During the preparations for the party, one particular problem weighed heavily on my mind.
At this rate, the Demon King's Army and the Church’s forces were going to cross paths at the celebration.
This was a total crisis!
In order to avoid a disaster, I had to find some way to keep Priest Pandia away from the rest of the guests.
To gather information and see if I could find a solution, I decided to sit in on the Little Witch’s lesson with the priest.
The Little Witch and Priest Pandia sat side-by-side at the table in front of me.
For the sake of the forest's peace, I listened to their exchange, clutching at any straw of hope I could find.
"Today, I shall lecture you on magic. Rufe-san, do you know how many types of magic exist in this world?"
"Hmm, about seven?"
"The correct answer is ten."
Oh? Today’s lecture was different from the usual; it actually sounded quite interesting.
It seemed the lesson was focused on general social knowledge rather than arithmetic or accounting.
In fact, I was the one who had asked Priest Pandia to teach the Little Witch various subjects. For the sake of Rufe’s future, I wanted her to learn languages, general education, and anything else that might eventually prove useful.
In exchange, I had agreed to sell Saint Nectar to the Kingdom of Myrte Holy Light through Priest Pandia, but that couldn't be helped. I wanted to build a good relationship with the Church, so in that regard, it was a sound investment for the future.
"Now then, how many types of magic can the Human Race use?"
This one was easy. The answer was five.
"The Four Great Magics: Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth. Add to that Light Magic, which can only be used by women recognized by the Goddess, and you have five types in total. While Light Magic is exclusive to the Human Race, the Four Great Magics can be used by any race, provided they have the aptitude."
The Four Great Magics, which governed nature, consisted of many simple spells. In contrast, Light Magic held a very special position; although it could only be used by chosen individuals, it allowed one to wield power close to that of the Goddess.
"Regarding magic specific to certain chosen individuals—much like Light Magic—there is Dark Magic, which is restricted to certain members of the Demon Race, and Spirit Magic, which only Spirits and High-level Fairies can wield. Just like Light Magic, these are specialized forms of magic that only a select few can handle."
Wait, that was news to me. So Dark Magic was actually in a special category, just like Light Magic?
"Furthermore, there are race-specific magics: Black Magic, which can only be used by the Witch Race who have been granted a mark by the Witch Queen, and White Magic, which is exclusive to the Elf race."
When Rufe was six years old, she had been transformed from a human into a witch by the Witch’s mark. That meant she had truly changed into the Witch Race, which was why she could now use Black Magic.
A witch’s appearance was no different from a human’s, but they were apparently fundamentally different at their core. I didn't quite understand it, but perhaps the Little Witch herself felt the difference.
"These nine types are the magics available to the basic races. Now then, Rufe-san, do you know which race uses the final type?"
"Hmm... Humans, the Demon Race, Witches, Elves, Spirits, and Fairies... what other races are left?"
Suddenly, a realization hit me.
The guests for my forest party included every single race just mentioned!
It was like a living exhibition of every race on the continent. If I gathered just a few more, I’d have the complete set! A party where so many different races and factions gathered might have been the first of its kind in history.
"Pandia-sensei, I’ve got it! Is it monsters?"
"Monsters—in other words, magical beasts—cannot understand language, so they cannot use magic. Though that Alraune-san over there might be an exception."
—Ugh, that stare was prickly.
I felt certain that Priest Pandia suspected me. I was a monster, sure, but I was a massive heretic by the standards of the monster world. Besides, Priest Pandia seemed to have some lingering suspicions about my Light Magic.
I hadn't let her see me use it directly, but maybe she had realized I was using Light Magic to accelerate the growth of the plants.
"Well then, in Rufe-san's place, let us ask Alraune-san. Do you know anything about the final form of magic?"
"M-me?!"
Priest Pandia had suddenly thrown the question my way! I was so startled I nearly jumped. I felt like a student being called on by the teacher after nodding off in the back of the room.
"Erm... the tenth type... is Forbidden Magic. It’s magic from mythology... that is said to be usable... by the Goddess and her servants, the Angels."
That was why no one knew if Forbidden Magic actually existed. It was magic that humans simply could not perceive. I had been taught during my Apprentice Saint era that it was considered forbidden for that very reason.
"That is correct. It is 'forbidden' for humans... but for the Goddess, it is a perfectly natural form of magic. This is actually confidential information, but the true name of the tenth type is Divine Realm Magic."
—Divine Realm Magic?!
I had never heard that term in my life.
"Divine Realm Magic possesses the power to rewrite the laws of the world. Because of this, its existence is kept secret by the Church. They began teaching people that it was Forbidden Magic so that the common folk would remain ignorant of its nature."
Priest Pandia was telling us things that were completely different from anything I’d been taught as an Apprentice Saint. I had no idea this was the truth. In all likelihood, not even the highest-ranking nobles in the Kingdom of Gardenia had heard what Priest Pandia was currently disclosing.
"Divine Realm Magic is a top-secret matter known only to the highest echelons of the Church. Nothing will happen just because you know of it, but I would appreciate it if you treated this as a private secret between us."
"Why did you... tell us... such important... information?"
"Because, Alraune-san, I wanted you to know."
With those words, I was certain: Priest Pandia was onto me.
