ALL NOVEL 011 – She, Who Smile In Ecstasy
A fist like a cannonball slammed into my face at a terrifying speed.
Just as I felt various bones in my face crumple, my body was sent flying in a spectacular vertical rotation.
It felt like an irate child hurling a doll.
With such momentum, tracing a trajectory parallel to the ground, spinning wildly, and then――without much delay, colliding with the surrounding trees.
Due to the impact directly to the back of my head, I experienced the sound and sensation of my skull cracking open and its contents spilling out, but in just a breath, my body returned to its original state.
"Hehe~ hmm~"
Euphemia Grimwood stood untouched, her smile radiating pure ecstasy.
After all, she had been subjected to the Gillette siblings' "experiments," being killed over five hundred times. Being punched to death by demons was nothing new.
However, the one who had struck me, Janus, wore a startled expression.
Not just Janus. Most of the members of the Yunofeliza clan gathered in the corner of the forest looked at me, who should have been dead, then at the alive me, with wide eyes.
Since no one said anything, I straightened my thin chest and retorted proudly.
"What's the matter? You can beat a fragile girl like me to death, but you still follow the damn rules of your homeland. In the end, you're just like humans. Groveling to the strong and doing as you please to the weak. Truly a bunch I can relate to."
I chuckled deliberately.
Perhaps due to the overwhelming surprise, my words probably didn't register with them.
Except for Janus Yunofeliza.
I directed that line to Janus, the chieftain of this clan alone.
"...Just who are you, exactly?"
Janus, poised like a beast ready to attack at any moment, with combat stance, said, but confusion was evident.
Certainly, his fist had caught me, and I had been sent flying to my death.
Yet, I was alive.
However, the world is unfair, and many impose their unfairness onto others. And perhaps most accept unfairness as "inevitable."
So, I guess I should accept my unfairness too.
But I refuse.
"There are no lies in introducing oneself. I am Euphemia Grimwood. Expelled from among humans, I'm the cutest girl in existence."
Once again, I smiled.
It was my special Euphemia Smile.
The sense of terror that everyone in the vicinity felt from that smile somehow transmitted through the atmosphere. Just because they were demons didn't mean they weren't intelligent beings who could understand words. It seemed that fearing something incomprehensible was the same for humans and demons alike.
For a few moments, Janus seemed to hesitate.
But in the next moment, he charged towards me, erasing his hesitation.
He kicked off the ground and started running――and before I realized it, Janus's hand was piercing through my thin abdomen. Or rather, it had pierced through my spine, penetrating completely. This time it wasn't a fist, it was a palm strike.
It was almost invisible, and I couldn't even react.
"Are you really human? Can there be humans who live through this?"
With his thick arm still stuck in my abdomen, Janus muttered. There was no longer any fear or confusion in his tone. Just caution and a bit of wariness.
As the chieftain, it was only natural for him to be this strong.
He was adaptable to situations like this, and remained calm in such circumstances.
"Come now, what do you think? I'm a human obviously, but perhaps I'm already different. But what about you, Janus?"
Due to the arm piercing her abdomen, she formed a whisper in Janus's ear. The girl, who should definitely be dead, was saying such things with a smirk.
It's frightening. Even I am a little taken aback.
But Janus wasn't afraid.
With a forceful swing, he dislodged his pierced arm.
Like a discarded doll, I tumbled to the ground, then, after a moment's pause, I stood up quite normally.
Unfortunately, my clothes didn't return to their original state, and the torn holes and bloodstains made for a conspicuous and bizarre fashion, but well, it can't be helped.
"Janus Yunofeliza, chief of the Yunofeliza clan expelled from the demon race. I'm asking you. What about you? Are you still a demon? Do you still have to obey the damn laws of your homeland?"
"What are you trying to say?"
With only caution laid bare, Janus asked again, crouching down.
It was evident that his pale purple skin was slightly reddening. Blushing, aren't we? He was being provoked emotionally. Not by the unreasonable existence of myself, but by my words.
I let out a theatrical sigh and averted my gaze from Janus, surveying the demons within the encampment. Closest to Janus was Junos, who had drawn a black sword from somewhere. The other demons also had various weapons at hand—spears, sticks—but it didn't seem to be an overt hostility.
My words, like those of a little girl, echoed.
They would resonate. There's no way they wouldn't.
Because those were the words that were already resonating within them.
If they were neighbors capable of communicating, they would have undoubtedly thought the same.
"—Then why not just run away?"
I said.
I noticed someone who had been aiming their weapon at me grimacing. Or perhaps, someone in the background who had been watching Janus and my exchange seemed to hold their breath.
"Why do we have to obey the orders of the country? What's the reason we, humanoids, have to charge into an ambush and die? Just ignore it and run away. After all, you guys aren't citizens of the demon country anymore. You've been abandoned. You too—"
Abandon them.
There shouldn't be any reluctance.
What happened afterward?
In conclusion, Janus Yunofeliza plunged into the Escard territory beyond the demon realm and perished.
It wasn't just Janus. About half of the Junofeliza clan should have rushed into Escard and met their demise. Otherwise, they would have overrun and dominated Escard, but I doubt that's what happened.
Demons—specifically, a race known as the demonkind—are indeed individually strong, but even among humans, there are sporadic powerful individuals due to mutations. The Gillette twins were such examples, and there should be others besides them. Otherwise, the Gillette siblings would have received different treatment.
So.
With the remaining half of the Yunofeliza clan, I relentlessly headed west through the demon realm.
Exiting the southern end of the demon realm leads to Escard territory.
To the east lie rugged mountain ranges, impossible to cross without proper equipment.
Heading north leads to demon territory, which isn't an option.
Westward, supposedly, lies the territory of the beastmen.
Then, by process of elimination, aiming for that direction seemed reasonable.
"Invasion of the beastmen is illegal. The Demon Lord and the Beast King have formed a pact," Junos said.
Besides him, a few combatants remained on this side, but the rest of the clan consisted only of women and children. Of course, there were women and children who rushed to the other side, but still, the ratio was skewed toward women and children.
"I care not for legality. You are no longer demons. There's no need to adhere to the laws of the demon realm. Besides, there's no need to die needlessly."
"What do you mean? Are you suggesting we defect?"
"Why are you being so passive? Meeting someone entails certain actions, doesn't it, Junos?"
"I don't understand what you're getting at."
I grinned at Junos, who pursed his lips in silence.
It wasn't particularly enjoyable.
I just thought it would be a bit pitiful if I didn't confidently smile.
"—You greet them first. That's the first step."
Of course, these words were also spoken without much thought.
One shouldn't trust cute girls.
Well, not that I'm antagonizing myself anyway.