The demon that had been residing in Crown Princess Malai’s right eye was, of all people, Yasmin’s papa.
To be honest, my jaw had been hanging open for quite some time now.
The shock of realizing I had actually captured my friend’s father was hard to process.
That demon, Nebiros—also known as Yasmin’s papa—shouted while tears streamed from his eyes.
"More importantly, is it really you, Yasmin?! I—I can't believe you're alive! I was told you had died...!"
"Wait, I was supposed to be dead?! Since when?!"
"After the news reached me that the castle where you were staying had fallen《kanraku》, you were listed as missing for nearly a year, you know?"
"I just sort of lost my way home... anyway, Papa, you look like you're about to die right now. The fact that you were caught means you did something bad, right? What did you do to my friend!"
The demon I had captured thinking he was a threat was actually my friend’s father.
Honestly, what were the odds?
I had just been thinking about how small the world was, but the demon world was apparently just as cramped.
I certainly couldn't just go and eat Yasmin’s papa for nutrients now.
"I see... so the Alraune was Yasmin's friend. I didn't know, and for that, I am truly sorry. I offer my sincerest apologies."
Since he apologized so sincerely, I suppose I could forgive him.
He was my friend's father, after all. It couldn't be helped.
After making him promise never to attack us again, I released the restraint of my vines.
"So, why is Papa in a place like this anyway?"
"Papa came here to avenge you, Yasmin...!"
Now that the immediate threat to his life had passed, Demon Nebiros-san spoke as if he had finally resigned himself, explaining how he came to dwell in the Crown Princess's eye.
"Because the Prime Minister said that Yasmin had been killed by the humans of the Kingdom of Gardenia, Papa flew into a rage. To take revenge for you, I volunteered for the Kingdom of Gardenia Invasion Operation."
"Oh, Papa. You're always so hasty. I'm alive, and I'm living quite happily in a human city."
It seemed this Demon Papa had been skillfully manipulated like a puppet by the Prime Minister of the Demon King’s Army.
Taking advantage of Yasmin’s disappearance, they had put her father to work for their own ends.
"If you understand that you were being used by the Prime Minister, then we aren't enemies anymore, right?"
I gave the Demon Papa a bright, ladylike smile.
Trembling, he nodded his head up and down vigorously. "O-Of course, my daughter's friend."
In that case, please tell me.
"The Kingdom of Gardenia Invasion Operation—what exactly is that about?"
"......You are my daughter’s friend. I truly want to tell you the details, but Papa simply can't."
The Demon Papa cast his eyes down apologetically.
"We are under contract with the Empire. If I leak the details of the plan, the breach of contract would cost me my soul."
Now that he mentioned it, I had heard about that.
Demons were notoriously strict regarding contracts.
"Besides, even though I was captured, I am still a proud Demon General. I have placed other contracts upon myself to ensure information doesn't leak to outsiders."
"Wait, what's this about a Demon General? Papa, you were a civil servant, weren't you?"
To my surprise, the self-proclaimed Demon General Nebiros-papa was actually just a Demon Civil Servant Papa.
He hadn't seemed very accustomed to fighting for someone calling themselves a General, so that explanation made sense.
Even that Dark Magic he used to grasp a heart was far too slow to be practical in a real fight.
Yasmin let out a heavy sigh, looking at her father with a "good grief" expression.
"Don't go calling yourself a General; I won't be the one to help you when Grandfather gets angry."
"But the Prime Minister said I could act as a General for this mission! Papa got a bit carried away. Besides, your grandfather is basically retired; I'm sure he'll overlook a little bit of posturing..."
"Honestly, Papa, you always get carried away. Don't come crying to me. You're definitely going to get a lecture from Grandfather and Mama later."
Just like Crown Princess Malai’s "carelessness," Demon Nebiros-san had revealed his own abilities to us earlier, but it seemed that was only because he had been feeling overconfident.
Normally, you would keep your trump card a secret. That made sense too.
Demon Nebiros-san was Yasmin's father, and he wasn't a General—just a civil servant.
