The village was a tiny place—the sort that appeared on maps but lacked a name written beside it.
In that quiet, rural setting, the Little Witch stumbled upon a villager while still sporting her cat-ears. A young girl from the village pointed a finger at her and spoke up.
"Hey, why do you have cat-ears? Are you a cat?"
"T-this is... well..."
The Little Witch flustered about, trying to hide her head. It was a little late to be pulling up her hood now, though.
"Hey, hey, are those real? Are you not human? Can I touch them?"
"...A-Alraune!"
Buckling under the girl’s relentless curiosity, the Little Witch retreated to the carriage and ducked behind me. Of course, I was just a small potted Alraune right then. Even if she hid behind me, she remained in plain sight.
The Little Witch was incredibly shy and struggled with these kinds of interactions, so it couldn't be helped. Moreover, being asked if she was human might have triggered memories of the time she was subjected to a witch hunt.
With that in mind, I used a vine to gently pat her head before turning to face the villagers. The problem now was how to handle this girl and her mother. After all, I wasn't human either. Being a tiny Alraune in a pot, I was bound to be viewed with suspicion.
Well, for now, let’s start with a greeting.
"Good day."
"................"
The girl and her mother stared at me, dumbfounded. It seemed I had startled them; they both stood there with their mouths agape.
"Um, we are traveling merchants. We aren't suspicious people."
The mother and daughter scrutinized me from top to bottom. Their gaze then shifted to the Amazoness Treant acting as our coachman. The Amazoness Treant raised her right arm and gave a small nod, as if to say "Hello."
During those few seconds, the girl who had been so excited about the cat-ears didn't utter a single word. I wondered if we were going to be okay. Just as that thought crossed my mind, Fairy Kiri came flying out from the back of the carriage to drive the final nail into the coffin.
"Have we finally reached the village? I want to rest already!"
"......A—a fairy!?"
The mother let out a cry of shock at the sight of Kiri.
A mysterious moving wooden horse, a girl with cat-ears, a talking Alraune in a pot, a Treant coachman, and now a fairy—no matter how you looked at it, we didn't look like ordinary merchants. We were definitely being suspected.
As I tangled my vines together, wondering what to do, the Little Witch stepped forward again. Looking as though she had braced herself, she gestured to her ears and announced her "truth."
"The reason why I have cat-ears... is because..."
"Because?" the girl replied, staring intently at them.
The Little Witch took a small gulp, then showed off her ears and tail.
"Actually, I'm of the Beast-ear race...!"
Since she already had the ears, she must have realized it was too late to pass as human. It seemed she had decided to play the part of a Beast-ear merchant instead.
"I am Rufe of the Beast-ear race. I'm a merchant from Tower City... and this Alraune is a rare talking houseplant."
Upon hearing Rufe’s explanation, the girl and her mother nodded in realization.
"Hey, Mama, she said she's from the Beast-ear race! It's my first time seeing one!"
"A Beast-ear merchant, huh? You certainly carry some very unusual goods."
Wait, they were convinced by that? They accepted the explanation surprisingly easily!
The mother even touched my leaves, remarking, "I've never seen a houseplant like this. It looks a bit like a monster, but I suppose this sort of thing is a trend in the city."
She didn't think I was a product for sale, did she? It had been three years since I changed from a Saint into an Alraune, and while much had happened, this was the first time I had been mistaken for merchandise.
Unlike me, who was left stunned, Rufe looked relieved now that she had committed to the facade. She turned to the mother and daughter.
"We are looking for an inn. Is there anywhere to stay in this village?"
"It's a small village, dear. There aren't any inns here."
"I see..."
"But you can stay at our house instead. In exchange, you have to tell us stories of your travels. Also, it would be a big help if you'd let my daughter touch those ears of yours."
Rufe replied with a look of pure agony.
"............Okay."
It seemed she was willing to endure the touching for the sake of a bed. The Rufe of the past would have absolutely refused; she really had grown up.
And so, we ended up as guests in their home. They led us to a particularly large house in the center of the village. After stepping down from the carriage, we were invited inside, where we were immediately welcomed by an old man.
"Welcome. I am the village chief."
The man who introduced himself—with the practiced air of a game NPC—was the village chief himself. Apparently, the mother who had guided us was his daughter-in-law, and the young girl was his granddaughter.
But something felt off. Not just the house, but even the chief’s face felt strangely familiar...
Rufe introduced herself while holding my pot.
