Looking at the Dragonias corpses still burning from his magic, Vihera approached and spoke with a hint of dissatisfaction.
"So in the end, you let the golden-scaled Dragonias escape."
"That's how it turned out... Just to be sure, you didn't encounter it on your end, right?"
Vihera nodded in response to Rei's question.
He'd wondered whether the golden-scaled Dragonias might have gone after Vihera and the others while he was busy fighting. But seeing them arrive without any signs of a struggle, that clearly hadn't been the case.
...If Vihera had fought the golden-scaled Dragonias, she would have eagerly and joyfully recounted every detail.
And her expression definitely wasn't a happy one.
The absence of that told Rei everything he needed to know—there had been no encounter with the golden-scaled Dragonias.
"In that case, where do you think it went?"
"If we think about it normally, it probably retreated to its headquarters or a base with information about us."
Normal Dragonias were driven by hunger and incapable of such calm judgment. But when it came to existences capable of commanding other Dragonias—starting with the golden-scaled one—Rei knew from their battles so far that they possessed clear intelligence.
...That said, despite their intelligence, the only one that had ever actually retreated to bring back information about them was the copper-scaled Dragonias.
Since the copper-scaled Dragonias lacked confidence in its combat ability, Rei could understand it taking such an action. But as far as he knew, the golden-scaled Dragonias—the strongest of all Dragonias—doing the same was completely unexpected.
"In that case, what do you think will happen next? If it went back with information about you and Set, the Dragonias might take some kind of countermeasure."
"Even if you say that... The only possibility I can think of is increasing the ratio of red-scaled Dragonias."
Among the Dragonias, the red-scaled ones were the only ones with enough strength to withstand Rei's magic. So if asked what the simplest counter to Rei would be, the answer was naturally to increase their numbers.
The golden-scaled Dragonias probably understood that any other scale color would be effortlessly wiped out by Rei's magic.
That said, the red-scaled Dragonias could only counter his magic; they had no answer for close combat with Death Scythe or the Twilight Spear.
...In fact, nearly all the Dragonias corpses Rei had burned belonged to the red-scaled variety.
The others had been reduced to ashes by the magic he used at the very beginning, leaving no remains behind.
"What if the golden-scaled Dragonias came at us in a group?"
"If that actually happened, things would get pretty rough. But pulling something like that off would be difficult, wouldn't it?"
Rei had annihilated multiple Dragonias bases and migrating groups by now. Among all those encounters, he had only come across a golden-scaled Dragonias twice—at the very first base, and now.
In other words, even among the vast numbers of Dragonias, the golden-scaled variant was undoubtedly an extremely rare existence.
(Though in terms of rarity, I've only encountered the mottled Dragonias once too.)
The mottled Dragonias, with its ranged attack that could only be described as a blood laser, was definitely a troublesome foe for Rei. Dragonias were fundamentally limited to close combat, yet that one could attack from a distance.
The more accustomed someone was to fighting Dragonias, the more that would catch them off guard.
"Anyway, since the golden-scaled Dragonias disappeared, there's no doubt it returned to its base or headquarters. Most likely... it chose not to fight itself, but observed our combat to confirm just how much power we have."
Or there was the possibility it had simply thought the other Dragonias could handle them. He didn't voice that part, keeping it to himself.
In truth, Rei didn't think he was far off the mark. Normally, being swarmed by that many Dragonias would mean being helplessly devoured and eaten alive.
"You're right... It's unfortunate, but I suppose we have no choice but to press forward. However, that means tonight's camp will require more caution than usual."
There was no guarantee the golden-scaled Dragonias wouldn't launch a night raid. Vihera's implicit warning drew a nod from Rei.
Given the high intelligence the golden-scaled Dragonias possessed, that possibility couldn't be denied.
Rei didn't know exactly what course of action the enemy would take next. But from the Dragonias's perspective, the Spirit Egg they'd been searching for was right here—there was no way they'd choose not to seize it.
Of course, whether the Dragonias actually recognized the Spirit Egg as such, or simply desired anything that emitted powerful spirit energy, was something Rei couldn't say.
For that matter, the name "Spirit Egg" itself was something Rei and his group had coined based on its appearance and impression. It might have a completely different name altogether.
(Thinking about that won't get me anywhere. What I can do right now is... find the Dragonias headquarters as quickly as possible and annihilate them.)
If he didn't resolve that, Rei and his group would likely continue to face Dragonias attacks indefinitely. That was exactly why they needed to hurry and accomplish their original objective.
"Alright, let's move! If we stay here, there's no telling when they might attack again!"
At Rei's words, the group set off once more. If lingering meant risking another assault, then moving on quickly was the only logical conclusion.
And so, the Reconnaissance Unit resumed its march.
