It had been quite a long time, but Armin finally made his appearance.
Chronologically, the main story has finally caught up with the events following the side story, "Memoir: Does the Nectar-crazed Boy Dream of Alraune?"
A blond-haired boy came running in our direction.
The boy, who wore an innocent expression, looked absolutely delighted the moment he laid eyes on me. There was no mistaking him. It was Armin, the boy who adored my nectar!
"Whoa, Big Sister, you've shrunk! Are you really the Talking Alraune from back then?"
As Armin ran toward us shouting at the top of his lungs, the Little Witch stepped in front of me, shielding me behind her back as if standing guard. She didn't know who Armin was, so it was only natural for her to be wary.
"He... is not... an enemy," I said, trying to soothe her.
Once the Little Witch calmed down, seemingly satisfied that he wasn't a threat, Armin began talking to me with overwhelming energy.
"I could never forget this sweet scent of nectar! You’ve gotten smaller, but you’re definitely the Talking Alraune from that time!"
"It has been... a long time. Armin, you have... grown... a little since then."
I never dreamed that I would reunite with Armin. In fact, I had assumed I would never see him again. Nearly three years had passed, after all.
Looking at him now, I perceived a mysterious presence emanating from his body.
──Armin was giving off an Aura of Light!
Why did Armin possess an Aura of Light, a phenomenon that only appeared on a Saint capable of using Light Magic, or perhaps a Hero?!
While I was reeling in confusion, Armin’s next words hit me with a shock like a literal Electric Shock.
"I’ve been looking for you all this time, Big Sister. I just couldn't forget the taste of those Nectar Balls!"
──Big Sister!
It was a title I hadn't been called in a long while, and it had a wonderful ring to it. Yes, I was a splendid Big Sister! I was the older sister to the Little Witch, and the idolized Big Sister to Young Armin. I had completely forgotten about it lately, but I was glad the reminder had finally come...
"And about that Nectar Ball I got from you three years ago, Big Sister... it seems like it's still inside my body somehow."
W-what did he mean by that? Could it be that the Aura of Light leaking from Armin was caused by that Nectar Ball I gave him as a gift?
I certainly remember carefully applying Light Recovery Magic to the Nectar Ball so the candy wouldn't melt. But for it to still remain after three years was far beyond normal. Moreover, the amount of Aura of Light coming from Armin was extraordinary. To put it in perspective, he had more Aura of Light than a typical Apprentice Saint.
If Armin was right, it meant the Nectar Ball was continuously and automatically recovering inside his body. Could it be that I had accidentally created a Non-standard Nectar Ball?
If that were the case, then this was my fault. It didn't seem to have any ill effects, so... well, it couldn't be helped!
"Since then, no matter how harsh my training was, I could handle it by thinking of it as sweet as nectar, and I got strong! It’s all thanks to you, Big Sister!"
When we first met three years ago, Armin had been sulking because he couldn't endure his grandfather's training. He had wandered into the forest to slack off on his magic practice and ended up being caught by Hachi-san. Our meeting occurred because he was presented to me as a tribute from my friend, Hachi-san.
How nostalgic. At that time, I had only just become an Alraune and wasn't nearly as adjusted to plant life as I am now. If anything, since I had been living as a human until shortly before that, my sensibilities were still more human than monster.
I’ve transcended various things since then and come to terms with my nature, but back then, I was still transitioning. Since I can undergo Regeneration as long as I have roots and can even create plant clones, I tend to forget what it was like to be human.
Unlike me, who had moved on from humanity, Armin had visibly matured. He was taller, of course, but his facial features had changed most of all. He still had a bit of a baby face, though.
If I recalled correctly, Armin was ten years old back then. Since about three years had passed, he was at the age where he was about to turn thirteen. It felt like seeing a neighborhood elementary schooler after a long absence only to find they had entered middle school. He was at that stage where a boy begins to grow into a young man. He still looked like a boy, but in a few more years, he would surely be a fine young man.
"Even so, while I’ve grown, you’ve gotten much tinier than before, Big Sister. Why is that?"
"I am only... making myself... small... so that I can... move around. I can return... to my original form... whenever I want."
When I was with Armin before, I used my Big Sister Body to completely charm the innocent Young Armin. But with this flat-chested child body, I stood no chance of stealing a young boy's heart.
Ugh... should I return to my original form just for a moment...?
"It’s so funny that the Big Sister has gotten small! Let me borrow her for a bit!"
Armin tried to snatch the bucket I was sitting in from the Little Witch's hands. In response, the Little Witch slapped his hand away with a sharp smack and glared at him.
"What is with this boy... You, appearing out of nowhere, what exactly are you to the Alraune?"
The Little Witch snapped at him. Come to think of it, this was her first time meeting Armin.
"What's with this brat? Or rather, why is your hair white?"
"It’s white for a lot of reasons... more importantly, you're the brat here. You look completely childish."
The two children glared at each other. From my perspective, they were both still just kids. Now that I thought about it, the Little Witch was also turning thirteen soon. That meant they were the same age.
I felt like a fight was about to break out, but wasn't this an opportunity? This might be the perfect chance for the Little Witch to make a friend her own age. Big Sister was going to do her best to help her little sister make a friend!
"I will... introduce you. This boy... is Armin. An acquaintance... of mine."
Armin puffed out his chest proudly. That said, he was still a child, so he didn't look particularly imposing.
"And... this is Rufe. She lives... with me."
Once the introductions were over, the two resumed their staring contest. There wasn't a single sign of them becoming friendly. As I flusteredly waved my vines around, wondering what to do, the Little Witch suddenly realized something.
"I remember now. This is the boy who was captured by the Alraune."
