This story is told from the perspective of Franz, a former corporal and current migrant adventurer.
My name is Franz. I’m a migrant adventurer working out of Tower City.
I stick with this trade—a job where you’re always one bad day away from a grave—for the sake of my wife and child back in the countryside. I’d love to visit them every now and then, but unfortunately, I’ve moved up in the world in Tower City, and my new responsibilities keep me far too busy to head home.
Meeting the Alraune girl changed my life. While I seem to get dragged into one disaster after another these days, my luck has taken a definite turn for the better in exchange.
For instance, I have a much easier time getting my hands on Saint Nectar than most people in the city. When the Alraune girl first tried to sell her nectar directly to the local merchants, I happened to be an acquaintance of hers and stepped in to act as the middleman. As a thank-you, she gave me a generous amount of the stuff, which I promptly sent home to my family.
Strangely enough, I got an angry letter back from my wife. She told me to stop sending "flower nectar" and start sending actual money.
She didn't understand! It wasn't just some random syrup; it was that Alraune’s nectar! But no matter how much I tried to explain it, the sheer miraculousness of the gift didn't translate to a wife who had never heard of her.
I suppose I could have sold the nectar and sent the cash, but I’d foolishly assumed they would appreciate the nectar more than a bag of coins. I learned my lesson. I decided I’d just have to work harder and send a proper allowance.
That resolution lasted all of five minutes before I started receiving requests directly from the Lord of Tower City. Because I’d been involved in saving Lord Manfred’s life when the Four Heavenly Kings' Vergissmeinnicht attacked the city, I’d become a bit of a favorite of his. Thanks to that favor, I was finally able to send a mountain of gold home.
Lately, however, my wife has changed her tune. Her recent letters are filled with requests like, "Please send more of that Alraune nectar." The rumors of its power must have finally reached our remote village.
The price of Saint Nectar has skyrocketed to over ten times what it was when I first sent it. But I wasn't worried. I had just landed a massive job from the Lord. Once it was finished, I’d have enough to send a fortune back home. For the sake of my family’s smiles, I put my back into it.
Because of my reputation as a skilled adventurer, I was hired as part of the Lord’s personal guard. The mission was to escort Lord Manfred and his betrothed, Imperial Princess Freundliche of the Glanz Empire, on a round trip to the Royal Capital. They were traveling to have their marriage officially recognized by His Majesty the King.
Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't have been a high-risk job. The knights of Tower City are famous for their strength—this being the front line against the Demon King’s Army—and no human in their right mind would dare attack the Lord’s carriage.
We had a full contingent of Guard Knights with us. I truly believed no one would be reckless enough to strike, but I hadn't accounted for things that weren't human.
Witches.
A whole coven of them descended from the clouds, raining magic down upon us. Even though the walls of the Royal Capital were right in front of us, they didn't hesitate. Among the attackers, I spotted a woman I’d seen in the city before—the one with white hair and golden streaks. I remembered the Alraune girl calling her the "Witch Queen’s Assistant."
The witches held the sky, and our guard unit was decimated. Their advantage was absolute; since they could fly freely, our counterattacks barely touched them. We were being systematically slaughtered.
To make matters worse, the Witch Queen’s Assistant was a monster in human form. She commanded the very weather, and the knights fell one by one under her wrath. A bolt of her lightning tore right through me.
A searing pain burned in my chest, and my limbs refused to obey. I realized then that I was likely done for. My only regret was that I wanted to see my family one last time.
As I lay paralyzed on the grass, I could only watch as Imperial Princess Freundliche was run through by spears of ice. Seeing the witches focus all their malice on her made it clear: she was their only target.
Whether it was fate or just blind luck, a glimmer of hope appeared the moment the princess fell. Reinforcements! A fresh unit of knights was charging down the highway. Since we were so close to the gates, the city guard had seen the commotion and scrambled to help.
Realizing they were out of time, the witches took to the sky and retreated. They had likely assumed their mission was complete after seeing Lady Freundliche impaled. Several ice spears were still buried in her torso, and she was coughing up blood. To any normal observer, she was beyond saving.
