I was Alraune, a plant monster.
As we headed toward the Royal Capital after departing my hometown of Edelweiss, we were suddenly flagged down by soldiers.
A fence had been erected across the road, and several armed men were blocking our path. The highway had been completely cordoned off.
The Little Witch looked at me with a worried expression.
"Alraune... what is that?"
"I'm not sure. But for now, it’s probably best if we stop the wagon as they've asked."
Thinking back, our wagon had been targeted once before. On that occasion, the people we’d assumed were bandits were actually adventurers hired by the local Lord, and the beast-ear girl we thought was a victim turned out to be the thief.
A great deal had happened since then, and that same beast-ear girl had eventually become our companion. However, this situation felt different. For one, these soldiers blocking the road were flying the flag of Edelweiss.
Treant and Kiri, who had been sitting on the coachman's seat, quickly hid themselves in the back of the wagon. In their place, the Little Witch and I sat up front. Of course, I made sure to drape a cloth over my lower body to hide my plant parts, pretending to be nothing more than a human child.
"This is a checkpoint! Prepare to be inspected!" a soldier shouted as we brought the wagon to a halt before the fence.
Immediately after, another soldier pointed at the Wood Horse Golem and cried out in shock, "What in the world is wrong with this horse!?"
There were five soldiers in sight. However, if I counted the ones resting further off the path, there were at least ten. One of them stepped forward to question the Little Witch.
"You lot came from Edelweiss, didn't you?"
"Yes, we did..."
"That's a freakishly large horse. Who are you people?"
"...We are merchants."
The Little Witch produced a gold plate—the Saint Nectar Sales Permit we had received from the Lord of Tower City.
"A permit? I see, you truly are merchants. Is your cargo Saint Nectar?"
"It is."
As I watched the exchange between the Little Witch and the soldier, a question began to nag at me.
Just what is this checkpoint for?
We were still within Duke Edelweiss's Territory, and I had no memory of a checkpoint ever existing here. It certainly wasn't marked on any maps. If there was a reason for this, I could only think of one possibility.
Taking over the conversation for the Little Witch, I decided to ask.
"Has something happened, by any chance?"
"Surely you know what happened in Edelweiss?" the soldier replied.
"...What are you referring to?"
"A major incident occurred in the city, didn't it?"
"Do you mean... the attack by the Demon King's Army?"
"Yes, exactly!"
It would have made sense to set up blockades if the Demon King's Army had attacked. They might have been tightening security in case of stragglers or secondary units. It was also possible they were managing the flow of refugees from the surrounding areas.
And yet, something felt deeply wrong. The soldiers who had been resting stood up and began to surround our wagon.
"I have one more question. On whose authority is this checkpoint being conducted?"
"By order of Duke Edelweiss's Proxy!"
That meant Tulpe. But Tulpe hadn't mentioned anything like this to me. All my sister had told me was that she was sending messengers to the Royal Capital to report the events.
—Yes, something was definitely suspicious.
Edelweiss had bolstered its internal security, but that hadn't extended to the outer reaches of the territory yet. After all, the Little Witch and I had completely repelled the Demon King's Army. My roots had already confirmed that there wasn't a trace of the enemy for miles. Edelweiss was once again a safe zone, so all available manpower was being focused on rebuilding the city.
If that was the case, why were these soldiers out here on guard duty?
"That uniform you're wearing... it's that of the Edelweiss Knight Order, isn't it?"
"It is. What of it?"
"So, you were born and raised in Edelweiss?"
"Of course I was. What's your point?"
"Then, looking at my face, do you have any thoughts at all?"
"......Huh? Your face?"
From his appearance, the soldier was in his thirties. If he had been born and raised in Edelweiss, there was no way he wouldn't recognize the face of Saint Iris. Even if I was currently in my Child Alraune form, portraits of me as a child were displayed in every corner of the city.
And yet, this was his reaction. There was no doubt about it.
This man was lying.
"You... you aren't from Edelweiss, are you?"
"!?"
Not knowing the face of Saint Iris was suspicious enough, but I had also noticed a slight Glanz Empire accent in his speech.
"Forget Edelweiss—are you even from the Kingdom of Gardenia?"
"...Enough. Get rid of them."
At the soldier's command, his companions drew their swords. I knew it; they weren't Edelweiss soldiers at all! My suspicions were right on the mark.
