I was Alraune, a plant monster girl.
Just as an Alraune living in the forest might actually be a reincarnated Saint, people aren't always what they appear to be. By the same token, it wasn't entirely unheard of for a total stranger to turn out to be an acquaintance of someone you knew.
The world was a small place, after all.
As if to prove that point, a group of people arrived in my forest. It had been several days since that mysterious, flashy blond guy had first come to see me. Now, he had reappeared.
"Yo, Alraune-missy!"
He called out to me with a casualness that suggested he was about to follow up with a "S'up?"
I wondered what business had brought him all the way back here. Was he just sightseeing again? My doubts were instantly shattered the moment I saw who he was carrying.
"That person on your shoulder... Is that Yasmin?"
Technically she was a demon, not a person. She was also my former fellow maid from the Demon King's Castle.
And she wasn't alone. Standing behind the flashy guy was another familiar face—the female swordsman who had been traveling with Vol-nii. I hadn't realized she was still in the city. More importantly, why was she hanging around with this flashy guy and Yasmin?
"Alraune... I have a favor to ask!" Yasmin cried out, looking me right in the eye while still slung over the man’s shoulder. "Please, help me!"
—I see. I understood everything now.
Yasmin had been kidnapped by this flashy man!
"Kyle-san, let my friend go right now!"
"Oh? What’s this? You actually want to go a round with me?" Kyle replied, his attitude shifting to something far more bellicose. It was a villainous reaction that suited his appearance perfectly. "I’ve heard the rumors, Alraune. They say you’re the strongest woman in this city. How about a little spar?"
Good grief, this guy was a pain! Was he one of those old-school delinquents who couldn't sleep at night unless he was the "top dog" of the school? He really was exactly as shallow as he looked.
Just as I was cataloging his flaws, Yasmin—the one who was supposedly being kidnapped—reached up and smacked him upside the head.
"Stupid Kyle, stop it! I won't forgive you if you hurt my friend!"
Wait, that was odd. Was he not a kidnapper after all?
"The truth is, we've formed a temporary party!" Yasmin explained.
A party? These three? Together?
"Listen, Alraune. We're looking for someone. Have you happened to see an elf in this forest?"
An elf. They were an extremely rare race in human-centric nations like the Kingdom of Gardenia or the Glanz Empire. While they were said to inhabit the forest regions in the center of the continent, they rarely interacted with human society. Beyond their distinctive pointed ears, they were known for using specialized magic that humans couldn't replicate. Because they were so isolationist, they almost never visited human settlements. It was said that a common citizen of Gardenia might go their entire life without ever seeing one.
I actually knew one person from that rare race, but that was a story from my time as a Saint. I hadn't seen a single elf since becoming an Alraune.
"I haven't... seen any elves."
"I figured. Well, have you seen a blond-haired gentle man around? Obviously not this idiot here."
I didn't have any leads on that either, so I told them I didn't know. It seemed Yasmin and her group were searching for people on a request from the Adventurer Guild.
"It’s not just the search," Yasmin continued. "We’re also supposed to investigate the south side of the forest. Apparently, there was a massive fire there about three years ago, and the land turned into a blackened wasteland."
—I probably had a hand in that incident...
That was almost certainly from the time the Flame Dragon Lord burned everything. The location and the timing—three years ago—fit perfectly. Come to think of it, I wondered what that place looked like now. It was the site of my most significant memories—the place where I, Iris, had been betrayed and killed, only to be reborn as an Alraune.
Since my reincarnation, I had been focused entirely on survival. It was in that southern forest that I had met the nectar-obsessed young Armin, Bear-papa, and the Little Witch. Everything about it felt nostalgic. It wasn't quite a homecoming, but I found myself wanting to see it again after all this time.
"Are you... going there now, Yasmin?"
"That’s the plan! Even though the forest is crawling with dangerous monsters, the Guild pushed this on me as 'receptionist work.' Isn't that the worst?"
Yasmin shook her head with a weary sigh. To me, it seemed like the party was more dangerous for her than the forest itself. If her true identity as a demon was exposed, wouldn't these two kill her? If they were traveling together as a party, the chances of her tail slipping out from under her skirt or her horns being seen under her hat were dangerously high.
If that happened, it would be over. Just as the adventurers had once swarmed to kill me, they would target Yasmin's life next. I still loathed the idea of being hunted simply for the crime of existing, and I didn't want Yasmin—one of the few friends I'd made since becoming an Alraune—to ever feel that way.
"Um... would it be alright if I joined the investigation too?"
There was one way to make sure Yasmin's identity stayed a secret: she needed a collaborator. If I became a member of the party, I could support her and protect her from the "evil clutches" of the flashy guy and his companion. It was a perfect plan!
"You'll come with us, Alraune?! Y-Yes! Honestly, I was just about to ask you myself!"
"Were you... planning to invite me... from the start?"
"W-Well, yeah! We're friends, aren't we? I just thought it would be nice to go on a trip together for once..."
She wanted to go on a trip with me because we were friends?
Oh my god! I was so happy!
Up until then, I had almost never been invited anywhere by a friend. In my previous life in Japan, I had spent all my time reading books and didn't have many companions. Even after being born as Iris, the Duke’s Daughter, my status was so high that I only had sycophants, not equals. Even when I was a Saint-in-training, my overwhelming Light Magic and noble blood kept everyone at a distance.
