Chapter 140 : Chapter 140
Chapter 140. Captured Lizardmen
Radel moved busily from the next day.
First, he organized the situation of the territory through the story he heard from Chariot.
“So you mean they are insisting this Tsar Mountain Range is theirs?”
“Yes, that is correct. Although Lizardmen have lived here for a long time. But using force like that while insisting is a first.”
Chariot’s father, who was the former acting lord, also said there was no such incident in his time.
He added that although the Lizardman tribe living nearby had a belligerent personality, it hadn't been long since they suddenly became violent.
“Moreover, as you might have seen, Prince, there is only one road out from here. Since they occupied that, there was nothing we could do.”
Even taking strong men from the territory who were said to have some strength, they couldn't beat well-trained Lizardmen.
Furthermore, at first, they tormented the territory people under the pretext of collecting toll, but later they just took money or food and didn't let them go out at all.
“Aren’t these guys completely gangsters!”
Inette, who was listening to Chariot’s story, was outraged.
“These bastards need to taste some heat?”
“I agree. Tormenting people for such reasons is something the Supreme Deity will not forgive either.”
Gusto also nodded.
Of course, Radel had no intention of leaving the Lizardmen alone from the beginning.
“What is this doing!”
The Lizardmen were dragged out of prison by the humans who suddenly stormed in.
“Don’t tell me they intend to kill us already, Brother?”
“No way. We are prisoners. Even if they are human bastards, there must be principles regarding prisoners.”
The Lizardmen thought that if they were going to kill them, they would have done so already.
Although Lizardmen were outstanding warriors, excessive fighting between tribes only reduced the number of their own kind.
So there was a principle they established.
If one expresses intention to surrender, one becomes a prisoner immediately.
Prisoners are handed over to the original tribe after receiving a price.
It was an important principle for Lizardmen who had frequent battles between tribes.
“Our tribe will come to rescue us soon. We just have to endure until then.”
Lando Chau, the leader of the warriors, whispered to the Lizardmen.
They were outstanding warriors of the Chau tribe, and the tribe wouldn't be able to abandon this many warriors.
“Move quickly! Because you guys have a lot of work to do.”
Radel led the Lizardmen to a rocky field.
“Now, from now on, you guys will make a field. Picking out stones from the ground and pulling weeds is what you will do today.”
“What? What does that mean!”
The Lizardmen were enraged at Radel’s words.
They were proud warriors of Lizardmen.
What they should grasp was a sword, not weeds!
“Because you guys took away the food, there is nothing to eat. Shouldn't we expand the fields and plant something? But just in time, there is empty land and prisoners too?”
Radel grinned and gestured to Armandy.
Then a box full of hoes was placed in front of the Lizardmen.
Although they didn't know what kind of tool it was, the Lizardmen instinctively felt repulsion.
“This is unjust! We are warriors! Not farmers!”
Lando Chau raised his voice representing the Lizardmen. Although he had been a prisoner many times during battles, such treatment was a first.
Chariot, who was watching beside Radel, whispered softly.
“By the way, can they really do farming work?”
Then Radel nodded confidently.
“Of course. Because the people here will teach them.”
Prince and Princess, magician, apprentice holy knight, Academy professor.
Where in this party was there a person to teach farming.
Chariot couldn't understand, but since Radel said so, he stayed quiet.
Reclaiming land was unconditionally a good thing anyway.
In the meantime, even if they wanted to farm more, because it was land with many stones, hands were short to make new fields, so suggesting to use Lizardmen like this was inwardly welcome too.
“Well, let’s watch for now.”
And two hours later, as Radel said, the Lizardmen really held a hoe each in their hands.
* * *
Lando Chau leading the warriors of the Chau tribe.
As a seasoned Lizardman warrior, he had lived respecting retired warriors and teaching still immature Lizardman warriors.
However, even for seasoned him, this kind of learning was a first.
“Listen well. It’s one bread per five hundred weeds. Got it?”
“If it’s five hundred, shouldn't there be five breads?”
At Lando Chau’s question, Inette, who was teaching him, snorted.
“Are you kidding? One bread for a hundred? Didn't you hear the food situation here? There is no bread to eat because of you guys right now! And if you want to eat more bread, just move your hands faster. Like this!”
Inette finished speaking and moved her hands as if showing off.
The hoe held in her hand swept through the weeds at a crazy speed.
“Saw that? This is how you do it.”
“……I didn't see.”
“No, talking about being a warrior and all, you couldn't see that? With such bad eyes, how do you swing a sword! Ah, frustrating.”
Inette demonstrated once again and dusted off her hands.
“This is really the last time.”
And approached the next Lizardman and taught the same way.
Sometimes screaming when meeting an underachiever was a bonus.
“Why are you so bad at this? Want to become grilled lizard?”
Radel was in a similar situation.
Holding a hoe, he was giving a speech to the Lizardmen.
“He who does not work, neither shall he eat. There is such a saying.”
“First time hearing such a story.”
“It might be a saying nonexistent for Lizardmen. Still, you must know reality. Right now, your meals depend on this. Keep in mind there is no free lunch.”
