She Who Became Immortal

"Not a word of this to anyone. Absolutely. If you tell someone, I will sulk, get angry, and become despondent. Understand? This is a secret between just you and me. I’m not asking you to forget it, but keep it hidden. Got it? … Hey, why are you laughing? Just say ‘okay’! I don’t want to hear anything else. Euphemia! Euphemia Grimwood! Are you listening!?"

This was the state of the fox spirit, Serena, after she had embraced me and cried profusely. Of course, I had no intention of revealing this to anyone. Occasionally, I might recall this moment, but tears from a genuine woman are a rare and precious thing.

Naturally, the ever-watchful Kairine, who must have been observing from somewhere, didn’t make an appearance. As I stood there grinning, Serena’s face turned red for a while before she declared, "I’m going to bed now!" and descended from the outer wall.

The clamor inside the fortress continued well into the night.

I remained on top of the wall, lost in thought. The night sky, adorned with twinkling stars, transitioned to a purple hue just before dawn, and then the sky turned to a bright, clear blue.

It was a beautiful day.

As I stood up and stretched—though not from stiffness in my shoulders or neck, but from a sense of mood—Katarina, who had come up to the wall, spotted me and called out.

"Lady Euphemia! We’ve received advance notice! It seems that Leopold Illyrius is coming for negotiations. He will meet us exactly at noon, on the hill just beyond."

Noon, exactly on the next hill, it seemed.

I was curious about what sort of cards the reptilian-faced Marquis would bring to the table. It would be interesting to find out.

"Understood. I’ll head down and give instructions to everyone. The main players are assembled, right?"

"Yes, Lady Euphemia! Of course!"

Katarina beamed at me like a well-praised dog.

I sighed with a smile and descended into the fortress.

 

---

Issuing various instructions to my people, consulting with Beast King Brandon and the female lioness, Lex, and briefly explaining the anticipated scenarios and responses, noon quickly approached. It was a great help when beastwomen and the others brought up finger foods during the meeting.

Those who fight should be respected.

After all, they put their bodies on the line. How could those who risk their lives to protect and secure "their own" group not be respected?

Similarly—those who do not fight should also be respected.

Otherwise, we’d end up with a world where only battle is supreme—a world that’s among the dumbest in existence. Those who cook, those who create spaces, those who bring comfort, those who don’t do anything but want to be by your side... These are the things warriors fight to protect. How could we not respect that?

In that sense, "Grimoire" gathered around me seemed to respect each other well.

Serena, the fox spirit, half-crying, said, "I love this place," and I understood her feelings. I love it too. Who could have predicted that outcasts from the world would come together and shine so brightly? I certainly didn’t foresee this situation either despite my reservations.

—It’s "the worst," as Serena once said.

Drifting aimlessly without purpose... and now, creating currents that clash with others, leading to inevitable conflict.

—It’s "wonderful," as I must have said before Serena did. My feelings haven’t changed. In fact, they might have strengthened a bit. After all, we’ve become something even more wonderful than before.

"Junos, Volte, Kairine, Zonda Pauga, and Lex Asuka, along with the bodyguard Nova, come with me. During the negotiations, only Lex will stand beside me."

Beast King Brandon will stay behind.

The reason is that the enemy negotiator is a marquis, not a king. Brandon, the king of the beastmen’s domain, does not negotiate directly with such an opponent.

If they come to us, we will meet them, but sending a king to negotiate would be a mistake.

The remaining team will consist of the rare female demon Biante, with the assistant mage Regalo, the fox spirit Serena, and the spear-wielder Maya. I had given instructions to each, so as long as they function well, there shouldn’t be any issues.

"Biante and Serena, especially rely on you. Feel free to bring Brandon’s subordinates if needed. Maya and Regalo, just do your best. As long as you act normally, this fortress won’t fall."

I hesitated a bit regarding the lion princess, Lapis Kruger.

I decided to have her stay at the fortress with her brother, Brandon.

"Have some sibling time together. Feel free to do combat training, but keep it moderate. If you destroy the fortress, I will be angry. And in that case, I’ve instructed Meralva to withhold food, so be careful."

"What do you think this place is?"

The lion princess looked exasperated, and I smiled in return.

"Wild princess."

This caused Brandon to burst into hearty laughter. A bit further away, the old beastman, Martla, also laughed heartily.

By the way, "Saint of Healing" Mizetta was left in the room she had used. Whether we return her or not, she needed to remain with us until the negotiations concluded. She probably understood this as well.

"Well then—let’s go. It’s time for negotiations."

