Isekai Lizardman Survival Log

Seedless watermelon. No, we left the tribe in a solemn atmosphere after hearing Karakt’s circumstances.

“…He looks perfectly normal. I wonder how that happened…”
“It must mean the battle was that fierce…”

After all, battle is about killing the opponent, so all means and methods are used.

If there’s leisure, one might aim for the neck or heart for a clean kill, but if there’s no time, one must fight desperately, whether by throwing sand or aiming for vital points.

Whether others call it cowardly or not, you have to do whatever it takes to survive.

Kruta was the tribe’s strongest warrior, and all brothers rose up to kill him, they said.

In the end, all brothers except Karakt died, so the difference in skill must have been extreme.

Even if he was on his last breath, given the large difference in strength, perhaps he deliberately exposed his vital point to end it for sure.

Of course, this is all just personal speculation.

Maybe it was crushed for a completely different reason, so only Karakt would know the truth.

Shaking off these idle thoughts that made my legs weak just imagining them, I crossed the forest.

“Chik-chik.”
“No.”
“I haven’t said anything yet.”
“You’re going to tell me to pluck my fur, aren’t you?”

Slap―

I thought its mood had improved a bit since it didn’t refuse handling, but it seems that’s not the case.

Can’t be helped. It’ll be very troublesome and inconvenient, but we have no choice but to go back the way we came.

I sighed looking at the trees blocking our path and turned around.

If I didn’t have the spear, I could have squeezed through, but I couldn’t throw away the spear just because it was cumbersome, so we had to take the long way around.

“…We finally arrived.”
“I told you we should have plucked just one fur.”

Slap

The tail hitting my back lacked strength, as if tired. I stroked the limp Chik-chik and smiled bitterly.

The vitality of this forest is so strong that trees grow noticeably in just a day, so we had to take a completely different path than when we came.

I don’t mind being scratched by branches because my scales are tough, but Chik-chik isn’t like that, so we had to sweat avoiding the long-grown branches.

Moreover, because the path had changed, we ended up wandering around, so Chik-chik looked even more tired than me who had moved directly.

I smiled bitterly and stroked the head of Chik-chik, who was slumped like a corpse, and it made a whining sound, seemingly exhausted.

As we passed through the clearing where all the stumps had been removed, apparently tidied up in the meantime, and entered the village, it was still bustling as if the festival’s aftermath remained.

Perhaps because the fishing industry was ruined, jeers poured out as we crossed the drinking party that had started in broad daylight.

Ignoring the drunks’ jeers, I headed towards the central square where Jamel was sitting at his stall with a tired face.

“Jamel? Why are you here instead of the south?”
“…Sigh. Don’t even ask.”

Jamel sighed and rubbed his face.

I was curious why he, who had stubbornly insisted on staying near the south gate, was here, and why his stall, which usually only attracted flies, was empty.

“Those damn pig bastards…”

With Jamel’s one remark, I understood the situation. It must have been those guys intoxicated by the sauce Jamel had spread back then.

I hadn’t had time to tell the old man, but impatient guys wouldn’t wait quietly.

I could easily imagine them grabbing Jamel and forcibly dragging him here.

Jamel is weaker than he looks, so even if just three people ganged up on him, he probably couldn’t resist and was dragged here.

“But business must be good now.”
“I never wanted that…”

Jamel sighed again and took out an apple from his pocket, throwing one each to me and Chik-chik.

Chik-chik, who had been slumped like slime, seemed to perk up at the smell of the apple and quickly caught it.

“Nom!”

I took a bite while watching Chik-chik hurriedly stuffing the apple into its mouth.

As I looked at Jamel, feeling a sense of dissonance from the pulp that still tasted like pineapple, he waved his hand as if bothered.

“Jamel, do you know where the old man is?”
“The chief went to the lake.”
“I see. Thanks.”

As I was about to leave after throwing the remaining apple core into my mouth, a thought crossed my mind.

“Ah, right. Jamel.”
“What is it?”
“We’ve formed an alliance with the Red Claw tribe this time.”

At the name of the Red Claw tribe, Jamel’s face soured.

“I’ve already talked about you, but they might treat you a bit harshly, so be careful.”

That’s because the Black Vine tribe Jamel belonged to is a target of revenge for the Red Claw tribe.

Although Jamel has been expelled from his tribe, the fact that he’s from the Black Vine tribe doesn’t change.

“…I understand.”

Jamel sighed deeply and rubbed his face.

For nearly 10 years, the Black Vine tribe had aggressively expanded their power, swallowing up two other tribes, and in the process, many had suffered, including the Red Claw tribe and our village.

While it might have been different before, the current Jamel must have mixed feelings about this in many ways.

I waved half-heartedly to Jamel, whose expression was souring as if he might collapse at any moment, and headed towards the south gate.

Perhaps because Jamel had been forcibly dragged here, there wasn’t even a shadow of a person near the south gate, making the street itself look lonely.

‘I need to think of a solution for this.’

For now, if we take Kart to the Red Claw tribe this time, maybe this place will become lively too.

If only that guy’s voice wasn’t so loud, it wouldn’t have become such a desolate scene.

“Oh―, Re―x―! You’re back―!”
“…Yeah.”

Let me correct that. Not just a little, but a lot quieter.

