A stir rippled through the crowd.
The Centaurs watching the battle murmured in disbelief, unable to trust what they had just witnessed.
The Centaur who had been struck down in a single blow — in the truest sense of the word — in the mock battle against Rei was known as one of the most skilled warriors among the nearby settlements.
That was precisely why he had never imagined he would be defeated so effortlessly.
The messenger sent from Zai's settlement had already told them that Rei possessed the strength not merely to defeat Dragonias, but to utterly overrun them.
Furthermore, the fact that he appeared to have forged a friendly relationship with the Two-Headed Goat, known as the Wind of the Plains in this land, made it easy to surmise that his power was widely recognized.
And yet... even so, based on appearance alone, Rei was undeniably small in stature and did not look particularly strong. But his ability was undeniably first-rate, and he possessed exactly that level of power.
The Centaurs who had just been shown that power firsthand were left speechless.
From Rei's perspective, it was extremely fortunate that no one came at him seeking to avenge a comrade.
Given that Centaurs were fundamentally proud creatures, it would not have been strange for someone to refuse to accept defeat lying down.
Of course, had such a person actually stepped forward, Rei fully intended to demonstrate his strength accordingly.
That things never escalated to that point could be called fortunate for both sides.
"Now then, since I won, I expect you to honor our promise to guide me to the settlement where Drum serves as chief. That's fine, right?"
Stowing the Death Scythe and Twilight Spear into his Misty Ring, Rei addressed the Centaur he had sent flying.
The Centaur had taken no serious damage, as Rei had pulled his strike considerably.
If he had the will to fight, the Centaur could have easily continued battling Rei.
However... whether what had just transpired could even be called a fight was something even the downed Centaur was unsure of. Still, sensing a glimpse of Rei's overwhelming power — so vastly different from his own — was effortless enough.
To begin with, the Death Scythe that had sent him flying weighed roughly one hundred kilograms, whereas a Centaur weighed anywhere from four hundred to five hundred kilograms.
Despite that mass, having been so thoroughly overpowered, there was no way he could not feel just how far outside the norm Rei truly was.
"U-Understood. I'll guide you at once."
The Centaur Rei had struck down said as much while pulling himself to his feet.
Despite being sent flying spectacularly, Rei had held back, and since the Centaur himself was a warrior of considerable skill, he was able to stand up without difficulty.
The warrior who had faced Rei apparently commanded a fair amount of respect within the nearby settlement, as the Centaurs who had been watching with worried expressions now breathed sighs of relief.
Beyond that, the hostility fading from the eyes of those who had been glaring at Rei for sending their admired companion tumbling also softened considerably.
"That's a relief for me too. I want to get back there as soon as possible. ...So, how long will it take to reach Drum's settlement from here?"
"How long, you say...? If we run, it's not far."
The Centaur replied as he rose to his feet.
From those words, Rei could understand exactly what the other party was thinking.
(Centaurs are naturally good at running. But... judging from how I look right now, they probably don't think I'm any good at it. Well, I suppose that's only natural.)
Normally, the question of which was better suited for running — a biped like Rei or a quadruped like a Centaur — needed no consideration.
Even though they had acknowledged Rei's strength, the Centaurs likely remained confident that when it came to raw running speed, they had the advantage.
...In reality, given Rei's physical abilities, he could run at the same speed as the Centaurs, if not faster.
"Don't worry about that. I'll be riding Set... that monster over there... to travel."
"Having wings... does that not mean you fly through the sky?"
"They're certainly good at flying, but they're plenty fast just running on the ground."
Seeing that not only Zai and his group but also the Centaurs before him seemed to harbor an aversion to flight, Rei offered the explanation.
At the same time, it occurred to him that this distaste for flying might not vary from individual to individual, but rather serve as a racial characteristic common to all Centaurs.
"Running... I see, running. Then there should be no problem. Now, you asked how long it would take to arrive. Let's see. We should reach it before the sun reaches its zenith."
Rei nodded with a slightly awkward expression.
At the very least, he gathered that "before the sun reaches its zenith" meant sometime around noon.
(Well, I suppose that's only natural. Whether this world itself lacks a method for measuring time, or whether it's simply the people living on these plains — I can't say for certain. I'll try asking Zai about it later.)
Deciding not to press the matter further, Rei immediately set about preparing to head toward Zai's settlement.
That said, Rei and his party had no particular preparations to make. The Centaur who had fought him simply received some preserved rations from a companion and asked them to pass along a message that he was heading to Dran's settlement.
For Rei, the term "Zai's settlement" was the easiest to understand, but for the Centaurs, referring to a settlement by its chief's name was apparently more intuitive.
With preparations complete, Rei climbed onto Set's back and addressed the Centaur.
"Well then, shall we go?"
"Yeah. ...Come to think of it, this is a bit late, but I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Asdena. It'll be a short trip, but I'm counting on you."
"Asdena, huh. I'm Rei, and this is Set. And over there is... no need for me to say, I suppose."
Rei glanced at the Wind of the Plains as he spoke.
After all, it was only after hearing it from Asdena that Rei had learned the name Wind of the Plains — or rather, the alias it went by.
Given that, there was no need for Rei to make an introduction.
"Right. ...Anyway, let's hurry. We can't keep the Wind of the Plains waiting."
Asdena said as much while glancing toward the creature.
