This chapter is told from the perspective of the butler, Uncle Teddy.
My name is Polarstern.
I have the honor of serving as the butler to Lord Glühschwanz at the Demon King's Castle.
I am often underestimated because I possess the appearance of a stuffed teddy bear, but despite my looks, I am a former warrior who has charged across countless battlefields alongside my master.
I have served Lord Glüh for so many years that I have lost count, but recently, a change has come over him.
Every summer, Lord Glüh is ordered to take a leave of absence by his older sister, the Prime Minister. It is the only rest permitted for my master, a man otherwise entirely dedicated to his duties.
In truth, as a Flame Dragon harboring power that defies common sense, Lord Glüh’s body temperature rises sharply during the summer months. Because of this, his mere presence subjects the surrounding area to a blistering heatwave. If he were to remain at the Demon King's Castle, the heat would become unbearable for the staff; thus, it has become an annual tradition for him to depart the castle under the guise of a "vacation."
During his absence, Lord Glüh travels to some distant forest to indulge in his hobby of bear hunting. One could say it is my master’s sole pleasure in life.
The change in Lord Glüh began this past spring. After he returned from a forest near the border of the Kingdom of Gardenia—where he had gone to avenge the Minotaur Dippkopf, who died in the line of duty—he began to behave quite strangely.
Suddenly, Lord Glüh started decorating his bedchamber with flowers. Even more peculiar was his morning routine: he would sample the nectar from the blossoms, only to sigh in disappointment and murmur, "This isn't the one."
I found myself wondering what could have possibly come over him.
The forest where Lord Glüh avenged Dippkopf and spotted the White-haired Witch—the subject of a search request from the Witch's Village—was the same location where my master had stayed last summer to escape the heat. Lord Glüh mentioned that he had encountered an Alraune in that forest which produced incredibly sweet nectar.
It seemed he could not forget the taste of the nectar from that specific Alraune—the same creature that had purportedly killed and eaten the Minotaur. Unfortunately, however, that Alraune had been reduced to ash by Lord Glüh himself.
In an attempt to find a substitute, he tried the honey from the castle stores and nectar from various other flora, but he claimed none of them came close to the flavor he remembered.
"Polar, if you find any nectar of quality, bring it to me."
"As you wish, my Lord."
I scoured the entirety of the Demon Kingdom for honey. At the same time, I gathered a vast array of flowers and plant monsters, yet none could satisfy Lord Glüh's palate. If the domestic supply was insufficient, I simply had to look abroad. After all, a butler's duty is to fulfill his master's every whim.
I transported rare flowers and plant monsters from across the continent to the private botanical garden within the castle. During that time, successfully procuring the Barometz of the Golden Fleece from the Empire was perhaps my most significant achievement.
Eventually, while stationed in a certain city, I received word from a spy regarding a plant monster with a reputation for incredible strength. Upon arriving at Tower City in the Kingdom of Gardenia, I learned of a unique monster: an Alraune known as the Crimson Flower Princess.
As fate would have it, that very Alraune was about to be subjugated by humans. As I studied the wanted poster at the Adventurer Guild, I looked at the Alraune's likeness and realized something. Lord Glüh had encountered his Alraune in a forest near this very location. If this creature shared the same habitat, she might produce the nectar my master craved.
At that moment, I resolved to secure the Alraune and bring her back to the Demon King's Castle.
A few days later, I blended in with the human adventurers as I usually did and accompanied the subjugation squad into the forest. To my surprise, the Alraune was even more formidable than the reports suggested. She defeated the humans with ease, yet she notably refrained from killing them.
Though she was rumored to be a Man-eater Alraune, the evidence suggested otherwise. She even behaved as though she were concerned for the very humans who were hurling insults at her. I wondered if she harbored some strange attachment to them; personally, I thought it would have been much more efficient to simply devour them all.
Regardless, she was a monster whose strength exceeded the rumors. A direct confrontation promised to be a nuisance, so I utilized hypnosis magic to put her to sleep. I then repotted her and began the journey back to the castle.
Roughly ten days later, Lord Glüh returned from his summer vacation. When I presented him with nectar harvested from the Alraune in the botanical garden, he was overjoyed. "This taste! It is exactly the same as the nectar from that day!" he exclaimed.
