"I can see the campsite."
At Rei's words, the other Centaurs around him turned their gazes in the direction of travel. Confirming that the campsite was indeed there, they raised their voices in joy.
'Waaaaaaaaaaaah!'
They had run without rest since annihilating the Dragonias base.
Thinking back on it, arriving at the campsite—a place where they could finally rest—was reason enough to celebrate.
Those cheering the loudest were the ones who hadn't managed to nap while waiting in the trenches the day before.
Of course, as elites selected for the reconnaissance unit, an all-nighter wasn't that much of a burden for the Centaurs.
But just because it wasn't a heavy burden didn't mean they wanted to do it. The answer to that question was naturally no.
Honestly, they would have preferred to avoid pulling an all-nighter altogether.
Knowing that, being denied even a brief rest was still painful.
That was why seeing the campsite come into view felt so liberating.
(I hope it hasn't been attacked by Dragonias.)
That was actually Rei's bigger concern.
After all, he had brought a fair number of the combat power that had remained behind at the campsite with him.
Given that, worrying about the campsite's defenses was only natural.
However, from what Rei could see, there didn't appear to be any particular problems at the campsite.
It seemed the Dragonias hadn't launched an attack while they were away.
"Now we can finally get some proper sleep."
"Oh? You rode on Set the whole way here, but you're still tired?"
At the voice from behind him, Rei nodded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"One way or another, I used up quite a bit of mana."
The magic to purify Dragonias corpses and prevent them from becoming Undead.
That was originally a spell Rei—who only possessed the fire attribute—should not have been able to cast.
But even so, he had forced it into activation by expending a massive amount of mana.
As a result, it had consumed far more mana than ordinary magic would have.
Though, since he had recently been using the Flame Heaven Wheel—a spell that consumed even more mana than Mourning Flames—quite often, his reserves were depleted but not to an unbearable degree.
But even so, if asked whether he was tired, the answer was naturally yes.
"Hmm. I'm full of energy, though."
"...Figured as much."
Looking at Vihera, who appeared brimming with vitality, Rei offered those words in return.
The battle with the silver-scaled Dragonias must have been enough to satisfy her.
Her skin even had a healthy glow.
She looked as though she could fight the silver-scaled Dragonias all over again and be perfectly content. At that sight, Rei wasn't sure what to say... and ultimately left it at that.
For now, there was no denying she was energetic, and that was good enough.
As they talked, they eventually arrived at the campsite.
Taking in the state of the campsite up close once more, Rei confirmed there were no abnormalities—in other words, no signs of a Dragonias attack—before stepping inside.
Naturally, the people at the campsite had already noticed Rei's group approaching. Those who had remained behind, led by Zai, wore smiles.
Sending Rei's group off had been all well and good, but what would have happened if the Dragonias had attacked the campsite in their absence?
The answer to that was painfully obvious.
Of course, the combat power left at the campsite, including Zai, consisted of those with considerable strength. Even so, the likelihood of casualties would have been high.
In the end, nothing of the sort had happened and Rei's group had returned safe and sound. Asking them not to rejoice would have been unreasonable.
"Rei, I'm glad you made it back safely. The fact that you've returned means it was a success?"
Zai spoke without specifying what exactly.
Rei naturally understood what he meant.
That was why he answered with just a short nod.
Seeing Rei nod, Zai's expression filled with relief.
"I see... For now, get some rest. You're tired, right?"
"Yeah. We only took a short break after annihilating the base before heading straight back. Since it was an all-nighter, I need to let my body rest a bit."
Rei was about to tell the others who had traveled with him to rest as well... but glancing around, he saw that they were already excitedly recounting what they had witnessed to those who had stayed behind at the campsite.
The topic they were most passionate about wasn't Rei's magic... but Vihera's battle with the silver-scaled Dragonias.
For the Centaurs, while Rei's magic was certainly impressive, Vihera's fight must have held far greater significance.
"Ah... tell them to rest once they've settled down a bit."
They had looked utterly exhausted on the way back, yet the moment they returned, they were somehow brimming with energy again.
Shaking his head at the thought, Rei headed toward the spot where he would set up the Magic Tent, with Set and Vihera in tow.
Naturally, the Magic Tent was an extremely valuable item for Rei.
Even in Elgin, it was not something one could easily get their hands on.
Rei had received it from Daskar as a reward, but it was fair to say he had been blessed with considerable fortune.
That was why, considering the possibility of Dragonias appearing while he was away... and, though he found it unlikely, if any Centaur harbored ill will toward him, there was a chance it could be destroyed.
Given that he could foresee such a scenario, storing the Magic Tent in the Misty Ring was the obvious choice.
...Though during the time in the trench, he hadn't been able to use it exclusively for himself, and since the trench itself had been constructed with avoiding Dragonias detection as the top priority, he hadn't set it up there at all.
"Ah..."
Seeing Rei's group leaving, a few people wanted to hear more—particularly from Vihera about her battle with the silver-scaled Dragonias. But while Vihera was certainly full of energy, she wasn't completely free of fatigue.
Like everyone else, the fact that she had pulled an all-nighter was undeniable.
Considering that, it was definitely better for her to sleep alongside Rei—on the sofa, in his case—rather than chatting with the Centaurs.
