"For now, let's store this mottled Dragonias corpse."
Rei stored the mottled Dragonias corpse—bisected upper and lower by Death Scythe—into his Misty Ring and looked around.
All around them lay Dragonias corpses. Corpses and more corpses.
However, nearly all of them had been reduced to charcoal by Rei's magic, so there was no concern about them becoming Undead even if left alone.
...Well, even if they didn't become Zombies or Skeletons, there was still a very real possibility they could become something like Ghosts.
That said, this place was quite far from the grove settlement.
If Set flew, returning wouldn't take long—but that was solely because Set's flight speed was absurdly fast.
Given that, even if the Dragonias here became Undead, there would be no harm to Rei or the Centaurs.
If anything, since they might attack any Dragonias passing through the area, it would be nothing but an advantage for Rei's group.
(Well, it's not like I actually know whether they'll truly become Undead or not.)
Even in Elgin—not just in this world—not every corpse necessarily became Undead.
If anything, the odds were greater that they wouldn't.
Of course, if it were a place steeped in deep grudge, or if some kind of ritual to raise the dead had been performed, that would be a different story.
"Grrurru?"
Set purred at Rei, who had been surveying the corpses, as if asking what they should do next.
"Normally, I'd want to wipe out a few more Dragonias outposts or search for their headquarters, but..."
They had encountered a mottled Dragonias—a creature they had never come across before.
Considering that, there was no doubt this area was not far from the Dragonias headquarters.
If so, what would happen if they searched the surrounding area from this spot as a center point?
It was only a maybe level of possibility, but even so, there was a chance they might actually find the Dragonias headquarters.
Given that, leaving this place under the current circumstances wasn't particularly appealing to Rei.
Bathed in the light of the setting sun, he felt this keenly.
It wasn't that the thought of coming back here tomorrow hadn't crossed his mind—but the problem was whether he could actually find his way back.
If there were some kind of large landmark like the grove settlement, that would be one thing. Unfortunately, there was nothing here that could serve as one.
A Centaur who had lived in this grassland might be able to pinpoint this location from even minor changes in the terrain. But Rei had come from another world called Elgin, let alone been born and raised in this grassland—so judging this place as a distinct location just by looking at it was beyond him.
...Moreover, since Rei hadn't even been born and raised in Elgin either, that was all the more true.
(If it were an Adventurer sharp in that sort of thing, maybe they could manage somehow.)
There were many skilled Adventurers in Gilm.
Naturally, that included those who had once possessed high abilities as Bandits, and for such individuals, accurately tracking their own location was a given.
"For now... unfortunately, let's head back today. I left a reasonable amount of food behind, so we wouldn't need to return for a few days or so."
"Gruu?"
Set purred as if to ask, Is that okay?
Perhaps because it knew Rei's personality, Set had apparently assumed they would keep exploring for the rest of the day.
That said, Rei could fully understand what Set was thinking.
"I should show the mottled Dragonias to the people at the settlement. As for the rest... let's see. I'd like to come back here tomorrow if possible, but... how about it?"
"Grururu..."
That Set couldn't respond with a voice brimming with bottomless confidence was undoubtedly because even it understood it was somewhat prone to getting lost.
On top of that, if the corpses were left here until tomorrow, there was also the possibility—however slight, given the Dragonias presence—that surviving animals, other monsters, or even insects might feed on the remains.
While most of the corpses had been turned to charcoal by Rei's magic, there were also some half-burned ones among them.
Those would be an ideal feast for animals, monsters, and insects alike.
And depending on the type, it was impossible to deny that some Dragonias might even eat their own kind's corpses.
"Well, if we remember it's in this direction, we should be fine for now. Besides, if we can't make it back tomorrow, we can just find a new Dragonias outpost or group to go after."
Whether fortunately or unfortunately, Rei had already annihilated multiple Dragonias outposts and groups today alone.
If so, there was a good chance they could do the same tomorrow—find a Dragonias outpost or group and take them down.
And if they couldn't, they could simply look for another approach. The fact that a somewhat optimistic notion like that lingered in Rei's mind was also an undeniable truth.
"Grururu!"
Convinced by Rei's words, Set gave a cry as if to say, Then let's head back to the settlement.
Rei nodded at Set and mounted its back as it crouched down.
After a few running strides, Set beat its wings and soared into the sky.
The sky was already painted in sunset hues, and from above, the grassland stretched out in every direction, dyed entirely red as far as the eye could see.
It wasn't just Rei—Set too was momentarily captivated by the sight. But even so, judging that they couldn't stay in the sky forever, it beat its wings and began moving forward.
Their destination was the grove where the settlement stood.
Fortunately, as long as the flight direction was roughly correct, there was no way they'd miss it.
Unlike a rock-shaped landmark, something like a grove was hard to overlook.
And so... after Set flew for a while, the grove came into view.
(That's definitely it, right?)
He gazed at the grove as if to confirm.
It wasn't that the thought of having arrived at a different grove hadn't crossed his mind. But when Rei looked at the ground and saw the settlement there, he understood this was the place he had been aiming for.