"I am Rufe, a newbie itinerant merchant. This is my younger sister, Alraune."
"...A younger sister in a flowerpot? That's a first for me."
The village chief was an eccentric man. He welcomed us, monsters and all, quite normally. Curious, Rufe questioned him.
"Chief, are you not surprised by an Alraune?"
"Actually, in Tower City to the west, the Saint Nectar of the Crimson Flower Princess Alraune, renowned as a Great Spirit of the Forest, is quite famous. We are but country folk, so we don't know much, but since Alraunes are accepted in the city, they must surely be good monsters."
I felt a twinge of worry. If this chief met a wild Alraune, he might get attacked if he welcomed them like this. I made a mental note to warn him later.
While I fretted, Rufe continued the introductions.
"This is Kiri, a forest fairy. That over there is a Treant. And this is the newcomer Mandrake. They are all my family."
"It seems modern merchants travel with families full of personality."
"For a Beast-ear merchant, this is only natural."
"Is that so? This is the first time I've met your kind, but you certainly have unusual families."
Taking advantage of their rural isolation, Rufe rattled off a pack of lies. It might give them the wrong impression of the Beast-ear race, but it wasn't entirely a lie. The Beast-ear girls had become my companions, so in a sense, calling them family wasn't wrong.
After successfully establishing her identity as a merchant, Rufe was treated to dinner. The meal was simple, yet it looked quite lavish for such a small village.
As I watched Rufe eat the bread offered by the chief, a memory suddenly flickered. Unconsciously, a voice escaped me.
"The shape of that bread..."
"Oh, do you recognize it, Alraune-dono? This is a special bread passed down in this village."
"A bread... shaped like a flower... is quite rare, isn't it?"
"Ho, you noticed. As expected of a flower monster."
The bread had a very unusual shape. The parts meant to be petals were crafted with a distinctive mesh-like pattern.
Could this flower be—
"Is it an iris?"
"............My, I'm surprised you could tell. Indeed, this bread is modeled after an iris."
No matter how much one tried to shape dough, it shouldn't look exactly like a real flower. It shouldn't have been easy to identify. Yet, I had recognized it instantly for one reason: I had seen this bread once before.
"Chief... why did you... make the bread... in the shape of an iris?"
When I asked, the village chief raised his voice triumphantly.
"I'm glad you asked! This is a plain country village surrounded by wheat fields, but there is one thing we can be proud of!"
The chief cleared his throat and began to speak as if reciting an old legend.
"Actually, ten years ago, the Lady Saint visited this village and stayed at my home!"
"The Saint... ten years ago...?"
A bolt of electricity ran through my mind. Ten years ago in the Kingdom of Gardenia, there was only one Saint: me.
That was it. This village, the chief’s face, and the bread—I knew this place.
"To think the great Lady Saint Iris herself once graced our humble village!"
It had slipped my mind entirely. I had been here once before. And ten years ago meant it wasn't during the Hero's party's journey. I had visited this village even further back than that.
"Lady Iris stopped here while on her way to the Empire in the south. Caught in a heavy rain, the Lady Saint's party happened to stop at this village to rest."
My memories flooded back. I was thirteen years old then. Having been recognized as the Saint, I was traveling to the Glanz Empire on a diplomatic mission. I had stayed in this village for a single night.
"The Lady Saint was thirteen at the time. Exactly the same age as my granddaughter."
Come to think of it, Rufe was also thirteen now. By a strange coincidence, Rufe had visited the very village I had stayed in when I was her age.
I wasn't the only one who noticed. Rufe, who had been silent until then, leaned forward.
"Saint Iris stayed in this village...? Hey, Chief, is that true!?"
"Of course it's true, Rufe-san. Could it be that you're a fan of Lady Saint Iris as well?"
"............I don't know if I'm a fan, but I've always been interested in her."
So Rufe really was curious about Iris—about me. I had suspected as much, but hearing it said directly made my chest feel strange.
"I've never met Saint Iris. So Chief—tell me about her!"
"...Of course. I can only tell you what I saw, but I would be happy to share."
"Please. I want to know what she was like."
"Then, let us begin... The first time I learned of Lady Iris's name was over ten years ago—"
The village chief began to tell the story of my past. Rufe listened intently, her interest piqued.
I found myself becoming incredibly embarrassed. Hearing stories of my "Saint Era" being told to Rufe was unbearably bashful.
Next time: The story of Saint Iris.