After seeing off Priest Pandia, who had come by to offer her greetings, we returned to our quiet daily routine.
I set to work tending to the Mandrake in a Bucket, while Kiri headed out with Treant for their daily Forest Patrol. As I soothed the sleeping Mandrake, Priest Pandia’s earlier warning drifted back into my mind.
"If a Woman in Pure White should appear, you must be on your guard."
The "White Woman" the priest mentioned was almost certainly Hecate. She was the mysterious White Figure who had brought this Mandrake into the world. She was pale and terrifying, yet for some reason, a part of me felt a strange sense of relief in her presence—even though she was shrouded in a deep, heavy Aura of Darkness.
Her claim of being an Ally of All Monsters also weighed on me. And despite it being our first encounter, I couldn't shake the feeling that I had met her before.
Perhaps it’s just because she looked so much like Rufe.
She had resembled the Witch Queen, too. Hecate seemed to be an acquaintance of hers; I wondered what their actual relationship was.
"ONGYAAAAAA!"
"There, there... You want... some nectar... don't you?"
I offered some nectar to the Mandrake, who had apparently woken up hungry. This little one seemed to have taken quite a liking to my nectar. I wondered about its biology—eating nectar despite being a Mandrake—but watching it happily crave my gift didn't feel bad at all.
"I'll give you as much as you want. Grow up big and strong, okay?"
"Ongyaa..."
Suddenly, the Mandrake stopped crying. I thought perhaps it had grown sleepy after a full meal, but then I felt a gaze fixed on me from nearby.
"Rufe?"
A figure stood by a tree just a short distance away. It was a White-haired Girl holding a basket of eggs, watching me. I assumed the Little Witch had returned from her shopping trip, so I called out to her as I always did.
"Rufe, welcome ba—"
I stopped. Something was wrong.
I had been certain the Little Witch had come home. When I first looked, I was positive it was Rufe. But the longer I stared, the more the image began to warp.
Her height was the same as Rufe’s. Her hair was white. Up to that point, everything matched the Little Witch perfectly. But with every blink, my perception was forcibly corrected.
The moment I closed my eyes, her clothing shifted. It looked as if the color had drained away entirely, leaving the fabric pure white. It was as though the darkness manifesting around us had absorbed every last bit of pigment. And while her face had initially looked exactly like Rufe’s, closer inspection revealed subtle differences. The aura was similar, but the Little Witch would never wear such an arrogant, insolent expression.
The final proof was the overwhelming pressure that made my skin crawl. Rufe didn't possess such a terrifying presence. In other words, this person was—
"Could it be... Hecate-sama...?"
The Girl in Pure White looked back at me. Despite her striking resemblance to the Little Witch, she was wrapped in an Aura of Darkness that seemed to push back against her snowy-white form.
Why was Hecate-sama here? More importantly, I hadn't sensed her presence at all until she was practically standing over me.
"We meet again, my dear child."
Hecate-sama moved toward me, but her feet didn't touch the ground. She used Levitation to slide slowly across the grass.
"What a coincidence, Alraune. I did not expect our paths to cross again so soon."
"Did you... not come... specifically to... see me?"
"A mere fluke. You are quite fortunate to encounter me so frequently."
Before I realized it, the sky had darkened. The forest was suddenly blanketed in night, just as it had been the last time she appeared. The surroundings were swallowed by shadows, leaving Hecate-sama as the sole point of white in the gloom.
"I truly did not think you would still be in this forest. It is contrary to my intentions, but I suppose I shall have to move personally from now on."
I didn't quite understand what she meant, but I had been in this forest the whole time. I was a plant, after all. I had learned how to use Teleportation, but my main body remained rooted.
"More than that... I thought... Rufe was... just standing... there..."
"Rufe? Did you mistake me for someone else?"
"It... seems so."
"Hmm. I see. 'Rufe,' was it? I shall remember that name."
"......I see."
I had no idea what she was talking about. There was no reason for someone like her to bother remembering the Little Witch’s name.
"I thought it would be much longer before I returned to your side, Alraune, but since the vessel was still in this forest, I suppose it was inevitable. Since I am here, let us see how the Mandrake I bestowed upon you is faring."
Hecate-sama turned her gaze toward the Mandrake in a Bucket. Seeing the creature sleeping peacefully, she gave a satisfied nod.
"It seems you are getting along well, just as I commanded. I wondered what I would have to do if you had gone so far as to eat my Mandrake."
"Hahaha... There’s... no way... I’d do... something... like that..."
That was close! If I had accidentally gobbled it up, I might have been killed!
Wait... killed?
I wasn't trying to be arrogant, but I was quite strong now. Having surpassed the Dryades and even the Witch Queen, there were very few beings capable of defeating me. The only one I knew for sure who could kill me was someone like the Flame Dragon Lord. Priest Pandia might be stronger than me, but I had never felt true dread toward her.
And yet, looking at this white girl, the thought that I might have been killed came naturally. I was unconsciously categorizing Hecate-sama as a powerhouse on the same level as the Flame Dragon Lord.
A chill ran through me. As a plant, I shouldn't have been capable of goosebumps, yet my skin prickled all over.
"There is no need to be so guarded. I am the Ally of All Monsters, and I love all monsters as if they were my own children."
Hecate-sama reached out and grasped one of my vines. It was just one of the countless vines growing from my body, yet a sensation like my heart being seized in a firm grip surged through me. At the same time, my entire body was flooded with an inexplicable joy at her touch.
"Dear... you are truly dear. I have always liked strong monsters, but I have never seen an Alraune with power such as yours."
Hearing her say that made me feel like a child being praised by a parent. I couldn't understand why. We should have had no connection whatsoever.
Then, I realized something. When I had been thinking about her earlier, I had referred to her simply as "Hecate" in my mind. But now that I was facing her, I couldn't even think her name without the "-sama" honorific. My instincts as a monster were demanding that I show her reverence.
Just why...?
"Hmm. Alraune, it seems a nuisance has arrived. But rest easy; I shall protect you."
Hecate-sama’s aura shifted instantly. Her grip on my vine tightened until it felt as though it might be torn away.
"I was enjoying a peaceful moment with my dear Alraune, only to have a damper cast upon it. I am quite displeased."
Hecate-sama looked up, and I followed her gaze toward the sky.
"Eh? Pandia-san... why are you back!?"
Priest Pandia was hovering in the air, her Angel's Wings unfurled. I had assumed she was well on her way to the Royal Capital by now.
She looked down at us, her expression twisted into a mask of cold fury.
"I returned because I sensed a vile presence, but to think..."
Her eyes were filled with pure hatred, directed solely at Hecate-sama. In that moment, I finally understood. The "vile presence" Priest Pandia had warned me about was Hecate-sama herself.
"Why is an Angel here? How revolting," Hecate-sama muttered.
"Those are my words! What is Hecate doing in this forest...!"
Just as I had feared, Hecate-sama’s mere existence was a trigger for Priest Pandia. I couldn't imagine what would have happened if I had mentioned my connection to Hecate earlier.
"I do not know what you intend to do to my friend, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Pandia declared. "I shall eliminate you here and now!"
An Aura of Light erupted from Pandia’s body, accompanied by a staggering amount of bloodlust. I didn't know their history, but one thing was certain: if I had spoken Hecate-sama’s name earlier, I might have been branded an enemy as well.
I was now certain that keeping Hecate-sama a secret from Priest Pandia had been the right call.
But now, a new problem loomed. An explosive, dangerous tension made the very air of the forest tremble. Two beings who should never have been allowed to meet had finally crossed paths in my woods.
Next time: The Angel and ○○.