Little Witch's POV.
My name was Rufe.
After being summoned to the mansion of Duke Edelweiss, I found myself face-to-face with Tulpe’s Proxy, the elder sister of Saint Iris.
Tulpe’s Proxy didn’t share Saint Iris’s blonde hair; hers was a vibrant shade of orange. She also seemed to adore Saint Iris—obsessively so. All four walls of the room were completely covered in portraits of the Saint. Since Saint Iris’s face was the spitting image of the Alraune’s, it meant that no matter where I looked, rows of the Alraune’s face stared back at me.
Tulpe’s Proxy had been pleading with me to let her have one of the Alraunes. However, she currently seemed more preoccupied with the news that Saint Zelma was in league with a Witch, and the story of Leo-something, the First Prince I had picked up back in Tower City.
"Beast-ear Race merchant, Rufe-san. Please, tell me everything you know about Zelma and the First Prince!"
"…Yes."
Come to think of it, I wondered how much longer I would have to keep up this act of being part of the Beast-ear Race. I still had the cat-ears growing out of my head, after all. But before we got into the details, there was something I needed to confirm.
"Excuse me. Before we speak, would it be alright if I looked at the view from the window for a moment?"
"Oh, yes, of course. Our conversation has been quite long, so you must be a little weary. I quite understand. Even though I called you here to discuss acquiring an Alraune who resembles Iris-chan, I have done nothing but be shocked by your revelations. Oh, Katharina, please prepare some Saint Nectar Tea. We might as well continue our discussion over a tea party."
The Lady Knight, Katharina, who had been standing by in the corner of the room, stepped out.
Saint Nectar Tea—I was a little curious to know what that tasted like.
I moved past Tulpe’s Proxy and walked to the window. Peeking outside, I saw exactly what I expected. The Alraune was there.
A potted plant that looked unmistakably like the Alraune had been placed in the inner courtyard. Her bud was tightly closed, so she likely thought she was doing a good job of hiding her human upper half, but she couldn't fool my eyes. That was definitely my Alraune. That meant the yellow-green hair I had glimpsed through the window earlier really had belonged to her.
But why was she here at the Duke’s mansion? I had explicitly told her to stay behind and look after the inn…
"…And that clay figurine is in a very strange pose."
Right in front of the Alraune sat a familiar, bizarre clay figurine. It was a rare piece, shaped like a fusion between a human and a lion. The Pilz Trading Company was full of strange urns, but I wondered if strange figurines were also the fashion in this city.
As I stood there staring intently at the Alraune through the glass, Tulpe’s Proxy called out to me.
"Rufe-san, the preparations are complete. Please, follow me."
I turned around to see her beckoning me. Lady Knight Katharina had already returned.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. The tea party is ready."
"…We aren't drinking it in here?"
"Oh, I understand your hesitation. Enjoying tea in this room, surrounded by my dear Iris-chan, is a truly marvelous experience. It is part of my daily routine, after all. However, Rufe-san—I have taken a liking to you. I want to show you the rest of my Iris-chan Collection. We shall move to another room."
"…………I understand."
I felt a pang of regret; if I had stayed by the window a little longer, I might have seen the Alraune move. On the other hand, getting a look at the Saint Iris collection might be useful. I might even find a clue as to why the Alraune looked so much like her.
I almost forgot my original reason for coming to the mansion: I was here to investigate the connection between the Alraune and Saint Iris. The Alraune was definitely hiding something. She seemed to know a little bit herself, but knowing her, she probably didn't know the whole truth. It was my responsibility as her older sister to unravel the mystery and put her mind at ease.
"This way, Rufe-san."
We left Tulpe’s Proxy’s office. I followed behind Tulpe and Katharina as we walked down a beautiful hallway lined with a plush red carpet. Duke Edelweiss’s mansion was filled with expensive-looking treasures. As the highest-ranking nobles below the royalty, I supposed everything they owned was magnificent.
I didn't really understand high society, but I could tell that the urns here were far more impressive than the strange ones I’d seen at the Pilz Trading Company.
As we turned a corner in the corridor, we ran right into someone carrying one of those very same urns. The man looked at us and spoke.
"…Well, well. What a coincidence this is."
The man holding the urn stopped in the middle of the hallway, effectively blocking our path. I had the distinct feeling he was staring specifically at me.
