The Lizardman Warrior

There was a tall lizardman warrior collapsed on the highway.

"… I feel like I've seen something like this before…"

"Maybe he's hungry?"

Sei and Mako muttered.

Kukuri, in the driver's seat, turned around seeking their opinion, but Sei had already used Identify to determine the warrior's condition.

Dehydration. Also heat stroke.

"Dehydration, huh… Well, black lizardmen are supposed to be weak to dryness. But normally they should be able to use water magic…"

Kukuri tilted his head in confusion, but according to Sei's Identify, the lizardman indeed did not possess the water magic skill.

Since there was nothing bad written in his criminal record section, Sei approached the lizardman man.

"Are you okay～?"

"Wa… water, please…"

Sei handed the canteen to the dying lizardman. He gulped it down noisily, so Sei also used water magic to cool him from the head down.

"Sorry, you saved me."

After a while, the recovered lizardman sat up properly again and bowed deeply to Sei.

Sei already knew from Identify that this lizardman was strong. Ridiculously so.

His level was higher than Sei's, he had skills, and his base stats were high. On top of that, whether it was a racial trait or not, he possessed a Gift called Hard Scales.

He carried a tower shield on his back, wore chainmail, and his weapon was a scimitar. It was equipment that focused heavily on defense.

"Let me introduce myself properly. I'm Keios. I'm an adventurer."

When they asked about his circumstances, it seemed Keios had been in the middle of a journey.

He had encountered a monster horde along this road, which was rare, and while he had scattered them easily enough, his water bag had been damaged in the process.

"It was careless of me…"

He had thought that along the highway there would surely be villages or rivers along the way, and he might run into other travelers, but that hadn't happened.

It was for such an unfortunate reason that he had been on the verge of death, and Sei's group had saved him.

"Even veteran warriors can die of thirst when the time comes…"

Sei, being immortal, said this to comfort Keios.

"I have another request, if you have a spare canteen and water, could you let me have them? I'll pay for them, of course."

"By the way, where are you headed?"

"The Dwarven Village."

Sei and Mako exchanged glances. Gantz emerged from the front of the covered wagon.

"Two days' journey."

It was two days on foot. No matter how weak lizardmen were to dryness, two days should be manageable.

"Oh, there's a dwarf too. Then I'd like to ask, is it true that the Sword God-sama is at the Dwarven Village?"

The Sword God.

That was definitely referring to Ria. If he was visiting for that reason, they could roughly understand his situation.

Either to become a disciple, to challenge the dojo, or to have a weapon made.

"What business do you have with Ria-san?"

When Mako asked cautiously, Keios seemed pleased. Though being a lizardman, his expression was hard to read.

"Oh! You're acquaintances of the Sword God-sama!? So she really is there!?"

What poor timing this lizardman had.

Right when Sei's group had departed, Ria should be flying around to contact the divine dragons and acquaintances in various regions. Of course, to prepare countermeasures against the heroes.

"She's not there right now."

To the dejected lizardman, Sei spoke kindly.

"Did you want to meet her that badly? What for?"

"Yes, actually, I'm also an explorer who has been challenging the Immortal Labyrinth, but…"

And so Keios explained his circumstances.

Keios was born in a lizardman settlement in the southeastern wetlands of the Dragon Bone Continent.

He had exceptional combat talent and could use magic. But he was different.

He couldn't use water magic; he was good at fire magic instead.

Feeling that this was shameful as a servant of the Water Dragon Rana, he decided to set out on a training journey.

During his travels, the reason why he couldn't use water magic was quickly discovered.

He had, of all things, a Gift called Fire Protection.

He was resistant to fire and found it easy to learn fire magic. The same traits as desert lizardmen possessed.

As a wetland lizardman, he wanted to somehow learn water magic, but no amount of training worked.

That's when he heard rumors about the Immortal Labyrinth.

The Immortal Labyrinth. Also called the Labyrinth of Trials.

The greatest feature of this labyrinth was that even if you died inside, you would be revived and expelled outside the labyrinth.

Though in that case, all your money and all your equipment would be stripped from you.

It was said that those who conquered the labyrinth would have their wish granted by a being close to a god.

Hearing this, Keios challenged it sometimes alone, sometimes with a party, but he always got stuck partway through.

So he had set out to become a disciple of the one called the Sword God, to reevaluate his own abilities.

"I understand your story, but as I said earlier, Ria-san isn't here right now."

When Mako said this consolingly, Keios sighed.

Certainly, if this lizardman trained under Ria, he would grow stronger quickly. But Ria was busy right now. Because of the world crisis.

… Though there was also the question of whether he could endure Ria's training.

"Um, would you like to dive into the labyrinth together with us?"

That was the group's destination for now. They were scheduled to deliver weapons there.

And Sei had been told to try challenging the labyrinth while they were at it. To gain actual combat experience.

At Sei's proposal, Keios fell silent.

Two young human girls, a dwarf, and a halfling.

