《Notice》
I will be taking a hiatus for the June 8th and June 15th updates to focus on manuscript deadlines.
The next update is scheduled for June 22nd. I appreciate your patience and continued support! m( )m
To make up for the two-week break, this chapter is a bit longer than usual. I hope you enjoy it!
The following is from the Little Witch's POV.
My name was Rufe.
Tulpe, the Duke's Proxy and elder sister to Saint Iris, had just asked me to sell her the Alraune.
The Alraune was my precious little sister. I had never imagined anyone would ask to buy a member of my family, and the request left me frozen in shock.
Tulpe gazed rapturously at the painting of the Alraune as she spoke.
"Oh, what a marvelous Alraune! Even though it is a monster—a plant—to think it could possess such a perfect appearance! I nearly fainted from the shock when I first laid eyes upon it. Don't you agree, Rufe-san?"
"Y-yes..."
The Alraune’s face was the spitting image of Saint Iris. That was why Tulpe, who adored the late Saint, had taken such an interest in her.
But regardless of whether she was the Saint’s sister or a high-ranking noble, the Alraune was my sister. I could never sell my family.
"The Alraune is my family. I won't sell her."
"Yes, yes, of course. I am well aware that she is precious to you, Rufe-san. That is why a single one will suffice. I do not know if you succeeded in crossbreeding them or if they multiply naturally, but surely you have many growing. I do not require the Crimson Flower Princess herself; one of her children would be quite enough. I simply wish for you to part with one for me."
"...Not my Alraune, but one of the children?"
Seeing my reaction, Tulpe flashed a knowing smirk.
"But of course! Just a single Alraune is all I ask. In truth, I wish to fill this entire room with them, but my father would surely scold me for such a thing. That is why I am swallowing my tears and requesting only one."
An Alraune's child. In other words, my sister's offspring.
I paused to think. What exactly were the Alraune's children to me?
To me, the Original Alraune was the most important person in the world. While I cared for her children, they didn't quite feel like sisters to me. However, they were still her children. I had raised them with love and treated them as part of our group.
Was it really right for me to sell them off just because I decided to?
—No, it wasn't.
Even if they were plant monsters, to me, they were family. Not plants, not monsters, but family. I couldn't just sell a child of my family on a whim, even to a noble lady like Tulpe.
"The Alraune's children are like family to me, too. So, I can't sell them."
"Not even one?"
"No..."
The pressure was suffocating. The gaze Tulpe fixed on me was terrifying.
"Yes, yes, I understand. To the Beast-ear Race, plants are family, aren't they? Such a charming sentiment, so characteristic of those who live in the forest. However, please rest assured. I intend to cherish the Alraune—who looks just like my Iris-chan—as if she were my own flesh and blood. I will build her a dedicated greenhouse and ensure she is never without water. I even plan to gift her the dresses I collected for Iris-chan."
"You'd treat her like a real sister?"
"Indeed. While it may be difficult to grant her official noble status, I will treat the Alraune as family, just as you do. No, I shall personally tend to her every need. I would even swear it upon the name of Edelweiss!"
I tried to imagine the Alraune living in this mansion. If she lived in the home of someone this wealthy, she would likely want for nothing. She would have expensive clothes that didn't exist in the forest. Her lifestyle—living half-naked in the dirt—would change completely. Even the water might be more delicious here. After all, rich people could afford the finest things.
Given how much Tulpe obsessed over Saint Iris, she would probably truly dote on the Alraune.
But Tulpe had said she would "cherish her like a sister."
I was the Alraune's big sister. I was the only one allowed to call her that. The thought of someone else taking that role made my chest tighten with a strange, prickly feeling. I raised my voice and shouted.
"The Alraune is my sister! She won't be anyone else's sister but mine!"
I said it. I finally said it.
She was my sister. It didn't matter if she was a monster or a plant. I would protect my family!
Hearing my outburst, Tulpe began to applaud as if she had just witnessed a fascinating performance.
"Yes, yes! Those are the exact words I wanted to hear! I can deeply empathize with your devotion to your sister. I, too, would risk my life against royalty or the Demon King's Army for Iris-chan’s sake. You are just like me, Rufe-san."