The only time I had ever felt like I had equal friends was after joining the Hero's party. We had walked through towns together during our travels, but that was the extent of it. I had never once in my entire life gone on a trip with a friend just for the sake of spending time together.
Which was why...
"I'll go! I'm coming with you!"
I wanted to go on an outing with a friend, if only just once. Besides, there were other reasons. I had been reincarnated into a fantasy world, yet I spent all my time in the forest. I had traveled as a Saint, but I didn't have my Japanese memories back then. Since becoming an Alraune, I had only seen the forest, Tower City, and the Demon King's Castle.
Honestly, I was bored. Since the Spirit Festival ended, things had become so peaceful that I had too much time on my hands. Aside from occasional visits from Yasmin, the Flame Dragon, or Parca the Harpy, I had no special business to attend to. My life lacked stimulation. I was hungry for something new, especially since there was nothing to do in winter besides grow my roots.
So, it was time for a little homecoming. I was going back to the forest where I was born.
"And besides... I want to try being an adventurer for a while!"
I mean, they were adventurers! I had always been curious about them. I admired the way they lived so freely. As a noble daughter and a Saint, my life had always been mapped out for me; being an adventurer was a path I could never have taken. If the opportunity was there, I wanted to try it just once.
"Seeing you get that excited makes me feel a bit guilty..." Yasmin muttered, looking away awkwardly. Maybe she was just shy? She could be quite cute sometimes.
Interrupting our moment of friendship, the flashy blond man stepped between us.
"If you want to join, that's fine. But I have a condition."
Kyle tossed Yasmin toward me. I caught her with my vines as he issued his challenge.
"Fight me. If you win, you're in."
It felt like it had been forever since a human had challenged me. Back when the adventurers from Tower City were trying to subjugate me, I was fending them off daily. But fighting someone who simply wanted to test their strength? That might have been a first. Since my reincarnation, every fight had been a life-or-death struggle. I had survived plenty of harrowing ordeals, but I had zero experience with simple sparring.
If this was what it took to become the adventurer I'd always dreamed of being, I could handle one flashy guy.
"Fine. I accept your challenge!"
With the match decided, Yasmin and the female swordsman moved to a safe distance. I faced off against Kyle and readied my vines. I didn't know exactly how strong he was, but I wasn't so weak that I'd lose to a mere human. Even Vol-nii, who was said to be the Hero's equal, was far below my current level. Honestly, I didn't think I could lose to anyone other than the Hero.
Or so I thought.
"I'm taking the first move!"
Kyle’s combat style was purely hand-to-hand. I had assumed as much since he wasn't carrying a weapon, but I didn't think he could actually hurt me with his bare fists. I raised a Vine Shield to block his strike—only for the shield to be easily shattered by his thrusting arm.
"Wait, those aren't... just bare hands?!"
Lightning was crackling all over Kyle’s body. He was glowing with an intense electrical charge. What kind of magic was this? It was bright, but it wasn't Light Magic. I had never seen anything like it.
"I’m basically a living lightning rod right now," Kyle boasted. "Vines like yours are easy enough to burn through."
He wasn't exaggerating. Every vine I sent at him was incinerated by his fists. My vines were supposed to be heat-resistant now, yet his lightning-charged arms pierced them with ease. Fine, then. I just needed to create something he couldn't burn.
I used Plant Generation to summon a Gajumaru—a Strangler Tree—and lunged at him. This time, the wood held. By focusing my Spirit Power, I could make my plants as hard as ore. I sprouted a massive cluster of Gajumaru from the ground, cutting off his escape.
Checkmate.
"What is this wood? It's like iron! This is getting dangerous!"
I moved to ensnare him, intending to squeeze him until he passed out. But my Gajumaru tentacles struck nothing but air. From a position where there should have been no escape, he had vanished.
"...No way."
I looked up. There, hovering in the forest canopy, was Kyle. He was floating in mid-air, his body still crackling with electricity. He looked just like the Little Witch, but he wasn't a witch. How was he flying? Even masters of Wind Magic struggled to achieve true flight without a medium. Yet there he was, sitting cross-legged in the air as if it were the most natural thing in the world, looking down at me.
"Whoa, close one! Alraune-missy, you’re seriously as strong as they say."
No, you're the one who's insane!
To begin with, the lightning coming from his body was impossible. In this world, Lightning Magic didn't exist as a personal attribute. Aside from witches who could manipulate the weather or specific magic swords, no one could generate and control lightning from their own body. It simply shouldn't be possible.
"Man, this is great. I’ve been feeling a bit rusty for personal reasons, so I’ve been looking for an opponent I could fight without holding back."
Wait a second. This guy was more than just a little strange. He was clearly stronger than Vol-nii. While I didn't think he surpassed the Big Sister Dryades, Vergissmeinnicht, he felt just as powerful as the Golden Birdman, Galdafresvelgr. I never would have guessed that a flashy guy like him would be on the same level as the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King’s Army.
Still, fighting a powerhouse like this without our lives being on the line was... actually fun. I was surprised by his strength, and his mysterious Lightning Magic was fascinating. Plus, he had mentioned that his brother knew me.
The mystery was only deepening.
Just who was this man?
(Saint Iris, having been a solitary figure for so long, turned out to be quite a pushover when it came to friendship. Next time: The "Kyle is too strong" problem.)