In the end, that night's banquet was naturally called off due to the Dragonias attack.
Among the Centaurs, there were those who were deeply shaken.
They had destroyed the Dragonias headquarters and believed they could finally return to a life without fearing for their safety... only to discover that what they had destroyed was no headquarters at all. It was only natural they felt crushed by the revelation.
As far as Rei was concerned, he had fulfilled his promise to Drum, the chief of this settlement, so there was no pressing need for him to remain involved.
However, Vihera, who relished battling the Dragonias, was here.
Even if Rei declared he would lend no further aid, it was obvious Vihera would cooperate with the Centaurs simply for the chance to fight the Dragonias herself.
Furthermore, with Anastasia and Fana somewhere in this world, Rei couldn't just walk away.
If Anastasia and the others encountered the Dragonias—creatures that devoured and killed anything they found—the outcome was obvious.
Anastasia was a skilled Spirit Magic user, but she wasn't as overwhelmingly powerful as Marina.
That being the case, there was no guarantee she would win every encounter with the Dragonias.
...If it were Marina, he could have rested easy knowing she would be fine no matter what.
Regardless, to reduce the danger to Anastasia and Fana even slightly, Rei had no choice but to help annihilate the Dragonias.
If he only knew where Anastasia and Fana were, he wouldn't need to worry so much.
"Hmm... I thought this when I first arrived, but this tent is amazing," Vihera murmured earnestly as she gazed at the tent around her.
The tents the Centaurs used were built to be far more comfortable than those commonly found in Elgin.
So much so that Vihera found herself wanting one, if at all possible.
That said... even though it was a tent, given the craftsmanship that had gone into it, it was likely quite expensive compared to an ordinary one.
...In Vihera's case, she had plenty of money and could buy one if she wanted.
(Ah, but I don't have currency from this world, so that's out. Unless I barter with gemstones, like the ones Rei received from Lord Daskar...)
She recalled the gemstones Daskar had given Rei, telling him to use them as expense money and to keep whatever was left over.
"Vihera, if you'd like, should I ask Zai to sell us one of these tents? I've got gemstones from Lord Daskar, so I don't think payment will be an issue."
"That's tempting. But... let me think about it a bit," Vihera replied.
For Vihera, having the man she loved buy her a tent would be wonderful.
Wonderful, yes, but she also wanted to buy it with her own money if possible.
(The question is how to earn the money, right? If this were Gilm, I could go to the Guild and take on a request.)
Given her strength, Vihera greatly preferred subjugation requests.
...Escort requests, on the other hand, were what she was least suited for.
Part of it was the unpredictability of when enemies might appear, but many fools set their sights on Vihera's beauty and alluring figure.
Since some even made the absurd assumption that she had posted the request herself with ulterior motives, Vihera had no intention of accepting escort jobs alone anytime soon.
And when women did take escort requests, they would receive jealous stares, or in some cases, be inexplicably called "big sister" and the like.
...Yes, it had actually happened.
That was from her experience taking escort requests a few times while working as an adventurer after fleeing the Bestia Empire.
Though, even before that, there was nothing resembling an Adventurer's Guild in this settlement to begin with.
(In that case, maybe I should hunt some animals or monsters and sell them? Ah, if I captured animals that could serve as livestock, would they buy them?)
Given the current state of the settlement, this idea of Vihera's was by no means a bad one.
After all, the number of livestock hadn't changed, but Centaurs fleeing from other settlements were arriving one after another.
A growing population wasn't a bad thing in the sense that the settlement was expanding.
But while a gradual increase was fine, a sudden surge would inevitably lead to food shortages.
"Setting the gemstone matter aside, our original objective is complete, so I should return to Elgin for a bit, right?"
"Right. There are quite a few people in Gilm who are struggling too."
"The woodcutters would be the most affected, I imagine?"
"That's right."
Vihera spoke exactly the words Rei had expected.
Transporting felled trees was naturally grueling work.
That was precisely why, for the woodcutters... or more accurately, for the adventurers assisting them, Rei's existence was extremely important.
It was only natural they would want him back as soon as possible.
...Though Rei understood how they felt, he had no intention of lending a hand there until he could confirm Anastasia and Fana's safety.
When exactly that would happen... he didn't know. But he still needed to deal with the Dragonias somehow, and at the very least, he couldn't return to Elgin carelessly until that was settled.
Well, returning itself was possible, but until the situation was resolved, he would have no choice but to base his operations in this world.
He already had Daskar's permission, so Rei had no intention of changing his current base of activities.
...That said, considering the circumstances, it wasn't an entirely welcome development.
No, given the potential for Centaur casualties, it wouldn't be surprising if there was more sorrow than joy.
(Or rather... the Dragonias wouldn't go to the other world, right...?)
The hole leading to Elgin was concealed by Grimm's magic.
