"Alright, let's get moving. We'll be hurrying to reach the settlement as quickly as possible, so be prepared for that."
At Rei's words, Zai and the others all nodded.
For Zai and his companions, having succeeded in destroying the Dragonias—a threat to their own people as well—they naturally wanted to inform the settlement's inhabitants, and depending on the circumstances, other settlements that had suffered under the Dragonias, as quickly as possible.
In that sense, there was no objection to Rei's instructions.
"But, Rei... you're sure everything's fine, right? From what you could tell, there didn't seem to be any abnormalities at the Dragonias base..."
"I don't think there's any particular issue there. At least from what I saw, there were no problems. It's possible some kind of abnormality could occur after I'm gone, but there's nothing I can do about that."
Even if someone told him to fix something that had happened in a place where he wasn't present, Rei would be hard-pressed to do anything about it.
If something happened while he was there, he wouldn't mind dealing with it.
"I see... Then let's go. All things considered, we've been away from the settlement for quite a while."
Nodding at Zai's words, Rei declared their departure while still mounted on Set's back.
"I can see it!"
Four days after departing from the Dragonias base, the familiar sight of the Centaur settlement came into view ahead of the traveling party.
Of course, the settlement relocated at regular intervals, so it wasn't exactly something that would evoke deep nostalgia.
Even so, it was only natural to feel happy about returning.
For now, at least, it looked like the settlement hadn't been attacked by Dragonias while they were away.
Zai and Dratt, who were among the most capable fighters in the settlement, had come along with Rei's group.
If the settlement had been attacked by Dragonias during that time, the damage would have been significant.
But the settlement appeared to have suffered no particular damage...
"Huh?"
Looking out past the settlement, Rei let out an involuntary sound of surprise.
The bodies of about five Dragonias were lying scattered near the settlement's edge.
The Dragonias corpses from the ones that had attacked on Rei's first day in this world were all stored in his Misty Ring.
Given that, the Dragonias corpses lying outside the settlement were undoubtedly enemies that had come after Rei and the others had left.
Moreover, considering the rusty smell of blood that drifted in as they approached, it was safe to assume the Dragonias had attacked only moments ago.
And yet... there was no damage? No, even if the settlement itself hadn't been damaged, it was possible some Centaurs had been killed or injured.
Feeling a bad premonition, Rei shifted his gaze sideways toward Zai and the others.
Sure enough, as they drew closer to the settlement, Zai and the others had apparently noticed the Dragonias corpses as well. They wore serious, grim expressions.
"It should be fine. From what I can see from here, it doesn't look like the settlement suffered any damage. Which means they probably managed to handle it with the combat power that remained at the settlement."
"Is that so? But..."
If it were someone like Zai or Dratt, who possessed outstanding power even within the settlement, that would be one thing. But for an average Centaur, fighting against a Dragonias required a large number of combatants to win.
Considering that the settlement had been attacked by five Dragonias under these circumstances, even if the settlement itself wasn't damaged, it wouldn't be strange for several Centaurs to have died.
Recently, many Centaurs from various settlements had gathered here, but even so, the thought that companions they had grown up with since childhood might have been injured or killed carried a heavy emotional weight.
"Let's go," Zai said, and the others quickened their pace toward the settlement.
The joyful expressions they had worn just moments ago when they spotted the settlement were gone now.
They needed to reach the settlement as quickly as possible and confirm exactly what had happened.
Should he go on ahead? No, in this case, the ones who should arrive first were Zai and the others who actually lived in the settlement.
How the Dragonias had been defeated, Rei didn't know. But since the Dragonias were dead, whoever had done it had protected the settlement—which meant they were a friendly presence. That was the conclusion he reached.
"Come on, let's go. We need to reach the settlement as quickly as possible right now. I'll ask just in case, but besides Zai and Dratt, are there any other skilled fighters? Someone who could take on a Dragonias alone?"
"No, there used to be..."
In response to Rei's question, Zai said that and shook his head.
Just from seeing Zai's reaction, Rei somewhat understood the reason.
In other words, they had been killed in battle against the Dragonias.
Even if one or several individuals had the strength to defeat a Dragonias alone, or if not defeat them, at least not lose to them, such individuals were few in number.
That might have been manageable against a small number of Dragonias, but the number at the base had been quite large.
Furthermore, if they included those who hadn't been at the base during Rei's assault—like the group that arrived the next day—the total number could hardly be called small.
And being someone who could fight Dragonias individually meant carrying a heavier burden as well.
As a result, that increased burden likely caused them to dwindle one by one, like teeth falling from a comb.
"I see. In that case, I'm curious about who exactly killed those Dragonias."
"Huh? Wouldn't that be the ones who stayed behind at the settlement working together to defeat them?"
One of the Centaurs offered this in response to Rei's words.
But Rei shook his head as if to deny it.
"That's not it. For one thing, there's no atmosphere of mourning coming from the settlement. If the Centaurs who remained behind defeated them through teamwork, it wouldn't be strange for one or two to have died in the process. Right?"
When put that way, the Centaurs couldn't argue back.
They knew the strength of the Dragonias better than anyone—it was etched into their very bones.
That was why, given the current situation, it could only be described as inexplicable.
To find out the truth, Rei was urging them to hurry toward the settlement.
And as they drew closer...
