"Well, we're going to leave now. ... Zai, please tell me about Dragonius."

　After lunch, one of the Centaurs who came all the way here with Ray and others bowed to Zai.
　We had a discussion at lunchtime, and as a result, of the ten Centaurs who had come so far with Ray, four were to act together as bodyguards for the Centaurs who had fled.
　...but the discussion wasn't decided immediately either.
　The Centaurs, who had come this far, were naturally full of motivation, so they would not have been immediately convinced.
　Even so, the reason I allowed it quietly was because I couldn't let my relatives die.
　When I actually saw Centaurs being attacked by Dragonians, what would have happened if Ray or Seto hadn't found it?
　There were only four Dragonians, but still the Centaurs would have been wiped out.
　The warriors who were guarding at first were completely destroyed, and then they attacked a group of women, children and old people and were completely destroyed.
　...it's not hard to imagine such a result.
　That's why we decided to use four of the ten people who came with Ray as bodyguards.
　However, it is not possible for the four of them to deal with a large number of Dragonians.
　Even so, I finally understood that I still have a better chance of surviving than the current situation.

"Please, it depends on you whether or not the fleeing people can reach the village safely."

　Centaurs, who act separately here, nod to Zai's words.
　If you want to protect your friends, you have to do what you need to do.
　a reply with that in mind

"Ray, Seto... please take care of Dragonius."

　One of the guard Centaurs finishes cleaning up after the meal and tells Ray, who is serving a little more food in the Mystery, and Seto, who is eating a little late after catching a deer, that it may have taken some time to find their prey.

"Oh, don't worry about this, but get to the settlement safely. ... First of all, take this food. It's not good because it's preserved, but it's easy to carry around."

　If you bring raw meat and vegetables, it may get worse in the middle of transportation, and in some cases, it may emit a strong odor to attract animals and monsters.
　However, in preserved foods, the smell is not as strong as raw meat and vegetables.
　...although the taste is naturally inferior to raw meat and vegetables.

(Oh, but depending on the dried food, it tastes better than raw food.)

　When I was in Japan, I saw on TV that dried abalone costs tens of thousands of yen... If it were expensive, it would cost nearly 100,000 yen.
　It was only about the price, but in fact, on that TV, the stewed dish of dried abalone looked very delicious.
　Also, if you use dried meat as an ingredient for your soup, you'll no doubt get a good soup.
　Considering the circumstances, it's not that it tastes bad because it's preserved food, but it depends on the cooking technique.

"Thank you very much."

　Centaur, who has been escorting women and children and old people so far, bow deeply to Ray's food.
　Since there are many people who can't fight, it must be difficult to collect food.
　If you are attacked by Dragonius while collecting food... or if you are attacked by a monster other than Dragonius, the damage will be great.
　That's probably why I was happy with the preserved food.

"Oh, I hope we can get there safely. ... Well, let's go now. I can't spend much time here."

　Each of Ray's words prepares to leave and says goodbye.
　Especially for the four Centaurs who have come with the Zay and return to their village as bodyguards, it is only natural that they have a lot to think about.
　Dragonius asks the Centaurs acting with Ray, looking at them with envy.
　The people who were told nodded with determination as they were entrusted with defeating Dragonius.
　In Dragonius and Centaur, Centaur is definitely weaker.
　Despite Ray's cooperation, there is still a good chance of dying.
　If you are a crafty person, you can go around to the bodyguard to survive.
　This is probably a testament to the pride of the Centaurs.
　After a short breakup time, Ray and the people heading to the village break up.
　in opposite directions

"In the end, neither Zai nor Dorat went. I was sure one of them would go over there."

　Aiming for Dragonia's home ground, Ray asks Zai, who is running next to Seto.
　Of course, Ray's words would have been heard by Drats running a little far from Zai, but he wouldn't react to Ray's words.
　As long as you promised not to go against Ray's instructions, you probably didn't want to be involved with Ray.

"It's true that we need a bodyguard when we take them to the village, but what's more problematic is Dragonius. If we don't do something about them, we could have the worst result."

　When asked with a glance, "No?" Ray also nods that he has no objection.
　In fact, Centaur... No, for all living creatures in this meadow, the existence of Dragonius is a partner that needs to be defeated as quickly as possible.
　In that case, it was only natural that Drat, one of the leaders of the village along with Zai, should give priority to Zai's position.
　Other than that, it is not wrong that the defeat of Dragonius has something to do with influence in the village.

(Not to mention Zai, the area around Dorat seems to be concerned about that and participate in this attack.)

　Zai and Dorat were also often surrounded by friends, but the reason why only Dorat seemed to be so is probably because they were surrounded by followers rather than companions.
　Ray didn't know what he thought about that area.

