"Take care of yourself, Lady Iris."
Nina, who was departing for the Royal Capital, came to give me her final farewell.
I provided her with plenty of Saint Nectar as souvenirs and waved my vines vigorously as I saw the newbie Saint off.
"You take care too, Nina. Don't overdo it... and please, try to keep your mind at ease."
"I’ll be fine! I’ll fulfill my duties as a Saint with pride—enough for the both of us, Lady Iris!"
I had told the truth to both Nina and Vol-nii.
I told them how the Hero and that Shitty Junior had called me out and murdered me. I told them how my arms and legs had been hacked off and how I had been fed to a plant monster. I explained that while my body was being dissolved, I had resisted using Light Recovery Magic, and before I knew it, I had merged with the monster to become an Alraune.
I told them everything about my rebirth.
The two of them were stunned at first, but they gradually came to accept the reality of the Hero and the Shitty Junior’s betrayal. It seemed those two had already displayed enough suspicious behavior for my story to carry weight. However, since I—Iris—had been officially declared dead, they had previously had no choice but to believe the Hero’s version of events.
While they were shaken by the details of my murder, they weren't actually that surprised that I had reincarnated as an Alraune. Since the living evidence was right in front of them, they seemed to decide it wasn't worth overthinking the "how" of it all.
Nina was reliable, puffing out her chest and telling me to leave it to her, but I couldn't help but worry. We were talking about the Hero and the Shitty Junior, people who hadn't hesitated to kill me. They certainly wouldn't hesitate to take Nina’s life either. That was why I only wanted her to gather a moderate amount of information. I truly didn't want her to push herself too hard.
And so, my two new collaborators left Tower City.
The festival came to an end, and not just my acquaintances, but my enemies as well, returned to their respective homes. After that, peaceful days followed. The Witch Queen delivered the lime she owed as reparations, and everyone worked together to continue the desalination process. My surroundings became so quiet it felt as though the recent turmoil had all been a dream.
Before I knew it, summer had arrived. It was the most pleasant season for a plant. I decided to focus on my next objective.
Eventually, I would go to the Royal Capital. I would go to the capital of the Kingdom of Gardenia and confront the Hero and the Shitty Junior. Just as I had told Witch Queen Kirke, those two would receive the punishment they deserved.
To achieve that, I had to find a way to travel. For someone like me who couldn't walk, the easiest and most certain method was Teleportation. While I could move by being placed in a pot, I was practically invincible in my current state. Therefore, I decided to extend my roots all the way to the Royal Capital.
I spent the summer concentrating on expanding my sphere of influence. Summer is a time of rapid growth for plants, and as a plant monster, I benefited immensely from the season. My roots had already pushed past the town neighboring Alraune's Forest and were reaching into the Freiheit Great Plains.
By taking advantage of the summer climate where vegetation flourished, I extended my roots into the uninhabited wilderness. Once my roots reached a certain point, I could teleport to their tips. Eventually, I would reach the Royal Capital. I was determined to see it through.
"It’s surprisingly... peaceful."
I continued to extend my roots without a single incident. I hadn't realized that a life without outsiders coming after me could be this serene. Ever since I had reincarnated as an Alraune, I had dealt with a constant stream of visitors, so I hadn't known it was possible for things to be this quiet.
The Demon King's Army had also been subdued lately. I heard that things were quite hectic in the north where the Flame Dragon Lord had headed, but this area remained perfectly tranquil. My only guest from the outside was the Harpy Parca, who was now acting as a nectar courier.
When Parca stopped by recently, I questioned her about her role in the plan to make me one of the Four Heavenly Kings. She remained quite brazen about it, saying, "I only did it because my superior ordered me to; I had no choice. I have no intention of betraying you, Alraune."
Hearing her state it so bluntly actually made it easier to forgive her. Parca was a hopeless pervert, but it seemed her affection for me—due to my resemblance to Saint Iris—was genuine. I decided she was someone I could trust for the time being.
According to her, the Prime Minister’s scheme to force me into the Four Heavenly Kings had ended in failure. Apparently, the Prime Minister’s Sister Dragon was furious that the Witch Queen had been defeated. Parca assured me that the Prime Minister likely wouldn't mess with me again until her next move was ready.
For now, I could breathe a sigh of relief. Peace was wonderful. Come to think of it, this was the kind of life I had always wanted. Reality had finally caught up to my ideals.
The sunlight felt divine. As I was dozing off, the Little Witch descended from the sky. I wondered if she wanted to join me for some sunbathing and photosynthesis.
"Alraune, what are you doing?"
"Photosynthesis. Do you... want to join me, Rufe?"
"A nap? Sure, I’m in."
I used some of the Golden Cotton from Barometz of the Golden Fleece to craft a makeshift hammock for her. It had already been a year since we parted ways with Barometz at the Botanical Garden. I wondered how she was doing.
"I saw a lot of this cotton growing near the city," Rufe mentioned. "The people there said it’s selling really well."