"Hey, you've got to be kidding me."
Once the Dragonias corpses came clearly into view, Rei muttered in disbelief.
That was because two of the Dragonias corpses had no external wounds whatsoever.
The other three had large gashes across their bodies, as if they had been slashed by giant claws or something.
Dragonias scales possessed considerable hardness and could not be easily cut through.
And yet, three of the Dragonias had been killed with apparent ease.
If that were all, it would still be fine.
But the problem was the remaining two.
They were dead despite not having a single wound.
Rei had an idea of who could have done that.
No, but this is another world, right?
That person was not from this world, but from Elgin.
There was no reason she should be in this world, let alone in this place.
Harboring such questions, Rei headed toward the settlement along with the others.
"Oh, Rei. You're late."
Whether she was pleased to have surprised him, Vihera stood there with a full smile on her face.
As always, she was clad in the thin attire that prostitutes or dancers might wear, with Hand Gauntlets and Foot Guards equipped on her hands and feet respectively.
What had slashed through the Dragonias scales was likely the claws generated by magic from her Hand Gauntlets.
And the two that had died without any external wounds...
Magic Impact Palm, huh.
He recalled the exceedingly vicious skill that Vihera possessed.
No matter how hard a Dragonias's scales were, Magic Impact Palm was a skill that delivered shock directly inside the opponent's body through magic.
In other words, no armor would be of any use against Magic Impact Palm. Not even armor like a legendary suit. Unless the legendary armor possessed some kind of special ability that could prevent Magic Impact Palm, that would be a different story.
In a way, it could be called the perfect skill for fighting Dragonias.
Though in practice, it seemed more had been killed using the magic claws extended from her Hand Gauntlets than with Magic Impact Palm alone.
"Vihera... why are you in this—no. Here?"
Barely catching himself before saying "this world," Rei asked the question.
For Rei, the fact that Vihera had come to this other world, different from Elgin, was something he could hardly believe.
"Hehe, why am I here? You should be able to figure that much out, no?"
Grimm.
That name surfaced in Rei's mind.
That's right—the spatial hole connecting Elgin and this world was maintained by Grimm.
Given that, it was certain that Grimm had cooperated to get Vihera here.
Moreover, though Rei hadn't fully grasped it yet, Grimm recognized Vihera as one of Rei's wives, treating her like a granddaughter.
That was why he had so readily agreed to Vihera's request.
"What you came here to do... I guess there's no need to ask if I look outside the settlement."
"That's right. Unfortunately, it seems I didn't make it in time."
Her expression shifted from the happy one she had been wearing moments ago to a slightly sulky one.
Vihera had probably wanted to go to the Dragonias base herself if possible.
But she had come to this world too late.
She had arrived at the very moment when Rei and the others had defeated the golden-scaled Dragonias, annihilated the base, and returned to this settlement.
She had clearly arrived far too late. Though in terms of waiting for Rei to come back, the timing may have been perfect.
"So, how were the Dragonias?"
"Well now. I enjoyed myself somewhat."
Judging from the exchange between Rei and Vihera that they were likely acquaintances, Zai and the others who had been listening were surprised by Vihera's words.
For Zai and his companions, Dragonias were extremely powerful enemies.
So powerful that it was difficult to defeat them without challenging them as a group.
And yet, Vihera had said she had enjoyed herself somewhat.
In other words, they were not opponents she needed to get serious for.
At Vihera's attitude, Dratt, who had been listening beside Zai, was about to say something. But before he could, a Centaur child who had come out from the settlement shouted.
"This two-legged sister is amazing! She defeated all the Dragonias by herself!"
Since Rei and Vihera understood each other, they already knew that Vihera had killed the Dragonias.
But even looking at Vihera, Zai and the others didn't think she was that strong an opponent.
Rather, their impression was more along the lines of wondering what on earth that shameless outfit was.
That said, while they could understand the outfit being shameless, Zai and the others didn't feel any lust toward Vihera.
This was largely because Vihera was two-legged.
For Centaurs, a two-legged Vihera was not someone they could view in that way.
Rei found it odd given that her upper body was human, but the fact that no one was making advances on Vihera also meant there would be no trouble.
In that sense, this incident had been undeniably fortunate.
"Is that so?"
Zai asked Rei, seeking confirmation.
He asked Rei precisely because he knew how powerful Rei was. To that question, Rei nodded without hesitation.
"Yeah. Vihera is strong. Honestly, in a one-on-one fight, even I would be in danger."
A murmur rippled through the group.
Those who had gone on the raid with Rei directed astonished gazes at Vihera.
They had seen more than enough of Rei's strength during this very mission.
From wide-area annihilation magic like Fire Whirlwinds and Flame Arrows to his sheer combat skills, Rei's power was extraordinary.
For even someone like Rei to say he would be in danger one-on-one.
That alone was sufficient to prove Vihera's capability.
Though I think if it were Zai or Dratt, they'd at least be able to gauge her strength if they faced her directly.
They had seen through Rei's ability, so it should have been no different with Vihera as the opponent.
Or perhaps they hadn't considered her a fighter based on her attire.
Regardless of the reason, if the person before them was a powerful fighter, then the Dragonias corpses outside the settlement made sense.
"I thank you for protecting this settlement."
Saying that, Zai bowed his head to Vihera.