"Then first, it's two days. If you haven't found anything after two days, return to this base. Of course, if you find something—specifically, a Dragonias hideout or base—come back immediately."
Those who heard Zai's words scattered in their assigned directions.
...Initially, there were some who insisted on deciding their own reconnaissance directions, but when Rei and Vihera directed their gazes at them, they quickly retracted their words.
The exchange where Vihera fought a Centaur as a demonstration before the meal had proven sufficiently effective.
At first, there were some who looked down on Rei based on his appearance—being shorter than Vihera and having a feminine face.
Some thought he was merely a two-legged pack mule who happened to own a Misty Ring and was there to transport supplies... but those who had looked down on him were soon educated by other Centaurs that Rei was also monstrously strong, and from then on, they obeyed his words without complaint.
They should have known just how formidable Rei was based on the reports from the messengers dispatched from Zai's settlement.
Despite that, to look down on him because of his appearance was nothing short of foolish.
For those who had heard the information from Zai's settlement, it had been hard to believe those words were true.
Even so, as a result of Vihera demonstrating overwhelming power, Rei also came to be respected by those previously unaware of his strength.
"Still... are we just waiting here?"
Rei murmured the words while gazing up at the blue sky, lingering at the campsite.
Since the scouts had departed, someone needed to receive whatever intelligence they gathered.
Naturally, that required a gathering point, and this campsite served that purpose.
The reason Rei and Vihera had been assigned to the group waiting at the campsite was simple: if a report came in that a Dragonias stronghold or base had been found, they would need to head out immediately to annihilate it.
With Centaurs having scattered in all directions for reconnaissance, there was no telling where such a report might originate. Rei could do nothing but wait.
Of course, the ones remaining behind weren't just Rei, Vihera, and Set.
Zai, as the leader of the reconnaissance unit, was naturally staying behind. But in addition, there were those assigned to cooking and miscellaneous tasks, along with about thirty others who could serve as combat-ready reserves and mobilize at a moment's notice.
Essentially, each settlement had left a few members behind.
To be honest, Rei couldn't help but wonder if they really needed that much combat power.
If this campsite came under attack, having Rei—or Vihera or Set—would be more than enough.
However, if the Dragonias tried something unexpected, they would need messengers to relay information.
That was why those left behind served double duty as both messengers and combat reserves.
Even so...
"Hey, concentrating too much in one spot makes your guard slip, you know."
At present, the majority of the Centaurs remaining at the campsite were engaged in mock battles with Vihera.
For Vihera, these mock battles themselves weren't all that interesting.
Still, perhaps because the Centaurs were a proud race, they refused to give up.
That was at least slightly interesting to her.
...Of course, in her heart of hearts, she found fighting the Dragonias far more entertaining.
But with the all-important Dragonias absent, there was nothing to be done about it.
(Ideally, this reconnaissance would turn up the enemy's stronghold... well, maybe not that far, but at least one of their bases.)
Leaning against Set, who was seated on the ground, Rei mulled over such thoughts. Even if a base was actually found, he figured it would be difficult for Vihera alone to annihilate the enemy. He wouldn't say impossible, but given Vihera's fundamental combat style, it would simply take too long.
Unlike Rei, who possessed magic and skills capable of wide-area attacks, Vihera's combat was primarily one-on-one.
...However, from what Rei had observed previously, the Dragonias were for some reason strangely fixated on Vihera.
Whether it was because they thought her flesh was softer than a Centaur's, or for some other reason entirely, Rei couldn't say.
Still, given enough time, he believed Vihera could win even against a swarm of Dragonias. Provided her stamina didn't give out first.
"Rei."
Without lifting his head from where he lay, Rei turned his gaze toward the voice and saw Zai standing there.
The somewhat exasperated look Zai directed at him was definitely not his imagination.
For Zai, seeing Rei so relaxed in the current situation was simply unacceptable.
But Rei, despite being on the receiving end of that look, spoke without paying it much mind.
"What is it? I don't think there's anything urgent we need to do right now."
"You're right. But I question whether it's appropriate to be lounging about given the situation."
If any other Centaurs had been present, they would have wholeheartedly agreed with Zai's words.
This campsite was a forward operating base for locating the Dragonias' stronghold, and naturally, it was a location of critical importance.
If any of the scattered reconnaissance units encountered Dragonias and determined they couldn't win, they were to fall back to this campsite.
In terms of sheer combat capability, the Centaurs were no match for the Dragonias.
However, when it came to running speed, the Centaurs held the advantage.
In reality, since Dragonias varied greatly in size and shape from individual to individual, it wouldn't be strange for some to be capable of matching a Centaur's speed.
Thus far, however, there had been no reports of such Dragonias appearing.
...Though that only meant Rei hadn't received such reports; the possibility of such an individual existing couldn't be entirely ruled out.
"Anyway, there's nothing to do right now, so I want to conserve my energy. Vihera's handling the mock battles."
"That's exactly it."
Zai replied without a moment's hesitation.
From his reaction, Rei surmised that the mock battles were the reason Zai had come over. Still leaning against Set, he spoke up.
"Did something happen with Vihera? From what I can see, she seems to be running the mock battles just fine."
