I waved my vines vigorously from the back of the covered wagon.
I wanted to make sure my sister, Tulpe, could see them clearly.
As the wagon pulled away, the figure of the standing Tulpe grew smaller and smaller. Still, I kept her in my sights for as long as I could. The grounds of the Duke Edelweiss’s mansion were vast, and I had never been more grateful for that size than I was in that moment.
But even the most expansive estate had its limits. Eventually, the distance became too great for even my Alraune eyes to track her, and once we passed through the gates, she vanished from view entirely.
—Big Sister Tulpe.
I’ll come back to see you. I promise... I’ll definitely come back.
Oh, no. This was bad. Nectar was starting to spill from my eyes.
If the Little Witch saw me like this, she would worry. Or worse, she might find it suspicious. I slowly turned my gaze toward her as she cradled me in my potted Alraune form. I assumed she would be staring at the receding mansion as well, but when our eyes met, I realized she was staring directly at me.
"Ah..."
The Little Witch watched intently as a bead of nectar trickled down my cheek. She had caught me crying.
"T-this is..."
While I scrambled to come up with an excuse, she reached out and traced my cheek with her finger. Wiping away the droplet of nectar, she brought it to her lips and licked it off.
"It’s sweet."
"...Rufe?"
"Alraune... let’s come back to this city together again, okay?"
"...Yeah."
I wondered what prompted her to say that. Had she taken a liking to Edelweiss? I certainly hoped so. If not... well, I decided not to dwell on it. There was no way she could have realized that I was actually Saint Iris.
The wagon moved further from the mansion and began to pass through the center of the city. I had specifically chosen this route because I wanted one last look at the scenery. I had consulted with our coachman, the Treant, beforehand to make sure we took this path.
The Little Witch and I looked up from inside the wagon. The weather was perfect—a clear, brilliant day. The sky should have been a vast expanse of blue, but for some reason, my vision was filled with green. We weren't just seeing the sky; we were traveling through a tunnel of lush foliage.
"The scenery has changed so much since we first arrived," the Little Witch remarked.
"Y-yeah, it really has..."
I wasn't worried, though. I was certain I had pruned everything properly, so sunlight could still reach the streets. It just so happened that this particular road had turned into a literal forest tunnel; the rest of the city wasn't quite this overgrown.
Once we cleared the verdant path, we emerged into the heart of the city. There stood the City of Edelweiss, reborn. It was a fusion of stone architecture and nature—a pure, refreshing space filled with greenery and negative ions.
Yes! Even from my perspective as an Alraune, it looked like a wonderful place to live. It was a cutting-edge forest-city that managed to preserve its original character while embracing its new identity.
"Alraune... are you sure you actually pruned this?"
"Of course I did."
I had definitely cut back branches here and there. In truth, I had wanted to add even more greenery, but I knew that would be difficult for the humans, so I had exercised some restraint. I had only added a "little" bit.
I had agonized over whether I should remove more of the plants, but the citizens had welcomed the city's new look with open arms. Seeing how much they loved it, I decided to leave it as it was. I wasn't entirely sure why they were so receptive to the change, but perhaps the people of Edelweiss had always harbored a secret love for nature. It was something I never realized back when I was Iris.
Even now, a massive crowd had gathered along the highway to see us off.
"Lady Saint Alraune!"
"Thank you for saving our city!"
"Safe travels!"
"Lady Iris!"
"Please come back soon!"
People lined both sides of the road, cheering for us. A few were still calling me "Saint Iris," but given the level of excitement, I supposed it couldn't be helped. It felt as if every single person in the city had turned out for our departure.
The wall of people continued all the way to the city limits. We were all stunned by the sheer scale of the send-off. The Treant at the reins, Fairy Kiri sitting beside her, and even Kusukusu the Sphinx inside the wagon were all staring at the crowds in disbelief.