When he went to the garden in secret to see her for himself, he muttered in wonder, "How can this be? Why does she look exactly like the one from before...?"
Perhaps they were of the same lineage. Such coincidences are not unheard of. He immediately ordered that the Alraune be moved to his private chambers.
Her presence alone transformed the room. She was so exquisite that no one in the castle questioned the claim that she was a princess among plants. Furthermore, as a red-flowered Alraune, her vibrant hue complemented the Flame Dragon Lord's own fire, allowing her to fit into his quarters with natural grace.
However, the truth eventually came out: this Alraune was indeed the same one responsible for the death of the Minotaur. It was then that she made a startling confession.
"I... love bear meat most of all, after all..."
"Oho..." Lord Glüh let out a chuckle while fixing his gaze upon her.
To an outsider, it might have appeared as if he were incensed, but I knew better; that was the expression he wore when he was genuinely entertained. Lord Glüh's favorite food is bear meat. My master, the avid bear hunter, and this Alraune shared the exact same tastes. It was likely at this moment that he took a liking to her for more than just her nectar or her beauty.
But then, the Alraune withered. In her pot, a Sprout Young Alraune took her place.
I worried that the stress of moving her had been the cause, and I felt I had failed as a butler for allowing my master's precious specimen to perish. Fortunately, the Child Alraune was also capable of producing nectar. Satisfied with the flavor, Lord Glüh decided to raise this new iteration.
However, the Child Alraune proved to be incredibly cheeky. Not only did she interfere with my cleaning, but she even attacked me with red, extra-spicy bubbles. Still, her displays of spirit convinced me of her potential. It seemed she was indeed qualified to serve Lord Glüh, and that incident served as the catalyst for me to acknowledge her.
Lord Glüh appeared to feel the same, as he soon decided to appoint the Alraune as a maid. One day, I ventured to ask him why.
"It is a strategic investment," he replied. "I wanted to keep her where I could see her."
"I understand that, my Lord, but is it necessary to go to such lengths?"
"Ah, well... there are very few who still walk this earth after I have personally attempted to kill them."
A few days later, the Alraune reported that she had been attacked by Lady Vergissmeinnicht of the Four Heavenly Kings. I had been suspicious that the Alraune and the Spirit Princess of the Dryades were secretly in league; such was the anomaly of her existence.
If the Alraune's words were true, she had no connection to Lady Vergissmeinnicht. However, the report provided me with very intriguing information. I had a feeling my schedule was about to become quite full.
After hearing the testimonies, I gathered the subordinate maids in the great hall and cast illusion magic over them. I suspected that even if a maid were being puppeted, the mastermind would remain unaware of my interference. As I suspected, we discovered ominous blue flowers growing inside the mouths of several maids. I reported this immediately to Lord Glüh.
"It seems the Alraune spoke the truth," he remarked. "To think someone was using such a method..."
We returned to the bedchamber to question the Alraune further, only to be met with a startling sight. The Alraune by the window was engulfed in flames.
Unbelievably, she had perished.
"Could it be that you did this, my Lord?"
"No. These flames belong to her. There was a report that she displayed an ignition ability in the kitchen, was there not?"
Lord Glüh reached out and gripped the Alraune's remains. As a Flame Dragon, the heat did not bother him in the least.
"How many centuries has it been? To think I would encounter an opponent who has escaped me twice... and a sedentary plant monster, no less. Nothing could be more amusing."
Lord Glüh wore a truly terrifying expression—a face that suggested he was savoring the sheer absurdity of the situation.
"Polar, there is somewhere I need you to go."
"I will go anywhere if it is your wish, my Lord."
I will do anything for Lord Glüh. I shall bury all who obstruct my master's path to supremacy and extend a hand to those who would follow him. That is my duty as the Chief Butler.
The following day, I departed the Demon King's Castle to carry out my master's secret mission.
Everything is for my Lord's sake.
And so, that was the perspective of the butler, Uncle Teddy.
The drought that Alraune suffered through in the forest previously was actually caused by the Flame Dragon Lord visiting the area to escape the summer heat. Had they met in the forest back then, the story might have taken a very different turn.
Next time: "Where on Earth Am I?"