“Is that so… actually I have come across that kind of monster once before...” Zaryusu spoke up to this point and paused to observe Crusch’s response as he continued “...and I fled.”
“—Eh?”
“It was impossible to defeat. No, to put it nicely, it was a fifty-fifty chance of dying.”
Crusch then understood that the monster was such a terrifying undead, and heaved a sigh of relief that her decision to stop the warriors back then was the right decision.
“It can emit a scream that causes mental confusion. Not only that, it has an ethereal body therefore it is almost entirely immune towards attacks with weapons which are not magically enchanted. Using numbers will not work.”
“Amongst the magic which our druids use, there is a kind of magic which can temporarily imbue magic on swords…”
“...Is it able to defend against mental attacks?”
“It is able to strengthen the resistance, but protecting everyone’s mental state would be too much and our strength would be insufficient.”
“So it’s like that… are all the druids able to use that magic?”
“If it is strengthening resistance, almost all of the druids are capable of it. But I’m the only one in this tribe who can shield the mind from confusion.”
Crusch noticed that Zaryusu’s breathing had shifted ever so slightly. It seemed that he had already noticed that Crusch’s position was not merely an empty title.
Correct. The lizardman Crusch Lulu was an extremely skilled forest druid. Maybe even above some of the other elder druids amongst the lizardmen.
“...Which number was the Red Eye tribe in order of the tribes that were attacked?”
“The opponent said we are the fourth.”
“I see… then, what are your plans?”
Time passed by.
Crusch was contemplating whether revealing the plans would be beneficial. The Green Claw tribe would certainly choose to go to war, and Zaryusu’s objective in coming here should be to form an alliance, requesting to head to battle together. With that in mind, what should be done for the bests interests of the Red Eye tribe?
Red Eye tribe originally did not intend to form an alliance. Their opinion was to choose to seek refuge. Going to war against people able to use 4th tier magic was an incredibly foolish idea. Moreover, knowing that the undead which were sent out by the opponent possessed such terrifying abilities made it more obvious that there could not be any other verdict.
However, was honestly revealing such thoughts really for the best?
Towards Crusch who was trapped in her own thoughts, Zaryusu narrowed his eyes, and opened his mouth to speak:
“Let me tell you what I truly think.”
Having no idea what Zaryusu was about to say, Crusch looked at him with unblinking eyes.
“What I am worried about is what happens after seeking refuge.”
To Crusch who was unable to understand the meaning of this sentence, Zaryusu calmly continued.
“Do you think that after moving away from a familiar environment which you are used to living in, you will be able to maintain the same lifestyle as the one right now?”
“Impossible… no, it would be rather difficult.”
If they were to leave here and establish a new place of habitat, they would have to fight with their lives on the line —— they would have to win the fight for survival. The reality was that lizardmen were actually not the only occupants of this lake, and they had obtained this piece of wetlands after many tiresome years of warring. For this kind of species, it was not possible to easily set up a new habitat in unfamiliar environments.
“There’s also more than enough chance that there wouldn’t be enough food.”
“Probably so.”
Crusch, who was unable to understand what this male lizardman standing in front of her was getting towards, replied with a sharp suspicious voice.
“Then, if the nearby five tribes seek refuge at the same time, what do you think will happen?”
“That…!”
Crusch fell silent, because she already figured out the true meaning behind Zaryusu’s words.
Although the size of the lake was quite vast, when a tribe would choose a certain area to serve as a place of refuge, that area should also be the place that other tribes would want to obtain. Therefore, just moving to a new place could trigger another fight for survival, nearby would also have opponents who would fight for fish as the main source of food supply. Like this, what kind of situation would play out? Finally there would be no guarantee that the most feared result would arise, that being a war just like the one in the past.
“Don’t tell me… the reason you want to fight even though we might not win…”
“...That’s right. With the other tribes combined, I’m considering how many less mouths we can feed.”
“For something like that!”
That was why he wanted to form an army. So even if they lose the battle, there would be less lizardmen to feed.
In a war for survival, it would be extreme but understandable to think that everyone aside from the battle-able warriors, hunters, and druids were expendable. No, in the long-term it may be better if the rest simply died.
Less mouths to feed means less food required to survive. In that case, even coexistence may be possible.
Crusch frantically tried to think of reasons to reject his idea.
“You don’t even know how dangerous the new location will be, yet you want to start from the beginning with reduced numbers?”
“Then I’ll ask you this. Let’s say we easily win the battle for survival, what then? If our fish dwindle, will the five tribes fight one another next?”
“We may be able to catch more fish!”
“And if we can’t?”
She could not answer in the face of Zaryusu’s chilling barrage of questions.
Zaryusu acts with what is the closest to a worst case scenario in mind. Crusch thinks with wishful thinking as her foundation. If a bad situation arises, her choices will lead to disaster, while Zaryusu’s will not.
And even if they were to be defeated and the number of adult lizardmen decrease, they will have died a glorious death in battle.
“...If you refuse, we will have to attack the Red Eyes first.”
The dark tone of his voice caused Crusch to flinch.