She Who Became Immortal

The battlefield, viewed from the top of the outer wall lined with crossbows, was a sight that even someone as ignorant of warfare as Euphemia Grimwood could deem as a situation where "the tide has turned."

The infamous second prince seemed to have retreated swiftly, and with his withdrawal, the fierce shooting by the aelv woman, who had appeared on the battlefield, was thwarted by the valiant efforts of the Lion Princess, Lapis Kruger.

Aelv's withdrawal was as swift as her arrival, indicating that, for her side, this was not a crucial battle—just a skirmish.

From this vantage point, it was evident that the enemy's main forces were not advancing much and were, in fact, slowly retreating. While there was concern about the possibility of the enemy splitting their forces and surrounding the fortress, the fortress's hexagonal outer walls were equipped with ballistae on all six sides, utilizing the advantage of readily available iron.

“If the enemy doesn’t push forward from here, it might be time to shift the momentum,” said Biante, the warrior from Grimoire, who had been observing the battlefield beside me. Though not particularly versed in military strategy, her battle-hardened instincts seemed to grasp the ebb and flow of combat better than I could.

“I feel we’ve done quite a bit of damage, but we’ve probably inflicted less than ten percent of their total strength. The initial engagement—or rather, the second engagement—seems to have been more of a probing attack. Volte’s command has been displayed to the enemy, and we haven’t suffered significant losses,” I commented.

“Well done,” Biante glanced at me with a hint of irony and a smirk, shrugging her shoulders, “Still seems like you’re not satisfied, Euphemia.”

“Of course I’m not satisfied,” I retorted, snorting in frustration.

“Why should we even be involved with those people? Even if the damage is minimal, it's not nonexistent. It’s infuriating to think that even a small amount of harm was caused by such barbarians. They’re self-serving invaders without a shred of reason or justice, savages who can’t even manage a proper greeting when visiting others.”

When I first entered the beastmen's territory, I persistently greeted the fox spirit Serena, no matter how many times I was killed.

This was genuinely from the heart, but I never intended to usurp Serena’s place. I just wanted to meet her, talk with her, and ask if I could stay by her side.

“Haha! It might be the first time I’ve seen you like this!” Biante laughed heartily, ruffling my hair in a rough but affectionate manner. I didn’t mind, so I let her do as she pleased.

 

“Don’t you know? What I love is peace, calm times, and enjoyable days. What I want is a respected neighbor.”
No more of the harsh predicaments, implacable enemies, unfortunate disasters, or imposed injustices.

 

As I furrowed my brow, Biante continued to ruffle my hair vigorously, causing my delicate head to wobble.

“Well, it looks like they’re starting to withdraw. Preserving their main forces, huh? Euphemia, it would be wise to prepare for a night raid,” she advised.

“Of course. If I were the enemy, I’d quickly abandon any attempt to destroy the fortress. They might try to cut off our supply lines, infiltrate and cause chaos inside the fortress, or even throw poison into it—or perhaps they might try to force their way in with ladders from all directions.”

Regarding the supply lines, since materials have been transported and wheel tracks have been made, it’s inevitable that the enemy will follow those trails. Therefore, I’ve set up an ambush with Grimoire’s demons and fox spirit Serena. It’s unlikely they would send such a large force to disrupt the supply lines, so it should suffice.

As for infiltrating the fortress, we can only remain vigilant. If they manage to bring a large enough force to surround us, it would spell disaster. However, according to Kairine’s reconnaissance, they shouldn’t have that kind of strength. As for poison… it’s unlikely. The people of this world seem to lack research in that area, likely due to the presence of magic.

Minor poisons can be healed with restorative magic, and potent poisons are expensive. Though there are reports of them being used in noble conflicts—something I recall from the academy—these poisons are meant for assassinations.

After all, if the goal is to kill someone, poison is unnecessary.

A sword’s cut will do. Magic’s blast will do. Power’s judgment will do.

