Continuing from the Little Witch's POV.
Saint Iris.
That was the name of the Saint who supposedly looked just like Alraune.
It was also a name I’d heard countless times since I started living with her.
My Alraune wasn't an ordinary monster.
She was incredibly strong, stunningly beautiful, and despite being a plant, she was remarkably wise. She had even triumphed over the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King's Army and the Witch Queen.
She was likely a very special Alraune. My pride and joy.
I had a feeling that Saint Iris held the key to the secret of Alraune’s strength. That was why I had been curious about her for so long.
"I... I want to know about Saint Iris."
"Ahem. My apologies. Since I am not a native of this kingdom, I’m afraid I don't know the specifics."
Now that I thought about it, this man was a demon. Maybe asking Yasmin's Papa wasn't the best idea. I might have picked the wrong person to talk to.
"Flashy Man Master, do you know anything about Saint Iris?"
"Me?! Honestly, I was out cold for a long time before I came to this town, so I’m not really up to speed on recent events."
"Wait... you were sleeping the whole time?"
"Well, I was teetering between life and death for a while—or maybe I was sealed away. Either way, thanks to my big brother, I finally woke up recently. That’s why I’m traveling now, to see how the world has changed."
"...You’ve had a rough time too, Master."
I didn’t quite understand it all, but it seemed Flashy Man Master didn't know anything about her either. He’d said he was from the Demon Race, so I probably shouldn't expect him to share human sensibilities anyway.
What was I going to do? Everyone around me was a non-human; none of them seemed to know a thing about Saint Iris.
Seeing my disappointment, Yasmin’s Papa spoke up as if he’d just remembered something.
"Ahem. If you don't mind what little I do know, I could tell you a story."
"Nebiros-san... yes, please. Tell me."
"I used to work in a castle ruled by a certain king, far from here. I heard various rumors about Saint Iris during my time there."
"By 'that castle,' do you mean the Demon King's Castle?"
"Shh! Rufe-san, hush! That is a secret between the three of us! If the surrounding adventurers heard you, it would be a disaster!"
"I understand. Sorry."
Alraune had mentioned meeting Yasmin, the maid demon, at the Demon King's Castle. I had suspected as much, and it looked like I was right.
"...Ahem. In that castle, the conversation revolved almost entirely around two humans: the current Hero and his fiancée, Saint Iris."
"Saint Iris was the Hero's fiancée? Did they get married?"
"T-That is... well, let me explain things in order. Using the Holy Sword bestowed upon him by the Goddess, the Hero defeated our Fierce Generals one after another."
"The Hero was killing the demon people?"
"Not the Demon Race—the Fierce Generals. However, the Hero wasn't the one we feared most. Compared to him, Saint Iris was an far more terrifying human!"
"Was she a scary person?"
"She was an absolute monster! Even the Demon King stated that such an irregular human hadn't been seen in a thousand years, not since the First Saint!"
"The Demon King?"
"Oops, my apologies. A slip of the tongue. I meant my King. The horror of Saint Iris lay in her ability to wield numerous types of Light Magic that were supposedly only accessible to the First Saint."
"What happened when she used them?"
"Simply put, no one in the Hero’s party could die. No matter how much damage we inflicted, she would fully restore them in an instant. In contrast, our soldiers would only grow more exhausted... the generals on the front lines lamented that it was like she was cheating."
Being able to heal sounded very convenient. Thanks to Alraune's Saint Nectar, I’d seen many people's injuries vanish instantly. I could certainly understand that feeling.
"But more than anything else, the problem was Saint Iris’s own tenacity. That Saint simply would not die."
"But she was human, right?"
"She was, but her Regeneration ability was abnormal. Even if her chest were pierced or her limbs severed, she would regenerate with Light Recovery Magic before she could actually expire."
"That sounds a lot like Alraune."
"Naturally, she wouldn't have had the same level of regenerative power as Alraune-san, who is a plant, but she was essentially a similar existence nonetheless. Decapitation should have killed her, but her Light Magic defense barriers made it impossible to even land a hit. Even Lord Baldanders, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, couldn't defeat her."
"So Saint Iris was beating the Four Heavenly Kings too. Just like Alraune."
"The only one who ever truly cornered her was Lord Baldanders. Apparently, he gave up on targeting her and tried to kill the Hero instead. During that fight, Saint Iris was injured while shielding him."
"She really cared about her comrades, then."
"That was her only weakness. But even with a life-risking attack from Lord Baldanders, he ultimately couldn't bring her down. She recovered almost immediately. That was why we feared her as our highest-priority target."
Nebiros-san leaned in closer, whispering the rest to me.
"She was more stubborn than the undead, and if you encountered her, you’d be purified by her Light Magic. Some members of the Demon Race apparently called her 'Grim Reaper Iris.'"
"So she really was that scary."
"She was a talent that appears only once in a millennium! A hero among heroes! A Hero appears once every fifty years or so, but a Saint of that caliber hadn't been seen since the First Saint a thousand years ago, as the Demon King—ah, but I said that already."
"Have you ever met her, Nebiros-san?"
"I have not. But a former colleague of mine named Parca apparently saw her once. She said she was a dead ringer for Alraune-san."
Parca... I felt like I remembered a Harpy by that name coming to visit Alraune to get Saint Nectar. Could it be the same person—or rather, the same demon?
"Regardless, Saint Iris was a Saint who could use attack magic on par with the Hero, cast nearly impenetrable defense barriers, and heal any wound. We viewed her with far more dread than the Hero himself."
"I see."
So, Saint Iris was a terrifying person.
"This is the extent of the information I have regarding Saint Iris. Was it of any use?"
"No, not really."
"I-I see..."
"But I did learn that Saint Iris was as strong as Alraune. Thank you, Nebiros-san."
After that, Nebiros-san gave us the travel itinerary and some information about the Royal Capital. There were many things I didn't quite grasp, but I figured it would work out somehow. Flashy Man Master said that as long as we had a map, we wouldn't get lost.
Eventually, the Master and I left the Adventurer Guild.
Looking up, I saw the sky was dyed a deep crimson. It was already evening. I had to part ways with the Master and head back to Alraune's Forest.
"Master, thanks for today."
"Sure thing! Did you find out what you wanted to know?"
"Other than the fact that Saint Iris was scary, I didn't really get much."
Maybe asking demons for information had been a mistake. I wanted to hear the story from a human’s perspective, but all the humans I was close to were currently out of town. What was I supposed to do?
Then, I remembered something Nebiros-san had said.
"The town of Edelweiss on this map is supposedly Saint Iris’s birthplace. The Demon King’s Army attacked it many times to try and find a weakness to use against her, but they were always repelled."
"Saint Iris's hometown..."
If that was where she was born, there were bound to be people who knew her.
"I think I just had a great idea."
As the one holding the map, I had the power to decide our travel route. After all, I was the big sister figure for everyone back in the forest.
"Edelweiss... if I go there..."
I might finally find out the truth about Saint Iris.
So, that was the POV of the Little Witch, Rufe.
It's surprisingly important to consider which camp your informant belongs to, isn't it?
Next time: "Hey, did you know? Saint Iris is..."