She Who Became Immortal

"The Spade Knights' Second Division Captain, Tarton Legrack. I have been assigned to accompany you to the Beast King's domain."

 

---

After wrapping up discussions with the lord, Randall and I lazily made our way down through the castle. When we passed through the gate that Randall had destroyed, we found the Spade Knight Corps waiting for us.

However, they weren't here to fight the beastmen.

During our conversation—or rather, while I, Diplomat Euphemia Grimwood, spoke with the lord of Spade, someone important from the designated location had managed to contact the knights. They decided to ensure the safe departure of the beastmen from Spade's territory. Additionally, they saw this as the first step towards establishing communication between humans and beastmen.

This seemed like a swift and wise choice. The future relationship between Spade and the beastmen was uncertain, but having information was better than none. If we had prior knowledge, we could have at least confronted the knights, even if the outcome wouldn't have been favorable.

"Captain? Weren't you the vice-captain?"

Regalo's voice rang out, sounding rather surprised.

Now that he mentioned it, this old man was a battalion commander in the Mage Corps. He came from a commoner background but had risen through the ranks. It made sense that he would know the knight captain who looked every bit the epitome of a purebred knight.

Currently, Regalo was more of a side character, surprised at every turn, but he seemed to be enjoying himself, so I left him be. His time to shine would come in quieter moments.

"Regalo, weren't you part of the Beastman Pursuit Squad?"

"Yeah, I... kind of switched sides."

Regalo grinned, his expression light and nonchalant. Tarton Legrack responded with a subtle, conflicted look, as if he couldn't outright reprimand him.

"Our captain died in action, so I was promoted temporarily. This incident will likely change things for Spade as well. Your defection, Regalo, may end up being overlooked."

"And Captain Tarton, you find yourself at the forefront of these changes?"

"Indeed. As she said, we need to understand each other. We want to start there. We've paid the price for this... or rather, we've had it taken from us."

This time, Tarton let out a clear, bitter laugh.

Incidentally, the Beast King Randall, who should have been listening, showed no interest whatsoever. Instead, his subordinates were more keen on the conversation between Regalo and Tarton.

Feeling a bit mischievous, I smirked from my position on Junos's back and spoke to Captain Tarton.

"Don't think it's all squared away. You've paid a hefty price, but there's no such thing as perfect balance in these matters. Even written agreements among humans are often broken. Right now, we haven't promised you anything."

"I'll take that as a warning."

Tarton nodded solemnly, turning my snide comment into a simple admonition. Well, it was just a snide remark after all.

After that, we engaged in trivial conversations as we leisurely walked through Spade's town, eventually merging with the Beast King's army who had already begun their retreat. We then continued our journey towards the beastmen's territory.

Of course, I remained on Junos's back for most of the march. At one point, Zamba, the boar beastman, showed up, so I perched my cute ass on his broad shoulders. All in all, it was a peaceful procession.

 

---

"Lady Euphemia, do you think trade between humans and beastmen will actually work?"

 

---

We had just entered the forest that separated our territories when Kirina suddenly voiced her concern.

Incidentally, I had already dismounted from Zamba, the boar beastman, before entering the forest. His large frame meant that when I rode on his shoulders, branches constantly whipped my face.

Now, Maya the spear wielder was carrying me. In their case, it didn't matter who carried me; it was no great burden for any of them. Although Maya looked somewhat reluctant about being assigned to 'Euphemia duty,' she wasn't openly complaining.

From my slightly elevated vantage point, I looked down at the fox girl and answered her with a confident, puffed-up chest.

"How could I possibly know that?"

"Eh? But, didn’t you have some kind of plan or calculation?"

"I just thought it would be more interesting that way."

This was the truth. No one could predict how things would turn out. Regardless of the outcome, having a point of contact would make things clearer.

Honestly, this whole situation had become quite troublesome.

"Is that all? You’re not thinking about the future of the beastmen...?"

"The future of the beastmen is for the beastmen to worry about. It’s not my job, nor is it ours."

"But then, why did you—"

Why did I push for interaction between the beastmen and humans if it had nothing to do with us?

Of course, there were many reasons. However, explaining each one would be pointless, so I decided to state the biggest reason.

"Because it has the potential to be interesting."

