I was an Alraune, a plant monster.
Despite my monstrous nature, I possessed quite a few pen pals.
Now then, which letter should I have examined first?
Reverting to the mindset of a duke's daughter for the first time in a while, I stared down the letters clutched in my vines.
──Wait, what was I thinking?
The moment I used my vines to hold them, the image of a refined lady shattered completely. I looked like nothing more than a predatory plant that had snatched correspondence from a passing human. I mean, the sight of a plant reading a letter was absurd to begin with. And a monster, at that.
Just as I shifted from my lady-like mood back to my usual self, the Priest who was tutoring the little witch cast a suspicious glance my way.
"You are a plant monster, yet you can read...?" Priest Pandia asked, her voice laced with doubt.
She was definitely onto me!
But I needn't have worried. Whether she sensed my anxiety or not, the little witch stepped in to provide backup.
"I’m the one who taught Alraune her letters. Amazing, right?" Rufe boasted.
In truth, Rufe had tried to teach me to read and write once before. At the time, she had showered me with praise, exclaiming, "Alraune, you've learned them already?! You might be a genius!"
I hadn't been able to bring myself to admit that I was actually far more literate than my teacher, which left me feeling a twinge of guilt. It was situations like this that made it so difficult to reveal my true identity to the little witch.
Once I confirmed that the little witch and Priest Pandia had returned to their lesson, I turned my attention back to the letters. I decided to start with Vol-nii’s.
While keeping Nina’s and Imperial Princess Freundliche’s letters secured in my vines, I used my human arms to open Vol-nii’s envelope. Vines were simply too clumsy for opening mail; when it came to delicate work, human fingers were truly indispensable.
It made me realize once again just how well-constructed human hands were. I could finally empathize with members of the demon race like the Flame Dragon Lord who chose to masquerade in human form. A human body was fragile and worrisome compared to a monster’s, but it was undeniably dexterous and convenient.
Vol-nii’s letter covered the recent situation in the Royal Capital, news regarding my Shitty Junior, Zelma, and the current state of my—Iris’s—family home.
Since that Shitty Junior was currently away from the Royal Capital, information on her was sparse. The letter noted that Zelma had personally volunteered to tour the southern reaches of the kingdom for a series of visitations. During her tour, an imperial territorial violation had occurred, and she had subsequently joined a negotiation delegation to visit the Empire.
I already knew that the Shitty Junior had stayed in the Glanz Empire before heading toward the Kingdom of Myrte Holy Light. For the most part, Vol-nii’s report aligned perfectly with my expectations.
Reflecting on it again, Zelma’s movements were highly suspicious. I had a few choice questions for that Shitty Junior, so a "payback visit" might have been necessary in the future.
Vol-nii’s update on my family home was also a great relief. For the time being, it seemed everyone was faring well. The upper echelons of the kingdom officially recognized Saint Iris as a traitor, and I had been constantly worried about how that stigma affected my family. Knowing they were safe was enough for now.
However, the most concerning part of Vol-nii’s letter was this:
"I cannot write the details, but a major problem is currently unfolding at the Royal Castle. I am buried in the response effort, so I will be unable to get in touch for the foreseeable future."
A major problem at the Royal Castle... just what on earth could have happened? It was clearly an incident too sensitive to put on paper, but phrased like that, it only made me more curious.
Moreover, it seemed Vol-nii had been enlisting Anna’s help with his work for some time. The Female Swordsman Anna had been in Tower City until recently and had even formed an adventurer party with me. Had she started helping Vol-nii after that, or had she been in his employ the entire time?
Next, I opened the letter from Imperial Princess Freundliche—or Frie, as I knew her. It was the first time I had received mail from her since my days as Iris. Despite the nostalgic feeling, the content was anything but peaceful.
Frie had apparently succeeded in her audience with the King of the Kingdom of Gardenia, and she mentioned that Manfred was with her. However, a dark incident had occurred during their journey from Tower City to the Royal Capital.
"While traveling to the Royal Capital by carriage, we were attacked by Witches."
──Frie had been attacked?!
The assault had claimed the lives of several guards, and Frie herself had suffered a fatal wound. It was a gash so deep that even her own Light Recovery Magic couldn't close it. Just as she thought her life was ending, she had swallowed the Saint Nectar I had given her as a parting gift, narrowly escaping death.
The Witches had retreated, believing their target was dead, but my Saint Nectar had allowed Frie to make a full recovery.
"I owe my life to you, Master. As expected of my Master!" she wrote in a passage filled with gratitude.
I was glad my Nectar had saved her, but the fact that Witches were targeting Frie was a grave problem. It meant that even as an Imperial Princess, her life was still in danger. The order had likely come from the Witch Queen... though I couldn't rule out the Imperial Prince. They were rivals for the throne, and given that his wife was that Crown Princess Malai, he certainly had the motive to want Frie dead.
As I read further, the tone shifted from life-threatening danger to the glittering gossip of high society. I imagined it was exhausting for her to navigate the kingdom's nobility, but I hoped she was managing.
Let's see... what was this?
"I held a tea party with the young ladies and noblewomen of the capital, and the primary topic of conversation was the Alraune Brand Saint Hair Tonic. When I mentioned I was friends with that very Alraune, they all practically pounced on me, begging for an introduction. As expected of you, Master—you are a celebrity no matter what form you take."
