She Who Became Immortal

I attempted to interact with the human race in my ladylike mode, Euphemia Grimwood, but I must admit I was quite taken aback by the soliloquy of the red-haired knight, Volte Claus.

I had thought him nothing more than a reckless fool charging in.

Yet, somehow, he turned out to be quite pitiful.

"The plan to clear the Demon Border Forest began about two months ago. I took command of the vanguard and led lumberjacks gathered from my territory, organizing them to forge a 'path' through the demon-infested area," Volte spoke sporadically while staring intently at the wooden teacup in his hand.

"We reached near the forest's exit and established a base camp there, turning it into a square. That was a few weeks ago... I'm not sure how long I was unconscious for, but it was around that time. The main knight order, the captain, the second prince, and the 'Saint of Healing' with her guards came from town to the base camp for a strategy meeting. The next day, I became the unit leader and led the unit through the remaining demon forest. Our mission was to establish a Tiant territory base camp in the beastmen's domain."

From this point on, the story overlapped with what I already knew. However, I couldn't help but interject.

"Hold on a moment. Two months? You mean to tell me you've been commanding deforestation in the forest for two months?" I queried.

"Yes, that's correct," he replied matter-of-factly.

Well, so what? That's how it goes sometimes.

"Volte Claus. Let me confirm again. During that time, you never once returned home, had no holidays, continued making a 'path' in the forest, waited for the main unit to open a camp, and then commanded this assault. Is that correct?"

"Yes, that's right."

"I see..."

It was as dark as it gets, almost black. In other words, he's a black company employee who doesn't realize his diminished cognitive abilities.

His red hair, which would have been short, was growing out in a messy manner. His face was quite well-structured, albeit with an overgrown stubble. Dark circles were distinctly visible under his eyes, and his cheeks looked slightly sunken.

And with that appearance, he managed to organize 260 people for a unit operation and assigned personnel for reports just before the assault?

Wow, this guy is incredibly use-- ahem, capable.

It's unforgivable to send this depreciated man back to the Tiant territory to be worn out.

No, no, wait.

There are still a few more things I need to ask.

"Tell me more about the incident with aelv woman being assaulted," said Junos in my place.

Volte appeared to ponder for a moment, then continued speaking.

"Right... The aelv woman is named Mariel San Foresight. She has a dusky complexion and gives more of an impression of a proud mercenary than a forest dweller. Apparently, she occasionally likes to walk in the woods. That's how she was attacked by the beastmen."

"Do you know the characteristics of those beastmen?"

"They were centered around a nine-tailed fox beastman, and there were several others who looked similar. It seems the stolen valuable item was aelv treasure, a 'secret gemstone,' but I don't know the details. Maybe I heard about it, but I don't remember."

A nine-tailed fox and its companions... I wondered if Volte had been briefed on this information as well. They were guests of the Tiant territory who had been assaulted by beastmen.

"The sniper in question was that woman, Mariel San Foresight. Despite being assaulted, she seemed quite energetic, but she said she would have had lasting effects if Slack hadn't called the 'Saint of Healing,'" Volte continued.

"The Saint of Healing? Who's that?"

Junos, like me earlier, tilted his head in confusion. Kirina also tilted her head cutely in curiosity.

"It's a prodigy healer who has been traveling around healing the nobles of the Louisse Kingdom for the past year or so. She's still a girl and was discovered by the common folk as a fiancee of someone from a noble family. I think... the Illyrius Marquis family is backing her as a guardian."

The Illyrius Marquis family.

It's already a nostalgic name, and yet I think I misremembered him as a duke, but no matter.

I remember the praying mantis-like cross-eyed head of that house, Lord Leopold Illyrius. That man had an outsider twin mages called 'Gillette Twins.' Well, I killed the crazy siblings.

Quite satisfying for their heads go~ kaboom!

'Hmm...'

That girl who was said to be a prodigy healer must also be under the protection of Illyrius, and she must be being used by Leopold as I was.

"The escort of that 'Saint of Healing' said he was a powerful swordsman, right? How did he become a companion of that saint?"

"I don't know that. But that boy said so. He has no one to accompany him but himself, and he's working with someone called Eckhart now..."

"E... C... K... H... A... R... T..."

Eckhart Muller.

