“So from now on, we need to act as good role models—we need to be even more loyal to Lord Ainz. Of course, I don’t think anyone has tried to rebel against him besides you.”
“Yeah, by the way, Shalltear, how about this? I’ll promise you a high position, so—” Éclair started on one of his usual invitations—a scheme that could never succeed—but a strange noise interrupted him.
“Agh-gh-gh-gh-gh-gh.”
Both of them looked at Shalltear, who was holding her head in her hands. Through her groaning, it sounded like she was murmuring, “I’m loyal, I swear I’m loyal…”
“…Really, though, what happened? She’s not talking like she usually does, either.”
In response to Éclair’s bewilderment, the sous-chef shook his head and shrugged. “Who knows?”
Chapter 2 | Gathering Lizardmen
1
Zaryusu had been riding Rororo through the marsh for half a day. The sun had climbed high into the sky, but the enemy encounter he’d been fearing hadn’t occurred, and he reached his destination safely.
There were several dwellings built in the marsh in the same way Green Claw’s were, and wooden posts sharpened to a point surrounded the area, facing outward. The posts had large gaps between them, but they would prevent a larger monster like Rororo from invading. This village had fewer houses than Green Claw had, but the buildings themselves were larger. For that reason, it was hard to tell which tribe’s population was higher. One of the buildings had a flag waving outside. On it was the Red Eye tribe’s emblem.
Yes, this was the first destination Zaryusu had chosen, the Red Eye village.
After taking a quick scan around, he breathed a sigh of relief. It was extremely good luck they were still living in the same area of the marsh as they had a long time ago. Since it was possible that they’d moved due to the war, he’d thought he might have to start by searching around for them.
Zaryusu turned to look back the way he came. He could see his own village. They must be in a huge hurry to get ready. Now that he was away, he felt anxious, but he could safely assume there was practically no chance of their being attacked.
That he’d made it here in one piece was proof of that.
Was the Great One or whoever off his guard? Or had he expected Zaryusu’s actions? That wasn’t clear. At least for now, the enemy didn’t seem in the mood to break their promise or obstruct the lizardmen’s war prep. Of course, even if this great enemy did move to stop them, Zaryusu’s only option was to do what he believed in.
He dismounted Rororo and stretched his back. His muscles were stiff from riding for so long, but stretching made them feel better, even good. Then he told Rororo to wait for him and gave him some dried fish from his bag for combined breakfast and lunch. He would rather have instructed him to procure his own food somewhere in the area, but considering that might involve infringing on the Red Eye tribe’s hunting grounds, he decided against it. After petting each of Rororo’s snake heads a couple of times, Zaryusu left him and set off walking.
With Rororo nearby, people might be wary of the hydra and not come out to meet him. Zaryusu was a messenger bringing an offer of alliance. He didn’t want to seem coercive or threatening.
His feet made a splish-splash noise in the water as he walked.
At the edge of his field of vision, he spotted several members of the Red Eye warrior caste walking parallel with him on the opposite side of the post enclosure. Their gear was no different from that of Green Claw’s warriors. They wore no armor and carried spears made from sharpened bones attached to sticks. Some had sling-like straps, so the fact that they didn’t have any rocks at the ready told him they had no immediate intent to attack.
He took care not to provoke them as he walked around to the main gate. Then he faced the lizardmen watching him from the other side and raised his voice. “I’m Zaryusu Shasha of the Green Claw tribe. I want to have a word with this tribe’s chief!”
Eventually—it wasn’t a terribly short amount of time, but it certainly wasn’t long—an elderly lizardman with a gnarled staff and white symbols on his body appeared. Five robust lizardmen followed behind.
A priest?
Zaryusu stood proudly. Right now they were equal. He couldn’t bow his head. Even when the priest’s eyes moved to the brand on his chest, he maintained the same posture.
“I’m Zaryusu Shasha from the Green Claw tribe. I have something to discuss with your chief.”
“I won’t say it was good of you to come, but it seems the one who leads our tribe will see you. Follow me.”
The strange turn of phrase confused Zaryusu for a moment. Why not “chief”? And they didn’t even ask for proof that he was who he said he was. He didn’t want to begin the conversation too clumsily and upset them. Despite feeling that something was off, he silently followed.
The hut they led him to was a fine dwelling. In terms of his own tribe, it was even bigger than his brother’s house. Patterns in rare dyes decorated the walls, which spoke to the high status of the one who lived there.
One thing that caught his attention was the lack of windows; the only openings were small holes here and there for air. Like all lizardmen, Zaryusu could see fine in the dark, but that didn’t mean he preferred living in it. So why is their leader staying in such a dark room? Zaryusu wondered, but there didn’t seem to be anyone who could answer for him.
He turned around. The priest and warriors who had guided him there were already gone. Initially, he’d thought leaving him alone was incredibly imprudent, to the point where he even indirectly asked them about it. But when they said that they were leaving because the acting chief wished it, his opinion of the person waiting in the room jumped.
