Chapter 79

On the day we defeated the Titan Duke Frog and the following day, we were busy with the remaining Baron Frogs and disposing of the corpses.

On the third night, the village was filled with numerous bonfires, and lavish dishes were lined up before us.

Fish, meat, fruits, and vegetables I had never seen before were piled on large leaves, emitting a delicious aroma.

"Brave ones, I would like to express my gratitude once again for saving Gourd Swamp Village. It took a while, but we have prepared the best dishes we could. Please enjoy yourselves."

The one who declared this was the village chief, Chalre.

Until now, he had been bedridden due to poor health, entrusting everything to his son, Jurara. However, after Marilyn treated him and gave him the appropriate medicine, the once near-death Chalre's eyes opened wide, and he sprang up.

He doesn't seem to be an old man; he's moving around energetically now that he's recovered. His old-fashioned way of speaking is simply because he picked up his parents' way of talking. I haven't asked his age, but he must be around fifty in human years.

Indeed, it makes sense why Jurara speaks so formally.

In any case, the grand feast began.

As soon as the feast started, many lizardmen gathered around us.

"Thanks to you, the village was saved. I am truly grateful."

"I'm seeing humans for the first time, but you don't look much different from Shururu. It's a bit strange not to have a tail, though."

"Is the small one a gnome?"

"Don't call me small if it bothers me!"

Reifan seemed to care.

Technically, he's half-gnome, but he doesn't point that out, does he?

Well, it doesn't matter.

"I'm seeing a gnome for the first time, but you don't look much different from humans. You just look like a child."

"Thanks to that, there was almost no discrimination. ...Ah! Lord Kyle's Golden Dawn doesn't discriminate against any race!"

Reifan, remembering that he was inviting the lizardmen to the Golden Dawn, quickly tried to smooth things over.

"About that..."

Turning to the source of the voice, it was Jurara, with Shururu by his side.

Jurara sat directly in front of me, and for some reason, Shururu sat next to me.

Shururu? There are plenty of empty seats, you know?

"We discussed this with the village chief. As I mentioned before, a cave inhabited by monsters was discovered nearby, and many warriors have gone there."

"Yeah, you mentioned that."

"The warriors are expected to return and make the final decision, but they intend to accept your proposal."

"Does that mean they will come to the Golden Dawn with us?"

"That's the plan."

It was very good news.

"Practically speaking, the pollution in Gourd Swamp is severe. Not only that, but the number of monsters has increased abnormally recently. We couldn't have stayed here much longer anyway."

"Is that so? But if that's the case, was it okay to prepare such a feast?"

"We didn't use any food with a long shelf life. We mainly used ingredients from the forest and fast-moving fish, so don't worry. Most importantly, we must entertain the brave ones, and we also want to show our appreciation to the warriors."

"Then it's fine."

If they thought it through, I'll enjoy the feast gratefully.

And Shururu, we're having a serious conversation, so don't cling to my arm!

Unbelievable. My arm is buried...!

I won't say where.

"Ah, by the way, why are you telling me this instead of Raidock?"

"Of course, I went to Raidock first. But he said to talk to you as a crafter."

"Ah."

That guy, he's just passing the buck!

Well, thinking is part of a mage's job. Technically, he's an alchemist.

And Shururu, your face is too close! Your breath is tickling my ear!

Hey, Jurara! Pay attention to your sister's attitude, not just her words!

Even if I'm completely inexperienced with romantic relationships, I can tell Jurara is trying to get close to me!

Is that okay, Jurara?

"Still, the warriors' return is taking longer than expected."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. Considering the amount of food they took, they might be hunting on site, but..."

"I'm worried."

"Indeed..."

Jurara pondered.

Could the cave with monsters be a dungeon?

Dungeons come in various types, but places that have become otherworldly are often troublesome.

"If they don't return by tomorrow morning, we should go look for them."

"That's true, but we lack the manpower. We only left the minimum defense force."

"Being attacked by the Baron Frogs was partly because of that."

"I wish that were the case... We had no way to counter the paralyzing poison. That's just an excuse."

His ability to analyze the situation calmly shows that Jurara is a top-notch warrior.

