I was an Alraune, a plant monster.
I had successfully rescued Rufe from her possession by Hecate, the Goddess of Darkness!
I used my vines to gently cradle the unconscious Little Witch. I never dreamed that a Goddess would hijack her body; it was something I hadn't even begun to predict. I managed to get her back somehow, but it was a stroke of luck that Hecate’s dark magic energy had been running low. It was likely also a blessing that I reached her before the Goddess could completely overwrite her soul.
“You did a great job too, Mandrake.”
The Mandrake had spent most of its short life accidentally knocking the Little Witch out with its screams, but this time, it had been the hero of the hour. Of course, since it was essentially a newborn, it probably didn't realize it had saved her by wailing as usual.
“Good boy, good boy. You were so helpful. In the future, I’m sure you’ll grow into a beautiful flower monster.”
“Gyaa, gyaa…”
Wait, was that—?
I felt like the Mandrake had just responded to my voice. This was the first time it had ever given me such a modest reaction. It might have been my imagination, but it almost seemed happy.
“Stare…”
“………………”
And then it went silent.
As I thought, it must have been my imagination. It was still just a child, and a monster at that. There was no way it could understand human language.
More importantly...
“It feels like I’ve grown stronger too.”
I had siphoned away Hecate's dark magic energy using Energy Drain. Perhaps because of that, I could feel a surge of power within myself that eclipsed even my transformation into the White Alraune. By absorbing Hecate’s essence, I felt as though I had gained an intuitive grasp over dark magic energy.
Thanks to this newfound awareness, I could sense with absolute certainty that there was no longer a trace of Hecate left inside the Little Witch. Whether it was the influence of the dark magic energy enhancing my potential or something else, the mana within my body felt more stable than ever before.
As a test, I tried to use Plant Generation with just enough power to sprout a few flowers.
“Heigh-ho!”
I raised my right hand.
Suddenly, a massive tree erupted from the earth. The giant trunk continued to surge upward, and in the blink of an eye, it had matured into a towering specimen over fifty meters tall.
“Haha… it looks like controlling my strength is going to be a challenge.”
I had the feeling that if I truly exerted myself now, I could transform this entire region into a vast sea of trees.
As I stood there, my friend—the one with the angel's wings growing from her back—approached me.
“To think you would rescue Rufe-san without a single scratch… I am truly astonished, I am so.”
For a moment, I had been terrified that Pandia-san and I would have to fight to the death. I was genuinely relieved that our friendship had returned to normal.
“Furthermore, to repel Hecate, even while she was in a borrowed vessel, is a feat that would prove difficult even for an angel. Oh, how magnificent it is.”
Pandia-san floated before me. It seemed angels could fly like Witches even without flapping their wings.
“Alraune-san, I am deeply moved. I shall never forget what happened today for as long as I live.”
As she spoke, Pandia-san clutched the yellow rose to her chest—the one I had given her as a gift.
“A friend is a precious thing, is it not? I never imagined I would find someone other than my Lord to cherish so dearly, I did not.”
“W-wait, Pandia-san…?”
Pandia-san took my hand, enveloping it gently in hers. Her touch was soft, yet there was something a bit too intense—almost suggestive—about the way she held me for a mere friend.
“I am filled with the desire to take Alraune-san back to the Holy Capital with me this instant, I am so.”
“T-that… is that really what friends do?”
Something was definitely off. Pandia-san was acting strange! Until today, she had felt like a reliable, stoic comrade. But ever since I gave her that yellow rose, she had been looking at me with the bashful gaze of a maiden in love.
“I shall protect this rose you gave me with my very life, I shall.”
Pandia-san gripped the flower tightly. In her eyes, I saw a fierce determination coupled with a deep, almost maternal affection. Did angels as a race simply devote themselves to their friends with the same intensity as lovers?
“Y-you don’t have to be so serious about it! If it wilts, I’ll just give you another one.”
Pandia-san had said I was her first friend. Perhaps that was why her resolve felt so heavy. I wished she would take things a bit more casually.
