We asked the lizardmen we met for help in reclaiming our water source.
We thanked the young man repeatedly.
“No, no, I can’t let a young lady camp out in this wilderness. Speaking of which, have you seen any Cobra Cranes? Their numbers have drastically decreased since our water source was taken.”
Cobra Cranes? We looked at each other.
“They’re strange birds that move like snakes.”
Could it be the crane-like bird Piyo encountered on our way here?
“Um, if it’s about that, it was at a different water source.”
“Ah, really? They’re interesting birds, I like them.”
I took the opportunity to ask the seemingly carefree young man about the lizardmen.
“Ah, you mean the Desert Scale Tribe? They’re a bit strange, but they’re good people. They seem to have been here even before our ancestors arrived.”
Apparently, those lizardmen were called the Desert Scale Tribe and were the indigenous people of this land. We then helped out on the farm in return for their hospitality.
Since water was barely supplied, we had to carry it from wells or distant water sources, which was very hard work. I wondered if they were content with things like this.
“Are you okay with things being like this when it’s this difficult?”
The young man awkwardly put his hand on his head in response to my question.
“Hmm, I know this can’t continue like this.”
“Then why aren’t you doing anything?”
Nina glared at him, and he averted his gaze.
“Well, we can’t fight them. We want them to leave, but we can’t afford to have any more melons stolen.”
I could understand Nina’s anger, but there were far fewer people who could fight with a sword. In fact, I rarely fought on the front lines myself. Most people have only seen wars on screen and just waited for them to end from a safe distance.
We finally finished our work when the sun had completely set. However, many fields were left untended. The young man’s entire family was working, but they still couldn’t keep up.
“Thank you. Thanks to your help, it’s better than yesterday. By the way, what kind of group are you? Oh, I forgot to ask your name, I’m Imon.”
“I’m Arisugawa Hiroaki. As I traveled around, more and more companions joined me. We’re not really any particular kind of group.”
I decided not to explain the long purpose of my journey. He nodded dismissively, not seeming to care.
“I’ve seen some strange races. I was a bit surprised by that spider-like person.”
He must have been referring to Lauren. She might be intimidating to those who are afraid of spiders.
“This is Lauren, she’s from the Arachne tribe. She’s a bit strange, but she’s a good person. Sorry to be impolite, but Imon, are you one of the Centaur family? Or a Servitaurus?”
“Hahaha, people often say I look like a Servitaurus. I think I do too. I look like a deer. But we’re Bukentauros, the cattle family. See our long tails?”
Now that he mentioned it, they did have long tails like cows. And apparently, the name for cow-like Centaurs was Bukentauros.
“Well then, I’m going to bed now. It looks like you have guests, so be careful on the road at night. Don’t forget your lantern.”
As Imon said that, I turned around and saw two Desert Scale Tribe members I had met before standing there.
