"Good morning... though it looks like everyone, is still, asleep."
The sun set, and morning soon followed.
The Imperial soldiers seemed to be a bunch of sleepyheads. They lay sprawled across the grasslands, snoozing as peacefully as children.
Imperial Princess Freundliche was resting inside her carriage. It was likely her first time camping outdoors.
Anyway...
I needed to organize the information I had gathered from her.
"But I’ve, never, even, met, this, Lady Hakanaki!"
I had heard a bizarre story last night. According to the princess, the Alraune of Tower City had cursed the Empire’s Third Consort.
Of course, I had no such memory. I hadn't stepped foot in the Empire since becoming an Alraune, nor had I ever met anyone named Lady Hakanaki.
If that were the case, where did the rumor that I had cursed her even come from? The princess didn't seem to know the details.
Was it possible that, without me realizing it, Lady Hakanaki had been among the townspeople I’d encountered? Even if she had been, I had never cursed a soul, so the whole thing was nonsense.
I had assumed the Empire attacked because of the Saint Hair Tonic, but apparently, there was more to it than just shampoo. I was getting used to groundless misunderstandings since becoming a monster, but I really wished people would spare me the nation-shaking "fake news."
I was only trying to live a quiet life in the forest.
"Hey—!"
While I was babysitting four thousand Imperial soldiers, scouts on horseback arrived from Tower City. Leading them was Franz, the Former Corporal. It looked like the city had hired adventurers for the watch instead of sending regular soldiers.
"Wh-what in the world... Did you do all this, Alraune-chan!?"
"Please, don't, be, so, put off. I only, did this, to protect, the city, after all."
"I suppose... I thought I knew you were beyond the norm, Alraune-chan, but this is still a shock."
The Imperial soldiers were now my prisoners in their entirety. With this, a war between the two nations had been averted. The problem was what to do next.
While I was consulting with Franz, a horse flying an Imperial flag approached from the direction of the Empire. It appeared to be a messenger.
"Our soldiers are asleep?! You lot, wake up this instant! Is the Imperial Princess safe?!"
"Are you, a Messenger? I scattered, some, rather, strong powder, so, I don't, think, they'll be waking, for a while."
"Th-the flower monster spoke—!! Wh-wh-what are you?!"
It was a bit of a shock to have someone react with such horror. If he kept that up, I was tempted to send him on a journey to the world of dreams as well.
"Now, now, Imperial soldier, calm down. This Alraune-chan is something like a guardian spirit of our city. She's no monster," Franz said, stepping in to soothe the man.
Communication with strangers never went well when I was alone, so I was grateful Franz was there to help.
"Is she one of those dryads from the Dryades' Forest...? Then you all must be from the Kingdom of Gardenia. Tell me, have you seen a noble lady here?"
"If you mean, the Imperial Princess, she is, resting, in that carriage, over there."
The messenger looked toward the tip of my vine, and his companions headed for the carriage. Once they confirmed Lady Freundliche was safe inside, they breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
"Although we were the ones who invaded, and I apologize to you of the Kingdom of Gardenia for that, please help us wake the soldiers. The war is off."
"What, do you mean, by off?"
The messenger, who had been trembling at the sight of me, took a deep breath before speaking.
"A negotiation delegation from the Kingdom of Gardenia arrived in the Empire, and a peace treaty was established. A ceasefire order has been issued."
A delegation from our country? That didn't make sense. It had only been a few days since the Imperial soldiers crossed the border. To dispatch a delegation from the Royal Capital and conclude a treaty in such a short window was incredibly suspicious.
Furthermore, the document stated that both nations were to promptly return any prisoners if combat had already occurred.
"Who, was the, head, of this, delegation?"
"The Saint of the Kingdom of Gardenia. Distraught by the conflict between the two nations, she traveled to the Empire personally."
There were only two Saints in the Kingdom of Gardenia: Zelma and Nina. Nina had just sent me a letter saying she was in the Royal Capital. That meant the one leading the delegation was my "shitty junior," Zelma.
Come to think of it, Nina’s letter mentioned that Zelma had set off toward the south. Since she was already near the Empire, did she move immediately for the sake of peace?
It felt far too convenient. Zelma was connected to the Witch Queen. Diesel—the guy with the afro—was also one of the Witch Queen’s companions. But the Empire didn't seem to fit into that puzzle.
Where had the Witch Queen gone after I defeated her? Given the parasitic mistletoe, I didn't think she was well enough to travel far. Could she be in the Empire...?
Wait, that actually made sense. If Diesel had become an Imperial General, he could easily shelter the Witch Queen.
A short while later, the Imperial soldiers finally woke up. As Diesel prepared to depart, he gave me a final greeting from his horse.
"Miss Alraune is the kind of lady who could beat Lady Kirke herself. Even with four thousand men, we would have just been wiped out. I’m relieved to be retreating, honestly."
Had Diesel urged me to stop the soldiers because he knew they couldn't win? Or did he have secret knowledge that a ceasefire was coming?
"Please, tell me. Where, is Kirke, now?"
"Who knows? The other witches whisked her away somewhere, so I haven't a clue."