As I pondered these thoughts, Biante opened her hand from my head and grasped it firmly. She then turned my head to face her, forcing me to make eye contact.

“Really now. I thought you were showing a rare bit of charm, only to hear you speak of such terrifying things. Listen, I commanded the construction of this fortress. No matter from the outside or within, I won’t let it fall.”

Her lips curled into a determined smile, and I found her unexpectedly captivating. Oh, this woman is quite impressive.

“I’m counting on you, Biante.”

When I said this with a smile, Biante looked surprised and slightly flushed.

It seemed my smile was too charming for her.

Though I considered teasing her a bit, I saw Katarina rushing up from below and decided against it.

“Lady Euphemia! That is, um… Lapis has brought back captives! Also, Junos and the others have retrieved the ‘Saint’! And it seems Serena and Jade’s team have annihilated a separate enemy force. They’ve reported they will remain on standby!”

Katarina, breathless from climbing up the outer wall, delivered the news in a single breath.

I exchanged a look with Biante and sighed in relief.

“Except for one thing, it’s largely as expected. The results are quite satisfactory.”

In truth, I wasn’t particularly pleased.

Still—if we didn’t act, they would have taken it from us, so there was no choice.

It seemed the enemy forces had fully retreated. Consequently, I stationed several units near the entrance of the forest and directed the rest to the interior of the fortress.

Of course, there are ways to covertly enter the fortress, but this time, I restricted access to the fortress through the gates only. The enemy was undoubtedly conducting reconnaissance. While a flashy invasion could be managed, a stealthy infiltration was undesirable.

Upon opening the gate, a chaotic mix of events and individuals flowed in.

There was Romeo, the boy picked up by Lapis.

A report on the battle from Volte Claus.

Reports from the Bernard beastmen accompanying Serena and Jade.

And Junos and his team, who had successfully captured the "Saint of Healing."

Romeo, the boy, was picked up by Lapis relatively early on, but he had apparently been left near the gate until the enemy’s retreat. As a result, he looked rather ill, as if he were on the brink of death by the time he was brought into the fortress.

He had been struck head-on by Zonda Pauga’s charge, sending him flying and severely fracturing his right arm. Likely, the fever he was suffering from was a result of the passage of time.

He was fifteen years old. With near-black gray hair and a thin build, he had a drooping gaze with a rather sour expression. From what I gathered, he was originally an orphan.

“Sometimes, merchants pick up and raise kids like me,” Romeo said. “It’s cheaper than hiring mercenaries, and we don’t betray them like mercenaries do.”

Despite the evident pain on his face, Romeo answered my questions promptly. Though clearly suffering, he showed no sign of expecting any special treatment. It was evident he had lived a life where neglect was the norm.

“I see. So, why did you pick him up?” I asked.

“We were planning to take him as a prisoner,” Lapis replied. “It’s similar to why you took in Volte. I thought he seemed quite interesting.”

I didn’t take in Volte Claus because I found him interesting, but I let it go.

“Well then, Romeo. Will you betray the Golt and join us? We don’t offer a salary at the moment, but we do provide meals.”

“Yes, I will. I definitely will. Please!” Romeo responded without hesitation.

His immediate and unwavering response caught me off guard. I regarded him with a raised eyebrow, but Romeo remained expressionless, though he seemed to understand he was being scrutinized and gave his reasons.

“Well, I wasn’t treated particularly well in the company. Actually, I was treated poorly. I didn’t receive much in terms of salary, and I was constantly shuffled from one job to the next, always being worked to the bone.”

So, he wasn’t exactly eager to return. He harbored no special feelings for the Golt.

Romeo spoke with a surprising nonchalance.

“Well, it’s settled then. Lapis, since you picked him up, you’ll be responsible for him. Don’t just leave him lying around carelessly.”

“Of course. We’ll take full responsibility for him. If it gets too difficult, we’ll rely on Grandpa Roppa. Ha ha ha! Hey Romeo! From now on, you should call me Sister Lapis! Today, you’re part of our family!”