I blinked. Did she actually understand? Maybe Tulpe was a good person who just loved her sister a bit too much.
But my blood ran cold at her next words.
"Now, returning to our previous topic... you have a sister with leg troubles, don't you, Rufe-san? I heard from the 'Pilz Trading Company' that the sister you brought to Edelweiss is the spitting image of Iris-chan. That led me to a realization. Could it be that this 'sister' is not of the Beast-ear Race at all, but is actually a plant monster?"
My heart skipped a beat. Her intuition was sharper than I had anticipated.
"E-er... well..."
"You said it yourself just now, Rufe-san. You said the Alraune is your sister. In other words, the 'sister' you brought into the city is none other than the Crimson Flower Princess Alraune, is she not?"
What was I going to do? She already knew I had brought the Alraune into the city! I had to find a way to deflect.
"...The one in the city is a different sister. Not the Alraune."
"Yes, yes, that is certainly a possibility. However, I have just recalled something. Margrave Manfred mentioned that when you lived in the forest near 'Tower City,' you were the only human there. He stated quite clearly that no other humans lived in that forest. That was true, was it not?"
In that moment, everything clicked.
When Margrave Manfred had visited Edelweiss and given Tulpe the painting, he must have shared everything he knew about me and the Alraune. Tulpe had known my "sister" was an Alraune from the very beginning.
Nobles were truly terrifying.
Tulpe turned to the Lady Knight, Katarina, for confirmation.
"Katarina. Did Rufe-san's sister resemble Iris-chan?"
"Tulpe-sama, 'resemble' is an understatement. Though the hair color differed, she was the spitting image of Iris-sama in her youth."
"Thank you, Katarina. That is all the confirmation I need."
Tulpe rose from her chair. Clutched in her arms was the painting of the Alraune, held as if it were a holy relic. She walked right up to me and displayed the canvas.
"I wish to speak with your sister, Rufe-san. You will bring her to me, won't you?"
The sheer pressure she exerted was overwhelming. She didn't leave even a sliver of room for a refusal.
I wanted to say no, but she was the Duke's Proxy—the most powerful person in the region. The fear of her wrath was immense. I had fought the Demon Race and monsters, but this person was frightening in a completely different way.
Yet, I also knew she would do anything for Saint Iris. If that was the case, she might be the only person I could trust with my questions. If anyone could solve the mystery of why the Alraune looked like her, it was Iris's own sister.
I took a deep breath and made my proposal.
"I'll bring my sister... but on one condition."
I pointed to the painting of the Alraune.
"I want to know why the Alraune's face is identical to Saint Iris's. That’s why I came to this mansion."
"...I see. You were curious about that as well, Rufe-san."
The intensity in Tulpe's expression softened into something resembling sorrow. Seizing the moment while she was calm, I pressed on.
"I thought that as Saint Iris's older sister, you might know the reason. If you tell me what you know, I'll bring my sister here."
"When I first learned of an Alraune that resembled Iris-chan, I wondered the same thing. Why did such a creature exist? A coincidence? No. Even Margrave Manfred said they were far too similar for it to be a mere accident."
Everyone who knew Saint Iris said the same thing—that the two were identical.
"Margrave Manfred also noted that while the faces were the same, the Alraune has a better figure, different hair, and the lower body of a plant. Most importantly, she possesses an extraordinary power impossible for a human. Thus, he concluded it was a chance resemblance and nothing more."
"The Alraune is a plant, and she's very strong. I think she's even stronger than a Saint."
"It is natural for you to think so, Rufe-san. However, Iris-chan was a Saint of such caliber that she was called the reincarnation of the First Saint Nemea. She was a true genius, rumored to be even more powerful than the Hero. She was not the kind of girl to die easily. And above all, for her to betray us... it's impossible."
"Betray?"
"Ahem. By 'betray,' I mean leaving her family behind for the heavens. Those two claim that Iris-chan is dead, but I cannot bring myself to believe them so easily."
I wondered who "those two" were. Probably Saint Iris's companions—maybe Zelma and her group?
"There are two reasons I want to purchase that Alraune. One is simple desire. The other is that I want to find answers. I believe that Alraune holds a clue."
