"Gurururururururururururururu!"
That cry echoed through the night campsite.
Those who heard Set's cry—and a cry demanding caution, no less—immediately woke up, grabbed the weapons they had placed nearby, and rushed out of their tents.
Rei and Vihera, who had been sleeping inside the Magic Tent, naturally stepped outside as well, not wanting to fall behind the others.
Today's lookouts were a few among those who had recently joined the group.
Other than them, there was only Set.
When the reconnaissance unit was first assembled, many had doubted the idea of leaving Set as the sole lookout. But during the journey to this campsite, they actually tried entrusting the watch to him, and the result was no problems at all—which was why they had left it to him.
...Even so, since not everyone could fully trust him, there were times when a few would keep watch alongside him.
Today, there were people among the newly joined members who had volunteered for lookout duty, so those individuals were sleeping soundly, feeling secure.
In the midst of all that, Set's cry suddenly rang out through the surroundings.
Given the circumstances, asking them not to be on guard would have been unreasonable.
"What happened!?"
"How should I know? Anyway, if Set cried out like that, there's no doubt something happened."
Some immediately began scanning their surroundings with vigilance as they spoke...
"What, did Set just wake up groggy or something? It's not something like that, right?"
"Considering Set's personality, I can't deny that possibility either."
Among those who had recently joined the reconnaissance unit, there were some who thought it might just be a mistake, even after hearing Set's cry.
This difference likely came down to how long they had known Set—though even that was only a matter of days.
Even so, the fact that everyone properly armed themselves and came out of their tents could be called a Centaur instinct.
Since he had been sleeping, Rei had left Vihera—still in her clothes—inside the Magic Tent and stepped outside, where he carefully assessed the situation.
He couldn't fully grasp what exactly had happened, but predicting it wasn't particularly difficult.
After all, what exactly had they come here to do?
Considering that, what Set had directed his cry at was obvious without even thinking about it.
(But the problem is... the enemy is almost certainly Dragonias, but where did they come from?)
Reaching Set's side as it kept watch over the surroundings, Rei harbored that question.
Currently, they were sending reconnaissance personnel in all directions, centered on this campsite.
Given that, the fact that enemies were heading for this campsite meant...
"Did one of the reconnaissance units encounter Dragonias and get wiped out?"
"What!?"
At Rei's words, Zai, who happened to be nearby, let out a surprised voice.
Rei had naturally been aware of Zai's presence, but given the current situation, he didn't have the leeway to worry about Zai's feelings.
"The fact that Dragonias are believed to be coming to this campsite means that's the most likely possibility. ...Or, they came here without coincidentally running into any reconnaissance units."
Rei muttered that, but he could predict that the latter possibility was quite low.
Centered on this campsite, the reconnaissance units had scattered in various directions.
In other words, the farther they got from the campsite, the greater the distance between them and other reconnaissance units.
And considering the running speed of Centaurs, they could cover a considerable distance in a single day.
If that were the case, the possibility that Dragonias had slipped through the gaps between running reconnaissance units could certainly not be denied.
The ones that came here were Dragonias that had advanced in that manner... and that possibility was also supposed to exist.
"Regardless of the reason they're coming, the fact remains that they're heading for the campsite. ...There's a chance it might not be Dragonias, but some other monster or animal."
At Rei's words, Zai held the hope that it would turn out to be so.
However, considering the current situation, it was also a fact that he couldn't be that optimistic.
After all, if they were to let their guard down in this situation, the possibility that the worst possible outcome awaited them could not be denied.
"Anyway, there's no point in just standing around here. Vihera and I will fight the attacking Dragonias together with Set, so Zai, gather the non-combatants and evacuate them. After that, if you have the leeway, come reinforce us."
Looking at Vihera, who had stepped out of the Magic Tent a little late but finished changing, Rei delivered those instructions.
It was a matter of course that a woman's preparations took time, but in Vihera's case, the clothes she wore were what they were.
Thin garments like those worn by dancers or prostitutes, through which the skin was visible.
Though they were such garments, wearing them was surprisingly difficult.
...That was likely related not only to the fact that they were thin garments, but also that they were a Magic Item.
At any rate, Vihera, now in her usual attire, emerged from the Magic Tent and spotted the place where Rei, Set, and Zai were. She immediately approached them.
"What's going on?"
"I don't know the details yet. But if Set senses danger, then it's definitely an enemy... and most likely the Dragonias you've been waiting for, Vihera."
Hearing the word Dragonias, a fierce smile appeared on Vihera's face.
It went without saying that when Set's cry had echoed through the surroundings, Vihera had also predicted that it was likely the work of Dragonias.
However, since they were making camp, the possibility that it was a different monster besides Dragonias... or even an animal or bandits that had come couldn't be denied.
But hearing so clearly from Rei that it was Dragonias, it was only natural for Vihera to smile with joy.
In reality, Rei hadn't definitively confirmed that it was Dragonias either; it was nothing more than his conjecture that it was probably so... but Vihera was already convinced.
...Actually, given that they were the ones being attacked here, the fact that Dragonias was the most likely possibility was an undeniable fact.
"I see. Then let's go confirm the answer. ...If possible, I hope it turns out to be Dragonias."
