I was an Alraune, a plant monster.
Though I had only just departed from my hometown of Edelweiss, I had secretly teleported back to my family's ducal mansion.
I reunited with my sister, Tulpe, at the Duke's Mansion and informed her that Imperial soldiers were blockading the highway. With that information, those soldiers would surely be captured by the Edelweiss Knight Order.
My remaining concern was the defense of Edelweiss. Powerhouses known as the Twelve Sword Generals of the Empire were apparently lurking nearby, and the thought of something happening filled me with anxiety.
And so, I made a decision. I spoke to Tulpe, albeit with a measure of reluctance.
"Fine. I’ll stay in Edelweiss."
"Truly!?"
"When I say 'me,' I don’t mean my original body, but my child. To be honest, I really didn’t want to leave her here because I have no idea what you’ll do to her, Tulpe..."
Tulpe was an eccentric. In fact, when it came to matters involving my former self—Iris—it was fair to say she bordered on the perverted. One look at her room, which was filled to the brim with paintings of me, made that crystal clear.
I wanted to avoid leaving my own child in such a localized hell if at all possible. However, this was no time for complaints. When faced with a family crisis, I had to put up with my sister's quirks.
I made flowers bloom upon my vines and performed self-pollination. I dropped the seeds onto the ground, and as they sprouted—look, a Child Alraune was born!
"C-Could this be...!"
"Yes. My child."
"Nice to meet you, Tulpe. I am called Alraune," the Child Alraune greeted Tulpe with perfect manners.
Mm, my Child Alraune really was adorable. She could give a proper greeting; she was such a good girl.
While I directed a heartwarming gaze toward my daughter, my sister's face was a mask of utter astonishment. I didn't quite understand why, but she was incredibly shocked. As if to deliver the finishing blow, the Child Alraune shook Tulpe's emotions even further.
"I am Mama's child, and since I have inherited most of her power, I am very strong. Anyone who attempts to harm Mama's beloved Edelweiss shall be turned into fertilizer."
"Mama... Mama!?"
I see; I was starting to understand. It seemed Tulpe was shocked that I had given birth.
Tulpe loved her younger sister, Iris, to the point of madness. Her brain seemed to be refusing to process the fact that the same Iris had suddenly produced a child as an Alraune—and one with the exact same face, no less.
I had grown so used to being a plant that I took it for granted, but come to think of it, humans couldn't have children alone. They didn't suddenly multiply by self-pollination, either.
However, I didn't want her to get the wrong idea. While the Child Alraune looked exactly like me and shared my knowledge, she wasn't a perfect clone. In fact, we had different eye colors. The original Alraune—me—had nectar-colored eyes, while the Child Alraune had red eyes.
That said, these children could replicate almost all of my power. Honestly, even if the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King's Army showed up, I doubted she would lose.
"Besides, the Child Alraune can multiply if the need arises."
"I-Is that true!?!?"
"Mama. May I create younger sisters?"
"You mustn't increase your numbers without permission unless it's an emergency."
"Understood, Mama."
Yes, yes, the Child Alraunes really were well-behaved and cute. Once they grew into their adult forms, they started acting however they pleased—like that cooking-loving Alraune from a while back, which made things difficult.
Speaking of which, I had dispatched one cooking-loving Alraune to the Demon King's Castle, hadn't I? After that party in the forest, I had sent her off on a cooking study abroad. I had completely forgotten about her, but I wondered if she was doing well.
At any rate, by entrusting the Child Alraune to Tulpe, the safety of Edelweiss was guaranteed. While I was worried the Child Alraune might become my sister's toy, I was certain that Tulpe would treasure her. In that regard, she really was my big sister. I trusted her.
"Lastly, Tulpe, I have an important favor to ask."
"My niece... Niece Alraune... Oh, what should I do? I wonder if it would be alright to take a bath together? Or perhaps it would be better if we slept in my bed together. Ah! But wait! This child's roots are connected to the ground!"
"...Tulpe, are you listening?"
"Yes, yes, that is it. To be honest, it has always been my dream to enter the bath with my younger sister and then lie down to sleep side-by-side. While that dream never came true with Iris-chan, surely I can make it a reality with my tiny niece? Yes, yes, exactly; for that very reason, it would be best to transplant her from the ground into a pot so we can be together at all times!"
"...For security reasons, the Child Alraune must remain connected to the ground, so transplanting her is forbidden."
"Yes, yes, I understand. In that case, I shall simply bury myself in the ground alongside this child and live like an Alraune. That way, I can understand her feelings, and at a glance, we shall look like a real family. It is for the sake of my Niece Alraune, after all; I shall do my very best. Yes, yes, that's it—isn't this a brilliant idea!?"
"............"
As expected, Tulpe's brain suddenly turned to mush whenever it concerned me. She was usually much more composed, so I wondered what caused this transformation. Regardless, once Tulpe got like this, there was no stopping her. I decided to ignore it.
"So, you know Kiri the fairy, right? Kiri, the Treants, and the others will be returning to this city by wagon very soon."
"That's right, what shall we do about Niece Alraune's family register? If I make this child my adopted daughter, she can become a legitimate member of the House of Duke Edelweiss. I'm sure the late Iris-chan would be delighted as well."
"I mean, I'm sure she'd be happy, but I wonder what Father and the others would think... Ah, no, that's not it. I didn't mean that I'm Iris; I just thought that Saint Iris would surely be happy. When I said Father, I meant the Child Alraune's father—though since I self-pollinated, is that also me!?"