The Golden Cotton had become indispensable to Tower City. Cotton products made from it were now considered local specialties, and as a result, the city's revenues were soaring. There was another reason for the large-scale cultivation, though: cotton possessed a natural salt tolerance. By growing it in fields suffering from salt damage, we could expect a desalination effect. I had shared this knowledge with the citizens, which led to the massive increase in cultivation.
"This cotton is so fluffy. It feels great."
Rufe seemed to have taken a liking to the cotton towels. Barometz’s towels were incredibly useful during the sweaty summer months, not just for labor but for daily life as well. Seeing how my creations helped people—and seeing the smiles on their faces—made me happy too.
Since I had nothing to do but grow my roots, I decided I might as well help improve our quality of life a bit more.
"Could you... bring me a bucket... of water?"
"Sure, but why?"
"I’m going to make your hair... even more beautiful, Rufe."
While she went to fetch the water, I generated a specific plant. It was a rare species that my "little sister," the Amazoness Treant, had found somewhere. I hadn't used it during my previous life, so I was eager to try it out.
"I’m back! What’s that tree?"
"This is called... a Shampoo Tree."
Its proper name was Uncarina. As the nickname suggested, it could be used as a natural shampoo. It was a plant native to Madagascar, where the locals used the mucus from the leaves to wash their hair. I figured the Uncarina in this world would have a similar effect.
"First... we soak the leaves... in the water."
I placed the leaves into the full bucket. When left to soak, the water became thick and viscous. This liquid would serve as our shampoo.
"Something weird came out when I squeezed the leaf!"
"That... is the shampoo."
As Rufe gripped the leaves, a thick mucus dripped from her hands. They were completely slimy now. I tried squeezing some with my vines as well, which left them just as slick. Before long, the water in the bucket had turned into a thick, slightly yellow liquid.
"Rufe... let me wash your hair."
"I was sweating from helping with the lime earlier, so this actually sounds perfect."
Rufe slowly undressed. Feeling like an older sister taking care of a younger sibling, I watched over her. She sat on the ground with her back to me, and I used my vines to scoop up the viscous shampoo. I began to lather her hair gently, savoring the moment of sisterly bonding.
"That actually feels really good."
Unlike the soaps I knew from my previous life, this didn't foam. Instead, it was simply slippery. Rufe’s hair, which had become stiff and coarse from days of working in the forest, became incredibly smooth. The shampoo was working perfectly.
I rinsed her hair with fresh water from a spare bucket. Once the suds were gone, her white hair shone with a renewed brilliance.
"Wow... I’ve never felt my hair this silky before."
Her white hair gleamed so brightly I was almost jealous. Rufe’s eyes were sparkling with genuine emotion. She had become a bit wild after living in the forest for so long, but she was still a girl at heart. Seeing how well it worked, there was no way I was going to pass up a turn.
"Your turn, Alraune. Let me wash yours."
Rufe levitated behind me, clutching the bucket of shampoo. Without waiting for an answer, she began to wash my hair.
"It’s my turn to make you pretty. It’s the big sister’s job to look after her little sister, after all."
Even though she was technically younger than me, her devoted efforts touched my heart. I was so glad to be her "big sister." I decided to ignore the fact that we were both claiming the "older sister" title for the day.
I couldn't remember the last time I had used real shampoo. Even back in the Iris Era, we hadn't had anything this effective. During my time as an Alraune, I had relied entirely on rainwater. Having someone else wash my hair felt incredible.
"You look beautiful, Alraune. Your hair is so glossy."
Just as she said, my hair had been transformed. It had a gorgeous luster that boosted my mood just by touching it. I thought I saw a few particles of Light Magic shimmering in the strands, but I dismissed it as my imagination. I made a mental note to thank the Amazoness Treant for finding the tree. Maybe I’d wash her hair next.
"Hey, Alraune..."
Rufe muttered something with a serious expression while clutching an Uncarina leaf. She looked as though she had realized something profound, causing me to straighten my back.
"Don't you think... we could sell this in the city?"
She was absolutely right. While my previous life had better shampoos, this world had nothing like it. Everyone would be thrilled to have this.
And so, we decided to supply the city with shampoo alongside our Saint Nectar and Golden Cotton. As expected, it was an instant, explosive hit. Following our success with the nectar, we once again came into a massive fortune.
However, living in the forest meant there were few things to actually spend money on. We rented a vault in the city under Rufe's name, where the gold simply continued to pile up. Since Rufe only spent a bit of pocket money here and there, the balance never seemed to decrease.
We weren't the only ones getting rich. The merchant guild and Tower City itself entered a period of unprecedented prosperity. The name of the city echoed further and further across the land.
But at the time, I didn't know the danger of fame. I didn't realize that becoming famous only served to attract disaster. The creation of that shampoo was about to trigger an incident I never could have imagined.
Cotton: A perennial plant of the Malvaceae family. In the real world, planting cotton is sometimes used as a method to desalinate soil in fields affected by salt damage.
Uncarina: A genus in the Pedaliaceae family. Known as the "Shampoo Tree," this plant is native to Madagascar. The mucus extracted from its leaves is traditionally used as a shampoo.
Next time: The Newbie Saint Learns of Saint Iris's End.