She Who Became Immortal

When asked about his thoughts on Euphemia Grimwood, Raft Grimoire found himself at a loss for words.

"Savior" was a simple fact. Without her, they would have been forced into a reckless charge against the human army, leading to their inevitable annihilation. His gratitude for her intervention was beyond question.

"Beautiful" was another undeniable truth. Both the Grimoire members and the beastmen, including the human Regalo, would likely all agree. Euphemia was stunningly beautiful.

Euphemia is stunningly beautiful more than anyone they met.

Her long, shimmering blonde hair, perfectly balanced features, delicate lips, and mesmerizing eyes all painted a picture of ethereal beauty. Her expressive face and well-defined brows conveyed her emotions clearly. Even Raft, who harbored no romantic feelings for her, would blush when she looked at him closely.

Raft knew his instincts. With just few seconds of exchanging eye contact with her would make him fall in love with her.

"Intelligent" was also a fact. She was more perceptive than she seemed. Every pivotal decision that had steered the Grimoire group had been hers, and so far, they had not faced any major failures. Though her actions often appeared spontaneous, she always seemed to anticipate the crucial moments and act accordingly.

But who was Euphemia Grimwood to Raft Grimoire? That was a much more difficult question.

Bringing in the mole beastman and initiating discussions with the dwarf Dubil Ganon and the axe wielder Jainos were actions Raft didn't fully understand. While the other workers didn't attend these meetings, sensing their importance, there was an expectation that Euphemia would do something remarkable once again.

"So, what do you think?" Katarina Grimoire asked abruptly, walking into the workshop where Raft was adjusting his tools. She found an iron chair, raised an eyebrow, and sat down.

"What do you mean, 'what do I think'?" Raft asked, puzzled. He wanted to focus on his work, but Katarina seemed ready to talk, so he wisely decided to set aside his tools.

The forge had been extinguished days ago, and all that remained were finishing touches. Talking with a girl his age wasn’t something he sought out, but he didn’t mind indulging her.

"Lady Euphemia brought in the mole beastman and had those meetings. You were asked to make tools for Zonda and the others. That means you’re more useful to Euphemia than I am," Katarina said, not hiding her frustration.

Raft chuckled inwardly. She rarely showed such honesty to anyone else. Perhaps only he could elicit such unfiltered feelings from her. Maybe she wouldn't even voice these frustrations to her comrade, the fox beastman Kirina.

Raft didn't find this particularly flattering. Still, he saw no harm in letting her speak her mind.

"When it comes to war, I’m still not very useful. I might be stronger than the dog beastmen, but Lady Euphemia doesn’t want me or Kirina on the front lines," Katarina admitted.

"...There’s no need for that," Raft replied. Even someone like him, who knew little about combat, understood that there were others better suited for the front lines.

"Then how can I be useful to Lady Euphemia?" Katarina asked, almost pleadingly.

Raft wasn’t equipped to be a pillar of support. He was doing his best just to keep himself afloat. He doubted he could alleviate her worries, and he suspected she wasn’t looking for comfort.

She should resolve her own frustrations instead of venting them to him, he thought, but kept silent.

"Remember when you and Kirina subdued the leopardess during the Beast King incident? You were there at the right moment and played your part," Raft said.

"Yes, but does that mean we should just stay by Lady Euphemia’s side, waiting for the next crisis?" Katarina asked, her voice tinged with frustration.

"Is that a problem?" Raft questioned, genuinely curious. Katarina seemed taken aback, her eyes widening before she considered his words.

"I want to feel like I’m truly contributing," she said, her voice small.

"You care more about feeling useful than actually being useful?" Raft asked, perhaps a bit sarcastically. He needed to prove his worth through actions, even if Euphemia wouldn’t discard or persecute him if he failed. He wanted to be someone Euphemia could be proud of.

Raft Grimoire had value. Value that made Euphemia Grimwood proud.

If only he could become that person.

...And maybe Katarina felt the same way.

Raft glanced at the girl around his age who was muttering in frustration and let out a small chuckle. In the end, they were still children, and it would take time to grow into the roles they aspired to. Besides, Katarina's vision of who she wanted to become wasn't even fully formed yet.

"Hey, don't you think just being by Euphemia’s side and helping her out makes you useful to her?" he suggested.

Katarina straightened up at the mention of Euphemia, her serious expression amusing Raft. For once, she was earnestly listening to his words, devoid of her usual sarcasm.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well, even high-ranking demons have their attendants, like the nobles among humans. These attendants serve as their aides, right?" Raft explained, recalling a common understanding rather than firsthand experience.

"Yeah, that's true," Katarina nodded.

"Euphemia is amazing, but she can't do everything herself. She's slow when she walks, and it would be faster if someone else handled tasks for her, like carrying things," Raft continued.

"Well, yeah," Katarina agreed, acknowledging the simple truth.

"So, why not start by being useful in those ways? You’ve stayed by Euphemia’s side because you wanted to, but there are things you can do just by being near her," Raft suggested.

After all, becoming stronger would take time. Raft himself had no idea how long it would take to catch up to Dubil. But there were things he could do that Dubil couldn’t. And even if there weren't, Raft would never give up blacksmithing.

"So, you mean I should become Euphemia's attendant?" Katarina asked.

"I don’t know if it's the best idea, but it’s something you can start doing now. It’s not about what you want; it’s about how you can help Euphemia. And this seems like a way you can," Raft reasoned.

Either way, Katarina would keep striving to become stronger because she genuinely wanted to.

"Yeah, you’re making sense for once," Katarina said, nodding and smiling. She seemed satisfied, and Raft exhaled silently, knowing this would likely be a recurring situation.

Night fell.

The rocky area became deeply silent after sunset. Aside from the occasional unknown bird call from the forest, there were no sounds.

When the blacksmithing work was intense, the clanging of hammers echoed day and night. Raft hadn’t noticed the noise back then because he was busy working. Now that the forge was out, he couldn’t hammer without red-hot iron.

Katarina had lingered in the workshop, and Raft had returned to his tasks out of sheer practicality. He had already completed the requested shovels and pickaxes, and now he was working on spares.

These tools were designed to be multipurpose, capable of digging and serving as spears or bludgeons. Made sturdy enough to withstand the strength of boar beastmen, they had received high praise.

Raft was genuinely pleased. The joy of being appreciated for his work made him willing to endure some hardships.

While working and chatting with Katarina, he heard a commotion approaching from outside the workshop. The lively noise soon reached the door.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. After discussing it, we’ve decided to delve deeper into the dungeon. Not that I’ll be doing the delving myself," Euphemia said, entering with a confident smile.

Seeing her radiant and assured demeanor, Raft felt a sense of understanding settle within him.

The world isn’t bright because it shines on its own.

It’s illuminated by the sun.

We are illuminated by this person.

A person like the sun, distant but shining brightly upon them all.