84: New resident, and a witness to history, huh?

"Welcome to Goldendown. I’m Kyle Gandar von Bairoroad, in charge of governing this town. Just call me Kyle."

Waiting in the parlor of Kyle’s mansion was, of course, Kyle himself.

The third son of Lord Bairoroad, the Marquis of the Frontier. Once too sick to ever step into the public eye, but now rising fast in reputation thanks to the successful colonization of Goldendown. Twelve years old.

I decided to help him the moment I saw him—bullied outright by his older brother, Zaid, the first time I met him.

Perfect timing. Right before meeting Kyle, I’d just discovered that the alchemist’s mark, the finest emblem there was, was etched into my skin. That’s how I cured Kyle’s illness. And I think I helped raise the standard of life in Goldendown too.

There were other things too—like slaying dragons.

All the credit goes to Kyle, but we can’t forget the big part the adventurers and our allies played.

And now, a new historic achievement was about to be etched into Kyle Gandar von Bairoroad.

Still carrying a hint of youth, yet bearing the soft smile of a noble, Kyle reached out toward the lizardman before him—taller by at least double.

The sharp-eyed, lizard-man-looking creature slowly took his hand in return.

"I am Jurara, son of the chief of Bottle Marsh Village. Details will come later, but in any case, once the new village is decided, I am already set to become its chief. Please look after me."

"Yes. I’ll be counting on you, future chief Jurara."

This calm start to the first official meeting between the Lizardfolk and us had taken longer than expected.

Kyle, who’d learned the situation upon our arrival at Goldendown, wanted to meet right away. But that was exactly what the Lizardfolk used as an excuse to stall.

They’d made it clear they wanted to spend about a week exploring the town.

That request ended up working out well.

Kyle accepted it and immediately issued an edict.

No fighting. No discrimination. And no trading for a while.

I wondered why trading was banned—but before the edict even took effect, Akindoo showed up at the Lizardfolk’s door, eager to meet, and barged in saying they wanted to swap their goods for everyday supplies.

Makes sense. You can’t just start trading when you don’t even know what values either side holds.

Akindoo probably wanted to learn what things they valued—even if those things meant nothing to them—just because they held high value to us. The first deal going straight into red was obvious. They weren’t after profit. They wanted information.

Of course, we shut down any trade with Akindoo right away. No problem. Everything we needed for living was already coming from Kyle.

The lizardfolk, under Jurara’s lead, had acted politely while touring the town, and that’s why they’d been accepted so easily by the people of Goldendawn.

That kind of acceptance only happened because of Kyle’s policies—strongly pushing to abolish beastman and subhuman discrimination.

Even if it was just for a short time, once we’d at least begun to understand each other’s norms, the official meeting finally began.

Once the greetings ended, Jurala spoke.

"...We Lizardmen have been forbidden from contact with humans for generations. It’s an old rule. Even when we occasionally pass by human villages, we never thought we’d ever start talking to them."

Kyle nodded slowly, listening to Jurala’s serious words.

"To be honest, I was nervous. Seeing humans like Raidock and Craft, I wasn’t sure I could accept them. But this town, under your rule, Kyle, has actually accepted us. We talked it over. We want to live under your protection. Can you accept us?"

"Yes. As I’ve already said, the Kingdom of Maujaria, Lord Bairoroad, the Marquis of the Frontier, recognizes your people, the Lizardmen, and grants you autonomy as a settlement."

Only because of a week’s preparation period was it possible to confirm with Lord Bairoroad—meaning, Orthros, my old man.

What was weird was that the reply explicitly stated it had royal permission.

The round trip between the Marquis and Goldendown took a week, thanks to those super horses bred on stamina potions. But how the Marquis and the king managed to communicate? That part was a mystery.

Even if the Marquis had that super horse, he couldn’t have gotten royal approval in just a week.

Probably some artifact said to exist in the national treasure vault—something that lets you communicate with magic.

If it’s real, I want one too.

Anyway, with that settled, a new exchange between the human race and the lizardfolk race had begun.

◆

After the audience with the lizardfolk ended, I was summoned to Kyle’s room, so I went straight there. Inside, Leifan and Maina were waiting, their eyes on me.

Good work, Craft.

Ah. I think this is the best possible outcome we could’ve hoped for right now.

That's good! You put in a lot of effort getting everything ready, huh?

Ah, Leifan, you’ve had a rough day too.

When I took my usual seat, Maina settled onto my lap as if it were the most natural thing in the world, looking up at me.

That angle, doesn’t it hurt your neck?

...Story, a souvenir.

I stayed silent, waiting for Maina’s reaction, and after a while, she muttered under her breath, fed up.

Yeah. This is the souvenir. A ceremonial robe the lizards wear—traditional garb. A joint gift from Leifan and me.

From the spatial storage, I pulled out the ceremonial robe the lizardfolk had given us, and Leifan immediately took it, holding it up for Maina to see.

"Miss Maina. Shall we get you dressed?"

"Hm."

Of course, Persia was there too, guarding the room, so the three of us left together to change.

A while later, they came back—but only Leifan and Persia entered the room.

"What’s wrong?"

"It’s Maina, sir. She’s shy."

"Shy?"

Huh?

The lizardfolk’s usual clothes were a bit light, their chest coverage questionable at best, but the gift was meant for ceremonies—nothing too revealing. Besides, Leifan had adjusted the fit himself, just a little, so there was no way it was a shameful outfit.

Leifan wasn’t the only one. Persia was shouting desperately at Maina, who stood in the hallway.

