I teleported from the Dryades' Forest back to my own, returning to my main body.
As I did, yellow feathers drifted into view, stark against the white snow blanketing the forest.
The visitor was exactly who I expected, which brought a small sense of relief.
My guest, perched somewhere above, noticed my bud opening. She looked down and murmured as our eyes met.
"You've finally woken up. You were sleeping with your bud closed even during the day, so I was worried something might have happened."
It was the Harpy Parca-san, the younger sister of the Stalker Four Heavenly Kings.
It seemed she assumed I had been asleep the entire time.
In reality, I had used Teleportation to send my consciousness on a trip to the Dryades' Forest, but I hesitated over whether I should tell her that.
Since everyone believed I was a plant monster who couldn't move at all, my Teleportation ability was a vital trump card. It was best to keep the number of people who knew about it to a minimum.
I decided to keep it a secret from Parca-san, since she was still technically a member of the Demon King's Army.
"It's... because of... this cold... that I... became... sleepy."
"This one also found the snow quite troublesome. It was difficult to fly through."
Even so, I wondered what brought her here.
Had she come to collect nectar for the Flame Dragon Lord in the north?
Or—and I hoped this wasn't the case—had she come to hear my answer to the Flame Dragon Lord’s proposal?
I had no intention of becoming his subordinate, nor did I plan to join the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King's Army.
I might have been reborn as a plant monster, but I was once a Saint.
No matter how much the Flame Dragon Lord asked, I would never join the ranks of the Demon King's Army.
"Parca-san... on such... a snowy day... what... is your... business?"
"I apologize for disturbing your rest. I have come to receive the nectar."
Apparently, it was already time to offer the nectar to the Flame Dragon Lord.
Unlike before, she now had to deliver it to the distant northern lands where he had relocated. Parca-san certainly had it rough. I felt for her, having to work in this freezing weather.
"Oh, I nearly forgot. Crimson Flower Princess Lord... no, Saint Iris... no, Crimson Flower Princess Lord, congratulations on this occasion."
"Thank... you... I suppose?"
Wait. What was she congratulating me for?
Maybe she had seen the new tree house.
I never expected to receive a housewarming greeting from someone in the Demon King's Army, so it came as quite a surprise.
Without further delay, I began the task of pouring nectar into the barrel Parca-san had brought.
Once the transfer was complete, Parca-san went still, staring intently at me.
Perhaps the cold had finally gotten to her.
Having flown through such a heavy blizzard, it wouldn't be surprising if she were half-frozen.
"The weather... is like this... so... would you... like to... rest a bit?"
"No, this one is fine. I am accustomed to the cold. Besides, if I stay here any longer, I feel as though I might encounter an even colder fate..."
Parca-san shot me a reserved, sidelong glance.
Then, for some reason, she hopped right over to my side.
Shielding her face with a wing as if to share a secret, she spoke.
"Does the Crimson Flower Princess Lord know of the Ice Castle?"
──The Ice Castle?
I had never heard of it.
"It was originally a human settlement called the Fortress City. But by the command of His Excellency the Prime Minister of the Demon King's Army, a massive castle of ice has been erected in its place."
Did that mean the Fortress City had fallen to the Demon King's Army?
Last year, when the Minotaur attacked, I had worried that the city might have already been taken. It seemed those fears had been well-founded.
I called up the map of the region I had memorized during my Saint Era.
The Fortress City was supposed to be the Kingdom of Gardenia's primary defense against the Demon King's Army.
If it had fallen, that meant Tower City was now the front line.
Now I understood why the Golden Birdman and Big Sister Dryades had been so intent on attacking Tower City.
The Demon King's Army had intended to use the momentum from capturing the Fortress City to invade the heart of the Kingdom of Gardenia. Tower City was the next logical target.
However, that plan had failed miserably.
Because of that failure, the Flame Dragon Lord had mentioned that the Demon King's Army was currently occupied with attacking other major human nations.
Furthermore, the Prime Minister who occupied the captured Fortress City was supposed to be the older sister of the Flame Dragon Lord.
Since she was an Ice Dragon, it made sense that she would build a castle of ice.
"Crimson Flower Princess Lord. Do you not find this heavy snow to be... peculiar?"
"Peculiar... how?"
"One understands it clearly when flying through the sky. This year's snow damage is actually only occurring in the area surrounding Tower City."
The blizzard was localized to this region?
I had wondered if this was just naturally a high-snowfall area, but apparently not.
"The blizzard flows directly from the Ice Castle toward this city. It is as if the castle is attacking this place from afar."
"What... do you... mean?"
"Someone in the Ice Castle is intentionally causing this snow damage to this specific location. Judging by the state of the sky, the storm is only going to get more violent from here."
"Why... would they... do such... a thing...?"
"Do you not realize? It is because the Crimson Flower Princess Lord is here."
"Be... because... I'm... here!?"
