She Who Became Immortal

As I, Euphemia Grimwood, strolled leisurely, behind me trailed Junos Grimoire, who had taken Mizetta hostage. Flanking him were the nine-tailed foxkin Kairine and the traitorous knight Volte Claus.

It was indeed a peculiar group.

Emerging from the stronghold of the beastmen were representatives of the human race, demonkind, and beastmen themselves.

Despite the oddity, Victor, the supposed nephew of Leopold, the burly man who seemed to be a senior figure from the Golt Arms Trading Company, and the vice-captain of the Black Iron Knights—all three of them—showed a brief flicker of shock upon seeing us, but quickly erased any trace of bewilderment from their expressions.

I had no desire to ponder their state of mind as they silently waited for us to approach. I simply did not care.

I continued walking.

Earlier, we had shouted across a significant distance, but that was not my intention now. I advanced from what should have been the stopping point, closing in to the distance of casual conversation.

"I heard you wanted to talk, so here I am. I am the representative," I declared.

The three enemies before me maintained their poker faces as they faced the beauty with her arms crossed defiantly. None showed disdain or surprise.

"Erm... Excuse me. I am Victor Illyrius. Please consider me the representative in this negotiation. This is Berke Golt and this is Kuzel Giddy. And you are? You appear to be a girl from the human race, but what exactly is your role as their representative...?"

"I am Euphemia Grimwood. To skip the details, various individuals have gathered under my banner, making our group quite substantial. This is our territory, and you are the invaders here."

"Euphe—Grimwood…!?"

For a brief moment, Victor's eyes widened in a manner reminiscent of Leopold’s and he scrutinized me from head to toe. It was an almost imperceptible glance, akin to a chameleon assessing its surroundings.

"Hey, you’ve just declared that you are the representative of the group invading us. So, do you have something to discuss with this representative?"

A smirk played at the corners of my lips, and Victor quickly reverted to his previous emotionless state, casting a brief glance at my companions.

He seemed to grasp that Mizetta’s safety was beyond their immediate reach and that they could not reclaim her through force alone.

"…We would like you to return our saint captive. That is our first demand. I wanted to make that clear from the outset."

"Hmm? You barged into someone’s home without a word and used violence to invade, and now you want the captured person returned?"

"I share some reservations about that as well," Victor said with a derisive exhale, his shoulders feigning a shrug.

While he resembled Leopold, he had a touch more charm. Perhaps Leopold, with his reptilian demeanor, was lacking in human warmth.

"However—"

Victor paused dramatically, glanced at the hill behind him where his two thousand troops waited, and with a grin, continued.

"—we consider it a substantial concession on our part merely to refrain from annihilating you. How do you perceive this matter?"

"What? You mean, 'Don’t get killed, and return the Saint?' Seems quite typical of an invader’s attitude."

I responded with a grin of my own.

Victor wasn’t the type to be easily rattled by irritation.

"As the negotiator, I am here to discuss terms, not to bear the responsibilities of war. The facts before us are merely for leverage. So, let me ask you: what conditions would you require to return our Saint?"

"That’s a difficult question, Victor Illyrius."

I took a moment to build suspense.

Victor must be puzzled as to why I, clearly on the losing side, appeared so composed. No doubt he was desperately trying to understand the reason behind my calm demeanor.

Despite how much he contemplated, there was no doubt that we were overwhelmingly weaker. A non-fool like Victor would surely reach that conclusion.

So, why the composure?

Was Euphemia Grimwood, standing before him, insane? After all, why would a human girl bearing the name Grimwood be so prominently positioned, with demonkind, beastmen, and even Volte Claus obeying her?

He would surely be contemplating various possibilities while I merely smiled and remained silent.

Thus, I decided to interject with a bit of additional information.

"By the way, what happened to Jack Frigate? He was supposed to be the Saint’s escort, ensuring her safety all the way to our location, but I don’t see him around."

Victor’s face darkened with clear displeasure.

"…He’s in a state of rage and it was impossible to bring him. He incapacitated two of His Highness Blitz’s ‘shadows’… Ah, I’m sorry, that’s our issue. Regardless of his situation, it makes no difference in the current context."

"Ha! It seems like things have been quite entertaining. Now, let me clarify the situation you must understand."

"That would be helpful. We have no way of knowing how you perceive the situation."

"Firstly. You want to rescue the ‘Saint’."