Honestly, he thought this wasn't a group that could dive to the deeper floors.

"We may not look it, but we're disciples of the Sword God, so we're actually pretty strong."

"Of the Sword God-sama?"

Keios tilted his head.

From their bearing and conduct, he could tell they were reasonably skilled.

But from Sei, he didn't sense that aura—that fighting spirit that strong people typically had.

Rather, he sensed that kind of easily recognizable strength more from the girl with the spear.

"Want to test it?"

"Hmm, well then…"

And the two faced each other.

"Please come at me seriously. Otherwise there's no point."

"Mm, understood."

Without underestimating her, Keios readied his scimitar.

In response, Sei casually approached. She wasn't even holding a weapon.

It was so casual that Keios actually became wary, but once she entered his range, his body moved naturally.

Sei tried to dodge the scimitar's blade with minimal movement… but she didn't.

Rather, she went to get hit by the blade. As Keios reflexively pulled back his weapon, a dagger that had appeared in her hand at some point was thrust at his throat.

Sei's victory.

"You weren't being serious, were you?"

"No, I just didn't expect you to come at my blade."

He had pulled back unconsciously.

"Want to try again?"

"Yes, let's. Also, is there anyone who can use healing magic?"

When Sei and Mako raised their hands, Keios steadied his breathing.

"This time, it might hurt a little."

Keios's scimitar broke the right arm of the casually approaching Sei.

And the dagger gripped in Sei's left hand was stopped at Keios's throat.

Sei's victory.

As Sei healed her broken arm, Keios sighed.

Certainly, he had lost in the sparring match. But if this had been real combat, Keios would have won.

No, maybe not? If she could endure some pain and still attack, could she defeat Keios the same way?

If healing could fix it, then she could just ignore anything that wasn't a fatal wound and attack.

But could that really be called strength?

"By the way, my Gift is Immortality."

At those words, Keios's jaw dropped.

In the end, Keios decided to accompany them.

It wasn't just Sei's absurd Gift; it was because he heard that Mako was a hero.

Mako's spear indeed exchanged blows with Keios in an easily recognizable display of strength.

He also fought Gantz, who was snorting eagerly, and sensed something hidden within his rough edges.

This was probably the strongest party he had ever joined.

"Well then, old man, nice to meet you."

Kukuri said to wrap things up, but Keios was dissatisfied with that.

"I'm only 25 years old. I'm not old enough to be called an old man."

Lizardmen lived for approximately 100 years. Indeed, he wasn't an old man.

Rather, Kukuri was the old man here.

The wagon traveled along the highway.

Learning from Kukuri, Sei and the others also tried their hand at driving.

They were blessed with good weather. The season was nice too.

In the midst of this, Sei's map showed an approaching group.

"Hm? Cavalry?"

Sharp-eyed Kukuri had spotted a mounted group approaching from a distant hill.

"It's fine, they're led by a knight. I think they're just on patrol."

"You can tell?"

"It's one of my Gifts."

Indeed, it was ten cavalry soldiers led by a knight who were approaching.

Kukuri slowly reduced their speed. The knight stood in front and called out "Halt!" to the already stopped wagon.

"A child… no, a halfling? Where are you headed?"

"The labyrinth city."

"Hmm, adventurers? We'll inspect your cargo."

The cavalry inspected the inside of the covered wagon, but there was nothing problematic loaded. Rather, there was nothing at all.

"Captain, there's nothing loaded."

"Nothing loaded, you say?"

The eyes of the man called Captain sharpened.

Thinking about it, not having water or food loaded was actually unnatural.

"I have a treasury, you see. The luggage is inside that."

Sei said. There was a bit of a lie mixed in, but she demonstrated by taking out some spare weapons.

"… Do you have identification papers?"

Sei had three. One was issued by the guild at the Dwarven Village. And the other two were…

"Will this do?"

Seeing the golden plate Sei presented, the Captain's complexion changed. After confirming its contents, his expression changed even more.

"How about it?"

"My apologies! Please proceed! Also, bandits have been spotted in this vicinity, so please be careful."

"Thank you. Well then, keep up the good work."

When Sei put away the plate, her companions directed questioning gazes at her.

She took out what she had just put away and showed it around. The most surprised was Keios.

"A… Duke of Ogress?"

"You're a noble? Why?"

That same Mako had actually been knighted in Neosis.

Gantz didn't change his complexion or expression. This consistency was impressive.

"My master said I'd need identification papers, so she made them for me."

"I see, the Sword God-sama was originally the founder of Ogress…"

"Really? She didn't seem like that kind of person though. If you told me Carla-san was actually a princess, that I'd believe."

At Mako's harsh assessment, Sei defended Ria nonetheless. Ria in her black armor and cape certainly had an imposing presence.

"A noble, huh. Oh, then you can use noble privileges."

Kukuri made a mischievous smile, and in the end, only Keios was left deep in thought as the journey continued on.