This story continues from the Little Witch’s perspective.
My name was Rufe.
Led by the Lady Knight Katarina, I had arrived at the House of Duke Edelweiss.
Even more daunting was the fact that I was about to have an audience with the Saint Iris’s older sister, who was currently serving as the Duke’s Proxy.
To be honest, I’d come all this way without really understanding the situation. Why did I even need to meet her?
The Duke was supposedly the most important person in the land after the King, which meant his Proxy had to be just as important.
I just wanted to go home. I was terrified—or at least I was, until I heard her voice. My mind changed the moment she spoke.
For some reason, the Duke’s Proxy sounded remarkably like Alraune.
Katarina opened the door and signaled for me to enter.
I stepped inside slowly and quietly. The carpet beneath my feet was softer than anything I’d ever felt; it felt so incredibly expensive that I was afraid to walk on it.
The entire room was covered in a carpet that glowed like burnished gold.
I had the distinct feeling I’d seen this color somewhere before.
Lifting my gaze, I looked straight ahead.
A woman sat at a desk in the back of the room. She was busy, her pen flying across various documents.
This, apparently, was what they called an Office.
—So that was Saint Iris’s older sister.
Unlike Saint Iris’s famous blonde hair, the Duke’s Proxy had hair the color of an orange.
They had different mothers, so I suppose that explained the difference in hair color.
Her face wasn't an exact match for the Saint Iris I’d seen in paintings, either.
There were similarities here and there, and the overall atmosphere was close enough that I could tell at a glance they were sisters.
But that was as far as it went. They looked like siblings, nothing more.
Saint Iris’s sister didn't have a face that was a perfect double, the way Alraune did.
That only made me more confused. I couldn't wrap my head around it.
Why did Alraune look more like Saint Iris than the Saint's own biological sister did?
Even with different mothers, it felt strange that a monster looked more like the Saint than her own flesh and blood.
Could Alraune actually be related to Saint Iris somehow?
I tried to get a look at the Duke’s Proxy’s feet, but the desk blocked my view.
What would I do if she turned out to be an Alraune too?
“So, you are the Beast-ear Race Merchant Rufe.”
Saint Iris’s sister—Tulpe Edelweiss—finally addressed me.
As she spoke, I noticed her earrings swaying with a dignified grace.
They were Tulip earrings.
I guessed that she must really like tulips.
She looked to be in her mid-twenties. Perhaps because she was older than Alraune or Saint Iris, she had the air of a sophisticated, beautiful woman.
I gave a polite bow, just as Katarina had coached me.
“I am Rufe. It is an honor to meet you, Tulpe-sama.”
“I had heard you were of the Beast-ear Race, but it seems you possess at least a modicum of manners.”
I felt like she was looking down her nose at me.
City nobles were so intimidating.
“However, I did not summon you here simply to watch a member of the Beast-ear Race bow. While this is indeed my first time meeting one of your kind and I have much I wish to ask, there is a specific reason for your presence today.”
Right... the reason she’d called me to the mansion.
I’d been wondering about that the whole time.
Why had they brought me here?
It was scary being summoned without knowing the reason. I wanted her to just tell me already.
Lost in thought, I let my gaze drift away from the Duke’s Proxy.
That was when I finally noticed it.
The truly bizarre sight filling the room—
Tulpe spread her arms wide and asked me a question.
“Before we proceed to the main topic, there is something I must ask. From your perspective as a member of the Beast-ear Race, how does this room appear to you?”
“……There are a lot of paintings. It’s amazing……”
That was an understatement—the room was covered in paintings.
They were packed tightly onto every available inch of the four walls.
And despite the sheer number of them, every single portrait depicted the same person.
—There were so many of Alraune’s face!
Every painting in the room was of Saint Iris.
A kind-looking blonde woman smiled back at me from every direction.
There were portraits of her as a child, all the way up to her late teens. There were scenes of her at the Church, fighting monsters on the battlefield, healing the sick, and being prayed to by the common folk in the streets.
There were even paintings of her with people who looked like her family.
Since an orange-haired woman appeared in those, I assumed that was Tulpe herself.
In any case, it was all Saint Iris.
I hadn't seen this many paintings of her even in the Margrave’s manor back in ‘Tower City’.
Wait, why were there so many?
Could this person be a fanatic fan of Saint Iris, just like Lord Manfred?!
“Well? What do you think of my collection?”
Wh-What was I supposed to say?
I didn't know the right answer for a situation like this.
I was terrified that if I said the wrong thing, she’d fly into a rage.
She was the representative for the most powerful man in the territory. If I angered her, I was as good as dead.
But I hadn't studied the proper etiquette for responding to obsessed nobles.
I had no idea what to do.
What would you do, Alraune?
No matter how much I racked my brain, I couldn't come up with a clever answer, so I decided to just be honest.
“It makes me feel relaxed. It kind of reminds me of home.”
In Alraune's Forest, there were countless Alraune children growing everywhere.
Compared to that, having ten or twenty paintings of the same face was nothing special.
I lived in a forest where I was the only person who didn't have that face. Being surrounded by identical Alraunes was my normal life, so this wasn't actually that shocking.
