Isekai Lizardman Survival Log

-Pffft―?!

The area instantly became bustling.

The orcs, presumably the expedition party, suddenly became noisy, and even Karakt, who should have been calming them down, seemed to freeze in shock.

“Boss―!”

Chik-chik, startled, softly shouted into my ear hole while continuously tapping my head, so unless I was a complete idiot, I had to realize I had made a mistake.

‘I messed up.’

Was it because the atmosphere was flowing nicely, or because I wanted to finish things quickly? I was too hasty.

If I had explained the circumstances, saying something like [I encountered it while wandering the forest and had no choice], they wouldn’t have fallen into such confusion. But in my haste, I blurted it out bluntly.

But the water has already been spilled. For now, all we can do is wait for their confusion to subside.

Thud―!

“Qui―et―!”

Fortunately, Karakt quickly regained his composure, making me wonder if he had won his chief position through gambling.

At the chief’s shout, the noisy area fell silent.

The orcs’ gazes, still confused despite following the chief’s order, turned to Karakt.

Given the situation, where it wouldn’t be strange if they interpreted it as me stealing their prey, I was prepared for axes to come flying, but….

“Rex, adopted son of the small dragon. I request a detailed explanation.”

Karakt chose rational dialogue instead of axes.

I inwardly sighed in relief at that rational decision. Smiling bitterly at the sigh I heard from beside me, I relayed the circumstances.

Starting from the increase in goblins, I briefly summarized how we went in search of the culprit and ended up fighting unavoidably after locking eyes with it. As I spoke, the orcs’ eyes grew brighter.

Pffft

“I see. I understand the situation.”

Karakt nodded, indicating his understanding.

As the atmosphere seemed to show understanding of our circumstances, my heart lightened along with it, but.

“However, I find it hard to believe.”

Karakt suddenly looked at me with cold eyes. Responding to Karakt’s atmosphere, the orcs stomped their feet.

Thud― Thud―

As the atmosphere that seemed to be flowing nicely suddenly reversed, Chik-chik puffed up all its fur.

“Re―x. Adopted son of the small dragon. I don’t deny that you’re not just some nobody riding on the small dragon’s reputation. However….”

-You don’t seem to be skilled enough to have caught the Tarasque alone.

At Karakt’s words, the orcs stomped their feet, heating up their fighting spirit.

Thud― Thud―

I lowered my gaze at the fierce atmosphere that seemed ready to throw axes at any moment.

In this atmosphere that could lead to immediate battle if not careful, I quietly adjusted my grip on my spear and met Karakt’s eyes.

“If you can’t believe me, what are you going to do?”
“In such cases, of course….”

As Karakt spoke, he picked up the huge axe slung over his back. He lightly swung the axe as big as his head and.

“We must prove it through a duel―!”

-Woohoo―!

Thud― Thud―

He met my eyes with a smile that split his mouth wide and….

“So…, you’re saying we should spar?”
“It’s not sparring―! It’s a sacred duel to prove each other’s martial prowess―!”

…How is that different from sparring?

As I looked at him with incredulous eyes, Karakt stared back with proud eyes, and judging by the other orcs’ reactions, it seems to have a different meaning.

The orcs standing behind Karakt moved in unison and instantly surrounded me and Karakt.

The eyes of those surrounding us were filled with excitement for battle, without a trace of madness for slaughter.

On the contrary, the orcs surrounded us as if watching an enjoyable spectacle, which involuntarily relaxed my tension.

“You’re confusing people.”
“Was I? I apologize.”

Judging by his face that didn’t look sorry at all, it seems he had intended to have a match from the start, and having found a suitable excuse, he pushed forward to make it impossible to refuse.

“What if I refuse and run away?”

If I’m prepared for injury, it wouldn’t be difficult to break through the encirclement and escape. Karakt must have known this too, but….

“The small dragon wouldn’t have raised such a coward, would he?”

It seems he acted based solely on the old man’s name, which was quite orc-like, not considering the possibility of impersonation.

Of course, it’s not impersonation, and I have no intention of tarnishing the old man’s name, so I would accept, but….

“Somehow, I feel like I’ve been had.”
“If so, I apologize.”
“Forget it.”

I didn’t feel like taking out my frustration on those who apologized so proudly.

It was my mistake to provide a weakness to be caught in the first place. If it had been the Blue Tusk tribe, axes would have flown immediately.

There’s no reason to refuse if they’re settling it with one match.

I handed the limp Chik-chik to the surrounding orcs and adjusted my grip on the spear.

Karakt grinned widely at this and grasped his axe with both hands.

“Hey, Karakt. Let me ask one thing.”
“What is it?”
“Do I really look incapable of catching the Tarasque?”
“Hmm…. Half of me is serious.”

I gripped the spear in my right hand and extended my right foot back to take a stance. After aiming at Karakt with my left hand extended.

“If half is serious, what about the other half?”
“Honestly, I could tell at a glance that you’re strong. I just couldn’t be sure if you could catch a Tarasque alone.”

Karakt leaned his right shoulder back while holding the axe with both hands and pulled his right foot back.

“So, will you let me confirm it now―!”

Then he kicked off the ground as if to tear it up and leaped in. And he brought down the axe that had been resting on his right shoulder.

Against that sharp strike, I thrust my spear forward while stepping forward with my right foot.

Just before the spear tip collided with the axe blade coming down diagonally, I twisted my wrist outward to add rotation―.

Clang―

The axe falling with centrifugal force was deflected outward.

I pulled back the deflected spear while twisting my waist to the side and pulling my right foot back.

Then I thrust the spear again.

“Pffft―!”

Karakt forcibly pulled back the deflected axe and brought it down aiming at the spear tip, but once again, as I twisted my wrist outward, the axe was deflected.

