"Then we're off. I'm counting on you for the settlement's defense."
"Naturally. Even without you, I'll protect this settlement."
Dratt replied to Zai's words with a sullen tone.
Their relationship had never become friendly, right up to the day the expedition departed.
That said, Dratt had viewed Zai as a rival since childhood, so there was no way that would change in a matter of days.
The several days since the decision to dispatch the expedition had passed, and during those few days, the Centaurs who had been thoroughly trained by Rei and Vihera had unmistakably improved.
Of course, they wouldn't become dramatically stronger in just a few days, so the actual improvement in their skills wasn't all that significant.
But even so, the Centaurs' technique had definitely grown.
...Among them, a few had improved exceptionally.
That was the result of sparring against Rei and Vihera—facing overwhelming opponents yet refusing to break, continuing to fight.
To be precise, it was likely that the steady training they had done all along had blossomed through those sparring sessions with Rei and Vihera.
One of those whose skills had blossomed was Dratt.
He was unmistakably stronger than before, possessing the ability to almost certainly win against a single Dragonias.
...In reality, Dragonias had significant individual variation, so there was no absolute guarantee of victory.
"I'm counting on you."
Though Dratt's words carried a slight provocation, what came from Zai was a statement of genuine belief in that ability.
This difference likely reflected the gap in popularity between Zai and Dratt.
The two themselves showed no awareness of this whatsoever.
"Well then, shall we get going? ...It's been quite a while since I rode on Set, too."
At Vihera's words, spoken with a happy smile, Rei wore a subtly troubled expression.
That Vihera wanted to join this expedition was exactly as Rei had expected.
The problem was how she would travel.
In truth, Vihera's running speed was extremely fast, and she would have no problem keeping pace with the Centaurs.
But this time, there was no telling when they might encounter Dragonias.
Given that, it would be bad if she ran out of stamina and couldn't fight when they did encounter them. Though he didn't think that would actually happen, still, being unable to perform at full condition would be a real cost.
That was why Vihera ended up riding on Set's back alongside Rei.
Given that Set was over three meters long, carrying someone other than Rei posed no problem at all.
After all, he had carried both Anastasia and Fana at the same time before.
...The problem was that Vihera, riding behind Rei, would be pressing her body against him.
Vihera was already wearing a thin garment that looked as though the other side could be seen through.
In other words, it was made of very thin cloth.
Though it had been magically treated, touching it didn't particularly give that impression.
With Vihera, wearing such a garment, clinging to him from behind, it was only natural that her ample bosom pressed flat against his back.
If that situation continued the entire time Set was running, it would be an extremely trying experience for Rei.
At the very least, that was what it had felt like when they tried a test run.
"Right. Let's go. ...Zai, I'm counting on you to guide us."
Riding on Set, Rei called out to Zai.
The current reconnaissance unit consisted of Rei, Vihera, and Zai—three people in total.
That was quite few for a reconnaissance unit, but they would be visiting other settlements to gather additional members.
How many people they would ultimately have, even Rei didn't know.
However, from what he heard from Zai, he could predict it would be a considerable number.
"Leave it to me. I've already sent people to the other settlements. Once we arrive, they should join us immediately. ...Fortunately, there are many who feel threatened by Dragonias. Given that, there's no way they wouldn't send anyone. In fact, that's the reply I've received."
"Let's hope so," Rei said, letting a hint of unease seep into his voice.
From a settlement's perspective, they wouldn't want to send out personnel to join the reconnaissance unit.
Dispatching people to the unit was by no means a welcome event for a settlement.
After all, it meant their combat power to deal with Dragonias when they actually attacked would be reduced.
What's more, the settlements they would be visiting to gather members were those that still hadn't joined this one—those who were overconfident in their own power and believed they could handle Dragonias on their own, or those who were reluctant to relinquish their vested interests.
The former were likely overconfident precisely because they had no experience fighting Dragonias, and the latter were essentially willing to sacrifice the other people in their settlement for their own benefit.
Going to the settlements of such people was something Rei didn't particularly want to do.
That said, the more people they had, the higher the chances of finding the Dragonias headquarters, so more hands were better.
"We're departing!"
At Zai's words, Set began to move.
"So few, aren't there?" Vihera murmured, clinging to Rei.
Deliberately ignoring the large, soft sensation against his back, Rei spoke up.
"It's just me, Vihera, and Zai. Plus, Set will be gone too, so when you think about it, it's better to have as much combat power remaining at this settlement as possible."
"I know that. ...Still, it's amazing."
Replying to Rei, Vihera looked around once more.
Just like Zai's settlement, what spread before them was an endless expanse of grassland.
Rei nodded in agreement with Vihera's words.
The green carpet viewed from above had been impressive, but running through it—technically, riding on Set as it ran—was enough to evoke a strange sense of wonder.
That said, running through the grassland with Set was something he had experienced before when they went to raid the Dragonias base.
And yet, it felt somehow fresh...
Thinking that, Rei considered the person clinging to his back.
(Because Vihera is here, I suppose. ...Well, that's not so strange. Or maybe it's because it's just Zai running alongside us?)