Besides, Saint Iris looked exactly like Alraune.
If anything, it made me feel nostalgic for the forest.
“……………………”
Tulpe fell silent, her body trembling.
Did I say something wrong?
As I watched her fearfully, she suddenly slammed her hands onto the desk with a loud bang.
Wait, she’s scary!
The Duke’s Proxy looked me in the eye and screamed at the top of her lungs.
“You…… are the absolute beeeeeeeeeest!!!!”
“!?”
“You are the very first person to look at this room and say it feels ‘relaxing’! Yes, yes, exactly! This is a sanctuary of peace I created to cherish the memory of my darling little sister—Saint Iris-chan!”
“Saint Iris-chan!?”
Whenever anyone else spoke of her, it was always “Iris-sama” or “The Saint.”
I had never heard anyone call her “Iris-chan” before.
“I had pegged the Beast-ear Race as barbarians, but I must revise my opinion. It seems you have a better eye for things than the average human. You have my praise!”
“Thank you very much...”
I didn't really get it, but one thing was clear.
This woman was eccentric.
And she was absolutely obsessed with Saint Iris.
“Iris-chan was the pride of the Duke’s Territory and the jewel of the House of Duke Edelweiss. To think that such a divine girl was my own sister—I cannot even describe the shock I felt when I learned the truth! Yes, yes, indeed. To support such a precious, hardworking little sister, I commissioned artist after artist to paint her, and before I knew it, the room looked like this!”
“I-I see.”
She was talking a mile a minute.
Lord Manfred back in ‘Tower City’ had been the same way. Did all nobles just love Saint Iris this much?
If so, maybe I could actually get along with them.
I didn't dislike Saint Iris, after all.
“Was it Rufe-san? Since you feel so at home in this room, I suspect we shall get along famously. Is Iris-chan’s greatness known even among the Beast-ear Race?”
“……Maybe?”
“Yes, yes, I see. You mean to say that even among your kind, there are few who truly grasp Iris-chan’s brilliance the way you do? Is that what you’re saying?”
“……Yes.”
“As expected of a master merchant capable of transporting such vast quantities of Saint Nectar—you have impeccable taste. Now, I simply must know: Rufe-san, which part of Iris-chan is your favorite?”
“............Her face.”
Well, it was the exact same face as Alraune.
That alone gave me a sense of kinship.
“Yes, yes! You truly are magnificent! Iris-chan’s face takes after her mother, and while she is naturally adorable, she becomes truly radiant and dignified when she dons her Saint’s vestments! When I first saw her like that, I was moved to tears. Perhaps because we share half our blood, we even have similar features. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve looked in the mirror and become enchanted by my own reflection. So, Rufe-san, I understand your feelings perfectly!”
“............Yes.”
She was incredible.
For every one word I managed to get out, she fired ten back at me.
I’d never met anyone like her.
“Rufe-san, do you have time after this? You simply must join me for tea. Yes, yes, it’s decided!”
“……I understand.”
If she loved Saint Iris this much, she probably knew even more about her than Katarina did.
This woman might actually know the truth about the connection between Alraune and Saint Iris!
“Ahem. Now then, regarding the main topic, Rufe-san. I have taken the liberty of investigating your background.”
“............Eh?”
“It seems you’ve been making a living as a nectar merchant in ‘Tower City’. You are apparently on intimate terms with Margrave Manfred and are known as an ‘Angel’ in those parts. You usually hide your head under a hood to conceal your identity as a member of the Beast-ear Race. Your ability to ‘fly’ was merely the superior physical prowess of your kind allowing you to leap great heights. And you lived with monsters in the forest because, as a member of the Beast-ear Race, you yearned for the wild. Is that about right?”
I’d only arrived in the city yesterday.
How did she know all that already?
It was terrifying.
She was scary in a completely different way than the Witch Queen Kirke.
“You look surprised. You shouldn't underestimate my family’s information network.”
The Ducal House Information Network was terrifying.
Just how much did they know about me?
“I also have reports that you are working to support a younger sister who cannot walk. You have a sister with disabled legs here in the City of Edelweiss as well, so I assume they are the same person. But more than anything, I am intrigued by the rumors of your friendship with the Crimson Flower Princess Alraune of Alraune's Forest. My reports state that these Alraunes inhabit the forest in great numbers and that they all share the exact same face. Is that correct, Rufe-san?”
“Y-Yes.”
Why was she asking about that?
Did she already know that Alraune’s face looked just like Saint Iris’s?
My suspicion was proven right.
Tulpe turned over a painting that had been lying face-down on her desk and showed it to me.
“This Alraune has a wonderful face. It’s quite to my liking.”
“Th-That painting!?”
“Margrave Manfred Turmburg gave this to me when he stopped by Edelweiss. The moment I saw it, I fell in love!”
Katarina began lining up gold coins on the desk.
It was a mountain of gold, roughly equivalent to the value of thirty barrels of Saint Nectar.
Pointing to the pile of gold, Tulpe made her request.
“So, I have a favor to ask. Won't you sell one of those Alraunes to me?”
Next time: Little Witch’s First Mansion Visit - Part 4.