Surely she couldn't know that I was a reincarnated person with knowledge of my previous life. However, she definitely knew either that I could wield Light Magic or that my true identity was Saint Iris. I didn't know what her ultimate goal was, so I couldn't guess exactly how much she knew.
And there was one more thing that bothered me. Priest Pandia’s tone just now was as good as confessing that she herself was one of those high-ranking officials of the Church.
"Priest Pandia... you are actually... a very... important person, aren't you?"
"I am not particularly important. If anything, I simply wish to become more important."
Was she aiming to become the Pope? Since Light Magic could only be used by human women, women tended to rise through the ranks of the Church more easily. The Selene Sect had seen many female Popes in the past, so it wasn't an impossible goal.
"To that end, I wish to build a favorable relationship with you, Alraune-san. The information I shared was something of an investment."
In other words, she wanted to be on good terms with me to help her promotion. Since the value of Saint Nectar was currently skyrocketing, her logic was sound.
"I also... want to become... friends with... Priest Pandia."
"Friends... with me?"
Priest Pandia’s face went blank. Wait, did I say something weird?
"You are the first person who has ever said they wanted to be my friend. You see, I have not a single friend to my name."
Priest Pandia did have a rather... unique aura about her. But not having a single friend was just too sad. Since I had spent time living all alone in the forest, I understood the pain of loneliness all too well.
"In that case... let's be friends... starting today. If you don't like it... we can even be... 'provisional' friends... for now."
I extended a vine and offered Priest Pandia a handshake. I didn't know what she knew about me, but if we deepened our bond like this, maybe she would eventually open up. I had a bit of an ulterior motive, of course, but I figured she did too.
"I understand. Alraune-san, I look forward to our friendship."
To my delight, Priest Pandia grasped my vine in return. This person wasn't bad at heart—at least, that was the feeling I got.
Now then, I had a new friend. Once the Little Witch’s studies were finished, I planned to serve Priest Pandia some Nectar Juice and attempt our very first "friend-talk."
I had almost forgotten that my original goal was to keep her away from the party! I needed to use our new friendship to gather some intelligence.
"Priest Pandia... what do you do... on your days off?"
"Let me see... I enjoy the harp, so I suppose I spend my time practicing."
A harp, of all things! Some people in the Church were known to be musicians, so it actually made a lot of sense.
"A harp... I'd like to... hear it... sometime."
"In that case, I shall play for you here next time. I, too, occasionally wish for an audience."
Playing the harp in the forest... Ah, I just had a brilliant idea!
"In that case... it would be a huge help... if you could perform... at the party."
I would have Priest Pandia take charge of the background music during the event. If I shielded her behind a thin curtain or something, there would be no risk of the other guests seeing her. This way, she could avoid a face-to-face confrontation with the Flame Dragon Lord!
And so, Priest Pandia’s role was changed from serving staff to Music Officer.
Somehow, my biggest worry had vanished. What a relief! A lot of different races and factions were gathering, but compared to a clash between Priest Pandia and the Flame Dragon Lord, everything else felt trivial. I might have been being optimistic, but I felt like the rest would work out somehow.
After promising to perform at the party, Priest Pandia headed back to the city.
With that problem settled, I had to get back to my own tasks. I was the one responsible for filling all the gaps in our workforce, after all.
And that left one final issue. We were catastrophically short on cooks!
At this rate, the party menu would consist of nothing but the Elves' Buddhist cuisine and the Flashy Man’s whole-roasted bear. I had never heard of a wedding party with such a bizarre menu. It was way too lopsided.
Therefore, I decided to take charge of the rest of the dishes.
The skills I had honed while cooking with the Little Witch in the forest—no, the time had come to show what these vines could really do!
Besides, when you thought of a wedding party, there was one thing you absolutely couldn't skip.
Yes—a Wedding Cake!
They might already be having one at the official ceremony, but that didn't matter. I simply wanted to see one. Plus, I had always wanted to try being a patissier at least once. Even as an Alraune, I was sure I could pull it off.
It was time for me to move. Make way for the Patissiraune!
But since I was nervous about making it alone, I decided to call for backup.
"Hey Rufe... do you want to... make a cake... with me?"
"......Sure."
Yes! I had always dreamed of making sweets with a younger sister. Another dream come true!
"But Alraune, aren't you supposed to be making the rest of the food?"
I planned to start the food preparations on the morning of the party. It was going to be an incredibly busy day, but it wouldn't be a problem. Why? Because I had a plan.
"It's okay... I'll handle... the cooking too."
"If you say so... but don't push yourself."
The Little Witch was so kind. But she didn't need to worry. Once the day of the party arrived, she would understand exactly what I meant. She just needed to trust me.
While I would only be focused on the cake, I would also be working my hardest to take full responsibility for the cooking. It was something to look forward to!
More than a year has passed in the story's timeline since Alraune and Rufe first cooked together in the forest.
That nostalgic first cooking episode appears in the 5th volume of the manga adaptation, being released this month! (Since the timing with the cooking in the story lined up, please allow me this moment to promote it!)
It illustrates very clearly how the two of them tackled the challenge of cooking in the forest, so I would be delighted if you gave it a read. Moreover, the manga version might even have some parts that differ slightly from the web version?!
Volume 5 of the comics is scheduled for release on Saturday, March 23rd. Thank you for your continued support! (。・ω・。)ゞ
Next time: Alraune and Rufe make a cake vs. the Army of Alraune Cooks.