I declared with a determined look.

The next moment, I was unexpectedly lifted by Junos, who carried me in a princess carry. It was quite unwelcome, but Junos carried me as if it were the most natural thing.

"This way is faster, right?"

As if it were obvious, Junos stated.

Well, it was fine, though.

Thus, we departed the fortress with our cheerful companions, descended a gentle hill, and climbed another of similar gradient to reach our destination.

On the hill across from us.

It was a location visible from our side—the fortress—and also discernible from the opposite side, the exit of the Demon Realm.

The humans had kindly set up a tent on the hill—not a fully enclosed one, but more like a festival tent. About thirty soldiers waited at a reasonable distance from it.

Inside the tent were four people.

A butler-like man stood in front of a simple table set with tea utensils.

At the table was Victor Illyrius, looking glum and quite out of place. Beside him stood what seemed to be a scout-like knight… someone I felt I had seen before.

And—sitting at the center of the table was none other than Marquis Leopold Illyrius himself. Quite the esteemed presence.

"Looks like there aren’t any hidden troops," Kairine said with a smirk. "I can’t say for sure if the aelv will try to snipe us, but as for those four over there, I judge there’s no need for extra caution."

I pondered for a moment and decided to have not just Lex Asuka, but also Junos stand in the negotiation. Since they had a scout-like knight among them, there should be no complaints.

I stationed Volte and Zonda at a distance roughly equal to that of the enemy’s waiting troops, then proceeded with the remaining three to the tent.

As we reached the simple table, Junos set me down from his princess carry. It was quite the escort, but I shrugged it off.

"Well, well, if it isn’t Marquis Leopold Illyrius, it’s been a while," I said with a Euphemia smile, standing tall.

The Marquis eyed me with his chameleon-like, bulging eyes and a pained expression as though enduring a headache three times worse than normal, and responded.

"I never anticipated this situation. If I could have avoided it, I wouldn’t have wanted to meet you again, Euphemia Grimwood."

Ah, yes. There’s something oddly nostalgic about this, a certain sense of personal or selfish pleasure.

Previously, I had been somewhat polite, given that I had received basic necessities from him. Now, however, that courtesy was unnecessary.

Now, I was here to negotiate seriously.

That was the least amount of respect I owed this man.

"And what of the prince and the Golt representative? Even though this is a negotiation, is it really alright for you to be the only one here?"

"No problem at all. Prince Blitz is somewhat of a troublemaker. The Golt Armed Trading Company is unsuitable for such an important discussion."

An important discussion, huh.

You’re not wrong.

"Isn’t that reckless? If I were a prince, I might think of taking out such an insolent marquis from a distance."

"No issue. The prince and the aelv woman are being kept in check by a young swordsman. I’ve instructed them to cut down anyone who causes trouble."

I couldn’t help but whistle in admiration at his blunt dismissal.

"Impressive, Marquis. It’s true, we can’t be intimidated by a mere second prince. You’ve got your head screwed on right."

"And you, are you considering things properly?"

He glared at me intensely.

I couldn’t help but grin in delight.

"Oh, I’m thinking things through. But you see, 'we' are comparably lighter and more fluid than you. Our thinking might change by tomorrow, and that’s to be expected. If you had as much baggage as the Illyrius domain, you’d be a bit weighed down as well."

"It would have been better if you had burned to death… And what about that beastwoman?"

Leopold clicked his tongue in annoyance and directed his gaze at Lex Asuka.

Lex—unsurprisingly—remained unaffected by Leopold’s disconcerting gaze and, after a slight bow, spoke.

"I am Lex Asuka, representing Beast King Brandon Kruger. I stand here as the king’s eyes, ears, and voice."

"…Understood. Please, sit down. We have tea prepared. It’s not much, but you’ll have to endure it."

"Perhaps I should have prepared some baked goods. I suppose someone like you, Marquis, would never have the chance to taste the handmade sweets of a beautiful and cute young maiden like me?"

Feeling a bit spiteful, I decided to throw in a little sarcasm in my lady-like mode.

"I have a wife, so I refuse gifts from women."

The reptilian-faced man replied with a straight face.

Rather than finding it amusing, I found myself rather impressed.

The butler-like man began serving tea. Leopold took the first sip, followed by me. Lex, seeming to have a delicate palate, blew on his tea excessively before taking a sip. Even Victor, who had been silent, eventually sipped his tea.

"Now—let us talk. About your future."

Leopold said with a serious expression.

I responded with a smile.

"Ah, yes. Let’s discuss it. The light and shadow of your future."