Dolfina had been galloping across the earth toward the campsite when one of those traveling with him suddenly shouted.
"Lord Dolfina, something is coming from above!"
"Above?"
Without breaking stride, Dolfina looked up. The serious expression on his face gave way to a smile an instant later.
He immediately understood who the figures flying through the sky were.
To those who lived in these grasslands, they were an irregular—heretical, even—existence.
Even so, this existence was cooperating with the Centaurs... Rei and his group were by no means a detestable presence to Dolfina.
Rei in particular was someone he could discuss magic with in detail.
The man wielded magic based on an entirely different theory from what Dolfina considered common knowledge in his settlement, and he could produce spells Dolfina had never even imagined.
Because of that, Dolfina held a strong fondness for Rei—so much so that he thought if he were a woman, he might have fallen for Rei beyond the boundaries of race.
...Of course, had that actually happened, whether Rei would have accepted was an entirely different matter.
"There's no need to worry. That's Rei. The fact that they're descending toward us means they likely have some business with us. And in this situation, having business with us most likely means..."
"You mean Rei's group knows about that!?"
At Dolfina's words, a nearby Centaur raised his voice in surprise. It was only natural—the sight they had witnessed was truly astonishing.
"There's no doubt it was a rather stimulating experience for us. But it's possible that others who went out on reconnaissance saw the same sight we did. Besides... encountering Rei here is fortunate. It means we can relay that information even a little sooner."
The other Centaurs nodded in understanding at Dolfina's words.
Just as everyone was coming to terms with the situation, Set landed right beside Dolfina and his group, who had stopped running to wait.
To be precise, Vihera—who had been gripping Set's front legs—touched down first, and Set landed on the ground immediately after.
And on Set's back, as a matter of course, was Rei.
"Dolfina, it's been a while."
"I don't think that much time has passed since we left for reconnaissance, though. More importantly—why are you here?"
The fact that he asked why Rei's group was here before sharing the information they had gathered was likely a question born of Dolfina's strong curiosity.
Rei, finding no particular reason to hide what they were doing, opened his mouth to answer.
"Actually, we heard that a group of Dragonias led by a silver-scaled Dragonias is on the move."
"That's..."
Dolfina was caught off guard. That was exactly the sight they had witnessed—which was precisely why they had decided to return to the campsite immediately.
"I saw that as well. Honestly, I never thought the Dragonias would act like that. Well, given that there are multiple bases, it was inevitable that they would need to move eventually."
Even knowing that, seeing it with his own eyes was apparently still astonishing for Dolfina. Rei understood this, so he didn't press the point and got right to the main topic.
"That's the reason we came. Another team that went out on reconnaissance found a silver-scaled Dragonias leading other Dragonias on the move. It seems what Dolfina saw was the same group."
"You don't say..."
At Rei's words, Dolfina and the surrounding Centaurs all voiced their surprise.
A silver-scaled Dragonias leading other Dragonias on the move was not something that happened often. If so, it was reasonable to assume that both the unit that had returned to the campsite and Dolfina's group had seen the same group.
(Or maybe by pure, sheer coincidence, multiple silver-scaled Dragonias left their nests at the same time... but honestly, I doubt it.)
The possibility existed that multiple silver-scaled Dragonias were present at the headquarters and had departed simultaneously. Still, Rei's intuition told him it was more likely that the Reconnaissance Unit that returned to the campsite and Dolfina's group had seen the same one.
"So, Rei, you're going after that group now?"
"Yeah. Figured we'd crush them before they can establish a base. So—do you know where they are?"
"Did the ones who returned to the campsite not have any information?"
Dolfina sounded surprised.
Since they had gone to the trouble of finding the enemy, he probably thought they should have gathered at least some intelligence, and if possible, confirmed where the group was heading.
"The ones who returned to the campsite didn't find the silver-scaled Dragonias either, did they? So that's that. To begin with, they're not like you, Dolfina—they can't use magic, and their numbers were small. If you consider what would happen if the Dragonias spotted them... you can understand, can't you?"
"I see. In that case... perhaps I deserve some praise."
Saying that, Dolfina handed Rei a single tree branch he had been holding.
"A tree branch?"
Rei wondered for a moment why Dolfina would hand him such a thing, but considering Dolfina's nature, what he held couldn't possibly be an ordinary branch.
"Magic?"
"Of course. If you pour mana into this branch and release it, it falls in a specific direction—toward the side marked with mana."
With that, Dolfina actually channeled mana into the branch and lightly tossed it into the air. The tip pointed in a specific direction. He repeated the process several times—picking it up, tossing it—and every single time, it pointed the same way.
Seeing that, it was clear Dolfina was telling the truth.
"I see. Then, can I have this branch?"
"I don't mind. It'll see better use in your hands than mine."
