This is the Little Witch’s POV.
My name is Rufe.
It had been quite some time since I first started raising Alraune.
Beyond anything I could have imagined at the start, she had grown into something truly magnificent.
Before I knew it, she had become strong enough to topple the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King's Army and even the Witch Queen. I always knew she was powerful, but she turned out to be a truly incredible flower.
I was the one who first recognized her potential. That’s why it made me so happy to see everyone else finally acknowledge her strength.
It wasn’t just her power that grew, either. Her intellect matured alongside her physical growth, almost like a human's. She started selling vegetables to the Lord, invented Saint Hair Tonic, and came up with all sorts of clever ideas.
She’s come a long way from the crying baby I found all alone in the woods.
Perhaps it was because of my excellent upbringing. As her older sister, I’ve done my best to educate her every step of the way. I could practically puff out my chest with pride.
Lately, Alraune seemed to have developed an interest in Adventurers. For some reason, that led to her forming a party with the ones from the city.
Alraune was only about two years old. She was at that curious age where everything seemed fascinating. As her big sister, I had to indulge her whims, didn't I?
So, as Alraune's guardian, I decided to accompany the Adventurers as well. It was quite a handful having such a high-maintenance little sister.
I really was a wonderful big sister.
With Alraune back in her bucket for the first time in a while, I set off with the humans.
The Adventurers headed deep into the Dryades' Forest. If we kept going this way, we would eventually reach the village where I used to live.
I had a bad feeling about it.
And just as I feared, the very thing I dreaded came to pass.
──What should I do? We’ve actually arrived at the village!
The place where I once lived had been decimated by a flame Dragon; it was nothing but ruins now. Though the villagers from back then were surely long gone, I still didn't want to be here if I could help it.
It brought back memories of the pain in my head when the Village Chief struck me with his staff, the grit of gravel against my tongue when they forced me to eat stones, and the way the villagers looked at me the moment I was tied to the stake to be burned...
Ever since we set foot in the village, I couldn’t find any peace of mind. Alraune worriedly asked if I was okay, but eventually, I couldn't hold it in anymore.
"I don't want to be here..."
The moment I said those words, Alraune pointed a Vine toward the outskirts and suggested we leave.
She really was a kind girl. Knowing she was being so considerate of my feelings made me feel a little better.
Near the village, we ran into an Elf woman and a human boy. The Elf didn't bother me, but the boy was a problem.
"Whoa, that big sister got tiny! How funny! Lemme borrow her for a second!"
The boy reached out toward the bucket Alraune was sitting in.
What was his problem? Who did he think he was?
"Don't you dare take Alraune!"
I slapped his hand away and glared at him.
"Who are you to show up out of nowhere and act like you know her?"
"What's with this brat? And hey, why is your hair white?"
That settled it. I could tell right then and there: this boy and I would never get along.
According to Alraune, his name was Armin. That triggered a memory—he was definitely the boy who had been with her before. I remembered hearing how she’d given him Nectar, and how he’d done nothing but mumble about it after returning to the village.
In other words, Armin had met Alraune before I did...
I really didn't like him. He seemed far too attached to her. I was sure he was trying to steal her away from me.
As Armin and I bickered, Alraune and the Elf woman stepped in to mediate.
I made up my mind then. I would absolutely not lose to this boy. No matter what happened, I would protect Alraune from him!
Aside from that, there was something else about Alraune that had been weighing on my mind.
There was a grave at the Elf's house. I recognized the name carved into it. I had heard it many times before.
"Who exactly is Saint Iris?"
The Elf didn't answer my question.
Iris──the name of the Saint who was said to look just like Alraune.
In fact, I had been shown a Portrait of Saint Iris at the Lord's manor back in the city. She certainly did bear a striking resemblance to Alraune.
However, Saint Iris had blonde hair, and her lower body was that of a normal human, not a plant. They looked alike, but they were clearly different people. That much was obvious.
Still, because their faces were so similar, people couldn't stop gossiping. That was why I’d become so curious about her.
She was long dead, but she seemed to have been quite famous. Now that I thought about it, I had a vague memory of my father and mother talking about Saint Iris when I was little. All the girls in the village used to admire her. I might have been one of them, once.
