And as Yudit led the way…
We saw many wooden houses surrounded by wooden fences.
There were no guards, and some of the fences could be easily opened, so we went inside first.
We put away our weapons so as not to alarm the others, and, keeping an eye on our surroundings, we made our way through the village…
Sakura was alarmed when she saw a shadow.
She found a demihuman with green skin and a long tail–a lizardman.
Sakura reaches into her own skirt for the weapon she has hidden there…
“Hello. What’s this village called?”
Yudit approached the Lizardman defenseless.
I was about to pull out my sword in a panic, but…
“It’s rare to meet an angel tribe. This place is on the south side of the lake, so it is called the Southern Village.”
“I see. We are from the west, can we talk to the village chief?”
“Hahaha. Okay, follow me.”
…… The conversation is going well!?
I thought Lizardmen were monsters!?
I couldn’t help but look at Monica, Ellie and the others…
When Yudit called out to me, my body, which had been frozen in the position in which I was about to draw my sword, finally started to move.
If Yudit hadn’t spoken to him, I would have thought he was a monster and attacked him.
“Sakura too …… Wait, why are you reaching inside your skirt? Toilet?”
“Oh …… I-It’s nothing. Nothing at all.”
Like me, Sakura seemed to have frozen up and finally started to move.
“I …… I didn’t have enough training. I almost put our relationship with this village in the worst possible position ……”
“No, I didn’t see that one coming too. So don’t worry about it, Sakura ……”
“Master Alex. Please punish me, this useless shinobi, with that big, fat thing.”
“Punish you with what! I told you, I almost did the same thing myself, so there’s no way I’m going to punish you for it.”
With Sakura, who looks disappointed for some reason, I catch up with Yudit and the Lizardman who is leading the way.
As we walk, I look around us and see a small field by a house with bean-like plants growing in it.
The village seems to be peaceful, with small individuals playing with what appear to be Lizardman children.
Once again, I was glad we didn’t bring the fight to the village, and we went to a slightly larger house in the center of the village.
“Village chief. I have brought a guest who says they’re from the west of the village. They said they wish to speak with the Village chief.”
“It’s a rare day when we have so many guests. The first guest has just left. Please let them pass.”
Apparently, there was a guest before us, but when they let us in, I found a lizardman a head taller than me.
“Sorry for the unexpected visit. My name is Alex. I’m from the west.”
“I see. I am Nooti, the chief of this village. It’s rare to see an angel tribe, let alone a human tribe. By the way, you said you came from the west, but I believe there is only the wall of rejection to the west of this village.”
“Mm-hmm. It’s the wall of soil that is so hard that even our fingernails can’t dig through. Furthermore, it is so high that it may even reach the clouds. I am told that even the chiefs several generations before me do not know what is on the other side.”
Ah, I see. The soil is not that hard on the upper side of the fourth demon territory, but the lower side is pressed down and is extremely hard.
I didn’t know because Nina was digging so quickly with a pickaxe that she had strengthened with her blacksmithing magic.
“We live on that wall …… or rather, on top of the cliff for a reason.”
“Oh, my God! So there was a village of the human tribe on top of the Wall of Rejection! But how did you get down that wall-like cliff …… don’t tell me, did the angel tribe behind you carry you one by one?”
“A village …… well, I guess it’s a village. We have been digging a tunnel to go down there for some time now, little by little, and it was completed today.”
It seemed to have been a mystery for many years, so if I told them we had dug the tunnel in two days, they would have been suspicious, so I told them that we had been digging for a long time.
“I see, so that’s how it was. But how in the world did you make a hole in that wall …… big enough for a human race to pass through?”
“Fortunately, where we live, we can get iron. So, we made an iron pickaxe and ……”
“W-What! You can get iron and even process it!? …… If I may ask, were the weapons and armor that Mr. Alex is carrying made in the village?”
“No, these were bought in another town …… but my shield was made in the village.”
Then I showed him the shield that Nina had made for me before…
“What amazing equipment …… Mr. Alex. We’re confident in our claws and tail, but I also know that there are monsters that it can’t get through to. May I ask that you give us some of your iron weapons.”
“You mean you want weapons and armor made of iron?”
“That’s right. However, it would be helpful if they were iron products, even if they are not weapons or armor. Of course, I’m not saying for free. However, since there is no currency here like in human cities, so I would talk to everyone in this village …… or even the surrounding villages and see if they would be willing to exchange for what Mr. Alex is looking for.”
I had only come to see what kind of village it was, but suddenly a business negotiation(?) started.