"It's been a while."
At those words from atop Set's back, the Centaur before him — Asdena — nodded, though he wore a complicated expression.
"It has been a while. Honestly, I didn't think we'd be meeting again this soon."
"Same here."
It had been a few days since Rei and Set had gotten lost and Asdena guided them to Zai's settlement. For them to meet again here — at Asdena's settlement, no less — was a surprise for both of them.
"How's the Wind of the Plains doing?"
"Getting along fine with the other livestock."
Asked about the Two-Headed Goat, Rei replied accordingly.
Even among this grassland, the Two-Headed Goat was a being revered for its strength. That monster, called the Wind of the Plains by the Centaurs, was currently spending leisurely days in Zai's settlement alongside the other livestock.
At first, some had wondered whether it was really safe to put the Wind of the Plains together with the other livestock. But when Rei, who had brought it in, said it would be fine, they couldn't just dismiss the idea outright. As a result, they decided to try it out for the time being.
When they actually did, the other livestock didn't cause a commotion or show any signs of fright. If anything, they seemed quite relaxed.
That was why the people of Zai's settlement apparently concluded there was no particular problem with keeping the Wind of the Plains alongside the other livestock.
In truth, the fact that they had no confidence in their ability to handle the Wind of the Plains if a problem did arise was also a significant factor.
Seeing it together with the livestock was an unexpected sight, but the Wind of the Plains possessed the strength to single-handedly defeat large numbers of Dragonias — not on the level of Rei, Set, or Vihera, but formidable nonetheless.
For the other Centaurs to try to do something about a creature like that would be extremely difficult. Carelessly provoking it could send the Wind of the Plains into a rampage beyond their control. It was only natural to think so.
That was why, as long as the Wind of the Plains stayed docile, they chose to simply watch over it without intervening further.
As it turned out, that judgment was correct. A few days had passed since its arrival, and so far the Wind of the Plains hadn't caused any particular problems.
It did occasionally jump out of the livestock enclosure, run around freely across the grassland to its heart's content, and eventually return to the settlement on its own. But the Centaurs considered something of that level to be no issue at all.
If anything, they were even grateful, since having the Wind of the Plains around meant that if Dragonias showed up, it would deal with small groups for them.
In fact, in the few days since the Wind of the Plains arrived, two Dragonias had been killed.
Hearing about those circumstances, Asdena wore an envious yet serious expression.
For him, the existence of a Wind of the Plains that protected their livestock was something to be deeply envied. On top of that, the fact that it returned to its place on its own even after going out — for those who kept livestock, there was nothing more enviable than that.
And the reason for his serious expression was likely that Dragonias had reappeared near Zai's settlement.
Asdena's settlement and Zai's settlement, while considerably far apart, were close enough to be called neighbors. Given that, it wouldn't have been strange for Dragonias to appear at Asdena's settlement either. This time they had gone to Zai's settlement, but there was a very real possibility that Asdena's settlement could have been attacked instead.
Considering those circumstances, it was only natural to think that they couldn't just leave the Dragonias be.
"So, how many are coming from Asdena's settlement?"
"Five, including me."
Rei directed his gaze toward Zai, the implicit question being whether that would be enough.
Receiving Rei's look, Zai nodded to indicate that it was fine. If anything, Zai felt grateful that they had managed to gather that many.
"Did you have to push quite a bit?"
"Yeah. But with the Dragonias threat looming, we need to take appropriate measures on our end too. In that sense, I actually felt we didn't have enough people... but will three be enough on your side?"
The slightly worried tone in Asdena's voice stemmed from the fact that it was Zai's settlement that had proposed this reconnaissance unit. If so, it wouldn't have been strange for Zai's settlement to contribute the most people. And yet, the ones who actually came from Zai's settlement were only three.
Of course, in terms of combat power, the mere presence of Rei, Vihera, and Set made it exceptionally high. Zai himself was also one of the strongest warriors in his settlement. But appearances certainly mattered as well.
Asdena and his comrades knew Rei's strength, so they had no complaints about Zai's group being only three. However, if word got around at a different settlement, there would likely — no, almost certainly — be those who took issue with it.
Asdena thought that far, but then immediately shook his head.
"...Well, whatever."
Centaurs respected the strong. In that sense, Asdena, who had been swiftly defeated by Rei in a mock battle, naturally held Rei in high regard. If that was the case, there was no need to worry about Rei. If anyone underestimated him, they could just do a mock battle like Asdena himself had done. That way, they would experience Rei's strength firsthand and wouldn't underestimate him again—
Right as that thought crossed his mind, Asdena turned his gaze to Vihera behind Rei.
Given Vihera's strong presence, it was only natural that Asdena had noticed her. But even so, the reason he hadn't spoken to her was because he somehow felt it was better not to.
However, considering the flow of the conversation, it was impossible not to bring up Vihera here.
"Just to be sure, I should ask... the woman behind you is strong too, right?"
"Of course."
The one who answered immediately was Rei. He believed he knew Vihera's strength better than anyone else present.
