Tens of seconds had passed since Anastasia touched the Spirit Egg. Watching her, Rei could sense its power rapidly spreading outward.
Anastasia herself had no idea how much time had actually passed since she first made contact. But for Rei, observing from the outside, it was only natural that he could judge it objectively.
"This is... incredible..."
Vihera, standing beside Rei, must have sensed the power radiating from the Spirit Egg as well.
She murmured, a look of surprise on her face.
Like Rei, Vihera didn't possess the ability to detect the power emanating from the Spirit Egg. However, because that power was so incredibly dense, even she could feel it.
"Yeah, it is. Even for me, the fact that the Spirit Egg is this powerful was a little unexpected. ...Well, it won't cause me any problems, so it's fine."
Even as he replied to Vihera, Rei kept his eyes on Anastasia, who was still touching the Spirit Egg.
He just hoped the egg's dense power wasn't taking any toll on her.
Rei watched with that thought in mind until, eventually, Anastasia gently released her hand.
"Haa, haa, haa, haa, haa..."
She hadn't seemed that exhausted the moment she let go, but after a few seconds passed, her breathing grew heavy as she struggled to steady it.
Fana, who had been standing watch nearby, rushed to Anastasia faster than anyone.
She handed her a cup of water, and Anastasia downed it in one gulp.
Despite having drunk several cups of Fruit Water before touching the Spirit Egg, Anastasia drank with the desperate intensity of someone who had crossed a desert and finally reached an oasis.
The reason she was that thirsty was undoubtedly the sweat — covering her face and, in all likelihood, her entire body.
The amount of time Anastasia had been in direct contact with the Spirit Egg was by no means long. Yet the fact that she had become this exhausted in such a short span was undeniable.
That alone made it painfully clear just how dangerous the Spirit Egg was.
Since we're moving to attack the Dragonias headquarters, we need to take this Spirit Egg with us... but will it be okay? If it's touched carelessly, it could explode. Isn't it basically an unexploded bomb?
Rei harbored those thoughts as he watched the utterly drained Anastasia. But since they had already excavated the Spirit Egg, leaving it behind was simply not an option.
If they left the egg here and headed for the Dragonias headquarters, any Dragonias that arrived at the settlement afterward would easily claim it.
Looking at Anastasia, who had been reduced to a state of extreme fatigue from merely brushing the egg, it was easy to assume the Dragonias wouldn't be foolish enough to touch it either.
But that was a conclusion only someone like Rei — someone capable of rational judgment — could reach.
For Dragonias driven by the instinct of hunger, it wouldn't be strange at all for them to lunge at the Spirit Egg without a second thought. Rei wouldn't have been surprised if they tried to bite into it, mistaking it for food.
Since they live by the instinct of hunger, it would be a relief if that same instinct told them the Spirit Egg was dangerous... but that's probably asking too much.
Judging from the Dragonias they had fought so far, whether they would actually avoid contact out of a sense of self-preservation... honestly, that was doubtful.
At the very least, the Dragonias Rei knew wouldn't hesitate for a moment.
And if the Spirit Egg ended up in their grasp, there was no telling what might happen. There was a chance that even if they tried to sink their fangs or claws into it, nothing would happen at all. But in the worst case, it could obliterate not just the surrounding area but the entire grassland.
To prevent that from happening, Rei and his group needed to keep the Spirit Egg secure.
In any case, after Anastasia had drunk her fill of water, wiped the sweat from her face, and mostly caught her breath, Rei spoke up.
"So, were you able to locate the Dragonias headquarters?"
"Yes. I've pinned down the location firmly. It's a considerable distance from here, but the real issue is that it's underground."
"...Underground? Huh, I see. Now that you mention it, that actually makes sense."
If it was the Dragonias headquarters, it would naturally be massive in scale. Among the Dragonias strongholds Rei had seen so far, some had covered quite a large area.
A stronghold was, by definition, any Dragonias base other than the headquarters. It was unthinkable for the headquarters to be smaller than one of its outposts.
Given that, the headquarters had to be vast — and if Rei were to fly through the sky on Set, spotting it should have been a simple matter.
But if it was underground, finding it wouldn't be nearly that easy.
Still... Rei had already likened the Dragonias' ecology to that of ants or bees. In that context, the idea of an underground headquarters made perfect sense.
Besides... if it's underground, wiping them out should be somewhat easier for us.
Using large-scale magic would naturally risk collapsing the underground, so such spells were off the table. Collapsing the tunnels would only buy the enemy time.
But precisely because it was underground, the heat from fire would have nowhere to escape.
In other words, while Rei's magic would struggle against red-scaled and commander-class Dragonias, he could wipe out every other Dragonias with ease.
Even so... Rei glanced over at Vihera.
She was rejoicing at the news that the enemy headquarters had finally been found — thrilled that she would soon be able to fight formidable foes in earnest.
