I am an Alraune, a plant monster.
Right now, I'm feeding the Imperial soldier who burst into the wine workshop after capturing him.
After all, I did clobber him with a cork oak log the moment we met.
Even if he had been about to slash me, this is the least I can do as a token of apology.
"Here, say 'ahh.'"
I fed nectar to the Imperial soldier bound tightly in my vines.
Since it was spilling all over from his mouth, I made sure to carefully pour the nectar deep down his throat.
And then, wouldn't you know it?
The Imperial soldier, who had been violently thrashing just moments ago, opened his mouth like a baby bird begging for food, fawning all over me.
"There's seconds, too, you know."
With this, the large bump on his head was fully healed.
Now, all that's left is to pry the full story out of him.
I've treated him to enough nectar to make his belly swell, so this should be plenty.
...Huh?
When I removed the leaf blindfold, a somewhat familiar face emerged.
This person... I feel like I met him during my time as Iris.
If I remember correctly, he was one of the Twelve Sword Generals of the Empire, and his name was—
"I knew it, it's Lord Chattora! To take down one of the Twelve Sword Generals of the Empire in a single blow... What kind of Alraune is she?"
The Master let out a shout of shock, looking as if he had seen the impossible.
The people of this city don't know who I am, so this kind of reaction feels a bit refreshing.
Hearing his words confirmed it: this really was Chattora, one of the Twelve Sword Generals of the Empire.
When I—Iris—visited the Glanz Empire at age fifteen, he was that weird guy who tried to hit on me at a banquet.
"My, what a strange coincidence."
"G-Gimme booze... No, gimme nectar...!"
"You were fond of wine, weren't you?"
"Forget wine, give me that nectar from before! I've never tasted anything so delicious in my entire life... Give me the nectar!"
Is it just my imagination?
I feel like the reactions of people who drink my nectar have gotten way more intense than before.
In the past, someone drinking my nectar for the first time would never have gone this crazy for it so quickly... I think.
Not that there weren't nectar-crazed bears or people back then, but normal reactions were the majority.
Even Witch-ko never ended up this strange.
Lately, though, so many people become utterly obsessed with it, almost as if they've lost their minds.
Could it be that my nectar has become more addictive?
"Hey, Rufe, has my nectar changed at all compared to before?"
"It hasn't. The Alraune's Saint Nectar has always been delicious, so everyone fell in love with it right away."
"I see..."
According to Witch-ko, nothing has changed.
In that case, I guess I won't worry about it for now.
Besides, interrogating Chattora takes top priority at the moment.
"You are an important figure in the Empire, aren't you? Please tell me what you're plotting."
"You think you can squeeze Empire intel outta me? Even if I got caught, I'm the Empire's Strongest swordsman, one of the Twelve Sword Generals! No interrogation is gonna make me talk—"
"Here, say 'ahh.'"
"N-Nectar! I want it! Give it to me!"
"If you behave and talk, I'll let you have some."
"...A-All right! I'll talk, just give me that nectar!"
Yeah, there's definitely something stronger about my nectar.
Right now, I've grown stronger than a spirit, possessing power closer to an angel or a goddess, apparently.
Because of that, the nectar might have become... much more delicious than before.
Yup, let's just go with that.
There are so many kinds of plants in the world, including some rather dangerous ones, but I'm totally different from those.
"Well then, please tell me."
"We planned to raid this city in coordination with the Demon King Army—"
To summarize Chattora's story, the Imperial soldiers remaining in the city were supposed to stage an uprising, serving as the signal for the Demon King Army to launch an assault from the outside.
Just as expected, the Glanz Empire intends to invade the Kingdom of Gardenia by taking advantage of the wedding of Furie, the Imperial Princess.
"Who gave you those orders?"
"His Highness... Prince Kintora."
I knew it; the commander-in-chief of the Imperial soldiers was the next emperor, Prince Kintora.
I've had a bit of history with him since my time as Iris, and it seems the time has come to settle the score once and for all.
"What does Prince Kintora intend to do in the Royal Capital?"
"I don't know the details. But he plans to do something at Lady Freundliche's wedding."
The wedding of Lord Manfred, the lord of Tower City, and Furie, the Imperial Princess of the Empire.
Prince Kintora might be planning to ruin the wedding that the two of them spent so long preparing.
To think he would try to wreck the happiest day of their lives—how cruel.
Surely he's coordinating with the Demon King Army and the witches to sow chaos in the Royal Capital.
I need to hurry to the Royal Capital and stop Prince Kintora and his group.
But before that—
"First, we need to do a little cleaning in this city."
"Hey, I told you what you wanted to know... You can give it to me now, right?"
"Then lastly, please answer one more thing. Where in the city are the Imperial soldiers planning to attack?"
"The Great Cathedral of Nemea."
The grand church towering in the heart of Blutenweiss.
That is the Great Cathedral of Nemea.
"Thank you very much. Here is your promised nectar."
"Nectaaar! It's nectar! As long as I have this, I don't need anything else!"
I handed Chattora, who was gulping down the nectar, over to the Master.
Looking at his state, he probably won't be thrashing around anymore.
"Rufe, let's go."
"Where to?"
