She Who Became Immortal

"Ugh...! Guh, ahh!"

Regalo, who had been grasped by the collar behind his neck and dragged through the air by Maya, was already losing consciousness as soon as the transportation began. It was unthinkable that a delicate woman—albeit a demon—could grab him by the collar and pull him through the air.

Ordinarily, if one were to drag a person, it would be across the ground. The speed of their movement was so fast that his feet lifted off the ground, his body turned sideways, and he found himself cutting across the Spade castle town.

In the corners of his dimming consciousness, and barely visible at the edge of his vision, Regalo could just make out that Euphemia’s companions were running at the same speed. Their sprinting matched that of beastmen, and Euphemia, cradled by a demon called Junos, was laughing exuberantly.

Finally, his feet touched solid ground. Simultaneously, his hips crashed down as Maya released his collar.

"You... you’re insane, all of you!"

Coughing and wheezing, Regalo looked up at the demon woman who had carried him. Despite the extraordinary pace, she wasn’t sweating at all.

"Something truly insane is about to happen," Maya replied, her perfectly shaped lips curling upwards as she raised her spear. The sharp point of the spear indicated the castle gates of Spade. More precisely, it pointed to the thick doors set into the castle walls, the armor of the castle.

Normally, these gates were open. In Regalo’s memory, he had only seen them closed a few times, mostly during large-scale drills.

Though Euphemia’s group and the beastmen had dashed through the town at breakneck speed, the Spade side had managed to close the castle gates. This implied they hadn’t had time to muster their forces outside the castle. Regalo could see archers rushing to the top of the walls, but they didn’t seem to be in any coordinated formation.

"But... what do they intend to do about that?"

The castle gate was closed.

Regalo and his group had stopped a considerable distance from the gate. Naturally, the beastmen didn’t stop. A mass of beasts surged towards the familiar Spade castle.

Were they going to charge the gate at that speed—?

The question was quickly answered.

"GRUAAAAAAA—!!!"

The air trembled.

From among the beasts charging the gate, a lion burst forth. The moment Regalo realized the vibration was the lion’s roar, he felt a shiver run through him.

As a mage, Regalo sensed the immense surge of magical power.

Something incredible was about to happen.

With the same foreboding words Maya had uttered echoing in his mind, he focused on the lion’s movements. The Beast King, Randall, separated from the pack, roared and raised his right arm—then brought it down.

The space itself was torn apart by his claws.

Regalo's specialty, the magic of "Explosion Pressure," involved causing an explosion at any point in space. Instead of launching fireballs, his magic was unique in that it 'created' the explosion precisely where he designated.

Most magicians tended to use projectile magic because magic was naturally suited for 'launching' attacks. Throwing a stone was easier, after all. Regalo just happened to be an exception.

Exceptional knights, on the other hand, could sometimes 'send' their slashes flying. A sword imbued with magical power could release a cutting wave according to the wielder’s will. In the Kingdom of Louisse, there was a famous knight from Escard known for cleaving a massive boulder with such a sword stroke.

But what of the Beast King?

Randall Kruger’s claw strike tore through the castle gate, leaving three claw marks in the air. Enormous—impossibly enormous claws. Large enough to demolish a small house. These 'claws' were three to four times the size of Randall himself.

It wasn’t a projectile.

Nor was it simply a flying attack.

Regalo understood it instantly. Just as he could conjure an explosion with his 'Explosion Pressure,' the Beast King had made his 'Claw Strike' appear directly at the castle gate.

The etched claw marks nearly destroyed the gate. A shield meant to protect the castle, which would normally take countless battering ram strikes to breach, was shattered by a single swing.

Another roar echoed.

Simultaneously—a second 'Claw Strike.'

This time from the left, after the right. Gigantic claws so vast they made one doubt their own sanity tore through the gate.

"Break it down, men!" the Beast King roared. Naturally, the beastmen charged towards the gate.

The first to hit it was a boar beastman. With a shoulder slam, he shattered the gate completely. The gate, already ninety percent destroyed, crumbled, and the beastmen poured through the falling debris.

From atop the walls, the archers looked on in stunned silence. Even Regalo, who should have felt secure, was rooted in place. They would now face such a monstrous force.

How pitiable, he thought.

But he didn’t feel fortunate to be on this side either. Glancing around, even the demons didn’t look particularly pleased.

Well, except for one—Euphemia.

She smiled, unreservedly like a child in a playground.

"You look like you’re having fun," Regalo blurted out. Still cradled in Junos' arms, Euphemia returned his gaze with a slightly more mischievous smile.

His heart skipped a beat. It felt as if a cold hand had caressed the soft part inside his chest.

"Of course. I expected this to happen, worked towards it, and now it's happening. If I didn’t want this, I would’ve prevented it," she said, her golden hair gleaming as she laughed.

—Did you think this wouldn't happen?

The blonde girl laughed from within the demon’s embrace. Regalo took a moment, then managed a feeble, frivolous smile.

Because he agreed with her.

He had intended to abandon his previous life. When the attack on the beastmen's village failed, it wouldn't have been surprising if he had died. He had no plans of returning to his old life, and Euphemia just happened to be in front of him.

He had been swept along. Without any real resolve.

Even now—he still had no resolve.

He had simply given up.

He no longer belonged to the other side.

"Hey, mister. You've lost something too, haven't you?"

Suddenly, a demon girl standing nearby spoke with a challenging smile. Beside her, a fox beastman child stood close, looking up at Regalo with an inexplicably cheerful smile.

"It’s okay. Soon, you’ll have enjoyable days ahead," the fox child said.

"You might be confused at first, but you decided to be here. Prove your worth," the demon girl added.

"...You’ve got me," Regalo raised his hands in mock surrender. The two girls smiled broadly, and even Euphemia joined in, laughing heartily.

"Come on, come on! It’s going to be a wild party from here on out, and we’re not going to be mere spectators. Regalo, lead us to where the bigwigs are."

Why had he let himself be swept along by this girl?

He needed a drink. Or maybe it was because he hadn’t had one? He wasn’t sure. Either way, it seemed like there was no other choice.

"Alright, alright. I’ll show you the way."

And so, Regalo could do nothing but laugh as frivolously as he could manage.