Despite the unexpected disruptions, the party successfully resumed.
Thanks to Pandia-san's magic, the guests enjoyed the atmosphere of the venue without suspecting a thing. Not a single person seemed to realize they had been put to sleep.
Thinking about the sheer scale of an Angel's Power was terrifying. I felt an insurmountable wall between us, something a mere human could never hope to resist. Had I remained the Human Saint, would I have even survived an encounter with an angel?
I glanced at Pandia-san. She had called me a "friend," but was it really okay for an angel and a monster to be friends? Especially when she was practically a relative of the Goddess herself.
While I was lost in my troubled thoughts, a jovial Manfred-san called out to me.
"Alraune-dono. My thanks for hosting such a wonderful gathering today."
Today was a celebration of the marriage between Manfred-san and Frie, the imperial princess. Since the guest of honor was happy, I felt all my hard work had paid off.
"The food was magnificent, but more than that, I feel remarkably refreshed—even more so than when I first arrived in the forest. It’s almost as if I fell into a deep, peaceful sleep right in the middle of the festivities."
"T-That’s good to hear. Aha, haha..."
That was almost certainly because he had been knocked out by Pandia-san's Divine Realm Magic. To think her 【Holy Song】 even provided a restful sleep effect; an angel’s singing voice truly was a frightening thing.
After that, the party turned into an informal free-for-all. Guests and staff alike were caught up in the festival mood. It seemed the alcohol had started to take effect on everyone, and the Nectar wine was a massive hit.
Since I was a plant, I couldn't drink alcohol. I simply watched from a distance as everyone made a ruckus. At the center of the revelry was, of all people, the Flashy Man. As expected of a "normie," he was a natural at handling this kind of high-energy atmosphere. I could never hope to imitate him.
I scanned the rest of the crowd. Fairy Kiri was joining the Flashy Man in his antics. Merk the elf seemed fascinated by the Treant; she had been touching the Treant's tail for quite some time now. Manfred-san was, unexpectedly, engaged in a mature conversation with Yasmin's Dad.
Princess Frie was still clinging to Barometz-san, basking in the joy of their reunion. The Little Witch was receiving a lecture of some sort from her tutor, Pandia-san. Meanwhile, Yasmin and Drink Bar-san were off by themselves, looking very cozy.
Humans, the Demon Race, monsters, fairies, elves, witches, and even an angel had gathered here. Their lively voices echoed through the forest. Looking at this scene, the idea that humans and the Demon Race were at war felt like a total lie. It was a sight I could never have imagined during my Saint Era.
—This is actually quite nice.
It felt like true peace. It was as if the peaceful world I had been seeking since my reincarnation as an Alraune was condensed into this single moment.
—Though I still haven't managed to actually live a quiet "slow life."
The noisy days continued, but a part of me felt that a life like this was perfectly fine. Compared to those lonely nights when I was all alone in that forest, this was heaven. I only had this life—free from loneliness—because of everyone here, starting with the Little Witch. I was truly grateful to them.
I watched as people talked across racial boundaries, rather than sticking to their own kind. However, they were all unaware of each other's true identities. I was the only one here who knew the truth about everyone. If only the world could one day become a place where everyone could get along without hiding anything...
"What are you doing in a place like this? You are the host tonight, are you not?"
The Flame Dragon Lord spoke to me as I watched the party alone. In his human form, he leaned against a tree standing beside me.
"Are you okay with this, Flame Dragon Lord? This is a rare party, and yet you came over here."
"It is no problem. The view from here is exceptionally fine."
From our vantage point, we could see many different races and factions celebrating in harmony. With an expressionless face, the Flame Dragon Lord quietly watched the festivities. I wondered if he was thinking the same thing I was.
"Um... could I ask you something?"
"You have entertained me well today. Ask whatever you wish."
"Then... Flame Dragon Lord, what do you think about humans?"
My guess was that he didn't hate them. He had stayed his hand with Pandia-san, and even within the Demon King's Army, he seemed to belong to the Moderate Faction.
"Humans... I cannot summarize them in a single word, but I do not harbor the same specialized hatred for them that other demons do."
