The Nebula’s Civilization

“Enticing those Lizardmen is taking too long, Owen.”

“Sorry.”

Owen made a groveling apology to Shunen. The Frogmen warriors were currently on the move with objects tied to their backs for the fifth meeting with Lakrak.

“These Lizardmen with black scales and water buffalo skulls on their heads seem especially vigilant,” said Owen.

“Are you saying they are different from you guys, who were completely ignorant and accepted everything?” asked Shunen.

“...Yes. Haha.” Owen tried his best to reply with a smile. “But didn’t you see him getting anxious like a child every time we showed him the bows? I think it is time.”

Shunen nodded, but it was curt.

“Alright. One bow isn’t too great of a sacrifice if that means we can enslave them all. The bow would eventually return to our possession anyway.”

“Of course.”

Owen thought he had put a lot of work into the last four meetings. There was no mistake that the young Lizardman called Lakrak was a pretty strong warrior.

‘However, I’m not sure if he is a wise tribal chief. Just because you’re a good fighter doesn't mean you would be a good chief. I know this because I experienced it myself.’

Being obsessed over a good and new weapon was a virtue for a warrior, but not for a chief.

‘Lakrak won’t be able to handle the Frogmen, let alone the Two-Headed Fiend.’

“Would one bow be enough?” asked Shunen.

“Yes, I think so…b-but he might try to make a deal for more, so I believe it would be better if you could let me borrow two more…”

Shunen frowned.

“Have you noticed that his archery skills have improved even though we only met four times?”

“...He does seem like a talented warrior.”

“Well, he still has a long way to go if he wants to become as good as I am. It was a close call the last time I suggested we make a bet through archery. I think he has been practicing by making a bow that resembles ours…”

Shunen was suggesting that it would be a bit risky if they gave away three bows. Owen shook his head.

“However, it wouldn’t matter that we gave them a few more bows if I succeed in enticing him, would it? The weapons they have would return safely to us.”

“That is right. Your role is big. He doesn’t completely trust us, but he seems to treat you, a fellow Lizardman, nicely.”

“Yes, that seems to be the case. It’s probably because it's his first time seeing Frogmen, and you’re still unfamiliar to him.”

“That also means he’s that inexperienced… Hm.”

Owen was about to leave the conversation when he noticed that Shunen had something to say. Owen had to probe.

“Is there something wrong by any chance?”

“It’ll be better to hurry. Obtain as much information from them as you can this time, and if possible, you must try your best to invite him and his warriors to our village without raising any suspicions.”

“What is wrong?”

It seemed that Shunen was hesitating whether to tell Owen or not. Owen waited for Shunen’s reply in the most subservient manner.

‘It’s information that is only shared amongst the Frogmen. I need to hear it.’

Owen realized that Oboi wasn’t here to stop Shunen from telling him. Oboi was at the front of the group, talking about how great it would be if the Lizardmen brought water buffaloes again today.

“Sure, it would be okay for you to know. My father, Auloi the tribal chief, wishes to hurry and carry out the living sacrifice.”

“What?”

Owen was surprised. There was still quite some time until the sacrifice should be held. This was because they had hurriedly done so not long ago. The ritual was held to get revelations from the Two-Headed Fiend about Lakrak’s clan, but nothing much came out of it compared to the value of the sacrifices.

“The disease is getting worse for the elders, my father included.”

“What do you mean by disease? Are you talking about the itching illness?”

“...Yes.”

“Are they not just itchy?”

Shunen spoke unusually slowly and seriously.

“A priest died of this itching illness yesterday. We didn’t tell you Lizardmen, but once you get the itching illness, a sticky white layer of mucus begins to cover your skin, and that area becomes itchy. No matter how hard you try to wipe it away, the mucus doesn’t disappear, but continuously expands. It becomes hard to breathe once you are covered with the mucus for a certain period of time. And eventually, you die.”

Owen listened with no facial expressions. He couldn’t appear glad or surprised.

‘Shunen is testing me. This is the first time I’m hearing that this itching illness is a deadly disease. So that’s why some of the Frogmen haven’t been showing themselves lately. Everything makes sense now. Some of them are probably already dead.’

Owen put on a sad expression.

“Oh my, if I had known it was that kind of disease, I would have annoyed the collectors for more.”

“Huh, what would they know?”

“I should also be careful so word of this doesn’t spread. Some healthy and energetic Lizardmen may make fun of the Frogmen.”

“That’s obvious. However, we won’t be able to hide the fact forever…”

Owen quickly tried to think of something.

“Even if word spreads, there is a way to keep the Lizardmen in check—we tell them that it could also spread to Lizardmen.”

“That’s a good idea, but it wouldn’t really spread to them.”

“There are grasses that create white foam if you mash them and also grasses that make you itch. We’ll act accordingly to deceive them.”

“Ha, Owen, you really are a great…”

Shunen was about to compliment Owen, but he couldn’t think of an appropriate word to use and ended up mumbling. Then he thought of a good word to refer to Owen as.

“You’re like a trickster.”

“...Thank you.”

Shunen nodded and said, “Anyways, my father’s itching illness is becoming worse. He is a strong man, so he is holding against the disease longer than anyone else, but he is slowly losing energy. He wishes to be treated by offering a sacrifice to the Two-Headed Fiend.”

“Then…?”

“Different from last time, we need a large-scale living sacrifice. We will need quite a lot this time.”

Owen asked, “...exactly how much?”