Under normal circumstances, no one would be able to find it, but the Dragonias, driven by hunger, were far from normal.
It was entirely possible that, for some reason, they might discover the hidden hole and cross over to the other world.
After all, what Grimm had done was merely conceal the hole connecting to Elgin.
In other words, it still existed there.
If that were the case, passing through it would naturally lead to Elgin.
...However, even if the Dragonias went through, since the hole connected to the underground space beneath the Treant Forest, there would be none of the food they craved.
Still, if that happened, it would create its own set of problems.
After all, inside the underground space was the Wisp—the very entity that had created the hole connecting the two worlds.
Until now, the Wisp had only possessed the ability to summon entities from other worlds. Why it had suddenly torn open a hole to this world remained a mystery.
The reason was unclear, and more importantly, Rei didn't want anything strange happening to the passage linking the two worlds while the Dragonias might be meddling with the Wisp.
(Well, since Grimm is there, I think it would be fine even if the Dragonias came through. ...No, rather, wouldn't he be delighted, seeing it as a perfect opportunity to capture a live Dragonias?)
Given Grimm's strong researcher nature, Rei felt his prediction wasn't far off the mark.
He didn't think Grimm would get a taste for it and intentionally lure in more Dragonias, but that too was merely speculation.
It was entirely possible he might succumb to his thirst for knowledge and do exactly that.
"Anyway, things here have settled down for now. I'll head back to the other side tomorrow and report to Lord Daskar."
"I'll stay here tomorrow. It would be terrible if the Dragonias attacked while you were away, wouldn't it?"
At first glance, it sounded as if she were expressing concern for the settlement. But Rei could tell that her real reasoning was simpler: if the Dragonias came while he was gone, she could fight them all herself.
Rei had known Vihera for quite a long time. Just as she could read him without effort, he could also read her, at least to a degree.
Of course, that was also proof that even if the Dragonias attacked while Rei was absent, the settlement would unquestionably be protected.
To Vihera, the Dragonias—slaves to the instinct of hunger—were ideal opponents.
Ordinary foes, like common bandits, would initially underestimate her, only to flee without fighting once they experienced her strength.
But the Dragonias, ruled by hunger, would never retreat until they devoured the soft flesh before them.
On top of that, while their individual strength wasn't exceptional, they were still considerably powerful.
...If the proud Centaurs knew Vihera was thinking such things, they would undoubtedly be wounded.
But regardless, the Dragonias were, in every sense, the perfect enemy for Vihera.
(The only drawback is when they attack in swarms of nearly a hundred like today. But judging from how they behaved, they went after Vihera rather than the settlement. Maybe there's no need to worry so much?)
Thinking back on the earlier battle, the Dragonias had charged toward Vihera as if someone had scattered an attractant.
If so, there was no need to worry—or so Rei concluded. He set the thought aside and brought up a different topic.
"Well then, I suppose it's about time to sleep. You can use this tent, Vihera. I'll be in my usual Magic Tent."
"Is that so? We could always sleep together, you know."
Vihera, speaking those words, radiated a feminine allure entirely different from her presence in battle.
When a beauty like her—one with an alluring figure, clad in the revealing attire of a prostitute or dancer—issued such an invitation, it would be strange for a man not to pounce like a bee drawn to a flower.
...And Rei naturally knew what kind of feelings Vihera harbored for him.
But even so, he pretended not to notice and left the tent.
"Honestly."
He could hear Vihera's voice of dissatisfaction from behind, but there was no genuine anger in it.
Even Vihera, who wanted that kind of relationship with Rei, understood that if it ever came to that, Elena should come first.
Though he didn't know the full details, Rei felt relieved that Vihera wasn't truly angry. He retrieved his Magic Tent from his Misty Ring and set it up right beside the tent he had just left.
"Guruuu."
Set purred a goodnight as Rei entered the Magic Tent.
Rei gave Set a casual wave, stepped inside... and before long, drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Rei was outside the settlement with Set.
Several Centaurs, led by Zai, had come to see him off.
"I might not make it back by the end of today, but I'll return as soon as I can, so keep that in mind."
"Understood. Though we start searching for the true Dragonias headquarters today. Since we don't know when we'll find it, even if you come back early, I don't think there'll be much for you to do."
"Probably not. Still, there are things I want to look into regarding this area."
Even with a shared language, the fact remained that this was a different world.
As such, there was a strong possibility it contained things that simply didn't exist in Elgin.
Even the grass growing casually by the roadside might be unknown in Elgin, and in the hands of an alchemist or pharmacist... or anyone else, for that matter, it could hold some significant power.
In that sense, bringing an alchemist to this world might yield even more discoveries. But under the current circumstances, there was no way he could do such a thing.
Rather than this world itself, they were far more likely to be captivated by the Wisp that had torn open the hole to another world.
To prevent that from happening, Rei could not bring alchemists, researchers, or anyone else into this world.