They passed through the area where traces of the battle with the Dragonias remained vivid. Several Centaurs took in the aftermath and seemed to feel the weight of what had happened there.
"Hey. Looking at it again... Rei and Set's fighting is just absurd, isn't it?"
"That goes without saying at this point. When you consider Rei and Set... and Vihera's presence..."
The one who felt the most fear at the mention of Vihera's name was probably the Centaur who had fought her in mock battles time and time again.
She had beaten them down directly—not with a slight difference in skill, but an overwhelming gulf in power. It was only natural they feared Vihera more than Rei or Set.
Of course, that didn't mean they thought Rei and Set were weaker. They had witnessed both of them fighting Dragonias with their own eyes plenty of times. But... even so, when it came to the object of their fear and awe, Vihera still ranked highest—because they had experienced her strength firsthand.
"But from what Vihera says, she's never won a mock battle against Rei, right?"
"No way..."
One of the Centaurs listening nearby muttered in disbelief. The others who heard didn't say it out loud, but they all felt the same way.
That said, there were apparently some who had heard this before, and one spoke up with a hint of pride.
"It's true. Vihera herself isn't hiding it, so she'll tell you if you ask. ...Though hearing about it just makes you feel sick to your stomach."
Centaurs were a race that prized strength. Among those in this Reconnaissance Unit, many were known as the most skilled in their respective settlements. ...The truly strongest fighters hadn't joined the unit, likely kept in reserve for emergencies.
That was exactly why Vihera—who possessed overwhelming strength far beyond their own—and Rei, whom even Vihera couldn't defeat, were such daunting figures. When they thought about it, they couldn't help but be painfully aware of the wall of power that stood before them.
"Hey, swap us out already!"
What snapped the disheartened Centaurs back to attention was a voice from a short distance away. They turned toward it and saw the Centaurs carrying the portable shrine with the Spirit Egg.
...By the way, the Centaurs called it a "mikoshi" because Rei had used that word. They didn't know its true meaning, but they figured that was simply what such an object was called.
The Spirit Egg itself wasn't particularly heavy. A single Centaur could have carried it with ease. But... the reason they transported it on the portable shrine was largely because no one knew what would happen if they touched it directly.
Using the shrine avoided that risk, but the shrine itself had a certain heft, and since it required four bearers working in unison, they had to constantly match each other's timing.
For the Centaurs, that was surprisingly taxing. And while Anastasia had assured them it was safe, they still harbored various concerns about the Spirit Egg, which took a direct toll on their mental stamina.
For those reasons, the Centaurs had already rotated bearers several times during the march.
"Yeah, got it. I'll swap in."
One of the chatting Centaurs stepped forward and traded places with a bearer. Several others followed suit... and the Reconnaissance Unit pressed onward, guided by Anastasia.
Fortunately, they didn't encounter any more Dragonias along the way... though in contrast to that stroke of luck, the sun was already sinking toward the horizon.
Rei had only reunited with Anastasia today. Considering the time since then, covering this much ground in a single day was, if anything, almost too good.
"We need to pick a campsite soon... Ideally somewhere with rocks or a thicket that could serve as a defensive wall. But from what I can see, there's nothing like that around."
All that surrounded them was an endless expanse of grassland. The sight of it dyed red by the setting sun was almost fantastical. It felt like standing before a fire that didn't burn—and for some reason, a smile crept onto Rei's lips.
"What is it?"
"No, it's nothing."
Rei replied to Vihera's curious question, then signaled the Centaurs to halt.
With nothing nearby to serve as a shield, his only option was to use Terrain Manipulation to create a defensive wall. And since the skill would work equally well anywhere on this grassland, there was no reason to be picky about location.
What mattered was setting up camp before the sun fully set. If they finished while it was still bright, they'd be able to operate with some margin of composure once darkness fell.
"Alright, we'll go with around here. Zai, does that work for you?"
"Yeah. No problems on our end. Like you said, it would've been easier with a thicket or some rocks... but since there aren't any, having you shape the ground with your magic is the quickest option."
Zai nodded, and with that, the decision was made.
"Anastasia, should I place the Spirit Egg at the center of the campsite?"
"Yes, please do!"
Anastasia called out from a distance. She wouldn't have needed to shout if she'd stayed close to Rei... but the deer she and Fana rode still hadn't grown accustomed to Set. Because of that, they kept as far away as possible and acted accordingly.
(I'd like to do something about that too... but what to do?)
Seeing Set looking disappointedly toward the deer, Rei called out to him.
"Fortunately or unfortunately, there's still a fair distance to the Dragonias headquarters. Given enough time, the deer should get used to you, Set. Don't worry about it."
"Guru?"
Set purred as if asking, Really? and Rei gently stroked him.