(Yeah, calling me and Set directionally challenged was definitely wrong.)
Telling himself that half to convince himself, Rei instructed Set to descend to the settlement.
Set immediately complied and descended toward it.
At the settlement, excavation work was still underway in some areas.
Even from above, those working could be seen laboring in earnest.
"Looks like the hangovers have mostly cleared up at least."
"Gruu?"
Set responded to Rei's murmur, but he let it pass and watched the approaching ground.
Hangovers would heal on their own given enough time—or so he understood.
...That said, since the recovery period was fairly brutal, it was undeniably better not to get one in the first place.
Be that as it may, as the ground drew closer, the workers at the settlement noticed Rei and Set approaching from the sky.
Since something was descending from above, several initially went on alert and prepared to intercept. But they soon realized it was Rei and Set, and the watchmen waved happily.
(Either they're glad we came back, or... they found some kind of clue from the excavation work or the chief's tent wreckage.)
He hoped it was the latter.
Even as he thought this, Rei understood that the excavation work wasn't something that would yield results so quickly.
If so, the tent wreckage still held more potential.
"Alright. I'm back."
"I thought you weren't coming back today. That was surprisingly fast. Did something happen?"
The first to approach upon hearing of Rei's return was Zai.
As the one who led the Reconnaissance Unit, he must have judged that he needed to hear the situation from Rei as quickly as possible.
"Unfortunately, something did happen. For now, I wiped out several Dragonias groups and outposts. Though, since I prioritized dealing with numbers, there were some places where I couldn't take down the commanders."
"That's..."
Even for Zai, what came out of Rei's mouth was apparently an unexpected result, and he was too stunned to say anything more.
Not only that, but those nearby who had overheard were equally astonished by his battle results.
Normally, for someone who knew the strength of Dragonias, accepting Rei's explanation at face value would be difficult.
However, the Centaurs here knew the strength of Dragonias—but at the same time, they also knew the strength of Rei and Set.
Since Rei himself was saying this, it was only natural for them to think it almost certainly wasn't a lie.
"And the biggest reason I came back... hm? Where's Vihera? Since I'm here, I wanted to fill her in at the same time."
The mottled Dragonias would definitely interest Vihera.
If so, Rei's thinking was that when explaining things to Zai and the others, he should include Vihera and avoid giving the same explanation twice.
"Vihera should be back soon, I think... ah, there, look."
What Zai indicated was the figure of Vihera, looking refreshed.
Seeing that her hair was slightly damp, Rei recalled that there was indeed a river not too far from the settlement.
Building the settlement in the grove had also been a means of escaping the Dragonias, but water was still a necessity.
She had probably gone to bathe in that river.
...Normally, if a beauty like Vihera were bathing, it wouldn't be strange for someone to try to sneak a peek.
But to the Centaurs, the two-legged Vihera was—while they no longer looked down on her due to her overwhelming strength—still not seen as an object of romance, lust, or carnal desire.
That was precisely why Vihera could bathe without worry in this situation.
"Oh, Rei. I was wondering why the settlement was so noisy... You're back? Did something happen?"
"It did. Something that'll make Vihera happy, at any rate."
"Hmm... What might that be?"
Toward Vihera, who looked at him with interest, Rei retrieved the mottled Dragonias corpse from his Misty Ring.
The corpse—its torso severed and split into upper and lower halves—naturally startled everyone who saw it.
"This is... w-what in the world..."
A voice of astonishment slipped from Asdena, who had been standing near Zai.
He had seen silver-scaled Dragonias and copper-scaled Dragonias before, but he had never seen a mottled Dragonias bearing both silver and copper scales—hence the shock.
Even Zai, who had seen a golden-scaled Dragonias, widened his eyes in evident surprise at the mottled specimen.
"R-Rei... this Dragonias is...?"
Asdena asked, his voice timid.
Nearby, Vihera was gazing at the corpse with keen interest.
From any angle, it was obvious this was no ordinary Dragonias.
But for Vihera, what mattered more was just how much strength this Dragonias had possessed.
"This Dragonias is the reason I'm already back even though it's still evening. A new species I've never encountered before. One with the ability to fire its own blood as a long-range attack."
A stir ran through the Centaurs who heard Rei's explanation.
Until now, Dragonias—whether the normal ones driven by hunger, or even the golden, silver, and copper-scaled varieties—could only attack opponents at close range.
When fighting Dragonias, bows served as a highly effective tool.
Of course, magic like what Dolf and his companions used was even more effective than bows, but unfortunately, very few Centaurs could use magic.
As a result, bows naturally served as the primary means of ranged attack.
Dragonias possessed tough scales that ordinary arrows couldn't pierce.
However, even without inflicting damage, striking them with arrows served to divert their attention—and in practice, bows carried considerable significance when the Centaurs fought Dragonias.
That also meant they could fire arrows from a safe distance precisely because Dragonias had no means of ranged attack.
But... what if those Dragonias possessed a way to strike from afar?
Imagining that, the Centaurs wore grim expressions.