Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 44: Attempting Contact
“It was me, Lord Marquis.”
A burly hunter holding a crossbow stepped forward.
Owen looked at him and asked,
“Tell me—how did you discover the Lizardmen? What exactly did you see?”
“Yes, Lord Marquis.”
This hunter was a seasoned veteran of Bianshu Town, well-known among hunters for his exceptional skills.
That morning, he had planned to venture deep into the Labyrinthine Forest to hunt—a risky endeavour that only someone as familiar with the forest as he was would dare attempt.
While making his way in, the hunter spotted two Lizardmen warriors up ahead. Instinctively, he hid himself.
The two were armed with spears and cautiously parted the underbrush as they advanced.
Although he was curious why Lizardmen had appeared on the outskirts of the forest, the hunter had no desire to investigate, choosing instead to quietly retreat and continue deeper in.
But then—he saw a large group of Lizardmen following behind the first two, moving slowly along the cleared path.
Several warriors guarded the perimeter with great caution.
Though humans struggle to tell Lizardmen genders apart, their age can still be roughly judged.
The hunter noticed that the group included many Lizardmen children—and some wounded, being carried by their kin.
It looked like an entire tribe being forced to migrate toward the forest edge.
Sensing something was very wrong, the hunter immediately withdrew.
Once out of the forest, he reported his discovery to the knights.
“Wait—you said there were children and injured among the Lizardmen?”
Hearing this, Owen latched onto a crucial detail and asked for confirmation.
“Yes.”
The hunter nodded.
“They were protected in the center of the group, which made the whole tribe move quite slowly.”
[That almost certainly means their original home was invaded—either by another Lizardman tribe or by a different demihuman race.]
Winston theorized.
[I think so too.]
Owen replied internally.
Then he turned to the hunter again and asked:
“What’s your name?”
“Maddy, Lord Marquis.”
“Well done, Maddy. You’ll be rewarded when you return.”
Owen never hesitated to reward those who contributed to Bianshu Town—it was a way to encourage others to do the same.
Upon hearing this, Maddy’s face lit up with joy. He quickly saluted and said:
“Th-Thank you, Lord Marquis!”
Now came the more pressing question: how should they handle this Lizardman situation?
Owen dismissed the hunters for the moment and fell deep into thought, stroking his chin.
At that moment, Viscount Jarvis approached and offered a suggestion:
“Marquis Eisen, since they don’t seem to have many capable fighters, we could easily wipe them out by assembling our knights for an assault. Let’s act now!”
“I agree with Father.”
Even Mapel, rarely aligned with her father, voiced support—surprising Viscount Jarvis, who gave his daughter a sidelong glance.
But then Theresa stepped forward, offering a different opinion:
“Shouldn’t we at least try talking to them first? If the Lizardmen are only resting here temporarily and plan to leave soon, we could simply post a few people nearby to monitor them.
There’s no need to destroy them outright.”
“Even if we have the advantage, trying to eliminate them will surely provoke a fierce counterattack. Our knights would suffer casualties,”
Viscount Jarvis countered.
“Lizardmen are still a foreign race. Leaving them here will make the townspeople feel constantly uneasy,”
Viscount Jarvis rebutted.
One side advocated for war and extermination of the non-humans; the other opposed unnecessary bloodshed. Both sides had valid points. It now depended on what decision Owen would make.
As for Winston, he simply listened in silence. Of course, he could offer suggestions, but this was ultimately their issue to resolve. As long as Owen and the others could handle it, there was no need for him to interfere too much.
He would quietly continue offering technological assistance and witness the rapid development of Bianshu Town. In the end, what kind of waves would this small town stir up in a world ruled by magic?
That was what Winston wanted to see—a town driven by technology suddenly emerging in a magic-dominated world. The thought alone was fascinating.
“I want to recruit the Lizardman warriors and have them help defend the northern wall against the undead.”
Amid the debate, Owen suddenly voiced a surprising idea that shocked everyone present.
“Wait a second, Marquis Eisen!”
Viscount Jarvis was so startled that his eyepatch nearly fell off. He hadn’t expected Owen to actually consider using the strength of a demi-human race.
“We’re more than capable of handling the undead ourselves. There’s no need to rely on Lizardmen.”
“When it comes to defending against the undead, the more strength we have, the better. I don’t care if that strength comes from demi-humans—if there’s a chance to win them over, I’ll try myself.”
Seeing how determined Owen looked, Viscount Jarvis suddenly had a bad feeling.
“Marquis Eisen… don’t tell me you intend to meet with the Lizardmen personally?”
“That’s right.”
Knowing objections would come, Owen quickly explained:
“Relax. We already know they don’t want to fight us. And I’m not approaching them with hostility. There’s no danger.”
Even so, preparations began immediately. Although the risk was low, every precaution still needed to be taken.
Fanny, who had been flaunting her magic up front, was summoned back. When she heard Owen was going to negotiate with the Lizardmen, she was visibly stunned.
After consideration, Fanny was added to the protection team. If anything went wrong, she would instantly cast a wall of fire between Owen and the Lizardmen to stop their advance and allow the group to retreat safely.
Although Owen knew the same spell, it took him longer to cast. Fanny could prepare the magic in advance and release it immediately when needed.
After all, Owen couldn’t both hold a spell at the ready and negotiate at the same time. That would be too exhausting—and could even alert the Lizardmen that something was off.
With preparations complete, Owen set out—flanked by guards—toward the area now occupied by the Lizardmen.
At the edge of the Labyrinthine Forest, two Lizardmen sentries noticed the movement and immediately raised their guard.
As they got closer, Winston could clearly observe the Lizardmen’s appearance:
They looked like upright-standing lizards.
From their lower jaws and chests to the base of their tails, they were covered in large white scales, while the rest of their bodies were coated in dark green, jagged scales.
They wore animal pelts, tooth necklaces, and carried long spears.
When the two sides came within a certain distance, the Lizardmen guards thrust their spears forward in unison, pointing them at Owen’s group.
“Do not come any closer, humans.”
One of the Lizardfolk warned.
Owen calmly stopped in place and looked the two Lizardmen square in the eyes, completely composed.
“Bring out your leader. I wish to speak with him.”