I knew it! If he had been a human-hater, the Kingdom of Gardenia would probably be a sea of fire by now.
"Of course, as we have been at war for a long time, I have killed many as enemies. However, there was once one I could call a friend."
"A human friend?"
"It was five hundred years ago. Just like the Demon Race, humans possess a wide variety of perspectives. I was taught as much by that friend."
That was a surprise. I never would have guessed that the Flame Dragon Lord once had a human friend.
"Come to think of it, it was in this very forest that I met that fellow."
As he spoke, he shifted his gaze toward Manfred-san. I wondered if that friend was related to him. Manfred-san's ancestors had served as the lords of the Dryades' Forest for generations. Perhaps his ancestor had encountered the Flame Dragon Lord in the woods, much like I had, and they had become friends despite their races.
"Were you... still friends with them until the very end?"
"............At the very least, I believe so."
Race didn't matter for friendship. Come to think of it, I had also made friends of different races. Even the Little Witch, who was now my family, wasn't a plant like me. Before the simple desire to be together, race didn't matter.
And—I looked over at Yasmin, a demon, and Drink Bar-san, an adventurer. In the face of love, even the wall of race could be transcended. A thought occurred to me. If we could gather only those who wished for peace, couldn't we end the conflict between humans and the Demon Race?
"Hey, Flame Dragon Lord... do you think it's possible to create a peaceful place like this party?"
"In these past thousand years, such a place has existed nowhere. However, if it is you, Alraune, you might be able to create one."
I turned to him. He didn't look like he was joking.
"Then... won't you help me create it?"
"............I shall do my best."
"Including ending the war between humans and the Demon Race?"
The Flame Dragon Lord closed his eyes for a moment, then stared at me as if to impart a difficult truth.
"That, I cannot do."
His gaze held a powerful conviction. The conflict could not be stopped. I realized that even with his power, it was impossible.
"This conflict has lasted a thousand years; it will not end until one side is destroyed. Not as long as there are those who desire strife."
"People who desire strife?"
I had never considered that before. I had been taught by the Church since birth that the Demon Race was simply an evil that had to be defeated.
"One of the primary examples is the angel over there."
Both the Flame Dragon Lord and I looked toward Pandia-san. She was currently looking after the Little Witch, who was starting to look sleepy.
"Remember this. Celestial Beings such as the Goddess and her angels are, fundamentally, existences different from us creatures of the earth."
—That sounded almost as if the Flame Dragon Lord had met the Goddess personally.
"W-Wait!"
The Flame Dragon Lord left my side and headed toward the dragon he used for transport. He was already preparing to leave. Mounting the dragon Uncle Teddy had prepared, he looked down at me and gave one final warning.
"You have not forgotten what I told you before the party began, have you?"
"I remember."
The search for Witch Queen Kirke, right? And how some certain person had started moving and was interested in me.
"Good. Should the worst occur, I shall lend you my strength... though in that case, you will have to defect to our camp."
Leaving me with those words, the Flame Dragon Lord took to the sky. I watched the dragon disappear into the sunset, lost in thought. It seemed he hadn't given up on me yet. Still, he didn't try to force me to be his subordinate; I could tell his words came from a place of kindness.
He had also given me a hint. There were existences in this world who actively led the conflict between humans and the Demon Race. If he was right, one of them was Pandia-san, the angel. Which meant the source of it all was the Church.
The Church was the organization I had belonged to as Saint Iris. They claimed to wish for the peace of humanity, but looking at them from the outside like this gave me a very different impression. As long as the Demon Race existed, the Church would continue to preach the Extermination of the Demon Race.
It hit me then: the Church, which was supposed to crave peace, was the very entity driving the conflict. And I, who had turned from a human into a monster, was exactly the kind of existence the Church was meant to subjugate.
"A peaceful world without conflict, huh..."
I didn't think I was capable of such a grand feat. After all, I was just an ordinary Alraune. Even so, I wanted the world within my reach to be peaceful at the very least.
That was why I would protect this forest. To ensure I could keep living a quiet plant life and undergoing photosynthesis, I wouldn't give up. Because this was my—our—home.
Next time: I Have Started Plant Massages.