Isekai Lizardman Survival Log

After staying in Kandol village for a night, we headed towards the Red Claw tribe.

“Come visit us again meow!”

Nabi, who had been giving off a gloomy atmosphere, seemed to have recovered after a night’s sleep and came out to see us off with a bright mood.

Next to Nabi was Goof, wrapped in bandages all over his body, smiling meaningfully as he bid us farewell.

“Kekeke… Next time, I’ll give you a proper reception…”

Though his words were ordinary, perhaps because he looked like a goat, it was quite suspicious. But I pushed my doubts aside and accepted their send-off.

“Stay healthy∼.”

With Lulu’s cheerful words as the last, our group quietly started walking.

As we headed towards the Red Claw tribe, I recalled the conversation I had with Goof before leaving.

-Did I know that Ur performed human sacrifice…? Young dragon Rex, I’m sorry, but I didn’t know…. If I had known, wouldn’t I have isolated or subdued him…?

-Young dragon Rex, as you know, our village has no magicians…. We can only sense something strange by smell or aura…. We couldn’t have known before the incident happened….

-To think we were defeated so easily…. Kekeke…, you’re touching a sore spot…. If I were to make an excuse, we just had an aversion to turning our claws against family…. Our village has almost no warriors, you see….

As expected, Kandol village couldn’t be counted on for much military assistance.

But leaving them alone might result in them ambushing us from behind or cutting off our retreat, which would be troublesome.

They’re like a chicken rib, but we have to find meaning in preventing potential dangers.

-Hmm…? Did someone contact Ur, you ask…? Well…. Since our village has no magicians, to learn magic, one would have to learn from an outsider….

-Hmm…. Wait a moment…. Yes, there was a human among the strangers…. Hmm? No trolls, you say…? What would trolls have to gain by coming to our village….

-Anyway…, a human did come…. They didn’t particularly look like a magician…. This is the only thing that stands out…. If Ur learned something, it might have been from that human….

‘A human…’

This has become troublesome. In the forest, no one moving alone, regardless of race, is not suspicious.

But for a human from outside the forest to visit Kandol village, located quite deep in the forest? And alone at that?

It smells fishy.

If it had been a troll, I could have thought, “Well, trolls will be trolls,” but it had to be a human…

‘Should we be wary of outside the forest too?’

It’s unlikely, but if an expeditionary force or something similar comes to subjugate us, it would be quite troublesome.

After this matter is settled, we’ll need to keep an eye on the situation outside the forest too.

“Sigh―.”
“Is there a problem?”
“No―. It’s nothing―.”
“He must be nervous∼.”

As Lulu said, Kart seemed nervous, breathing heavily, which I think is understandable.

It’s his first visit to the tribe since being exiled, and he’s going to have his coming-of-age ceremony too, so it’s natural to be nervous.

Moreover, he’s been designated as the successor along with the sad news about Karakt, so the pressure must be immense.

From our perspective, if Kart becomes the successor, we won’t have to worry about the relationship between our village and the Red Claw tribe breaking down, let alone the alliance.

Putting aside such political reasons, as a friend and family, I hope Kart does well.

He must have come forward like this because he wants to reconcile with the tribe members, right?

“No need to be nervous.”
“I know that―, but it’s not easy―.”
“Then let’s take deep breaths∼. Hic∼hic∼hoo∼.”
“Hic―! Hic―! Hoo―!”

Is that really how you’re supposed to relax? Even if it is, you’re not supposed to breathe so loudly.

Kart, who exhaled loudly as if wanting to show off his lung capacity, seemed to have relaxed a bit, his complexion looking brighter.

Well, if the result is good, it’s all good, right? As long as it works, it doesn’t matter if I feel a bit odd about it.

Kart, repeatedly taking deep breaths loudly with a brighter complexion, seemed so focused that he didn’t notice Lulu’s tail wrapped around his hand.

He was unconsciously kneading the tail without noticing – was he doing it on purpose, or was he really that distracted?

Shaking my head, I moved my feet quickly.

Nothing particularly eventful happened until our group arrived at the Red Claw tribe.

Kart did cause a commotion when he belatedly realized Lulu’s tail was in his hand, but.

Fortunately, a rabbit jumped in, cutting Kart’s lecture short.

Lulu kept wagging her tail happily, hovering around Kart.

As we arrived at the Red Claw tribe, Kart took a deep breath, seeming nervous again.

“Hoo―up. Ha―ah―.”

They seemed to have noticed my large figure from over there and were bustling about, which made Kart’s complexion turn pale with heightened tension.

“Why are you so nervous?”
“Sigh―. Sorry―.”
“Relax∼.”

As Lulu wrapped her tail around his hand again, Kart reflexively kneaded it, then turned to Lulu in surprise.

“Lu―lu―!”
“Woah∼.”

He shouted loudly as if intending to exhale all the air he had inhaled, and Lulu, seemingly enjoying it, covered her ears and ran away.

“All that tension is gone now.”
“Indeed.”

Lulu dodged here and there, running away while walking a tightrope of almost being caught by Kart.

Is it just my imagination that his back, chasing after her knowing this fact, doesn’t look particularly angry?

The way he just kneads the tail whenever it’s put in his hand, does Kart actually like Lulu?

