Chapter 83

"Ooh! That's it! The legendary... Orichalcum!"

I couldn't help but shout in excitement, but it seemed I wasn't the only one whose spirits were lifted.

"What! Is that true, Reifan!?"

"Master had a magical tool made of Orichalcum, but it only had a small piece embedded in it, and he said it was a national treasure... So, how much value would this ingot have?"

"Thinking about it, 'Orichalcum' is quite a strong name, isn't it?"

Raiddock was just as excited as I was, while Eva turned pale. She must have understood the value of this.

There was one person who seemed to have remembered the name wrong, but I ignored it.

"Reifan's sister, is this Orichalcum really that rare a metal?"

"Yeah, it's a very precious metal. So far, it's only been found in ancient magical tools... artifacts and decorations. I think this might be the first time it's been found as an ingot."

"That's amazing!!"

"That's why it's amazing, you know!"

"Enough with the comedy, let me appraise it too!"

"Sure! Of course!"

I took the Orichalcum ingot from Reifan. It felt heavy, probably as heavy as iron.

"Alright... 'Appraisal'"

The moment I activated the appraisal magic, knowledge flowed into me from the emblem of the Dusk Alchemist.

As expected, a flood of new knowledge rushed into my brain. This is what's known as the "Whisper of the Emblem." Sometimes, receiving so much knowledge at once can leave you unable to move for a while.

This time, I was a bit wobbly, but it was a familiar feeling.

"Craft-kun?"

"...No, it's nothing."

I quickly exchanged a glance with Reifan. She must have noticed that the information about Orichalcum had flowed into me from the Whisper of the Emblem.

But she didn't ask for details. We silently nodded, agreeing not to share the knowledge gained from the Whisper.

It didn't seem like something that should be spread easily.

Of course, it's not just that. The legendary and mysterious metal Orichalcum being an alloy of mithril and adamantite is not something that can be easily announced.

Moreover, the special abilities of Orichalcum could be of national secret level.

This is something I need to discuss with Kyle.

I think Reifan, having touched and appraised the Orichalcum, has also gained the knowledge needed to process it, but since she's not saying anything, she must have the same thoughts.

"Raiddock, just to confirm. The metal we obtained from Kyle's investigation mission is to be submitted to Kyle, right?"

"Yeah, no doubt about it."

"Everyone, please keep it a secret that we obtained Orichalcum."

"I'll tell the village chief."

"Thanks, Raiddock."

Fortunately, only we were in the secret room.

Oh, wait, there was one more person.

I turned to Shururu, who was inexplicably right behind me.

"Sorry, Shururu, I'll tell the village chief, but please don't tell the other lizardmen..."

"Yeah! It's our little secret!"

No matter what, it's not just our little secret, but there's no point in correcting Shururu, who was sending heart marks from her entire body.

Why does she like me so much?

I don't mind it, but being pushed this hard is tough for a love novice like me!

Aaaaaah!

Don't stick to my back so casually!

It's touching! It's touching!

I hurriedly clung to Jitaro to escape from Shururu.

"Jitaro! Did you find anything else!?"

Jitaro gave me a cold look.

(Craft-san, why are you running? You like boobs, right?)

(Of course I do! But when they're this aggressive, it's a bit much, right?)

(You should just give in...!)

Sorry, Raiddock. I was just envious of you, but now I don't know what to do when it happens to me!

Raiddock, who was sandwiched between Eva and Soral, gave me a look that said, "I told you so."

Damn. From now on, I'll be an easy target for teasing!

"Alright, the room exploration is over. We got the treasure, so let's head back to the village!"

At Raiddock's command, we decided to return to the lizardmen's village.

Judging by the results, we had successfully saved the lizardmen and obtained the treasure, so it was a great success.

"Raiddock-sama..."

"Craft-sama..."

Yeah, it was a great success, right?

"You two should just step on dog poop!"

Jitaro's curses continued for a while, but he was talking to Camille before we reached the village, showing either resilience or lack of principles.

◆

When we returned to the village, the lizardmen welcomed us with a grand reception.

The warriors who joined us in the dungeon were surprised by the state of the village, but seeing the number of giant frog corpses still being processed, they showed a mix of regret and relief.

One of the warriors patted my shoulder.

"We heard you protected the village while we were away, but I didn't expect this much. Thank you."

Seeing him thank not just me but all of us, I smiled, feeling glad we could help.

I asked Shururu to arrange a meeting with the village chief, and they prepared a separate room for us.

The village chief, Shalre, and his son, Jurala, along with Shururu, were there.

Reifan and I reported about the Orichalcum.

"Hmm... It's a rare metal, indeed. We can barely process iron. If taking it with you is a form of gratitude, that's fine. We'll just tell the other residents that we've given them a valuable metal."

Jurala was the one who spoke. The village chief only nodded.

I don't understand the lizardmen's political system, but it seems Jurala already holds most of the chief's authority.

"That would be a great help. So, what are your plans? Are you staying here? If you're coming to Golden Dawn, we can guide you and welcome you."

Then the village chief spoke.

"Aye. We'll have a final meeting with the warriors who returned tonight, but the relocation is almost certain. We intend to be a burden to you."

"Great!"

"Shururu! Your manners! That's disrespectful in front of guests!"

"S-Sorry, brother."

"Indeed... I apologize. We'll be a burden. We'll set out as soon as we're ready. We'll rely on you for the guidance."

"Understood. We'll prepare for the journey. It's a long trip, so be prepared."

"I am prepared."

"Good. Craft, can you make some stamina potions?"

"Got it."

While the village chief and Jurala were serious, Shururu had a huge smile on her face.

As soon as we left the room, Shururu pounced on me.

"Craft-sama! We'll be together from now on!"

"Ah, yeah. But probably, the place where the lizardmen will live and where we live will be quite far apart."

"I'll live with Craft-sama!"

"O-Okay."

So, you're planning to live in Golden Dawn.

There's no swamp, but it's by a river, so it might work.

Maybe we can build experimental housing suitable for lizardmen and have them live there. I'll discuss this with Kyle.

"We can talk about the details when we get there, but we welcome you."

"Okay!"

Aaaaaah! Don't jump on my neck! Your cheek... it's touching my cheek!

Actually, your whole face is covering mine!

"...Craft-kun"

"R-Reifan! S-Sure! Can you help me make potions?"

"I'm making tents now."

For some reason, Reifan turned away.

Is she angry!?

I suddenly noticed the rabbit doll hanging from my waist (creepy).

I'm not sure, but I feel like I shouldn't be seen with Shururu by Mayna.

Yeah, I'll be careful when I get back.

We had only surveyed about 60-70% of the planned area, but we set off for Golden Dawn with the lizardmen.

I was worried about the speed of the elderly and children, but thanks to the stamina potions, the energetic warriors made a palanquin-like platform to carry the slower members, allowing us to return much faster than planned.

When we finally arrived at Golden Dawn, the lizardmen gaped in amazement.

The vast plains were lined with massive walls that resembled mountains. No wonder they were surprised.

Some of the high-rise buildings were even taller than the walls, peeking out here and there.

It seemed the construction was going smoothly and the city was developing further.

"W-What is that huge stone fortress?"

"Are we being taken to a terrifying place?"

Don't worry. Kyle is a kind guy!