Travellers who returned were evaluated highly because of the level of knowledge they had gathered. Although they were individuals detached from the power hierarchy, they were still prominent within the tribe.
There were some who kept their distance from Zaryusu out of respect, but his fame was greater than that. It was not only because he was an traveller. The reason was…
When descending from the lowest stair to the wetlands' surface, his favourite weapon holstered on his waist collided with his scales, creating a clicking sound.
It was a blue and white blade with a dim glow. The shape was a bit peculiar, the blade and the handle were integrated, resembling a three-pronged fork. Starting from the grip part of the body it became increasingly thinner, until becoming paper-thin at the tip of the blade.
There were no lizardmen who did not know of this weapon. All the surrounding lizardmen tribes referred to it as one of the four treasured magic items: Frost Pain.
This was the reason behind Zaryusu’s great fame.
Zaryusu started to move.
He had two different destinations. The gift which he intended to bring to one of those destinations was currently carried on his back.
It was one of the large fish which served as the staple food of lizardmen. Walking as he carried four of these fishes on his back, the stench which entered his nose did not cause any discomfort to Zaryusu. On the contrary, it was a smell which made him feel very hungry.
A strong desire to eat. After puffing out wind several times out from his nose, he expelled this desire. Like this, Zaryusu pattered as he walked without stopping through the Green Claw tribe village.
Children, who still had their bright green scales, ran around and let out ‘sha sha’ sounding laughter, but stopped as they noticed the objects on Zaryusu’s back. Healthy growing children peered towards Zaryusu from under the shadows of houses—— no, it was because of the fish that they gathered together. Their mouths were slightly parted, even drooling. They stayed a slight distance away, but their eyesight was still locked on, with gazes like children who craved snacks.
Zaryusu smiled wryly and pretended to not notice as he continued walking. He had already decided who to give them to. It was regretful, but they weren’t meant for the children.
The children's gazes were not caused by hunger --- something that would've been impossible a few years ago. This gave Zaryusu a feeling of happiness.
With his back facing the reluctant gazes, he passed through the residential area and arrived at the hut that was his destination.
This area was not connected to the village. Going a bit further, and it became dissimilar to the wetlands which were the general depth of the lake. This hut, which was sturdier than it looked, was built on this subtle border and was larger in size than Zaryusu’s home.
The strangest feature was that it was tilted. Because of this reason, approximately half of the house was submerged in the water. This was not collapsed due to damage, but was intentionally constructed to be so.
Swishing, Zaryusu got closer to the house whilst making audible water noises.
Wheedling sounds could be heard from the hut, it could probably smell the scent of fishes.
With a squeak, the head of a snake with deep brown scales and amber eye-pupils appeared from the window. after confirming that it was Zaryusu, the neck extended and coquettishly twisted around him.
“Good, good.”
With a habitual hand movement, Zaryusu stroked the snake’s body. The snake comfortably squinted using the eye protection membrane. Zaryusu also thought that the scaly snakeskin felt fine.
This creature was Zaryusu’s pet, called Rororo.