Isekai Lizardman Survival Log

In the forest, there are many forces besides orcs and trolls.

There are goblins who could live even underwater if they had gills, elves who are known to exist but have never been seen, and many furry creatures—were-beasts—in our village too.

Moreover, occasionally, adventurers of different races, including humans, enter the forest from outside, making the forest’s forces too diverse to be described in simple terms.

So, which of these should we join hands with?

Right now, we have three choices.

The first is to contact the Black Claw tribe.

The second is to contact the were-beasts scattered throughout the forest.

And the last is to join hands with other troll tribes excluding the Black Vine tribe.

The third option isn’t even worth considering because there’s no need to gamble when our village isn’t in immediate crisis.

Moreover, unless they’re in a situation where they’re about to be swallowed by the Black Vine tribe, they won’t form a proper relationship with us.

If we could form a proper relationship, we might be able to pressure the Black Vine tribe, but we can’t bet the village’s fate on such slim odds.

In the end, we have to choose between the Black Claw tribe and the were-beasts…

In my mind, I painted all the trolls black and thought about the other options.

The Black Claw tribe is a gray close to white.

The were-beasts are a gray mottled with white and black.

I reached out my hand—

A long tail swayed from side to side.

Kart sighed as he watched the cat walking through the forest, swaying its tail as if in a good mood.

“Pffft…”
“The ground’s going to cave in.”

Kart sighed so deeply it seemed like the ground might cave in, then lifted his head and looked at me with a gloomy face.

“Do you know how I feel right now? How am I supposed to face my uncle…”
“It’s not your fault, is it?”

Pffft…

As I was trying to comfort Kart, who looked like he might faint at any moment, the cat that had gone ahead came back and rubbed its tail against us.

“Why so gloomy∼?”
“No… sigh.”

Wondering why Kart kept sighing, the cat wrapped its tail around Kart’s arm.

“Want to touch my tail? It’ll make you feel better∼.”

As the soft tail entered his grasp, Kart unconsciously started kneading it before startling and letting go.

“Lulu―! What are you doing―!”

It seemed to have an effect as he shouted loudly.

“…Ow. My ears hurt…”

The cat—Lulu—who had been hit directly by the loud voice, covered its ears with its front paws and shivered, but.

“Lulu―! A woman shouldn’t―with an unrelated man―!”

Perhaps because he had been mentally preoccupied, Kart went off in a completely different direction and started lecturing Lulu.

“…My head hurts.”
“Bear with it. You’re at a good age.”
“I wonder what Kart sees in Lulu? Kart’s not a bad kid, but he doesn’t have a tail.”

Well… I’m curious about that too.

For were-beasts, the tail is an extremely important part, to the extent that they judge beauty and ugliness based on the appearance of the tail.

As such, wrapping the tail around someone’s arm like that is called a tail hug and is considered the highest expression of affection between lovers.

When a were-beast—by the way, lizardmen are included in this category—gives a tail hug, it’s usually considered equivalent to a marriage proposal.

Lulu has been giving Kart tail hugs continuously since before.

They both spent their childhood in our village, so maybe they naturally developed feelings for each other while growing up like childhood friends.

‘But what happens if a child is born between them?’

It’s not unheard of for different races to fall in love, but it’s quite rare.

Moreover, the chances of a child being born between them are slim, so there are almost no precedents.

‘Would an orc with cat ears and a tail be born?’

Cat ears on that fierce face with large tusks protruding… It really doesn’t match. A cat with tusks might be better.

Tap tap

“Boss, where are we going now? This isn’t the direction to the Red Claw tribe.”

I was snapped out of my idle thoughts by Chik-chik tapping on my crown.

“Ah, there’s somewhere we need to go first.”
“The Black Claw tribe?”
“No.”

Chik-chik made a puzzled expression. It seems it thought we were obviously going to visit the Black Claw tribe.

“We’re going to Kandol village.”

If we were going to the Black Claw tribe, I wouldn’t have brought Lulu along.

Kandol village. Another name for it is the Beast’s Rest.

It has similarities to our village in that many were-beasts have settled and live there.

While our village is a gathering of people who were exiled from their tribes or left of their own accord, this place is where people who lost their place when their tribes disbanded gathered.

I actually wanted to visit the Black Claw tribe, but I came here swallowing tears of blood because we can’t live with such risk.

Kandol village, to put it negatively, could be called a gathering of losers, making it fundamentally similar to the Green Skin tribe.

The difference is that while the Green Skin tribe is a group that’s no help and only sucks blood from either side, Kandol village might stab us in the back if we don’t preemptively win them over.

It’s conveniently located between our village and the Red Claw village, so we could easily be caught from behind if we’re not careful.

It’s a problem whether our retreat is cut off or if we’re ambushed from behind, so we can’t ignore this.

In the end, I had no choice but to head to Kandol village, shedding tears of blood.

Even if I brought back the elixir for the old man, what if he ended up dying a violent death at the hands of those furry bastards?

Of course, our village’s potential isn’t so weak that we’d be one-sidedly beaten by Kandol village, but there are no certainties in this world.

At the very least, I’d like to avoid such a ridiculous ending, so even if it means taking a detour, we need to eliminate potential threats in advance.

