Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 350: An Enemy With Whom Dialogue Is Impossible
The Oni who had attacked the vanguard were repelled, and the skirmish ended in victory.
Looking toward the fortress, Rest saw that the winged folk and lizardmen who had been assaulting it were also retreating. From the looks of it, the fortress had sustained no major damage.
“For now, it seems we’ve won… but should we launch a pursuit?”
“There’s no need for that, Count Clover.”
“Captain Valeya?”
The commander, Valeya Catreya, called out to him.
“If we carelessly chase after them, we’ll be surrounded and beaten by the ambush lying in wait… a favorite tactic of theirs.”
“An ambush…?”
Rest activated Presence Detection.
Normally, the sense would be spread evenly in all directions, but this time he focused it toward the forest where the enemy had fled.
“—!”
Sure enough, he detected multiple presences lurking there.
Extremely faint presences—most likely, they were deliberately suppressing their magic signatures.
Numerous humanoid figures were hiding in the shadows of trees and beneath the ground, holding their breath.
(Such faint presences… ordinary detection wouldn’t have noticed them at all.)
Just like his master Dibble, exceptional magicians habitually kept Presence Detection active to sense their surroundings.
Normally, they would judge it safe if no presences were detected. But this suppression was so thinly veiled that even magic could barely pick it up.
If we struck while believing the area to be clear, they would be slaughtered without resistance.
(They’re synchronizing their magic signatures with the trees’ aura, camouflaging themselves like chameleons… I would’ve missed them if not for my focus.)
“You’ve noticed? Those are the Insect Tribe.”
Valeya glared toward the forest as she explained.
“The Insect People excel at hiding in trees and underground. Carelessly stepping into the forest would only see us cut down in moments by their assassination arts.”
“…That’s why counterattacks are difficult, then?”
“Exactly. During the invasion a century ago, they dug tunnels and infiltrated the fortress from below. At one point, the garrison had no choice but to abandon it.”
“…What if we set the forest ablaze? That would strip them of their advantage, wouldn’t it?”
It would be cruel to the plants and animals uninvolved in the war, but if environmental concerns were ignored, it seemed like an option.
Yet Valeya slowly shook his head, furrowing his brow with a grim expression.
“That was attempted once. But the tribes planted trees that release poisonous gas at the forest’s edge. If we burn them, our own forces will be engulfed in the vapor.”
“Poison…”
“Moreover, not all of the tribes are hostile to the Kingdom of Iwood. If we employ such indiscriminate tactics and burn the forest, even those not involved in the war will retaliate. We would only make more enemies.”
“…So we’re trapped. Then is there truly no path to peace?”
“That’s like telling a wolf to stop eating sheep and live on vegetables. In other words, a foolish question.”
Valeya turned his heel, giving Rest his back.
“We march back into the fortress!”
That ended the conversation.
As commander, Valeya began issuing orders to the troops.
“Recover the wounded! Those with severe injuries, treat them immediately with healing magic! Burn the enemy corpses and bring the supplies into the fortress!”
“……”
Watching her briskly give orders, Rest felt an indescribable weight in his chest.
He had just struck down many Oni with his lightning, so perhaps it was hypocritical to feel this way now… but the idea that simply being of another race made dialogue impossible was still a sad truth.
Perhaps it was because of his past life in a world where racial discrimination was rejected—but could it really be right to discard dialogue from the start?
(No… not “from the start.” Most likely, they already tried dialogue and persuasion long ago, and that’s why things are as they are now. First, I should focus on protecting myself and my allies.)
War was tragic, but their own survival came first.
If he didn’t live through this, he could never see his loved ones again.
He couldn’t allow Viola and Primula to become widows before their marriages even began.
“I’ll help with the treatment.”
Shaking off his sentimentality, Rest moved to aid in tending to the wounded.