Behind such a Rei, Vihera wore a beaming smile. She knew Rei acknowledged her abilities, but having him say it out loud directly like this was still extremely gratifying.
Seeing how Rei and Vihera interacted, Asdena wore an expression of understanding. Even so, as if to be absolutely certain, his gaze turned to Zai.
Zai nodded at Asdena's look as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
After all, Vihera had been training many of the Centaurs in the settlement. And among those undergoing training was Zai himself.
Mock battles had been conducted dozens of times — perhaps even as many as a hundred. And yet, not even once had any of the Centaurs, including Zai, ever won against Vihera. Not only that, but no one had even managed to deal a solid hit on her.
Since Vihera's combat style was originally based on close-quarters fighting, she excelled at evasion. It wasn't that she couldn't block attacks, but as a woman, Vihera was undeniably better at dodging and deflecting. Particularly since Centaurs carried much more weight than humans, a direct hit would be enough to send even Vihera flying — if they could actually land one, that is.
The fact that they couldn't was exactly why Zai and the others were struggling. No matter how many attacks they launched, no matter how they coordinated with their comrades to strike together, they couldn't land a single blow on Vihera. They couldn't even touch the thin garments she wore.
The gap in their abilities could truly be described as overwhelming.
"Anyway, we can talk more later. We need to visit other settlements too. Where are the supplies?"
"Inside the settlement. Follow me."
With that, Asdena led Rei into the settlement.
The atmosphere isn't exactly great, is it?
Rei noticed that several of the Centaurs inside the settlement were directing resentful gazes at them. That said, since he understood the reason for those resentful looks, he couldn't exactly say anything about it either.
"Rei, over here."
Called by Asdena, he found food, tents, weapons, and various other consumables laid out there.
Zai, along with the other Centaurs, was heading to meet this settlement's chief, so they parted ways here for the time being.
Since it was supplies for five people, there was quite a substantial amount gathered. But Rei stored them into his Misty Ring one after another.
Watching the supplies vanish one after another, the Centaurs observing the situation were simply dumbfounded. They had absolutely no idea what was happening before their eyes. Even those who had been directing resentful glares at Rei's group just moments ago could only stare in blank astonishment at the sight.
Since the supplies were already quite securely packaged, storing them in the Misty Ring was not difficult. And after storing the last of the luggage...
"Alright, that's everything. Once Zai gets back, we'll head to the next settlement, but he hasn't returned yet?"
"Right. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like he'll be back for a while yet."
Vihera, who had been looking around from beside Rei, replied.
If it were Zai's settlement, Vihera had grown somewhat accustomed to everyone there, so she had a fair number of people to talk to. Among the warriors, none felt they could casually approach her after being shown such an overwhelming gap in ability. But for everyone else, Vihera was the one who had protected the settlement from the Dragonias. And on top of that, for ordinary people — those without combat ability — Vihera's demeanor was by no means poor.
As the Byune Incident showed, Vihera was quite attentive and caring. Because of that, many of the Children were fond of her.
But with the Children in this settlement, such a thing was not possible. Fundamentally, because Rei and Vihera only had two legs, it seemed many of the Children preferred not to get close to them. That was why the Children of this settlement wouldn't approach Vihera on their own.
"The next settlement is supposedly led by a guy named Advagas. Do you know him? ...Ah, never mind. I can kind of tell."
The moment the name Advagas left his lips, Asdena's expression twisted with disgust, and it was immediately clear that he was not someone Asdena wanted to associate with.
In reality, just because Asdena felt that way didn't necessarily mean Rei would feel the same. But even so, Rei judged that Asdena's sensibilities weren't so different from his own, and so he made that assessment.
Still, having to go to a settlement like that... I don't know what kind of disposition they have, but if they pick a fight, should I just forcefully resolve it with power and seize the initiative?
Those doing reconnaissance needed to gather as many people as possible. Given that, they couldn't afford to spend too much time at any one settlement. If so, it was better to quickly subjugate them with force — or so he judged.
"Anyway, once we get to that settlement, it seems like we should gather people and leave quickly."
"Yeah. It's definitely not a place where you'd want to stay for long. If you go to Advagas's settlement, Rei, you'll probably end up having an unpleasant experience too, but..."
"Don't worry about that. We'll manage on our end. Oh, they're back."
In Rei's line of sight, Zai and the Centaur who had guided him to this settlement's chief were returning. Zai's expression didn't look particularly displeased, and it was clear at a glance that there hadn't been any problems.
"Rei, how are the preparations?"
"As you can see, no issues on our end. We just need to depart."
"Understood. Then let's set off right away. If possible, I'd like to visit several other settlements before the day is over."
Even if it was to assemble the reconnaissance unit's numbers, they needed to meet the chief at every settlement they visited. Having to hold a meeting each time and kill time that way — to Rei, that was nothing but a hassle.
However, according to the customs of this world, when in Rome, one must do as the Romans do. Thinking so, he endured it.