“Is that why you brought Lulu along?”
“If we go by ourselves, it’s obvious they’ll be wary.”

For one thing, lizardmen are included in the were-beast category. However, the problem is that my appearance is quite different from typical lizardmen.

If I were just a head taller, they might think I’m just a big guy, but I’m not just a head taller, I’m a whole body bigger, so I look more like a monster than a person.

Moreover, my scales are black like obsidian and I have an overall sharp impression, giving off an intimidating aura, so being viewed with caution is everyday life for me.

I quickly became friends with the Red Claw tribe thanks to Karakt’s leadership and the orcs’ inherently brave nature, but.

Usually, it’s normal to spend the whole day just being wary, and it’s difficult to even have a proper conversation.

Of course, Lulu is quite large too, but next to me, unless it’s an ogre, pretty much anything looks small.

“They’ll lower their guard for a cute cat, won’t they?”
“…Lulu is a jaguar.”
“Same difference.”

From my perspective, whether it’s a jaguar or a tiger, it all looks like a cat.

Chik-chik sighed deeply and rested its chin on my crown, looking tired.

“…Then wouldn’t I have been enough?”
“Oh, are you jealous?”
“It’s not jealousy… It could be dangerous.”

Slap―

Chik-chik kept hitting my back with its tail, seemingly displeased.

“It won’t be that dangerous. Besides, both Lulu and Kart can take care of themselves.”

I wouldn’t have brought them along in the first place if they couldn’t take care of themselves. Despite how they look, they have the ability to handle most situations, so I brought them along to gain experience too.

If they were like Derek who can’t even take care of himself, I would have left them in the village and just had them train endlessly.

“Still…”
“And I heard something from Karakt―”
“…?”

When I suddenly cut off my words, Chik-chik looked at me with a puzzled face. When I met its eyes with a bitter smile, its head tilted at a right angle.

“He said at first he thought you were emergency rations.”
“What…?”

Blink― Blink―

The round eyes blinked slowly. Once, twice, three times…

Chik-chik froze, either not understanding or its brain refusing to understand.

“In other words, when you and I are together, it doesn’t look like we’re companions, but like you’re my emergency rations.”

Apparently, because Chik-chik is so small and I’m so big, to strangers, that’s how it looks.

Since I’m big, my head is big too, and naturally my mouth is big, and coincidentally, it’s just the right size to swallow Chik-chik in one bite, which seems to cause this misunderstanding.

Chik-chik, seemingly shocked, remained frozen and just blinked its eyes.

“What―?!”

Then it shouted and thrust its head towards my eyes.

Worried we might collide, I quickly pushed my eyes inward.

“Eek―?!”

Even more surprised by the sight of my eyes retracting, Chik-chik hurriedly pulled its head back.

When I pushed my eyes back out, it finally seemed relieved and clutched its chest.

“Boss! You scared me!”
“What else could I do when you thrust your head at my eyes like that?”
“I’m sorry… No, that’s not the point!”

Chik-chik kept shouting while clutching its chest, making me wonder if it might collapse.

“Want me to pull them in again?”
“No! It’s scary, so don’t do that!”

Unable to calm down, it took deep breaths while clutching its chest, then shouted calmly.

“Boss! Emergency rations?! Isn’t that too much?!”
“I said that’s how it looks to others. And you know I would never consider you emergency rations, right?”
“That’s true, but still!”

Chik-chik beat its chest, seemingly frustrated. Feeling sorry for it, I gently stroked its head and continued speaking.

“Anyway, that’s why I brought Lulu along.”
“…”
“So cheer up.”

Chik-chik remained quiet for a while, perhaps shocked by the fact that it looks like emergency rations to others.

As I kept stroking its head, it eventually seemed to feel better and leaned against me.

“Boss… You really don’t think of me as emergency rations, right?”
“Of course not. Chik-chik is my partner.”

Seemingly pleased with the answer, Chik-chik slowly rubbed its cheek against me.

“From now on, please make sure to scold anyone who says such things.”
“Even Karakt?”
“I’ll let Karakt off because he’s pitiful.”

I stroked Chik-chik, who was whining like a child, and it started purring contentedly.

“By the way, I wonder what mouse meat tastes like?”
“Boss?!”

I comforted Chik-chik, who kept tapping on my crown as if shocked, when Kart and Lulu approached.

“Rex―! Sorry we’re late―!”
“Ugh… My head is ringing∼.”

Kart, who seemed to have cheered up, and Lulu, who was staggering as if drunk, approached hand in hand.

Despite her wobbly appearance, Lulu’s eyes looked clear.

“Shh∼.”

When our eyes met, she slightly raised the corner of her mouth and quietly made a request, so I pretended not to notice. She’s going to be in trouble later.

“Alright, let’s go.”

I moved forward, imagining poor Kart’s future. The future of those two is for them to decide.

I walked through the forest, inwardly offering a silent prayer for Kart, who had been caught in a trap without knowing anything.

Unlike the depths where the Red Claw tribe is, we crossed through a jungle that had enough space to pass through.

-Halt―!

A shabby palisade and furry creatures holding axes and swords came into view.