I thought lizardmen were the type to claim they were the strongest, ignore others' advice, and refuse to admit their mistakes. Well, that's just a prejudice. I should reflect on that.

"Then, give us a guide. We'll go tomorrow."

"What? I didn't expect you to go that far..."

"Without joining up with the warriors, we can't decide whether to go to the Golden Dawn. We can't move until the discussion is over. Besides, if the cave is a dungeon, I'm interested."

"Interested?"

"Yeah. This is a research journey. We're looking for valuable items and metals."

"What? There might be something in the cave."

"What do you mean?"

"The cave was found by verifying old legends. It's said that some kind of metal is there."

That's surprising.

"If it's a valuable mine, can you tell us about it?"

"No, we lizardmen aren't interested in mines. Depending on the type of dungeon, there might be raw stones or metals lying around. We can only process them."

I see, they're not a race suited for mining and excavation.

It makes sense, given that they live near the swamp.

"The cave was found based on legends, but it turned out to be a monster's nest. We haven't investigated inside, but there might be some kind of metal."

"Can we get permission to enter?"

"Originally, we were thinking of leaving this land and needed to gather weapons. We can only process iron, so if you can tell us about metals that the crafters can use, it would be a great help."

"In that case, we have an expert on metals, so you can trust us."

"Hmm."

Jurara and I looked at Reifan at the same time.

He was being manhandled by some female lizardmen.

"He's small, but he's a great shield and hammer user. The legend that gnomes and dwarves are excellent warriors and blacksmiths is true."

"I was surprised when I first saw him too."

"...I've seen human towns a few times."

I turned my gaze back to Jurara.

"The chief's family is allowed to observe humans while keeping the legends. But it's only a distant view of small villages."

The lizardmen were apparently forbidden to contact humans.

I don't know how long this rule was in place, but the older the era, the more severe the discrimination against sub-humans and beastmen. It was a natural rule to protect themselves.

"But, I didn't see humans as that bad. The village was small, so there were no sub-humans, and I met you. Craft, you are undoubtedly brave. If a race can produce brave ones, there's no point in hating them."

"..."

I couldn't answer properly.

To be honest, there are many bad people. The discrimination against sub-humans is really terrible in some places. The Golden Dawn, ruled by Kyle, is actually unusual.

So, it's hard to say "come with peace of mind."

But, still.

"It's okay. Leave it to me."

I deliberately said it.

Yeah, I'll do my best. Kyle and the Golden Dawn will be fine. We just need to establish the lizardmen's position there.

"Right, if we find any metal or valuable items, we can say they are gifts from the lizardmen, making it easier."

"We lizardmen only need iron for weapons. If you find anything else, feel free to take it. The reward for brave ones is too small anyway."

"Got it. Let's head to the cave tomorrow."

"Okay. Shururu will be the guide."

"Yay!"

"Watch your words!"

"Ugh...! Got it!"

Jurara sighed as Shururu stuck out her tongue.

So! Pay attention to the attitude, not just the words!

"Then, we'll tell you more about this. ...Of course, until morning."

What! Half of her is on top of me, almost attacking me!?

Because of the people around us!?

No, no, it's not okay even if there's no one around!

"Hey! I'm going to sleep! See you tomorrow, Shururu! See you tomorrow!"

I shook off Shururu and rushed to the room assigned to me.

"Hmm? Craft is popular, huh?"

"Reifan, say that to Raidock."

"I know Raidock is popular."

"Right..."

Looking at Raidock, he was surrounded not only by Eva and Sollar but also by many female lizardmen.

"Ugh...! Everyone should just disappear!"

"Jitaro! What does 'disappear' mean?"

"Jitaro! Get the ball!"

"Jitaro! Pick me up!"

"Jitaro! More food!"

You're popular too, but with children.

Still, there are children who look almost like lizards and others who look almost human. It's quite varied.

"I can't accept this!"

I ignored Jitaro's cry and retreated to my room.

There was no lock, so I used magic to freeze the door and lock it.

Strangely, I heard sounds of someone trying to break through the door multiple times during the night, but it must have been my imagination.

Sniff. It's cold...

I wrapped myself in a blanket and managed to fall asleep.