To think we’d been attacked again just for riding in a wagon. We really were a magnet for trouble. I wondered if it was because our horse was a wooden golem, which was admittedly suspicious-looking, but that didn't seem to be the reason this time.
In any case, I decided it was time to find out their true identities and their purpose for being here.
"Alraune?"
"Rufe, stay there. I'll handle this."
I had moved to the coachman's seat precisely for a moment like this. I cast aside the cloth covering my lower body and extended my vines.
Time for a counter-offensive!
"Plant vines!?"
"What is that thing? Is she not human?"
"It's a monster!"
"Gwah! My body is... I can't move...!"
One by one, I bound the approaching men with my vines. I had no reason to fear ordinary soldiers armed only with swords. They had intended to ambush us, but since I had been concealing my nature as a monster, I was the one who ended up ambushing them.
I was sorry to say it, but people of their caliber weren't even a threat to me.
"These people are no joke!"
"Could they be remnants of the Demon King's Army!?"
"They wouldn't be attacking us if they were. They're likely just another set of messengers from Edelweiss, like the ones before!"
"Don't lose your heads! We have Kubira-sama!"
"No, Kubira-sama left to search for the target. He's not here!"
The soldiers caught in my vines began to scream and panic. I considered gagging them, but in their confusion, they were helpfully blurting out all sorts of information. I began to piece the situation together.
"Alraune, who are these people?"
"Before we discuss that... it looks like there's one more enemy left."
As I surveyed the captured soldiers, a man emerged from the forest. He was clearly in a different league from the others. He carried a massive sword that dwarfed his own height and exuded the aura of a seasoned warrior.
He practically radiated the presence of a sword master. He was clearly several times stronger than the men currently hanging from my vines. He approached us with an arrogant, relaxed stride.
"I was getting bored waiting for nothing but weak messengers to pass through. Looks like someone with some actual backbone has finally arrived."
"...And you are?"
"Me? Listen well and be amazed! I am the first disciple of the legendary Kubira-sama, one of the Twelve Sword Generals of the Empire... Yaksha!"
The man—Yaksha—boasted with supreme confidence. The Little Witch tilted her head and looked at me.
"Who is he?"
"...I have no idea."
He was a complete stranger. Based on his long-winded introduction, I gathered he was someone's top student. However, the title of 'Twelve Sword Generals of the Empire' did ring a bell. That meant the soldiers here were indeed from the Glanz Empire.
Why were soldiers from a neighboring country blocking the roads here?
"Well, you've introduced yourself, so I don't really have any more use for you."
"Aah?"
"Sorry, but I'm going to need you to spit out everything you know."
"Big talk!"
Yaksha charged toward me, leveling his blade. The speed with which he closed the distance was impressive; he certainly lived up to his boast of being stronger than the average soldier.
But that was all he was. Strength alone was not enough to face me.
"Hah!"
Using Plant Generation, I manifested Teppou-uri at the tips of my vines and fired a barrage of seed bullets. Yaksha was indeed a master; he managed to deflect the first shot. But that was his limit.
A hail of seeds, far exceeding the speed of human reflexes, showered him like machine-gun fire. The battle was over in an instant.
Th-th-th-th-thwack!
"Gyaaaaaah!!"
The seeds germinated instantly upon impact. Sundews sprouted like writhing tentacles, entangling Yaksha's limbs. Sticky, adhesive glandular hairs ravaged his body, and as he became completely covered in mucilage, he finally stopped moving.
If the opponent was a master of the sword, the simplest solution was to attack from a distance. I didn't think I would have lost even in a close-quarters struggle, but I didn't want to risk the wagon being damaged. More importantly, I didn't want the Little Witch to be frightened, so I decided to end it decisively.
"Now then. What should I do with this one?"
I used a vine to hoist up Yaksha, who was now a cocoon of wriggling Sundews. He seemed to have lost consciousness. Perhaps I had squeezed too hard, or maybe he had simply fainted from terror. I had intended to question him, but I might have overdone it.
"Which leaves..."
I turned my gaze back to the soldiers I still had bound in my vines. They let out pathetic whimpers of "Hieee..." and "Mercy..."
They were looking at me as if I were some kind of hideous freak. It was honestly a bit insulting. I was a beautiful flower, after all. To be treated like a monster was just too much.
And so, I gave them a bright, sunny smile and made a polite request.
"If you don't want to end up like him, I suggest you tell me everything you know. Don't leave out a single detail, okay?"