp fangs and claws, then immediately retreating.
They did this as a group, making them undeniably a troublesome foe.
But even if they were troublesome for an ordinary person, it was different for Vihera.
"Then, shall I enjoy myself thoroughly?"
Rei's words signaling the Cyclops's execution, and Vihera's eagerness for battle.
Feeling those intentions from the two riders above and below, Set beat his wings and dove toward the ground.
"Set, sorry, but I need you to take care of the Cyclops. Vihera and I will go after the Werewolf Leader."
"Guruu!"
Set let out a sharp cry in response to Rei's words, and as the ground drew near, Rei leapt from his back while Vihera cut the rope tethering her to Set and descended.
Under normal circumstances, it was a height from which death wouldn't be surprising.
But Rei, as always, retrieved Death Scythe and the Twilight Spear from his Misty Ring and used the Sleipnir boots to slow his fall, while Vihera used tree branches to slow hers.
The two of them landing inside the grove without issue and Set unleashing a front leg strike on the Cyclops were nearly simultaneous.
The falling speed, Set's own physical strength, and the Magic Item Bracelet of Herculean Strength — these effects combined, and the swung front leg strike easily crushed the Cyclops's head without even using a skill.
As he landed on the ground, Rei inwardly muttered, Ah...
After all, the Cyclops's eyeball and horn were materials that could fetch a fairly high price.
However, this time it was partly Rei's fault for not telling Set to avoid striking the head, and there was also the issue that the eyeball area and horn had already sustained some damage from the Werewolf attacks.
(Well, it can't be helped. Our real prize this time was the Werewolf Leader anyway.)
Rei, Death Scythe in his right hand and the Twilight Spear in his left, surveyed his surroundings.
There, the Werewolves were visible, on guard against the sudden intruders.
"Grrrrrrrl."
The Werewolves let out a growl that sounded similar to Set's yet was clearly different.
Baring claws and fangs dyed red with the Cyclops's blood, they watched for an opening from Rei, who had appeared before them.
Even facing that pack of Werewolves, Rei showed no sign of tension; rather, he even wore a smile as he opened his mouth.
"What's wrong? Come on. The Cyclops that was your prey — we took it out. Since you understand that, you can't forgive me, can you? ...Well, it was Set who killed the Cyclops, not me, but still."
Rei smiled with provocation, and the Werewolves each raised a threatening cry and charged at him.