A stir ran through the crowd.
The moment those words were heard, the Centaurs in the settlement began to murmur.
Set's cry moments ago had already told them that some kind of emergency was unfolding.
But even so, they never expected the name Dragonias to come up here again.
"Hey, is that true! The Dragonias should have been wiped out by Zai and the others! Even if there were survivors who weren't at the stronghold, there shouldn't be that many of them!"
One of the Centaurs shouted this at the one who had just entered the settlement to report the Dragonias' arrival.
It was only one who shouted, but it seemed many others shared the same question—the same sentiment—as the gazes of numerous Centaurs turned toward the one who had announced the Dragonias were coming.
But the Centaur subjected to those stares wore an expression of pure surprise, as if asking whether they didn't know that Rei and his group had destroyed the Dragonias stronghold—or wondering why such looks were being directed at them at all.
(That we headed for the Dragonias stronghold is something anyone in this settlement should know. Could there really be anyone who doesn't know that? If there is... the possible explanations aren't many.)
Rei asked Zai quietly, who was standing nearby.
"Zai, is it possible that guy isn't from this settlement?"
"...Probably not. At the very least, he wasn't here when I left for the Dragonias stronghold with you and the others. Though I can't deny the possibility that he joined this settlement while we were away."
It had not even been half a day since Rei and his group had returned to the settlement.
During that time, memorizing the faces and names of everyone who had arrived while they were away at the Dragonias stronghold—while not impossible, would naturally be difficult.
To begin with, given that the Dragonias stronghold had been crushed, a small number like the ones Vihera had defeated would be one thing, but it was hard to imagine they would come in force enough to cause such an uproar with cries of "The Dragonias are coming!"
Moreover, this settlement was the largest in the vicinity.
Because of that, those fleeing from the Dragonias kept arriving without end.
...In fact, the group of Centaurs that Rei and his group had encountered on their way to the Dragonias stronghold had also been heading for this very settlement.
Considering that, it went without saying how many Centaurs might have arrived at this settlement during the time spent away at the Dragonias stronghold.
"Besides... look, he's carrying quite a bit of luggage."
At Zai's words, Rei looked at the Centaur who had reported the Dragonias attack, and sure enough, they were carrying a considerable amount of luggage.
In other words, this Centaur had come from somewhere else and had only just arrived at the settlement.
Given that, it was hard to believe they were lying.
"Anyway," Rei said, holding Death Scythe and the Twilight Spear in hand.
To the Centaurs, Rei was overwhelmingly small in stature.
Even so, those who had fought alongside Rei knew full well just how powerful he was.
As for the others—even those without combat ability could tell that the aura emanating from Rei had changed, and they silently fixed their gazes on him.
"If the Dragonias are coming, we need to fight back. Surely you don't intend to just sit here and accept them? If you do, every last one of you will die."
Rei's words carried a surprising amount of persuasive power.
They did, but... Zai opened his mouth apologetically.
"Rei, some have already passed out from the feast. And those who were drinking are, to a greater or lesser extent, drunk. There's no way they can handle the Dragonias."
What Centaurs needed when fighting Dragonias, who were superior in individual ability, was coordination.
Naturally, such coordination could only be achieved through rigorous training, and it required precise movements.
When asked whether those who were even slightly drunk could perform such movements... honestly, some could and some couldn't.
In that sense, those who were currently drunk were first and foremost useless.
No, rather than being useless, the possibility that they would break formation due to the effects of drunkenness and put their allies in danger could not be denied.
Given that, Zai, in his position, could not allow those who were drunk to participate in battle.
"Figures. But... you might call this a silver lining in a cloud of misfortune."
Saying that, Rei turned his gaze toward Vihera.
She was checking her Hand Gauntlets and Foot Guards, making sure she was ready to join the battle at any moment.
Honestly, for Rei, having Vihera—someone with exceptional skill whom he had shared the battlefield with countless times—was far easier to fight alongside than having a large number of Centaurs.
"Of course I'm going."
Without Rei needing to say a word, Vihera declared this.
Hearing her, several Centaurs directed hopeful gazes toward her.
This was because they had seen with their own eyes Vihera defeating the Dragonias that had attacked before Rei and his group returned.
Rei too showed a look of understanding upon seeing their reactions.
"Then there's no problem. How many Dragonias are there?"
"Huh? Um... I'm certain there are over a hundred, but..."
Looking as if they couldn't understand at all what was happening, the Centaur answered.
For a Centaur who had only just arrived at this settlement, Rei and Set were showing every sign of believing they could defeat the enemy... the Dragonias, without any problem at all.
The question arose in the Centaur's mind: could someone as overwhelmingly small as Rei really possess such power?
However, looking at the demeanor of the surrounding Centaurs, they had complete trust in Rei's abilities.
Moreover, the aura emanating from Rei as he held Death Scythe and the Twilight Spear was enough to overwhelm even Centaurs who didn't know him.
"A hundred, huh. In that case, the ones we'll actually have to fight in close combat will be around twenty or so."
"Huh?"
The Centaur stared in dumbfounded silence, wondering what Rei was talking about.
Why would the number of enemies they would actually fight be only around twenty when there were nearly a hundred?
Such a question was natural if one didn't know what kind of battle Rei intended to wage.
The fact that they said nothing anyway was likely due to Rei's aura.