That said, Immediate Death Magic was still a terrifying threat to humans.
Against ordinary soldiers, he would likely be unrivaled, which was why the Prime Minister of the Demon King’s Army had found him useful.
Furthermore, by telling him his daughter was dead, they had intended to hurl this grieving father at the humans as a weapon of vengeance.
Come to think of it, the Demon Papa had asked Crown Princess Malai if the arrangements were to summon him in the Royal Capital.
In other words, the plan was likely to summon him to go on a rampage once Malai arrived at the heart of the kingdom.
However, that shouldn't have been possible.
The Royal Capital was protected by the Holy Magic Barrier《Dämonenwand》.
A Witch like Malai or a member of the Demon Race like Nebiros shouldn't have been able to cross that barrier.
No matter how strong they were, they should have been helpless before the Holy Magic Barrier set by First Saint Nemea.
After all, that barrier had protected the Royal Capital for a thousand years.
Even the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King's Army shouldn't have been able to destroy it.
The Demon King’s Army and the Witch Queen had to have known that.
If so, why concoct such a plan now?
Malai shouldn't have even been able to set foot inside the city...
Questions remained, but for now, I turned my attention to the pair before me.
I quietly watched the reunion of the demon father and daughter.
"I went through a terrible ordeal because I listened to the Prime Minister, but being reunited with you makes it all worth it. I'm so glad you're alive, Yasmin... Papa thought I'd never see you again, I thought... hic... waaaah!"
"Oh, stop it already, Papa! My friend is watching, you're embarrassing me!"
If he truly thought Yasmin was dead, I could understand his grief.
In fact, I felt a pang of envy seeing how much Yasmin was loved by her father.
——I wondered about my own father and mother.
I, as Iris, had died. I wondered how my family had reacted.
If they had grieved for me, it would make me happy.
But at the same time, I felt a weight of guilt.
By becoming a Saint, I had elevated the Ducal House's influence over the Church. With my engagement to the Hero, my family was set to produce a Queen and secure an unshakable status in the Kingdom of Gardenia for generations.
And yet, I had died.
Worse, thanks to that Shitty Junior, I was branded a traitor who had colluded with the enemy.
Even if it was a lie, the shame of a "Traitor Saint" must have brought immense trouble to my family.
Did they grieve for such a daughter?
Or did my parents, unaware of the truth, react with fury at what they thought I had done?
Furthermore, I was no longer human; I was a plant monster.
Looking like this, as an Alraune, I didn't have the courage to face them yet.
I couldn't do what Yasmin was doing—I couldn't rejoice in a reunion or be embraced by my parents...
Once the emotional reunion ended, Yasmin awkwardly addressed the rest of the Adventurer Party.
"I'm sorry for keeping this from you. Actually... I'm a demon."
I had known her secret for a long time.
She was saying this for the benefit of everyone else.
Present were the Little Witch, Merk the Elf, Armin—who was recovering thanks to my Nectar—his sister Anna, and Kyle the charmer.
Yasmin made a sincere request to the surprised group.
"Please, keep my identity a secret."
Given the circumstances, no one seemed particularly flustered by the revelation.
The Little Witch gave no reaction; she didn't seem to care.
Merk nodded quietly. Being an Elf, she was wise from her long life; she likely already knew.
Kyle puffed out his chest and said, "I knew it from the start!" Which was obvious, since he was a member of the Demon Race himself.
Armin offered a bright smile. "If you're Alraune-nee-chan's friend, you must be a good demon. I don't mind at all." That was our Armin for you.
However, his sister, Anna, felt differently.
"Demons are the enemies of humans. Do you, a demon, truly understand that?" she asked, her hand moving to her sword.
The feud between humans and the Demon Race had lasted for a millennium.
A prejudice that deep wouldn't vanish easily.
The same was true for the demons.
And yet, Yasmin spread her arms and faced Anna directly.
"For us, humans are the enemy too. We were taught that humans are cruel, barbaric creatures. But I don't believe that anymore."
