Chapter 75

"Ugh!"

The lizardman warrior, unable to dodge Baron Frog's long tongue attack, suffered a severe wound.

Another lizardman tried to come to his aid, but Jurara barked at him.

"Fool! Don't break formation!"

"Y-Yes!"

The lizardman who had tried to help returned to his position with a look of anguish (or so I think).

I took out a healing potion bottle and threw it.

The bottle hit the wounded warrior, who was clutching his injury and crouching on the ground, and shattered, disappearing. Only the healing potion inside splashed onto the warrior's body.

During my adventurer days, my magic was weak, so I honed my knife-throwing skills to compensate. I never thought they would come in handy in a situation like this. The world is truly unpredictable, and it's a bit ironic.

"Ugh... It's you again, thanks for the help."

"Healing potions are still available. It's more efficient to use them when you're not in immediate danger."

"I'll do that. Thank you."

Jurara, Shururu's brother, watched our exchange while directing the battle from the side.

"Human man."

"Me?"

"Yes. I am Jurara, the son of the mayor of Gourd Swamp Village. What is your name?"

"I am Craft Waken. Call me Craft. I carry the emblem of an alchemist."

"Alchemy? Is it different from magic?"

"Similar, but think of it as a magician specialized in making potions and items."

"Our clan has lost our emblems long ago. A few spells have been passed down, but it's only a matter of time before they are forgotten. ... Craft, as the next village chief, I have a request."

"What is it?"

"I want you to help protect this village. It's no longer possible to rely solely on herbs and the warriors' skills. Craft's potions and the strength of the warriors outside can help."

The lizardmen around were more surprised by Jurara's bow than anything else.

"Jurara...?"

"He's a human, you know?"

"Didn't you hear that not all humans are bad?"

"That's true, but..."

Jurara's expression hardened as he turned to me.

"Craft, treat the wounded here. I want Craft's companions, the warriors outside, and the archers to defend this area."

"Defend? What are you planning?"

"We warriors will strike the Titan Duke Frog!"

When Jurara declared this forcefully, the surrounding lizardmen shouted.

Half in trembling voices, half with determined roars.

"That's what a future village chief should do! Warrior Jurara! I'll follow you!"

"Wh-What? Fool! It's the Titan Duke! What are you thinking!?"

"It's clear that the Barons are being drawn here because of that thing! There's no hesitation in defeating the enemy leader!"

"I understand the logic! But it's the Titan Duke! There's no way we can win!"

"Then are you going to wait here to be crushed!?"

An older lizardman warrior and the warrior I had healed earlier argued fiercely.

"Stop it! This is a decision! These are the words of Jurara, entrusted by the mayor!"

"..."

"Hahaha! I thought you were still a child, but you've grown, Jurara!"

"Stop treating me like a child..."

It seems Jurara can't stand up to the older lizardman.

"Alright! We'll leave the minimum number of soldiers here and form a strike team!"

"Wait a moment, Jurara."

"What is it, Craft?"

"That role should be better handled by Raidock... the warriors outside who are causing chaos."

"What?"

"I'm glad to be entrusted with the defense, but I don't know the geography of this village or the structure of this building. It will be difficult to coordinate with the remaining lizardmen."

"That's true..."

"Then it's better for us to act as a guerrilla unit."

"That will send you to your deaths!"

"Jurara is the next village chief, right? You should stay here and command the defense."

"I understand what Craft is saying, but..."

"Relax, I'm not going to die. If it gets too dangerous, I'll retreat here. It will be more helpful if you hold this position. Besides, if we defeat that disgusting frog, our credibility will increase, right?"

"Are you sure you're not going to die?"

The lizardman looked straight at me with his eyes.

Ah, like Ryuko the maid, his pupils are vertical.

"Yeah, I'll just observe and come back if it gets bad."

"Though it's not something to ask of a guest, I'll entrust this to you."

"Alright, leave it to me. ...But first, we need to reduce the number of Barons around this mansion."

"Agreed. Warriors! With Craft's potions, the Barons' paralyzing poison is ineffective! Rise up! Defend our home!!"

"「「「Roar!!!」」」

Encouraged by Jurara, the warriors rallied and reestablished the front line.

"It's almost night! The Barons will move more slowly at night! Make sure to secure some rest time before then!"

