Why was I, the supposedly dead Saint Iris, now a plant monster?
It was a fair question. Honestly, even I would be shocked if an acquaintance of mine suddenly turned into an Alraune.
That said, the circumstances behind my transformation were top secret. It wasn't something I could just tell anyone, but I felt that I could trust the Pandia-san standing before me now. Aside from myself, only Nina and Vol-nii knew the truth. I decided to make her the third person to hear my secret.
"I never would have imagined such a thing had befallen Saint Iris. Humans really are shallow creatures, aren't they?"
I explained everything to Pandia-san—how I had been betrayed by my fiancé, the Hero, and then murdered by my junior apprentice saint, Zelma. I told her the whole truth about my death, including how I was being devoured by a plant monster while desperately casting Light Recovery Magic, only to realize I had become an Alraune when I finally came to.
Pandia-san didn't seem nearly as surprised as I’d expected. In fact, her face remained as expressionless as ever. Do angels just not have emotional shifts?
"As expected, humans are prone to folly. This is precisely why Lady Selene, the Goddess of Light, must guide humanity."
Her perspective was certainly unique. Because she viewed things from the heavens rather than a human level, she seemed to take away a completely different impression than most. When I told Nina, she had been a mess of tears and rage, yet Pandia-san was so calm. As expected of an Angel-sama!
"Even so, to think Saint Iris's Light Magic is on par with, or perhaps even greater than, the ability of First Saint Nemea... it is quite intriguing."
"At the very least, I don't think I would have survived that moment without the grace of Goddess Selene," I replied.
If I hadn't been a Saint who had awakened to Light Magic, I would have been dissolved by that plant monster and vanished from this world long ago. I didn't know if I was simply favored by the Goddess or if it was my own innate talent, but I was grateful it had saved me.
"While your Light Magic is of interest, I am also curious about the Hero and the Saint of the Lamp."
The Saint of the Lamp—that was Zelma's current Saintly Epithet.
"I do not know much about this Saint of the Lamp, but now that I think of it, the Hero frequently visited the Holy Capital."
"Wait, the Hero went to the Kingdom of Myrte Holy Light?"
The Hero was an existence officially recognized by the Selene Church. Even the Hero's Holy Sword, passed down through generations, was technically on loan from the Church. Therefore, it wasn't inherently strange for a Hero to visit the Holy Capital of Myrte.
"He would often visit alone and in secret, both before Saint Iris passed away and afterward."
"............I had no idea."
I was the Hero's fiancée and a member of his party. I thought I had a handle on almost all of his movements, but this was the first I'd heard of him making secret trips to the Holy Capital.
"If I recall, he frequently climbed the Goddess's Tower in the Holy Capital."
"Was he... praying, perhaps?"
"I cannot say for certain."
The Hero was a devout follower of the Selene Sect. If he was going on frequent pilgrimages, it shouldn't have been odd... and yet, the secrecy felt wrong.
"Oh, that's right. I have actually met Saint Iris in the Holy Capital once before."
"What?! You met me?"
Pandia-san and I had met? But when and where?
"It was when Saint Iris was still a young girl."
I had been training as an Apprentice Saint at the Saint Cathedral since I was five years old. During that time, I had visited the Kingdom of Myrte Holy Light several times.
"It was the day Saint Iris received her Saint Certification from the Pope in the Holy Capital."
"That would mean I was eleven years old."
"I was living there as the Guardian of the Holy Capital, disguised as one of the Saints. You likely wouldn't remember me, of course."
Suddenly, a memory flashed back to me. I remembered the day I saw all the Saints of the Holy Capital gathered together. There were several in that country, and every one of them boasted a massive amount of mana. Even so, none of them had reached my level.
Or so I had thought. There had been one Saint who possessed an unfathomable power. Her mana capacity had seemed smaller than mine, but my eyes—which could see through an Aura of Light—hadn't been fooled.
This Saint is hiding her true power.
I remembered being shocked that there was someone with that much strength besides the Lady Shrine Maiden of the Goddess, the shadow ruler of the Church. I had been deeply impressed, thinking that was exactly what one should expect from a Saint of the Holy Capital.
That Saint had been Pandia-san. I had actually met her when I was a child!
"The Light Magic contained within Saint Iris's small body far exceeded that of any ordinary Saint. Sensing a power that rivaled Nemea, I found myself looking forward to your future."
