Isekai Lizardman Survival Log

I left the village with Chik-chik perched on my head.

Kart, who had been recognized as the successor, decided to stay in the Red Claw tribe to receive education. Naturally, Lulu was sticking close to his side.

She had her eyes lit up like twin flames, guarding Kart who had become popular after becoming the successor. It seemed like some kind of incident was bound to happen soon, one way or another.

I offered a silent prayer as I watched Kart waving cheerfully, seeing us off without knowing anything.

We stepped into the forest where trees stood densely after passing through the open area around the village. Broken and shattered trees were scattered chaotically here and there, as if testifying to the fierce battle between the two monsters from before.

The life force was so strong that not only had new sprouts grown from the broken stumps, but they had even become small saplings. They would probably return to their original state in a few days.

As we advanced deeper, the forest revealed its wounds more blatantly while simultaneously flaunting its vitality as if it wasn’t a big problem. In fact, the recovery of the more severely damaged inner areas was much faster.

I shook my head at the trees that were still writhing and growing at a speed visible to the naked eye, albeit slowly, as if there really was something inside the forest, and stepped forward.

“Boss, what did you talk about with the founder?”
“Nothing much.”
“Oh, come on―.”

I stroked Chik-chik’s head, who was expressing curiosity as if interested, and diverted his attention. The conversation with the founder wasn’t particularly nutritious.

-You’ll find out when you get there.

It was an absurd statement like saying “it will hurt if you’re hit.” Although I couldn’t hear about the trial, I was able to hear a lot of other content.

-Elves are basically those who don’t take sides. They’re just a race that only upholds the sacred tree.

-Even if it were the enemy who killed their family, if the sacred tree says to forgive, they’re a race that would forgive. Don’t think you can make them your allies.

The founder taught me a lot of information related to elves, as if knowledgeable about them. However…

-Those pointy-eared bastards are all nasty and arrogant, so first catch one and tear off its ears. Once you show them they’re weak, they’ll become polite.

-If you really don’t like them, just kill one or two. The sacred tree doesn’t reject those who seek trials, so they won’t be able to harm you.

-You ask if it’s not dangerous? I told you. They’re just puppets of the sacred tree. As much as the sacred tree cherishes challengers who respond to its trials, those pointy-eared bastards absolutely cannot harm you. No joke, even if you kill or rape someone right in front of them, they’ll just take it like dolls.

-This is the same even after the trial ends, so feel free to crush them.

Although the advice given was all violent, as if harboring ill feelings, there were some useful things.

For example, that what I need to receive is the sacred tree’s trial, or that I can receive the sacred tree’s trial even if it means becoming enemies with the elves.

-What if you fail the trial? Don’t worry. Even if you fail the trial, they won’t be able to touch a hair… no, a single scale on you. The sacred tree’s trial is sacred to them.

-However, you can only attempt the trial once, so challenge it carefully. If you’re looking for the elixir, it must be a pretty serious situation, and it would be a big problem if you fail.

It was somewhat fortunate that even if I failed, I wouldn’t be chased out or attacked. It’s regrettable that there’s only one chance, but it was fortunate that I could even attempt the challenge.

If there was a problem, it might be that the rest of the content was filled with insults towards the elves.

I wonder what kind of grudge he had to spew so much abuse. Having been held by the founder until the village turned red, listening to nothing but insults about elves, I almost developed ill feelings towards elves I hadn’t even seen.

“Boss, where is the Black Claw tribe located?”
“They said if we enter the deep part with the seal and wait, they’ll come to pick us up.”

The Black Claw tribe apparently moves their settlement periodically like nomads to supply food for the dire wolves.

It was already difficult to visit because they were located deep in the forest, and they moved periodically, making it hard to meet them easily.

The Black Claw tribe seems to be aware of this, as they gift seals to friendly individuals. They say the seals are imbued with a scent that only the dire wolves they raise can smell, so they can tell if someone comes to the deep part.

I fiddled with the seal in my chest as I continued my thoughts. They said it’s like a magical item, that the scent won’t disappear even if thrown into water. So they told me not to worry about not being found.

I hope those words are true. It just so happened that it was the time for the Black Claw tribe to move their settlement, so if it were a lie, we’d have to wander aimlessly through the deep part.

“By the way, the dire wolves must be quite big, right?”
“I guess so? They live in the deep part, and orcs can ride them.”

It’s just that I’m ridiculously big, but orcs are quite large too. They’re usually a head taller than humans like Derek, so the dire wolves they ride must be quite large.

