Having wrapped up their discussion for the time being, Rei and the others stepped outside the Magic Tent.
There, an unexpected sight spread out before them.
Many of the Centaurs were completely absorbed in the excavation work.
Of course, excavation work had been conducted before as well, but compared to when they had been digging with nothing to go on—merely the assumption that something was probably underground—the current scene was clearly far more lively. Above all, everyone even looked happy.
"Well now... what exactly happened here?"
"I suppose knowing that what they're looking for is buried right there makes a big difference."
Beside Rei, Vihera said earnestly as she watched the working Centaurs.
"This Reconnaissance Unit—you're the one commanding them, right, Rei? It's impressive that they've managed to unite so many Centaurs gathered from so many different settlements."
The one who said that was Anastasia.
Just like with Damran, they had stopped at several settlements along the way, so there were various differences between them. Given that, Anastasia probably thought it wouldn't be strange for members of multiple settlements to end up feuding with each other over those differences.
"I believe I mentioned this earlier, but it's Zai who leads this Reconnaissance Unit, not me. Though well, if they're united, it's probably because they've banded together against a common enemy."
"Against the Dragonias? In that case, there are also—"
No.
Conveying that intent, Rei cut off Anastasia's words.
And the one he turned his gaze toward was Vihera.
Vihera, who had been watching the idle Centaurs with eyes like those of a predator searching for prey, seemed completely oblivious to Rei's gaze.
Anastasia, who had been observing Vihera's demeanor—and Fana as well—understood what Rei was trying to say.
The formidable foe they had to unite and fight... he was talking about Vihera.
In truth, that was by no means incorrect.
To deal with Vihera, a large number of Centaurs was necessary.
And yet, even then, they would lose if they fought her.
That was precisely why, in order to defeat such a powerful foe—or if not defeat, then at least manage to fight on even footing—the Centaurs needed to cooperate closely with one another.
If they were to feud over something like belonging to different settlements, they could never hope to fight Vihera.
They might not even be able to cope with her rapid-fire attacks and end up being taken down one-sidedly.
"Vihera has certainly been... well, um, yes... working hard, hasn't she."
Anastasia started to say something, but when she saw Vihera turn her gaze toward her, she ultimately deflected with a vague comment.
She felt that if she actually voiced what she was thinking here, it would end badly in more ways than one.
Whether that was a woman's intuition, an elf's intuition, or a researcher's intuition, she herself wasn't sure. But at the very least, she had avoided disaster. That much was certain.
"Now then, what should we do? If it's excavation work they're doing, I think we could help out at least a little with Anastasia's Spirit Magic."
To Rei's words, Anastasia shook her head.
That reaction was unexpected even for Rei. Given Anastasia's personality, he couldn't imagine her holding back here.
"Why not?"
"I believe I've said it multiple times, but the Spirit power here is thick. The Earth Spirit's power, specifically. If Spirit Magic... especially Earth Spirit Magic were used here, honestly, I can't predict what would happen. If it goes well, we might be able to quickly extract whatever is buried underground, but..."
Anastasia trailed off, but that only made it easy to imagine what would happen in the case of failure.
Since she had emphasized so many times that the Spirit power here was thick, if it failed... it could potentially cause this settlement itself to vanish for some reason.
Given the Earth Spirit's involvement, the settlement could be swallowed by the earth, or perhaps, like the Dragonias corpses in the grove, the entire settlement could weather away.
Rei considered a few other possibilities, but every one of them ended in the worst possible outcome.
"Yeah, you're right. If Anastasia, a Spirit specialist, says so, then we definitely shouldn't use Spirit Magic here. If this settlement is destroyed, it would be a disaster in many ways."
For the surviving Centaurs of this settlement, this was their homeland. As such, something like the settlement disappearing would be utterly impossible for them to accept.
When Rei said that, Anastasia nodded with apparent satisfaction.
"I'm glad I wasn't told to use Spirit Magic by force."
"...Did I look like the kind of person who would do that?"
Rei expressed mild displeasure, but Anastasia shook her head before speaking.
"It's not that I think you would, but there aren't many people who understand Spirit Magic, right? You use magic too, Rei, but that's just ordinary magic. So even if I say the Spirit power is thick, I thought you might not understand how it could affect things."
With that explanation, Rei had no choice but to accept.
In truth, there was still much about this situation that was unclear. Under such circumstances, if Rei tried to handle things based solely on his own ideas, it could easily lead to some major mistake.
"I understand. In any case, if Spirit Magic can't be used, then we should help out too... no, I suppose there's no need."
The excavation work happening before their eyes was being carried out by the Centaurs working together. In fact, perhaps because there were too many Centaurs working, some even seemed to have difficulty moving around.
If that was the case, there was no doubt that if they went over there, they would only get in the way.
Rei's assessment was apparently shared by the others, as no one raised any objection.
"In that case, what should we do?"
"...For now, Vihera, don't go looking for sparring partners."
"Oh my, that's a little disappointing."
Her words suggested reluctance, but the fact that she complied so readily with Rei's instruction meant she probably wasn't seriously looking for sparring partners to begin with.
