"Is that... them?"
Rei muttered, gazing at the Dragonias group in the distance.
Illuminated by the setting sun, the Dragonias' scales appeared dyed red—making it extremely difficult to tell what color they actually were.
"Yes... it's the same as when I came before."
The Centaur who had guided them here murmured, his voice heavy with emotion.
He had come on a scouting mission before, but everyone except him had died. That was undoubtedly what he was thinking.
Even so, he had returned to this place.
Coming back to the spot where he had lost every one of his companions must have stirred countless feelings within him.
On the journey here, his legs had trembled and his resolve had wavered more times than he could count.
But to protect his settlement—to prevent the Dragonias from devouring the grasslands—he needed to do what had to be done.
"Still... the fact that they haven't moved their stronghold since the last scouting trip is a bit unexpected. Well, it made finding the place easy enough, so I can't complain."
"What do you mean?"
Zai asked, apparently bothered by Rei's muttering.
Seeing the others regarding him with the same questioning looks, Rei wondered if the thought had only occurred to him because he was from another world—an outsider to these grasslands.
"Given the Dragonias' hunger, they should have devoured everything in this entire area. And in fact, there isn't a single tree growing around here."
Even though it was called a grassland, it wasn't literally just grass. Trees grew here and there, and in some places, they were dense enough to be called groves. They had seen as much on the journey from Zai's settlement.
And yet, in the area surrounding the Dragonias' stronghold, not a single tree remained.
If asked whether the Dragonias had simply chosen to make their base in a place where trees happened not to grow, the answer would be no. Rei's guess was that the trees that once stood here had ended up in the bellies of Dragonias driven mad by hunger.
"Which is exactly why I'd think they might have moved their stronghold somewhere else—somewhere trees still grow."
"Eating trees, huh... That was a little unexpected. If it were nuts or fruit, I could at least understand it."
Zai muttered with evident surprise. He could imagine the Dragonias killing and eating Centaurs they defeated out of hunger, but he had never considered the possibility that they ate trees.
Then again, even ordinary animals would eat tree bark when starving. For Dragonias ruled by hunger, it wouldn't be strange for them to put anything even remotely edible into their mouths. It wouldn't even be surprising if they ate stones, let alone trees.
And yet, the Dragonias' stronghold hadn't moved from this spot. From Rei's perspective, it was only natural to wonder why they felt the need to stay here.
"Is that really something worth worrying about? If anything, if you're going to burn the whole area along with them using your magic, isn't it fortunate that there are no trees to catch fire?"
Dratt, who had been listening to the exchange, interjected.
His point was reasonable, but Rei's honest feeling was that it would be better to understand what the Dragonias were thinking. Though whether anything could actually be done about it in their current situation was another matter entirely.
"At any rate, we've come all this way. Rather than rushing into a surprise attack, we should gather as much information about the Dragonias as we can first."
"Zai, are you serious? Right now, we can attack from an overwhelmingly advantageous position. If we waste time here, the Dragonias might discover us."
An argument had broken out between Zai and Dratt. For the Centaurs present, though, both perspectives were understandable.
If they attacked without hesitation and annihilated the Dragonias here, there was no doubt it would bring peace of mind. But the next time a different Dragonias group attacked, knowing their habits versus not knowing could make all the difference.
This time, they had Rei—an overwhelming force—and that was precisely why they could wipe the Dragonias out without a second thought. But there was no guarantee Rei would be there the next time the Dragonias struck.
The desire to gather even a little intelligence so they could handle the situation on their own next time was perfectly understandable.
At the same time, striking now while the Dragonias remained unaware of their presence and destroying them in one blow meant they wouldn't have to worry about being discovered—or the Dragonias escaping as a result.
Both arguments were entirely convincing.
Seeing the Centaurs looking troubled, Rei spoke up.
"The Dragonias probably sleep at night, right? It's evening now. Waiting until nightfall—striking at midnight—would be far more effective as a surprise attack. In the meantime, we observe them and gather whatever information we can. I can't promise we'll learn much in a few hours, but..."
Still, even a little Dragonias-specific intelligence would benefit the Centaurs more than nothing at all. That was Rei's reasoning.
He also wanted as much information about the Dragonias as he could get. He had given corpses to Grimm and Daskar, and even if they found a use for them, any additional knowledge could prove invaluable.
"...Fine."
Dratt nodded with visible reluctance. He had been complying with Rei's instructions up to now, but he couldn't bring himself to agree so readily this time. He wanted to burn the Dragonias to ashes as quickly as possible. Friends and acquaintances of his had been eaten by them. That was why he couldn't help but want them destroyed at the earliest possible moment.
Even so, since Rei was the one carrying out the surprise attack, Dratt was in no position to object.
