"Yeah... I figured it would come to this. Though I have to say, I didn't expect them to go after Vihera instead of me."
Rei's murmured gaze was directed at several Centaurs and Vihera.
Rei and his companions were currently in a settlement ruled by a chief named Advagas.
He had somewhat anticipated it from Advagas's attitude when speaking with Asdena, but this settlement was even more troublesome than Rei had initially expected.
First of all, their discriminatory attitude toward two-legged Rei and Vihera was extremely strong.
It was as if they had decided that they, with four legs, were overwhelmingly superior; they clearly looked down on Rei and Vihera.
...And yet, whether the gap in strength was simply too large, or whether the people in this settlement were purely too unskilled, Rei couldn't tell. In any case, they hadn't been able to sense the difference in power... and the result of that was the scene currently unfolding before Rei's eyes.
To the Centaurs of this settlement, Vihera was likely an opponent they judged they could defeat with ease.
The Centaur facing Vihera was so blatantly off-guard it was obvious at a glance.
(To think they only have people of this caliber. How have they managed to maintain this settlement for so long? If the Dragonias attacked them, it wouldn't be strange for them to be wiped out instantly, would it?)
Entertaining such doubts, Rei tried asking Zai about it—not directly, but in a roundabout way that hinted at his thoughts.
However, the response that came back was not from Zai, but from Asdena.
"Advagas's settlement doesn't have much to offer when it comes to warriors, as you can see."
"I figured as much. Even compared to the warriors of Asdena's settlement, let alone Zai's, they're clearly inferior."
Asdena had some reservations about Rei's phrasing, but it was obvious that his own settlement genuinely lost to Zai's in terms of warrior quality.
Given that, he couldn't voice any complaints.
...Originally, Zai's settlement was without a doubt one of the largest in this entire area, looking across the whole grassland.
Naturally, many skilled warriors had gathered there, and on top of that, the recent Dragonias turmoil had brought even more people together.
The majority of those who gathered were women, children, and the elderly who had fled their settlements, but among them were warriors mixed in to serve as escorts for the refugees.
Being entrusted with such escort duties meant that those Centaurs were among the strongest in their settlements—if not the strongest, then at least ranked near the top.
Naturally, those individuals also began working as warriors after coming to Zai's settlement... and as a result, Zai's settlement's combat power had increased.
Of course, it wasn't a one-sided increase in strength. They were also suffering losses, as evidenced by the fact that their reconnaissance party had been nearly wiped out.
"In any case, what compensates for those warriors' lack of strength is the magic that Advagas and his family can use."
"...Still, that's unusual. As far as I know, there aren't that many Centaurs who can use magic."
"I won't deny that. Actually, there aren't any in my settlement either. But... there are exceptions to everything."
Asdena turned his gaze toward Advagas's settlement with a complicated expression.
Centaurs who could use magic were extremely rare, but that didn't mean they didn't exist at all.
After all, even in Zai's settlement, the Chief Drum and the Old Woman could use magic.
But for a settlement this clearly smaller in scale than Zai's, the fact that Advagas and his entire family could all use magic was nothing short of astonishing to Rei.
"Uwaaaaaaaaah!"
While Rei was still marveling at Advagas's settlement, a scream echoed through the surroundings.
Who had let out that scream was obvious without even thinking about it.
When Rei turned his gaze toward the source of the voice, he saw a Centaur collapsed on the ground.
Those who had been making a commotion and jeering just moments ago were frozen in place, perhaps because they had witnessed such an unexpected sight.
They probably never imagined that one of their own would lose to a two-legged Vihera.
From Rei's perspective—and from the perspective of anyone who knew Vihera's true strength—this was the natural outcome.
To begin with, as Asdena had just mentioned, the warriors in this settlement were by no means highly skilled.
They operated on the premise of coordinating with magic users, starting with their chief Advagas, so without magic, they couldn't demonstrate their true capabilities.
...That being the case, Rei wondered why they would challenge Vihera under such conditions, but to the people of this settlement, as long as their opponent was two-legged, they probably never considered the possibility of losing to such a being.
The result of judging an opponent as beneath them based solely on the number of legs was this.
"What's wrong? You picked a fight despite only being this weak? At this rate, fighting the Dragonias would be more enjoyable."
Those words were enough to provoke the Centaurs of Advagas's settlement.
They had been so blatantly insulted by an opponent they viewed as beneath them.
Each of them grabbed their weapons and pointed their blades at Vihera.
"Oh my, I only spoke the truth. To get that angry over it... does that mean you've actually acknowledged it yourselves? In the first place, do you really think you could handle the Dragonias?"
"You bastard!"
One of the Centaurs charged at Vihera with a spear in hand.
A moment later, the others followed suit, charging at Vihera as well.
But Vihera dodged their attacks while moving as if she were dancing.
...That wasn't all.
As she passed by the Centaurs, she would gently touch a part of their bodies.
It was a gesture to show that if she were serious, she could have struck them right then and there.
While perhaps not to the same extent with their arms, the Centaurs likely understood what Vihera's actions meant.
Understanding that they were completely outmatched... they froze in place when Vihera broke through their wave, slipping past them as if flowing through water.
That was because they understood that if Vihera had been serious, they would have undoubtedly suffered major damage from her actions just now—and depending on the circumstances, they might have died.
"Do you understand now? ...If only you were at least as strong as Zai, it would be a little more interesting."
Those words dealt a shock to the Centaurs who had attacked.
