It was evening, the hour when the trees and grasses began to slumber.
We held a banquet inside the Great Tent. It was a celebration to mark the liberation of the Beast-ear Race from the tyranny of the Beast Ogre Mantiger. Everyone was there—not just the Little Witch, Kiri, and myself, but every member of the Beast-ear and Beastman races. They were all drinking Saint Nectar, making a merry, joyous ruckus.
Instead of sitting with the Beast-ear Race, I had placed my flowerpot among the beastmen. The giant bear who had burst into the tent so late sat in the seat right next to me.
"I am... surprised," I said as I poured Nectar into his cup. "To think that we... had passed each other... at the Demon King's Castle, Bear-san."
"I caught sight of you once while I was working at the Demon King's Castle-kuma. You're Glühschwanz-sama's Maid Alraune, aren't you-kuma?"
"Well... you aren't entirely wrong."
To my utter shock, this bear beastman had actually seen me at the Demon King's Castle! When I had first introduced myself, he had completely blindsided me by saying, "You're the maid from the Demon King's Castle, right-kuma? It’s been a long time-kuma."
The greeting had been so unexpected that I hadn't known how to respond at first. But looking back, I really did work as a maid there for a while. It had already been two years since the Flame Dragon Lord kidnapped me, leading to my time in the Botanical Garden and my eventual service as a Maid Alraune.
I wondered how he could possibly remember me so clearly, but apparently, the sight of a tiny Alraune in a flowerpot wearing a Maid Uniform was a shock he couldn't forget.
"That's not the only reason-kuma. I remembered you because of the scent of your Nectar, Alraune-san-kuma. I always thought it smelled delicious, so it stuck in my mind-kuma."
"Ahaha... delicious? You don't... intend to eat me, do you?"
"I won't eat you-kuma! I only want to eat the Saint Nectar-kuma!"
As he spoke, the bear beastman began slurping at my Nectar. Was it a rule that all bears, not just beastmen, were perverts who wanted to lick my Nectar? He reminded me of the Bear-papa I missed so dearly, though the difference was that this bear beastman seemed to be genuinely adored by his subordinates.
The bear beastman raised a cup of Saint Nectar toward the surrounding soldiers.
"Look, everyone! This is Alraune-san's precious Saint Nectar-kuma! Drink up and swear your loyalty-kuma!"
The other bear beastmen echoed his call. These were the same bears I had served while acting as a waitress in the Great Tent earlier.
"The Bear Squad Leader is right!"
"From now on, we follow the orders of the Bear Squad Leader, the former Vice Squad Leader of the Beastman Squad!"
"Long live the Bear Squad Leader!"
The beastmen were no longer our enemies. It seemed they were far from a monolith; these bear beastmen were part of a more moderate faction. With the human-hating Beast Ogre Mantiger gone, the Bear Squad Leader had been promoted from his position as second-in-command to the top of the unit.
From what I could see, he was significantly stronger than any of the remaining soldiers. Perhaps that was why even the more aggressive-looking beastmen were following him so obediently. More importantly, he had the best personality of any beastman I had ever met. He was even friendly with the children of the Beast-ear Race; he was truly the "conscience" of his people.
"So there are... good beastmen after all," I mused.
"There are all sorts of guys among beastmen, just like there are good and bad demons in the Demon Race-kuma. Aren't plants the same-kuma?"
"Plants too? Hmm... You might be right!"
Back when I had first become an Alraune, Hachi-san had brought a Man-eater to me—a total Circle Crasher. Even though we were both Plant Monsters, that Man-eater had been incredibly impudent and nasty. On the other hand, my little sister figure, Amazoness Treant, was a wonderful Plant Monster—thoughtful, kind, and fair to humans and demons alike.
Just like humans, plants possessed a wide range of personalities. If there were good beastmen, I wanted to be on good terms with them. For the sake of the Beast-ear Race, I hoped we could maintain a friendly relationship.
"Today is... a special occasion! It is... all-you-can-drink Saint Nectar!"
When I poured the Nectar into a barrel, the beastmen inside the tent let out a thunderous "Wooooh!!" Their enthusiasm was contagious, and I found myself handing out Nectar with extra gusto. I had expected at least some of them to resent me for killing Mantiger, but the atmosphere was surprisingly light.
The Bear Squad Leader eventually explained why.
"Beast Ogre Mantiger-sama ruled the Beastman Squad through fear-kuma. He had almost no personal popularity, so no one is looking for revenge-kuma."
"I see. Since I do not... want to fight pointlessly, that is a relief."
"Besides, everyone heard the story from the Beast-ear Race. They know how you did away with him-kuma. No beastman wants to challenge an Alraune stronger than the Four Heavenly Kings and end up as fertilizer-kuma."
It seemed no one felt any loyalty to the tyrant. Looking back, his younger brother, Beast King Marticoras, had been much more popular with his men. Despite having roughly the same strength as his brother, Mantiger’s personality might have been the reason he never made it into the Four Heavenly Kings.
"So, the Bear Squad Leader... will be the leader of the unit from now on?"
"I've become the Squad Leader-kuma, but I'm not the leader-kuma."
"Then... who is?"
"The leader is Alraune-san... No, it's Lady Alraune-kuma."
"Eh? Me?! Why?!"
The Bear Squad Leader gazed at me with dazed, melting eyes.
"I can't imagine a life without Saint Nectar anymore-kuma. I'll give up the leader's chair; I just want more Saint Nectar-kuma."
It wasn't just him. The eyes of the other beastmen were starting to look strange, too. They were all directing sharp, intense stares at me, as if I were a target.
"I've had bottled Saint Nectar before-kuma, but Nectar straight from Lady Alraune is something else entirely-kuma. I'd do anything for this Nectar-kuma!"