──Wait, Little Witch, you knew Armin?!
Moreover, it seemed she even knew that I had captured him. In other words, the Little Witch had seen me keeping Armin "nectar-soaked" like a pet. Back then, she had used her Bird Transformation to become a White Bird. She must have witnessed Armin and me together while she was in her bird form.
"W-why do you know about that! I didn't even tell my gramps that I was with Big Sister!"
"Come to think of it, while you were missing from the village, your grandfather was looking for you with such a worried look. And yet you were alone with the Alraune the whole time... how envi—no, what a troublesome boy you are."
"Gramps has nothing to do with this! Besides, I remember now too. You’re that girl who was wearing a hood at the Village Chief's house."
I was amazed; I didn't expect the two of them to have already met. An acquaintance of mine was an acquaintance of another. The world truly is a small place.
"I know all about how you were eating the Alraune's Nectar with a pathetic look on your face," Rufe teased.
"You were the one sitting in the corner of the Village Chief's house like a piece of furniture! Even though I talked to you, you just ignored me!"
"A-at that time, I wasn't good at talking to people... but that's irrelevant now!"
The two children continued to bicker and shout. I couldn't help but feel like a proper Big Sister, watching this exchange from a guardian's perspective. I found myself grinning; it was actually quite heartwarming.
"But, I really didn't think you were alive," Armin said, his voice dropping as he looked around. "I finally managed to come back to the village, but everything had become like this..."
Armin spoke awkwardly. The village had been reduced to ashes by the Flame Dragon Lord's fire. That said, if the Flame Dragon Lord hadn't arrived, the Little Witch would have been burned at the stake by the villagers. The Little Witch was alive now because the village had perished, but if the Flame Dragon Lord hadn't come, she would have been executed.
It would have been wonderful if there were a future where both the Little Witch and the village survived, but things hadn't turned out that way. I couldn't help but wish I had been there, even though I was already an Alraune by then and it was impossible.
A brief silence followed.
Perhaps sensing the awkwardness, Armin pointed to the shack. "Since we've managed to reunite, why don't you come to my house instead of standing out here?"
It seemed that building was indeed Armin's home. Returning to the ruins of the village would only drain the Little Witch's spirit, so we decided to take him up on his offer.
Inside the shack, the interior was simple but well-kept, featuring a table and a kitchen. It wasn't spacious, but it was plenty of room for two or three people.
"Is plain boiled water okay? I don't have anything else," Armin said, setting wooden cups down for the Little Witch as she took a seat. I thought he was just a kid, but he was surprisingly attentive.
While sitting in my bucket on the table, I looked around the room. There were other wooden dishes, but I noticed there were only enough for two. Armin must be living here alone with his grandfather.
"I’ve wanted to see you for so long, Big Sister! It’s been so long, my dream finally came true!"
Armin looked overjoyed as he went on at length about how much he had missed me. After we parted, he had tried honey from all over the continent, but apparently, none of it could even compare to my nectar. He had wanted to return to see me, but his grandfather's training was so intense he was rarely allowed to leave. He had been waiting for a chance ever since, and it finally came when his grandfather took a long-term job in the Empire.
He had returned to the forest with a skip in his step, only to find it was a scorched wasteland and I was gone. His disappointment at thinking he would never eat my nectar again must have been crushing. That was why he had used this shack as a base to search for me.
"I’ve dreamed of this day! So please, give me some nectar like you used to!"
Armin held out an empty cup in front of me. Looking back, Armin was the first human to ever taste my nectar. He was also the one who provided me with my first bit of entertainment when I was living a lonely life in the forest. He was the one who discovered I could talk and became my conversation partner, helping me rediscover the joy of living.
I do feel like I made him a bit obsessive by giving him too much nectar, but if I could, I wanted to grant his wish.
"That is... fine. Drink... as much... as you like."
I poured nectar into Armin's cup. He looked like he couldn't wait another second and began gulping down the nectar with a blissful expression.
Three years ago, I had lived with Armin for about three days. I had given nectar to him then, and he had acted like a spoiled child begging for food. Because he ate it with such gusto, I kept giving him more, until eventually, he started saying he didn't want to go back to the village at all.
Those were fun times. A deep sense of emotion welled up within me as I saw that the boy who used to crave nectar within my vines had grown so much. But thinking about it logically, the sight of an Alraune feeding nectar to a young boy probably looked incredibly suspicious to outsiders. If Armin's grandfather had seen us, he likely would have tried to kill me.
Even so, if someone asks, I’ll give them nectar. Because it makes me happy, too!
"It’s not fair! Alraune, give me some too!"
The Little Witch, having finished her water, slammed her cup down in front of me. It seemed she was feeling competitive. Come to think of it, she was just as much of a nectar-lover as Armin. Was it a kid thing? Though I had plenty of adult fans, so maybe age didn't matter.
The two children sat there, gulping down my nectar. Before I knew it, they had stopped bickering entirely. Between drinks, they kept requesting refills.
They even started to bond. "Wait, you like Big Sister's nectar too?" "So you're someone who actually understands this flavor." They were already starting to acknowledge one another.
The change was incredible, considering they were at each other's throats moments ago. Nectar truly does save the world! Peace is always better than conflict.
They were still a long way from being true friends, but they had certainly become a little closer. If my nectar was the catalyst for that, then I was satisfied.
──I wonder if my nectar could be used for mediating other fights?
The next time I run into a conflict between adults, I should try using it. Maybe they’ll be so moved by the deliciousness of my nectar that they’ll lay down their weapons just like these two. If it works well enough, it might even end wars.
As I continued to provide nectar to the two of them, such were the thoughts that drifted through my mind.