"Plants are vulnerable to the cold. They have likely manipulated the weather with the intent of weakening you."
Because I was in this forest, the Demon King's Army had triggered a cold wave.
The thought that everyone in the city and the Little Witch were suffering through this cold because of me was devastating.
"Exactly... who... is doing... this?"
"I cannot say. As a member of the Demon King's Army, this is the limit of what I can disclose. However, I have heard that if the Crimson Flower Princess Lord takes her smaller form, you can move even if your roots leave the soil. If someone were to carry you, it might be possible to remove the source of this calamity."
Parca-san didn't give me a name, but I had a good idea who the culprit was.
However, something else bothered me more. Parca-san gained nothing by sharing the internal affairs of the Demon King's Army with me.
Leaking information like this had to be dangerous for her.
"Why... are you... telling me... this? I'm... not part of... the Demon King's Army."
"That is..."
Parca-san hid her face behind her wings, looking bashful.
"While this one is a member of the Demon King's Army, I am also a fan of the Crimson Flower Princess Lord!"
With a sudden rustle, Parca-san threw her wings around me.
"Ahhh... talking to the Crimson Flower Princess Lord like this feels just like speaking with the real Saint Iris. My dream has finally come true!"
Parca-san rubbed her face against me.
Even if she was a fan, she was being way too clingy.
I really hoped she wouldn't escalate from being a fan to a severe stalker like her brother, the Golden Birdman.
I was worried she might end up stalking me just like people did during my Saint Era.
Parca-san, please let go!
"Personally, this one would be perfectly happy if the snow continued until the Crimson Flower Princess Lord was frozen solid, but I also thought that if I sold you a favor by providing information, you might be more inclined to listen to my requests later on."
She was remarkably honest to say that out loud.
"Parca-san... do you... have a... request... for me?"
"I would very much like you to mimic Saint Iris. Talking to you feels so much like being with the real one; it is a moment of pure bliss."
Well, that was because I was the real one...
But wait, why did I, the actual Saint Iris, have to "mimic" Saint Iris?
The real person mimicking her own self was just too depressing to contemplate.
"It is in exchange for the information. Crimson Flower Princess Lord, won't you please grant this one's wish?"
Parca-san pleaded with me as if her entire world depended on it.
I didn't want to do it, but she was being so persistent that I felt I had no choice.
To keep our relationship on good terms and to pay her back for the intel, I decided I would help her out. Even if I didn't technically have "skin" to put in the game anymore.
"Fine... I'll... do it..."
"Hooray! This one is overjoyed!"
"............So... what... should I do... to mimic... Saint Iris?"
"First, I want you to offer a prayer for me. Then, if you could just surrender yourself to this blizzard and become frozen in ice, this one would be satisfied. After that, I will spend my entire life carefully preserving the frozen Crimson Flower Princess Lord, so you can sleep in peace forever."
That wasn't mimicking Saint Iris at all!
That was just Parca-san's creepy personal fantasy!
I absolutely refused!
I used my vines to form a large "X" in protest, and Parca-san eventually gave up, spreading her wings.
It looked like she was finally heading home.
"By the way... Parca-san... when... did you... arrive... at this... forest?"
"I only arrived here around noon... did something happen?"
"If that's the case... then it's fine."
That meant the bird Fair-chan had seen this morning in the Dryades' Forest wasn't Parca-san.
I had assumed it was her because yellow birds were rare.
If it wasn't her, the only other yellow bird I could think of was my former stalker, the Golden Birdman...
"A final warning from this one. I mentioned that you could remove the calamity by going to the Ice Castle, but you must not go there. You will surely regret it."
With those cryptic words, Parca-san took flight into the blizzard.
What did she mean by "regret"? I had no idea.
Regardless, I now knew the cause of the heavy snow.
The Prime Minister, the older sister of the Flame Dragon Lord, was an Ice Dragon.
She was also the one responsible for transforming the Fortress City into the Ice Castle.
The chances that this "Sister Dragon" was the one causing the snow damage were incredibly high.
It was also the Prime Minister who had sent the Beast King Marticoras to eliminate me, so it was clear she had a grudge.
Was she really causing a blizzard from her castle just to harass me?
Still, I couldn't imagine a busy Prime Minister going to such lengths personally. Perhaps someone else was at the castle.
No matter who it was, many people were suffering because of this weather.
The people of Tower City were shivering and enduring hunger, and the Little Witch was losing her energy day by day because of the constant cold.
The same applied to me as a plant.
Even Fair-chan, the sapling Dryades, had been hit by this blizzard right after being born. I was genuinely worried if she would survive until spring.
And so, I decided to remove the source of the trouble.
Parca-san told me not to go, but I was going to raid that Ice Castle.
And then, I was going to give whoever was responsible for this blizzard a piece of my mind!
Next time: Winter Alraune Yukitsuri.