When they had headed to the Dragonias base before, there had been several others besides Zai, including Dratt.
Compared to that, having Vihera on his back and only Zai beside him made a significant difference.
"Traveling like this, it feels kind of strange," Rei said.
"Does it? Isn't something like this pretty normal?"
"Not really. When it comes down to it, I've been flying through the air to get around a lot lately."
"...May I say something?"
Zai cut into the conversation between Rei and Vihera.
Even from Zai's perspective, he could understand what kind of relationship Rei and Vihera had, so he didn't want to interrupt their conversation if possible. But within that exchange, there had been something he absolutely could not let slip by.
Given that, he had to hear about this no matter what.
That was likely what he was thinking when he spoke up.
"What is it?"
"No, it's not Rei I want to ask, but Vihera... You mentioned flying to travel. Did you fly while in that state?"
"Eh? No. It's not impossible for Set to carry someone other than Rei when flying, but there are pretty strict limitations. When I travel through the air, I either ride in something called the Set Basket, or... hold onto Set's legs directly, I suppose."
"Wha—!"
With a slip—.
Zai, in a rare occurrence... truly rare, perhaps not since childhood, lost his balance while running and nearly fell.
Unlike bipedal humans, Centaurs had four legs.
Their stability was naturally high.
...That was how shocking the words that came from Vihera's mouth were.
"Are you... um, serious? You're talking about flying through the air?"
"Yes. Is something wrong with that?"
"No... How can you say that with such a calm face..."
Dumbfounded, astonished, appalled.
Watching Zai mutter with an expression that suited such words, Rei turned only his head backward... and since Vihera was clinging to his back, it was only natural, but her beautiful face was closer than he expected. He caught his breath for a moment before immediately continuing to speak.
"Just like Zai, Centaurs are basically poor at flying."
"...Eh? Is that so? Even though it's so fun?"
Vihera said in surprise, but of course, this was not normal.
The Set Basket was one thing, but hanging onto Set's legs while flying was extremely difficult.
Normally, when Set flew through the air, it flew at an altitude of about one hundred meters.
That meant dangling from the legs of a Set flying at that altitude.
It was absolutely not something a normal person could do without trembling at that height.
But Vihera... no, not just Vihera, but Rei's other companions as well, pulled off such actions with ease.
From Zai's perspective, he couldn't understand Vihera or the others' feelings at all.
He genuinely wanted to know how things had ended up that way. ...Though he immediately reconsidered, thinking that if he found out, he might end up having to fly himself, so he'd rather decline if possible.
"Is that so? What a waste. Flying feels wonderful, you know?"
Those were words Vihera could say precisely because she had actually grabbed onto Set's legs and flown many times.
Because she had experienced it herself, her words carried strong persuasive power.
But... even after hearing Vihera's words, Zai shook his head frantically.
"Impossible, no way, no way, no way! I absolutely refuse to do something like that!"
Zai was usually calm, but right now, he didn't seem like that at all.
That was how terrifying flying was to Zai... no, to Centaurs.
"Zai, I understand you're afraid of flying, but is the problem that your feet aren't touching the ground?"
"That's right."
Without a moment's hesitation, Zai replied instantly.
Rei felt a slight doubt at Zai's words... and continued speaking.
"Does that mean it's no good even for a few seconds without your feet on the ground? For example, jumping while running?"
A Centaur's running speed, while slower than Set's, was still considerable.
Jumping at such a speed would naturally result in significant height.
At Rei's question, Zai gave him a look that said What are you talking about? and opened his mouth.
"Hah? Is there some problem with that? If you're running, jumping is perfectly normal, isn't it?"
"...Right. I understand for now. So jumping is fine. Even when you're jumping, I'd think your feet aren't on the ground."
"That's..."
At Rei's point, Zai wore an expression of being caught off guard.
From Zai's perspective, he probably never imagined that jumping and flying would be equated.
But thinking about it, regardless of duration, both jumping and flying involved the feet leaving the ground.
"Right? Then, if you try a little harder, couldn't you fly through the air?"
"That's... no, wait. There's no way that's possible."
Zai looked as though he might be convinced for a moment, but he quickly came to his senses and said so.
To Zai, Rei's words had been so readily acceptable that it was almost mysterious, but as if to blow away that illusion, he shook his head violently.
Incidentally, despite doing all this, Set and Zai were still running normally.
Seeing them running at a considerable speed, one would normally never think they could carry on such a conversation... but this was likely proof of Zai's excellent physical ability.
"It's just that you can't do it because you don't think you can. If you set your mind to it, wouldn't you be able to?"
"Don't be ridiculous. Impossible. There's no way I could do something like that."
Zai immediately shot back at Rei's words.
But... to such a Zai, Vihera, who had been listening from behind Rei, floated a smile and opened her mouth.
"Are you sure that's fine?"
The smile Vihera wore was invisible to Rei, who was sitting in front.
That was why he couldn't understand why Zai, at the receiving end of Vihera's gaze, had his face twitching.
At least, that was what Rei judged, and in this situation, he had absolutely—not even a tiny bit—any intention of looking back to check what kind of smile Vihera was wearing.