Hearing the Little Witch’s words, I was left utterly stunned.
What did she mean, she had heard the names Malai and Zelma mentioned back in the Witch’s Village?
To begin with, Rufe had been spirited away to the Witch’s Village immediately after my battle with Big Sister Dryades. While I had been occupied with defeating one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King’s Army, the Witch Queen had kidnapped her.
Eventually, with the Flame Dragon Lord’s assistance, I had managed to get her back. While I had heard a general summary of what the Little Witch had seen and heard during her captivity, she hadn't recounted every single conversation to me.
That was exactly why I couldn't hide my agitation now that the names Zelma and Malai were surfacing from her memories.
"Rufe... how... did you... hear those two... names?" I asked.
"The witches in the village... I heard them talking," she replied.
"What... did they say... about them?"
"One of the witches said it. She said it had been since Zelma that a new witch had come to the village."
"Zelma was in the Witch’s Village!?"
"But because Zelma never actually became a witch, they said it was actually the first time since Malai."
"No... that can’t be..."
Zelma had been in the Witch’s Village. I could hardly believe it. Did that mean Zelma had been a spy from the village all along?
Only human girls could become Apprentice Saints. Since anyone who had turned into a witch even once could not enter the Royal Capital due to the holy barriers, there had rarely been cases of an Apprentice Saint acting as a direct spy.
However, even though Zelma was from the Witch’s Village, she wasn't a witch herself. She apparently had a legitimate recommender and a solid background, which was why no one had ever suspected her of being a spy.
"Since they were talking about the people who became witches before me, I just sort of remembered it," Rufe added.
"You did... well to remember. You're a good girl, Rufe."
"Ehehe. You can praise me more, Alraune!"
I used a vine to gently pat the Little Witch on the head. I had just obtained critical information from an entirely unexpected source.
I had assumed Zelma was simply a collaborator—someone who had established a connection with the Witch Queen. But I was wrong. Zelma had been a member of the Witch’s Village Faction from the start. In other words, she had been an enemy of the Kingdom of Gardenia since the very beginning.
Which meant... Zelma had intended to get rid of me from the moment we met.
My history with Zelma went back to our childhood. When she turned ten, she arrived at the Saint Cathedral, and I had looked after her ever since. Because she was a promising Apprentice Saint, I—already a Saint myself—had been assigned to mentor her directly. To me, Zelma was a junior, a disciple.
In the end, she had betrayed me. I had assumed her only motive was to steal the Hero, my fiancé. But the truth was far darker; she had intended to kill me from the start.
If Zelma was a spy for the Witch’s Village, she had a thousand reasons to want Saint Iris dead. During all those years I had treated her with nothing but kindness, she had been quietly plotting my murder.
I wanted to see her. I wanted to meet her in person and demand the truth. That desire surged from the very depths of my heart.
Furthermore, it was vital to know that Crown Princess Malai was also from the Witch’s Village. Her true identity was a witch, and her infiltration of the Empire had undoubtedly been ordered by the Witch Queen. It was exactly the kind of move the Witch Queen—who loved pulling strings from the shadows—would favor.
Given that she was invading the Glanz Empire from within, it stood to reason she was doing the same to the Kingdom of Gardenia. And the vanguard for that operation had been Zelma.
There was something else that bothered me: the First Prince’s claim that he had seen a witch inside the castle in the Royal Capital. The problem was how a witch could even exist inside the city. The Holy Magic Barrier (Dämonenwand) should have made it impossible for any witch to set foot inside.
The only people capable of manipulating that barrier were the Holy Mother, who presided over the Saint Cathedral, or the Saints themselves. Since Zelma was a Saint, it wouldn't have been difficult for her to tamper with the Dämonenwand.
I needed to find out if the barrier was still functioning correctly. If Zelma had created a rift, the Royal Capital was essentially defenseless. It wouldn't stand a chance against an attack from the Demon King’s Army.
"Wait, just a minute..."
I had only just heard from the angel, Pandia-san, that the Demon King’s Army was targeting the Royal Capital. I had assumed the city’s defenses were impregnable because of the Holy Magic Barrier (Dämonenwand), but if the barrier had been compromised, the Demon King’s Army would have the perfect opening.
The timing was just too perfect. The witches and the Demon King’s Army were in league behind the scenes; this might very well be a coordinated invasion of the Kingdom of Gardenia by both factions.
As I stood there lost in thought, the First Prince shot me a suspicious look. "You really have no connection to Iris, do you? You seem awfully preoccupied with Zelma."
