“That ‘Iris’ you mentioned… is likely just a human who happens to look like me, isn’t it?”
I opted to play off our uncanny resemblance without a moment's hesitation.
Even if she was a former disciple I’d taught light magic to, I couldn't reveal my secret to a princess from a foreign power.
That was how strictly classified my true identity was.
Well, there was also the small matter of how embarrassing it would be if my old student saw what I’d become.
“It is a pleasure to meet you. If you don’t mind, could you tell me your name?”
“……I am Freundliche Glanzweisheit…… I see. So, you aren't Master Iris after all.”
Lady Frie cast her eyes downward, looking visibly dejected.
She was a rare user of light magic in the Empire and was favored by the Emperor; as such, she was known as the Imperial Princess and was quite popular with the citizenry.
Come to think of it, since her name was so long, I had given her special permission to call her by a nickname.
Back then, I called her "Lady Frie." How nostalgic.
“As you can see, I am an Alraune. While I have monster juniors, I have no human disciples.”
Having an Amazoness Treant as a little sister figure was more than enough for me.
I’m sorry, but please forget about Iris.
“I’m actually quite troubled. So many different humans keep asking me if I am this ‘Iris’ person.”
“Since you looked so much like my acquaintance, I thought for sure…… but thinking about it logically, it wouldn't make sense for a human to turn into a monster.”
Hmph.
With my silver tongue, a lie like this is child's play!
This girl was always a bit of a natural airhead, so I figured I could manage her somehow.
“I’ve heard that there are three people in the world who look exactly alike, but I suppose that rule applies to monsters as well.”
She hid her face behind her folding fan, but I was certain her mouth was hanging wide open in surprise.
That childish side of her hadn't changed since the old days, either. It was oddly comforting.
“Say, if you’re an Alraune, does that mean you’re the same as Barometz? Is that flower on your head a real plant? May I touch it for a moment?”
“Eeeek!?”
The princess practically lunged from the carriage, throwing herself right at me!
Whoa. Was Frie always this hyperactive?
I mean, I’m technically a monster, you know!
You shouldn't go around hugging monsters!
Besides, I’d never been embraced by someone I’d just met before, so I had no idea how to react.
“Amazing! Your lower half is completely a plant, but your upper body feels just like a real human…… You really are just like Barometz.”
“W-Wait…… that tickles……”
W-What should I do?
A stranger is rubbing all over me!
Even during my time as Saint Iris, nothing like this had ever happened.
No insolent fool would have dared to touch a noblewoman, let alone lay a finger on the bare skin of the Saint.
I had barely even allowed my fiancé, the Hero, to touch my skin, and yet here I was, being pawed at by the Imperial Princess of a neighboring country……
“Ah…… it reminds me so much of when I used to play with Barometz!”
“Um, excuse me, but I am a monster. Are you not afraid?”
“But like Barometz, you’re an herbivore, aren't you? Besides, I’ve heard that few plant monsters are actually strong. Since you have a human form, aren't you one of the monsters that’s closer to us?”
I’m so sorry…… but I’m not an herbivore.
Please, notice the mouth on my lower bulb soon.
Doesn't it look like it belongs to a carnivore?
So please stop rubbing my body. Let go of me this instant.
“Does this vine wrapped around your chest grow from your body like Barometz’s? Or did you wrap it there yourself?”
“…………”
Right, I’m tying this princess up.
I couldn't let her keep having her way with me any longer.
“Oh, it feels as though I’ve been captured by a plant monster. If you were a carnivorous monster, I suppose I would have been eaten by now.”
She’s an Imperial Princess; she really should have a stronger sense of self-preservation.
If it weren’t me who’d caught her, she’d be halfway to someone's stomach already.
“Wait? You have that same sweet scent, Alraune. Come to think of it, there was an Alraune on the label. Could it be that you use that Saint Hair Tonic as well?”
“Yes, I use it.”
Since that day, the little witch and I have been helping each other wash every day.
Thanks to that, the luster my hair lost during my survival days in the forest has finally returned.
“Why would a monster use Saint Hair Tonic instead of a human?”
“……Because I am the one who created it.”
“My goodness!”
Wait, Lady Frie.
You’ve forgotten to hide your mouth with your fan again.
“So you were the one who invented the Saint Hair Tonic? You’re a genius! I’m so glad I met you!”
She grabbed my vines and started shaking them vigorously, as if demanding a handshake.
While I reluctantly played along, I noticed that her own hair was glowing slightly.
“I am your biggest fan! I can no longer live without that shampoo!”
When someone gets that enthusiastic, it crosses the line from flattering to overwhelming.
Lady Frie began rambling about the wonders of my shampoo without any prompting; was it really that much of a trend in the Empire?
Well, since Diesel-san had gone from a skinhead to an afro, it was a definite possibility.
“To think that by coming to see Barometz, I would meet the creator of the Saint Hair Tonic—I am simply overwhelmed! And you look just like Master Iris; don’t you think this must be destiny?”
I didn't think it was destiny, but there was certainly a connection.
After all, she was an acquaintance from my life as Saint Iris, and also an acquaintance of Barometz.
“Say, why don’t you come back to the Empire with me? I think it would be wonderful to have an Alraune living in the palace.”
“I’ll…… pass on that.”
