Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 371: The Caged Children
A castle of sand, conjured by the “Sorcerer.”
While the soldiers of the Iwood Kingdom and the Oni warriors below were fighting side by side in their strange alliance, Rest and Dible had broken through the ceiling and entered the upper floors.
“It seems… we’ve found the right place.”
“So it appears. Those must be the captives, the people from the other tribes.”
Rest and Dible had found them.
Before them stood a prison cell.
It was a space of about ten tatami mats, surrounded by bars of hardened earth. Inside, the imprisoned children of various races were packed tightly together: Oni, Winged Folk, Lizardmen, Insect tribes, and others Rest didn’t even recognize.
The children looked at them with eyes full of fear and suspicion.
“What should we do?”
“As planned, we free them. That alone fulfills our immediate goal.”
There was no sign of the Sorcerer.
Even when Rest used his Presence Detection magic, he sensed no one nearby.
Perhaps the enemy had already noticed their intrusion and fled.
“If possible, we could use these captives as leverage to negotiate with the tribes later… but it might just worsen hostilities. Let’s hope that Oni boy, Rou, can handle the talking for us.”
“…Yes, you’re right.”
Rest nodded at Dible’s words.
The tribes had already lost many warriors in this battle—it was a devastating blow.
From Rou’s account, they didn’t even want to keep fighting.
If they could free the hostages, the tribes would lose their reason for continuing the war.
(They probably won’t be grateful… but if they just lay down their arms, that’s enough.)
“Rou…?”
“Hm?”
As Rest and Dible spoke, a small voice came from within the cell.
“Did you just say Rou? Do you know my brother?”
The one who asked was a young girl with two small horns growing from her head.
She had a neat bob of white hair and a delicate, pretty face.
If not for the horns, she could easily be mistaken for a human. Her frightened eyes stared at them through the bars.
“Yeah. We’re… well, working together with him right now.”
Rest said this to the Oni girl.
It wasn’t a lie.
They weren’t exactly friends or allies, he had fought and captured Rou, even treated him harshly. But for now, they were cooperating.
“We’re going to break this cage and free you all. Just promise me, you won’t panic or attack us, all right?”
“I understand… Everyone, calm down. If we panic, it’ll only make things worse.”
The Oni girl soothed the others gently.
She was a clever child, and thanks to her, the frightened captives began to settle down.
“Good… that’s better.”
Rest stepped closer to the cell and began to gather magic.
The cage was made of hardened earth, the same material as the sand castle itself. Ordinary magic wouldn’t break it, so he prepared to pour in a large amount of power—condensing it into blades of wind to slice through the bars.
“Rest-sama!”
But at that very moment—
As his focus narrowed on casting the spell, Dible shouted a warning.
A heartbeat later, countless spikes shot out from the floor, walls, and ceiling.
“Gh—!”
“Dible-sensei!”
Dible threw himself in front of Rest, casting a defensive spell.
But he couldn’t block them all—dozens of sharp earthen spikes pierced him through the abdomen.
“Sensei, are you all right!? I’ll heal you—!”
“Rest… there’s an enemy! Forget about me—deal with the enemy first…!”
“……!”
Rest immediately channeled all his focus into Presence Detection again.
Still no human aura… yet there was a strange distortion in the wall itself.
“There…!”
Every part of this sand castle—the walls, the floor—was infused with magic.
But one area’s magic density was higher than the rest.
Rest released his prepared spell toward that spot.
“Protect me.”
A muffled voice echoed.
Walls of sand rose up from the floor—three layers thick. Rest’s wind blades shattered two of them.
“Such power… terrifying.”
From behind the sand barrier, a man emerged as if seeping out of the wall.
He had dull red-brown hair hanging down over his eyes and a gloomy, lifeless expression.
Tall but painfully thin, his body looked like that of a wire mannequin.
“A frightening thing, isn’t it… such talent, so young. I can’t help but envy it.”
“You’re…!”
The thin, shadowy man standing before them—
There was no doubt. He was the Sorcerer.
Seeing the one who had impaled his mentor through the stomach, Rest’s eyes burned with fury.