The Demon Maid led me back to the Demon King’s Castle.
When we returned to the bedroom, the Flame Dragon Lord was already there, waiting for us. I was placed by the window, which was quickly becoming my designated spot.
As the Demon Maid finished her task and prepared to leave, the Flame Dragon Lord called out to stop her.
"I’ve heard the summary of what happened. Maid, tell me everything you witnessed."
"As you wish, Lord Glühschwanz."
It seemed the Demon Maid’s memory of the last few weeks had grown hazy. She explained that when she finally came to her senses, she had seen the Alraune burning a Troll in that abandoned room. She pleaded with him at the end, insisting she knew nothing more.
"Very well. You are dismissed."
Once the Demon Maid withdrew, it was my turn. Both the Flame Dragon Lord and Uncle Teddy fixed their gazes upon me.
"You claimed you were attacked by Vergissmeinnicht’s subordinate, yet that maid saw nothing of the sort. Furthermore, Trolls are common enough within the Demon King’s Army."
This was bad. Very bad. He didn't believe I’d been targeted by one of the Four Heavenly Kings. Should I just tell the truth?
"The maid... was being... manipulated... by a blue flower."
"A blue flower? What are you talking about?"
"The Spirit Princess... used a blue flower... to control... the maid."
"Hoh. And where exactly did you learn that?"
"Before... in the forest... the Spirit Princess... was controlling... monsters... with a blue flower."
"……You were born here in the castle. You’ve never been to the forest, have you?"
Ah.
I forgot I was supposed to be only a few days old!
"I have wondered about you for some time. Your fluent speech, your vast knowledge, the way you develop new recipes... and above all, that combat sense. You fight with a total understanding of your own abilities. Your behavior is so unusual it makes me suspect you possess memories of years spent in the outside world."
"Which means...?"
"It means you are either a natural-born genius, or you are not an Alraune who was born a few days ago."
Awa-wa-wa-wa!
He was definitely onto me! This was supposed to be a report on Big Sister Dryades’s attack, but it had turned into my own interrogation!
"I may not look it, but I am a dragon who has lived a very long time. In all those years, there is one thing I have always upheld. What do you think it is?"
Something the Flame Dragon Lord upheld? What could it be? Cherishing his comrades? He was a dragon who cared enough for his allies to burn me for killing his subordinate, after all.
"I always follow through on what I have decided. If I have promised to avenge a subordinate, I will kill their enemy no matter what."
Whoosh!
A Blue Flame erupted in the Flame Dragon Lord’s palm. It was the exact same color as the magical fire that had burned me to death in the forest. To be blunt, it was traumatizing.
"Hie!?"
"It is a simple blue fire. To be so frightened just by looking at it... I suppose plant monsters truly are weak against flames."
"Or," he said, his eyes narrowing into a sharp glare. "Do you, perhaps, recognize this flame?"
I gulp. Recognize it? I still remembered the murderous, suffocating heat of that fire.
"As I suspected, you are hiding something. Since we are here, I’ll have you spill everything."
The Blue Flame shaped itself into a ring and flew toward me, winding around my torso. It locked in place like a pair of oversized handcuffs, restraining me. I’d been caught!
"If you try anything strange, those flames will burn you to death. Now, be a good girl and confess everything."
Ugh. What should I do? Just when I thought I was finally going to escape the castle, it had to come to this. I was so lost I felt like crying.
"If someone is pulling your strings, tell me now. I will not treat you poorly."
Someone behind me? What was he talking about?
"That bewildered look... it seems you are innocent of that particular suspicion. I know Alraunes are poor liars. That means the Spirit Princess really did attack you."
Wait, was he testing me to see if I was in league with Big Sister Dryades? I suppose it made sense; we were both plants, so people might assume we were on the same side.
"Was it because... I am from... the same forest... as the Spirit Princess... that you suspected me?"
"...You are a clever plant indeed."
So he thought there was a chance I was an Alraune modified by her. It would explain why I had so much knowledge and so many abilities.
"If that is not the case, there is only one possibility left. But this one leaves me utterly perplexed... Why are you alive?"