"Only you would say that, Vihera. Set, take us."
"Gruu!"
At Rei's words, Set let out a cry and crouched lightly.
Rei climbed onto his back, and after a few running steps, Set flapped his wings and soared up into the sky.
But, naturally, Vihera wasn't riding on Set right now.
What were they going to do about this situation?
Since this was already a familiar action for Rei, there was no need to give Set any special instructions.
Set had been listening to the conversation between Rei and Vihera, so naturally, he descended from the sky toward the ground.
And as he flew at a slightly elevated position above the ground, Vihera leapt up and grabbed onto Set's front legs.
Even with Vihera hanging on, the weight didn't cause him to lose his balance.
...If he ever said that to Vihera, she would undoubtedly be in a bad mood, though.
Vihera... no, Elena and Marina as well, but their weight as women exceeded the average.
This was partly due to the supple muscles they possessed, but also because all three of them had extremely curvy, appealing figures that men found irresistible.
Those alluring bodies with their rich curves inevitably meant their weight was on the heavier side.
In fact, knowing that Vihera was somewhat self-conscious about that sort of thing, it was something Rei absolutely must never put into words, even if he thought it.
Unaware that Rei on his back was thinking about such things, Set flew toward the enemy without the slightest disturbance, carrying one person on his back and dangling another from his front legs.
"The moon is beautiful tonight."
Riding on Set's back, Rei muttered that while looking up at the sky—perhaps to gloss over what he had just been thinking about regarding Vihera's weight.
Indeed, a brilliantly shining moon hung in the sky, nearly full and round, putting those who saw it in an inexplicable mood.
"You're right."
From where she clung to Set's legs, the moon in the sky was probably visible to Vihera as well.
She murmured as if agreeing with Rei's words.
But... the time the two of them could spend looking at the moon together wasn't long.
Originally, Set had let out his cry in the middle of the night precisely because he sensed enemies approaching.
Given that, the distance from where Set took off to their destination... the place where the enemies were, was naturally not far.
"Gurururu"
At Set's cry, Rei and Vihera turned their gazes from the moon to the ground.
And there... just as expected, they saw the figures of Dragonias.
Their numbers were about thirty.
Not exactly a lot, but not few either.
However, that was strictly from the perspective of Rei, Vihera, and Set.
For the Centaurs remaining at the campsite, nearly thirty Dragonias would be an insurmountable threat.
At worst... no, there was a considerable probability that nearly all of them would be devoured and killed.
That was the level of the threat.
That was exactly why Rei, Vihera, and Set had come out first.
"Set, Power Crush. I'll drop off Vihera before you attack, so don't hold back."
"Gruu?"
Set rumbled questioningly—Is that okay?—and Rei answered that there was no problem.
"Vihera, I'm going to jump off Set's back now, so when I get below you, let go of Set's front legs. I'll catch you."
"Understood."
At Rei's words, Vihera answered without a moment's hesitation.
For Vihera, the option of not trusting Rei's words probably didn't exist.
Rei smiled at Vihera's response, then gave Set's back a light pat to convey do your best, and without any hesitation, he leaped off.
Set was flying at an altitude of about a hundred meters as usual, but for Rei, jumping from this height wasn't particularly concerning.
Rei fell toward the ground, and midway, he activated his Sleipnir boots, killing his falling speed while shouting upward.
"Vihera! Whoa—!"
But the moment he shouted upward, Vihera's body was right above him.
The instant she saw Rei jump off and fall below her, Vihera had let go.
At an altitude of a hundred meters, even Vihera could die if things went badly... no, since the current Vihera was not just an ordinary human, she might not die, but she would definitely be in for a painful experience.
Despite that, the fact that she could let go without a moment's hesitation... was likely because of the deep trust she had in Rei.
Rei would definitely catch her.
Acting on that thought, she had let go immediately.
And in fact, Rei succeeded in firmly catching Vihera's body.
The soft weight that suddenly appeared in his arms.
Holding that weight in a sideways carry—the so-called princess carry—he somehow managed to balance himself in midair.
The Sleipnir boots were a Magic Item that could turn empty sky into a foothold.
But that didn't mean he could use the sky as a permanent foothold; a few seconds was the most he could manage.
Rei's Sleipnir boots had been strengthened compared to when he first acquired them.
However, that strengthening was strictly in the direction of increasing the number of steps he could take in the air, not the kind of strengthening that allowed him to hover in the sky for extended periods.
As a result, Rei continued to activate his Sleipnir boots several times even after regaining his balance, descending toward the ground.
During that time, Vihera in Rei's arms didn't make any careless movements that might get in his way, but being able to see Rei's serious expression up close was something that made her happy.
And then... eventually, having descended—or rather fallen—the full hundred meters, Rei succeeded in landing on the grassland, killing nearly all of the impact.
The fact that it was nearly all and not complete was likely because he was carrying Vihera, not just himself.
"Thank you."
With a happy smile... not the fierce smile she wore when facing Dragonias, but a feminine one, Vihera slipped out of Rei's arms.
Vihera felt it was a shame to part from Rei's warmth... but the next moment, Set dove from the sky above and unleashed Power Crush on the group heading for the campsite, and though looking disappointed, she snapped back to reality.