Despite what he’d said to his brother, Zaryusu didn’t expect to make it back unscathed, but for the Red Eye tribe to surround him with armed warriors and pressure him would have been useless. Probably the first thing he would have felt was disappointment at their caliber as warriors. But if they’d read him so well and were acting generous… They might be good negotiators, difficult to deal with…
Ignoring the sensation of distant eyes on him, he approached the door and raised his voice. “I am Zaryusu Shasha of the Green Claw tribe. I’ve been told the leader of this tribe is here! Allow me to come in!”
He heard a quiet sound, a hoarse female voice giving him permission to enter.
Zaryusu pushed open the door with no hesitation. Inside it was dark, as he expected. The contact with the light outside made him blink even though he could see in the dark. The smell that wafted out was something like an herbal bath, a pungent mix of greens. He figured the one inside would be an elderly female, but what he found completely overturned his expectations.
“Good of you to come,” a voice said to him from the darkness. From the other side of the door, she’d sounded old, but now he could hear youthful energy.
Once his eyes adjusted, she came into view.
She’s white.
That was his first impression.
Her scales were white like snow without a single impurity. Her deep crimson eyes sparkled like rubies. Her slender body was not masculine but feminine. White-and-red symbols covered her. They meant she was an adult, that she was proficient in many types of spells—and that she was single.
What does it feel like to be stabbed with a spear? Zaryusu knew. First, a hot, burning sensation shot through the body, and with every heartbeat came a sharp, all-encompassing pain. And that’s how Zaryusu was feeling right now.
It didn’t hurt. It just…
He simply stood there, not saying anything.
How did she interpret his silence? A cynical smile appeared on her face.
“So I look strange even to the bearer of Frost Pain, one of the Four Great Treasures, hmm?”
Albinos are extremely rare in nature—in part because they stick out, which makes surviving difficult.
In lizardman society, the situation was similar. They weren’t quite civi
lized enough to guarantee the survival of members who had poor eyesight and were weak against sunlight. It was rare that albinos lived into adulthood, and in some cases, they were even culled at birth.
If the other lizardmen viewed albinos as just a nuisance, that would be tolerable, but in some cases they were even seen as monsters. That was the root of her cynicism.
But prejudice wasn’t Zaryusu’s issue.
“What’s the matter?” she asked, perplexed that he was still standing in front of the door, doing nothing.
Then, without replying to her question, he emitted a call with vibrato that ended on a high tone. Hearing that, the female’s eyes popped open and her jaw dropped slightly. She was part shocked, part confused, and part scandalized.
It was a mating call.
Zaryusu came back to himself, and realizing what he’d just done, what call he’d just unconsciously performed, he reacted in a way similar to a human blushing: His tail flailed around—so violently it seemed like he might damage the hut. “Ah no, I didn’t mean that. I mean…no, uh—”
Perhaps Zaryusu’s surprise and panic had the contrary effect of smoothing her feathers. Her teeth clacked as she smiled and said awkwardly, “Please calm down. It’ll just cause trouble for me if you get all rowdy.”
“Oh! Sorry.” He bobbed his head in apology and entered the house.
By this point, the female lizardman’s tail was drooping down and suggesting she had regained her composure, but the twitching tip showed that she hadn’t calmed down completely.
“Have a seat.” She indicated a cushion, which was woven out of some kind of plant, placed on the floor.
“Thanks.”
Zaryusu sat down, and she mirrored him.
“Pleased to meet you. I’m a traveler from the Green Claw tribe, Zaryusu Shasha.”
“Thank you for the polite introduction. I’m the acting chief of the Red Eye tribe, Crusch Lulu.”
Having finished with the formalities, they visually appraised each other.
Silence reigned in the hut for a little while, but it couldn’t stay like that forever. Zaryusu was a guest. The one to speak first had to be Crusch, the host.
“First of all, messenger, I don’t think there is any need for us to stand on ceremony. I’d like to speak with our mouths wide open, so feel free to relax.”
This meant she wanted to speak honestly, and Zaryusu nodded. “Thanks for that. I’m not used to speaking formally.”
“So, can I ask why you came here?” Crusch asked, although she had a pretty good idea. An undead suddenly appearing in the middle of the village; someone using the tier-four spell Control Cloud; this visiting male from another tribe, one who some called a hero. There was only one thing it could be. Crusch imagined how he would answer—and he demolished her expectations.
“Marry me.”
“…
“?
“?!
“Whaaaat?!” For a moment, she couldn’t believe her ears.
“Of course, that’s not the reason I came here. I fully understand I should get the real reason out of the way before moving on to this, but I can’t lie to myself. Feel free to laugh and call me a foolish man.”
“Uh, er, ah… Haaaa.” These words she’d never heard before, words she thought would never have anything to do with her, sent a storm of confusion ripping through her train of thought and tearing it irreparably apart.
Zaryusu smiled awkwardly at her and continued speaking. “Sorry. Really, my apologies. And during an emergency! You can let me know your answer later.”
“Uh, o-okay…” Somehow managing to put her mind back together, or perhaps reboot it, Crusch regained her composure. But she instantly remembered what he’d just said, and her temperature felt ready to skyrocket.