“Well, I’m not sure. He might sacrifice as much as possible until it works. He was a bit sad that there were quite a bit of children in the huts in the middle of the island, and that they weren’t being used as sacrifices.”

It seemed that Shunen didn’t think too much about the lives of the Lizardmen that were going to be abandoned anyway. However, Owen got shivers down his spine.

‘Until it works? That damn Two-Headed Fiend is incompetent at doing anything. It’s just a giant, man eating, commotion making and threatening monster. Just like we are slaves to you, you are slaves to that monster. If it could cure the disease, it wouldn’t have let you get it in the first place!’

However, Owen did not express these thoughts.

“We will need…a lot of sacrifices.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll try to get as much information out of them and invite them to the village.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

***

The Lizardmen warriors and Frogmen warriors were getting familiar with each other's faces, so the fifth meeting wasn’t going too bad. Those who brought new goods to barter began to talk to each other and bargain. However, Owen the trickster knew there was not much information to get out of those Lizardmen.

‘I don’t know how Lakrak the chief is keeping them quiet, but they don’t say anything other than talking about trading goods.’

Owen looked at Lakrak.

‘But this guy is different.’

The exchange with Lakrak was much better than Owen had expected. Owen wondered how Lakrak had been holding it in until now, but the tribal chief now pleaded for at least one bow in exchange for the abundant medicinal herbs they had collected.

‘Three bows won’t even be needed.’

Basically, Lakrak suggested that they move this conversation somewhere far from the bartering site so that he wouldn’t embarrass himself in front of Shunen. Shunen approved while Oboi opposed the suggestion, but Oboi eventually caved given the attitude Lakrak had displayed.

Just as Lakrak and Owen finally got to be alone, Lakrak asked, “Are these medicinal herbs not enough?”

“Hm, I…I don’t think it is enough. If we give you this bow, you will soon be able to make a similar one.”

“But we don’t know the materials.”

“You also have craftsmen, so they’ll be able to make something similar.”

“...Hm, alright.”

Lakrak, who had been staring at the bow with shining eyes, suddenly looked at Owen.

“What else is it that you want?”

Owen didn’t recognize the change in Larkak’s attitude right away. All Owen thought was that the time had come to say what he had prepared.

“Trust, Lakrak.”

“Trust?”

“Yes.”

Owen began to lie.

“Before us grayish-brown scaled Lizardmen combined tribes with the Frogmen, we held a Brotherly Ritual. Before that ritual was performed, we hung out and shared good things with each other, and also spent time getting to know each other. But what is it like between your tribe and ours right now? We are sharing good things, but don’t know anything about each other.”

“That’s right.”

“This is because you guys haven’t put any trust in us yet. And that’s also why you’re willing to give that much medicinal herbs just for a single bow.”

Lakrak shifted his weight to one foot and crossed his arms.

“That’s right. What should I do to give you our trust?”

“Tell me about yourselves. Where did you guys come from, how many of you there are, and with what goals did you come here?”

“Hmm, if we give you our trust, you guys will also give us your trust?”

“Of course.”

Lakrak seemed to ponder for a moment. He then noticed something behind Owen’s back and quietly laughed. Owen turned around to see what was going on and saw a blue butterfly flapping its wings behind him.

‘It isn’t too warm yet, so why is there a butterfly? Have there even been this kind of butterflies around here in the first place? That’s strange.’

However, after seeing the blue butterfly, Lakrak became more cooperative towards Owen. Lakrak replied to Owen’s questions. The group had about 350 Lizardmen, which was way less than Owen had expected, they were living in the current area, and most of all, Lakrak told Owen they had twenty living water buffaloes.

‘Shunen will want them so bad once he knows of this.’

Lakrak also said that they had 30 warriors, which was quite a lot relative to the population of the clan. There might have been some exaggeration, or there was likely a problem with the skills of the warriors.

‘He might have included older or younger Lizardmen. But they can’t rival the 80 warriors the Frogmen have no matter how much they include a few more warriors. They don’t even know how to shoot arrows.’

Owen thought this was good and spilled false information about the Frogmen. Owen told Lakrak a lower number than the number of Frogmen there actually were so that Lakrak wouldn’t become afraid, and he also told Lakrak that it was in fact difficult to make bows so they didn’t have too many, making it a bit hard for them to barter with bows. Finally, he told Lakrak that there weren’t many warriors who knew how to shoot arrows.

“Frogmen are a mild-mannered species. They can’t be as tough as you and I.”

“Is that so?”

Owen nodded at Lakrak’s question.

“To be honest, Shunen wanted to invite you to the village once we gave each other trust. He always wanted to invite you and treat you as guests, but was sad that you didn’t open up to him.”

“Oh.”

“What do you think? Would you like to come?”

“Is it okay to be accompanied by my warriors?”

“Of course. You can bring them all.”

In fact, it was better for all the warriors to come in the Frogmen’s perspective. Lakrak’s village and the Frogmen’s village were quite far away from each other. The Frogmen would miss out on quite a few Lizardmen if some warriors were left behind.

‘It would be best to bring all the black-scaled Lizardmen at once.’

“Then I’ll talk more about this with Shunen later on… I would like to give you something more to express my gratitude for the invitation, is that okay?” asked Lakrak.

“Give more?”

“Trust, I mean.”

After Lakrak said so, he sat on a small rock and picked up a dry wooden stick. And then he began to write something on the ground.

“Come and look at this.”

Owen was dubious, but went closer.