The second son of the Muller Count family. Former fiance of Euphemia Grimwood. The reason for breaking off the engagement was that he had found a powerful magician who was not comparable to 'Euphemia the Talentless Fool'. Nobles value that magic.

Yes, like an overwhelmingly powerful healer who can easily heal serious injuries that leave sequelae.

-Saint of Healing!

I couldn't help but cover my mouth with my hand, desperately trying to restrain the laughter that seemed to overflow from the bottom of my stomach.

Absolutely, how fun it is that fate is connected in such a place. I don't intend to be so intimidated from the beginning, but with just one more spice, the taste changes so much.

Yes, what I lacked was spices. Girls are made up of sugar, spices, and all sorts of wonderful things. Since I also have the memory of a middle-age man, I'll add frogs, snails, and puppies' tails.

Euphemia Grimwood is made up of such things.

 

...Just kidding

 

---

Putting aside my inner thoughts for the moment, I leave the room where Volte is resting. "Are you sure it's okay to leave him alone?" Junos asks, but he should be fine.

Someone forcibly removed from a black company wouldn't suddenly become active. Even if there's a chance to return to the black company, he understands that it's physically impossible.

Moving away from the dormitory, I gather the key figures near the kitchen to discuss our strategy—or rather, to convey our policy.

"We want him. Let's recruit him."

That was the first and most important thing I said. Junos next to me nods in agreement, and Kirina also nods naturally.

"Well, if you say so. But I don't think that unit leader is all that competent. He will just sent us charging in like fools," Junos remarks.

"From what I've heard, someone made him into a fool. Or rather, the environment made him into one..." Kirina adds hesitantly.

"Leading the clearing of the forest without a break for over fifty days, and then emerging as the unit leader this time," she continues, her words trailing off slightly.

Kirina's sympathy for Volte's situation is evident, though it's clear her concern is purely empathetic.

Of course, I sympathize too. Because it's really pitiful.

But that's a separate matter altogether.

The reasons to recruit Volte Claus were clear.

"He's incredibly loyal to a fault. And those who use him are not reciprocating that loyalty. Still, Volte Claus will try to uphold his loyalty. But it's a waste to give him away to those people," I explain.

"Miss Euphemia, that's quite unusual coming from you..." Katarina murmurs, looking somewhat puzzled. Behind her, Maya and Biante also glance at me with surprise.

Come to think of it, actively trying to recruit someone into our circle is rather unusual for me.

"There are several reasons. Firstly, we're growing larger. Volte can command. He has the skill to effectively manage large numbers, something we lack, and we don't have the knowledge or expertise to nurture that," I continue.

The Grimoire demonkind are individually powerful enough that we don't need to act as a group. Junos seems to have the potential as a captain, but he hasn't learned strategy or tactics.

The beastmen are more extreme, and although there are those who can command units, they don't have the personnel to lead our chaotic mix.

Lion Princess Lapis Kruger doesn't seem to have that talent either. And there was no such thing as that for Randall. The current Beast King Brandon Kruger has some, and the missing parts will be supplemented by Lex Asuka.

That's why we need a captain.

And if we're going to incorporate a captain into our ranks, they must possess a strong sense of responsibility. In other words, 'duty' is necessary. It's absolutely necessary. Volte Claus has that.

Otherwise, he would have already seduced his loved one. From the beginning, Slack Tiant knew that the he would not marry her, and Slack had to marry a nobleman from elsewhere. From the beginning, Volte didn't have the reason to be reluctant.

But there was duty.

That's what it was.

Until that beloved woman's death was imminent, Volte kept up that unnecessary sense of duty, and he had been harassed by his own injustice for marrying her.

A clumsy guy.

Should be happy.

Because it's someone else's matter.

But as long as he stays in the Tiant territory, Volte will continue to be harassed by his own injustice, and Slack Tiant will not tell Volte that there is no such thing as a duty.

So recruit.

No matter how much Volte has decided to laugh inside.

The man who should be rewarded should continue to decay.

It's a common sight in the world.

But that's fine.

There is no reason not to pick up what is rolling in front of you.

"But how are you going to draw him in? He's not a ball that will save your life, and he doesn't seem like a man who will easily betray you. In the first place, he's not necessary if he's a man who will easily betray you. The premise is contradictory," says Junos, who frowned like a grumpy man.

I smiled lightly and answered boldly.

"It's easy to do that—"

In loyalty, there lies loyalty.

That's how it is.