The Witch Queen had made contact with the Flame Dragon Lord's sister.
Given that the Flame Dragon Lord had gone to the trouble of sending a warning, the matter undoubtedly involved me.
If I recalled correctly, his sister served as the Prime Minister of the Demon King's Army.
I couldn't imagine a woman like the Witch Queen paying a visit to such a high-ranking official just to exchange pleasantries.
Only one possibility crossed my mind.
The Little Witch.
The Witch Queen had supposedly promised the Flame Dragon Lord that she wouldn't lay a hand on me or the girl, but perhaps she intended to go back on her word.
Or perhaps she and the Prime Minister were brewing some dark plot together.
Even if I was told to be cautious, there was only so much I could do.
For now, my options were limited to bolstering the forest's defenses.
Beyond that, I would have to tell the Little Witch to avoid playing outside the forest's boundaries as much as possible.
As I sat there lost in thought, Parca the harpy muttered softly.
"I shall grant you one further piece of advice."
The harpy's expression turned grave as she addressed me.
"Vergissmeinnicht, the member of the Four Heavenly Kings who manipulated my brother, was a direct subordinate of the Prime Minister. In fact, it was His Excellency the Prime Minister's personal recommendation that saw Vergissmeinnicht join the Demon King's Army in the first place."
That reminded me of something Lady Dryades had told me. When the human Sage fled the Dryades' Forest fifty years ago, he reportedly glimpsed the silhouette of a massive Ice Dragon.
Could that Ice Dragon have been the Flame Dragon Lord's elder sister?
If so, it would make perfect sense that Big Sister Dryades had ended up as a direct subordinate under the Prime Minister's command.
"His Excellency the Prime Minister highly valued the Spirit Princess. Not only was the Spirit Princess slain by the Forest Alraune, but the Prime Minister likely takes a dim view of the fact that you have already established a connection with her younger brother, Glühschwanz-sama."
Did that mean the Flame Dragon Lord's sister had been fond of Big Sister Dryades?
If that was the case, I doubted she held a particularly favorable opinion of me.
Wait—did this mean the Flame Dragon Lord had actually been shielding me from his own sister?
I had defeated two of the Four Heavenly Kings, yet no subjugation force had been sent for my head. I had a feeling I owed that peace to the Flame Dragon Lord. I would have to make sure to thank him properly the next time we met.
Still, I wondered if it was really wise for her to be leaking the internal affairs of the Demon King's Army to an outsider like me.
"Why... are you... telling me... all this?"
"It is merely a whim. Do not think for a moment that I have grown fond of you simply because you resemble Saint Iris."
While her expression remained cool and composed, she snapped her wing toward me for emphasis.
The fact that she was going out of her way to share this suggested that the harpy had no intention of becoming my enemy.
Rather, much like the Flame Dragon Lord, she was feeding information to an outsider.
She was a total deviant, but perhaps I could afford to trust her just a little.
Once our conversation reached a natural conclusion, I set about producing the nectar intended as an offering for the Flame Dragon Lord.
I filled the prepared barrels to the brim.
"I shall return," the harpy declared, clutching the barrels in her talons before soaring off toward the distant horizon.
The Witch Queen had been on intimate terms with Big Sister Dryades.
And the Prime Minister—the one who had brought Big Sister Dryades into the Demon King's Army—had conspired with the Witch Queen fifty years ago to trap the Hero's party.
When I looked at it that way, it seemed the Witch Queen and the Prime Minister shared a bond that went back decades.
As I watched the harpy delivery-woman fade into the distance, the Little Witch—who had been uncharacteristically silent—tugged on one of my petals.
"Alraune... who is Saint Iris?"
My heart skipped a beat. Or rather, I felt as if the heart I'd lost upon becoming a plant had suddenly jolted back to life.
"I've heard that name before. I'm pretty sure the Lord of the city said it."
The Little Witch had told me she was born in the Empire.
She was even younger back then than she was now, so it made sense that she knew nothing of the Saint Iris who had died four years ago—the woman who had been me.
"Do you know her, Alraune?"
"............ I don't."
"I figured. It'd be weird for a plant monster like an Alraune to know about a Saint, wouldn't it?"
Ugh.
What was I going to do?
I couldn't help but wonder how she would react if she discovered my true identity was a former human.
Would she be angry that I'd kept it from her all this time?
Would she be disillusioned?
To her, I was just an Alraune born and raised in the depths of the forest.
I knew that a day would come when I would have to be honest with her.
But for now, I lacked the courage.
I was terrified that if I confessed the truth, she might leave me.
If the Little Witch decided to abandon the forest for the Witch's Village, I wouldn't be able to follow her.
I had gained the Teleportation skill, but my range was still strictly limited.
It was precisely because I was a plant that we had become friends, yet it was that same plant nature that made this body feel like a cage.
So, for the time being, I would keep my past as a Saint a secret.
Even so, one day...
Ten days passed.
The forest continued its daily expansion.
The Hatake-raune's vegetable harvest was proceeding smoothly as well.
Lately, a Regular Delivery Party led by the Corporal had been arriving from the city every day to transport our produce back to Tower City.
I decided to let my younger sister figure, the Amazoness Treant, handle the heavy lifting for these trips. It was a good way to earn some points with the locals.
She was incredibly strong and could carry a massive haul all on her own. More importantly, it served as a bit of public relations—a way to show the world that the Treants were my kin and shouldn't be hunted.
Fairy Kiri went along as a translator, which put my mind at ease.
By having the two of them deliver the goods, I hoped to prove to the citizens that the Amazoness Treants were friendly neighbors.
We shared the same land, after all; I wanted us to have a good relationship.
Even Drink Bar-san, our resident gardener, had started taking the occasional trip back to the city with the delivery party.
It felt a bit cruel to keep him watering the forest in total isolation forever, so I told him he was free to visit the city every once in a while.
The fact that I, as the heart of the forest, could photosynthesize so effectively every day was all thanks to Drink Bar-san's diligent watering. I truly had to be grateful!
The Little Witch flew off again today to practice her black magic.
I'd told her not to wander too far, but I still couldn't help worrying until she was safely back home.
With everyone heading out more often, I frequently found myself alone during the day.
In those moments, I would teleport my consciousness to the Hatake-raune, and the two of us would pass the time chatting in our minds.
Life in the forest had stabilized, and our foundation was secure.
Yet, not a day went by that I forgot the Flame Dragon Lord's warning.
That was why, when the moment finally arrived, my first thought was: It's finally here.
From the direction opposite Tower City, a presence intruded upon the forest.
It was charging straight toward my location.
The speed was remarkable.
Almost immediately, several similar presences swarmed into the woods.
I could feel multiple entities advancing through the trees at a terrifying pace.
They were far too fast to be human.
I considered the possibility of animals like horses, but I doubted any beast could navigate the dense forest at such high speeds while weaving through the trees so skillfully.
Wild monsters were a possibility, but their movements felt too coordinated, too disciplined. It was eerie.
Witches traveled by sky, so I could rule them out.
That left only one likely candidate.
The Demon Race of the Demon King's Army.
Their objective was just as easy to guess.
An assassin had been sent for me.
Next time: The Intruder.