This was bad. I had clearly piqued the Prince’s suspicion.
"I’ve had... many... run-ins with witches... so I was... just... curious," I managed to say.
"Is that so? Though the look on your face just now was the spitting image of Iris when she was alive. She always made that exact expression when she was deep in thought, ever since she was little."
The First Prince remembered me far too well! As expected of Vol-nii’s friend; I couldn't afford to let my guard down around someone who knew me so well as a child.
"Isn't it... simply... that Leonhardt-sama... is mistaken... because my face... happens to look like... this Iris?"
"...You’re a strange one. For a monster, you’re remarkably polite to address me as '-sama.'"
I bit my lip. Out of habit from my Saint Era, I had accidentally called him "Leonhardt-sama." Between the shock of the Little Witch’s story and my own slips of the tongue, I was digging my own grave.
"The more we talk, the more you seem like Iris herself," he continued. "Despite being an Alraune, you really are her double."
"But... I am... not human. It is... merely... a coincidence..."
"I suppose you're right. Besides, looking closely, your figure is much better than hers. Iris was... well, let’s just say she was a bit lacking in the chest area."
Lacking in the chest area? Me?
Oh, really? I see, I see... So that was how Prince Leonhardt saw me, was it?
Perhaps I had been a bit modest back then, but those were forbidden words. Having had my fiancé stolen from me, I was a little sensitive about such comparisons. I decided I wouldn't show him any more mercy.
"Mister human... this... is... delicious, you know?"
"Is this... honey?" he asked.
"It is my nectar. Saint Nectar, to be precise."
"Saint Nectar!? You mean the legendary—!?" The Prince’s eyes sparkled as he accepted the gift. "The same Saint Nectar that costs a mountain of gold coins!?"
Was my nectar really fetching that much in the Royal Capital? It hadn't been nearly that expensive originally.
"Go on... mister human. My nectar... is... very sweet..."
Just as I was about to spitefully drown the First Prince in nectar, a low growl echoed from the forest. A Laobubear had appeared, likely lured in by the scent of my nectar.
"Gruaaaaah!"
"Gah! That bear monster again!"
The Prince scrambled backward, but in that same instant, a bolt of lightning streaked through the air. The Flashy Man had used his magic to kill the Laobubear instantly.
"Yes! We’ve got bear meat now!"
As the Flashy Man cheered over his kill, the Prince approached him, clapping his hands.
"Kyle... you're incredibly strong! Are you some kind of famous adventurer?"
"Eh, something like that."
"Then please, I beg you—act as my guard. I need you to take me to the Royal Capital."
"Hmm. I don't really get what's going on, but sure, why not?"
"It’s settled, then! As a member of the royalty, it is my duty to return to the capital and stop Zelma’s conspiracy. Especially if she's from the Witch's Village... I’m done running. My life as a fugitive ends here!"
"Well, I don't have much to do with witches anyway. Taking you to the capital is an easy job. I might not be able to go inside, but I’ve been wanting to see the country while I'm sightseeing."
Wait, what? Everything was being decided at a dizzying speed.
These two had become remarkably close in a very short time. Ever since they had gone to the spring to wash up, they had hit it off completely. And apparently, the Flashy Man didn't have much of a relationship with the witches. I had assumed all the demons in the Demon King’s Army were on friendly terms with them!
"By the way, you don't have a place to stay, do you?" Kyle asked. "Stay at my place until we leave for the capital."
The First Prince was going to stay at the Flashy Man’s house?
The Flashy Man wasn't human; he was a demon. Specifically, he was the Flame Dragon Lord’s younger brother. And now, a Prince of the Kingdom of Gardenia was going to live with him. This was beyond unprecedented.
"Is that truly alright?" the Prince asked. "Sleeping in the home of a powerhouse like you would certainly give me peace of mind. I couldn't ask for a better offer."
"Then it’s a deal. Let’s head back to town and discuss our plans."
I stared at them, wondering if it was really wise to let the First Prince live with a demon like Kyle.
...Well, whatever. I was no longer a Saint or a Duke’s Daughter. I was just a Forest Alraune. And a Forest Alraune didn't need to concern herself with the messy details of royal politics. I decided to pretend I hadn't heard a thing.
Still, a demon and a prince living together... I couldn't help but wonder how that would turn out. I was more than a little curious.
Next time: Little Witch’s First Travel Plan - Part 2.