Chapter 30

Chapter 30: A Heated Exchange!

Having obtained permission from the village chief, we gathered at what seemed to be the central square of the village to inspect the spoils of war from the goblins and orcs.

I taught Al and Nero a game of tic-tac-toe on a nine-square grid, and they seemed to get hooked on it.

The two of them have been continuously drawing and erasing on the ground, playing endlessly.

The villagers are watching us from a distance.

They seem interested, but approaching us is intimidating, considering that we are two demon kings.

"Takuto-sama!"

Fran called out.

If someone were to call out in this village, I could only think of Fran.

"What is it?"

"May I sit next to you?"

"Oh, sure. And I'm sorry for startling you earlier."

"Yes. Yesterday and today, I feel like I've been startled enough for a lifetime."

I answered with a laugh.

"You went out of your way to worry about me. Did you come here without any particular reason?"

"Oh, you, um, figured it out."

It has been a while since I have felt the kindness of a person, and it feels pleasant.

"Could you call over the villagers who are guarding this village?"

"In that case, do you mean 'Lloyd' over there?"

Fran stood up and brought Lloyd over to me.

He is clearly nervous.

"I am Lloyd. Do you need something from me?"

"Oh, there's no need to be so tense. I'll donate all the weapons here to this village, so feel free to use them however you like."

Neither Lloyd nor Fran seem to be able to speak.

"Hmm? Could it be that you don't want them?"

"No, we want the weapons desperately. However..."

Is there a reason they can't accept them?

"Takuto-sama, what Lloyd is concerned about is that these weapons can fetch a considerable amount of money if sold. He is bewildered by the sudden donation of such items."

I see.

In addition to what Fran explained, Lloyd added, as if to supplement her statement,

"Yes, that's right. I have nothing to offer in return for Takuto-sama's kindness."

"No, no, I received dinner yesterday and you let me sleep at your place, right? That's more than enough."

"Even though you call it dinner, it was a simple meal, and the place I slept was just a bare floor."

Lloyd thought to himself, "He's a serious guy, but..."

"My dinner was clearly better than what you guys are eating. And even the place to sleep, it was the best in this village, right? Despite the hardships everyone in the village is facing, you welcomed me. That's more than enough."

"But..."

In this world, they wouldn't understand the concept of "the importance of a single night's lodging and meal."

"Don't worry about it, just accept it!"

"No, but..."

This is troublesome, it's a deadlock situation. If I can't convince Lloyd, it'll turn into a pointless argument.

"I've taken a liking to this village. To protect the village and prevent its demise, I'll donate weapons. Is that still not enough?"

"I'll protect the village!"

Al suddenly interjected into the conversation.

"That village chief is a good person. I'll make sure Granil and the dragons protect this village! Takuto's kindness is my kindness!"

The moment I said something nice, it became useless in an instant.

Moreover, Al was saying something incomprehensible.

"Has Granil agreed to it?"

"That doesn't matter."

Well, I guess so.

There's no way he can refuse...

"Granil?"

Lloyd didn't understand the meaning.

Fran explained to Lloyd.

"A dragon?"

"Yeah, though it's weaker than me, it can still protect this village even if it watches over it from that mountain!"

Considering Al's standards, everyone is in the weak category...