Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 84: Allegiance
“To be honest, I don’t believe all the tribes can form a reliable alliance.”
The female elder in the middle spoke for the first time:
“Lord Eisen, you may not know this, but in the past, tribal wars broke out every decade or so due to food shortages. The ironic thing is, after each war, the population dropped enough that the food crisis resolved itself.”
“Can’t you just buy food from here?”
After all, if they were going to start trading with Bianshu Town, couldn’t they just transport enough food back? That was Lusha’s thinking.
“That method is unreliable.”
The female elder shook her head.
“Transporting food is already a major headache. Our homeland is separated from Bianshu Town by a vast forest. The road is hard to traverse, and we’re likely to be attacked by monsters on the way. It would take a long time to establish a safe trade route.”
“I may have a solution for that.”
Owen replied.
“You do?!”
Upon hearing this, not only Lusha, but the other two elders also became visibly intrigued.
“Of course. Do you know why we humans outnumber you beastmen by so much? It’s because we don’t just gather food from nature—we cultivate the land and grow crops to meet the needs of a large population.”
Relying solely on what nature provides can’t support growing demand, so agriculture is necessary.
Of course, due to low farming efficiency, population growth is still limited. Plus, nobles’ needs are prioritized, meaning many lower-class citizens still go hungry.
“You mean those grains…”
Lusha sounded slightly disappointed.
“I guess that’s acceptable. I’m not used to the taste, but it beats starving.”
“No, I was just giving an example. Since your people prefer fish, you can raise edible fish in artificial ponds and establish your own fishing industry.”
Owen said with a confident smile.
Following that, the two sides continued talking for a long time, until finally, the three elders had no further questions.
Lusha turned back to them, wanting to confirm their final decision. The three elders silently nodded.
Lusha then stood up and walked with the elders to an open area beside the table.
He drew the short sword from his waist, got down on one knee, held the blade up with both hands, and bowed his head slightly.
The three elders behind him knelt on one knee and bowed their heads as well, but they did not raise a sword.
“Lord Eisen, in the name of Lusha, I hereby pledge my allegiance to you on behalf of the Sinking Sand Tribe and myself!”
Owen quickly rose to his feet and faced them.
“Oh? What’s with that posture?”
“I learned it from a knight at the northern wall.”
Lusha said without raising his head.
“They said it’s a ceremony for swearing fealty to a lord. I didn’t memorize the whole oath though—it was too long.”
“Hahaha.”
Owen couldn’t help but laugh.
“That’s a knighting ceremony.”
Lusha raised his head, eyes filled with determination.
“I heard that knights must swear loyalty to their lords. I’m willing to become your knight, wield my axe for you, fight on the battlefield—and I’ll never regret it.”
“I thought you’d insist on signing a formal contract.”
“There’s no need for that, Lord Eisen. You’ve already earned the trust of the Sinking Sand Tribe,” one of the elders said behind him.
So it seemed the contract preparations Ryan had made wouldn’t be needed after all.
“How interesting. I may be the first lord ever to knight a lizardman.”
Owen said, reaching out to accept the short sword.
Upon seeing this, Lusha lowered his head again.
Recalling the ceremony he’d used to knight Mapel, Owen lightly tapped Lusha’s shoulders three times with the back of the sword.
“I, Owen Eisen, Marquis and Lord of Bianshu Town, accept your allegiance—both from the Sinking Sand Tribe and from you personally.”
At last, the ceremony was complete. Lusha trembled slightly, as if a great weight had lifted, and he visibly relaxed.
“You may all rise.”
Owen said.
“Now, let’s begin discussing the plan to reclaim your homeland.”
Early the next morning, Bray set off on his return to Dongsheng Fortress. He left behind two of his men to help Bianshu Town defend against the undead monsters.
…
All around was firelight. A crude wooden house was engulfed in flames, and broken furniture lay scattered on the floor.
“Mom! Sob sob sob… Mom!”
A little girl threw herself onto her mother’s body, crying and shouting in pain.
The woman lay motionless on the ground, eyes rolled back, foam at her mouth, her body twitching occasionally. There was a distinct bite mark on her neck—it was clearly the work of a vampire.
Not far away, a tall vampire dressed in black had another man by the throat.
That man had the same kind of bite mark on his neck. He struggled desperately to pry the vampire’s fingers away, but to no avail. His legs flailed downward without touching the ground—he was clearly in agony.
“Vampires should not have fallen so far. We are the new humans—the future rulers of this world! Damn the church! One day, you will pay the price!”
The vampire licked the blood lingering on his lips with satisfaction, then released the man, letting him drop to the ground.
“Struggle! If you don’t want to die, then fight back! If you survive, you can become one of us! Hahaha!”
“Daddy! Sob…”
The little girl cried out to the man on the ground.
The father looked up at his daughter and, with great effort, uttered two words:
“Run… away…”
Right after that, the same symptoms as the woman’s appeared—his expression twisted in agony.
“I’ve injected my blood into so many already. Surely some of them will succeed.”
The vampire then turned his gaze toward the crying girl and began walking toward her.
But after only two steps, he felt his left leg being grabbed tightly by the man on the ground.
“Hm? Don’t get in my way!”
The vampire scowled and kicked the man away.
Bang! The man crashed into a burning piece of furniture nearby. Flames leapt onto his body, and with a loud crack, several wooden beams fell from above, burying him underneath.
“Daddy!”
The little girl could only watch helplessly, her heart gripped by terror.
The vampire approached her, grabbed her by the shoulders, and lifted her into the air.
“Aaah—no! Mommy! Daddy! Aaah—!”
The girl struggled with all her might, but it was useless.
“You might successfully transform too. Accept my blood.”
The vampire opened his mouth, the stench of blood overwhelming. His long, sharp fangs gleamed, still stained with crimson—utterly terrifying.
Suddenly, Euchina opened her eyes wide. She was lying in bed, and a single tear slipped down the corner of her eye.
She had dreamed of that horrifying scene from the past again. Trembling, she curled up tightly, wrapping her arms around her legs.
“Daddy… Mommy…”
Euchina whispered softly.
She had experienced this many times before—always alone, hiding in a dark corner, silently enduring the pain.
But now, Euchina had met someone truly kind. Someone who didn’t lie. Someone who sincerely wanted to help her.
Owen’s gentle smile appeared in her mind. She suddenly sat up and turned to look out the window.
It was still deep night, and light snow was falling outside.
So lonely. Euchina didn’t want to stay in her room alone any longer. She got out of bed, tiptoed to the door, and gently opened it, poking her head out.
Seeing the corridor was empty, she stepped out and closed the door behind her, sneaking her way toward the third floor.
This was the second floor, and Owen’s bedroom was on the third.
Without being discovered, Euchina carefully made her way upstairs and, after some effort, finally sneaked into Owen’s room.
At that moment, Owen was sleeping soundly and hadn’t noticed her at all. Euchina quietly walked to his bedside, watching him sleep.
She stared for a long while. Suddenly, Owen turned over in his sleep, facing left, startling Euchina, who quickly ducked and hid.
After confirming there were no further movements, she slowly peeked up again, cautiously watching.
Owen was still asleep. His turning over had left a big empty space beside him.
Without thinking further, Euchina lifted the blanket and slipped into the bed beside him.