74: The thing is, you gotta narrow down your character’s traits.

This was no doubt a battlefield.

The largest building in the village’s center was being defended by a swarm of lizardmen.

They were repelling giant frogs invading from the marsh with bows and spears, but every time the frogs spat paralyzing venom, one lizardman after another collapsed.

"Damn it! Get the paralyzed warriors inside! Anyone who can still move—throw anything! Arrows! Jars! Anything!"

"Jurala! No more oil jars left! Can't use fire anymore!"

"Damn it... didn't think the barons would have so many of them!"

"What do we do!? Jurala!?"

"Thinking! Just focus on thinning their numbers now!"

"Not a single warrior left... almost none!"

"Damn it! Should we have just abandoned the whole village!?"

Among the warriors guarding the log houses, a man with an especially reptilian face roared out in regret.

Exactly as the legends described—the true form of a lizardman.

"Brother!"

Shururu shouted at the man.

"Shururu!? Why’d you come back!?"

"I brought reinforcements!"

"What? Human!? Shururu! What have you done! And your manners!"

"Even now!?"

The tough-looking lizardman seemed to be Shururu’s brother.

But if Shururu’s right, paying attention to manners at a time like this? That family must be strict. I’d noticed Shururu’s speech was off, but now I see it’s just how things are around here.

I’d love to listen in, but time’s short. I cut in between them.

"Listen! We’re allies! We’re here to help!"

"A human!?"

"Lizardmen were said to be extinct! But I met Shururu! Do we need a reason to help someone who can speak our tongue!?"

"Guh…!"

Shururu’s brother, known as Jurara, stammered over words. Meanwhile, Raidock and the others chipped away at the barons surrounding the building.

"Hey, look at that! Baron’s falling like that so easy!?"

"No good! That liquid’s paralysis toxin…? Wait, isn’t it working!?"

"Human!? Why’re you here!? Did the gate break!?"

"But we’re definitely not wrong about the rescue coming…!"

"Someone tell the village chief!"

"No! This fight’s been entrusted to Jurara—the next chief! Wait for Jurara’s order!"

"What now!? Jurara!?"

"Grgh…!"

Dzzzzzzz—

The deep boom hit his gut again.

"Bad! The wall won’t hold! Jurara!"

"Got it! Thank you for the help! Let’s go in!"

Jurara made his decision.

Raidock gave his orders without delay.

"Right! Inner and rear guards, inside! Me and Leifan, Camille and Morda—we’re hitting that group attacking the wall! "

"“““Yeah!!”””"

Just like we’d planned on the way to the village, we split up.

Raidock’s handling the outside. I’m in charge inside.

"Right! Jitarou, Solal, Eva, and Bardack—cover us from above!"

"Got it!"

"Leave it to us!"

The four of them sprinted up the stairs right away. Rangers and mages, guarding the building while supporting Raidock.

"Right! Bepp and Marilyn, get to healing straight away! Marilyn, take this!"

I pulled out every mana potion I could from my spatial storage.

"Got it!"

Bepp handed out cure potions and mana potions. Marilyn downed her mana potions in big gulps, casting healing spells nonstop.

"O… ooh! I can move! I can move!"

“My paralysis’s gone!? No way!?”

“Never mind that! Grab your spears, now!”

“Wait! Drink this! It’s an antidote!”

“Will this work against Baron’s paralysis poison!?”

“Yeah!”

“Lifesaver!”

The lizardmen groaning inside the building began rising one after another.

“Arrows! Use them!”

I pulled out every arrow I had—enough for Solal and Jitarou.

“Ah!”

“Dip the tips into this liquid!”

I pulled out a small barrel and set it in front of everyone.

“What’s this?”

“Sharpness Oil! Rub it on spears and swords with a cloth!”

“Never heard of that!”

“It’s oil that sharpens blades! Just apply it—don’t overdo it! We don’t have time to make more if we run out!”

“Y-yeah, got it!”

I kept explaining as I pulled out my makeshift alchemy tools.

“What are you doing!?”