I spoke in a loud voice so that the surrounding maids and the butler could hear me. I was merely an Alraune who happened to look exactly like Saint Iris and was being doted upon by Tulpe as if I were her actual sibling. I had absolutely no connection to Saint Iris, so I didn't want anyone getting the wrong idea.
Or rather, I wished she would stop interrupting me. Tulpe's rampage today was on an entirely different level compared to the past.
"There have been precedents of nobles adopting orphans. If we apply that properly and claim that we accepted the child of Saint Alraune as a gesture of friendship, perhaps even the Church will recognize it? No, I shall make them recognize it!"
"...Tulpe, are you listening to me?"
"Yes, yes, I am listening. So... what was it again?"
"Kiri's wagon is a special model, so it's incredibly fast. I want you to put those two on that wagon and take them to the Royal Capital."
"Who were 'those two' again?"
"First Prince Leonhart and his guard, the Flashy Man, are traveling from the Tower City toward the Royal Capital. When those two arrive in Edelweiss, put them in the Wood Horse Golem's wagon—"
"That's it! The laws of the Kingdom of Gardenia do not forbid listing monsters on a family register! In that case, adopting an Alraune should be perfectly legal!"
"............Were you listening?"
"Yes, yes, of course I was. Please leave it to me!"
"............I'm counting on you."
"It is for the sake of my new family; I shall give it my absolute all!"
I felt somewhat uneasy. Well, the butler had been listening to the conversation, so things would probably work out somehow.
After that, I teleported away, parting from Tulpe and the Child Alraune. From here, I would act separately for a moment. While pretending to return to the Little Witch waiting on the highway, I secretly teleported inside the ducal mansion.
"I never thought I'd end up in this room again..."
This was my former room. It seemed it was currently being used as a dressing room, as many of Saint Iris's dresses were stored here. The Little Witch had apparently been brought here by a maid earlier to be dressed in a blue dress with iris flower embroidery.
"Everything here is my clothing... so it should be fine, right?"
I selected a blue dress from the closet. At that moment, there was a tapping sound at the window. Using a vine, I unlocked and opened it. A yellow harpy entered the room from outside.
"This one has infiltrated this far without being seen by anyone."
"Parca-san, perfect timing!"
Thanks to Tulpe making a scene with the Child Alraune outside, the attention of the mansion's servants was focused on the garden. Because of that, Parca-san had been able to slip into the mansion unnoticed.
Now, why had Parca-san come here? It was to make a deal with me.
"Here, Parca-san, this is what I promised."
"Saint Iris's dress! This one is so happy. I shall make it a family heirloom!"
I had asked a certain favor of Parca-san. In return, this stalker harpy had brazenly demanded compensation: a used dress belonging to Saint Iris.
I wondered why everyone around me was so eccentric. My own sister was a weirdo, and this harpy was a stalker. Well, they did what I told them, so I suppose I should be grateful in a way.
"Anyway, a promise is a promise. Are you ready?"
"This one shall never forget this kindness. You can count on me!"
I felt a bit worried. After all, something similar had just happened moments ago with Tulpe. But I had no choice but to trust her.
"Go to the Flame Dragon Lord in the forest and deliver a message from me."
"Understood. Is the message the one you told me earlier?"
"Yes. If you deliver that message to the Flame Dragon Lord, I will give you another full barrel of Saint Nectar as a success fee."
"I want to drink Saint Nectar! This one shall do her absolute best!"
With her motivation renewed, Parca-san flew off into the sky. Parca-san was a perverted stalker, but she was also a harpy who always listened to my requests. While I had to give her a present as an equivalent exchange, I decided to endure it as a necessary expense.
"Even so—"
I extended a vine and touched the wall of the room. It had been a while since I was in my own room. I hadn't lived here for very long; after all, once I turned ten, I had lived at the Saint Cathedral in the Royal Capital. Perhaps because of that, I felt an intense sense of nostalgia.
"Now then... first, I have to fix the room."
The fact that I had teleported into this room meant that I had grown an Avatar Alraune from the floor. Because of that, there was currently a hole in the floorboards.
I used Plant Generation to grow a tree and shaped it into timber. I repaired the hole in the room with that timber and covered it with the carpet—yes, that should do for a repair. It would be exposed immediately if someone flipped the carpet, but it would probably be fine. This room didn't seem to be used by anyone anymore, so the traces of this repair shouldn't be found easily.
"With that said, Teleport!"
While returning the Avatar Alraune I was possessing back into a seed, I used my vines to fit the timber into the hole and cover it with the carpet. After living as an Alraune for so long, I had become quite dexterous. I really was quite impressive, wasn't I?
I teleported back to the highway leading from Edelweiss to the Royal Capital. I returned to my original body and opened my eyes. When I did, I met the eyes of a white-haired girl.
"Welcome back, Alraune."
"I'm back, Rufe."
I looked around. The Wood Horse Golem's covered wagon seemed to have already returned to Edelweiss. In other words, it was just me and the Little Witch.
"It looks like Kiri and the others have headed back to the city."
"They went back just like you told them. So, Alraune... what are we going to do now?"
"Just the two of us are heading for the Royal Capital."
There was no time. Even if the Wood Horse Golem could travel three times faster than a normal wagon, there was always a chance of something going wrong. To make it in time for the events about to unfold in the Royal Capital, it would be faster for the two of us to move alone.
Therefore—
"From now on, we're going to take a separate way from everyone else!"