It’s fine, Maina-sama! You look great in it!

That’s right! I picked it out myself, so it’s super cute!

Yeah, well. The ones I picked out got rejected every time.

Persia and Craft dragged Maina into the room, groaning as they did, but Maina immediately ducked behind Leifan’s back.

Come on, come on! Let’s show Craft too!

It’s adorable! Maina-sama! ……Hey, Craft. You didn’t bring me anything?

Persia glanced away, but her eyes flicked toward me. Her cheeks looked a little red. Probably just my imagination.

Yeah, I’ve got something. Here it is!

I pulled out a doll made from dried grass.

The doll wore a tall, narrow mask, holding a spear and shield proudly.

Built like a tough lizardman, it had a thick chest and a long, muscular tail.

Yeah, looks badass!

"…………What the hell is this?"

"Nothing much. Supposed to be a lucky charm shaped like a legendary lizardman. Shururu recommended it to me as a gift for a warrior."

"You didn’t mention it was meant for a woman, did you?"

"Wait—didn’t I say to give it to both men and women?"

"...Right... So that’s how it is in lizardman culture... Huh... But that wedding dress...?"

She didn’t seem as happy as I thought she’d be.

I gave one to Alphard in the hall earlier—she lit up.

"Craft-kun... You gave her that kind of souvenir!?"

"Yeah."

"Seriously, Craft-kun... Hey, Persia-san! Here, take this!"

Leifan held out a ring set with a deep green stone.

A rare gem that sparkled emerald-green under the right light.

"O-oh, a ring?"

"Yeah. It’s not worth much as a gem, but I polished a nice stone used as decoration in the Lizardman village."

"Nice. Not too flashy, so I won’t feel awkward carrying it around. This’ll do just fine."

"Good. Glad you like it."

"Thanks, Leifan. ……Craft, you’d better learn a bit more about the world."

"Wha!? Me!?"

My voice cracked from the sudden jab.

What’d I do wrong!?

"Uhh…"

Maina was grumbling behind Leifan. I wanted to see it properly on him, for once.

"Right. Thanks to the doll Maina gave me, the long journey didn’t feel so lonely. See?"

I pulled out the stuffed animal slung at my waist—the one Maina gave me: a zombie… no, a failed surgery… no, a carefully crafted rabbit, made with real care.

I’d treated it as best I could before leaving, but it still looked a little worn.

“Take this thing—my adventure buddy—and give it a compliment.”

“…Yeah.”

Curiosity won out over embarrassment, and Maina came striding over, quick and eager.

She wore traditional garb—red, blue, green, purple, all layered in intricate patterns, nothing like her usual dress. Completely different.

“O….”

When had she even started wearing makeup? She looked more mature than I’d imagined, and I froze for a second, caught off guard.

No way! She’s a kid! Same age as Kyle!

“How’s it look, Craft? Pretty good, right? Maina-sama’s adorable, right?”

“Ah… uh. Yeah. I think so?”

I kept my cool on the inside, just barely keeping up with the conversation, and Persia sighed.

“Craft. You’re supposed to say stuff like ‘you look good’ or ‘you’re cute’ when it’s time for that.”

“Eh!? Ah… yeah. I mean, you really do look great. Super cute, Maina.”

Leifan and Persia gave me a half-lidded look, but Maina turned bright red and lowered her head.

“Mm…”

Maina fidgeted with the rabbit doll, fingers twisting it, and then the room just… went silent.

What the hell is this atmosphere!?

Someone help me!

Maybe my thoughts reached someone, because the door knocked—rescue arrived!

“Everyone in here?”

Kyle!

You’re the best damn brother ever!!

Kyle stepped inside and immediately grinned.

“Ah, Maina. You’re all dressed up. Looks great on you.”

“…Mm.”

“Is this a gift from Craft-兄?”

Kyle glanced at me, so I gave a small nod.

"Me and Leifan, that's all. Technically, everyone in the lizardman clan who helped provide the clothes, really."

"Thank you, Craft-兄. Thank you, Leifan-san. I should also thank the next village chief, Jurara-san."

"Good idea."

"Did you properly thank them, Maina?"

Kyle asked gently, and Maina slowly lifted her face. He looked into her eyes, gave a small, wry smile.

"Can't forget to say thank you."

"Mm…"

Maina spun around, then bowed with a noblewoman’s grace, knees bending.

"Thank you…"

"Yep."

"Yes! I'm happy you liked it!"

After finishing her bow, Maina dashed out of the room, flitting away.

"Excuse me."

Persia quickly followed right after, slipping out of the room. In her place, Alphard stepped in.

Given that Kyle and Maina are off doing their own thing and the lizardman’s been coming and going, Persia and Alphard must’ve been stuck together all day.

“Craft, thanks for the lucky charm earlier.”

“Nah, nah. It was a hit with Persia, but not so much with me.”

“What?”

I’d been trying to brush it off with a light chat, but Alphard suddenly widened his eyes and leaned in close.

Huh? What?

“You gave that doll to Persia too, didn’t you?”

“Ah, uh… yeah…”

“Honestly, you… well, whatever. Doesn’t matter.”

“Huh? Wait—! Did I actually mess up something!? Again!?”

““Same old, same old.””

Leifan and Alphard spoke in unison, words perfectly synced despite the different endings.

Why!?

That legendary lizardman doll’s awesome, right!?

The manga adaptation starts on the 29th—get ready!

First chapter’s packed with stuff!