"Making antidotes and preventive potions! Not enough on hand for everyone, that’s for sure!"

Following Shurl's orders, I started applying potions to the strongest warriors first, but no matter how I stretched it, there just weren’t enough.

"Making... right now!?!"

"Relax! I’ve got the ingredients!"

Not just raw materials—had the alchemical intermediates too. Thanks, space storage.

Made room, laid everything out neat and tidy. Rows of colorful potions lined up—kinda mesmerizing.

"Somethin’… off about this."

"Hey?"

Weird… those faintly purple glowing alchemicals, sitting in the dim light—lookin’ way too dramatic, man.

"Looks way more suspicious than a proper apothecary. You sure this’ll work?"

Leifan’s not here to back me up like usual. Everyone’s just staring, and it’s *hurting*.

"Hey! Just watch!"

Plop the ingredients and intermediary alchemicals into a regular iron cauldron and activate the alchemy.

First, the missing intermediary alchemicals.

"Alchemy: Decomposition Grade Five Alchemical"

A sigil floats above the iron pot. The liquid inside glows bright.

"Ooooh!? What the hell is this!?"

"What is this!? Magic...? Sorcery!?"

"No, no, alchemy."

I calm the panicking lizards while my hands don’t stop working.

Now I’ve got all the needed intermediary alchemicals.

No alchemy crucible—gotta pour in every last bit of power!

This is why Raidock banned me from fighting. Oh well.

A massive surge of magic is ripped through the sigil. I feel a light dizziness, but I finish the formula in one breath.

"Alchemy: Cure Potion!!"

The cauldron flares again. The perfect, exact amount of cure potion is complete.

"Good! Keep pouring it down!"

The lizardmen, still dazed, hurriedly handed the potion to their groaning comrades once they were told it’d cure the paralysis.

Most of those left were the ones who’d lagged behind—or had thin scales.

Now that I look at them, some really are just like humans. Others are straight-up upright lizards.

Funny thing is, the one closest to human is Shururu, while his older brother Julara looks more like a reptile.

I’m thinking these pointless thoughts as I hand out the potions.

"Alright? You alright?"

"Yeah... I can breathe again!"

"My limbs are moving!"

"A human!?...But thanks!"

One after another, they’re healed.

"Alright, next—preventive medicine."

I forge the same poison antidote as before, then pour it into barrels.

I’m heading up. Bepp, Marilyn—after this, I’m leaving it to you."

"Yes!"

"Got it~"

Bepp knows how to handle potions, and the wounded and paralyzed patients are in good hands with Marilyn.

I climb the ladder to the roof in one go.

"How’s the front?!"

Grabbing Jitarou, who’s been firing arrows nonstop.

"Rezards who can still fight have joined up—front’s holding strong!"

"What about Raidock and the others?"

"Look at ‘em. Absolutely killing it."

Makes sense. The Baron, who was wrecking buildings, seems to be mostly dealt with by Raidock and the crew.

Slower pace? Probably because the Baron’s big, and the bodies are in the way. Stuff like that.

"Hey, though—there’s something I’m curious about."

"What?"

"Those big frogs surrounding us—hard to see, but can you spot the swamp area? Clearer over there?"

"What…? ‘Far Sight’?"

The spot Jitarou pointed at—something was definitely off there.

It was hard to tell, with Baron’s army moving nonstop, but…

“Damn. There’s one that’s way bigger than the rest.”

“What?!”

The voice that answered my mutter was Julara, the older brother of Shururu, who’d been swinging his spear from the rooftop since earlier.

“Does it have some kind of pattern on its skin!?”

“Uh… let me—”

I strained my Far Sight magic, forcing my eyes to focus on the frogs.

“Yeah… looks like a bunch of red-black veins running across its body.”

Hard to tell from the mud, but that’s what I saw.

“W-what…!? T-that’s a Duke! A Titan Duke Frog!”

“““W-what…!? What…!? What…!?”””

A giant, duke-level frog? That’s… that’s a lot.

W-what the hell is going on?!