Yasmin tightly gripped the hem of her receptionist skirt—the uniform provided by the Adventurer Guild.
"Living in the city taught me the truth. Humans are just ordinary living things, the same as us. They can be a bit scary sometimes, but they're just normal folks who want to live in peace."
On her days off, Yasmin often came to the forest to visit me.
She had told me then:
"Humans aren't all bad people."
At first, she had been terrified of them, but not anymore.
She lived among them now, as a fellow citizen.
"I can't forget what humans did to the demons in the distant past. I'm sure it's the same for you... but I've stopped seeing people as enemies just because they're human."
Yasmin stood tall with her arms crossed, staring intently at Anna.
"There are good and bad people among both humans and demons. I've learned that. I thought you were a good human, Anna. Was I wrong?"
"I am a good human. I'm the Genius Beautiful Girl Swordsman who protects people from monsters..."
"And I'm a good demon. So, there isn't a single person here who wants to hurt a human."
It was the truth. Yasmin had never harmed anyone in the Tower City.
Not that she could; she was essentially a maid with zero combat ability. She’d be defeated by a novice Adventurer in seconds.
"Your brother trusts the Alraune. Won't you try to trust me, even just a little?"
"............Ugh, fine. I get it. My brother is attached to the Alraune, and I already knew some monsters were more human than others."
Anna returned her sword to its scabbard and pointed a finger at Yasmin.
"But if you ever betray us or show hostility toward humans, I won't show any mercy. Until then, I'll be keeping an eye on you."
With that, Anna huffed and looked away.
It seemed she was willing to accept that Yasmin wasn't an enemy.
In response, Yasmin turned to me. "Hey, Alraune."
"I've decided. I'm not going back to the Demon King's Castle... I want to stay in the city and see more of the human world."
"If that is what you want, Yasmin, then I will help you."
"Thank you. Humans are interesting. I didn't realize that, aside from their looks, they were no different from us."
Actually, my appearance was that of a monster, but my heart was human.
I couldn't tell her that, but this demon girl had become a precious friend to me.
I was happy she wanted to understand humans, and I would do anything to support her.
"Did Papa mishear? It sounded like Yasmin said she wanted to keep living in a human city?"
Demon Nebiros-san looked at his daughter in disbelief.
He reached out a hand toward her.
"Let's go home, Yasmin. Mama is waiting."
"I'm not going back yet. I have a job, and besides, in the city there is..." Yasmin trailed off, fidgeting embarrassedly.
Come to think of it, during the city festival, Yasmin had been dancing with Drink Bar-san.
They seemed to have stayed close since then. I wondered if they had made any progress.
"No way... Yasmin, did a human in the city do something to you?!"
"N-No! It's not like I'm in that kind of relationship with that man yet!"
"A man?! You mean... with a human man..."
"D-Don't get the wrong idea! There's no way a proud demon like me would fall for a human!"
"While Papa wasn't looking! I—I won't allow it! How dare he bewitch my daughter. Papa will squeeze the life out of that man's heart...!"
Despite just promising not to harm humans, the Demon Papa was already issuing death threats.
It seemed coexistence wouldn't be quite so simple after all.
I could only pray for the safety of Drink Bar-san’s heart.
The father and daughter, fresh from their emotional reunion, had already descended into a shouting match.
The Little Witch walked silently past the bickering pair.
She came to a stop in front of me and took hold of one of my vines.
"Alraune, let's head home."
——That's right, let's go home.
We had finished visiting the graves.
The investigation of the Imperial Soldiers and the ecological survey of the forest were essentially complete.
There was no reason to stay here any longer.
Remaining in this ruined village wouldn't be good for the Little Witch’s heart, either.
Our stint as Adventurers was over.
It had been a short trip, but a memorable one.
I gripped the Little Witch's small hand back with my vine.
"Let's go back to our forest!"
The Little Witch no longer had a home in this village.
But she had a new home now.
That forest we had built together was the place we belonged.
Next time: The Little Witch's first homecoming.