That was a difficult question to answer, even for me. I was alive because I was alive; there wasn't much else to say.
"I placed you near my bed so you would be the first thing I saw when I woke. The nectar at breakfast was delicious. But it seems I am destined to burn you again."
"Does that mean...?"
"Tell me your secrets. Every last one. Otherwise, I will have no choice but to burn you."
He still hadn't let me off the hook. How much did I need to tell him to be forgiven? That the Mother Alraune who withered recently was actually me, and that I can jump into new bodies by becoming a seed? That I was the same Alraune who killed his subordinate? That I was a human Saint in my previous life? Or that I have memories of a world entirely different from this one?
"Pardon the interruption. Lord Glüh, there is something I must show you immediately."
Uncle Teddy entered the room. Talk about perfect timing!
The Flame Dragon Lord gave me one last sharp look before nodding. "Wait here quietly."
He and Uncle Teddy stepped out of the room.
Wait here quietly? You’ve got to be joking! This was my chance to run!
The Blue Flame was still restraining me, but that didn't matter. I couldn't move anyway, and I wasn't planning on escaping on foot. My exit was through the sky!
I used a vine to throw open the window. We were in the upper levels of the castle, which sat halfway up a mountain. The altitude was perfect.
My plan was to fly. I had already predated the Winged Gourd. It was a member of the Cucurbitaceae family with incredibly unique seeds that could fly on their own. Each circular seed had wings like a glider. When the fruit burst, the seeds took flight all at once. A single seed was only three centimeters long, but its wingspan could reach fifteen. They could soar through the heavens, gliding for incredible distances.
Actually, gliders in my old world were developed using these seeds as a model. My plan was to become one of those seeds and fly from the castle all the way to the Dryades' Forest!
To be honest, it was a total gamble. I might have to land and repeat the process several times to make it. But Big Sister Dryades had mentioned the wind blew from the castle toward the forest, so it should work out somehow. Anything was better than being caught by the Flame Dragon Lord.
I was getting out of this castle!
I used my Eucalyptus ability to ignite my vines. I needed to destroy the evidence. If I played dead here, I wouldn't have to worry about the dragon chasing me anymore.
I had to act before the fire consumed me. It was time to pollinate.
Come to think of it, this was the first time I’d tried this in such a small form. I hoped there weren't any rules about needing to be a certain size to produce seeds. Praying that it would work, I bloomed the Alraune's Male Flower on one of my vines.
I bit into it, swirling the anthers over my tongue before swallowing the pollen. This was my third pollination. The pollen tubes began to extend toward the ovules in my ovary. I felt the moment they connected deep inside my belly.
Since I was burning my body to hide my tracks, I also activated the Banksia's ability—the one that caused seeds to pop and scatter during a fire. By combining the fire-resistant flight of the Banksia with the gliding wings of the Winged Gourd, I would soar away from this place. I even used selective breeding to enlarge the seeds so they could travel even further.
My belly swelled, becoming round and plump. It worked!
I kept my eyes fixed on the door until my vision began to fade, obscured by the fruit's casing.
Flame Dragon Lord, thanks for everything. Consider this my resignation.
I’m sorry, but you shouldn't have trusted me just because you put me in handcuffs. I’m a bit of a handful, you see—a wild Alraune who self-pollinates and flies away all on her own.
Goodbye. I don’t think we’ll be meeting again.
The next moment, my body burst.
My physical form was consumed by the fire as the fruit popped under the Banksia’s power. I felt incredibly light. I couldn't see anything, but I knew I was flying through the sky like a Winged Gourd.
I had become a seed once again. This is how plants expand their horizons. You shouldn't underestimate us just because we can't walk!
Well, my life at the Demon King's Castle was finally over.
Wait for me, Little Witch. I'm coming for you!
Winged Gourd (Alsomitra macrocarpa): A member of the Cucurbitaceae family. It climbs tall trees and releases its seeds from the heights. Around the same time as the Wright brothers' first flight, the Etrich father and son are said to have designed an Alsomitra-type aircraft inspired by these very seeds.
Next time: For Whom the Butler Works.