For Dolfina, if his magic could help defeat the group led by the silver-scaled Dragonias, he had no particular attachment to being the one to do it himself. However...
"If possible, I'd like to watch you destroy the Dragonias."
Dolfina had a deep interest in magic. The magic Rei wielded—magic capable of annihilating Dragonias—he wanted to see it for himself. It was only natural that he would harbor such a desire.
But Rei couldn't simply agree to that.
"If you come with us, you'll naturally need to fly. Specifically, you'd be riding in the Set Basket. There's a big difference in speed between running on the ground and flying through the sky."
"Ugh..."
Dolfina fell silent. Even Dolfina, a mage who could be called a heretic among the Centaurs, apparently still felt an instinctive aversion to leaving the ground.
"But... the branch I gave you only works when it falls to the ground. So if I travel while it's on the ground..."
Dolfina said this clinging to a ray of hope, but Rei shook his head once more.
Knowing Set's flight speed, Rei couldn't imagine Dolfina catching up in the time it took for the branch to fall.
"To begin with, you're the one leading this Reconnaissance Unit, aren't you? For you to peel off alone and come with us would cause all sorts of problems."
"That's..."
That struck a sore spot. Dolfina couldn't argue.
In reality, every member who had come with Dolfina was capable and could use magic to a certain degree. Compared to other reconnaissance teams, they were undeniably more competent. But the fact remained that Dolfina was their leader.
Dolfina had a strong interest in magic, but he was also keenly aware that he belonged to the chief's family of his settlement. As such, he understood that he couldn't prioritize his own curiosity and thirst for knowledge here—and as a result, he had no choice but to give up.
"..................I'll give up."
After nearly a minute of silence, the words slipped from Dolfina's mouth. He knew rationally that he had to let it go. But even so, it had taken him that long to shake off the desire to see Rei's magic up close.
"Please do. Besides, I actually have a favor to ask of you, Dolfina."
"A favor?"
Perhaps finding Rei's words unexpected, Dolfina repeated them back. Still, he looked slightly pleased—probably because Rei was the one asking.
"Yeah. If you and your group pinpoint exactly where you saw the silver-scaled Dragonias, and the ones who returned to the campsite do the same with their sighting, there's a chance the headquarters lies somewhere along the line connecting those two points. Though that's only if the Dragonias traveled in a straight line."
Even as he said it, Rei considered the possibility quite real. Dragonias weren't the type to think deeply. Then again, with a silver-scaled Dragonias among them, nothing was certain.
As far as Rei knew—just from the one Vihera had defeated—silver-scaled Dragonias, while inferior to golden-scaled Dragonias, still possessed unmistakably high intelligence as commanders. Given that, it was questionable whether one would travel in a straight line after leaving the headquarters. If it had split off from the nest, it wouldn't be strange for it to wander around searching for a suitable place to settle.
If that were the case, even connecting the two sighting points wouldn't guarantee the headquarters lay along that extended line. But it was still almost certain that the headquarters was somewhere in that general direction, which meant searching would take far less effort than sending reconnaissance units out at random.
Additionally, by concentrating their reconnaissance forces, they could avoid dispersing their combat power. Looking at the big picture, even just narrowing down the direction of the enemy headquarters was tremendously significant.
"I see. I understand what you're thinking. In that case, I'll return to the campsite right away."
When Rei explained why he wanted Dolfina's group to head back, Dolfina seemed to immediately grasp the weight of the request and nodded without hesitation. He likely also had the ulterior motive of obediently agreeing now so he could watch Rei's magic up close when they raided the headquarters.
At any rate, Dolfina departed for the campsite with his companions in tow.
"Looks like coming out on an aimless scouting run might pay off unexpectedly."
Vihera smiled happily as she watched Dolfina's group ride off. If it was the Dragonias headquarters, she was probably imagining what kind of powerful foes might be waiting there. Knowing Vihera's personality, Rei could easily imagine that much.
"At any rate, we've got a clue that might lead to the Dragonias headquarters. Now it's just the silver-scaled Dragonias on the move."
Saying that, Rei poured mana into the branch he'd received from Dolfina and lightly tossed it up. It was the same action Dolfina had performed moments ago, but the direction the tip pointed was slightly different from before.
"So they're moving even while we're standing here talking."
Since it was searching for a new base, it was only natural that it kept moving. Of course, as far as Rei knew, Dragonias moved slower than Centaurs—and Set, flying through the sky, was overwhelmingly faster than even Centaurs. Given that, being a little late to give chase wouldn't make much difference in how long it took to catch up.
"Well then, shall we get going? Shall we enjoy a sky date, just the two of us?"
"Gruu!"
At Vihera's words, Set let out a cry as if to say, "Don't forget about me!" Vihera gave Set a light apology... and with that, Rei's group took to the sky, flying in the direction Dolfina's branch pointed.