Chapter 163

Hoo. It’s been a while since I went shopping.

Lately, Mari has been busy taking on requests, often skipping meals, and with Karina and Serena also out, I’ve been eating hastily prepared meals more often.

When I eat alone, I tend to eat more carelessly compared to when we all eat together.

…Did I just have a housewife-like thought?

While having such silly thoughts, I was carrying a shopping basket and leaving the market.

“…Come to think of it, Karina and Serena are running late.”

The two of them left on a request, claiming they needed to earn money, but really, it was for dieting.

The distance to the village meant it wasn’t a request that could be completed in a day, but…

Even so, their return is taking longer than expected.

Of course, as adventurers, unexpected variables can arise, causing delays, but…

“Well, they’re not kids, so it should be fine.”

They are Silver Rank Adventurers, after all. What could possibly go wrong?

It’s not like they took on a particularly difficult request.

Even so, I was starting to think that if they didn’t return by today, I might have to go look for them.

“Finally found you! Lizardman-san!”

“…Huh?”

“I’ve been looking for you all this time…”

“Do you know me?”

The one who called out to me was a young man, somewhere between a boy and a young adult, leaning more towards a boy.

He seemed about two years older than Theo, the boy I met in the Verde Jungle.

The boy, who had called out to me so cheerfully, quickly looked disappointed upon seeing my face.

Hey, who are you to greet me so familiarly and then look disappointed?

“Ah, no. I think I mistook you for another Lizardman.”

“Really? Do I look like the Lizardman you know?”

Most beastkin are rare, but Lizardmen are especially uncommon.

“Well, not exactly similar, but he also had green skin. But I must have been mistaken. He was missing an arm.”

“…Missing an arm?”

That’s quite a unique Lizardman.

A Lizardman missing an arm?

“Well, sorry I’m not the person you’re looking for. I hope you find them.”

“Yes, yes…”

But it’s not really my concern.

What’s important now is lunch.

Since I went shopping for the first time in a while, I should put some effort into cooking instead of just throwing something together.

With that thought, I parted ways with the boy and headed to the Adventurer Guild.

.

.

.

And so, I forgot about the boy I met at the market and had lunch.

When I’m alone, I tend to cook carelessly, but putting effort into cooking really makes a difference.

It’s not as good as when we all eat together, but good food is always good.

Still, doing the dishes is a hassle.

If my companions were here, I could have passed the dishwashing to them.

Dishes are really annoying…

Maybe I’ll just go back to eating carelessly starting tomorrow.

As I was thinking this and about to clean up, the boy from earlier called out to me again.

“This time, I really found you! Lizardman-san!”

“Huh?”

The one who called out was the same boy I met this morning.

He looked surprised to see me again, staring at me with a flustered expression.

“Sorry, but you’re mistaken again.”

“…Huh?”

Even though Astram is a big city, getting it wrong twice in a row…

Is it bad luck or just poor judgment?

As I was thinking this, the boy seemed to have an idea and asked me a question.

“Ah, by any chance, have you seen any other Lizardmen around here? Since you’re also a Lizardman, you might know…”

“Other Lizardmen… I can’t think of any off the top of my head.”

I don’t really interact much with other Lizardmen.

“…Is that so? I heard he’s a very skilled adventurer!”

A skilled adventurer, huh…

Definitely not me.

“Sorry, but I still can’t think of anyone.”

“R-really…”

The boy looked openly disappointed and hung his head.

…It’s a bit hard to ignore such blatant disappointment right in front of me.

Well, I’ve already eaten, so I might as well hear him out.

“From what I see, you don’t seem to know much about this Lizardman. Why are you so desperate to find him?”

“W-well, actually…”

.

.

.

The boy’s name was Pey.

Pey, as his youthful appearance suggests, is a newly adult adventurer. He came to Astram not just to work as an adventurer, but more importantly, to find a certain Lizardman.

When he was a child, Pey, being a mischievous kid, ventured into a forest that the village adults warned was dangerous due to monsters, as part of a dare with other village kids.

Of course, as a mere child, Pey soon got lost in the forest.

Lost and disoriented, Pey wandered deeper into the forest, thinking he was heading towards the village.

When he heard the growls of monsters, he froze in fear, realizing he had gone too deep.

The deeper parts of the forest were the domain of the monsters the adults had warned about, and soon, Pey was surrounded.

As a child, Pey had no means to resist the monsters, and just as he was about to be killed, he was saved by the very Lizardman he is now searching for.

The Lizardman, who happened to be passing through the forest on a request, heard Pey’s screams and rushed to his aid. Despite being outnumbered, the Lizardman fought bravely to save him.

“Thanks to him, I was able to return to the village safely, but he lost an arm in the process. Even though he lost an arm, he didn’t ask for anything in return. I was so moved by his selflessness that I decided to become an adventurer who could save others, just like him.”

What a touching story.

“So, you’re looking for him to thank him?”

“Yes. To thank him and, now that I’m an adult, to repay him in some way. I heard from the village adults that he was an adventurer based in Astram. So, as soon as I became independent, I headed straight for Astram.”

But since it’s been over ten years and he didn’t know much about the Lizardman to begin with, finding any trace of him proved difficult.

“I thought it would be easy since Lizardmen are so rare…”

“Do you have any other information about him? Like a nickname, maybe ‘Red Hair’ or something?”

“No. He had green skin.”

Of course.

“Well, Astram is a big city, so even if Lizardmen are rare, it’s not easy to find one. But there aren’t many Lizardmen, so you should find him soon.”

I tried to comfort Pey with these words.

But he still wore a dark expression and shook his head.

“…That’s not the problem.”

“Then what is?”

“I’ve already searched all the Lizardmen in Astram. You were the last one…”

Ah… I see.

If it’s been over ten years, he might have retired from adventuring, moved to a different base, or, worst case, something might have happened to him.

Pey, having reached the same conclusion, looked downcast and stared at the ground.

“I thought finding a one-armed Lizardman would be easy… But I still can’t find him…”

Ah, one-armed?

Could it be that Pey hasn’t found his savior because…

“Well, maybe you’ve been looking in the wrong places.”

“…What do you mean?”

“I mean, maybe you’ve overlooked something fundamental.”

“…Huh?”

Pey looked up at me with teary eyes.

Having heard his story, I couldn’t just ignore him…

Since I’ve already gotten involved, I might as well help a bit more.

“I’ll help you find the Lizardman you’re looking for. I happen to have some free time.”

Looks like my afternoon schedule will be searching for a missing person.

This is the story of the day I reunited with a familiar-faced Lizardman after a long time.