BXBX NOVEL Chapter 123 Lizardman Village Pt.I
There were somethings you could say to timber wolves that wouldn’t really upset them. You could tell them that their fur was dirty and they would ignore you. Say that they looked ugly and they really wouldn’t give two shits. Call them stupid and they might consider ripping you to shreds. Take or insult their pride, and oh boy, you had another sort of hell waiting for you.
So, when this lizard man asked for Shiroi’s kill, there was definitely hell coming.
With a single bark, he was forced deeper into the marshy ground.
‘I’ll deal with you later.’
She changed her attention to the giant crocodile that was still staring at us. Her size gradually increased as she approached it. Without any form of stress, she stomped on its head, killing it in one hit.
[You have received 1200 experience points]
The percentage I got from my servants’ experience points was barely enough to do anything for me. I needed to find a way to level up quickly.
I jumped off her back and walked towards it.
‘Shiroi, you mind if I eat this?’
‘Feel free to do as you wish, master.’
‘Thanks.’
I started to devour the mossidile without mercy. It tasted like grass alongside trash juice. Well, what I assumed was grass and trash juice. Not like I had ever tried any of those before in my previous life. Yep! I never tried any of those! Do not assume anything.
[You have acquired the skill [Mossy Scales]]
[You have acquired the skill [Trap Setting]]
[You have acquired the ability [Hunter’s Patience]]
[You have acquired the ability [Quick Attack]]
[You have acquired the ability [Snap]]
[You have acquired the ability [Bite]]
[You have acquired the skill [Tail Whip]]
‘Oi. Lizardman.’
I called out the sinking scaled guy. He shakily responded to me.
“Y-Yes?”
‘Take us to your village. In exchange, I’ll give you this thing’s skull.’
“S-Seriously?”
‘Master!’
Both he and Shiroi showed complete shock, which I found to be amusing.
‘Relax. Relax. I’ll let him say he took care of the monster.’
‘But Master! That is dishonorable!’
I knew Shiroi would react like this eventually. Fortunately, I possessed a speech for a moment just like this.
‘Shiroi, what does honour mean to you?’
‘What does honour mean to me?’
‘Well yes. Is it the kill that everyone knows you made? Is it boasting loudly your exploits for the world to hear? Or is it helping the weak in their time of need?’
She looked down for a moment, as if in deep thought.
‘It should be helping the weak in their time of need.’
‘It should? Shiroi, I asked what ‘your’ sense of honour was.’
‘My sense of honour? I… I… I-‘
‘It’s ok. Just give yourself sometime to think about it. For now, mine is saying to give this to him. We have no need for it either way.’
I threw the head at him and jumped onto Shiroi’s back. Now that I was away from her gaze, I could lay down and relax. It was a bit overwhelming standing before her like that as if I were her better.
‘Still… this honour crap I started talking about… what was I going to say again?’
I couldn’t help but feel like I was planning to tell her something, but I simply couldn’t remember. It was this annoying itch in my brain. Something wasn’t right, but I could ignore it for now.
‘And you… haven’t I seen you somewhere before?’
I asked the dazed lizardman. He flinched when he realized I was talking to him and backed away.
“I-It is I… do you not remember me?”
‘Who are you?’
“I was just at your place a week ago.”
‘…’
“Lizardman adventurer? Explorer of the unknown? Great Lizardman hero?”
‘Hey, Sylv. Do you know him?’
“Um… I believe he was the slave from before.”
“Eeek!”
He yelped and stumbled backwards.
‘Slave?’
“Wrong! I am no slave!’
He shrieked like some kind of brat and that hurt my sensitive ears.
‘Shut your trap, you shitty slave.’
“I am no sla- EEOOWW!“
I didn’t allow him to finish that sentence. A simple rock canon to his face was all it took to shut him up. He fell, followed by the sound of water splashing.
‘Listen here. I don’t care about who the hell you think you are, but don’t shout. It annoys the living hell out of me. Do you know where the tyrant lives?’
“Zana of the Swamp? I am not sure of where she lives. Maybe someone in my village would know.”
‘In that case, can you just direct us to your village?’
He sat up immediately and held his long mouth angrily.
“Yes. I can direct you to my village! But did you need to throw a rock at me?”