Radel explained the number of prisoners and the current food situation of the territory, repeatedly emphasizing that if things continued like this, their meals would be in danger.
It seemed the Lizardmen also accepted to some extent that food would come out only if they worked now.
“H, how should I do it?”
“Targeting the root is important. Since the ground on this side is hard, the weeds have rooted very deeply.”
Chariot, the acting lord of Raviedel, couldn't help but admire watching this scene. Besides Radel or Inette, even the magician or apprentice holy knight looked familiar with hoeing.
As they scattered and taught the Lizardmen, speed began to pick up in the work.
“Brother, although this is hard, it is surprisingly good exercise?”
“Stupid bastard. Don't like it! When we escape from here, we will pay back the human bastards exactly as is!”
Radel passed on hoeing to the Lizardmen and implicitly intervened in their conversation.
“How are you going to pay back?”
When Radel asked, he giggled and blabbered his inner thoughts.
“First I should tell the Chieftain. I feel like my anger won't be resolved unless I take revenge on these despicable bastards.”
“The Chieftain must be extraordinary, I suppose?”
“Saying something obvious. Unlike the former Chieftain, the one newly leading our tribe hates humans, so he won't let it pass.”
Radel could find out that the Lizardmen’s Chieftain changed not long ago and even that his personality was nasty.
“Still, there are times when I think the Chieftain is too harsh.”
“What weak talk is that! Are you saying that because you don't know what happens if you get on the Chieftain’s bad side? We just have to do as the Chieftain orders.”
So that was why they suddenly became violent.
Radel nodded inwardly and got up from his seat.
Since he roughly knew what happened with the Lizardmen, it was time to make the next plan.
* * *
Radel entrusted the prisoners to the party and came out to look around the territory with Chariot. It was because he wondered if there might be something useful no matter how barren the territory was.
He needed specialties to sell outside other than ingredients like herbs or mushrooms from the mountains.
He decided to wander around wherever his feet took him first to familiarize himself with the terrain.
“Is there nothing suitable…….”
Even if not to the extent of reviving the territory, it was fine if it generated some steady income.
As he felt while reclaiming the field earlier, Raviedel’s land was not suitable for farming.
If farming is difficult, what would be good.
“Prince, would you like to go over there once. It is where the largest lake in our territory is located.”
Chariot stepped up and guided Radel.
He wanted to show Radel the beauty of Raviedel.
The place Chariot guided to had a vast lake spread out.
It was a lake formed by water flowing from a steep valley, and when approaching close, the bottom was seen transparently.
“It is truly beautiful.”
Radel also admired the scenery of the lake.
The scenery of the Tsar Mountain Range was reflected and shimmering on the transparent lake.
However, as the appreciation for the beauty subsided, a question arose.
“If it’s a lake of this size, many fish should live in it, why does no one fish?”
Raviedel’s lake was much larger than the Academy’s lake.
In the eyes of Radel, who always fished during mana training lectures, this was no different from an excellent fishing spot.
“That is…… life does not live in this lake.”
Life doesn't live?
Radel opened his eyes wide at Chariot’s words.
How can there be such a lake?
Even if water just pools on the ground, it is the law of nature that all kinds of creatures appear. If something goes against the law of nature, there is only one reason.
Chariot nodded.
“As you probably guess, it must be the power of magic.”
Radel focused on the flow of mana felt from the lake.
Really, a faint aura of mana was spreading out from the valley where the lake started.
“Can you swim?”
“It is possible, but since it might be dangerous, swimming is prohibited for the territory people.”
It meant that because the water was too transparent, it was difficult to gauge the depth.
Radel bent his waist and stirred the water with his hand.
Looking like this, it is an ordinary lake.
Radel looked at the valley where the lake water flowed down this time.
‘Uh?’
But the appearance of that valley was somehow familiar.
Somehow, if going up along the valley, it seemed there would be a waterfall.
And inside that, it also seemed there would be a cave……?
While taming the Griffin, Radel always had a question.
The fact that a living Griffin flies to the waterfall from outside, isn't it proof that the Secret Training Ground is actually connected to a space existing in reality?
If so, where is the Secret Training Ground connected to.
Maybe Radel had found that answer.
* * *
“What does that mean! The warriors disappeared?!”
The Chau tribe, a Lizardman tribe based in the Tsar Mountain Range, was in an emergency.
It was because none of the warriors who went out to block the humans’ road yesterday returned.
The Chieftain of the Chau tribe was extremely angry and shouted.
“What are we supposed to do if an accident happens at a time like this!”
Warriors sent by the Great Chieftain were scheduled to arrive soon.
Although they say it’s for exchange, he wasn't unaware that it was actually to monitor him.
To Lizardmen, battle is sacred.
If they find out that warriors trained by sweating for that battle were used in an unjust place, it was clear they wouldn't leave him alone.
What’s wrong with tormenting mere humans a little to protect the sacred mountain?
However, even while thinking so, his body trembled when recalling the Great Chieftain.
Before they came, he had to quickly find the disappeared warriors.
“Send out other warriors! No, I will go myself this time!”
Without even dreaming what was waiting, he headed to the land of humans.