A woman clad in the night, pure white from head to toe.
Her name, apparently, was Hecate.
"I am your ally. Therefore, you may rest easy."
Hecate-sama gently stroked my head as if I were her own child.
Even though my Saintly side was screaming at me to be on high alert, for some reason, the monster within me felt a deep, soul-stirring sense of relief.
While suppressing the sudden urge to hug her back, I managed to force out a few words.
"Um, Hecate-sama, are you..."
"You shall call me Hecate-sama."
For someone who acted so familiar, she certainly had a high sense of self-importance.
Or maybe she really was someone of high standing, like the Flame Dragon Lord.
Strangely enough, I didn't feel any resistance to addressing her with such a respectful title.
It was truly bizarre.
"Hecate-sama, are you with the... Demon King's Army?"
"I am, and I am not. But rather than discussing me, let us speak of you."
Hecate-sama sat down upon my corolla.
Then, kicking her legs like a child, she began to toy with my petals.
"What a beautiful flower. I have never seen such a lovely plant monster... It is no wonder Glüh took such a liking to you."
I didn't feel bad being praised for my flower.
I was confident that I bloomed more beautifully than any ordinary flower.
I had to admit, Hecate-sama had a discerning eye.
B-But I wasn't about to let my guard down just because of a little flattery!
"Where and how were you born? What is your earliest memory of your birth as an Alraune?"
How I was born.
No one had ever asked me that so directly before.
I had died as a Saint and been eaten by a plant monster, and before I knew it, I had become an Alraune.
That was the truth, but I couldn't exactly tell her that.
So, my answer was already decided.
"When I realized, I was, growing, in the forest. Right after that, I fought, a bear... that is my, first memory."
That was indeed my first memory as an Alraune.
I didn't mention my memories of my previous life, so it wasn't technically a lie.
"Could you speak even then?"
"Y-Yes..."
Hecate-sama seemed to fall into deep thought.
Was she suspicious?
"Not only can you speak despite being an Alraune, but you possess both intelligence and power. And Spirit Power as well... Hm? This is Vergissmeinnicht's power."
She was incredible.
She had already seen through the fact that I had absorbed the Spirit Power from Big Sister Dryades.
She really was no ordinary person.
I truly wondered who she was and where she came from.
"Furthermore, I sense a mysterious presence from you... Hmph, this is..."
The aura of darkness emitting from Hecate-sama intensified for a moment.
Then, with a look of displeasure, she stared into my eyes.
"I sense the presence of a disagreeable woman within you."
The white woman peered deep into my eyes.
A solemn sensation ran through my body, as if she were compelling me to lay everything bare.
"Those eyes, shining like golden nectar... I do not care for them."
The color of my eyes was something I’d had since becoming an Alraune, but they were also identical to my eyes during my time as Saint Iris.
Originally, I had been born with golden eyes.
It was common for Saints beloved by the Goddess to possess golden eyes.
"Why do you, a monster, possess such power? Answer me."
"......What power, exactly, do you mean?"
"It is useless to play dumb. I am not so blind that I would fail to recognize the Power of Light dwelling within you."
Could it be—she noticed my Saint's Power?!
No way... why?
I had only just been found out by Pandia-san the other day, and now this was happening again.
I had managed to keep it hidden for so long, but lately, more and more people seemed capable of seeing through it.
I could understand Pandia-san sensing it since she was an Angel, but I wondered how this woman knew.
Could Hecate-sama's true identity also be an Angel...?
"I am your ally. You may speak with peace of mind."
"B-But..."
"There is nothing you cannot tell me, is there? If you speak without falsehood, I shall personally praise you. That would make you happy, would it not?"
Normally, being praised by a stranger I had only just met wouldn't make me happy at all.
And yet, my body was trying to reveal everything just to earn this person's approval.
Contrary to my will, my monster body was forcing me to be submissive.
It felt as though obeying Hecate-sama was the only path to my happiness.
However, I absolutely did not want to reveal that I was a former Saint.
My intuition screamed a warning that I must never tell her that.
I had to answer within a range that wasn't a lie, but my mouth opened on its own.
Why was this happening?
"Actually, I am... a, Sa, Saint..."
My true identity was a former Saint.
However, from the perspective of the plant monster that served as this body’s host, there was another way to look at it.
While it was true I was once a Saint, my current self existed because I had merged with a plant monster.
Therefore, as the plant monster me, I gave my answer.
"I... ate... the, Saint."
"I see! So you devoured the Saint!"
This body, which had once been a nameless plant monster, had eaten Saint Iris—me.
Since this was an undeniable fact, I was able to respond while keeping my true identity hidden.
Because of that, Hecate-sama, who had been suspicious until a moment ago, broke into a wide smile.
"I cannot believe you absorbed a Saint and made her power your own. I have truly never seen such a remarkable monster before!"
Why was she so delighted?
I had nothing to do with her.
"The individual I have been waiting for has finally been born. You are my pride."
Hecate-sama patted my head affectionately.
It seemed I had managed to keep the fact that I was a former Saint hidden after all.
But this woman was dangerous.
In her presence, my consciousness became hazy for some reason.
I found myself wanting to obey her.
But I knew I couldn't.
If I gave in, I felt as though my identity as a Saint would disappear forever...
"Unlike that woman, I am kind to children. Combined with the present I sent as a greeting, I must give a reward to such a good girl."
The aura of darkness swirling around Hecate-sama began to writhe.
It then enveloped a flower growing directly in front of me.
That flower was a Petunia.
"Despite having such intelligence, it must be difficult for an Alraune to be unable to move. For you, who are so lonely all by yourself, I, in my kindness, shall create a family for you."
"...Eh? Create?"
What on earth was she going to create?
Hecate-sama leaned in and whispered the answer into my ear.
"Why, monsters, of course."
Hecate-sama's aura of darkness was sucked into the petunia.
Instantly, the flower began to transform.
And then, it was born.
A new monster.
Petunia: Solanaceae family. A common garden flower, its Japanese name is Tsukubaneasagao. It is native to South America and was reportedly introduced to Japan at the end of the Edo period.
Next time: The Woman Who Gives Birth to Mandrakes.