I was Iris, an Alraune and a plant monster girl.
I had just teleported into Tower City to gather information from the demon maid. That said, I didn’t actually know where in the city she lived. With no other choice, I decided to search haphazardly. I started by sprouting my body in a high place in the center of the city, but I never imagined I’d end up here...
"Ah, that dignified expression, those lovely eyes... it’s the spitting image of Lady Saint Iris in her youth!"
The man shouting with joy while busily moving his brush right in front of me was Manfred, the Lord of this city. It seemed I had accidentally sprouted my avatar in the garden of his manor. What a coincidence.
"Why is an Alraune growing here!?" My sudden appearance had startled the manor staff, which made things a bit difficult for a moment. News of my presence spread through the building instantly. The Lord came running, arranged a chair and a desk in the garden, and immediately began sketching me.
"Next, I request a pose as if you are praying to the Goddess."
"I, understand... but, the, promise... you, haven't, forgotten, it, right?"
"Of course not. You want me to bring the new receptionist from the Adventurer Guild here so you can speak with her alone, yes? For me, the Lord, that is a simple matter."
In exchange for acting as his model, I had him call the demon maid to the manor. This way, I didn't have to search the entire city, making it the most efficient method available.
Manfred seemed to love drawing me as much as ever. To be precise, he didn't love drawing me as I was now, but rather as I had been during my time as a Saint. While being praised as beautiful and told I resembled my former self didn't feel bad, having this Alraune form sketched and seen by humans was still a little embarrassing.
But I had to endure it for now. It seemed I had been made one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King's Army without my knowledge, and for the sake of my future, I needed to gather accurate information.
"Lord, you, really, do, love, drawing, me, don't, you?"
"That is correct! Drawing the Crimson Flower Princess—the star of our upcoming festival—is my greatest pleasure!"
"If, so... do, you, know, of, any, recent, rumors, about, me?"
"Rumors, eh? Lately, there has been talk that the number of people worshipping the Crimson Flower Princess as a Holy Alraune sent by the Goddess has been rapidly increasing."
Even if I didn't want to admit it, I had a feeling those people were my fanatic faction...
"According to reports, the leader of that group is a Sister from the Church."
Whaaat?! The Sister became the leader of the fanatics?!
If the Church ever found out that a Sister who worshipped the Goddess was praising an Alraune—a plant monster—it would be an absolute disaster. Then again, I suppose the same could be said for Nina, the Apprentice Saint. Regardless, I really wished the Sister and the others would stay a little calmer instead of making such a fuss whenever they saw me.
I asked a few more questions, but it seemed no news regarding the Demon King's Army had reached Tower City yet. Without obtaining any significant intel, I was forced to continue acting as a sketch model.
By the time Manfred moved on to his fourth drawing, a new guest appeared in the garden.
"Lord, I have brought the receptionist you requested."
Escorted on both sides by knights, the demon maid arrived with a pale face and trembling limbs. She pressed down on her hat with her right hand while tightly clutching the hem of her skirt with her left.
"I am glad you came. There is no need to be so nervous."
No, Manfred, I don't think she's trembling because she's nervous. The reason she looked like she was about to cry was because she was worried the demon horns beneath her hat and the tail tucked into her skirt would be exposed. If her identity as a demon were revealed, the humans would likely hunt her down, just as they had once targeted me.
Completely oblivious to the demon maid's distress, the Lord stood up to take his leave.
"Today is a fine day. I was able to finish several drawings of the Crimson Flower Princess. As promised, I shall leave you two alone. Do as you please."
Manfred took his attendant knights and returned inside the manor. Finally, the only ones left in the garden were the demon maid and me.
"It was you, Alraune... You're the one who called me to the Lord’s manor. My heart nearly stopped. I thought my identity had been leaked and I was about to be executed in front of the Lord."
"I, am, sorry, for, that."
"Hmph, whatever. We’re fellow maids, aren't we? More importantly, you must have some serious business to go through the trouble of calling me to a place like this."
"Actually... it, seems, I, have, been, made, one, of, the, Four Heavenly Kings. Do, you, know, anything?"
"What do you mean 'do I know anything'? Of course I know the Prime Minister recommended you for the position."
"What... was, that!?"
The demon maid already knew I had been appointed?
"I told you before, didn't I? I admire you. Until now, no one in the demon race has ever risen from a mere maid to one of the Four Heavenly Kings. When I heard the news, I was as happy as if it had happened to me! ...Ugh, why am I making myself say this? It’s embarrassing!"
The demon maid abruptly turned her head away.
Come to think of it, after I defeated the Frost Golem in the Ice Castle, she had said something similar. I thought she was strange for admiring a plant like me, but she had meant she admired my supposed promotion. Of course, I had absolutely no intention of actually being one of the Four Heavenly Kings.