Those noble daughters were almost certainly people I knew personally! Every aristocrat in the capital was an acquaintance of mine. I didn't want to meet them under any circumstances!
"What surprised me most of all, however, was that Saint Nectar and Saint Hair Tonic have become an absolute craze. Everyone from the children in the slums to the Royalty themselves is eating Saint Nectar. Enormous sums of money are changing hands in the shops because of it. I even saw a Sister in the square giving an oration, claiming that Saint Nectar was more precious than gold.
These women praise you like a goddess, Master, and their following grows by the day. Apparently, the Church has been keeping a watchful eye on them, but since the Church executives are addicted to the nectar and even the Head of the Saint Cathedral is a fan of the hair tonic, they can’t exactly shut them down. Master, you would be a superstar if you came to the capital. Isn't that wonderful?"
──No, it most certainly was not!
Why was a cult devoted to me springing up in the Royal Capital? And a Sister giving speeches... it couldn't be that Sister, could it? She was supposed to be in the capital, but surely it was someone else? I had assumed she was just busy, but was the real reason she hadn't returned to the forest because she was too busy preaching my "divinity"?
Still, if this was true, it meant the people of the capital had a positive impression of the Alraune who produced the nectar. Perhaps I could even enter the city in this form without being hunted down? I didn't think they'd accept a monster just because they liked my honey, but the letter offered a small glimmer of hope. If I could coordinate with my believers—no, my fans—then perhaps...!
"My head is starting to throb... but surely it can't get any worse than this, right?"
Having finished Frie’s letter, I tentatively opened the final one from Nina. Her letter could be summarized as follows:
- "The Royal Capital is currently in the midst of a massive Great Beauty Boom!"
- "I saw a Sister I recognized shouting about how wonderful Saint Nectar is in the square, so I joined her in giving a speech."
- "A Beauty Goddess Alraune Faith is taking root in the capital."
- "Before I knew it, the diner I frequent has become the Holy Land of Saint Nectar."
- "The orphans I cured with your nectar want to meet their savior, Alraune, at least once."
- "Saint Nectar is a hit with everyone from commoners to high-ranking noblewomen; it's everywhere."
- "Thanks to the nectar, the sick have practically vanished from the streets."
- "The price of Saint Nectar is skyrocketing. 'Saint Nectar Refugees' have appeared because they can't afford it, so please send more!"
──What in the world?
This letter was also nothing but talk about me! How had the nectar become such an explosive hit? And the hair tonic too? This was beyond my wildest expectations. I had simply been exporting a product. I hadn't done any marketing, nor had I hired a sales team. So how had I become a household name?
There were so many points of concern. It was clear that Nina, along with that Sister, was fueling the fire. She had turned a local diner into a "Holy Land" and was essentially mass-producing nectar addicts among the orphan population. No wonder the merchants had been pestering me for more production lately; I finally understood why they said the supply wasn't meeting the demand.
And was it true that the people of the capital were eating it? It was my nectar, after all. It left me with very complicated feelings.
Searching for news beyond myself, I eventually found an update on Nina’s life.
"I am headed to the Kingdom of Myrte Holy Light to be officially appointed as a Saint."
That was right; it was about that time. Nina had finally graduated from being an Apprentice Saint. To receive an official appointment, one had to travel to the Kingdom of Myrte Holy Light, the headquarters of the Selene Sect. Only after being certified there could one officially claim the title of "Saint."
There were only a handful of certified Saints on the entire continent. Even in the Kingdom of Gardenia, which had more than most, there were only one or two at any given time. Becoming a Saint of the Church brought immense prestige and privilege. Consequently, most women remained "Apprentice Saints" their entire lives, even as they grew into veterans of the faith.
The difference in treatment between a Saint and an Apprentice Saint was as vast as the distance between heaven and earth. A true Saint became a key figure of the state, wielding power that was previously unimaginable. I had never cared to flaunt that authority, but it seemed my Shitty Junior, Zelma, was quite fond of using her position to bully others. She was a disgrace to the title.
I hoped Nina would do her best to make up for Zelma’s shortcomings. I hoped she would look after the Kingdom of Gardenia in my—Iris’s—stead.
Nina’s letter shifted from news of the capital to a travelogue of her journey to Myrte. Seeing the names of old acquaintances in her writing brought back memories of the day I had been appointed. I had been certified at the age of eleven. More than a decade had passed since then.
I was no longer a Saint, but my heart was moved by the fact that a junior who shared my convictions had stepped into that role for our country. I prayed that Nina would become a truly great Saint.
As I reached the end of her letter, I found myself gazing up at the sky. I watched the clouds drift by for nearly a minute before I looked down to re-read the final lines.
"Wait... what...?"
I instinctively wrapped my vines around my body, hugging myself. I did so silently, making sure Priest Pandia wouldn't notice my sudden agitation. The blood drained from my face so quickly that I felt a phantom ache in my non-existent heart.
I didn't actually have blood, being a plant. But because I was a plant—because I was no longer human—what I read was absolutely terrifying.
At the very end of Nina’s letter, past the news of the nectar craze, was a single, shocking revelation that made everything else feel utterly insignificant.
I look forward to your continued support this year!
Next time: The Newbie Saint Writes a Letter from the Holy Light Country.