"Hmm... Anastasia and the others, huh. Sounds like exactly the kind of thing they'd do."
After hearing Rei's account, Vihera murmured only that much.
Rei hadn't thought this was a conversation to have during a meal, but having obtained information about Anastasia and the others, he had judged it better to tell Vihera as early as possible.
...Though when he heard they had come to this world fifty days ago, even Vihera had shown surprise.
"Yeah. Can't deny that."
Vihera also knew about Anastasia.
She was a bundle of curiosity — the kind of person who might take actions bordering on reckless just to satisfy it.
"So, what do you plan to do, Rei?"
Eating the Centaur-made soup loaded with toppings — perhaps because it used herbs growing in this grassland, it was a flavor Rei had never tasted in Gilm, yet by no means bad — Vihera asked him.
For Vihera, going to the Dragonias headquarters to search for Anastasia and the others was likely a welcome opportunity. ...Of course, they still had no idea where the Dragonias headquarters actually was, and they had come this far precisely to find it.
"What we're doing doesn't change. First, we annihilate the Dragonias headquarters and eliminate any danger that might befall Anastasia and Fana, as much as possible."
"I see. Then that's fine."
Whether satisfied by Rei's words or not, Vihera said so with a happy smile.
Since she had enjoyed fighting the silver-scaled Dragonias, Vihera was probably confident she could thoroughly enjoy the battle at the Dragonias headquarters as well.
In truth, Rei had no idea how many enemies awaited at the Dragonias headquarters either.
Depending on the circumstances, there was a possibility that large numbers of golden-scaled and silver-scaled Dragonias were there, so in that sense, Rei could understand Vihera's expectations.
"In the end, what we're doing doesn't change. We don't clearly know where Anastasia and Fana headed, either."
According to what Rei heard from Damran, they might have gone toward the Dragonias headquarters, or they might have left the grassland to explore other areas.
As a result, all Rei could do was deal with the Dragonias — a calamity for the Centaurs... no, an existence that could be called a natural disaster.
Rei felt a debt of gratitude toward the Centaurs, including Zai, for their many forms of cooperation.
Because of that, there was no doubt he wanted to do something about the Dragonias threat if he could.
"Right. I think that's fine too. ...Or rather, it's highly welcome."
Rei nodded in understanding at Vihera's satisfied words, thinking of course.
That was exactly like Vihera.
"However, the problem then is how exactly we find the Dragonias headquarters. At this rate, we'll probably find bases here and there, but..."
"That's a question in itself. With bases this widespread, why didn't the Centaurs do more reconnaissance?"
"It's largely a matter of Combat Power. Zai's settlement was supposed to be the largest in that area, but even then, of those who went out on reconnaissance from a settlement like that, only one made it back alive."
For the Centaurs threatened by the Dragonias, sending fighters from their settlement on reconnaissance was a major decision.
Moreover, even if they succeeded and found a base, for the Centaurs — individually weaker and outnumbered — finding the enemy's base would accomplish nothing.
At most, they would just move their settlement farther away from it.
In that sense, Rei could at least understand the mindset of prioritizing their own survival above all else.
"Hmm. ...What a waste."
"Hey, don't compare me to the Centaurs."
If Vihera had been traveling with the Centaurs, it wouldn't have been strange for her to go search for the Dragonias headquarters or bases on her own.
What's more, if she found one, she would have gleefully annihilated it by herself.
...In terms of annihilating things alone, Rei wasn't much different, even with Set around.
However, since Rei excelled at large-scale annihilation magic, facing large numbers wasn't difficult for him.
Compared to Rei, Vihera's combat style was simply not suited for dealing with crowds.
(Even so, I feel like Vihera would find a way to handle it alone eventually, even if it took time.)
Continuing his meal, Rei thought this while glancing at Vihera.
Whether she noticed his gaze, Vihera turned a what is it? look toward him.
Shaking his head to indicate it was nothing, Rei returned to his meal.
While eating, he surveyed the surroundings.
Perhaps because the flavor of the cooking differed by settlement, several Centaurs wore uneasy expressions regarding the food they had been given.
The Centaurs who had just joined with Damran in particular were wide-eyed at the dishes prepared by Centaurs from a different settlement.
(The lack of connections between settlements probably means they've never tasted each other's cooking. Though even so, it's probably similar enough food that it wouldn't feel that strange.)
As he was thinking this, several Centaurs suddenly began radiating hostility in his line of sight.
Seeing them clearly baring hostility toward each other, it was obvious they weren't just fooling around.
"Zai!"
When Rei called his name, Zai must have noticed the hostile Centaurs as well, having heard the voice.
Setting down the food he had been eating on the ground, he headed toward them.
"Perhaps they need a little more training?"
"I don't think that's the issue. This reconnaissance unit has gathered many people from various settlements. Among them, there are bound to be those whose personalities simply don't mesh. Especially the ones who came to the unit — they were each considered the best fighters in their respective settlements."
Rei went that far, but he didn't say out loud that some among them likely felt they were being treated as expendable pawns.
