Teyra revolted against the chief and confessed his feelings to Rose.
“I thought I had it all settled.”
“What have you done? This is irreversible. Why would you do such a thing…”
Rose was in a panic while staring at the broken stone. The earthquake subsided, and his companions began peeking out from behind cover, wondering what had happened. They exchanged glances, unsure of what to do in the face of the scene unfolding before them.
“You did something like this to the chief, and this… is it a flower? Did you cause all this commotion just to give him that?”
Meanwhile, Teyra, who had given the flower, was frozen, not knowing what to do. Coupled with his natural inability to express himself, he now just looked like someone who had simply knocked out the boss and caused a scene. Dammit… this is frustrating. It seems I’ll have to create a slightly better atmosphere.
I quietly whispered to Stella, who was at my feet. Then I sent her to Rose to convey something.
“Eh, what’s wrong? Now is not the time. What…? EHHHH?!”
Suddenly, he put his hand to his mouth and started to get embarrassed. Alright, he finally understood.
“But, this isn’t right. There are rules.”
“I am the next chief. I am the rule. There’s no problem.”
“Ehh…. But you have to officially challenge for the chief’s seat in a duel.”
While this was happening, the boss, who had been lying down behind them, regained consciousness. Upon realizing he had been defeated, his eyes glinted, and he displayed his anger.
“Teyra, what is the meaning of this! That’s it, you are banished! Kill him!”
The subordinates, who had been given the order, exchanged glances again, wondering what to do. However, before any of the other companions could make a move, Teyra charged at the boss and slammed him against the wall.
“W-Wait! You swore an oath of duel, Gah!!”
Before the boss could finish his words, he was slammed to the ground. He was utterly defeated with no chance to retaliate. Rose stepped in to stop the fight, realizing it was too much.
“Calm down. If you do any more, he’ll die. Why are you suddenly doing something like this?”
“…When you looked sad, my mind went blank. It’s not sudden. It’s been like this for a long time. These guys don’t acknowledge your strength. Strength isn’t about body size. You taught me that.”
Teyra, panting, plopped down heavily on the spot where the boss had been sitting. He then greedily drank the sake from a barely remaining pot. Soon, other members of the Sand Lizard Tribe, who had been watching from the shadows, emerged and gathered around him.
“Hey, bring me some sake and food. You guys clean up.”
The guys who had been bullying Rose under the boss’s orders reluctantly began to clean up the aftermath of the fight. The people trembling in the kitchen also started bringing food under the new boss’s command. Naturally, larger individuals gathered around the boss. And those who were broken- Ff their bodies rounded, they left.
Teyra instructed Rose to sit beside him. However, Rose shook his head and refused. He then called out to the former boss, who was leaving.
“Please wait. You should sit next to Teyra. I’m not supposed to be there.”
At that, the former boss chuckled sarcastically.
“I see. So this is your revenge. A mere imitation, just borrowing the shadow of the strong.”
And then he left. He had no choice but to sit beside Teyra. Well, it’s a happy ending. They both liked each other, and a love cupid isn’t too bad.
Later, after the feast ended, a tired-looking Rose returned to the room.
“Whew, I don’t know what you whispered to him, but you’ve done something outrageous.”
“But isn’t it good? You liked him too, didn’t you, Rose?”
He replied with a sigh, “Well, yeah.”
“Still, burning books is a terrible thing to do. Bullying the weak isn’t what strong people do. I’m relieved Teyra is the new chief.”
“Hehehe, well, if I wanted to, I could become boss with just one little finger of that blockhead.”
Rose said with a laugh, holding up a pinky finger. Her smile sent a slight chill down my spine.
The next day, the sandstorm finally cleared, so I decided to go to a nearby town.
“Thank you for everything. You truly saved my life.”
“Oh no, I apologize for getting you caught up in the commotion. Here, take this.”
I received a new cloak from Stella, who had been waiting by my side. Compared to the old one, it was rough, but the fabric was thick and it had a hood.
“Thank you. This will be a great help.”
Stella seemed to have taken a liking to the old, tattered cloak, so I decided to leave it there.
“I’m sorry for taking something that was precious to you. Well then, be careful.”
Waving goodbye to the two of them, I left the Sand Lizard Tribe’s territory.