Confirming that, Rei suddenly recalled how eager everyone had been when he offered alcohol in exchange for keeping watch over the deer.
"If you find whatever's buried underground, I'll let you drink alcohol!"
At Rei's words, the Centaurs momentarily stopped moving... and in the next instant, many of them began moving faster than ever before.
That said, even upon hearing they could drink, some maintained the same pace as before.
Rei already knew there were a few Centaurs who didn't particularly like drinking, and among the others, there were probably those who had learned their lesson from their previous hangovers.
After all, it was painful enough to move with a hangover, yet they had to carry out excavation work... and on top of that, there had been a Dragonias attack.
Since only a few days had passed since then, it wouldn't be strange for some to want to stay away from alcohol for a while.
Meanwhile, Zai, who led the Reconnaissance Unit, liked alcohol and wanted to drink, but refrained from doing so out of consideration for his position.
He had likely judged drinking to be dangerous after the previous incident.
Given the current situation, it was understandable that he would feel that way.
No, from Rei's perspective, that judgment was actually commendable.
Then again, Zai still likes alcohol. In a way, if meeting Zai is what led to finding Anastasia and the others... once the Dragonias matter is settled, I might give Zai some premium alcohol.
Even if it was premium alcohol, Rei didn't actually know whether it tasted all that good.
However, since it was quite expensive, it was easy to guess that it probably tasted fine.
For Rei, who wasn't particularly good with alcohol, he couldn't help but think that if he was going to spend that much money, wouldn't it be better to just buy food instead.
That said, when he considered that it could be useful at times like this, he did feel that buying high-quality alcohol had been a good idea.
"So, Rei. Leaving the excavation work to the Centaurs... what should we do now? Given the current situation, is there anything we should be doing?"
Rei considered what they should do in response to Vihera's question.
Having decided to leave the excavation to the Centaurs, he had no intention of meddling in that.
Before, he would have searched through the wreckage of the Chief's tent in this settlement for information about the area. But once Anastasia had told him that the Earth Spirit's power was abnormally thick, Rei had more or less understood the settlement's secret.
He hadn't understood everything precisely, but given the current situation, there was no need to reexamine the Chief's tent wreckage.
If so, then what they needed to do now wasn't very many things.
"Vigilance against Dragonias attacks, I suppose."
Ultimately, that was undeniably the most necessary task at present.
However, outside the grove were two deer and the Centaurs guarding them.
If Dragonias attacked from that direction, they should notify Rei and the others immediately.
In reality, since there was no rule saying one had to pass by where the deer and Centaurs were in order to enter the grove, Dragonias could enter from anywhere.
For that very reason, multiple Centaurs were stationed at various points throughout the settlement.
The Centaurs not assigned to excavation work directed gazes at Rei that seemed to want to say or ask something.
That was because Rei had offered alcohol to those doing the excavation work, so they probably wanted to ask what would become of them, the ones on watch duty.
"Don't worry. If they discover whatever is buried underground related to the Earth Spirit, I'll give you all alcohol as well."
Hearing Rei's words, the guard Centaurs showed visible relief.
What would have happened if, in this situation, Rei had declared that alcohol would only be given to those doing excavation work?
That required no thought to answer.
It would have likely devolved into something close to a riot.
Of course, even if such a situation arose, Rei and the others would eventually be able to suppress it. But there was no need to deliberately cause such a thing under the current circumstances.
The fact that the ones doing the excavation work can focus on it is largely because they have comrades on watch, so they don't have to worry about being suddenly attacked by the enemy.
If so, then the ones on guard were naturally contributing to the excavation effort as well.
Given that, providing alcohol to the guards as well was only natural.
As if reassured by Rei's firm promise, the guards returned to their posts. If Rei wasn't mistaken, they were being even more vigilant about their surroundings than before.
"Wow..."
Looking at the Centaurs, a voice of exasperation escaped Anastasia's lips. She probably never imagined that alcohol could motivate them this much.
"Come to think of it, Anastasia, are you not interested in the Centaurs?"
"Huh? What's this all of a sudden?"
"You're quite curious, Anastasia, so I thought you might be interested in the Centaurs, who don't exist in Elgin... or at least don't live anywhere near Gilm."
"Oh, that's what you mean. I wondered what you were talking about so suddenly."
Looking satisfied with what Rei was getting at, a smile formed on Anastasia's lips.
"As for the Centaurs, I've already looked into most of it."
"...Is that so?"
"Yes. When we stopped at Damran's settlement, a lot of things happened. As a result, I didn't expect to be so deeply adored, though."
Rei was intensely curious about what Anastasia meant by "a lot of things," but he felt that asking about it here would lead to regret, so he couldn't bring himself to inquire.
"For now, let's take up watch as well. Fana, you're fine staying with Anastasia, right?"
At Rei's question, Fana gave a small nod.
Given that Fana was naturally shy, she was undoubtedly more comfortable being with Anastasia, who she was closest to.
Ah, but since coming to this world, she hasn't seemed that way as much. Is this also thanks to being tossed about by the rough waves of this world?
Thinking that, Rei and the others each focused on their respective tasks.