There was no telling who might be listening.
"Hmm. ...In that case, they really should be trained properly. Silly arguments happen because they have too much energy to spare. If we exhaust them so they can't do things like that, don't you think that would solve it?"
"No, I don't. Besides, if we did that and then Dragonias actually showed up at this campsite, it would cause all sorts of problems."
For Vihera, she probably just wanted to do combat training, plain and simple.
That was Rei's read on the situation, but his words must have been unsatisfying for her.
She returned to her meal looking displeased.
Watching her behavior, Rei wondered — come to think of it, there hadn't been this kind of problem before.
Previously, whether they were on the move or acting together, it was always in small numbers... settlement by settlement, so there hadn't been issues between different settlements to that extent.
But considering this incident, that had likely been a product of mere chance.
Or perhaps many of them had been tense due to unfamiliar situations, and as a result, nothing problematic had occurred.
In any case, many of those nearby were watching the Centaurs who looked ready to come to blows at any moment.
Even so, with Zai — who led this reconnaissance unit — present, they couldn't ignore his words, and eventually the two Centaurs stood down.
However, the fact that they hadn't stopped glaring at each other made it clear what they truly thought of one another.
"This could get troublesome."
"Right. So, shouldn't we exhaust their stamina to the limit through training after all?"
"...Rejected."
At Vihera, who persistently demanded intense combat training, Rei voiced his rejection as before... and then an idea suddenly came to him.
(Training to the point of total exhaustion is out of the question, but what about announcing in advance that anyone who causes a fight will have to undergo that kind of training? As a deterrent.)
The idea wasn't bad.
He'd leave it at that for now and mention it to Zai later, he decided, and continued his meal.
But once that hostile atmosphere had been spread about, it was impossible to enjoy the meal naturally.
Today's dinner, partly as a celebration of destroying the base, had featured dishes made with rather luxurious ingredients... but that had been ruined.
In the end, the meal concluded with that subtle atmosphere still lingering, and once cleanup was finished, everyone except those on watch had free time.
"Rei, got a moment?"
Rei, who had been drinking his post-dinner Fruit Water — rather than post-dinner tea — while watching the campfire, turned toward the voice of Zai approaching.
"What is it? ...Well, I have a general idea of what you want to talk about."
"If you already know, this'll be quick. ...What do you think we should do?"
"Just to confirm, this is about what happens when Centaurs get into fights with each other, right?"
Zai nodded at those words.
Seeing his serious expression, Rei spoke casually.
"There's only one thing I can suggest. Anyone who causes a fight gets combat training with Vihera until they're at their physical limit. To the point where they can't move at all the next day from muscle soreness."
"Oh my."
The one who let out a delighted voice at Rei's words was, naturally, Vihera.
She had been drinking Fruit Water beside Rei, and precisely because of that, her reaction was quick.
"No, that's..."
Hearing Rei's proposal, Zai trailed off upon seeing Vihera's gleeful expression.
If they adopted Rei's proposal, it was clear that Vihera would gleefully conduct training with the Centaurs — specifically, mock battles.
If they had mock battles with Vihera to the limit, their spirits would be broken without fail.
Zai was certain of that.
Among the Centaurs participating in the reconnaissance unit, there were those who looked down on Rei and Vihera simply because they walked on two legs.
Of course, they understood that even on two legs, their strength was vastly superior to their own.
But that was a preconception held since birth... it wouldn't be wrong to call it a kind of curse.
The belief that a two-legged opponent was inferior to them on four.
Looking at Rei and Vihera, it should have been immediately obvious that such a thing was impossible, yet the curse still prevented them from accepting it honestly.
Under those circumstances, if they underwent thorough mock battles and lost continuously — what would happen?
Their spirits would be completely broken.
If this were their own settlement, they might have had time to recover even after something like that.
But this was within Dragonias territory.
Given that, having those who should serve as Combat Power have their spirits broken and become unable to fight was highly problematic.
That was why Zai had no choice but to oppose Rei's proposal.
Rei, having been opposed, looked slightly displeased, but regardless of the matter of fighting to exhaustion, the fact that having their spirits broken would be a problem — that much he had to concede.
"But then what do we do? As things stand, there's a very real possibility the same thing will happen again."
"That's... a tough one. Is there really no way you could handle it, Rei?"
"What exactly are you expecting from me? In this situation, what I can do is... well, just what was in Vihera's proposal — conducting thorough mock battles, basically."
That would be a problem, wouldn't it? — when he implicitly asked, Zai nodded in agreement.
In truth, Rei had thought of another method as well.
Centaurs respected the strong.
That was why holding mock battles among the reconnaissance unit members and ranking everyone would work.
...But conducting something so leisurely within Dragonias territory was difficult, and besides, most of the reconnaissance unit was currently out on missions.
(If we were going to do it, we should have done it before entering Dragonias territory.)
Thinking such belated thoughts, Rei served as Zai's conversation partner... or perhaps his sounding board for venting frustrations.