The Wind of the Plains, however, did not seem particularly mindful of Asdena's concern. It simply stood in silence, observing its surroundings.
To the Wind of the Plains, the mock battle that had just taken place before it was apparently nothing worth concerning itself over, and it displayed no particular interest.
From the creature's perspective, Rei was an opponent it could acknowledge as stronger than itself.
Between such a Rei and an Asdena, who was clearly weaker, the outcome of a bout between them required no deliberation to predict.
What was more, since neither side had been fighting in earnest, it was hardly strange for the Wind of the Plains to decide there had been nothing worth watching.
Though it seemed Asdena had absolutely no idea what the creature was thinking.
"Alright, let's depart. Asdena, I'm counting on you to guide the way."
"Got it. ...What pace should we set?"
"As fast as you can manage without overexerting yourself."
It was a somewhat unreasonable request.
But Asdena flashed a confident grin and nodded.
"Understood. I'll adjust as we go and lead you to the settlement."
With that, Asdena broke into a run, starting at an easy pace.
Set, carrying Rei on his back, and the Wind of the Plains, trailing after Set, likewise set off.
The other Centaurs watched the group depart.
The dumbfounded looks on their faces were understandable, given that an incomprehensible number of events had just unfolded in an extremely short span of time.
Asdena, who possessed the greatest skill in their settlement, had lost so easily. They had seen the Wind of the Plains up close. It was a string of events astonishing enough to make one doubt they had all occurred in so brief a window.
"Oh right, we have to report this to the chief!"
When one of the Centaurs snapped back to his senses and shouted those words, the others nodded in agreement and headed back toward their settlement.
...Though even if they reported that Asdena had engaged in a mock battle and lost effortlessly, it was questionable how many would actually believe them.
What was more, the one who had beaten Asdena was not a fellow Centaur but a two-legged opponent, making the claim all the harder to swallow.
Still, having to explain all of that... was proving to be a rather tall order.
While the Centaurs struggled to relay the situation back at their settlement, Rei and his party were racing across the plains at a fair clip.
The landscape stretching out in every direction — the entire horizon blanketed in green as far as the eye could see — was more than enough to captivate anyone who beheld it.
Granted, they had taken in similar scenery while traveling to destroy the Dragonias outpost... but even so, there was no mistaking that it was a view worthy of being called magnificent, no matter how many times one laid eyes on it.
"What is it?"
Asdena, leading the way at the front, called back to Rei with genuine curiosity.
He was running at a considerable pace, yet his upper body was turned toward Rei behind him. Even so, he showed no sign of veering off course or losing his footing.
For a Centaur, this much was apparently second nature.
There was nothing particularly notable about Asdena's combat strength, but seeing this ability — unique to Centaurs, or perhaps born from being raised on these plains — made Rei genuinely think it was impressive.
"No, I was just thinking about how incredible this scenery is."
"...Are you?"
Asdena tilted his head at Rei's words.
It was clearly not modesty. His demeanor made it apparent that he genuinely felt that way.
To Rei, this plain was a sight truly worthy of being called grand.
And if they kept going until evening, the entire plain would be bathed in the red of the setting sun — a sight overwhelming enough to stun any who beheld it.
And yet, perhaps because he had known nothing but such views since childhood, Asdena considered them a given, scenery not worth a second thought. Rei couldn't help but feel that was a tremendous waste.
Granted, even in a place famous as a tourist destination, to those born and raised there, the sights are simply part of everyday life, so it wasn't strange for Asdena to find Rei's amazement puzzling.
If there were someone else who, like Rei, had not grown up on these plains, they might have agreed with his assessment.
But unfortunately, aside from Vihera... and Anastasia and Fana, who were out there somewhere — nearly everyone on these plains had been born and raised here.
In other words, there was virtually no one who would sympathize with Rei's opinion.
"To you, Asdena, this might be familiar scenery. But from where I'm standing, it's something incredibly novel... or grand... that kind of view."
"...Is it?"
Asdena muttered, wearing an expression that suggested he could not comprehend Rei's words at all.
Rei was brimming with the urge to retort, but it wasn't as though Asdena was being deliberately obtuse.
He was simply responding with his natural, honest feelings.
That being the case, Rei let the remark pass and shifted the conversation.
"More importantly, how is a two-legged person like you so strong?"
"Come on, the number of legs has nothing to do with it. It was the same when I first met Zai, but don't you all fixate a little too much on that? It's not like the number of legs determines your strength. ...Well, having more legs probably lets you plant your feet more firmly and gives you better stability."
Thinking about it that way, having four legs wasn't necessarily wrong, was it?
Or so Rei thought, but that was merely one element of strength, not something absolute.
If one possessed something like Rei's magical power — an amount so overwhelming that even the word "overwhelming" fell short of describing it — then that would be an entirely different story.
"I train, for one thing."
"Of course I do that too."
As a warrior charged with protecting his settlement, Asdena naturally trained.
And yet, he had been struck down in a single blow when he fought Rei.
Being dispatched so effortlessly before he could even fight seriously was completely unexpected for Asdena.
Because of that, he did not think training alone could account for such a gap.
What was more, Rei was clearly younger than him.
"Yeah. In that case... I think how many powerful opponents you've faced makes a big difference."
Having encountered one disturbance after another since coming to Elgin, Rei spoke those words with deep conviction.