"Information from the Alraune?"
"I cannot divulge the specifics as it is a matter of state security, but there are inexplicable mysteries surrounding Iris-chan's death. It has been six years since she left this world. Just as I was beginning to lose hope, your Alraune appeared as the only lead I have."
Tulpe turned her eyes toward the paintings at the far end of the wall.
"Rufe-san, look at those two paintings."
Among the many portraits, two stood out as strange. The people depicted alongside Saint Iris had been completely blacked out with paint.
One was a man; the other was a woman.
"Those blackened portraits are usually kept hidden, as those individuals are of the highest noble blood in this kingdom."
"Higher than the Ducal House?"
"Indeed."
Higher than a Duke... that could only mean Royalty. I remembered the Lady Knight, Katarina, telling me that earlier. Defacing a portrait of Royalty seemed like a very dangerous thing to do.
"Even if you knew it was wrong, why did you paint over them?"
"Because... I cannot stand the sight of them!"
Tulpe glared at the blackened canvases with pure venom. I wondered if they had done something terrible to her.
"Those two were the ones who 'confirmed' Iris-chan's death."
"The people who were with her when she died?"
"The only accounts of her final moments came from them. I cannot share the details, but it is said she passed away in the southern reaches of Dryades' Forest."
The southern part of Dryades' Forest... that was right near where my old village used to be.
"Iris-chan died in that forest, and now an Alraune who looks exactly like her has appeared from that same forest. The locations may be slightly different, but the forest is the same. I cannot believe it is a mere coincidence."
I had found the Alraune in the south of Dryades' Forest, too. I felt like I had heard someone say something similar recently.
"I want to restore Iris-chan's honor. More than anything, I want the truth! I must bring it to light before those two ascend the throne!"
I knew Saint Iris was dead, but what did she mean by "restoring her honor"? Was there some shame attached to her death? And if she wanted to act before they ascended the throne, then the two blackened people were definitely Royalty.
The only Royalty I knew was the one traveling with my Flashy Man Master—wait, what was his name again? Right, he had said he was the First Prince.
"Tulpe-sama. By Royalty, do you mean the First Prince?"
"No, not him. The First Prince is... missing. It is widely rumored that he is dead, so it is the Second Prince—the Hero—who is expected to inherit the throne."
So it wasn't Leo-something. But I knew about the Hero.
"You mean the Hero and the Saint of the Lamp, right?"
"Oh? And what makes you say that?"
"I don't know the Hero well, but I know that the Saint of the Lamp—Saint Zelma—is a bad person."
"Wh-wha—!? Saint Zelma is a bad person? Rufe-san, what on earth have you heard?"
Tulpe leaned in, her eyes wide with interest. I thought back to the conversation I had overheard with the Alraune in the forest.
"Saint Zelma is in league with Witches. That's why she's bad."
"Zelma is in league with Witches!?"
Tulpe let out a scream of pure shock. It seemed I had said something world-shaking. I wondered if I should have kept that a secret, but no one had told me not to tell.
Suddenly, something strange caught my eye.
—Wait.
For a split second, I saw a familiar tuft of yellow-green hair peeking out from beyond the window frame. On the very top of the Alraune's head was a single strand of hair that curled upward. She called it her "ahoge," and what I had just seen was a perfect match.
But the Alraune was supposed to be back at the inn. It had to be my imagination.
As I stared at the window, Tulpe stepped into my line of sight, blocking my view. She grabbed my shoulders and spoke with a frantic intensity.
"Rufe-san! Where did you hear such a thing!?"
"I heard it from the First Prince."
"Th-th-the First Prince!? How could you have heard that from the missing First Prince!?"
"...I picked him up in the forest."
The Alraune, my Flashy Man Master, and I had found a "Native" in the woods. He had been a blond-haired gentle man, but his true identity was the First Prince. They had said they were heading for the Royal Capital after us, but I had no idea where they were now.
"Rufe-san!!!"
Tulpe gripped my shoulders even tighter, her face inches from mine as she shouted.
"Tell me everything! Every single detail!"
This concludes the POV of the Little Witch, Rufe.
Next time: Duke Edelweiss's Mansion Infiltration Operation.