As I was blankly watching their game of tag, someone came out from the Red Claw tribe.

“Hmm…. You’ve grown up healthy―.”

Karakt, who came out first, looked at the two and spoke with a relieved voice, as if glad.

Even though I had reported that he was healthy, it seems Karakt couldn’t feel at ease until he saw with his own eyes.

Well, hearing about someone’s well-being through others and seeing it directly with your own eyes are different.

Karakt’s gaze at his only blood relative was a mix of nostalgia and affection.

But behind those emotions, guilt and regret were stained, so he couldn’t approach carelessly and just stood there blankly.

“Kart―!”
“Rex?!”

Disliking this stifling scene, I called out to Kart loudly, which made someone next to me yelp in surprise.

“Whoa―…?”

Responding to my call, Kart’s gaze turned this way, or more precisely, to my side, and he froze like a stone.

As a suffocating silence continued, I pushed Karakt from behind out of frustration.

“Wait…!”
“Uh―.”

Unable to step back, Kart looked at his uncle who was awkwardly being pushed forward, still frozen like a stone.

“Yah∼!”
“Huh―!”

When Lulu pushed him from behind with her shoulder, he stepped forward, seeming flustered.

“Ahem―.”

In the quiet atmosphere as if time had stopped, Karakt’s forced cough echoed loudly.

“…Well, it seems you’ve been doing well.”
“…Yes.”

I shivered from a cold that couldn’t possibly be felt in this freezing awkwardness.

“Let’s go in first.”
“And leave them like that?”
“We shouldn’t interfere carelessly in others’ family matters.”

Lulu, who had approached without notice, seemed to agree, nodding her head repeatedly. Judging by her bushy tail sticking out, she must have disliked the awkward atmosphere.

Leaving the awkward uncle and nephew behind, we headed towards the village. The orcs who had come with Karakt also returned to the village one by one.

Seeing that there was still no conversation between the two, it seems we’ll have to wait for quite a while.

“Ahem―. I’ve shown an unsightly side.”
“No, it wasn’t particularly unsightly.”

-Ahem―!

Karakt cleared his throat again and continued.

“Since it’s late, we’ve decided to start Kart’s coming-of-age ceremony from tomorrow.”
“I see.”

Clearly, the sun hadn’t even reached its zenith when we arrived at the Red Claw tribe, but while the awkward uncle and nephew were catching up, the sun had set.

Karakt seemed to know this too, repeatedly clearing his throat in embarrassment and averting his gaze, but unfortunately, his eyes met Kart’s, making things awkward again.

“So, is there anything needed for preparation?”

Sensing that the conversation wouldn’t progress if left alone, I opened my mouth. Karakt turned his head as if snapping out of it.

His expression didn’t change, but relief was evident in his eyes, which was better than Kart whose feelings were openly displayed on his face.

“Ahem―. We’ve prepared most things on our side.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes―. Except for a few things Kart needs to get himself, everything is prepared, so don’t worry.”

I had asked other orcs about the Red Claw tribe’s coming-of-age ceremony, but what we’re having this time could hardly be called an ordinary coming-of-age ceremony.

Thinking there might be some different preparations needed, I had hurried my steps, but it seems most things were prepared on their side.

“What does Kart need to get himself?”
“The prey. It’s proof that he’s become a warrior who can go hunting alone and bring back prey.”

The prey… This much was as I had heard.

“However, since Kart is my successor and the future chief, it’s a bit different.”

Reacting to the word ‘successor’, Kart snapped to attention and pricked up his ears, focusing on the conversation.

“First, we’ll start with paying respects to the ancestors and performing the ritual. Then, he needs to prove to the ancestors that he has the qualities of a chief.”
“Prove… how?”

Karakt drained his cup with a serious face and sighed.

“Even I don’t know that. The ancestors will surely choose appropriately… At least, they won’t demand something impossible like an ogre, so you can rest easy.”
“That’s really reassuring.”

No matter how battle-crazed orcs are, asking to bring back an ogre doesn’t make sense.

Besides, even if it’s not an ogre, the forest is full of monsters at the top of the food chain that are too much for solo hunting.

“Didn’t you do anything special?”
“Hmm―. For me, it wasn’t a coming-of-age ceremony―, but when I inherited the position of chief, I was told to bring back a wild boar as prey―.”

If it’s a wild boar, Kart should be able to hunt one alone, so that’s fine. Surely they won’t say he’s an exile or a traitor’s child and tell him to hunt a bear or something ridiculous.

Glancing at Kart, he seemed relieved at the mention of a wild boar and took a sip from his cup. As if drunk, he was unconsciously fiddling with Lulu’s tail.

When Lulu moved her tail slightly as if ticklish, he moved his hand to follow the tail. Despite complaining every day, he sure chases after Lulu’s tail a lot.

Karakt seemed to notice this too, as he took a sip from his cup and quietly averted his eyes.

Judging by his raised mouth corners, he didn’t seem to care much about the fact that Lulu was of a different species. Perhaps the animal-loving trait is inherent in their bloodline.

I took a sip from my cup, thinking about how the two would have flared up in anger if they had realized.

The blue moon shone softly, as if blessing the two.

The next day.

Kart was told by the ancestors to hunt a bear.