79. If You Want To Get Along, There Is A Proper Order Isn’t It?

The day we defeated the Titan Duke Frog and the day after were spent hunting down the remaining Baron Frogs and dealing with the bodies.

On the third night, huge bonfires were lit in the village, and luxurious dishes were laid out as far as the eye could see.

On large leaves were piles of fish, meat, unfamiliar nuts, and vegetables, emitting mouth-watering aromas.

“Brave warriors, thank you once again for saving our village of Hyoutan Swamp. It’s late, but we’ve prepared a feast to the best of our ability. Please enjoy it.”

The one making this declaration was the village chief, Sharuru.

He had been bedridden due to illness, leaving everything to his son, Jurara, but after Marilyn treated him and gave him alchemized medicine, Sharuru, who seemed on the brink of death, suddenly sprang to life.

Apparently, he wasn’t that old, and once he recovered, he was moving around energetically. His old-fashioned way of speaking was just a habit inherited from his parents. Though I didn’t ask his age, he seemed to be around 50 years old.

No wonder Jurara’s speech was so stiff.

Anyway, the grand feast began.

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

“Thanks to you, the village is safe. We are truly grateful.”

“I’ve never seen humans before, but you look just like Shururu. It’s a bit strange not having a tail, though.”

“That small one over there is a gnome?”

“Don’t call me small! I’m sensitive about that!”

So Leafan was sensitive about it, huh?

Technically, she’s a half-gnome, but she didn’t point that out.

Well, it doesn’t matter.

“I’ve never seen a gnome before, but there’s not much difference from a human. Just looks like a kid.”

“Thanks to that, there wasn’t much discrimination. …Oh! In Golden Dawn, managed by Kyle-sama, there’s no discrimination among races!”

Leafan hastily added, probably remembering her attempt to recruit the Lizardmen to Golden Dawn.

“About that.”

I turned to the voice, and it was Jurara, with Shururu beside him.

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

Shururu? There are plenty of seats available?

“The village chief and I discussed this. Remember we talked about a cave with monsters nearby, and many warriors went there?”

“Yeah, you mentioned it.”

“We plan to decide finally once those warriors return, but we intend to accept your proposal.”

“You mean you’ll come to Golden Dawn with us?”

“That’s the plan.”

This was great news.

“The fact is, the pollution of Hyoutan Swamp is severe. Not only that, but recently, the number of monsters has increased abnormally. We wouldn’t have been able to stay here long anyway.”

“Is that so? But then, is it okay to serve such a feast?”

“We haven’t used any long-lasting food. It’s mostly ingredients from the forest and fast-moving fish, so don’t worry. We must also show hospitality to the heroes and honor the warriors.”

“Then it’s fine.”

Since the feast was well thought out, let’s enjoy it.

And Shururu, please don’t cling to my arm during serious talks?

Unbelievable. My arm is sinking!

I won’t say where.

“Oh, by the way, why are you telling me and not Raidoc?”

“Of course, I went to Raidoc first. But he said to discuss such matters with you, Craft.”

“Oh.”

That guy just passed the buck because it’s troublesome!

Well, thinking is also a magician’s job. Technically, an alchemist.

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

Hey, Jurara! Pay attention to your sister’s behavior, not just her speech!

Even if I’m clueless about romance, I can tell Shururu is interested in me!

Is that okay with you, Jurara?

“Still, the warriors’ return is delayed.”

“Is it?”

“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 several types, and spatially distorted ones are often troublesome.

“If they don’t return by morning, we should search for them.”

“That’s true, but we lack the manpower. We only left minimal defense forces.”

“That’s partly why Baron got us.”

“I’d like to think so… but we had no means to counter the paralysis poison. It’s just an excuse.”

Jurara’s calm self-assessment showed he was a top-notch warrior.

I had stereotyped Lizardmen as boasting about their strength and never admitting their mistakes. This was a prejudice. I should reflect on that.

“Then, assign us a guide. We’ll go tomorrow.”

“What? We can’t ask you to do that…”

“If we don’t meet the warriors, we can’t decide on Golden Dawn. We can’t move without a decision. Plus, if the cave is a dungeon, I’m interested.”

“Interested?”

“Yeah. We’re on a survey journey, looking for valuable materials and metals.”

“What? There might be something in the cave then.”

“What do you mean?”

“We found the cave by investigating old legends. It’s said to contain some metal.”

That was surprising.

“If it’s a valuable mine, we couldn’t tell you.”

“No, we Lizardmen aren’t interested in mines. Some dungeons have raw ore and metals lying around. We can only process iron at best.”

So they’re not suited to mining.

Living by the swamp suggests that.

“The cave found by legend was a monster nest. We haven’t investigated inside, but there should be some metal.”

“Can we get permission to enter?”

“We were gathering weapons, considering the possibility of leaving. If you tell us about usable metals, it would help.”

“If that’s the case, we have an expert on metals, so leave it to us.”

“Hmm.”

Jurara and I both looked at Leafan.

She was being mobbed by female Lizardmen.

“Her body is small, but her use of shield and hammer is excellent. The tradition that gnomes and dwarves are great warriors and smiths is true.”

“I was surprised when I first saw her too.”

“I’ve seen human towns a few times.”

I turned my gaze back to Jurara.

“Our chief’s family guards the traditions and is allowed to observe humans. But only from a distance, small rural villages.”

Lizardmen were prohibited from contacting humans.

How long this rule had been followed is unknown, but the older the times, the worse the discrimination against demi-humans and beastmen. It was probably a necessary rule for survival.

“But humans didn’t seem so bad to me. It was a small village without demi-humans. And I met you guys. Craft, you are undoubtedly heroes. If your race produces heroes, we can’t hate you.”

“…”

I couldn’t respond well.

Honestly, there are many bad people. Demi-human discrimination is severe in some places. Kyle’s Golden Dawn is the exception.

So, it’s hard to promise them safety.

But still.

“It’ll be fine. Leave it to me.”

I said it boldly.

Yes, I’ll manage somehow. Kyle and Golden Dawn will be fine. Establishing a place for Lizardmen is all we need.

“Right. If we find any valuable metal or items, presenting them as gifts from Lizardmen will help.”

“We just need enough iron for weapons. If we find anything else, you can have it. We’ve given too little to the heroes.”

“Understood. We’ll head to the cave tomorrow.”

“Good. Shururu will guide you.”

“Yay!”

“Watch your language!”

“Alright…! Got it!”

Jurara sighed at Shururu’s tongue sticking out.

More than her language, reprimand her behavior!

“We’ll tell you more about this later. …Until morning, of course.”

Already half-covering me, or rather half-attacking!?

In public!?

No, even without people, it’s not okay!

“I-I’m going to sleep now! See you tomorrow, Shururu!”

“Oh!”

I shook off Shururu and dashed to my assigned room.

“Huh? Craft-kun, you’re popular, huh?”

“Leafan, tell that to Raidoc.”

“I know Raidoc’s popular.”

“Well… yeah.”

Glancing at Raidoc, he was surrounded by Eva, Solar, and many female Lizardmen.

“Damn…! Everyone should just disappear!”

“Jitaro! What’s disappearing!?”

“Jitaro! Get the ball!”

“Jitaro! Pick me up!”

“Jitaro! More please!”

You’re popular too. Well, with kids.

Even so, some children look like lizards, while others resemble humans. It’s varied.

“Unfair!”

Ignoring Jitaro’s shout, I retreated to my room.

Since there was no lock, I used magic to freeze the door.

Strangely, throughout the night, I heard attempts to break through the door, but I’m sure it was my imagination.

Sob. It’s cold…

I wrapped myself in blankets and managed to sleep.