Chapter 84

"Welcome to Golden Dawn. I am Kyle Gandal Barlroad, the one entrusted with the governance of this town. Please call me Kyle."

In the reception room of Kyle's residence, the person waiting there was, of course, Kyle himself.

He is the third son of the Barlroad Margrave, who used to be sickly and rarely appeared in public, but has been steadily gaining recognition due to the success of the Golden Dawn development project. He is a twelve-year-old boy.

The first time I met Kyle, I saw him being openly bullied by his older brother, Zayed, and decided to help Kyle.

Fortunately, just before I met Kyle, I had a crest engraved with the title of Alchemist, which allowed me to treat Kyle's illness. Not only that, I believe I also contributed to improving life in Golden Dawn.

There was also the matter of slaying a dragon.

All the achievements belong to Kyle, but we must not forget the great contributions of the adventurers and his companions.

And now, a new historic achievement was about to be inscribed in the name of Kyle Gandal Barlroad.

Despite his youthful appearance, Kyle, with a gentle smile befitting a noble, reached out his hand to the lizardman standing before him, who was nearly twice his height.

The lizardman, with sharp eyes and a reptilian appearance, slowly returned the handshake.

"I am Jurala, the son of the mayor of Gourd Swamp Village. Although we will discuss the details later, it has been decided that I will become the mayor of the new village, regardless of the form it takes. I look forward to working with you."

"Yes, I look forward to it as well. Next mayor, Jurala."

Thus, the first official meeting with the lizardmen began amicably, but it took some time to get to this point.

When Kyle learned of the lizardmen's arrival in Golden Dawn, he was eager to meet them immediately, but the lizardmen themselves requested a delay.

They had a strong desire to spend about a week exploring the town.

This turned out to be a good move.

Kyle accepted their request and immediately issued a proclamation.

It prohibited fighting with or discriminating against the lizardmen, and temporarily banned trade with them.

I wondered why trade was banned, but before the proclamation could be fully disseminated, Akindo approached the lizardmen and requested a meeting, offering to exchange their belongings for their living supplies.

I see. In a situation where neither party knew the other's values, it was impossible to allow trade.

Akindo, from their perspective, wanted to know what items were valuable to them, even if they seemed worthless. Clearly, he wanted the information, even if the first transaction resulted in a loss.

Of course, the trade with Akindo was immediately halted. All necessary living supplies were provided by Kyle, so there was no problem.

The lizardmen, under Jurala's leadership, behaved politely as they toured the town, and were accepted by the residents of Golden Dawn without any significant issues.

This was due to Kyle's strong policies to eliminate discrimination against beastmen and demi-humans.

After a short period of time, during which both sides had a chance to understand each other's norms, the official meeting took place.

Once the formal greetings were over, Jurala spoke.

"...We lizardmen have long been forbidden from interacting with humans. It's an old rule, but even when we occasionally visited human villages, we never considered establishing contact."

Kyle nodded slowly in response to Jurala's serious words.

"To be honest, I was worried that people like Raidock and Craft might not be accepted. But this town, under your rule, Kyle, has indeed accepted us. After discussing it, we want to be under your protection. Will you accept us?"

"Yes. As previously mentioned, the Kingdom of Maugaria, Barlroad Margrave, recognizes the acceptance of the lizardmen and their self-governance in their settlements."

This was possible only because of the one-week preparation period, which allowed confirmation with the Barlroad Margrave, Ortros.

What was a bit strange was that the reply clearly stated that the king's permission had been obtained.

The journey between the Margrave and Golden Dawn, using a super horse raised on Stamina Potions, took a week, but it was a mystery how the Margrave and the king communicated.

Even if the Margrave had a super horse, it would have been impossible to get the king's permission within a week.

Perhaps there is a communication device using magic, a national treasure-level artifact.

If it exists, I want one too.

But I digress. Thus, a new era of interaction between humans and lizardmen began.

◆

After the audience with the lizardmen, I was summoned to Kyle's private room. When I arrived, Reifan and Mina were there, looking at me.

"Good work, Craft."

"Yeah, I think it turned out to be the best possible result."

"That's great! All the preparation was worth it."

"Thanks, Reifan."

As I took my usual seat, Mina, as usual, sat on my lap and looked up at me.

Isn't that angle a bit painful for your neck?

"...Talk, souvenir."

As I waited silently for Mina's reaction, she finally muttered.

"Alright. Here's your souvenir. It's a festive outfit worn by lizardmen, a traditional costume. It's a joint gift from Reifan and me."

I took out the festive outfit from the spatial storage, and Reifan immediately picked it up and showed it to Mina.

"Miss Mina, let's get you dressed!"

"Hmm."

Of course, Persia, the guard, was also in the room, so the three of them left to change.

After a while, they returned, but only Reifan and Persia entered the room.

"What happened?"

"Miss Mina is shy."

"Shy?"

Huh?

