She Who Became Immortal

To Regalo, the girl named Euphemia was an utterly enigmatic presence.

She appeared to be no more than fifteen or sixteen years old. This was likely her actual age. She was too beautiful to be a mere village girl, yet she exuded an untamed aura. However, she did not seem arrogant or impulsive in some angle. There were too many contradictions about her.

Who is this girl? How come a little human girl like her has equal standing to the beast king?

Regalo couldn't comprehend the nature of the girl conversing directly with the lord of the Spade domain. Why was Euphemia so familiar with the Beast King? Such thoughts were beyond understanding. He considered asking her someday, but now was not the time.

Post-war arrangements.

That was the issue Euphemia had raised.

"Because... honestly, I'm the kindest person you can find in the entire world, I'll tell you what you need to do first, Soltice Sol Spade. Declare your defeat in this raid and ask for the invasion of the castle to cease. Even as we speak, someone is probably dying."

It was a disturbingly obvious statement.

Soltice Sol, who had been forced to sit on the floor by Maya, seemed to realize the obviousness of her words belatedly. He trembled violently and shifted his gaze from Euphemia to the Beast King, Randall, whom he had been avoiding looking at.

The Beast King, with a completely indifferent expression, tilted his head slightly.

"...Beast King Randall, I admit defeat. Please save the people in the castle."

Soltice Sol's face was pale as he spoke without any expression, unlike the Beast King. It was somewhat surprising to Regalo that Soltice Sol didn’t display any pointless pride.

This was because nobles are creatures that die without their pride.

This was the greatest insight Regalo had gained since joining the mage corps. It had been the same when they attacked the beastman village, and the harsh treatment Regalo faced when he first rose to prominence was due to the senseless pride of the nobles.

"Save them? I don’t know about that. Stopping what we're doing now is fine. We have no obligation to save you, but I'm a bit curious about what this little girl will do next."

Randall gave some sort of instruction to one of his beastmen subordinates. Although he only gave a slight jerk of his chin, the baboon-like man seemed to understand and nodded silently before walking away.

At that moment,

"If only the beastmen go, the humans might not stop. Take one of those pompous guys with you. If any knights or mages put up useless resistance, have them persuade them."

Euphemia spoke as if she were addressing a subordinate.

The baboon-like man nodded silently again and grabbed one of the confused nobles—Regalo didn’t recognize the faces of Soltice Sol's three companions, but they must have been high-ranking—roughly, as if snatching a forgotten bag, and left the audience chamber.

"Is it really okay to stop them so easily?"

Maya, with the tip of her spear still at the lord's throat, muttered.

That was indeed what one might think. Regalo himself had thought so.

They had managed to thrust a blade at the heart of the Spade domain. No matter what negotiations took place, there was no guarantee that the Spade domain would handle the ‘post-war arrangements’ properly once the beastmen withdrew. There was a significant chance they would organize their forces and attack the beastman territory.

Promises could be broken.

Though Regalo did not voice these thoughts, Euphemia seemed to sense the atmosphere. She scanned the room, a strangely glossy smile on her face.

It was an unchildlike smile.

Yet at the same time, it was the smile of an innocent girl.

A chilling smile.

This smile was directed at Soltice Sol.

"You’re thinking that, aren’t you? And you're anxious. If you can just get through this moment, you can gather your forces and retaliate later. Whatever promises you make now won’t matter. You can crush the beastmen afterward."

She smiled like a blooming flower.

A flower wet with dew, shining in the moonlight.

"But here we are. The castle gate has been breached with brute force, and your knights didn’t even have time to react. So, what do you think will happen next time?"

Euphemia stepped closer to Soltice Sol.

The lord, as if mesmerized, did not move.

A slender white arm slowly rose. Her sculpted fingers pointed directly at Soltice Sol’s nose, as if delivering some sort of prophecy.

However, the words that came forth were no divine revelation.

"Next time will be easier. We don’t need to break the castle gate. We can breach the walls. We don’t need to attack head-on; we can come from the sides, or from behind. We don’t need to attack in broad daylight; we can strike at night."

You understand, right?

You understand, don’t you, Soltice Sol Spade?

Euphemia spoke with a chillingly beautiful smile.

It wasn’t about being able to judge; it was about understanding.

It was too easy to understand and too terrifyingly simple to imagine.

If they ignored the 'post-war arrangements' with the beastmen and sought revenge, they would be killed easily next time. The beastmen were capable of that. And Spade had no means to prevent it.

The only way to stop the beastmen's raids would be to launch an all-out war and annihilate them, but that was impossible.

Preparations would take too long, and the beastmen would likely carry out assassinations during that time. Such large-scale preparations wouldn’t go unnoticed.

In other words, they were checkmated.

Regalo realized with unexpected relief that he had been wise to switch sides.

 

---

In the end, the beastmen withdrew from the castle without a fuss, and the forces of Spade Castle could do nothing but watch them leave, offering no futile resistance.

This was the best outcome, given the circumstances.

Though it was the best they could hope for at this point, the fact remained that the beastmen had left Spade Castle. No further damage had occurred after the Beast King had spoken. That was the important part.

Now, onto the main issue of 'post-war arrangements'—Euphemia spoke with surprising nonchalance.

"This is a good opportunity. Let’s establish trade between the Spade domain and the beastman territories."

Everyone present stared at Euphemia with dumbfounded expressions.

The recent events between Spade and the beastmen had been nothing short of a bloodbath. Regalo and his comrades had attacked the beastman village under orders, and the Beast King had retaliated. The castle had been ravaged, the lord's life was at their mercy—and yet Euphemia referred to this as a 'good opportunity'? Who in their right mind could say such a thing?

Naturally, no one could respond.

Euphemia, however, seemed completely unconcerned by this.

"That said, you probably don’t know what to do, so first, organize an envoy and send them to the beastman territories. We don’t know what you need or what you can offer. Before we can establish any real trade, we need to get to know each other."

As she made this proclamation, Maya's spear remained poised at Soltice Sol's throat.

"So, you’re suggesting we create an opportunity to understand each other..." Soltice Sol mused.

"If we understood each other better, perhaps this wouldn’t have happened. Or maybe we would have harbored even deeper grudges. But it’s better than being devoured without a clue, right? Or do you prefer that?"

"...No, I can't say I prefer that."

"Thought so. When you send the envoy, make sure to notify us in advance. We need time to prepare for their arrival. And just so you know, there won’t be any compensation for this raid. Be grateful that you’re alive."

"One thing, let me ask," Soltice Sol said.

His expression lacked the typical pride of a noble or the responsibility of a lord. At least, Regalo couldn’t see it.

What he did see was simple curiosity.

Just a question.

"What do you want? What do you gain from all this?"

Euphemia’s response was simple and yet incomprehensible. She smiled like a child stepping out into the sunlight on a clear day and said,

"What I want is a respectable neighbor."