‘This guy… a rock canon was just like a simple rock throw to him? What the heck is up with his defenses? Even if my rock canon is kind of weak, I’m sure it’d cave a human’s face in with no trouble whatsoever. Not that I was planning on killing him…’
“I demand compensation for my face!”
‘How about I just don’t throw a rock canon of higher level at you again.’
“That is not compensation, that is-“
In my hands a sharp pointy rock the size of a block was forming. One shot and I was certain I could pierce his skin this time.
“On second thought, why don’t I just take you to my village with no problems. I’m sure you’ll love it there. Lots of faces you can destroy with that thing.”
‘Glad we’re on the same page.’
I dropped the rock canon and we followed after him.
“Big Sister… why didn’t you kill him?”
‘Um… Ulva, I don’t think you should be asking such questions.’
“Really? But Kawaii said I should find ways to help you kill threats.”
‘K-Kawaii said that? That slime is also very scary. Who knows what kind of mind set she developed after eating that human?’
After some time, we managed to reach a point where the fog wasn’t nearly as thick. The ground was more stable although still mushy. I could make out straw huts with stable footing and people with brown, green and yellow scales walking about normally. They all stopped to look at us as we entered though.
‘Master… why are they all looking at us?’
Amethyst asked from beneath my cover.
‘Don’t think much about it, Amethyst. They’re probably not use to seeing strangers.’
I could feel Ulva tugging at my cloth shyly. Sylv too shrunk her form to hide from the gazes before we even entered.
The place looked like a fishing village. With their large hats and fishing nets in hand. Although I didn’t see any boats around. [Hunter] said that lizardmen couldn’t swim like fishes. At best, the average lizardman was a better swimmer than the average human was all.
Still, I didn’t think the gaze would be this much even if we weren’t from their village. It was too odd. Or maybe I was overthinking it. My inability to deal with several eyes was starting to get me anxious. My heart rate increased. However, almost immediately I was calmed down.
I looked at the Lizard man. He wasn’t looking up. His way of walking was weird. His back was hunched up and his eyes kept facing down, periodically glancing at the other lizard men. I knew that gaze. I recognized this situation. This guy was being bullied. By everyone. They weren’t looking at us. Rather, they were looking at him.
It now made more sense why he wanted that monster’s head.
“Hey, look who it is. The shitty adventurer.”
One lizardman sitting on one of the built platforms said mockingly.
“Have you returned with your party of explorers?”
He asked.
“Ignore him. He’s a bit annoying.”
We listened to the lizardman and kept walking in a straight path.
“Are you ignoring me? Adventurer!”
The bully kept on shouting, but at this point we were quite some distance from him.
“Last I heard, you were enslaved by some humans!”
At this point he was basically trying to create a scene. Looking at the lizardman, this wasn’t going to work. Good. The less incidents that happened, the better for us. It wouldn’t be good if anyone caught on to the fact that we killed some of their members. We would just ask for the tyrant’s whereabouts then leave quietly.
“Come on, you lot. I’ll take you to my hut, where we can rest for the day.”
‘Huh? We don’t plan on resting here. We just wish to know where the tyrant is right now.’
“Seriously? B-But aren’t you tired after killing the mossidile?”
‘Do we look tired?’
He took one good look at us and must have seen that we were all at peak. This trip had barely been an inconvenience. In fact, it had allowed me to explore a tiny bit, but that didn’t mean I was willing to spend even a single night in a place I didn’t know.
“T-True. However, you lot should stick with me for now.”
‘Why is that?’
“E-Erhm… um… that is… that is because only the chief knows where the tyrant is!”
‘So?’
“Only I can introduce you to the chief.”
‘Why is it that only you can introduce us to the chief?’
“I-I have a sp-special relationship with him! He will accept any audience from me, no matter when.”
His arms were spread wide while he blocked our path. He really didn’t want us talking to anyone else.
‘Is that so? Ok then.’
“R-Really? I mean, ye-“
‘Sike! Shiroi. Go back so we ask that other lizardman.’
She jumped over him and ran towards the guy who was sitting aimlessly in the village.
“WAIT!”
It was too late. We were already gone. I had nothing against him. In fact, I could sympathize with him. Being the laughing stock of the entire class probably didn’t compare to being the laughing stock of the entire village, but it was fundamentally the same thing.
‘Sorry bud, but my life is more important to me than yours.’