"Anyway, I've taken more time during the day than I expected. I'm going to hurry, even though I have some leeway."

　Originally, I was going to finish the lunch break in about an hour.
　But, partly because Seto went hunting, and above all, because he needed to rest the Centaurs who had fled, it was more than two hours' rest.
　Now that it has happened, the break time has become longer than planned.
　In order to get that back, Seto continues to lead the Centaurs.

"Is there any place where I can rest tonight?"
"Even if you say so... I don't know."

　The guide, Centaur, tells Ray in trouble.
　When asked if there is a good place to rest, there are a few places that come to mind.

"Well, then, if we find a suitable place, shall we take a rest tonight?"

　When Centaur hears Ray's words, he nods.
　Of course, this is a meadow.
　If that's the case, it's true that you can rest anywhere if you want to.
　Nevertheless, if you act as if you are making a bonfire at night in the grassland, you will naturally stand out.
　Monsters, animals, bandits... or Ray didn't know how Dragonius would act when he saw the flames.

(Not to mention monsters, do animals stay away when they see bonfires? Ah, but animals are curious when they see jungle on TV, so when they see bonfires, they approach them more aggressively... but in this world, Centaurs usually do bonfires.)

　It is out of curiosity that animals approach a bonfire.
　Therefore, if you learn from experience that if you approach a centaur near a bonfire, you will be killed if you make a mistake, you will not necessarily come close.

"Anyway, I'll go all the way today, though I'll be in trouble if I'm tired tomorrow, and I'll rest in the evening."
"You don't have to rush that far, do you think it's okay since it's way ahead of schedule?"

　Some others nod to Zai's words.
　Actually, I was supposed to stay in the village of Zay last night and leave today.
　In that sense, there was no doubt that it was well ahead of schedule.
　Those words must have brought Ray back a little.
　Look away and look at the grassland.
　The meadows where Seto and Centaur are now running are what we call endless green carpets.
　The grass swaying by the wind is not a green carpet, but a green sea.

"It's amazing that the grassland continues forever."
"That's right,"When Zai hears Ray's words muttered unknowingly, he proudly briefly.
　For Zai, this meadow is where I was born and raised.
　That's why Ray's muttering sounded like he was being praised for his hometown.




"Oh, but I don't think I'll be able to enjoy the view of this meadow unless I get rid of the Dragonius case. ... Oh, come to think of it."

　Ray, who was looking at the grassland, looks at Zai as if he suddenly remembered something.
　Zai urges Ray to say, "What the hell is going on?"

"No, it's too late... It's really too late, but I thought there were almost no warriors older than the Zay in your village."

　Of course, it's not that there is none at all.
　However, the number of people is not so large.
　Zai and Dorat are in their mid-20s and thirties, and it's about whether or not they can be veterans as warriors.
　However, it was not that there were no warriors of the age after the mid-30s, but there were quite a few.
　Besides, there would have been quite a few centaurs who were old enough to call them elders or old men.

"It's not like our village didn't have a battle with Dragonius."

　Zai says so bitterly.
　Looking at Zai's situation, I could understand the reason even if I didn't hear the answer to the end.
　In other words, many of the veteran warriors died fighting Dragonius... no, maybe they were eaten to death.
　There is no doubt that Centaur is a worthwhile existence for Dragonian.

(But in terms of the hardness of the meat, isn't the meat of the young Centaur more delicious?)

　When Ray was in Japan, he kept chickens at home.
　The chicken can be used for spawning or for fighting chicken, which is a hobby of his father.
　If they could not win, they would have been disposed of and put on the table, but if they stopped laying eggs and became called old chickens, they would have been put on the table as well.
　However, old chicken can use it without any problems if it's going to take the broth, but meat is hard.
　I don't think it's a good idea to have chicken and centaurs together, but Ray's common sense was that any living thing was younger than meat.
　This world, like Erzine, is a so-called fantasy world of swords and magic, so there was a good chance that there would be some exceptions.

"Anyway, can I think that if I do something about Dragonius, most of the problems will be solved?"
"I won't go that far. It wasn't like there weren't many problems before Dragonius came. There were conflicts between the communities, especially places where good grass was growing for livestock, and there were frequent conflicts over water sources."

　Those words mysteriously convinced Ray.
　I didn't think that just defeating Dragonius would solve everything, but I understood that it was right.
　It's not that I'm happy about the disturbance.

"Anyway, what we're going to do now is to defeat Dragonius."

　Half... No, it's totally aggressive, but Ray forcibly concludes.
　It would not have been so funny, if we had actually defeated Dragonius, the most urgent problem at the moment would be solved.