"...Is that, so."
As expected of a man who’d made General, his skin was thick. I couldn't get the Witch Queen's location out of him.
Without their true intentions ever becoming clear, the Imperial soldiers, Diesel included, began their journey home.
"So... why, is the, Imperial Princess, here, in Tower City?"
"I have no interest in war, but I have a great deal of interest in Barometz-chan and the Alraune. Please, accept me as a peace hostage for the Empire's sake!"
Having returned to Tower City ahead of the soldiers, I went to the Lord's manor. When I teleported into my usual flowerbed, I found Imperial Princess Freundliche already there! I had assumed she’d gone home with Diesel, so the shock was immense.
After she was shown to the guest room, the Lord, Manfred, came running out.
"Alraune-dono!"
"Please, stop, trying, to hug me, with such, momentum."
I restrained the pudgy Lord with my vines. Having the princess touch me all over was more than enough.
"M-my apologies... A series of events exceeding my capacity occurred, and I instinctively wanted to cling to Alraune-dono, who resembles Saint Iris. Please forgive me."
As a Former Saint famous for my broad-mindedness, I decided to forgive him. Manfred was a young Lord with little experience, but I knew he worked hard for his people.
"So, why, is the, princess, here?"
"That is a headache in its own right, but first, I must thank you for stopping the Imperial soldiers."
My opinion of Manfred, which had dipped when he tried to lung at me, rose slightly. I had always appreciated that he didn't discriminate against me for being a monster, treating me like a human being instead.
"But we are in serious trouble! The princess forcing her way in is bad enough, but there's something worse. Because Tower City supposedly 'kidnapped' the Barometz, the Kingdom of Gardenia has to pay reparations to the Glanz Empire!"
"...Wait, why, did it, come to that?"
"For some reason, His Majesty the King acknowledged the claim that the Barometz is in Tower City. Because of that, I’ve been summoned to the Royal Capital. I intend to argue that it’s a misunderstanding, of course."
The claim was false. The Barometz wasn't being held here against her will. So why would the King admit to it? Someone had to be spreading rumors.
"And that’s not all. His Majesty the King apparently took a great liking to the Alraune Brand Saint Hair Tonic. He’s ordered that all the artisans making it be brought to the capital... along with all the materials."
"By materials, you, mean me, right?"
"I have no intention of handing you over, Alraune-dono. But it seems the Saint Hair Tonic has become a fad in the Royal Capital. They’re likely plotting to seize the rights for themselves."
I could understand being invited as a reward, but demanding the "materials" was a clear sign of their greed. They wanted everything—not just the product, but the source. It was exactly the kind of thing royalty and nobles would plot. Little did they know, it all just came from my Shampoo Tree.
"So, what, are the, reparations, for the Empire?"
"Strangely enough, it isn't money. It’s the 'lending' of a Saint."
The moment Manfred said that, a certain face flashed through my mind.
"The one chosen was Saint Zelma. Since she was already in the Empire for the peace talks, it was decided that her remaining there to provide Light Magic healing would count as part of the reparations."
The Kingdom of Gardenia was a land where Saints were common. In contrast, the Empire had very few people capable of using Light Magic, and their skill levels were reportedly low. No one in the Glanz Empire could match the high-level Recovery Magic of a Saint from the Kingdom.
Which meant... there was someone in the Empire so ill that only a Saint could cure them. And this person was important enough for the Emperor to demand a Saint's services as war reparations. Zelma had made sure that healing this person became the price of peace.
"Lord Manfred, do, you know, Lady Hakanaki?"
I told him about the rumor that I had cursed the consort. Based on what he said, I suspected Lady Hakanaki—the Emperor’s Third Consort—was the one Zelma was going to heal. A high-ranking Saint could even break a curse.
Even so──
"Something, is, strange."
Zelma being conveniently at the border, her stepping in for peace negotiations for an invading force, and her ending up as a "reparation" to heal someone in the Empire... it was all too perfect.
Furthermore, the fact that the Barometz was officially labeled as "kidnapped" by Tower City bothered me. It was as if someone were pulling the strings from the shadows.
──Could it be you, Zelma?
As a Saint and the Crown Princess, feeding false information to the King would be easy for her. If she had colluded with the Empire beforehand, she could easily have positioned herself at the border for the talks.
But I didn't understand the "why." Zelma was in league with the Witch Queen. Why would she also be working with the Empire?
"Come to think of it..."
Zelma was originally from an Imperial orphanage. Her story was that she admired Saints and fled to the Kingdom of Gardenia as a child. She had eventually awakened to Light Magic and become an Apprentice Saint at the Great Cathedral.
Was she an Imperial spy? No, that wouldn't explain her connection to the Witch Queen.
"What on earth, is happening, in the Empire?"
I had stopped the worst-case scenario of an invasion. However, there was a deeper plot beneath the surface. And as long as I was rooted in this forest, I had no way of uncovering it.
──If I reach the Royal Capital, I might find the answers.
I needed to speed up the growth of my roots. Once they reached the capital, I would be able to teleport there whenever I wished.
Next time: The Great Sage's Imperial Visit Chronicles.