She was, without a doubt, not someone who would take it well if Rei announced he was going to incinerate the entire headquarters with his magic.
But if I explain that only the weaklings will die from my magic, maybe she'll accept it? The golden-scaled and silver-scaled Dragonias did survive my magic, after all.
Making that calculation, Rei turned his full attention to Vihera.
"Vihera, once we arrive at the enemy headquarters, I attack first. The small fry that'd die from my magic wouldn't be any fun for you to fight, right?"
"Well... I suppose we can go with that."
For Vihera, even enemies far beneath her still charged at her without knowing the meaning of surrender. In that sense, even the weaklings Rei spoke of were opponents she could enjoy battling.
But her stamina was finite, which meant the number of enemies she could fight was limited.
Invading the Dragonias headquarters meant strong enemies would be waiting — enemies she had never faced before, like the golden-scaled Dragonias, or perhaps something even more powerful.
With that in mind, there was every reason to listen to Rei's proposal.
Though honestly, I'd love to just flood that underground base with Flame Magic and roast everyone inside — or choke them out with the flames.
If that succeeded, it would be far easier than using wide-area annihilation magic on the surface.
Whether Vihera had noticed Rei's underlying scheme or not, she accepted his proposal without complaint.
"So, we know the enemy headquarters is underground. And precisely because of that, we need Anastasia to come with us so she can guide us to the exact location. Anastasia aside, we also need to move the Spirit Egg. Any ideas on how?"
That was, without question, the biggest problem they currently faced.
After all, simply moving the buried Spirit Egg to the surface had pushed Anastasia to the brink of exhaustion.
How were they supposed to transport something that draining?
For a fleeting moment, Rei considered leaving it behind. But with the Dragonias actively seeking it, that wasn't an option. They had to carry it.
"Let me think... Having the Centaurs carry it is probably the most practical solution."
Naturally, it was the Centaurs who reacted with surprise at Anastasia's words. None of them had expected the conversation to suddenly turn to them.
"W-wait, are you serious!?"
The first to shout was Asdena. That he cried out before even Zai, who led the Reconnaissance Unit, showed just how unexpected Anastasia's suggestion had been.
"Yes, I'm serious. Don't worry — as long as no one touches it directly, there's no problem. If you build a frame out of wood that four, six, or eight people can lift together, it should transport just fine."
Those listening to Anastasia's confident declaration exchanged skeptical glances, wondering if it could really be that simple.
Unlike the Centaurs, Rei was vaguely reminded of a portable shrine from Anastasia's description — though he doubted anything they built from scavenged wood would be quite that sturdy.
"Is it really safe for us to carry this thing? Looking at you, I seriously doubt it."
Zai asked the question Asdena couldn't.
To Zai, everyone present was a member of the Reconnaissance Unit — his subordinates. They were all skilled fighters dispatched from their respective settlements, so he might not have felt an overwhelming personal burden of responsibility. But given the gravity of the situation, he couldn't help feeling that he had to take charge.
"I've wrapped it in Spirit Magic, so as long as the carrier can't sense spirits or magical power, there shouldn't be any issues," Anastasia explained. "However, anyone with that kind of sensitivity... might experience something similar to mild intoxication. Though I can't say what would happen if someone touched the Spirit Egg directly."
Many of those listening cast doubtful looks at her, clearly wondering if they could really take her at her word.
Having witnessed the Spirit Egg's bizarre nature firsthand, they simply couldn't bring themselves to trust her assurances.
But in the end, Zai nodded.
"Understood."
"H-hey, Zai! Are you sure about this!?" one of the Centaurs shouted, staring at him in disbelief.
Zai simply nodded as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
He undoubtedly had his own reservations, but as the one leading the Reconnaissance Unit, showing any hint of doubt on his face was simply not an option he could afford.
With Zai taking that stance, even those who harbored misgivings couldn't voice them out loud.
Reluctantly, the Centaurs fell in line with Anastasia's proposal.
The fact that only four to eight of them would actually be needed to carry the egg was enough to reassure the rest that they might not have to get involved at all.
"Alright, let's build a stand to mount the Spirit Egg on. For materials... we can use the fencing around the settlement."
A good portion of the fences had been destroyed in the Dragonias attacks, but not all of it was unusable. And for any additional materials they needed, they only had to step into the grove, where wood was plentiful.
Normally, you'd want to dry the wood first... but we're not going to be using this for days. As long as it holds together for today — or until we reach the Dragonias headquarters if it's far — that's good enough.
With that in mind, Rei immediately began issuing instructions to the Centaurs.
Fortunately, among their ranks were some who excelled at this kind of work. Using vines from the grove rather than nails to bind the wood together, they completed a portable-shrine-like frame for the Spirit Egg in under thirty minutes.