Zai was famous as a skilled warrior among the settlements across this entire area.
But from what she had just said, wasn't she essentially declaring that even someone like Zai couldn't hold a candle to Vihera?
...In truth, since that assessment wasn't wrong, the Centaurs' own conclusion wasn't mistaken either.
"Could you leave it at that? Even people like them are necessary to protect this settlement. If their spirits are broken, it'll be a problem for us."
Suddenly, a voice rang out, and several Centaurs appeared.
They were all carrying staves, and it was clear at a glance that they were magic users.
One of the male magic users stepped forward, leading the other Centaur mages.
"Are you Advagas?"
"No, unfortunately, I am not. I am Dolfina. My father... Advagas's son."
"Oh, is that so? The fact that you're stepping forward in this situation—does that mean you'll be the one joining the reconnaissance?"
"Yes, I and the companions here will go together. We won't disappoint you."
"...You seem quite confident."
"I do have a track record... no, we have a track record. I think I'm within my rights to say at least this much."
There was nothing about Dolfina's demeanor suggesting he was acting tough or trying to make himself look bigger than he was.
Because he truly had confidence, Vihera felt that was why he spoke the way he did.
"Huh... Advagas seemed quite unpleasant, but Dolfina doesn't appear to have any personality issues."
"Right. He was like that when we met before too. Dolfina is a rare, friendly presence."
Seeing Asdena speak so earnestly, Rei felt relieved.
If Asdena said so, then Dolfina was probably not a problematic person.
Watching him talk with Vihera, Rei felt that Dolfina would be fine.
"In any case, if there's no problem on that end, I have no complaints either. We should store the supplies quickly."
"Right. If we linger in this settlement, things could get troublesome. ...Zai, can I ask you to greet Advagas?"
At Asdena's words, Zai wore a subtly displeased expression.
But since he was serving as the representative for this reconnaissance unit, greeting Advagas in this situation was only natural.
"Understood, I'll go. ...Rei, absolutely do not come with me."
"No, I had no intention of going to such a troublesome place even without you telling me, but is he really that unpleasant?"
"For someone like you, Rei, he's an unpleasant enough opponent that it wouldn't be surprising if you killed him."
At those words, Rei decided he'd better not follow along with Zai.
Zai had originally said he wouldn't bring Rei along, so there was probably no need to worry about that.
"Rei, it seems the supplies are this way."
"Hm? Ah, got it, I'm coming right now."
Vihera, who had been talking with Dolfina, called out, and Rei headed in that direction.
As he did, the surrounding Centaurs—especially those who had been so effortlessly dispatched by Vihera—naturally directed hostile, resentment-filled glares at Rei.
Since they couldn't assess the gap in strength between themselves and Vihera, they naturally couldn't assess the gap between themselves and Rei either.
(Idiots.)
All Vihera felt as she watched the scene was that single word of exasperation.
In truth, the notion that Centaurs who couldn't even beat her thought they could beat Rei was what was truly insane.
Rei was stronger than her.
That was an unwavering fact within Vihera.
Of course, just because Rei was stronger than her didn't mean she could absolutely never win.
In fact, she had beaten him several times in mock battles, and even in a serious fight, she would have a chance of victory if she used Magic Impact Palm.
...Of course, if Rei fought seriously in the truest sense, he would do things like generate Fire Whirlwinds from long range or unleash countless Flame Arrows.
In Vihera's case, her preferences likely played a role, but she specialized in close combat.
She had no means of long-range attack like Rei's magic.
She could throw rocks lying on the ground, but she didn't think such attacks would be effective against Rei.
What would happen if someone picked a fight with a Rei of that caliber was obvious.
It was obvious, but Vihera had no intention of stopping them.
She thought they probably wouldn't understand unless they learned a painful lesson once, and more than that, the man she loved being looked down on was not an amusing thing.
And as expected, several Centaurs began stepping toward Rei to accost him...
"I'm grateful. It's because you came that we can go search for the Dragonias headquarters. Still, so you're Rei. The strength to single-handedly destroy a Dragonias outpost is reassuring."
While pretending to speak to Rei, those explanatory words were directed at the surrounding Centaurs—specifically, the Centaurs other than those Dolfina had brought with him.
His intent was obvious.
He had deliberately explained it to make them realize that if they tried to accost Rei in this situation, they would have absolutely no chance of winning.
In the first place, the warriors of this settlement only became full-fledged when they had the support of magic users.
To be precise, it wasn't that the magic users supported the warriors, but rather that the warriors supported the magic users.
Given that, there was no way they could handle someone who had destroyed a Dragonias outpost alone.
Understanding that, they once again grasped just how powerful Rei was.
"He's considerate toward his comrades."
Naturally, Rei had also noticed that the surrounding Centaurs were trying to accost him.
Dolfina had pretended to speak to Rei while explaining the situation to those around him, thereby protecting his comrades.
From Rei's perspective, he had likely taken such words and actions out of genuine consideration for his comrades.
"Even if you say that... whatever the case, they're still an important fighting force."
This bunch?
Rei wanted to say it, but he judged that saying it aloud would lead to trouble, so he kept his mouth shut.
In truth, having fought the Dragonias himself, and having seen Vihera's fight, he didn't think for a moment that these Centaurs could possibly win.
Of course, since it was actually the magic users who killed enemies, their support role might still be feasible.
Thinking such thoughts, he set about storing the supplies.