The last time we non-humans had received such a warm welcome was back in the Tower City. If anything, this was even more fanatical. Perhaps that was why no one had complained about the city turning into a forest.
Eventually, the cheers faded into the distance as we passed beyond the city walls. Flags flew atop the ramparts, and I saw soldiers standing at attention, saluting us. It was their way of showing the utmost gratitude to the ones who had saved their home.
As the wagon rolled down the highway, the City of Edelweiss gradually shrank in the distance. Gazing at the city—which, from afar, looked remarkably like a dense forest—the Little Witch spoke up.
"Are you worried about Edelweiss, Alraune?"
"No. Not really."
The fear that the Demon King's Army might return was always there. However, I doubted they would be able to launch another large-scale offensive near the city anytime soon. I knew the Demon King's Army wasn't a unified front, and a campaign of that magnitude couldn't be mounted easily.
Besides... if I really wanted to, I could return to my hometown at any time.
My root network stretched deep beneath the vast earth, covering all of Edelweiss. By simply setting down roots into the ground, I could use my teleportation ability to manifest a clone there whenever I pleased.
I could go back whenever I wanted. Knowing that, I thought it might be nice to pop in occasionally to see how things were going—and maybe have a secret tea party with Tulpe.
I wouldn't do it right away, of course. We had just had such a dramatic, emotional parting that I wouldn't know how to act if I showed up again immediately. I would keep a quiet eye on my home, but seeing my sister would have to wait. I wanted to surprise her when the time was right.
Incidentally, the reason I hadn't left a Child Alraune in Edelweiss was precisely because of Tulpe. Knowing my eccentric sister, there was no telling what kind of perverted antics she would subject it to. When it came to her, I had to be careful.
And if I was being honest, I didn't like the idea of another version of myself getting along with Tulpe. Just thinking about it made me feel strangely jealous. For now, maintaining the status quo was for the best.
—I’ll definitely come back for you, Edelweiss.
I made that vow in my heart, burning the image of my receding home into my mind. Long after it had vanished from the horizon, I continued to look back.
Edelweiss was my—Iris’s—hometown. By visiting, I had finally been able to say the goodbyes to my sister and the Ducal House that had been denied to me in my previous life. But this was the last time I would view the city through the eyes of Iris.
I was the plant monster Alraune now. The next time I came here, it would be as Alraune. I would never again set down permanent roots in my old home, but I could still visit. It wasn't as if I was barred from the gates forever.
Even so, a wave of loneliness washed over me.
"It’s okay," the Little Witch said softly.
"Rufe?"
"You have me, Alraune."
"...Thank you."
The Little Witch hugged my pot a little tighter. She must have sensed what I was feeling.
It reminded me of the time we had visited her old village together—the place where she had lived with her parents before the witch hunt. We had stood amidst the ruins left behind after the Flame Dragon Lord had burned it to the ground. I remembered the expression she had worn that day.
Perhaps she was feeling something similar to what I had felt then. If so, I knew we would have to return to her hometown as well someday. When all of this was over, we would go back to that village together. Back to the forest where Alraune and the Little Witch first met.
Our journey had truly resumed. The covered wagon sped across the plains, the Wood Horse Golem running at three times the speed of a normal horse. We moved so quickly that we easily bypassed any other travelers on the road.
Yet, strangely, the highway felt deserted. Even for being so close to a major city like Edelweiss, the silence was unsettling. Just as the thought crossed my mind, the wagon began to slow down.
"Kiri, what’s going on?" I called out.
"It looks like some humans are blocking the road!"
"What? Out here?"
We hadn't even been away from Edelweiss for half a day. There shouldn't have been any checkpoints in this area. Had they built a new one after I disappeared?
I asked the Little Witch to carry me to the front of the wagon. Sure enough, the obstruction came into view.
"Soldiers... are they blocking the highway?"
They had set up wooden barricades across the center of the road, cutting off our path. A soldier standing in front of the gate shouted at us.
"You there! Stop the wagon!"