She Who Became Immortal

"Prepare to move out immediately! Only those who can keep up, follow me!"

As soon as the report from the eagle-beastman reached his ears, Beast King Randall roared with a ferocity that seemed to claw its way from the depths of his belly.

Most present couldn't help but acknowledge the tremor running through them. Regalo was no exception.

Despite having neither duty nor obligation to follow the Lion King, finding himself on the verge of obeying the Beast King out of sheer fear shook Regalo to his core.

So this is the aura of kingship, he realized.

Yet amidst this, there was a girl who seemed utterly unfazed by such intimidation.

"Wait a moment, Randall. Just a moment,"

In her usual tone—whether conversing with Lord Spade, engaging in small talk within the forest—Euphemia's demeanor remained unchanged.

Consistent, in a sense.

In a sense, egalitarian.

"What? Wait? What are we waiting for?"

"For instructions."

With that, Euphemia dismounted from Maya's back, scanning the surroundings before rapidly speaking after a few thoughtful nods.

"Firstly, Regalo. Stand between the Spade Knights and the canine-beastmen of Gaeriko Village, facilitate introductions between them. Captain Tarton can return to the Spade Domain once his task is complete. It's evident we're in a tight spot, but maintain a positive demeanor for interaction. We're uncertain of the outcome, but you wouldn't want to go through the same ordeal again, would you?"

Caught off guard by the sudden task, Regalo instinctively raised his right hand in a salute, a habit from his time in the Mage Corps. Indeed, Tarton was doing the same.

After all, clear and concise instructions were a blessing.

...No, Euphemia wasn't technically his superior.

"Next, our carriage. Once the Spade group departs, Pookie and Jade will accompany Regalo on the carriage. Return with those who can't keep up with the Beast King later. It's dangerous to travel by carriage at night," Euphemia added, then turned her gaze to Randall.

"That's all. If we're going, let's go. Are you prepared to dash through the darkness of night?"

"Of course. They're attacking my territory, my enemies. So, I'll crush them. Anything wrong with that?"

"No, not at all."

With a smirk, Junos lifted Euphemia as if it were routine. Despite the rough handling of luggage, his embrace was oddly refined, eliciting a small chuckle from Regalo at the peculiar display.

"That's the spirit. Those who can keep up, follow. Those who might lag behind, return with Euphemia's carriage. Let's move!"

The king's command, and a swift departure.

Even in the darkness of night, one could see the dust swirling. And soon, the figures of the beastmen and demons darting off became indistinguishable.

Perhaps a quarter remained.

Until the dust settled, silence enveloped them all, but it was understandable. None were accustomed to such circumstances.

Amidst the whirlwind of events, whether due to that or not—Regalo didn't find himself yearning for liquor.

 

---

"Now then. Let's properly introduce ourselves again. Lady Euphemia did mention 'starting with greetings,' after all. I'm Jade. Jade Grimoire."

A demon man with a curved sword at his hip extended his right hand without much warmth. Realizing it was meant as a handshake, Regalo ambiguously smiled and shook his hand.

"I'm Regalo. Just a commoner, no family name. I've decided to side with you guys... or rather, with Euphemia. Nice to meet you."

He chuckled as he spoke.

Jade didn't laugh, nor did he show any signs of anger or disdain. He simply continued to gaze at Regalo.

Compared to Junos, who seemed particularly close to Euphemia, Jade appeared slender and tall. With long limbs and hair tied at the nape of his neck, he had the typical appearance of a demon, his skin bearing an ominous shade of pale purple. However, Regalo felt no disgust at this revelation.

"I'm Pookie Shamal. A kobold who was saved by Lady Euphemia. And here is the village chief of this village—Romani Gaeriko."

A beastman slightly taller than Regalo spoke, introducing the canine-beastman standing behind him.

Pookie resembled a beastman with the impression of a dog walking on two legs, while Romani had the physique of a human with canine features. King Randall leaned towards this appearance as well. There were even beastmen with almost entirely human-like appearances.

Regalo had never known such things until now.

Or rather, 'the humans hadn't.'

He hadn't bothered to learn about other species so closely positioned to them until this very moment. And perhaps, from now on, it would become troublesome.

If he didn't learn.

"I'm Regalo. I feel regretful about the recent attack. I won't ask you to forgive, but I'd appreciate it if you could maintain the dignity of Beast King and Euphemia."