She looked over the male before her, making sure he didn’t notice. His countenance was extremely calm. How can he be so relaxed after saying something like that to me…? Is he out there courting all the time?! Or does he get propositioned a lot…? I mean, it did sound cool… Ahh, what am I thinking? This was his plan for sure! He wants to get me in the palm of his hand. Wh-why would he want to mate with me, anyway?
Crusch was so thrown off at being seen as a female for the first time that she didn’t have the wherewithal to notice the tip of Zaryusu’s tail spasming, too. The male before her was mobilizing every ounce of his mental energy to suppress the frank expression of all the things in his heart.
That was what created this lull. They both needed some quiet time under the veil of silence to cool down their dizzy heads.
Finally, after enough time had elapsed, Crusch thought they should return to their previous topic for starters. She was about to ask him again why he’d come to their village when she remembered what he said last time.
How can I ask now?!
Her tail kerwhapped the floor once, and the male in front of her jerked as if she’d hit him.
Crusch inwardly fretted that her behavior was too rude. Even if he was a traveler, he had still come as the representative of his tribe, and he wasn’t just any lizardman—he was the hero who possessed Frost Pain. He was too important to take this attitude with. But it’s your fault! More importantly, say something!
Unbeknownst to Crusch, who was busy controlling the volcano erupting inside her, Zaryusu had chosen silence out of shame for his indiscreet behavior.
The wordless void continued, and Crusch resigned herself to the fact that if this kept up there would be nothing she could do, but then finally, she thought to change the subject.
“Should I have expected that you wouldn’t be afraid of me?”
Her question, tinged with cynicism, was met with a silent query from Zaryusu: What are you talking about?
Crusch thought in turn, What is this guy thinking? “I was asking if you’re afraid of this white body of mine.”
“…It’s like the snow that caps the mountains.”
“…Huh?”
“It’s a pretty color.”
Of course, she had never once in her life heard those words before.
Wh-what is th-this guy saying? Unable to withstand her internal pressure, the lid keeping her emotions in check was blown off with enough force to send it flying.
Zaryusu reached out casually and ran a hand over her scales. They were lustrous and pretty as if they’d been polished—and a little cold. His hand glided over them.
“Sha!” Crusch emitted an exhalation that sounded like a short threat.
That restored at least a smidgen of their respective calms.
They both understood—what had happened, what he had done without thinking—and they were both shaken. What instinct had made him do that? Why did that happen to her? They became impatient with the questions, and the impatience bred confusion.
The result was their two tails batting against the hut, whap, whap, so hard that it shook.
After a couple of moments, they looked at each other’s faces, noticed what they were doing, and both tails froze as if time itself had stopped.
“…”
“…”
Was heavy the word for this atmosphere? Or tense? Silence fell over them and they glanced at each other.
Crusch had finally gotten her feelings sorted, and with a cold look in her eye that said she wasn’t going to tolerate any lies, she asked, “This is all very sudden… What’s with you?”
She hadn’t been able to express herself very well in words, but Zaryusu seemed to understand and replied honestly with no hesitation. “Love at first sight. And I might die in this fight, so I don’t want to have any regrets.”
Hearing his simple honesty, his words that seemed to hide nothing, Crusch found herself at a loss for a moment. But part of them she just couldn’t buy. “…The bearer of Frost Pain has resigned to die?”
“We don’t know how many we’re up against. We can’t be careless… Did you see the monster who brought the message? The one that came to my village was…”
Zaryusu desc
ribed it and Crusch nodded. “Yes, it’s the same one.”
“Do you know what it is?”
“No, no one in my tribe knows.”
“Oh…I met one once.” He stopped there to see her reaction. “I ran away.”
“Huh?”
“I couldn’t have won. Well, at best I would’ve been half-dead by the end.”
Crusch understood what a terrifying undead it was and was relieved that holding back the warriors had been the right decision.
“It can scream in a way that messes with your head. Also, it’s incorporeal, so it’s basically immune to attacks that aren’t made with enchanted weapons. Even with numbers, you can’t win.”
“With druid magic we can enchant weapons for a limited time.”
“Can you block attacks on the mind?”
“We can boost resistance, but we don’t have quite enough power to protect everyone.”
“I see… Can any priest do that?”
“Almost all of them can boost resistance. I’m the only one in this tribe who can protect someone from confusion, though.”
Crusch noticed Zaryusu’s breathing grow a little rough. It seemed like he’d realized that her position wasn’t just for show.
Yes, Crusch Lulu was quite an accomplished druid and probably possessed more power than any lizardman head priest.
“What number was the Red Eye tribe on the attack list?”
“It told us fourth.”
“Hmm. And what are you going to do about it?”
Time passed.
Crusch wondered what the point of talking about it was. Green Claw had surely chosen to fight. Zaryusu had probably come to form an alliance, was going to say Fight with us. Where was the benefit in that for Red Eye?
They weren’t interested in forming an alliance. They were for evacuation. It was the height of stupidity to go up against an opponent who could use tier-four magic. And if the messenger was really so horrible, what other conclusion could there be?
But could she bluntly say all that?
As she swirled in the whirlpool of her thoughts, Zaryusu smiled and said, as if he were talking to himself, “I’ll go ahead and say what I really think.”
The Lizardman Heroes Page 5