Lizardmen usually wear light clothing with questionable chest protection, but the gift I gave was for festive occasions and had minimal skin exposure. Besides, Reifan had made some adjustments to the size, so it shouldn't have been embarrassing.

Reifan and Persia were both trying to coax Mina, who was still in the hallway.

"It's fine, Miss Mina. You look great!"

"That's right! I picked it out, so it's very cute!"

Yeah, all the ones I picked out were rejected.

They dragged the grumbling Mina into the room, but she immediately hid behind Reifan.

"Come on, Craft, show it to him!"

"You look very cute, Miss Mina! ...Hey, Craft, don't I get a souvenir?"

Persia, looking away, glanced at me. Her cheeks seemed a bit red, but it was probably just my imagination.

"Of course, here it is!"

I took out a doll made from dried grass. The doll wore a long mask and held a spear and shield in a heroic pose.

It seemed to be modeled after a strong lizardman, with a thick tail and broad chest.

Yeah, it's cool!

"......What is this?"

"Apparently, it's a lucky charm based on a legendary lizardman. Shururu recommended it for warriors."

"You... didn't tell them it's for women, did you?"

"Huh? I said I'd give it to both men and women."

"......I see... It's part of their culture... I see... But that festive outfit..."

She didn't seem as happy as I thought she would be.

Alphard was happy when I gave it to him in the hallway...

"Craft... that's what you got!?"

"Yeah."

"Craft, you really... Here, Persia, take this!"

Reifan handed her a ring with a deep green stone embedded in it.

It was a rare gem that shone emerald green in certain light.

"Oh, a ring?"

"Yeah. It doesn't have much value as a gem, but I processed a beautiful stone used for decorations in the lizardman village."

"That's nice. I wouldn't want something too expensive, but this is perfect for everyday use."

"I'm glad you like it."

"Thanks, Reifan. ...Craft, you need to learn more about the world."

"What!? Me!?"

I was taken aback by the sudden attack.

What did I do wrong!?

"Ugh..."

Mina was grumbling behind Reifan. I wish she would show me the outfit properly.

"By the way, thanks to the doll Mina gave me, the long journey wasn't lonely. Look."

I took out the zombie... no, the rabbit plushie Mina gave me, which was hanging from my waist. Despite the anti-stain treatment before the trip, it was a bit worn out.

"Please praise this brave adventurer who went on a great adventure in Mina's place."

"...Okay."

Curiosity overcame her shyness, and Mina walked over.

She was wearing the traditional costume, a mix of red, blue, green, and purple, a stark contrast to her usual dress.

"O...Oh..."

I was momentarily speechless at the sight of Mina, who looked more mature than I imagined, even with makeup.

No, no! She's a little girl! She's the same age as Kyle!

"How does it look, Craft? Isn't it great? Isn't Miss Mina cute?"

"Ah... Yeah, I think it looks good."

I tried to keep up with the conversation despite my inner turmoil, and Persia sighed.

"Craft, you're supposed to say it looks good and that she's cute."

"Huh!? Oh, right. ...Yeah, it looks great and you're very cute, Mina."

Reifan and Persia looked at me with half-lidded eyes, but Mina blushed and looked down.

"Hmm..."

Mina fidgeted with the rabbit doll, and the room fell silent.

What is this atmosphere!?

Someone, help!

As if in response to my thoughts, there was a knock on the door, and a savior appeared!

"Is everyone here?"

Kyle!

You're the best brother in the world!!

Kyle entered the room and smiled.

"Ah, Mina, you're all dressed up. It looks great on you."

"..."

"Is that a gift from Craft?"

Kyle looked at me, and I nodded.

"It's from me and Reifan. More accurately, from all the lizardmen who provided the clothes."

"Thank you, Craft and Reifan. We should also thank the next mayor, Jurala."

"That's a good idea."

"Did Mina thank them properly?"

Kyle asked gently, and Mina slowly lifted her head. Kyle looked into her eyes and smiled wryly.

"You need to thank them properly."

"..."

Mina turned to me and, with a noble gesture, bent her knee.

"Thank you..."

"Sure."

"Yes! I'm glad you like it!"

After the bow, Mina pattered out of the room.

"Excuse me."

Persia quickly followed Mina out, and Alphard entered the room.

Today, Persia and Alphard were on duty because Kyle and Mina were on separate tasks, and the lizardmen were coming and going.

"Craft, thank you for the lucky charm."

"No, no. Persia didn't like it, though."

"What?"

I tried to brush it off, but Alphard looked at me with wide eyes.

What?

"Did you give that doll to Persia too?"

"Ah, yeah..."

"You really are... Well, it doesn't matter."

"Huh? Huh!? Did I do something wrong!?"

"It's the usual, isn't it?"

Reifan and Alphard, with different endings but the same words, chimed in at the same time.

Why!?

The legendary lizardman doll is cool, right!?

Starting on the 29th, the manga adaptation will be serialized!

The first chapter is said to be very substantial!