I was a big sister—one who looked after kids like the Little Witch and Armin. Even though I was currently a tiny Alraune living in a bucket, I was a bona fide older sister through and through, no matter what anyone said!
However, as I watched the boy gulp down my nectar, a sudden realization hit me.
Wait... if a third party saw this, wouldn't it look incredibly bad?
What would happen if Armin’s guardian—his grandfather—returned at this very moment? From what I remembered, Armin’s grandfather was powerful enough to manipulate wind magic from a distance. If a man like that saw his precious grandson driven into a trance by an Alraune’s nectar, what would he do?
He would surely brand me a wicked monster and attack. If that happened, it would be the end; I might never be able to give Armin nectar again. I had to take countermeasures before things reached that point!
"By the way, Armin... when is your... grandfather... coming home?"
"If you mean Gramps, he won't be back until spring. He's on a business trip to the Kingdom of Myrte Holy Light."
Armin’s grandfather was out of the house! Well, in that case, I could basically do whatever I wanted.
"Out, huh..."
Still, something was bothering me. If his grandfather was away, why were there two sets of dishes left out? It looked as though two people had just finished a meal and left the plates to dry. Perhaps Armin wasn't living here alone, but with someone else.
"Armin, do you... live here... by yourself?"
"No. I live here with my big sister."
I see. So he lived with his older sister. Now that he mentioned it, I had a vague memory of him saying he had one. It was better than dealing with his grandfather, but a sister was still a close relative. From her perspective, how would she feel about her younger brother being "tamed" by a strange plant monster's nectar?
If it were me, I’d probably finish off a monster like that on the spot...
"What's wrong, Alraune?"
As I trembled, nectar spilling from my mouth, the Little Witch called out to me with concern. I couldn't find a trace of the fear she’d shown when we first arrived at the ruins. She looked as though she had already forgotten the trauma of the village. It seemed her verbal spat with Armin had been just the change of pace she needed.
"It’s okay. I’m with you, Alraune."
The Little Witch hugged my bucket and gently patted my head. Apparently, she had misinterpreted my shaking and thought I was shocked to find out Armin had a real sister. To me, Armin didn't feel like a real brother; he was more like a boy from the neighborhood. I wasn't actually upset about it.
After all, my only little sister was the Little Witch...
(By the way, I also counted Kiri and the Amazoness Treant as family. They were all precious to me.)
"You sisters are really close, aren't you?" Armin muttered with a sullen pout.
Was the boy jealous because his "big sister" wasn't paying attention to him? I thought he had grown up, but he was still such a child. How cute. Just like the old days, I’d have to give him a nice pat with my vines later.
"Oh yeah, look at this! I've gotten way better at magic than I was back then!"
During the time I spent with Armin three years ago, we did many things together. I’d even looked over his magic a bit. Even as a beginner, he had shown glimpses of real talent. Since I’d given him quite a few tips, I suppose he could even be considered my disciple.
If his magic had grown as much as his height, I definitely wanted to see it. We stepped outside the shack. In the mood of a master watching over a pupil, I crossed my vine-arms expectantly. In front of the building, Armin began his demonstration.
"Wind Three-Birds (Sturmvogel)!"
With his wind magic, Armin manifested three small birds. Years ago, he had his hands full just producing a gust of wind. It should have been impossible for him to cast something so delicate.
"And now, from Wind Three-Birdcage (Sturmkäfig)... Wind Blade Explosion (Sturmlung)!"
The three magical birds dancing in the sky were suddenly trapped in prisons of wind, then instantly detonated by a flurry of raging blades. My eyes were glued to the display; the way he manipulated three distinct spells simultaneously was brilliant.
I was genuinely surprised. He had already reached this level? If he were at the Royal Capital Magic School, he might have been able to graduate with honors with this kind of skill. That was how much raw talent I felt behind his magic.
"Armin, you've... become so good... at magic..."
"Heheh. Getting praised by you makes all the training worth it. The only reason I grew this much is because of your Nectar Balls, big sister!"
Wait, that was because of my nectar? I hadn't intended for that, but hearing him say it made me happy. I might have been fostering someone's growth without even realizing it!
"Hey, hey, watch this! I can do more!"
As Armin began to show off further, for some reason, the Little Witch started walking toward the edge of the property to put some distance between them. Since I was being carried by her, I was forced to go along.
What’s wrong, Rufe? I can't see Armin's magic from over here.
"Rufe, what's... the matter... so suddenly?"
