"Is that...?"

　Ray mutters as he looks at the group of Dragonians in front of him.
　The group of Dragonians, illuminated by the setting sun, saw their scales tinged red.
　...so it was very difficult to tell what color scales they actually had.

"Yes. ... Same as when I came here before."

　Centaur, who guided us so far, mutters with various emotions.
　It's good to be here for reconnaissance, but I guess they think everyone but themselves is dead.
　Still, Centaur is back here again.
　It's true that there were many thoughts about returning to a place where you lost all your companions.
　In the course of my journey, I have experienced countless leg tremors and weaknesses.
　But now I had to do what I had to do so that I wouldn't be eaten up by Dragonius.

"But... it was a little surprising that I hadn't moved my home base since I last came for a scout. No, thanks to you, I was able to find it easily, so that's a relief."
"What do you mean?"

　Zai asks if Ray's muttering bothers him.
　Seeing other people looking at Ray the same way, Ray wonders if he was thinking about it because he was from a different world... or because he came from outside this grassland.

"Considering Dragonius' hunger, it is certain that everything around here will be eaten up. ... Indeed, there are no trees around here."

　Even though it's a meadow, it's really not just grass.
　There were trees in their own way, and in some cases there were places where trees grew to the point of being called forests.
　I've seen it from the settlement of the Zay people to this point.
　Nevertheless, this place, which is the home of Dragonius, is bare of trees.
　If you happen to be told that the Dragonians were based in a place where there were no trees, the answer would be no.
　Ray's prediction was that the trees that had grown here might have settled in the stomach of the starving Dragonius.

"So don't you think we could move from here to another place... to another place where the trees are growing?"
"Eat a tree, you know? ... That was a little unexpected. I could still understand what you were saying if it was a nut."

　After hearing Ray's explanation, Zai muttered in surprise.
　He probably didn't expect to eat a tree even if he pretended to eat a fallen Centaur out of hunger.
　But even animals eat bark when they are hungry.
　If you're hungry, you can bring anything you think you can eat to your mouth.
　... let alone trees, it is not strange to eat even eat stones.
　Nevertheless, the home of the Dragonians has not moved from here.
　It's only natural for Ray to wonder why he needs to stay here.

"Is that something that bothers you so much? ... Well, if Ray's magic destroys all the surroundings, would it be lucky that there are no burning trees around?"

　Dorat, who was listening to Ray and Zai, interrupts.
　That Drat's opinion was reasonable, but it's Ray's honest feeling to know what the Dragonians are thinking.
　...but it's also difficult to do something about it in the current situation.

"Anyway, we've come this far. We'd better gather as much information as possible about Dragonius before Ray makes a surprise attack."
"Zai, are you serious? We can attack in overwhelmingly favorable conditions now. But if we waste time here, we might know our existence."

　a quarrel between Zay and Dorat
　But for the Centaurs here, I can tell which way they feel it.
　There is no doubt that if we can attack and destroy Dragonius here without any questions or answers, we will be relieved.
　But if that happens, the next time another group of Dragonians attacks, there is a big difference between knowing the information over there and not knowing it.
　This time, Ray, an overwhelmingly powerful person, can destroy Dragonius without any questions or answers, but the next time Dragonius attacks, Ray is not necessarily there again.
　I understand your desire to gather even a little bit of information so that we can deal with it by ourselves.
　At the same time, you don't have to think about the danger of being able to run away by Dragonius while he's still not aware of his existence.
　Both opinions are fully convincing.
　Ray opens his mouth, seeing the Centaurs in trouble.

"Dragonius probably sleeps at night, right? Then it's evening now, and it's night... I think it's better to attack late at night. You just have to watch them until late at night to get some information... but I don't know how much information you can get in a few hours.

　Still, if we can get any Dragonian specific information rather than any information, it will be profitable as Centaur.
　Yes, Ray tells.
　There is no doubt that Ray should have as much information as possible about Dragonius.
　I gave the body of Dragonius to Grimm and Dusker, but I can't deny the possibility that such information will be useful if I use it to do something.

"...I got it."

　At Ray's words, Dorat nods reluctantly.
　Basically, Dolat had been following Ray's instructions quietly until now, but this time he couldn't nod honestly.
　That's because for Dorat, he wanted to burn down Dragonius as soon as possible.
　Dragonius has also eaten Dorat's acquaintances and friends to death.
　Therefore, I can't help thinking that... as soon as possible.
　Still, as long as Ray is the one who carries out the surprise attack, Dorat cannot complain about it.

