181: Helping a friend is just what you do, right?

"Everyone's here."

I'm at a tavern near the adventurer's guild.

Meeting up with the team for the swamp monster survey.

Same old crew: Raidock, Solal, Eva, Camille, Marilyn—the strongest party you can get.

And Jitarou. I invited him because he’d nag me if I didn’t. He showed up without hesitation. Probably because he’s a hunter—light on his feet.

Same as always, but two new faces.

"Master. I’ve gathered everyone’s gear."

"Oh, uh—right."

The familiar golem maid, Ryuco—the artificial monster, dragon tooth soldier, magic familiar—efficiently sorted everyone’s gear and packed it neatly for my space storage.

We’re not taking Leifan this time, so I’ve decided to bring someone else instead—someone to handle the cooking.

Sure, I’m an ex-adventurer, and Raidock and the others still active can cook basics, but guys’ cooking’s just one of three options: burn it, boil it, or eat it raw. Eva and Solar can manage something decent, but once you’ve gotten used to Leifan’s food, anything else feels... lacking.

That’s where Ryuco comes in.

I’ll admit, dragging a maid around outdoors feels a bit risky, but she’s proven herself on trips through small nations. She’s done just fine. So I’ve decided she’s reliable.

When I told Jitarou and Eva this, they just looked at me like, “What’s the problem?” and agreed right away.

Guess we’ll just all look after her, then.

I borrowed a carriage made for Kyle, so I tied it up to my beloved steed, Black Dragon No. 1.

It was meant to be a four-horse carriage, but since we’re not trekking some godforsaken back trail this time, Black Dragon No. 1’s enough.

Raidock and Solar, Jitarou and Camie—paired off, they take turns riding alongside the cart. Ryuuko’s the driver.

The rest of the regular-strength crew rides inside.

Only four of us can keep pace with the cart’s speed and last through the journey—so that’s how it’s set up.

And so we set off.

Leaving Goldendown behind, we tear down the highway.

◆

A few days later, we arrive at Zaid’s Village—now Leifan Town.

Scanning the place, it’s grown at least tenfold since the days when Zaid ruled it.

The new paved road between Goldendown and here probably made the biggest difference—most goods now come through here.

The well-kept inns are another plus for merchants, I’d guess.

Above all, the kingdom’s cities are way too close.

The town’s guarded by walls of alchemically hardened stone, hastily built but solid—merchants are coming in droves these days.

I knew it had been growing fast since becoming Leifan Town, but this? It’s outpacing my expectations.

“Damn, this place is packed.”

“Yeah. It’s practically a regional capital now.”

Wagons and traders passing nonstop.

Even immigrants who used to aim for Goldendown are hesitating once they see Leifan Town—plenty are deciding to stay right here.

“Goldendown’s probably different once you get there.”

“With this kind of growth? Hard to imagine there’s a city even bigger out there.”

Eva shrugged at my mumble.

“True enough.”

“Not to mention, thanks to Kyle-sama, the town’s actually safe now.”

“Even if the road’s been paved, Goldendown’s still far away, you know.”

“Yeah. I don’t think anyone’d risk venturing all the way to the country’s edge without solid intel.”

The rumors about Goldendown must’ve spread across the realm, but most folks probably can’t picture just how far it’s come.

Probably more than what the town of Leifan could even handle—shocking, even.

Then Raidock chimes in.

“I’d go straight ahead without a second thought.”

“Hey, you!”

He’s the type who loves adventure and’s confident in his strength. Naturally, he wouldn’t hesitate.

“Raidock, c’mon…”

Eva’s about to break if you keep this up.

“Honestly… we’ve rested enough. Let’s go!”

No point in doing comedy now!

◆

First, we headed toward the frontier settlement being built along the edge of the swamp.

When finished, it’ll be a settlement hub—serving as both a frontier outpost and a bridge to the lizardfolk village.

Leifan was sending out a lot of supplies, so though the road to the frontier village wasn’t paved, it was packed down hard enough to travel on without trouble.

Jitarou, who was ahead, used his hand to shade his forehead.

Oh. I can see it now.

I slowed the runaway cart’s pace and approached the village at a gentle stroll. A small village, fenced in with logs, came into view, so everyone climbed down and walked the rest of the way.

Must’ve seen us—three adventurers guarding the village, and a few lizardmen turned their eyes toward us, tense.

But when we got close enough to make out faces, both the adventurers and the lizardmen relaxed all at once.

“What’s this, Raidock and the crew? Came to lend a hand?”

“Craft and Raidock! The warriors who pulled us out of trouble, aren’t they!”

The adventurers waved at Raidock and his group. The lizardmen grinned.

Closer now, we realized—more people than expected for a village this size. Not settlers, though. Adventurers, all of them.

And a good number of lizardmen, too.

There should’ve been a lizardman village deep in the marshes. So normally, there’d be no reason for so many of them to be here in this frontier outpost.

Raidock glanced around, then spoke to the adventurers.

“…So the monsters are really multiplying?”

“Yeah. After we took down the swamp’s overlord, the hydra numbers dropped. But then, soon after, another kind of monster started showing up.”

Looks like Kyle’s intel was spot on.

We’ve been guarding this frontier village since pretty early on. But as the monsters kept piling up, we couldn’t handle them all. So we called for backup from the guild.

Even just glancing around, you could tell the place had seen nonstop fighting—cracked earth, broken trees, scorched ground.

“Kyle-sama dropped some coin fast, and suddenly a whole horde of adventurers showed up. We didn’t lose a single soul. Honestly, we owe everything to Kyle-sama!”

So he’d already sent a big wave of reinforcements before dispatching us. Damn, Kyle’s good.

“Makes sense. That’s why there are more adventurers than settlers here.”

“Yeah. Before that, we were holding out thanks to the lizardmen warriors who kept showing up.”

The lizardmen warriors, having downed raw stamina potions and rebuilt their bodies, stood tall, their sleek scales catching the sunlight and glinting like polished stone.

I turned to the lizardman nearby.

“You showed up when we needed you. But are the lizardmen villages back home alright?”

“Ah. No problem.”

“Good. But you’re not pushing yourselves too hard, are you?”

“Hmph. Still the soft one, aren’t you? Don’t worry. We left a minimum of warriors behind.”

“Is that so.”

When they gave me that look—hard, clear, full of resolve—I couldn’t help but believe them.

…Probably that kind of look.

I locked eyes with the lizard warrior, rough and unflinching, when a high-pitched voice cut through from deeper inside.

“Lord Coolerfoot-samaaaa!!!”

I turned toward the sound—and the world exploded in impact, rattling through my whole body.

It took a few seconds to realize I’d been rammed and knocked flat.

Then—face-to-face with a gorgeous girl.

“Craft-sama! Craft-sama! Craft-sama! Craft-sama!”

I was squeezed so hard my bones creaked. Something weirdly soft pressed against me.

“H-Hey!?”

“Haa… haa… isn’t it great!? Isn’t it great!?”

A mystery girl with reptilian features, looking down at me like a hawk.

No, not a mystery. Just a damn nuisance.

“Shururuu! Get off! Let go! Unhand me, dammit!”

My pathetic pleas echoed across the swamp. Tch—.