I was Alraune, a plant monster girl.
I had finally managed to reconcile with the humans, starting with Nina. Overcome with emotion, I found myself shedding nectar in the form of tears, a sight that suddenly caught Nina’s attention.
She reached out and gently touched my cheek.
"Oh, please don't cry."
Nina’s finger scooped up the nectar trailing down my face.
"Saint Nectar is falling from your eyes... It would be such a waste. May I have some?"
—Wait, what?
N-Nina...?
"...It’s fine," I stammered.
"Then... Oh, it’s so sweet! I knew it—Saint Nectar really is the best!"
The Little Witch had mentioned that Nina was the very first regular customer for my nectar. If that was true, just how much of it had she consumed while I wasn't looking? I was honestly starting to worry that Nina might turn into a Perorist.
"Would you like seconds?" I asked.
"I can have more!?"
I feared for her future, but for now, it didn't matter. If I could see a smile on the face of Nina—the junior Apprentice Saint I hadn't seen in years—I would give her as much nectar as she wanted.
As I continued to treat Nina like a hungry fledgling, the sound of footsteps echoed from the forest. Everyone immediately shifted into a defensive stance.
"I finally made it," a man’s voice called out from deep within the thicket.
It was a voice I recognized. As I searched my memory, the Corporal—now an adventurer—emerged from the trees. He wasn't alone; someone else was following close behind him.
Recognizing him, the humans in the clearing lowered their weapons.
"Franz-san? Why are you here?" Nina asked.
"I headed into the woods to investigate the cause of the chaos in town, but I lost consciousness on the way," the Corporal explained.
He had likely been put to sleep by the Big Sister Dryades’ Spirit Magic. I hadn't expected the Corporal to have ventured this far into the forest.
"I had a feeling the Alraune girl was involved," he said, turning his gaze toward me.
Nina took a moment to explain the full sequence of events to him. I see—so the Corporal’s real name was Franz. Since he had retired from the military to become an adventurer, he wasn't technically a corporal anymore, but the title had stuck in my head. I decided I’d keep calling him "the Corporal" for the time being.
"I knew it. The Alraune girl was never an enemy of humanity."
The last time we spoke, he told me he chose to believe in me. Back then, that was where our conversation ended, but since then, the number of people who shared his sentiment had grown tremendously. It was likely all thanks to the Corporal taking that first leap of faith. I truly owed him my thanks.
"If my eyes didn't deceive me, I thought I saw the Alraune girl grow to a massive size... Tell me, did you happen to destroy the tower with your vines and scatter nectar over the city?"
His words jolted my memory, bringing back a fact I had completely pushed aside. That’s right. I had snapped the Goddess’s Tower in the city like a twig! And the "scattered nectar" he mentioned was undoubtedly the nectar mist I released when I transformed into a Rafflesia.
Was I about to be scolded for breaking the tower and spraying everyone with mist?
"We were saved twice over by the Alraune girl. Truly, thank you."
The Corporal stepped forward and grasped my vines with both hands. It seemed he wasn't angry; he was profoundly grateful. As I listened to his story, it turned out that by toppling the Goddess’s Tower, I had inadvertently protected the Corporal while he was being hunted by Trolls. Furthermore, the nectar mist that filled the streets had reverted every Troll in the city back into a human.
Without even realizing it, I had been protecting the Corporal and his comrades. More than that, it sounded like I had saved the entire city.
"Yes! You saved the city!"
Suddenly, a young man stepped out from behind the Corporal. He was a gentleman with a rather plump physique. Judging by his extravagant attire, there was no doubt he was a noble. In fact, his face and build felt incredibly familiar...
"Ah, how magnificent! To think an Alraune could be this beautiful... Your appearance far exceeds the reports I received from the Adventurer Guild!"
I didn't quite understand why, but this man was overflowing with excitement. His eyes practically sparkled as he stared at me.
"Beautiful, wise, merciful, and a master of Light Magic who possesses solitary strength... You are the spitting image of the Saint Iris whom I so admire!"
Ah—it clicked. I remembered now. This man was the son of the Lord of Tower City!
I had met him several times in the Royal Capital during my Saint Era. He was a noble a few years older than me, and if I recalled correctly, his name was Manfred. His gaze had always been uncomfortably intense, which made him hard to forget.
Every time we met, he had persistently begged me to let him paint my portrait. I had always refused out of embarrassment, but he was so relentless that the Church officials eventually had to scold him for being a nuisance. And yet, when the state eventually commissioned an official portrait of me, he had somehow managed to sneak into the room.
I had wondered how Manfred, who wasn't even a Court Artist, had gained access, but I later found out he had made a massive donation to the Church just to be allowed in. To put it simply, he was a hardcore fan from my days as a Saint. We had been acquainted for years, even if we had rarely spoken directly.
As I stood there dazed by these old memories, Nina whispered an explanation to me.
"This gentleman is the Lord of Tower City. It seems he is quite fond of Iris-sama."
I know that! He was a mysterious figure who lived in Tower City and yet somehow appeared in the Royal Capital constantly. I hadn't realized he had officially become the Lord, though. He must have succeeded his father during the three years between my death and my rebirth as an Alraune. Manfred-san, it seems you’ve had your own share of hardships...
Manfred, the new Lord, spoke to me with an air of pride.
"In fact, I was the one who drew the illustration for your Wanted Poster at the Adventurer Guild!"
So you're still painting, Manfred-san? And besides, drawing Wanted Posters isn't exactly a job for a Lord.
"Ah, looking at your face brings it all back. When I heard the news of Iris-sama’s passing, I was so overcome with grief that I was bedridden for days..."
Hearing that he had mourned me so deeply was genuinely touching. Since this was our first meeting since I became an Alraune, I had been worried about whether we could get along. It seemed my fears were groundless. If anything, his intensity was a bit much...
I wanted to put some distance between us, but I couldn't. I was a plant, after all. Roots, please, work with me! Just move a little!
As I leaned my body away in visible discomfort, Manfred only became more ecstatic.
"To think I would gaze upon the face of Iris-sama with my own eyes once again! I am moved to tears!"
"............I... have nothing to do... with that person," I managed to squeeze out.
"No, I have studied portraits of Iris-sama for years. It is impossible for an Alraune to be this identical by mere coincidence. There is no mistake—you are Iris-sama herself!"
You’ve got to be kidding me. Up until now, no one had immediately realized I was Saint Iris. Even Nina, my own junior, didn't think I was actually her, and yet I was found out by Manfred of all people!
Just as I was agonizing over whether to reveal my identity, Manfred seemed to notice something.
"Wait...! No, hold on. Perhaps my belief that you are Iris-sama was a mistake..."
The jovial atmosphere around Manfred vanished instantly. He went silent, staring at me with terrifying intensity.
"You are... bigger than Iris-sama!"
—Bigger?
Just as I wondered what on earth he was talking about, I realized his eyes were locked onto my chest. I couldn't believe it. By "bigger," did he really mean my...?
Fugaah!
I was absolutely livid. This greenhorn Lord clearly didn't understand the Saint at all. He needed to be educated and put in his place immediately. As if I would ever reveal my true identity to a man like this!
The Alraune was enraged. She decided that she must, at all costs, make that Lord change his way of thinking.
Next time: I will cooperate with the city.