"The Great Cathedral of Nemea. Let's do some cleaning there."
There are two things to do now:
Neutralize the Imperial soldiers remaining in the city.
And defeat the Demon King Army waiting outside.
Once those two tasks are settled, we'll head to the Royal Capital.
After all, Witch-ko took out the entire Third Army of the Demon King Army that attacked Edelweiss all by herself.
As her big sister, it's my turn to show off my good side.
"Well then, we're off to capture the Imperial soldiers. Master, please hand Chattora over to the Knight Order."
"That much is a piece of cake! I don't need to tell ya, but be careful out there."
Seen off by everyone at the wine workshop, we made our way toward the Great Cathedral of Nemea.
That said, Witch-ko took us into the sky in a flash after ducking into a secluded blind spot, so we arrived in an instant.
Landing at the church entrance, Witch-ko arched her back and looked up at the sky.
"Is this the Great Cathedral of Nemea? It's bigger than the church in Tower City."
"Not just that; it's even bigger than the church in Edelweiss."
The Wine City of Blutenweiss is an important holy ground for the Selene Church.
After all, it is the birthplace of First Saint Nemea.
Because of that, this Great Cathedral of Nemea boasts the title of the second-largest church in the Kingdom of Gardenia, surpassed only by the one in the Royal Capital.
"The Imperial soldiers said they'd attack here, but what do they hope to accomplish by hitting a church?"
"...I wonder what they're after."
I pretended not to know, but the truth is, I do.
Blutenweiss is a unique city where the bishop managing this church concurrently serves as the city's lord.
The reason is that First Saint Nemea was seemingly the city's first lord, making it an established tradition.
Therefore, the bishop here is always mandated to be a former Saint of Gardenian descent.
If my memories as Iris serve me right, the person currently guarding this Great Cathedral of Nemea is an eighty-year-old former Saint.
Ever since retiring from active duty half a century ago, she has continuously protected this city.
Thus, they probably believe that seizing this place will cause the city's defenses to collapse entirely.
"I'm opening it."
While still held in my flowerpot by Witch-ko, I extended my vines to open the doors.
—Zap.
The moment I touched the doors, a faint shock ran through the tip of my vine.
What was that?
"...Alraune?"
"I'm fine. Let's head inside."
Stepping inside the Great Cathedral of Nemea, the exact same scenery I had seen during my time as Iris unfolded before me.
The ceiling was dizzyingly high, with countless pointed pillars crisscrossing as they rose into the air, resembling a forest carved of stone.
"It's huge...!"
Witch-ko gasped.
It seems she quite liked this church that the Kingdom of Gardenia takes such pride in.
As a former Saint, it makes me feel a bit proud.
"Rufe, let's head deeper in."
Walking across the polished stone floor, our footsteps echoed unusually loudly.
It was far too quiet.
There didn't seem to be a single soul inside the church.
Have the Imperial soldiers not arrived yet?
"Look, Alraune! That window is gorgeous!"
"That's stained glass."
I could see a stained-glass window depicting a golden-haired girl offering a prayer.
Next to it was the girl receiving Light Magic from a Goddess descending from the sky.
Next to that, the girl fighting a gigantic dragon alongside an angel.
The girl constructing a church and guiding the people.
The woman founding a country and becoming king.
The woman giving birth to a child and raising the next generation's Saint.
"Are these all the same girl?"
"That's probably First Saint Nemea."
"...First Saint Nemea?"
"They say she was the very first Saint who received Light Magic from the Goddess. Though she's practically a mythical figure from a thousand years ago."
"You sure know a lot, Alraune."
Uh-oh!
As an Alraune born and raised in the forest, that's information I shouldn't know!
I ended up wanting to explain it using my knowledge as a former Saint.
Visiting places from my time as Iris makes me let my guard down. I have to play it off somehow!
"Nina, who became a Saint, taught me about her! Didn't Priest Pandia teach you about things like that in your lessons, Rufe?"
"Come to think of it, I might have heard about it in history class."
"See?"
"You've been studying hard, Alraune. Good girl, good girl."
"Ehehe."
She patted my head.
Am I really that easy, feeling happy just from being treated like this?
Come to think of it, during the Saint Iris Era, almost no one ever patted my head.
I was the Greatest Saint of the Era, a duke's daughter, and the Hero's fiancé—who was a prince.
No one was permitted to casually touch me.
Even my fiancé, the Hero, never showed the slightest physical affection.
In that sense, I feel like I have far more physical contact now that I've stopped being human and become a plant monster.
It's kind of ironic, really...
"Alraune, look at this."
At the deepest part of the church, behind the altar situated there, a staircase leading underground stood open.
If I recall correctly, this is the Great Cathedral of Nemea's basement, a secret known only to church officials.
Beneath this should lie ruins said to have been created by First Saint Nemea, but why is the path to the basement left wide open?
It's reasonable to assume the former Saint bishop headed down into this secret basement.
Even so, they would normally leave an Apprentice Saint on guard at the entrance.
Where did everyone from the Great Cathedral of Nemea go?
Could they be doing something down in these underground ruins...?
"Alraune, what should we do?"
"Yeah, let's head down."