In the end, I didn't learn anything new about her. All I knew was that she was a former companion of the Elf and that she had died here in the forest.
If she was no longer in this world, then she had nothing to do with Alraune. Alraune didn't seem to know her either, so the resemblance had to be a coincidence.
Besides, Alraune was far more important to me than some dead Saint. She was my precious little sister.
I brought Alraune to my Parents' Grave to tell them the news: I had a sister now. I wanted them to know that I wasn't alone anymore.
But an intruder crashed our visit, and things got complicated.
During all the chaos, I actually managed to reconcile with Armin. We fought side-by-side to take down a Bear Monster, and he turned out to be surprisingly capable. He also told me he had no intention of taking Alraune away.
He liked Alraune too. Just like I did.
It was still a little annoying to know someone else cared for her that much, but it turned out he was just obsessed with her Nectar. He'd basically been tamed by her feeding him. If all he wanted was the Nectar, he was no different from the city folk or Saint Nina. I suppose I could live with that.
We also ran into an Imperial Witch. Her name was Malai, a name I had heard back in the Witch's Village. She was definitely one of the Witch Queen's cronies. One of the people who had ruined my life. I could never forgive her...!
But Alraune repelled the Imperial Witch for me. She even made short work of the Devil from the Right Eye that emerged from the woman.
Alraune was truly incredible. A flower this magnificent couldn't possibly exist anywhere else in the world.
Once the intruders were driven off, Alraune shifted from her Potted Child Form back into her adult self. She looked more like a "big sister" than I did now, but on the inside, she was still a child. I was the one who had to lead the way.
What's more, my wonderful sister called me "family." Those words made me realize it all over again.
"I have a family now."
A little sister was family. That meant Alraune and I were a family. I had someone again.
The day after we drove off the Imperial Witch, Alraune and I returned to the graves.
I spoke to my father and mother.
"You know, I have a family now."
I gripped Alraune's Vine as I gave them the news.
"So please, don't worry about me anymore. I'm not alone."
Alraune stayed by my side through everything. Even though she was younger than me, she was always the one protecting me.
And that wasn't all. Even though I was a Witch, I had found companions who didn't persecute me. It wasn't just the Fairies and Withered Tree Monsters anymore; the people in the city accepted me too. They welcomed me, even knowing what I was.
I finally understood that not everyone was cruel like those villagers.
So, there was no need to worry. I wasn't that helpless little girl my parents used to protect anymore.
When I finished my report, Alraune spoke up.
"Hey, Rufe... do you... like me?"
What a silly thing to ask. The answer was obvious.
"Of course I do."
Alraune shyly looked away. She was trying to hide it, but her blushing face was adorable.
"Then... do you... still want to know... about Saint Iris?"
"...No, it's okay."
I didn't know why she asked that, but I could guess. Alraune was likely worried about her face resembling the Saint's. She realized I was bothered by it, too.
Perhaps, just as I had feared Armin would take her away, she was afraid I might leave her to go looking for Saint Iris. She might have thought I would abandon her and the forest to investigate the connection.
When I was a child, after I became a Witch, I used to have nightmares that my parents would abandon me and go somewhere far away. I understood her fear all too well.
But honestly, I didn't care about some Saint.
"To me, Alraune, you are my most important family. I don't care about some Saint I've never even met. You're the one who matters."
...Or was it possible she wasn't misunderstanding at all?
Maybe there really was a connection between her and Saint Iris. I knew she had her secrets. A flower this amazing didn't just happen. Even I could tell she wasn't normal. I also knew she was secretly keeping in touch with Saint Nina and the others.
But I didn't intend to pry. Alraune might be an airhead sometimes, but she wasn't stupid. She had her reasons for everything she did.
She was my family. Just as I had eventually confessed the truth about being a Witch to my parents, I was sure she would tell me her secrets when she was ready. Until then, I wouldn't worry about it.
Before we left, Alraune and I offered flowers to the graves together—to my parents, and to the new graves we had just made for the villagers.
"I'll be okay now!" I told my parents one last time.
I wasn't alone anymore. My parents' daughter was doing just fine.
With a smile, I tightly squeezed Alraune's Vine.
And so, that was the perspective of Rufe, the Little Witch.
Next time: My Hometown.