"Well then, for now... I think I'll be up in about half a day."
"Understood. Though if something happens during that time, I'll probably come wake you. Is that alright?"
"That's no problem. I'm not going to ask you to let me sleep through a Dragonias attack or anything."
Responding to Zai's voice from behind, Rei's group set about dispelling their drowsiness.
"Mm... ah... right."
Waking on the sofa, Rei took in his surroundings and grasped the situation.
If this were an inn, he might have lingered in a groggy haze a while longer. But given the current circumstances, he was alert in an instant.
"Looks like there wasn't a Dragonias attack or anything."
If there had been, Zai would have come to wake him.
The fact that he hadn't meant nothing problematic had occurred while Rei slept.
(What about Vihera?)
As if reading his thoughts, Vihera emerged from the bed area.
That said, she didn't look like someone who had just woken up.
She was fully groomed and looked ready to step outside the Magic Tent at a moment's notice.
"Oh, good morning... though it's a bit late for that."
"Yeah. Have you recovered from your fatigue?"
"Yes. I'm fine. What about your mana, Rei?"
She asked this knowing full well that the Mourning Flames Rei had used—since it incorporated the purification attribute, which was fundamentally different from the fire attribute he possessed—consumed a large amount of mana.
Seeing Vihera looking slightly concerned, Rei nodded to indicate there was no problem.
"I'm fine. Besides, compared to when I use the Flame Heaven Wheel, the mana drain isn't nearly as bad."
"I see."
Judging from his words that this was by no means just a brave front, Vihera smiled happily, her expression softening with relief.
She had been smiling during her fight with the silver-scaled Dragonias too, but the smile now gracing Vihera's lips, though still a smile, was an entirely different kind.
"So... the fact that we're up means the others should be waking soon too, right? If so, should we head outside?"
"Right. There's nothing in particular we need to do right now... Besides, it wouldn't be strange for the other reconnaissance units to return either."
"You think so? Isn't it a bit early for that? ...If they are coming back..."
"They probably found a base."
Vihera flashed a combative smile, entirely different from the one she had worn just seconds before.
Rei naturally understood what she meant, so he didn't bother responding to the implication.
After freshening up himself, Rei's stomach protested its emptiness.
"I'm hungry... should we have eaten something before sleeping?"
"More importantly, it's better to eat now. Eating right before sleeping isn't good for you."
As far as Vihera was concerned, eating before sleep was something to be avoided.
It was bad for the body, and there was a high chance of gaining weight.
She didn't have a clearly articulated theory behind it, but she had gathered as much from past experience.
Of course, since it wasn't an absolute rule, there were times when she ate something before bed depending on the situation.
Having finished their preparations, Rei and Vihera stepped outside the Magic Tent.
It was still the afternoon—well before evening—and the Centaurs were each attending to their respective tasks.
Given a bit more time, they would probably start preparing dinner... but for now, everyone was passing the time at a leisurely pace.
That said, they were already within Dragonias territory.
With no telling when the Dragonias might attack, they couldn't afford to take watches lightly.
Especially since this campsite was a temporary setup, there were no walls or fortifications of any kind... though, to be fair, the Centaur settlements originally hadn't had walls either.
"Ah."
Reaching that thought, Rei realized something belatedly.
Walls would be difficult to set up, but if he used Terrain Manipulation to dig trenches, it might make things at least somewhat safer.
Trenches created with Terrain Manipulation could be easily restored when it came time to abandon the campsite.
(No, if this is within Dragonias territory, there's no need to restore it... ah, that won't do. It'd be troublesome if the Dragonias started using this place themselves.)
Ordinary Dragonias, driven by hunger, probably wouldn't think to use a place like this.
But the two special individuals Rei had confirmed—the ones that existed only at bases—were a different matter entirely.
They could issue orders to other Dragonias, and those orders could be enforced with absolute obedience.
On top of that, they possessed overwhelming strength compared to ordinary Dragonias.
"Rei? You're up? What is it?"
"No, I was thinking that if I used my skills, I could lower or raise the ground around this campsite. It would provide at least some degree of protection... at any rate, it would be better than the current setup."
"That's..."
Hearing Rei's words, Zai looked around the campsite.
The campsite that had no partitions or barriers to speak of.
"Yeah, you're right. Having something like that would certainly help. But for us, being able to move out from anywhere at a moment's notice is our key advantage. Considering that, I think it would be a bit difficult."
The one racial trait where Centaurs surpassed Dragonias was mobility.
To maximize that advantage, it was far more practical to be able to move from any point in the campsite rather than being funneled through a few fixed locations.
Put that way, Rei had no choice but to concede the point.
That said, since there were those among them who weren't skilled in combat, his conviction that they should fortify their defenses to some extent remained unchanged.
"Then point me to the areas where it wouldn't be a problem. Now that the idea's crossed my mind, I can't just leave the campsite as it is."
At Rei's words, Zai pondered for a moment.
A way that wouldn't compromise the Centaurs' mobility, yet would make it harder for Dragonias to attack.
"For now, could you tell me what exactly you can do? Let's work things out from there."
He told Rei that it was meaningless to plan unless they first understood what Terrain Manipulation was actually capable of.