"Zai, bring only those who can move. But prioritize protecting the settlement over combat. Leave the fighting to me, Vihera, and Set."
Normally, someone would have asked what they planned to do with just two people and one beast.
But fortunately, Zai knew Rei's abilities better than anyone.
That his own strength was insufficient to protect the settlement was extremely frustrating for the proud Centaurs.
However, prioritizing his pride and allowing the settlement to suffer damage was an undeniable fact as well.
"Understood. I'm counting on you."
Replying curtly, he began calling out the names of those who hadn't been drinking.
Among them were some who had only had a little to drink, but when it came to fighting the Dragonias, if there was even a chance that the effects of drunkenness could cause harm to allies, anyone who had consumed even a little alcohol had to be kept on standby.
However, that inevitably meant the number of available fighters would be small.
Today's feast was a celebration of having annihilated the Dragonias stronghold.
Naturally, many had relaxed and were enjoying themselves with drinks.
Under such circumstances, just how many were there who hadn't been drinking?
Centaurs in particular, perhaps because they were a nomadic people, drank frequently.
Though it was diluted, they had been drinking since childhood, so naturally they had built a tolerance.
...In that sense, there was a tendency to view those like Rei, who didn't care for alcohol, as weaklings, but no one who actually saw Rei would think that way.
After all, Rei had demonstrated his strength firsthand.
"Sorry, Rei. The number of fighters we can field doesn't even reach ten."
"It was in the middle of a feast, so that can't be helped."
If this were normal times, Rei might have blamed Zai.
But during a feast being held to celebrate the destruction of the Dragonias stronghold and everyone's safe return without a single casualty—as well as to welcome Vihera—no one would have expected the Dragonias, whose stronghold was supposed to have been destroyed, to attack with nearly a hundred strong.
Blaming Zai for this would be clearly unfair.
After all, the only reason Rei hadn't been drinking was simply that he happened not to care for alcohol.
"Rei, let's go soon."
"Yeah. Don't get too carried away."
"Right."
A ferocious gleam, anticipating the battle, shone in her eyes.
Confirming that, Rei called out to Vihera.
...Even as he said it, he thought it would likely have little effect.
After all, the Dragonias were strong.
While inferior compared to Vihera's abilities, they were stronger than Centaurs... and above all, because they were driven by hunger, their attacks knew no mercy.
If anything, they would try to bite at even the slightest opening—to tear off flesh.
In that sense, they were the optimal opponents for the kind of battle Vihera desired.
Vihera, who had actually fought the Dragonias, surely understood this as well.
That was precisely why a ferocious light dwelled in her eyes, as if she were eagerly awaiting the battle.
"Well then, let's go. If the Dragonias are coming, it's best not to let them get too close to the settlement."
This also meant preventing the Dragonias from attacking the settlement, but the bigger reason was the effective range of magic.
Rei's magic was extremely powerful, but unlike in games, it didn't simply have no effect on allies; if allies were within the area of effect, they would take fire damage just the same.
In that sense, it was better to defeat the enemies as far from the settlement as possible.
"Right."
The first to agree was, naturally, Vihera, who was already eager for battle.
Zai as well gathered the warriors who for some reason hadn't been drinking and made preparations for combat.
"Everyone, we're going to repel the Dragonias! As long as Rei is here, I don't think there's any need to worry, but even so, you never know what might happen in battle! Prepare for evacuation so you're ready whenever the Dragonias come!"
Listening to Zai's instructions, Rei left the settlement with Set and Vihera.
In truth, they didn't know from which direction the Dragonias were approaching, but even so, once they stepped outside the settlement, they could roughly grasp it by sensing their presence.
The Dragonias, driven by the instinct of hunger, were vicious, but precisely because they were driven by instinct, their presence was easier to detect.
"That way, huh."
And indeed, once outside the settlement and concentrating a little, it was easy to sense from which direction the Dragonias were coming.
"Then, Rei, I'm counting on you. I could go on ahead, if you'd like."
"If there weren't a settlement behind us, that would've been fine too."
As Rei had told Zai when introducing Vihera, when it came to close-combat technique, she possessed a monstrous level of skill.
However, since her fighting style was fundamentally based on unarmed martial arts, she specialized in one-on-one—though not exclusively—combat, but still in combat against small numbers.
Among the members Rei traveled with, Elena had Mirage, a whip-sword, could use various types of magic, and furthermore had Dragon Language Magic as a trump card.
Marina, through Spirit Magic, was actually more adept at wide-area attacks.
Byune and Ara leaned more toward Vihera in that they specialized in individual combat.
Byune in particular often received combat training from Vihera, so that tendency was especially pronounced.
"Now then... Set, I want to get a little closer to the enemy."
"Gruu!"
At Rei's words, Set purred happily.
Mounting Set's back, the two of them soared into the sky.
Originally, Vihera wanted to go along with them, but since she understood what Rei was about to do, she had no intention of getting in the way.
As Set approached the group of Dragonias heading for the settlement, Rei began chanting an incantation.
O flames, with my magical power as your source, become arrows that burn all to ash. Like rain, like a storm, pour down ceaselessly and without end.
Flame Arrows appeared one after another around Rei.
Their number: approximately five hundred.
Shower of Flame Arrows!
The moment the magic activated, the Flame Arrows Rei had created rained down upon the Dragonias group with the force of a storm.