She Who Became Immortal

By the time we arrived at Gaeriko Village, it was well past noon. The commander of the Spade Territory's Beastman Pursuit Squad had already met his end by dusk. The scattered dog beastmen returned from the forest shortly after the sun had fully set.

During that time, I took the opportunity to interrogate the disgruntled middle-aged mage, Regalo, to get his perspective on the situation. I dispatched Maya, who was utterly unsuited for brainwork, and Katarina, who hadn't had a role in the initial battle, to handle the cooking. The rabbit beastman, Luche Rubia, and her subordinates were also assigned to the makeshift kitchen crew. In fact, they might have been the main force.

Despite the village's rustic setting, there was a place to start a fire and some basic cooking utensils. Finding a large pot was a stroke of luck, allowing us to prepare a hearty soup with the meat from animals we had hunted. This was a significant morale booster, but our focus remained on the information we needed.

It was crucial to understand the details.

The chain of events, as Regalo understood them, began with a body appearing in the courtyard of Spade Castle. There were no magical traces, and no one saw who transported the body there. Yet, a corpse, apparently of noble origin, had materialized in the courtyard.

Almost immediately following the discovery of the body, the beastmen stormed Spade Castle, demanding an explanation. Their grievance was that their children had been abducted by humans, and they wanted them returned. Spade’s representatives flatly denied this.

Even if their accusations were true and a human was the perpetrator, presenting the culprit to the beastmen was out of the question. The kidnapped beastmen children were also still missing. Under such circumstances, merely apologizing was inconceivable. Moreover, the beastmen were not citizens of Spade Territory.

Despite my own thoughts on this, I set them aside for now.

The beastmen retaliated by committing small acts of terrorism and then fled to the forest that bordered both territories. Between Spade Castle and the forest lay towns and villages, which the fleeing beastmen attacked and caused havoc before disappearing into the woods.

As a result, the Beastman Pursuit Squad was assembled, with Regalo appointed as the deputy commander or simply put, vice-captain.

The now-deceased commander—whose name I never learned—had taken it upon himself to march through the forest and occupy Gaeriko Village, only to face fierce resistance from the villagers. At this point, the vanguard of the Beast King’s army arrived.

Regalo knocked out his superior and acted as a decoy, allowing most of his unit to escape. Whether they survived or not was another matter.

Now, as he shared his life story, Regalo was eagerly devouring the meat soup.

"I was born and raised in a village near the forest, and it just so happened that I had a knack for magic. Not that it’s anything to brag about," Regalo said, gulping down the soup I had given him. His voracious appetite was evident as he gazed wistfully at the empty bowl, spilling his woes like a man unburdening himself of a heavy load.

"A mage came to our village and took me on as an apprentice. That was the start of my downfall. The village where I grew up is gone now. Even though I was promoted to a mid-rank officer in the territory, being a commoner among nobles made life hard. And then, to top it off, I got saddled with an incompetent boss, leading to this mess."

"You're lucky I wanted a prisoner," I remarked.

"I didn’t expect to survive, so I’m grateful," Regalo replied with a wry smile. There was no mockery in his tone, just a sense of resigned acceptance. Neither I nor Junos, who was silently eating beside me, sensed any deceit.

Regalo had an ambiguous sense of resignation towards both himself and the world. That must be why he chose to act as a decoy, having no compelling reason to cling to life.

"So, now that I’ve shared everything I know, what’s going to happen to me? Honestly, I’d rather not be sent back to Spade Territory. Any chance of being released?"

"You don’t seem too fond of your current job," I noted.

"Who would be? Almost got killed following an idiot, and if I go back, I’ll be held accountable. Even if I’m not punished, the job itself is miserable. I have no family left, and I’m not seeing or expecting anyone," Regalo confessed, his tone filled with self-mockery.

As a former middle-aged man myself, I could empathize with his situation. I had no desire to return to my old life, especially after everything had changed so drastically.

And probably, he didn’t have any particular goals either.

I let out a sigh and glanced at Junos. The young demon, who had already finished his meal, nodded in agreement the moment our eyes met.

His instant response, despite me not having said anything, caught me off guard. Junos smiled slightly, lifting only the corners of his mouth.

"Do as you like. Your decision is what matters," Junos said.

"That's blind faith, Junos."

"I know you well enough not to be blind. Euphemia, we all know you care about us and those we’ve encountered. So, do what you want. If any problems arise, we’ll deal with them," Junos replied with unwavering confidence.

I wondered when he had become so sure of himself, but now wasn't the time to delve into that.

"Uh… well…" Regalo scratched his head, looking unsure.

"If you have nowhere to go, you can join us, Regalo. Our group includes demons and beastmen, and we get along pretty well. Plus, there are no nobles," I offered.

"That… sounds good. But are you sure?" Regalo asked, still hesitant.

"Who knows what the future holds. It might turn out poorly, or it might not."

"What exactly are you guys?" Regalo asked, curious.

"We're just a group of people trying to enjoy life," I replied with a confident smile.

"Then, I’d like to join you," Regalo said, bowing his head in thanks.

Junos, the swordsman Jade, the kobold Pookie Shamal, and everyone else looked satisfied, probably all "fools" in their own way.

"To blend in, perhaps that's our essence. Don’t you agree, Euphemia?" Serena said with a chuckle, her six white tails swaying playfully. The sight was strangely amusing.