Trying to keep an Alraune in a palace—this girl really was eccentric.
She seemed to adore Barometz, so perhaps she just didn't harbor any prejudice against monsters.
“So, why exactly is an Imperial Princess in a place like this?”
“Because I wanted to see Barometz as soon as possible! I heard that if we seized Tower City, we could get Barometz back. So, Lady Hakanaki and I asked Father, and we came all this way with the army.”
I’d heard the name Lady Hakanaki before.
If I recalled correctly, that was what the Glanz Emperor’s third consort was called.
Even in this form, I was still a former Duke’s Daughter; I had been strictly educated on the important figures of foreign nations.
“Unfortunately, Barometz is not in Tower City. It seems your trip was for nothing.”
“That’s impossible. Everyone said she was in Tower City. Since they’ve been exporting golden cotton, there was no doubt.”
“I’m the one producing that.”
I began producing tufts of golden cotton, one after another.
If I gave her a live demonstration, she’d have to believe me.
“It’s the same as Barometz’s! But how……”
“Actually, I am an acquaintance of Barometz.”
I told her about how I’d become friends with Barometz at the Demon King’s Castle.
I also mentioned how she’d let me eat some of her cotton back then, which allowed me to replicate it.
Even though I’d already neutralized the Imperial soldiers, it would be a headache if they attacked again.
I was going to clear up every last misunderstanding right here!
“Then Barometz was taken away by the demon race…… Oh, whatever shall I do?”
Lady Frie wore a look of pure sorrow.
Seeing how much she truly worried for Barometz made me happy for my friend.
However, this girl was likely one of the young ladies Barometz mentioned who had doted on her back at the palace.
I didn't know who was specifically responsible, but because a young lady in the Empire had leaked the secret of Barometz’s golden fleece, my friend had been left traumatized.
She seemed satisfied with her life in the botanical garden, so it was probably better for her happiness if she didn't return to the Empire.
“Regardless, I wonder what’s come over the soldiers. If they sleep in a place like this, they’ll catch a cold.”
“……I’m sure the fatigue from the sudden march just caught up with them. Since we’re here, it’s best to just let them sleep.”
“I suppose you're right. Still, it’s cruel of them to fall asleep and leave me all alone like this. I’ll have to tell Father to give the soldiers a bit more rest in the future.”
If the Imperial Princess tatted on them like that, those soldiers were going to get a harsh scolding from the Emperor.
I wondered if she said that intentionally, or if she was just that much of an airhead……
As we talked, long shadows began to stretch across the grassland.
The sun was finally setting.
Diesel-san and the rest of the Imperial army were still trapped in the world of dreams by my sleeping powder.
I had intended to head back to Tower City for a moment, but I couldn't exactly leave a princess alone in a place like this.
“Here, have this. It’s your dinner. Don’t worry, it isn't poisoned.”
And so, I ended up camping out on the grassland with Lady Frie.
I was going to treat her to my specialty grilled vegetables!
“So an Alraune can produce fire as well as vegetables? Truly, you are a spirit!”
Actually, I’m not a spirit.
I’m just a plant monster that happens to have spirit power.
And I’m not "producing" fire; I’m just starting one.
“Thank you for the meal! That was my first time eating outdoors, and it was simply delicious!”
As an Imperial Princess, she must have been raised as a sheltered lady.
It was a pity to make her sleep out in the wild, but she could handle it for one night.
After all, despite being a Duke’s Daughter, my time as the Saint of the Hero’s party gave me more experience sleeping outdoors than any lady should have.
Plus, since my reincarnation as an Alraune, I’d been living exposed to the elements every single day!
Compared to that, one night was nothing!!
──Now then.
Since our stomachs are full, it’s time to move on to the more complicated matters.
“Now that you know Barometz isn't in the city, the Empire will withdraw its troops, right?”
“I wonder. I wasn't the only one who advocated for this expedition.”
Come to think of it, she mentioned earlier that she’d persuaded the Emperor alongside the Third Consort, Lady Hakanaki.
The Empire’s Third Consort was famous as the concubine the Emperor doted on most.
He was supposedly quite infatuated with her, but rumors said she was sickly and lived in total seclusion in a detached palace.
The story was that she never appeared in public, but perhaps that wasn't entirely true.
Because it was a foreign matter, detailed information rarely reached the Kingdom of Gardenia.
“Why did Lady Hakanaki want to attack Tower City?”
“It wasn't so much Lady Hakanaki as it was my father. He is desperate to seek revenge on her behalf.”
Revenge for Lady Hakanaki?
Did Tower City, or maybe the Kingdom of Gardenia, do something to her in the past?
“By the way, Alraune, do you have a connection with Tower City?”
“I do. I usually live in the forest right next to it.”
The Imperial Princess looked shocked for the third time that day.
She had forgotten to hide her mouth with her fan again.
Was the fact that I was the Alraune of Tower City really that stunning?
I didn't think there was anything particularly surprising about it.
“In that case, you must be the Crimson Flower Princess Alraune—the evil spirit who cursed Lady Hakanaki!”
──Wait, what?
The Alraune who cursed Lady Hakanaki……?
Hold on, what is she talking about?
This was the first time I’d heard this!
Next time: The Cursed Consort of the Empire and the Saint of the Kingdom.