Remaining on high alert, I watched the harpy perched on the branch above.
Her face and torso were those of a human woman, but bird feathers covered her arms, and her feet ended in sharp, hooked talons.
She was dignified and strikingly beautiful. Her long, flowing yellow hair draped around her body, creating a scene as elegant as a portrait in an aristocratic gallery.
The moment the harpy spotted me, she fixed me with the fierce, predatory glare of a hunter who had found its mark.
With a rustle of yellow wings, she dove toward me.
She was attacking without warning!
I was about to lash out with my poisonous briars when the harpy waved her hands frantically, calling for me to stop.
"W-Wait! I didn't come here to fight!"
Oh? Is that so?
Remaining wary of a potential feint, I stood my ground and watched as she landed.
I pulled the Little Witch behind me—she was trembling at the sudden visitor—and maintained a defensive posture.
"Am I correct in assuming you are the Alraune's Crimson Flower Princess?"
Unlike her earlier aggression, the harpy now spoke with a calm, composed demeanor.
She seemed to know my title, but I had no idea who she was.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"I am Parca the Harpy. I have come at the behest of Glühschwanz-sama to collect the nectar."
Ah, I see!
Now that she mentioned it, Uncle Teddy had said the Flame Dragon Lord would be sending a transporter to the forest soon. This harpy must be the one.
"I have recently become a direct subordinate of Glühschwanz-sama. I look forward to our future acquaintance."
While I couldn't fully trust a demon from the Demon King's Army, being a subordinate of the Flame Dragon Lord offered some peace of mind.
Still, she didn't seem like one of his long-time personal retainers, like Hydra-san from the botanical garden. It was best not to let my guard down just yet.
"Forgive me... for being... startled. It is a pleasure... to meet you... as well."
"The fault is mine for making you so wary," Parca replied.
She used a formal, somewhat archaic first-person pronoun.
Combined with her "cool beauty" aura, she was quite impressive. I felt a small twinge of admiration for her.
"More importantly," she continued, "it has been bothering me for some time... might I be permitted to take a closer look at your exquisite countenance?"
...Hm?
My exquisite countenance?
"The resemblance is uncanny... to that human woman, Saint Iris..."
Parca muttered the words as she hopped closer to me.
I hadn't expected anyone to realize I had the same face as Saint Iris so suddenly. I felt a surge of agitation.
"Since you look so much like her, my brother surely wouldn't have been able to restrain his own heart."
"...Your brother?"
"My brother was one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King's Army—Garudafresvelgr of the Light Crown."
That was the Golden Birdman I ate!
I never dreamed that the harpy sent to collect the nectar would be the younger sister of that member of the Stalker Four Heavenly Kings.
Does that mean this girl can use Light Magic too...?
"Though we were only half-siblings, we were always together. We were quite close."
I didn't sense the aura of the Saint's Light Magic coming from her like I had with the Golden Birdman.
It seemed that while her feathers were yellow, she lacked his specific abilities. Since they were only half-siblings, perhaps she didn't inherit the Fresvelgr bloodline that allowed one to gain power by swallowing others whole.
"I heard my brother was defeated by you. I imagine he was in high spirits at the time."
Oh, he definitely was.
But I see. She already knew I was the one who defeated him. She must have heard it from the Flame Dragon Lord.
That meant, to Parca, I was her brother's killer.
"Do you... hate me?"
"I heard the story from Glühschwanz-sama. You defeated the Spirit Princess of the Four Heavenly Kings, the one who was brainwashing my brother with her flowers. You may have killed him, but in a sense, you are also our benefactor."
I see. I hadn't considered it from that perspective.
I suppose I did technically free the Golden Birdman from the Big Sister Dryades' curse.
Parca explained that she held no personal grudge. In fact, she was grateful; if he had remained brainwashed, their entire clan might have been branded as traitors to the Demon King's Army.
Hearing her say that made my heart feel a little lighter.
"Besides, to be eaten by an Alraune who looks exactly like Saint Iris... my brother must have considered it a dream come true. His greatest wish was to swallow Saint Iris whole. His second-best wish, should the first fail, was to have his life ended by her hand so he could live on forever in her memories. He was an utterly hopeless pervert, you see."
That's disturbing.
He was such a creep that I nearly broke out in goosebumps—an impressive feat for a plant.
And his second wish actually came true.
I'll never be able to forget the Golden Birdman now. After all, I didn't just kill him—I ate him.
Far from just living in my memory, he was processed into nutrients and became part of my body. Ugh, what have I done?
"My brother was strong, but he was a pathetic excuse for a demon. Imagine actually trying to eat Saint Iris."
He had swallowed several other Saints before her, too.
Remembering his actions, I knew I could never truly forgive what the Golden Birdman had done.
However, this harpy seemed to be against the idea of swallowing the Saint whole. I was relieved that I wouldn't have to deal with another person trying to avenge a fallen stalker.
"If you swallow and eat her, you can never gaze upon her noble figure again, can you? That is why I always told my brother that Saint Iris should be flash-frozen and cryogenically preserved."
...Hm?
Freeze me?
"Personally, I don't think a Saint with the beauty, magic, and prestige of Saint Iris will ever appear again. That is why her precious body should have been preserved for eternity, so one could gaze upon her at home every day."
You say "should have been," but I completely disagree!
Wait, what?
Is she one of those people, too?
"By any chance... did you... watch... Saint Iris... with him?"
"You're very well-informed. Whenever my brother went to observe her, I would usually tag along behind him."
What was I going to do?
The stalker's younger sister was also a perverted stalker.
Am I suffering from some kind of stalker magnet curse?
"Saint Iris passed away, and my brother and I grieved deeply for her. I never expected an Alraune who looked exactly like her to appear... Tell me, did you swallow Saint Iris and steal her face?"
"N-No... you're... wrong!"
"Of course. You aren't my brother, after all. My apologies; please forget I said anything."
A nervous laugh bubbled up inside me.
She had startled me. In a way, she had hit remarkably close to the truth.
A plant monster did swallow me, and we merged to create the Alraune that is me. Parca's intuition was dangerously sharp.
If I slipped up even a little, she might realize I actually was Saint Iris. I'll have to be even more careful from now on.
"Speaking with Saint Iris like this has been a long-time dream of mine. Even if it's only in appearance, having that dream fulfilled has lifted a weight from my heart. I must thank Glühschwanz-sama for this assignment."
Parca seemed genuinely overjoyed to be meeting someone who looked like Saint Iris.
She's a pervert, but maybe she isn't a bad person?
"Besides, if Glühschwanz-sama ever decides he no longer needs the nectar, I might be able to freeze you instead and display you in my home. I'm already looking forward to that day."
Eek... w-what should I do?
Maybe I should ask the Flame Dragon Lord to send a different transporter...
But since she's the one who would have to deliver that request, I doubt it would ever reach him.
"Oh, that reminds me. I have a message from Glühschwanz-sama."
A message for me?
Parca's expression turned serious. She spoke clearly and carefully to ensure I wouldn't miss a word.
The message was short and to the point.
"The Witch Queen has made contact with her sister. Be on your guard."
Parca the harpy has arrived. Between her own desire to meet the one who defeated the Spirit Princess and the Flame Dragon Lord's need for a fast aerial transporter, she has been appointed as the official nectar collector.
Next time: the harpy's warning.