I wondered if I had become weaker after not hearing it for just a day, as I had a ringing in my ears, and as for Chik-chik, it seemed to have woken up with a start only to collapse again as if running away.

I shook my head hard to get rid of the ringing piercing my brain and looked at Kart, seeing his energetic face.

‘He really is of the same bloodline.’

I could see Karakt’s face in Kart’s. Even though they’re uncle and nephew, they looked so alike they could pass for parent and child.

“Kart. It’s about time for your coming-of-age ceremony, isn’t it?”
“Hmm―! That’s right―!”

He shouted loudly, seemingly excited at the mention of the coming-of-age ceremony.

Since I’m the only lizardman and don’t know the traditions, the old man just did it casually for me, but Kart probably has high expectations since there are adults from the same tribe.

“We’ve just formed an alliance with the Red Claw tribe, how about having it there?”
“…The Red Claw tribe, you say…”

His face, which had been excited with anticipation for the coming-of-age ceremony, darkened at the mention of the Red Claw tribe.

It’s probably a symbol of love and hate for Kart, so there seemed to be some pent-up emotions somewhere in his heart.

“…I’m not sure if I should go.”

He cautiously expressed his concern.

In this barbaric world, having a coming-of-age ceremony means being recognized as a member of the tribe.

Kart had been exiled from the Red Claw tribe, so he expressed concern about whether he should go there, but.

“The chief personally invited you. No one will say anything.”
“…You mean my uncle.”

He pondered for a moment at the mention that Karakt had invited him, then nodded with a determined face.

“Alright! I can’t keep holding it in my heart forever!”

Pffft―!

“I’ll resolve all my feelings related to the tribe! And my relationship with my uncle too―!”

Kart shouted loudly, affirming his resolve, especially emphasizing when mentioning Karakt.

“Were you close with Karakt?”
“…Hmm. Uncle often played with me. He was a good person.”

He looked into the air with a distant gaze, seemingly recalling memories with Karakt. Fortunately, it seems their relationship wasn’t bad.

“That’s good. Karakt seemed to want to make you his successor, I was worried about what to do if your relationship was bad.”
“Hm? Make me his successor? Don’t tell me he hasn’t married yet? Why?”
“Ah, he said his egg was broken.”
“…?”

Leaving Kart, who had suddenly frozen, behind, I hurried my steps towards the lake.

“Pffft―?!”

-What do you mean by that―! Re―x―!

“Ow, my head hurts.”

It was so loud that my head was ringing even though I had hurried my steps.

I tapped my ear holes to shake off the ringing piercing my brain, and Chik-chik flowed down like liquid. Its eyes were spinning, making it look like it had fainted, so I carefully placed it on my neck.

If I, with my dull hearing, was dizzy, it must have been a big shock for Chik-chik with its sensitive ears and small body.

Fixing my upper body to prevent Chik-chik from falling, I headed towards the lakeshore, where a giant coiled snake came into view.

“Old man―!”

The old man, who seemed to have lost energy in just a day, looking even more gaunt, slowly turned his head.

“…Yes. You’re back.”
“Yes. I resolved things well.”

As I approached, I saw that his scales, which had been full of vitality, were now dry and cracked, but fortunately, his eyes still shone golden, suggesting he could still hold on.

“How are you feeling?”
“Well… A bit heavy.”
“I see.”

Haah―

I couldn’t help but sigh. Probably the period he can move actively like this, coming outside for sunbathing, won’t last long.

In just a few days, he’ll probably be cooped up in his room waiting for death, like before.

‘I need to meet the elves quickly.’

Judging by the old man’s condition, it seemed difficult to last even three months, let alone half a year. Maybe he could last half a year if he stayed cooped up in his room all day, barely alive.

“…So, which tribe was it?”
“The Red Claw tribe. We formed an alliance on the way.”
“The Red Claw tribe… They’re good folks. They might have declined now, but their potential hasn’t gone anywhere.”

The old man stared blankly at the lake as if recalling the past, then shrunk his neck.

“…The trolls will pick a fight.”
“Well, yes… We’ve completely fallen out with them now.”

Tsk―

“Be careful. Trolls are skilled in magic, so you never know what tricks they might pull.”
“You should handle that part, old man. You’re the only proper magician in our village.”
“You’re relying too much on an old man who’s about to die.”

The old man’s every action seemed listless, probably due to his decreased stamina, in stark contrast to his energetic movements not long ago.

If the medicine was still effective, he might have confidently said to leave it to him. No, he might have even suggested attacking the trolls first.

My heart grew heavier as I clearly realized how the old man’s health had deteriorated.

“…Rex. Now that we’ve set foot in the forest, we won’t be as safe as before. Other forces will also approach us.”

-Whether that will be positive or negative, I don’t know.

Forces… Politics is headache-inducing, but we can’t avoid it.

“…You need to choose carefully. The fate of our village depends on your choice.”

The die has already been cast.

The Red Claw tribe is an ally, so white.

The Black Vine tribe is hostile, so black.

The rest are gray.

Among the gray factions, those with connections to the Black Vine should be considered potential enemies and excluded, while forces related to the Red Claw tribe are more likely to be drawn in as allies, but…

‘First, exclude the Blue Tusk and Green Skin.’

Excluding those who can’t communicate and those who would suck our blood, what’s left is…