“Uh… Oh, yes. Sister Lapis,” Romeo replied with a touch of hesitation.

Meanwhile, Zonda Pauga, who had broken Romeo’s arm, was enjoying a meal with his comrades in the mess hall, completely oblivious to this matter. He likely had no idea who Romeo was.

—And so, the aftermath unfolded.

Alongside Regalo, Maya, and Kairine, Junos, who had been lying in wait, made up the quartet that had abducted the “Saint of Healing.”

She was sound asleep.

Kairine had put her to sleep with her magical arts, but even after she had undone the spell, the saint continued to slumber deeply. It seemed this saint had been quite exhausted.

Her reddish-brown hair, which was not uncommon in the Kingdom of Louisse, was styled in a slightly long bob. She wore loose clothing that resembled a cross between a monk’s robe and noble attire. Perhaps this was the “Saintly” uniform prepared by Leopold Illyrius.

Her height was neither tall nor short, and while she was quite beautiful, she was not a transcendent beauty like myself.

In other words… she was an ordinary girl.

This was the “Saint of Healing” whom the “Untalented Euphemia” had been forced to abandon to the Muller family, incurring a debt to the Grimwood family.

“The legendary swordsman, it turns out, was the real deal. The story about him killing my father is probably true as well. Had we not taken the ‘Saint’ hostage, it would have been quite a troublesome affair,” Junos remarked.

He was referring to the swordsman who had struck the fortress’s outer wall with a sword attack comparable to Randall’s “Claws.” The matter had evidently left such an impression that Regalo looked somewhat pale. If not due to the long journey he had been carried on Maya’s shoulders, he was probably feeling uneasy at the memory of the young swordsman.

“Had you fought him head-on, would you have lost?” I inquired, genuinely curious.

Junos responded without showing much concern, shaking his head.

“If we fought head-on, I would win.”

“I see.”

In reality, the situation where one fights honorably and openly is nearly impossible. Even in this instance, Junos had taken the swordsman by surprise. If he had chosen to attack the swordsman’s body instead of his sword, he could have killed him.

However, that was something he would have preferred to avoid.

It wasn’t out of kindness.

The critical factor was that an individual of such immense power was not under Prince Blitz’s command. According to Junos and Kairine’s assessment, the young swordsman was genuinely dedicated to protecting the “Saint.” He was said to have been extremely frustrated by the fact that she had been taken hostage.

“What happens next? You’ve taken the ‘Saint’ hostage as planned. But the prince likely doesn’t care much about her,” I said.

On the contrary, the abduction of the Saint could provide a reason to dispatch more troops. This would remove any further reservations Prince Blitz might have had.

Of course, if Prince Blitz showed no concern for the Saint, how the young swordsman would react was a point of significant interest.

However, it seemed unlikely that a single young swordsman’s protests would bring both sides to the negotiation table. The enemy was not interested in negotiating from the start—they were here to seize what they wanted. Despite this, we were only incurring losses.

We still lacked sufficient pieces.

The board was not yet fully set.

“From here on out, it’s going to be a waiting game. We’ll need to endure several more sporadic attacks from them. Brace yourself—it will be quite tedious,” I advised.

“Shall we take the prince hostage next or attempt an assassination?” Junos suggested.

“That won’t work. It would force the Kingdom of Louisse into a corner. Besides—”

The prodigal prince, Blitz Orse Louisse.

The puppet master behind this pointless invasion.

“I’m quite annoyed. I told Biante as well—this pointless conflict is consuming too much of my time and energy. I want to be rolling around in warm meadows like a springtime bear, not dealing with this mess.”

Dying, having others die, killing, being killed—these are commonplace sights in any corner of this world, yet they are not what I wish to confront.

“I won’t let someone play the strategist and sit in the prime seat to watch and enjoy.”

A new entry was added to the to-do list.

I’ll make them cry out in defeat—