"You're the one who betrayed the humans, right? Then I have nothing to say. I'm Romani Gaeriko."

With a face and tone that could be interpreted in any way, Romani extended his right hand. Upon shaking it, Regalo found it indeed different from a human's hand, but it wasn't incomprehensible. It had warmth, firmness, and softness, and emotions behind it.

Compared to other villagers from Gaeriko, he seemed somewhat older, but as for his actual age, Regalo couldn't guess.

"And over there is the knight from Spade, a human. Second Squad of the Spade Knights... though that might not mean much to you. Well, he's probably someone you'll be seeing a lot from now on. I'm Tarton."

"We feel it's necessary for us to understand each other."

"I couldn't agree more. It's unbearable for this to keep happening."

"Each time, we can't guarantee Lady Euphemia will be here."

"Hahaha," Regalo forced a laugh, but no one joined in.

He found it amusing, though.

"Anyway," Jade intervened.

"I was on guard duty, so I'd like to know what happened, at least in general. We'll have to wait for dawn to bring out the carriage, so we have some time."

"Well, let's just deepen our exchanges for now."

"Agreed."

"Hope we can manage that."

Of course, there was no alcohol, but Regalo didn't feel disappointed.

There was plenty to talk about, and there was no boring boredom to be alleviated with alcohol.

 

---

The remaining beastmen in Gaeriko Village were informed of their departure at dawn, and Regalo's group spent time sharing information.

Utilizing the spot where they had used a campfire during their occupation of the village, they engaged in what could be described as a peculiar cross-species discussion: two beastmen, one demon, and two humans—quite an odd assembly, illuminated by the flickering flames beneath the twinkling starlit sky. It might well be the first of its kind in the history of the Louisse Kingdom, yet for such an unusual gathering, the personnel seemed rather meager.

It all started with the appearance of a dead body in the courtyard of Spade Castle.

The sudden appearance of a noble-looking corpse in the castle's courtyard. With no clue as to the perpetrator and no traces of magic, as far as Regalo's investigation went.

Before they could thoroughly investigate, there was a negotiation with the beastmen outside the gates of Spade. They claimed a child had been abducted from their village and demanded its return.

Spade denied the abduction and dispersed the gathered beastmen with the Knights.

Soon after, investigations into the beastmen abduction began in Spade. However, during this time, scattered beastmen attacked villages in the Spade territory.

And thus, the responsibility fell on Regalo and his comrades, under the command of incompetent superiors, to occupy Gaeriko Village—...

"Something's not right. There's no truth to the claim that children were abducted from our village. Of course, we haven't barged into the humans' territory to negotiate,"

"Then, does that mean you haven't attacked Spade villages?"

Tarton sought confirmation in response to Romani's rebuttal.

Regalo, half-expecting this, chose to remain silent for the time being.

"Naturally. From our perspective, humans suddenly invaded our village, occupied it. So, we evacuated those able to fight into the woods and decided to sporadically weaken the human forces,"

"Ah, that was quite a hassle,"

Regalo hadn't anticipated villagers abandoning their homes to hide in the forest, leading to the exhaustion of their own forces by occupying the village. Given the unpredictability of when the beastmen would attack, constant vigilance was necessary. Their forces were too scarce.

"Well, setting that aside. The plan now is to retake the village with the Beast King and Lady Euphemia's help, right? Then march on Spade Castle?"

Jade asked cheerfully, prompting Regalo to shrug lightly.

It was nothing but a reckless assault without a plan. Yet, Spade Castle, a fortress city, had nearly been breached.

After all, a castle was a tool of war.

Not a tool meant to withstand the charge of a stampeding beast herd... or so one would think.

Anyway, they swiftly breached the city gates, and the Beast King nearly had Lord Soltice Sol Spade at his mercy. He refrained from striking, thanks to Euphemia.

From what he observed, the Beast King seemed to enjoy Euphemia's presence.

And Euphemia herself seemed to enjoy her own actions.

And so, the conversation turned to getting to know each other.

It would be great if, eventually, trade could be established between the beastmen's territory and Spade territory. But for that to happen—yes, as Euphemia would say, 'starting with greetings' is key.

If they could remain respectful neighbors to each other, nothing could be better.

Regalo sincerely agreed with that sentiment.

Though he also couldn't shake the feeling that reality wouldn't roll out so smoothly.