"Then it's a rule. ... But if we're found by Dragonius and it's reported to our home base, we'll make a surprise attack right away, right?"

　Zai and others, listening to Ray's words, nod as if they had no objection to it.
　If Dragonius finds it in hiding, it's meaningless.
　If that's the case, no one is against Ray's words.

(The problem is that I can't eat dinner. If it's dried meat... No, the smell is pretty strong.)

　The current location of the Rays is quite far from the home of Dragonius.
　Still, it's the kind of food Ray usually eats here... If Ray has prepared on his journey so far, or if Centaurs want to cook, I can't imagine Dragonius wouldn't be able to smell it.
　And if you are sniffed out, it will definitely become a battle.
　Considering the circumstances, there was no doubt that we should stop eating until we launched a surprise attack late at night.
　There is no denying that Ray's favorite fruit water could attract dragonias with its sweet aroma.

(Then, it's water, after all. ... Do you want to use running water from a dagger?)

　Ray's magic item, a running water dagger, is a weapon that uses water like a whip, but when Ray uses it, which is specialized in flame attributes, it only produces water.
　However, the water produced by Ray's magical powers has a taste that even aristocrats and royalty have never tasted before.
　It's just water, but in some cases, some people might want to drink it with gold coins.

(However, just waiting here with nervousness is a lot of problems.)

　Zai, Dorat, Centaur who had come here for reconnaissance before, as well as other Centaurs, were clearly nervous.
　If things go on like this, it will be mentally exhausting by the time the night of the actual surprise attack arrives.
　To avoid it, Ray takes out a few wooden cups from the mystery -- a wooden plate for Seto.

"Ray? What on earth?"

　Zai raises questions about Ray's sudden behavior.
　Other Centaurs are also looking at Ray with mysterious eyes, not knowing why he suddenly took out the cup.

"If you're nervous now, you won't be able to show your ability in times of need. You can't eat smelly food at this distance, but just drink this and relax."

　Say so, start the running water dagger, create water from the tip, and pour it into the cup.
　The Centaurs are surprised to see that water comes out of the point of the dagger, and that they don't know what's going on for the first time....if you live normally, you won't see water coming out of the point of the dagger, so it may be natural.
　While surprised, Ray finishes pouring water into the cup and finally fills the wooden plate for Seto and stores the running water dagger in the Mystery.

"Ray, can you drink this?"

　It is unusual for Zai, and he asks nervously.
　Even if I was told to drink the water from the point of the dagger, I don't think I could be convinced honestly.

"Oh, I'm not bragging, but no one says it tastes bad or feels sick. Look at Seto."

　When Ray told me to look at Seto, I saw Seto happily drinking water from a wooden plate.
　I'm skillfully scooping up and drinking water with a cane.
　He squints his eyes from time to time and enjoys the taste of water, which makes anyone who sees it think it tastes bad.
　Looking at Seto's condition, Zai and others naturally became very interested... timidly carrying the cup to their mouth...

"What?!?"

　I was surprised by the taste that spread through my mouth, and half reflexively... I drank up the water from my cup as if I were being led by instinct.

"What do you think?"

　It wasn't just Zai who drank up the water in one gulp, it was all the other Centaurs... including Dorats.
　Ray asks these Centaurs with a proud smile while drinking his own amount of water.
　Even Drats, who are not friendly to Ray, look at their cups.
　I'd like another drink if possible, but it's not funny to tell Ray that, but... I'm so confused.
　To these people, Ray takes the running water dagger out of the mystery again and pours water into each cup.

"First of all, I'm free until night. ... Drink."

　Normally, these lines would be served with alcohol.
　But what Ray poured was water.
　...but the taste of the water in the glass was so superb that I couldn't complain about it at all.

"...delicious..."

　Zai exclaims with deep admiration.
　There is no sign that I was nervous about attacking Dragonius' home ground just now.
　I thought Ray wouldn't be particularly nervous until night when he saw them.

"Well, all we have to do is wait until night... drink water, don't forget to observe Dragonius. That's why I chose to wait until night."

　At Ray's words, Zai hastily turns to Dragonius.
　The same applies to others.
　Ray also begins observing Dragonius' home ground, leaving his weight to Seto lying on the grass after drinking water.
　However, there didn't seem to be any particular movement at the moment.

(Now, I've decided to gather information about Dragonius, but I wonder how much information I can actually get... I don't think I can get that much information.)

　While thinking like that, time goes by battling the occasional drowsiness... until midnight.