When I leveled my vines at the skinhead man, he clearly understood my intent to fight.
Stepping forward to shield his comrades, Vol-nii moved in front of the skinhead man and took a stance. Sparks danced from his blade like festive fireworks. He was fully primed for combat, ready to incinerate me at a moment's notice.
If he didn't realize I was Saint Iris, or if he refused to believe it, he would cut me down as a monster. Even if he did believe me, I might still be purged as a traitor who had turned her back on the country and the Hero’s party.
Either way, my fate would be the same.
If that was the case, I might as well commit to the role and play the monster to the end. My only priority was rescuing the Little Witch. Everything else had become trivial.
The skinhead man, who was still clutching the bird-form Little Witch, shouted out to egg Vol-nii on.
"Boss Wolfgang, give that plant monster a taste of your famous Explosive Flame Magic!"
Even during my time as a Saint, it took everything I had just to withstand his serious Explosive Flame Magic. No matter how much I had improved my resistance to heat, fire remained the natural enemy of a plant like me.
──Right. I've made up my mind.
I would stop Vol-nii, even if I had to let myself burn to do it. As long as my roots remained intact, my body could undergo Regeneration. Even if I were reduced to ash, I could just restore my body and counterattack immediately.
Just as I braced for the impact, the sparks died away. Vol-nii lowered the sword he'd been holding at the ready.
"Everyone, sheath your swords," he muttered. "We're going to talk to this Alraune."
He returned his blade to its scabbard and gave instructions to his companions.
"It's just as the Saint of the Yellow Wings said; I don't think it's our enemy. Hard as it is to believe of a monster, I don't feel a shred of malice coming from it."
"But Boss Wolfgang, it looks like the thing is ready to trade blows with us, doesn't it?"
"It's likely just protecting itself. It fights with the same desperate resolve to protect someone as a certain Saint I knew... I can see that same spirit in this Alraune's eyes."
Had my feelings actually reached him? But more importantly... Vol-nii, is the Saint you're talking about...?
The question remained unspoken, sinking to the depths of my heart.
It didn't really matter. Even if I couldn't tell him I was Iris, my feelings had reached Vol-nii. All I wanted was to get the Little Witch back, but for some reason, the connection felt deeper. Regardless, it seemed Vol-nii was willing to negotiate.
Despite our painful history, we had reached an understanding. For now, that was enough. My true identity and our future could be settled slowly through peaceful conversation.
Hearing the leader's words, the female swordsman sheathed her weapon. "If that's what the leader says," she grumbled.
However, the skinhead man let his tongue wag provocatively.
"That thing is an evil monster wearing the face of Lady Saint Iris. It might even be the one who killed her. As her former comrade, surely you can't forgive that?"
"Even so. Besides, I can't feel like this Alraune is a stranger."
"It's the nature of an Alraune to transform into humans. Boss Wolfgang, you're being tricked!"
"If anything, I think the Alraune is the one being played. I’ve had my doubts for a while now; things have been moving far too conveniently. Perhaps the Kingdom’s information was wrong."
From their conversation, I inferred that the Kingdom had officially ordered my subjugation. My presence had likely been leaked by the flyers Harpy Parca’s associates had scattered, which meant the subjugation unit had been organized with suspicious speed.
Someone was pulling the strings.
The Sister Dragon, who served as the Prime Minister of the Demon King's Army and clearly held a grudge against me, immediately came to mind. However, I didn't think the Demon King's Army had that much influence over the Kingdom. In that case, who...?
"Diesel, give the order to the pets lurking in the forest to cease their attack," Vol-nii commanded again.
The presence of birds and snakes in the undergrowth had been increasing for a while now; it turned out the skinhead man had been hiding the animals he employed.
Diesel flipped his cloak with a sharp rustle. A white cat emerged soundlessly from the fabric, and the man muttered with a resigned air.
"I never imagined Boss Wolfgang was such a passive person. So, what shall we do?"
To those words, which should have been a monologue, a familiar woman's voice replied.
"Nyahaha! Isn't it obvious? We stick to the plan and kill everyone."
The white cat smirked at me. It was a distinctly human expression.
──No way. The cat talked!
No, it wasn't a cat at all. Living with the Little Witch had taught me the signs. Just as she transformed into a bird, this cat was surely a witch in disguise.
As I turned my gaze toward the cat, I felt a single snake slithering across the ground toward Vol-nii's feet. But the cat was the greater concern. A white cat.
When the Little Witch transformed, her animal form always matched her hair color—white. And I knew of one other white-haired witch. One who, for some reason, had cat-ears.
The final clue was this method of deceiving both friend and foe alike. There was no mistake; this white cat was the Witch Queen herself. The very person who had trapped Spirit Princess Vergissmeinnicht and tried to kidnap the Little Witch. I suppose she had come to reclaim the girl and take her revenge on me at the same time.
Fine. If it was to protect the Little Witch, I would show no mercy, even to a Queen.
But as I readied my vines to face my long-time nemesis, Vol-nii suddenly fell to his knees.
I looked over, and a horrific sight met my eyes.
A blade had erupted from Vol-nii's chest.
A sword dripping with bright red blood had pierced through his back, the tip protruding from his sternum. As Vol-nii coughed up blood, a white-haired woman appeared behind him, still gripping the hilt.
I knew her. This woman, her white hair streaked with gold, was undoubtedly the Witch Queen's Assistant I had encountered at the Demon King's Castle.
Where did she come from? Wait... the snake. The snake at Vol-nii's feet was gone.
I realized it then. That snake had been the Queen's Assistant in disguise.
This confirmed everything. If the Queen's Assistant was here, the white cat beside Diesel was indeed the Witch Queen.
But there was no time for deduction. Vol-nii was dying!
Just as I moved to help, I felt it—an overwhelming wave of bloodlust directed at me from every corner of the forest. Creatures of all sizes were closing in.
As I sensed the shift in the atmosphere, the forms of the animals began to distort and melt.
I understood it all now. Diesel was an animal tamer, and the countless creatures surrounding him—the birds, the snakes, everything—were witches in borrowed forms.