"Nothing..."
Was she sulking because I was paying too much attention to Armin? We had been together constantly until now, so maybe she thought Armin was stealing me away. Honestly, she was such a handful.
Then, my lovable Little Witch uttered a word that stopped my heart.
"Iris..."
A phantom sensation of a heart I no longer possessed leaped in my chest. It was a total shock. Because—the Little Witch had just said my true name.
Wh-Why?! I shouldn't have revealed my identity to her yet!
"...Saint Iris. Is this that Saint Iris?"
It was then that I realized the truth. Rufe wasn't calling out to me; she was reading something.
I forced myself to calm down. It appeared she was looking at the base of a giant, withered tree. A wooden board had been driven into the ground there. And on that board, the words were carved:
Saint Iris
No matter how I looked at it, it was a grave. My grave.
My vines began to shake. Why was there a grave for me here...?
It was true that I died near this village, but it made no sense for a grave to exist. At my final moments, only the Hero and that Shitty Junior were there. I couldn't imagine those two, who had betrayed and murdered me, possessing enough mercy to bury me.
So why was it here? That question was answered almost immediately.
Clack, clack, clack.
The sound of a wooden clapper echoed. I turned toward the noise and saw Yasmin and the others approaching. Why were they back so soon?
My thoughts were cut short the moment I saw the unfamiliar person standing behind Yasmin. As soon as I recognized that distinctive figure, my confusion vanished into thin air.
"Look, Alraune! We found the elf from Anna's request!"
Among Yasmin's group was a new silhouette. No—I knew this woman. To be precise, I used to know her very well.
A tall elf woman stepped forward. She was taller than Yasmin or Anna—tall enough that she didn't look small even standing next to the hulking Kyle. She had a refined, beautiful face, even by a woman's standards. There was a grace to her that felt unique to her race. And then, there were those long ears, a sight I hadn't seen in a long time.
"Oh, welcome back, Elf Big Sister!" Armin waved.
In that instant, it all clicked. The "big sister" Armin lived with wasn't a biological relative. He had been talking about this elf.
Yasmin spoke up, introducing the woman to me. "Didn't I mention her before? This elf is the botanist who visited the city!"
A bolt of electricity seemed to run through my mind. The search for the elf, the botanist from a few months ago... Come to think of it, when the Witch Queen attacked, Kiri had mentioned meeting a botanist and receiving an Ice Plant. I had wondered how she’d run into someone with such a rare profession, or why a traveler would just happen to have Ice Plant seeds.
All the pieces fell into place. How had I not realized it? If that botanist was the person I thought she was, of course she’d be carrying seeds.
"Let me introduce you. This is Mercurée-san. It seems she's researching plants in this area."
Mercurée.
Yes, I knew her. I knew her better than almost anyone. That was the name of the only friend Iris ever had. My one and only best friend from my Saint era. We had both been members of the Hero’s party; we were comrades who had shared the same meals and hardships.
No way... is it really Merk?
I stared blankly at the face of the first and only friend I’d ever had in my life as Iris. If Yasmin was Friend No. 2, Merk was Friend No. 1.
That Friend No. 1 smiled as she approached me. "Oh, what a lovely Alraune."
Our eyes met.
This was bad. This was very, very bad.
This was on a completely different level from Nina or Princess Frie finding out who I was. Since I’d only spoken to them a handful of times, the embarrassment of being discovered would have been manageable.
But this elf woman was different. We were genuine friends who had spent years together. She was the only person I had ever spoken to as an equal, without formal titles.
Think about it. How would you feel if your best friend of several years turned into an Alraune? Moreover, that friend was supposed to be a high-born lady of a Ducal House and the most famous, holy Saint on the continent. And now, that Saint was a half-naked plant monster.
No matter what she thought of me, it would be humiliating!
That was why, out of everyone in the world, I absolutely did not want the Hero, the Shitty Junior, or my best friend Merk to know my identity.
But Mercurée was an Elf Sage. She was brilliant, and she had lived dozens of times longer than I had. She was the person who had observed me the longest. She even knew me from back when I was an Apprentice Saint.
In other words, she knew exactly what I looked like as a child. And that was terrifying.
"That adorable face... it looks familiar," she mused.
To a long-lived elf, ten years ago must have felt like last week. Because I knew her so well, I knew what was coming.
"You have the exact same face as that girl did when she was little."
Oh, no. What was I going to do? Against my best friend, my cover was going to be blown in seconds!