Eh? They're frogs, aren't they nocturnal? Well, they are monsters, so it doesn't make sense.

"I'll support with magic too!"

"Craft-san? Wasn't offensive magic forbidden for Raidock's brother?"

"I have something I want to confirm. I'll keep it to support level, so Jitaro's bow will be the key."

"Leave it to me! Protecting Shururu is my job!"

Ah, yeah. Jitaro, who doesn't discriminate against lizardmen, is great.

...Can lizardmen have children with humans?

While thinking about irrelevant things, we managed to push back the frogs and set up a makeshift fence, creating a safe environment before nightfall.

Raidock and the others, who had been active outside, were able to enter the building they were guarding as soon as it got dark.

◆

Torches were hung on the walls, and the flames flickered.

With all the injured and sick able to move, the great hall was now empty, and we were led there.

Thanks to Marilyn and Bepp.

Round cushions made of woven grass were laid out, and we were invited to sit.

In a land of lizardmen with tails, chairs probably never developed.

Jurara sat cross-legged at the front, and we formed a semicircle around him.

Shururu was by Jurara's side.

Their appearance was so different that it was hard to believe they were siblings.

The front lines had settled enough for a calm meeting.

Some of the warriors had started to take turns sleeping.

The frogs had become sluggish with the onset of night.

"I am Jurara, the son of the mayor of Gourd Swamp Village. I thank you for your assistance."

"I am Raidock. I lead this party."

When Raidock answered, Jurara glanced at me.

"Craft is the brains of this party. You can think of him as the deputy leader."

"Such a capable man is the deputy leader?"

Jurara blinked his reptilian eyes several times, but it seemed he had misunderstood.

"Jurara, Raidock is incomparably more excellent than me. He's smart and a top-notch swordsman."

"Seems we've been found by extraordinary people."

"To repeat, we have no intention of harming you. If you tell us to leave, we will. But meeting lizardmen, who were said to be extinct, is a rare opportunity. We'd like to help and be friends."

"Friends?"

I continued where Raidock left off.

"We are trying to make this monster-dominated region a safe place to live. It might be a nuisance to you, but we know the person responsible for this development."

"Does this mean you want to dominate this land?"

I thought for a moment.

To put it bluntly, that's true. From the perspective of the Kingdom of Maugaria, this land is already declared as part of the kingdom.

Even though it's unexplored, it's still considered part of the kingdom.

Finding extinct lizardmen in such a place...

"The person in charge doesn't desire domination. However, what the kingdom thinks is... Ah, do you understand what a kingdom is?"

"Hard to say how much our understanding aligns with yours, but it's like a leader who oversees village chiefs and clan leaders, right?"

"I think that's a fair understanding."

If they understand the concept of a country, maybe we can communicate.

"I have two proposals to make to the person in charge of this land."

"Two?"

"One is to negotiate for you to continue living here as you have. We can create a facade of being under their rule to make things easier."

"Include us under your rule?"

"From the kingdom's perspective, living here means you're already under their rule. But if the kingdom acts directly, it's hard to predict what will happen to the lizardmen."

"...Humans are as the legends say, I see."

"Being able to guess the legends is a headache."

Looking back at history, it's easy to imagine that lizardmen and other non-humans were discriminated against.

"You might not believe me, but the person in charge of this land is trying to eliminate that discrimination."

"..."

"If we can build a friendly relationship with you, we can advocate to the kingdom that lizardmen are our allies."

"Being used as a political tool... And without consulting your master, is it okay to make such a promise?"

Jurara's reasonable question made Raidock and Reifan chuckle.

"It's fine. Craft's master... to be precise, it's a bit different, but the person in charge of this land will not reject Craft's proposal. They might improve it, but they won't dismiss it."

"Uh-huh. Craft-kun is quite something, but so is Lord Kyle, who is quite overprotective."

Jurara nodded at their interaction.

"You seem to be good friends. But I can't accept that proposal."

So it's impossible...

"Regarding the idea of being under human rule, which we have despised, we can negotiate with the mayor."

Eh? There's another reason?

"We lizardmen prefer to live in clean swamps and wetlands. But..."

Jurara paused.

"The Gourd Swamp has been polluted by the Barons' attacks and toxins. It will take decades to return to its original state. Therefore, the proposal to live as we have been is not feasible."

I see.