Even the horses used for riding in my previous life were all large, and in this other world where even rabbits are as big as large dogs, imagine how big wolves would be.

Basically, animals with weak backs couldn’t handle the weight of orcs with just an ordinary build, so for them to ride proudly, wouldn’t the wolves be eye-level with me?

“But how will we follow them?”
“Won’t they let us ride?”
“What about you, boss?”
“…?”

That’s right. Come to think of it, I expect the dire wolves to be big, but would they be big enough to carry me? And that’s with an orc already riding?

‘Should I run alongside them….’

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. Still, we’re visiting as guests, surely they wouldn’t just leave us behind and tell us to follow while running.

I fiddled with the seal in my chest for a moment, then decided to trust them. They’re not trolls, orcs wouldn’t do something so untrustworthy, right?

Kruta’s betrayal flashed through a corner of my mind, but I pushed it aside. Let’s trust them for now.

Having sorted out my concerns, I moved forward, stepping deeper into the forest, when I suddenly stopped. As if the forest itself had a will, I felt a faint pressure from all directions.

Shudder―

It wasn’t just me who felt it; Chik-chik shivered too, but the pressure wasn’t that strong, so we could adapt quickly.

“…We’ve arrived.”

The deepest part… How long has it been since I’ve been here? Except for when I came to get wood for spear material, this was the first time. Back then, my instincts screamed danger, so I fled without even looking around.

Come to think of it, even when I lived like a lizard, I never went into the deepest part. Even the creatures that chased me as prey would run away when they got near the deepest part. Only fearless creatures like bears would step into the deepest part.

If there’s anything fortunate, it’s that while my survival instincts used to scream danger before, they don’t now.

“…The Black Claw tribe is amazing.”
“Indeed.”

To think of living in a place like this. Unless they have extraordinarily large livers, they wouldn’t think of living here. The source of that confidence must be the dire wolves, right?

Curiosity welled up about what these dire wolves they raise might look like, but I calmed my mind and surveyed the surroundings.

I took in the scenery I hadn’t been able to see before due to lack of time to look around.

Unlike the dense trees of the deep part, the deepest part was wide enough to see the sky, and large footprints, presumably from beasts, were sporadically imprinted.

The forest, with the sun hanging in the center shining vertically, didn’t seem to have many places to hide due to the wide spacing between trees. While it might be good for escaping, it also seemed good for pursuit, making it difficult to avoid combat.

It’s really fortunate that I left Kart and Lulu behind. I could probably manage with just Chik-chik, either escaping or fighting while carrying him, but I couldn’t fight, let alone escape, while carrying those two.

Hoping that no battle would occur before the Black Claw tribe found us, I leaned against a nearby tree.

Although the trees weren’t packed tightly together, the size of each tree was incomparably larger than those in the deep part or the entrance. They seemed quite old, as they were too thick to fully embrace even with both arms.

‘This should prevent getting ambushed from behind.’

It was fortunate that we could avoid the misfortune of being attacked from all sides. According to Karakt, the Black Claw tribe usually finds you before any combat occurs.

From my perspective, having encountered problems everywhere I went recently, I couldn’t be so reassured. Even though they said the Black Claw tribe usually finds you first, doesn’t that imply that we might have to fight if we’re unlucky?

My senses weren’t dull, so I should be able to notice in advance most of the time, but just in case of a surprise attack from behind, I needed to cover my back first.

“I hope they come quickly…”

Chik-chik, seeming to feel uneasy too, muttered softly. Seeing that he was still trembling slightly, it seemed he couldn’t easily shake off the pressure.

I reached out and patted his head as if stroking it, and only then did the trembling seem to stop as he felt reassured, but when I took my hand away, he soon started trembling again.

Inevitably, I placed my hand on Chik-chik’s head and leisurely stroked it, comforting him. We might have to hide using magic if necessary, so it would be a big problem if he made a mistake due to tension.

As I comforted Chik-chik while keeping my senses alert and watching the surroundings, I felt something approaching from the depths of the forest.

Preparing for any possible situation, I placed my hand on the seal and tensed the muscles of my entire body. Chik-chik also raised his tail straight up and looked towards the inner part.

From far away, I faintly sensed something huge approaching. The fact that I couldn’t even hear footsteps made me think that if it had come from behind, we might have died without even knowing.

With my vigilance raised to the maximum, I stared towards the inner part. The other side seemed to have noticed us too, as it slowly approached.

The beast, which approached quietly without making a single footstep sound, came before us using its long legs. The beast, which approached with steps that didn’t feel any hostility, stopped in front of us.

“A new― guest, I see―!”