I recognized these "symptoms"—or rather, this feeling. If I gave someone too much Nectar, they became so obsessed with it that they lost their sense of self. It hadn't happened in a while, so I had completely forgotten!
"I want more Saint Nectar-kuma~!"
"W-Wait, Bear Squad Leader! Get back! Licking is... forbidden!"
I used my Vines to push him away. Why did Saint Nectar change people so drastically? Well, in this case, it was a bear. But then I remembered what he had said—that he would do anything.
That gave me a wonderful idea.
"I understand, Bear Squad Leader. I will give you... Nectar, so will you... cooperate with me?"
"I will-kuma!"
He agreed instantly, without even hearing the details. Not only him, but all the other bears were leaning in, waiting for my command. With this much motivation, it would work.
"Then, I have a request. As you originally planned... please head toward Edelweiss."
The beastmen had been ordered by the Demon King's Army's Prime Minister to invade the town of Edelweiss. I wanted to stop that, and there was no reason not to make use of the Bear Squad Leader's unit.
"By the way... attacking humans is strictly forbidden. If you hurt anyone... I will turn you all into nutrients. But if you keep your word... I will give you mountains of Saint Nectar."
"U-Understood-kuma! I want to eat mountains of Nectar-kuma!"
"I believe... you were supposed to rendezvous with the Main Force of the Demon King's Army... before reaching the town? I want you to... leak their information to me."
The Ice Dragon, who served as the Prime Minister, was planning to strike Edelweiss in the South of the Royal Capital as part of the invasion plan. That town was the hometown of Saint Iris—my hometown. If I left things as they were, it might be destroyed. By turning the Bear Squad Leader and his men into spies, I could track the army's movements.
"For the sake of the Nectar, I won't touch a human-kuma! I'll give you all the info-kuma! I swear it on the Nectar-kuma!"
"Yes... very good."
And so, I successfully brought the Beastman Squad under my command. One might call it a bribe, but that was a misunderstanding. I was merely sharing a little leftover Nectar, and they were simply providing me with a few conveniences in return. If they swore loyalty to me in the process, well, that wasn't my fault. It was the Nectar's fault.
Regardless, I now had a way to monitor the Demon King's Army. They weren't just heading for Edelweiss; it seemed they were also marching on the Royal Capital to retrieve the Witch Queen.
In that capital, a wedding was supposed to take place between Manfred-san, the Lord of Tower City, and Princess Freundliche. I didn't want such a happy occasion to turn into a battlefield. I truly hoped things would stay peaceful.
The next morning.
The Beast-ear Race set off for Alraune's Forest to build their new village, while the beastmen took a different route toward Edelweiss.
The first day of our journey had certainly been eventful. We hadn't made much physical progress, but the results were significant enough that I was satisfied. The forest had new residents, and I had made new "friends" within the Demon King's Army. Now, I could resume my travels without any lingering regrets.
"Well then, let’s try this again—depart!"
I met up with Amazoness Treant, who had been waiting outside the forest, and we set the carriage in motion. We returned to the highway of the Freiheit Great Plains and headed northeast.
On day one, Kiri and Mandrake had been kidnapped, I had liberated an entire race, and I had killed a high-ranking official of the Demon King's Army. After a day like that, the rest of the trip was bound to be peaceful.
True to my hopes, the second day passed without any trouble. The carriage, pulled by the Wood Horse Golem, rattled along the highway. Then, as evening approached, a small village appeared in the distance.
The Little Witch cheered happily.
"Alraune, look! A village!"
It was the first actual village of our journey. Having taken a detour to the beast-ear settlement made this moment feel even more sentimental.
"It looks... like a perfectly ordinary village."
It was a tiny place with a population of maybe a hundred. Dozens of houses were scattered among the fields. Even though it was a common sight, it felt strangely nostalgic. I felt as if I had seen this village somewhere before...
As I tilted my head in thought, the Little Witch turned to me.
"It's almost evening. Should we stay here for the night?"
"Let's do that. We moved... faster than I expected."
The Wood Horse Golem’s power was truly off the charts. It ran so much faster than a real horse that we had already made up the time we lost at the settlement. The Little Witch was probably exhausted from the journey, so I wanted us to get some proper rest.
"But I wonder... if such a tiny village... even has an inn?"
"Leave it to me! There are people over there; I'll go ask."
The Little Witch spotted the "First Villagers"—a girl in her early teens and her mother. When we stopped the carriage, the mother stared at the Wood Horse Golem with a stunned expression, as if trying to process if it was actually a horse. (To be fair, he was doing his best to look like one.)
Taking advantage of their confusion, the Little Witch hopped down and approached the girl with a friendly "Hello." I suppose it was easier for her to talk to someone her own age.
"Excuse me... um... does this village have an inn?"
The girl didn't answer. Her mouth hung open as she stared intently at the top of the Little Witch's head. When the Little Witch tilted her head, something up there swayed.
The girl pointed and let out a gasp of surprise.
"This girl... she has cat ears!"
Wait, cat ears?!
Sure enough, there were white, fluffy cat ears on top of the Little Witch's head. She had grown them to blend in with the Beast-ear Race and hadn't changed back.
The Little Witch clutched her head in a panic, looking back at me with a troubled expression. "I completely forgot..."
Having spent the last twenty-four hours with the Beast-ear and Beastman races, she had clearly grown used to her Cat-ear Form. I had intended to remind her to undo the Transformation Magic before we reached a human settlement. I really had.
But... she looked so cute with the ears and tail that I figured I could just tell her later.
I’m sorry, Rufe. You’ll just have to power through this one in your Cat-ear Form!