Due to forcibly pulling it back, Karakt’s chest opened up slightly, revealing a gap, but.

He pulled back the deflected axe again and raised his guard.

Once, twice, three times.

Every time I thrust my spear, Karakt was barely able to block, so the outcome was obvious.

The three important factors in combat are size, distance, and flow, and I had the advantage in all three, so it was a natural result.

First, size.

No matter how much larger Karakt was compared to the average orc, compared to me, there was about the difference between an elementary school student and an adult.

He might have been a head taller than Derek, but to me, he was a small size that didn’t even reach my solar plexus.

Next, distance.

The reason the spear is called the king of all weapons is because of its superior range.

The long range, incomparable to swords or axes, is a divine weapon that gifts the user with one-sided attack rights.

Not only was there a big difference in reach due to the size difference, but I also had a spear, so it was inevitably disadvantageous for the axe, which needs to be close to exert its power.

Lastly, flow.

In the end, combat is a physical activity, so it inevitably moves according to a certain flow.

To lead the battle advantageously, one needs to restrict or guide the opponent’s movements, and with a two-handed axe, it’s difficult to take the initiative from a spear, so he probably tried to create a flow by charging in, but.

An ordinary spear might be one thing, but how could a spear made for me, with my large build, to wield be ordinary?

With a thickness equal to a decent orc’s forearm and a length twice that of the orcs, it was impossible to break with strength alone.

In the end, for Karakt to win, he needed to get inside, even if it meant rolling on the ground.

Of course, I’m confident in close combat too, so I had no intention of losing, but this was Karakt’s only way to win.

In the end, being at a disadvantage in both size and distance, and failing to take the flow, Karakt’s defeat was predetermined.

Clang―

The axe was deflected outward again.

The completely open upper body was full of openings, and Karakt, knowing this, hurriedly pulled back his axe.

He seemed to be pulling with all his might, as Karakt’s face turned bright red.

‘I should end this soon.’

I pulled back the spear to take a stance, then stepped forward with my right foot and thrust the spear.

“Kua―ack―!”

The axe, swung with a loud battle cry, fell with enough force to break the spear.

I swayed the spear tip to bring it to the side of the axe blade with the same momentum I had thrust.

“Uh―.”

Then I twisted my wrist inward to deflect the axe downward.

As the spear tip rotated in the same direction as the axe’s downward strike, the axe fell to the ground with its momentum, and Karakt’s posture completely collapsed due to the full force he had put into it.

“That’s it.”

The spear, which had deflected the axe and continued forward, stopped in front of the wide-open chest.

Karakt looked at the spear tip that had come right up to his nose in an awkward posture, then dropped his axe.

“…I’ve lost.”

-Woah―aah―!

Ignoring the loud cheers behind me, I extended my hand to Karakt, who grasped it with difficulty.

“Is it okay for them to be so happy when the chief lost?”
“A duel is sacred. It’s only natural to bless the winner, regardless of who it is.”

I forcibly pulled him up by the hand, and Karakt staggered for a moment before regaining his posture.

“Even if the chief is defeated, it’s the law to accept the result.”

-Woah―!

“…They seem a bit too happy, though.”

The orcs, excited, threw various things into the air, and I noticed a furball floating in the sky.

-Boss―! Save me―!

Perhaps because it was just the right size for throwing. I shook my head as I watched Chik-chik flying through the air like it was being tossed in celebration.

If it gets really dangerous, it will probably come down using magic.

-I said save me―!

Crackle―

-Ha―hahaha―!
-Pffft―!

The Red Claw tribe held a feast to honor their fallen warriors.

They had intended to honor the warriors by catching the Tarasque, but since it had already died by my hand, they decided to use the meat I brought as an offering to appease the warriors’ grudges instead.

Slap―

“How could you do that!”
“I said I’m sorry.”

Chik-chik eventually used magic to escape. As a result, it now had a patch near its neck, and its pitiful gaze made me feel sorry.

Who could have known they wouldn’t stop until sunset?

I had supported the wobbly-legged Karakt back to the village, thinking Chik-chik would return on its own, but the orcs continued to play excitedly outside by themselves.

In the end, as the sun was setting, Chik-chik, feeling a threat to its life, used magic to escape.

“That was really too much….”

Slap―

It tried hard to cover the patch by pulling other fur, but the empty feeling like a gaping hole couldn’t be hidden.

In the end, it just sadly looked at the skinned area without a handful of fur and lashed my back with its tail.

Usually, stroking its head would have been enough to appease its anger, but….

Slap―

It lashed my hand with its tail, not even allowing me to touch it.

‘Should I catch a bear for it on the way back?’

If I had known it would be like this, I should have saved it despite the hassle.

Still, the fact that it climbed onto my neck suggests there’s still room for reconciliation, which is fortunate.

I smiled bitterly and offered it some grilled skewer, which it accepted and ate, seemingly not disliking it.

For now, I’ll leave it be until its anger subsides.

“Hey―! Brother―!”

As I wandered around the village, trying to recall where bears might live, Karakt approached. Judging by his steady legs, he seems to have recovered already.

“Are you enjoying the feast?”
“More or less?”
“It’s for the fallen warriors, so please don’t hold back and enjoy yourself.”

-The warriors would want that too.

Saying that, Karakt walked around the village with us.

We shared drinks with the orcs, received thanks from the bereaved families, and eventually settled in a quiet open space.

‘Even that full moon gets boring when you see it every day.’

As I looked up at the always round blue moon thinking that, Karakt carefully opened his mouth.

“Brother. May I ask you one thing?”
“As long as it’s not too troublesome.”
“Well…. It might be a bit of a difficult question, but….”

He hesitated for a moment, then sighed and spoke again.

“Is my nephew, Kart, doing well?”