"That's the reason, indeed."

Suddenly, Randall appeared from between the trees and interrupted our conversation.

Maya, who was carrying me, Kirina, who was nearby, and Serena and Katarina, who were also around, all instantly went into battle mode. Only Junos remained calm.

This meant Randall had approached us without a sound.

Not that it mattered to me, as I couldn’t sense his presence whether he was stealthy or not.

"What do you mean by 'that's the reason'?"

Reluctantly, Maya asked. But Randall’s attention was not on her; his gaze was fixed solely on me. Facing his rugged lion beastman face, I didn't feel particularly delighted.

"That 'fun' is 'in the future.'"

"So what?"

I tilted my head in question. Randall twisted his lips into a strange smile and showed off his large, clawed hand.

"I've been tearing apart anything that annoyed me with this. Doing that made me the Beast King. Since I'm the strongest, others follow me. Many have told me what I need to do, what responsibilities I have, what it means to be a king, and all sorts of other things."

He said he ignored all of it.

Which made sense. To a Beast King who rules by strength, such logic wouldn't hold sway.

"Why should I bother with annoying things? I have no responsibilities. If something's needed, they can do it. If I don’t like it, I’ll stop them. If they don’t like that, they can overthrow me."

That was Randall's logic. Simple and straightforward.

This is why his son, Brandon Kruger, and Lex Asuka, plotted to usurp the throne using the same logic.

However.

"No one ever said there might be something fun waiting in the future. Everyone always talked about boring things."

"Is that why you left the discussions with the Spade lord to me?"

"You always seem to be having fun, Euphemia. So I thought what you did would be interesting. And you thought the same."

Randall's smile faded as he stared at his hand.

Perhaps he had realized that his claws, which had torn apart countless obstacles, might have also shredded a potentially fun future.

Was it too late?

For the things already destroyed, yes, it was too late.

But what about the future?

Who knew?

At that moment, I found myself not particularly disliking Randall Kruger.

Not that I liked him a lot either.

 

---

We walked continuously without a break, eventually emerging from the forest and arriving at Gaeriko. By the time we reached the village, night had fully descended.

Tarton Legrack and the few knights under his command seemed to be in awe at the sight of a beastmen village. In stark contrast, Regalo wore a somewhat sour expression, no doubt recalling this place as the setting where their fate was nearly sealed.

The beastmen, however, appeared uneasy. Their tension did not ease as we entered the village; if anything, it heightened.

"Do you think something happened?"

No one answered my foolishly blunt question, but the mystery was soon resolved.

As we approached, Brunoa Kisk, the great eagle beastman, came rushing towards us and announced, "I have a report. The Anti-Lion Coalition has attacked the Beast King's capital. Currently, your sons, Lord Garland and Lord Brandon, are leading the defense, but the situation is somewhat unfavorable."

Randall’s face darkened immediately. His relaxed demeanor evaporated, replaced by a grim determination. He turned to his followers, his voice commanding authority.

"Prepare to move out immediately. We must return to the capital at once."

The beastmen swiftly sprang into action, their previous tension now fully justified. The village buzzed with urgent activity as everyone prepared for the journey back to the Beast King's domain.

I watched the scene unfold, feeling the gravity of the situation sink in. This was no longer just an adventurous journey; it had become a matter of survival and defense of their homeland.

Maya, who had been carrying me, gently set me down, her face serious. "Lady Euphemia, what should we do?"

I looked around, assessing the situation. "We go with them. If the Anti-Lion Coalition is making a move now, it means they think they have a chance to strike a significant blow. We need to be there to support Randall and his sons."

Tarton stepped forward, his expression resolute. "We’ll come with you. Our mission was to escort you safely, and that mission doesn’t end here."

Regalo, despite his earlier bitterness, nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and if there’s a fight to be had, it’s better we’re there than not."

With the decision made, we joined the beastmen in their preparations. The sense of urgency was palpable, but there was also a determination that unified us all.

As we set out under the cover of night, I couldn’t help but feel a mix of excitement and trepidation. The coming battle would be a pivotal moment, not just for the beastmen but for the fragile relations we were trying to build.

The future was uncertain, but one thing was clear: we were in this together, and we would face whatever came our way side by side.