"The, Harpy... she, said, they, scattered, something, in, the, human, cities. Was, that, about, me?"
"The Prime Minister ordered Lady Parca to advertise your appointment to the humans. You’ve become the flower of the hour... or rather, the flower of the moment, Alraune."
So it really was a conspiracy by the Sister Dragon, the Prime Minister of the Demon King's Army. She was using her dislike of me as an excuse to do whatever she wanted. I definitely wouldn't forgive her for this.
"Wait, Alraune, did you really not know?"
"It, is, the, first, I've, heard, of, it."
It was a total bolt from the blue. If I heard the sound of water while sleeping, I would happily extend my roots, but this kind of surprise wasn't welcome at all.
"Even, so... why, would, the, Prime Minister, want, me, to, be, a, Heavenly King?"
There were plenty of other ways to deal with me, like sending the last of the Four Heavenly Kings after me or setting the forest on fire. Why go through the trouble of giving me a title?
"I actually know the answer to that."
"You... do!?"
"Yeah. I was right there when the Prime Minister was holding a secret meeting. I overheard everything."
"How?"
"The Prime Minister and the Witch Queen had a tea party in the Ice Castle. Since I was the only maid there, I had a hell of a time getting everything ready."
The Sister Dragon and the Witch Queen were having tea? I had no idea those two were so close.
"The reason they made you a Heavenly King is simple," the demon maid continued. "Apparently, the current Hero is a shut-in in the Royal Capital and doesn't pose a threat. The most troublesome Saint is dead, too. That left a human named Wolfgang as the only real threat. They were planning to throw him at you and have you kill each other."
If I defeated Vol-nii, the Demon King's Army could eliminate one of the kingdom's elites without lifting a finger. Even if I were the one who lost, it would still benefit the Sister Dragon. No matter the outcome, the Demon King's Army won.
"Since you can't move from your forest, they appointed you as a Heavenly King to lure the kingdom’s forces directly to you."
They set me up for a reason like that? Honestly, I wasn't worried about losing to humans. Did the Sister Dragon really think the kingdom's elites could take me down?
"The Witch Queen seemed to be involved in the scheme too, but I didn't catch the specifics."
If the Witch Queen was part of the plan, it explained why the little witch had gone missing. She had likely been kidnapped. Even though she had promised the Flame Dragon Lord not to touch me directly, she certainly had a lot of nerve acting so stealthily.
It was also concerning that the little witch’s disappearance and the arrival of the subjugation party happened at almost the same time. I wondered if there was a deeper connection there.
Just as I was about to ask the demon maid for more details, I noticed an anomaly.
Someone had entered the forest.
Six humans... no, seven. There were other creatures with them, too. It had to be Vol-nii and his group. What’s more, they were extremely close to my main body.
Because I had teleported my consciousness to the avatar in the city, the roots connecting me to the forest were stretched thin. That was why it had taken me so long to notice the intrusion.
"Alraune? Is something wrong?"
"Intruders... have, appeared, in, the, forest."
Even though I had retracted my main body into a bud to rest, I was still in a defenseless state. I had to get back immediately.
"I, must, return. Thank, you, for, the, information... Miss Yasmin."
"You... you remembered my name."
I had remembered the bearded man calling her that the other day. I gave a parting greeting to the demon maid, who looked unexpectedly happy, and began the process of reverting my avatar into a seed to teleport back.
"Alraune! If you run into any more trouble, you'd better call me!"
As Yasmin's voice faded, my consciousness snapped back to my main body in the forest. The first thing I saw was Nina, collapsed on the ground.
Ni... Nina?! What was she doing here?
As if sensing my gaze, Nina looked up at me.
"——!"
While staring at the space above me, Nina tried to convey something with a voiceless cry. She seemed unable to speak. She was desperately trying to tell me something... wait, what was that?
A shower of fire bottles was raining down on us!
I immediately whipped out my vines and caught every single bottle with care. Phew, that was close.
"Nina... thank, you, for, the, warning."
In contrast to my relief, Nina didn't move an inch. She just stared at me, her face deathly pale.
"Are, you... injured?"
I gently lifted her with my vines. Her body was limp; she appeared to be paralyzed.
"Please... drink, this."
I fed her some of my nectar, and the color immediately returned to her cheeks. After drinking it down, Nina looked at me with sparkling eyes.
"...It has been a long time. I have returned, Lady Iris."
It really had been a long time. I had been waiting in this forest for her ever since she left for the Royal Capital. Seeing her safe and sound made me incredibly happy.
"Yes... Nina. Welcome, home."
And so, I was finally reunited with Nina.