Her death would have meant the end of the marriage and a catastrophic collapse in relations between the Kingdom and the Empire. The only silver lining was that Lord Manfred hadn't been a target and was still standing.
"Don't die, Freundliche!" he cried, rushing to her side.
He fumbled with a bottle filled with a shimmering golden liquid and forced her to drink. Then, a miracle happened.
"Cough... cough... am I... still alive?"
In an instant, every one of the princess’s wounds vanished. Despite having been on the verge of death, she was whole again.
"I made it in time... Thank the heavens for Lady Alraune’s Saint Nectar," the Lord whispered, his voice thick with relief.
That was the power of the nectar. No matter how deep the wound, it brought people back from the brink. In Tower City, there were more people saved by that liquid than I could count. The Alraune girl’s power truly defied common sense.
"It seems I owe my life to Master Alraune," the princess said as she regained her strength.
The way the two of them leaned into each other, their faces etched with relief, stayed with me. I had assumed it was a cold political arrangement, but it seemed their hearts were genuinely entwined. Facing death together would only strengthen that bond. They were a perfect match. Watching them offer prayers of gratitude to the Alraune of the forest, I couldn't help but smile.
The Saint Nectar was then distributed to the surviving knights and adventurers. I was healed along with everyone else. It turned out the Lord had prepared a massive stockpile of the nectar for exactly this kind of emergency. Without it, the body count would have been staggering. I certainly wouldn't have stood up again.
Thanks to her, I’d be seeing my family after all. I made a mental note to bring the Alraune girl a proper gift when we returned to Tower City.
After that ordeal, we finally reached the Royal Capital. However, while the Lord and Lady Freundliche were occupied with their official business, I found myself with nothing to do. I was still technically on duty, but since the specialized Royal Knights were handling the inner-city security, my services weren't required.
I decided to take the opportunity to see the sights. As I wandered through the capital, I came across a bizarre scene.
"Why is that man praying to a flower on the side of the road?" I muttered.
A man was kneeling before a red blossom, his hands clasped in deep prayer. The Selene Sect had no such ritual. It was baffling.
The man must have heard me, because he looked up with a sharp expression. "Are you an outsider? If you are, I don't expect you to understand. I’m not praying to a flower. I’m offering my soul to the Crimson Flower Princess Alraune."
"Wh-what...?"
"It doesn't have to be a flower," he continued. "A wooden statue of Lady Alraune works just as well. If you pray, you'll be saved. Just look at me."
The man thrust his right arm toward me.
"You won't believe it, but I was an invalid until last month. I lost this arm fighting the Demon King’s Army, but it grew back entirely after I drank the Saint Nectar!"
As he shouted with joy, a crowd began to swarm the square.
"My eye was the same!" an old man cried. "Half my face was melted by demon fire, but look! My skin is as smooth as a babe’s!"
"It’s all thanks to Lady Alraune!"
"Just as the Sister taught us—Lady Alraune is the new Goddess of the Nectar!"
"Look! Isn't that Sister Hildegard over there?"
The square was suddenly packed. At the center of the throng stood, of all people, the Sister from Tower City. I knew she was the leader of the Alraune Fanatic Faction back home, but what in the world was she doing here in the capital?
"Sister Hildegard? I heard you were in the capital, but I didn't expect to see you leading a riot."
"Oh, if it isn't Master Franz!" she exclaimed. "Perfect timing! Everyone, please, look at this man!"
At her command, hundreds of pairs of eyes locked onto me. The sheer, disciplined unity of their movement sent a chill down my spine. It was the same primal fear I felt when stumbling upon a high-rank monster in the woods.
"This man may look like a tired, ordinary adventurer, but do not be deceived! He has fought the Demon King’s Army side-by-side with our Goddess, the Crimson Flower Princess Alraune!"
A thunderous roar of "Ooh!" erupted from the crowd.
"Wait, stop! I didn't do anything that impressive," I stammered. "I just happened to be there when she finished off the Dryad of the Four Heavenly Kings!"
"Did you hear that, everyone?" the Sister screamed, her voice reaching a fever pitch. "It was indeed the Crimson Flower Princess who struck down the infamous fallen spirit, Vergissmeinnicht!"
