She Who Became Immortal

To be honest, though Princess Euphemia Grimwood is being carried princess-style, she has never actually set foot inside a castle.

The Grimwood County is far from the capital, and noble children only enter high society after their magic power has been measured. For someone like me, who has no talent, dragging me to such places wouldn't bring any benefits to the Grimwood family.

In any case, the first castle I ever entered was Spade Castle. However, the gates of its walls had been smashed by Randall's claws, and the main gate of the castle itself met the same fate. Inside, several chopped bodies stained the pristine floor tiles with dark red blood.

It was a dreadful sight.

Still, I had expected as much. There was no way this could have been a bloodless siege.

"This is a mess... So, shall I guide you to where the lord might be, Miss Euphemia?"

Regalo said with a complicated, bitter smile, shrugging his shoulders theatrically. Given the state of his former workplace, it was impossible not to have mixed feelings.

Yet, instead of succumbing to despair, he pushed down his inner turmoil with a wry smile and displayed his practical side. It was commendable. Sadness and pain are best dealt with privately before bed, not when there are tasks at hand.

"Yes, that will be fine. At this point, they probably didn't have time to escape. If they did abandon the castle, we have ways to deal with that too. Lead the way at your leisure."

"Understood. Let's head straight there."

Regalo shrugged again and began walking with a stride neither too heavy nor too light. We followed leisurely behind him—well, since I was being carried by Junos, I didn't need to walk.

I notice an arm lying on the side and a family picture tied to it.

As always of this world.

Anyway.

We proceeded through the castle, ascending the grand central staircase to the second floor. Along the way, screams echoed from somewhere, and there were sounds like something wet being splattered.

Thud.

Splat.

Squish.

Those were the sounds of slaughter. Many people were dying because of me. Abruptly, unfairly, without any chance to resist—far more sudden deaths than what once befell me.

So what?

I felt my lips curl into a smile. I was relieved that, despite this situation, no agony or regret was welling up from within me. I was glad there was no dark joy in the aftermath of my lashing out.

It meant nothing.

I was killed countless of times.

The world is already messed up beyond repair.

I was beyond that now.

And so, we reached the audience chamber where the lord was likely waiting.

 

---

The scene was an unchanging hellscape.

Even though I doubted the lord would still be in the audience chamber, it seemed my worries were unnecessary. Beast King Randall and his subordinates had gathered the important figures there by force.

"Hey there. Took your time, didn't you, Euphemia?"

Randall noticed our entrance and smirked, his left hand gripping the head of some self-important figure. The bodies scattered around the audience chamber—three knights, two mages, and two soldiers who likely guarded the doors—painted a gruesome picture.

Those still alive were the well-dressed person in Randall's grip and three noble-looking individuals huddled near the throne-like chair.

My honest reaction? There were fewer survivors than I expected.

Moreover—

"I thought you would have killed everyone by now. Capturing someone alive isn't exactly your style, Randall."

"This is human territory, you know. We're not here to conquer it. Slaughtering everyone would just make things complicated—right?"

With that, Randall threw the captured person towards us. The man hit the floor with a groan of pain.

"Who is this?" Junos asked as he set me down, looking at the man without a trace of confusion or disdain, just mild curiosity.

"Who knows? Let's ask him. Hey, pathetic old man, who are you?"

"Urgh... Why are demons and humans... with beastmen...?" The man's face was a mess of emotions—confusion, hatred, fear towards the Beast King, and a misplaced hostility towards us. Not worth considering.

"I asked who you are. You seem important, but how important are you in Spade territory? If you're the lord, that makes things easier."

"...I am Soltice Sol Spade..."

"Ah, I see. Good. If you're lying, I'll kill you."

I flashed my Euphemia smile, turning my gaze to the other survivors in the room. The three noble-looking individuals flinched visibly when they met my eyes. It was amusing to see them so scared of such a small girl.

I chuckled softly and confirmed, "If you value your lives, you'd better be honest. Is this man really Soltice Sol Spade, the lord of Spade territory?"

All three nodded vigorously in unison. Even if they were lying, it wouldn’t be a big problem for me, so I decided to accept their confirmation for now. Although, I could always verify with Regalo later, I chose to ignore the traitorous mage for the moment.

With a glance to Maya, I signaled for Soltice Sol to be seated. Without bothering to fetch a chair, we left him on the floor.

"Well then, let me properly introduce myself. Pleased to meet you, Lord. As you can see, Spade Castle is in quite a mess due to a beastman assault. By the way, the one who was holding your head earlier is Randall Kruger, the Beast King."

"And who might you be? Why are demons and humans mixed with beastmen in this attack? And—"

"You want to know our objective?" I sneered, returning his suspicious glare with a mocking smile. This wasn’t particularly enjoyable, but it might become interesting, so it was worth the effort. Euphemia Smiles have great cost-performance.

"Yes. Why are beastmen attacking my castle?"

"Come on, have you lost your memory, or were you kept in the dark? If you can't think of a reason, maybe we should kill you and find someone more informed to talk to. These threats are such a hassle."

"...Is this revenge for attacking a beastman village?"

Soltice Sol glared at me bitterly. He was not used to dealing with beastmen attacks but seemed familiar with verbal skirmishes with humans.

"Well, yes. This is what happens when you recklessly provoke us. Anyway, do you understand the current situation? Your people are being slaughtered by beastmen as we speak. If you’ve come to your senses, you should know what to do."

"Are you suggesting I commit suicide?"

"Hah! Who would be happy with that? Certainly not me. And Randall here doesn’t care whether you live or die. Right, Randall?"

"Finish up your boring talk quickly. I'm getting restless."

"You can't even enjoy a conversation? You’re quite an impatient king," I sighed, turning back to Soltice Sol. The fallen nobleman lacked any true dignity. Perhaps I would have sensed it in my past self, but now it seemed irrelevant.

"Oh well."

"I'm kind enough to tell you what you should do. You've been invaded, crushed without resistance, and your fate is in our hands. Lord of Spade, Soltice Sol Spade—you need to accept your defeat."

"Defeat? Can't you see it? What else could this be but defeat? What’s the point of accepting it in this state!?"

Soltice Sol’s outburst was met with my serene Euphemia smile—the brightest smile from the most beautiful girl.

"Isn't it obvious, Soltice Sol? After a defeat, there's always the aftermath to deal with."