“No. I challenged Alraune-san with the intent to kill. Despite that, you accepted me as a friend. I was moved by your mercy, Alraune-san. You are as kind as a Goddess, you are so.”
“Now you’re definitely exaggerating.”
Being compared to a Goddess by an actual angel was embarrassing. Yet, as a former Saint, I couldn't help but feel a spark of joy at the comparison.
“Besides, I realized you weren't actually trying to kill me, Pandia-san.”
“…………As expected, you noticed.”
“The Light Magic, Angel's Wings Embrace, was shocking, but you kept your true trump card hidden the whole time.”
The mythical-grade magic had certainly been overwhelming, but Pandia-san hadn't pushed any further. She hadn't used her ultimate technique: Divine Realm Magic.
The Divine Realm Magic: Holy Song she had performed at the party hadn't worked on me, but I didn't believe for a second that a spell of that caliber was her only trick. Pandia-san had fought the Demon King's Army for centuries as a Guardian of Humanity. She clearly knew the Flame Dragon Lord, so I suspected she possessed a finishing move designed to take down other masters of the Divine Realm.
The fact that she never reached for that power was proof enough that she hadn't been fighting with lethal intent.
“It’s true that we traded blows,” I said. “But even so, I could feel your kindness through it all.”
“Alraune-san…!”
Pandia-san’s wings flared and then folded inward, completely concealing her face. In the split second before she hid herself, I didn't miss the sight of her cheeks turning bright red. Seeing the usually expressionless angel blushing like a schoolgirl was actually quite charming.
“I swear upon this rose. Should Alraune-san ever find herself in trouble, I shall lend my aid—just once—no matter the circumstances, I will.”
“…………Thank you, Pandia-san.”
I used my vines to return the squeeze of her hand. Her promise was monumental. It meant she would help me even if it went against the Church’s dictates. For an angel serving the Goddess, such a vow was likely the highest form of rebellion. Normally, it was unthinkable for an angel to defy their creator.
I was a former Saint, but now I was a plant monster. To the Church, monsters were enemies by default. To live peacefully in the forest, the day might come when I would truly need Pandia-san’s protection.
“I’ll be counting on you if that day comes.”
And so, I gained the patronage of an angel. It was strange to think that I, once a Saint, had become best friends with a being out of legend. Life truly was unpredictable. I could say that with absolute confidence, considering I had died and been reborn as an Alraune.
For a long while, we stayed there, hand and vine intertwined. This ordeal had forged a bond between us deeper than anything before. When we first met, I had been wary of her, but I never realized how pure her heart was. Though, she wasn't a person—she was an angel.
After we had spent some time confirming our friendship, Pandia-san finally spoke up again, her voice heavy.
“Alraune-san, there is something I must ask.”
She paused, as if weighing her words.
“When I first encountered you, I believed you were the tragic remains of a Saint who had been absorbed by a monster.”
I remembered her words from that day: It appears you are loved by the Goddess Selene just as I am, but it is merely hollow to have fallen so low. She had been pitying a Saint who she thought had been consumed and corrupted by a beast.
“I assumed a monster had devoured a Saint’s flesh and blood, claiming her power and knowledge as its own—but I was wrong. To think that, instead, it was you who took control of the monster's body…”
Pandia-san had realized the truth: my soul was human. And she likely knew exactly who I was.
“You create the Sacred Treasures of the Goddess, you wield Light Magic superior to even the First Saint Nemea, and above all… there is your face.”
Pandia-san stared intently at me. I realized there was no point in hiding any longer.
“Alraune-san—no. Your true name is Saint Iris, isn't it?”
Looking into Pandia-san’s eyes, I straightened my posture. Dropping the persona of a simple forest monster, I adopted the dignified bearing of a Saint and gave my answer.
“…………Yes. I am Iris.”
Pandia-san didn't seem surprised. She simply murmured, “As I thought.”
“I knew Saint Iris possessed extraordinary power, but to see you grow this much is a marvel. But why…?”
She hesitated, closing her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, her gaze was searching.
“Why is the Iris who was supposed to have died living here as a plant monster?”
Next time: The Day Saint Iris Met an Angel.