If they could live as they have been, negotiating to be under human rule might be considered, but they can't live as they have been.

"Originally, we faced a critical food shortage. There were several lizardman settlements, but the swamps and wetlands were dominated by monsters, and we fled. Eventually, all the survivors gathered in this Gourd Swamp. It's impossible to survive here now."

It seems the lizardmen had been surviving in this area, but gradually gathered due to problems with monsters. All the lizardmen gathered in this Gourd Swamp, but of course, there wasn't enough food.

Then a group of frogs came, and their last hope was dashed.

Reifan, who had been deep in thought, suddenly snapped her fingers.

"Hey, Craft-kun. Can't we protect the lizardmen?"

"Protect?"

"Yeah. Many people come to Golden Dawn as immigrants, but some use all their money on the journey and end up like refugees. Golden Dawn temporarily shelters such people."

"Oh, that system."

There are many of them, but that's not bad.

If they don't insist on living in this area, taking them in as refugees would prevent bad outcomes if the kingdom interferes.

"Jurara, our city has many people who have lost their homes. We have a system to provide them with housing and jobs. What do you think about using that?"

Jurara thought for a moment.

"I've secretly observed human villages before. It's not impossible to live there, but no one would want to live in a stone village unless they were very adventurous. The village I saw was a small, remote one. I'm sure there are larger towns, right?"

"Golden Dawn is... probably incomparably large and has many stone buildings."

"For warriors, it might be manageable, but it would be a tough environment for women and children."

We scratched our heads.

Then Jitaro's cheerful voice rang out.

"Why not have them live in that wetland where the Hydra was?"

"「Ah」"

Craft and Reifan's voices harmonized.

"Indeed, if we cooperate with adventurers, we can gradually expand the area where lizardmen can live."

"Hey, why not have them help with the development?"

"What do you mean?"

"The reason we abandoned the development of that wetland was that there weren't enough adventurers at the time, and it was far from the village, so we couldn't find anyone to settle and manage the area."

"Right!"

I understood Reifan's idea.

"The wetland is vast. We can let the lizardmen use part of it as a settlement and develop the rest for rice cultivation! By defending the fields, it will provide jobs and reduce prejudice against non-humans among the farmers who are protected!"

"Right! What do you think?"

"Sounds great!"

I couldn't help but hug Reifan.

"Hey!? Craft-kun!?"

"Sorry, got carried away."

"Y-You can, but it's a surprise!"

"Sorry. It's like dealing with students at school."

Sometimes I teach practical skills, and some students are very affectionate, hugging or kicking me, so I accidentally hugged Reifan, who looks similar.

"Hey!? You're treating me like a kid!?"

"Anyway, Jurara, let me explain this proposal clearly."

"Ah, right."

"Don't ignore me so casually!?"

I explained the proposal clearly, avoiding Reifan's pursuit.

"I see... Not bad. Of course, we need to inspect the location. And the Hydra..."

"Our adventurer guild will fully support the culling."

"Hmm..."

There is one concern. Zaid's development village is much closer to the wetland than Golden Dawn.

If it's not feasible, we can create a suitable environment for them near the large river that flows north of Golden Dawn.

"Hey, Jurara, if you're prepared to abandon this land, why not just run away from the Titan Duke Frog?"

"It would be fine for the warriors alone. But there are many women, children, and the elderly. Even if we fled immediately with nothing, many would die of starvation. We need to prepare. Besides..."

Is there more?

"Actually, a cave was found a short distance away. A large number of different monsters were discovered. More than half of our warriors are on a mission to eliminate them. If we leave now, we would be abandoning them."

"That's..."

"Also, I thought that if we could hold out until they returned, we could ambush the Barons. Without Craft and the others, it would have been impossible."

I see. That's why they couldn't abandon the village immediately.

"Thanks to Craft, we can now resist the paralyzing poison. If we can give the returning warriors the potions, it might be possible to defeat the Barons..."

But that's in the past.

"But the Titan Duke Frog is a different story. As long as it's here, the Barons will keep gathering. We can't win without defeating it."

"So that's why you were so focused on the fat duke."

"That's right."

I understood the situation. I nodded at Raidock, and he nodded back.

"「Leave it to us」"

We harmonized perfectly, and our companions laughed at us.

Sorry for the late update!

I'll send you twice the usual amount to make up for it!

Please forgive me!