She spoke as if she had actually met First Saint Nemea-sama. Nemea was a historical figure from nearly a thousand years ago, but since Pandia-san was an angel, she might very well have known her.
"I caught sight of you several times after that as well. However, this is the first time we have truly exchanged words."
"I had no idea... To think our paths had crossed so many times, Pandia-san."
"I have wanted to speak with you like this for a long time, Alraune-san—no, Saint Iris."
I had been watched by an angel all that time without ever realizing it. Having become the Greatest Saint of the Era and befriending the Lady Shrine Maiden of the Goddess, the practical leader of humanity, I had felt like I knew everything there was to know about the world.
But the world I knew was a tiny, insignificant thing.
Come to think of it, I hadn't understood anything about the Demon King's Army back then, either. After becoming an Alraune, I had ended up befriending several of them. Demons weren't just the monsters the Church claimed they were. There were good demons and bad demons, just like there were good and bad humans. I knew that very well now.
"The world really is... vast..."
There were still so many things I didn't know. I found myself wanting to see it all.
Of course, in times like this, having legs would have been convenient. It was frustrating not being able to walk freely, but that was just the reality of being a plant. I had to be patient; after all, I could do things now that I never could have achieved as a human.
"So, what do you plan to do now, Pandia-san?"
"I intend to head to the Royal Capital of the Kingdom of Gardenia, as originally planned."
"To attend Frie's wedding, right?"
The wedding of Manfred, the Lord of Tower City, and Imperial Princess Freundliche of the Glanz Empire—Frie—was to be held in the Royal Capital.
"I wish I could have gone to see it too."
As a plant monster, there was no way I could attend a wedding.
"Regarding that, there is something I must tell you..." Pandia-san trailed off, looking uncharacteristically hesitant. It seemed there was something she needed to tell me that I wouldn't like. "The truth is, in that Royal Capital... we are holding the Witch Queen prisoner."
"W-What do you mean?!"
Nina's letter had mentioned that someone had sent pursuers after the Witch Queen when she left Myrte. Meanwhile, the Flame Dragon Lord of the Demon King's Army had said she was missing. It was the search for that missing Witch Queen that had caused Hecate, the Goddess of Darkness, to descend into the Little Witch!
"Just before I was assigned to Tower City as a Priest, I was carrying out a secret order. I was tasked with capturing the Witch Queen."
The sound of puzzle pieces clicking into place echoed in my mind. The Demon King's Army thought she was missing, but the one responsible for her disappearance was...
"I engaged the Witch Queen in battle and captured her. I then sealed her in the Saint Cathedral Basement of the Kingdom of Gardenia."
The pursuer Nina mentioned in her letter was Pandia-san?! Well, an angel certainly had the power to defeat the Witch Queen. Besides, she had been weakened because she couldn't use her magic properly after I planted the Mistletoe on her.
"There was a mysterious plant growing on the Witch Queen's face that was absorbing her mana. It allowed me to capture her with ease, but I see now that was your doing, Alraune-san."
Pandia-san thanked me, saying I had been a great help. I never would have guessed she had been captured by an angel. The Church had caught her in secret, which was why the Demon King's Army was so desperate to find her.
"Because the Witch Queen vanished, Goddess Hecate likely felt forced to act. In that sense, I am partly to blame for putting Rufe-san in danger."
"N-No, that's not it at all. The ones at fault are the Witch Queen and Hecate."
Still, to think she’d been defeated and captured by Pandia-san. It was a bit pitiful that she was sealed away, but given all the trouble she’d caused, it was probably just karma.
"The problem is that even though she is sealed, the Witch Queen is still in the Royal Capital."
"Is that... a problem?"
"Hecate, the Goddess of Darkness, was moving to recover the Witch Queen. It is only a matter of time before she discovers her location."
"Y-You mean...?"
"It means that the Goddess of Darkness may attack the Royal Capital to take her back."
"T-That's............"
The Royal Capital was in massive trouble! Why did you seal her there of all places, Pandia-san?!
B-But, Hecate hadn't found her yet. Maybe it would be safe for a while? I was getting worried.
"Therefore, I have one request."
Pandia-san reached out her hand toward me.
"Alraune-san. Won't you come to the Royal Capital with me?"
Next time: I'm an Alraune, but is it okay to go to the Royal Capital?