"It's about those mock battles. If the reconnaissance unit returns because they were attacked by Dragonias, and Vihera is still in the middle of training, they won't be in any condition to serve as combat reserves."
"...Well, that's true."
Turning his gaze toward the mock battle, Rei watched a Centaur who had just been kicked away by Vihera tumble across the ground.
Since Vihera wasn't fighting with lethal intent, the one sent flying hadn't sustained any major injuries.
But the fact that they had been sent flying was unmistakable.
If they kept up mock battles that intense, they wouldn't be in any state to mount a defense if the Dragonias actually showed up.
That was what Zai was trying to say.
"Even if the Dragonias attack, based on past experience, they'll likely ignore the Centaurs and charge straight for Vihera."
"That's..."
Zai remembered the scene from when he fought the Dragonias at his own settlement, so he couldn't bring himself to argue.
Even Zai himself was liable to nod in agreement with those words.
Given that, Rei expected him to quietly back down. Instead, Zai held his ground.
"At any rate, we don't want to exhaust ourselves before the Dragonias even make a move. Could you say something to Vihera?"
"If it bothers you that much, you could always tell her yourself, Zai... ah, right. If you tried, you'd just get dragged into the training."
Zai's ability was top-class among the Centaurs in the reconnaissance unit.
On top of that, his honest and proud disposition was precisely why Vihera recognized him as an interesting training partner.
(Even when he gets blown away like that, he breaks his fall well and gets right back up.)
Rei's gaze settled on the Centaur who had been kicked away by Vihera moments ago.
Perhaps unable to deflect the force of the kick, the Centaur was struggling to rise from where he lay.
For Rei, it wasn't as though he didn't wonder how exactly one was supposed to break a fall on four legs.
"Anyway..."
Just as Zai started to speak, Set, who had been lying down until then, suddenly raised its head.
It wasn't because it had sensed danger.
Since it wasn't a reaction to danger, Rei, leaning against Set, didn't feel any particular urgency.
Even so, wondering if something had happened, Rei followed Set's line of sight...
"Centaurs?"
Yes, without a doubt, at the end of Set's gaze were Centaurs.
But every single face among them was unfamiliar to Rei.
Of course, with nearly a hundred Centaurs gathered at the campsite, it wasn't as if Rei had memorized everyone's face in such a short time.
Still, he should have recognized at least one. And more importantly, the group approaching numbered over ten.
Given that, the possibilities were limited. In other words...
"Are they from a settlement that didn't join the reconnaissance unit?"
"Probably, but... I'll go check."
With that, Zai headed toward the approaching Centaurs.
Noticing the group, Vihera and the other training Centaurs likely spotted them as well. They cast puzzled looks in that direction.
(At any rate, judging from Set's demeanor, they're definitely not giving off a hostile atmosphere.)
If the newcomers had been hostile, Set would have recognized it immediately.
But from the look of it, Set had already lowered its head and was settling back into a sleeping posture.
Seeing that, Rei concluded they weren't a threat.
And indeed, Zai, who was now speaking with the newly arrived Centaurs, showed no signs of hostility.
If anything, he wore a friendly smile.
That alone made it obvious they weren't dangerous.
(It didn't look like they were acquaintances, though...)
When he had first spotted the arriving Centaurs, Zai's expression had been one of regarding strangers.
If they were acquaintances or people he recognized by sight, he wouldn't have worn that look.
Which meant this was clearly their first meeting.
While keeping an eye on Zai, Rei stayed ready to move at a moment's notice, though he figured there was probably nothing to worry about. The moment he saw Zai shake hands with the representative of the newly arrived Centaurs, Rei let his guard down completely.
"Guru."
Set, too, had apparently been keeping an eye on Zai, and purred softly in a way only Rei could hear.
About ten minutes passed. Eventually, hearing footsteps approaching from that direction, Rei stood up.
If it had been just Zai, he wouldn't have bothered.
But with newly arrived Centaurs in tow, he couldn't very well remain slouched against Set.
"Rei."
Rei turned his gaze to Zai's call, as if to ask, "What?" But when the eyes of the new Centaurs turned toward him, he felt pleasantly surprised to find no trace of contempt in their gazes for his being two-legged.
That was largely because he had endured an endless stream of remarks about his two-legged nature up until now.
For Rei, that alone was quite refreshing.
...In reality, the biggest factor was probably that Zai had told them about Rei and Vihera before introducing them.
Particularly since Vihera was still conducting mock battles in the distance, and the sight of a Centaur being utterly overwhelmed was clearly visible even from here.
Under those circumstances, none of the newly arrived Centaurs had the courage to say anything about him being two-legged.
"So, who are these Centaurs?"
"Ah. They're from a different settlement—one far from ours, with almost no contact between us until now. Their goal is the same as ours: to locate the Dragonias' stronghold."
"I didn't realize that sort of thing happened. I assumed all the settlements on the plains knew each other."
"Given the sheer size of these plains, that's impossible."
As Zai spoke with deep conviction, Rei recalled how, when flying through the sky on Set's back, the entire horizon was nothing but grassland as far as the eye could see. He nodded in heartfelt agreement.