"Then it's settled. But if we're spotted and word reaches the stronghold, we attack immediately. Agreed?"
Zai and the others nodded without objection. If they were discovered while hiding, the entire point of waiting would be lost. No one had any reason to oppose Rei's condition.
The real problem is that we can't eat dinner. Dried Meat would work... no, the smell is too strong.
The distance between their current position and the Dragonias' stronghold was considerable. Even so, if Rei were to prepare the kind of meals he had been making throughout the journey, or if the Centaurs tried to cook, there was no way the Dragonias wouldn't catch the scent. And once they did, a battle would be inevitable.
Given the circumstances, it was clear they should refrain from eating until the midnight assault. The same applied to drinks—the Fruit Water Rei was fond of could attract the Dragonias with its sweet fragrance.
Which means plain water. Should I use the Dagger of Flowing Water?
The Dagger of Flowing Water was originally a Magic Item designed to manipulate water like a whip. But in the hands of Rei, who specialized in fire magic, it could do little more than produce water.
However, the water generated by his magical power possessed a taste that could only be described as Celestial Nectar—something even Nobles and the Royal Family had never sampled. It was just plain water, yet it wouldn't be surprising if someone wanted to pay a Platinum Coin, or even a Light Gold Coin, for a single cup.
That said, sitting here with nothing but tension isn't great either.
Zai, Dratt, the Centaur who had scouted here before—they were all visibly tense, as were the rest of the Centaurs. If things continued like this, they would be mentally exhausted by the time the midnight assault came.
To prevent that, Rei decided they needed to relax. He pulled wooden cups from his Misty Ring—enough for everyone, with a wooden plate for Set.
"Rei? What are you doing?"
Zai's voice was filled with confusion at Rei's sudden action. The other Centaurs stared at him with equally puzzled expressions, unable to fathom why he had produced cups out of nowhere.
"If you're this tense now, you won't be able to fight at your best when it counts. We can't cook anything with a smell at this distance, but at least drink this and take it easy."
He activated the Dagger of Flowing Water and began pouring water from its tip into the cups.
The sight of water streaming from a dagger's point left the Centaurs dumbfounded. Living an ordinary life, one would never witness such a thing—so their reaction was only natural.
While they were still staring in shock, Rei finished filling the cups, topped off Set's wooden plate, and stowed the dagger back in his Misty Ring.
"Rei, is this... safe to drink?"
It was rare for Zai to sound so hesitant. Being told to drink water that had poured from a dagger wasn't something anyone could accept at face value.
"Yeah. Not to brag, but nobody who drinks this water has ever complained about the taste or felt sick after. Look at Set."
They turned to where Set was happily lapping up water from its wooden plate, scooping it up skillfully with its beak. The way it occasionally narrowed its eyes, savoring every drop, was enough to convince anyone watching that the water was anything but foul.
Seeing Set's obvious enjoyment, Zai and the others grew intensely curious. Cautiously, they raised their cups to their lips—
"...!"
Startled by the flavor that spread through their mouths, they drained the cups in one gulp, almost reflexively, as if driven by pure instinct.
"How is it?"
It wasn't just Zai—every one of the Centaurs, including Dratt, had emptied their cup in a single breath. Rei asked with a smug grin while sipping from his own.
Even Dratt, who was by no means friendly toward Rei, couldn't help staring at the empty cup in his hands. He wanted another. The thought of asking Rei for one was deeply unpleasant. And yet, he still wanted more—such was his turmoil.
Without a word, Rei produced the Dagger of Flowing Water again and refilled each cup.
"We've got time to kill until nightfall. Drink up."
Normally, those words would have been accompanied by Alcohol. But what Rei poured was water. Even so, the taste was so exquisite that not a single one of them could have dreamed of complaining.
"...Delicious," Zai murmured, his voice filled with genuine wonder.
The tension that had gripped him moments before—the dread of the impending assault on the Dragonias' stronghold—had vanished entirely. Seeing Zai and the others like this, Rei felt confident they wouldn't spiral back into anxiety before nightfall.
"Now then, all that's left is to wait. Drinking water is fine, but don't forget to keep watching the Dragonias. That's the whole reason we chose to wait until midnight."
At Rei's words, Zai hurriedly turned his gaze back toward the Dragonias. The others followed suit.
Rei leaned his weight against Set, who was sprawled out on the grass after finishing its water, and began his own observation of the stronghold. Though for the time being, there didn't appear to be any movement at all.
We've agreed to gather information on the Dragonias, but I wonder how much we'll actually learn. I doubt it'll be much.
With that thought, Rei fought off the drowsiness that crept over him from time to time as the hours slipped by... until at last, midnight arrived.