"Is it true?" "She saved us from the Four Heavenly Kings!" "She's the savior of the Kingdom!"
"Exactly!" Hildegard continued, her hands clasped in front of her face. "To show our eternal gratitude, we must cherish every flower in this city! We must never tread upon them! Instead, we shall bow our heads and pray to them!"
She pressed her hands together, and the entire square followed suit. They prayed to wooden carvings of Alraune, to roadside weeds, and especially to any red flowers they could find.
Are they serious? I wondered. They’re worshipping the Alraune girl over the Goddess Selene?
I wasn't sure if the Church would ever allow this. If she were an Angel, it might be tolerated, but she was a monster. The central dogma of the Church was that monsters were to be purged. I half-expected the Saint Cathedral or the Selene Sect headquarters to send an inquisitor at any moment. I just hoped it wouldn't lead to trouble for the girl.
A few days later, rumors of Lady Freundliche’s miraculous recovery had spread like wildfire. As a result, the market value of Saint Nectar reached absurd levels. That was likely why I started seeing things I shouldn't have in the local shops.
"Hey, Shopkeeper. Is this the real deal?" I asked at one stall.
"Of course, sir! It’s premium Saint Nectar, fresh from Tower City."
I’d seen her nectar more than almost anyone. Back in the day, I used to take it directly from little Rufe and hand it over to the merchants. I knew what it looked like.
"The color is way too pale," I noted. They were probably watering it down—a classic merchant trick. In Tower City, the Lord had made such tampering a capital offense, but the law didn't reach this far.
In another shop, it was even worse.
"Why is this batch so dark? It’s almost black."
"Ah, you have a sharp eye, sir! This is a special, concentrated batch sourced directly from the heart of the Alraune’s Forest!"
I frowned. It looked like ordinary forest honey from the sticks. It was a total fake. I bought a jar of it anyway. If I showed this to Lord Manfred, that merchant was going to learn a very painful lesson about consumer rights.
Suddenly, a carriage caught my eye. It was more opulent than anything I’d ever seen—grander even than Lord Manfred’s.
"Who’s in that one?" I asked the shopkeeper.
"They say it’s a Priest from the Kingdom of Myrte Holy Light. Apparently, he’s been assigned to Tower City."
A Priest for our city? I’d never seen a man of the cloth travel in such luxury. But what really bothered me was the carriage following behind him.
It had no doors. No windows. It was just a seamless White Box on wheels. It didn't look like it was designed for a passenger; it looked like a cage meant to keep something—or someone—isolated from the world.
Driven by a gut feeling, I followed it at a distance. It headed straight for the Saint Cathedral. Once I saw it enter the Church grounds, I turned back. If he was the new Priest for our city, I’d see him soon enough.
A few days later, I happened to see the Priest preparing to leave the capital. I was dropping Lord Manfred off for an appointment when the Myrte Holy Light carriage appeared. The Priest’s carriage was there, but the strange White Box was nowhere to be seen.
"If it isn't Master Franz!"
Sister Hildegard popped out of the Church entrance. I wondered if the Church knew she was leading a fringe cult right under their noses.
"Sister, perfect timing. Did you see that Priest’s carriage arrive a few days ago?"
"I certainly did! I even gave him my greetings as a Sister of Tower City."
"Do you know what happened to that white, doorless box they were hauling?"
"Oh, that? They took it deep inside the Saint Cathedral. Why do you ask?"
So the mysterious box was still here. Whatever was inside must have been incredibly important for the Kingdom of Myrte Holy Light to transport it under such high security.
"Never mind that, Master Franz! I need your help!"
"With what?"
"Isn't it obvious?" She held up a bottle of Saint Nectar and a jar of Alraune Brand Saint Hair Tonic, a terrifyingly wide smile on her face. "We’re going to find more believers for Lady Alraune!"
That was the story from Franz's perspective.
By the way, this is the first time the Alraune Fanatic Sister’s name, Hildegard, has been officially mentioned!
Next time: It’s unthinkable for a master to do nothing when her disciple is getting married!