Lady Knight Katharina stepped forward. "You insolent man! Step aside at once!"
"My humblest apologies. It’s just that I unexpectedly caught sight of something as beautiful as a goddess."
The man’s eyes remained fixed on my face. I felt a flicker of recognition… I was sure I had seen him somewhere before. But I shouldn't have had any acquaintances who stood out this much. I was certain that once you saw that massive, bushy hair, you would never forget it.
Katharina questioned him sternly. "You do not belong to this house. Who are you?"
"I am Zel, a merchant with the Pilz Trading Company. I seem to have lost my way while delivering these goods."
"Now that you mention it, I did receive a report that a new merchant from the company had gone missing within the mansion. And that they were in the middle of recovering those strange urns…"
Zel. The name didn't ring a bell. I didn't know anyone by that name.
However, I did know a man named Diesel. He was a mercenary animal tamer and a subordinate of Witch Queen Kirke. He was the man with the smooth, bald head who had come to the Alraune's Forest looking for me.
The reason I suddenly remembered Diesel was that this "Zel" had a face that was almost identical to his. But surely they were different people. Diesel’s head had been shiny and bare, while this man’s head was a mountain of hair. An afro, I think they called it. The hair was completely different.
As I stared at his bushy head, the afro man said something startling.
"Rufe-sama, it has been far too long. It gladdens me to see you looking so well."
"…………Me?"
Tulpe’s Proxy and Katharina both turned to me and asked, "Is he an acquaintance of yours?"
I certainly didn't know any afro men. "…No. I don't know this person."
"How cold. I used the alias Zel earlier, but it goes against my principles to lie to Rufe-sama. Allow me to introduce myself properly—I am Diesel. Surely you haven't forgotten this face?"
"…I remember the face and the name… but… I have no memory of that hair."
"It’s all thanks to the Saint Hair Tonic from the Alraune young lady. My hair grew back so thick and full that I can hardly believe it myself. Did the young lady not tell you?"
"…………I heard that Diesel, the mercenary who served the Witch Queen, had somehow become a General of the Glanz Empire, but…"
Last year, the Glanz Imperial Army had marched on Tower City to reclaim Barometz. The Demon King's Army had actually been the ones to steal her, but everyone got the wrong idea when the Alraune started selling Barometz’s golden cotton in the city. To protect the town, the Alraune had faced an army of four thousand and won a total victory without a single casualty. She had just put them all to sleep.
Because of that, Imperial Princess Freundliche had ended up living in Tower City, which led to her engagement to the Lord of Tower City, Manfred-san. Now, we were all on our way to the Royal Capital for their wedding. I knew all of that. But no one told me that Diesel’s hair had exploded into an afro!
"Thanks to that Saint Hair Tonic, my long-lost hair roots have been resurrected. I truly cannot thank the Alraune young lady enough."
"Even so, it’s a bit… much."
His hair looked like it was about to detonate. Or perhaps it already had. Regardless, it seemed this man really was the same Diesel from a year ago.
"But why are you at the Duke’s mansion? And why are you acting as a merchant for the Pilz Trading Company?"
"Playing the merchant is part of an infiltration mission. I’m currently tasked with placing these urns throughout the mansion."
"But why here? This place has nothing to do with the Witch Queen."
"Witch Queen Kirke-sama and the house of Edelweiss are unrelated, yes. However, attacking this place is a necessary step toward saving her. I have sworn my eternal loyalty to Kirke-sama, after all."
"…………I don't believe you. I don't think a subordinate of the Witch Queen would be this honest with me."
"If you were the person you were before, I likely would have lied. However, looking at the current Rufe-sama, I find I cannot tell a lie."
Diesel stepped closer and reached a hand toward my head. I reflexively pulled back.
"…Are you trying to kidnap me again?"
"Back then, Rufe-sama was merely a girl who looked like Kirke-sama. You had value as a potential successor, the next Witch Queen—or as a vessel to serve as a surrogate for Hecate-sama."
"…Hecate?"
It was a name I didn't recognize, yet it felt strangely familiar. Just hearing it made me feel as if a memory was trying to surface, but I couldn't grasp it.
"However, looking at you now, I’ve realized my mistake. You aren't just a spare for Kirke-sama. Currently, you are Kirke-sama herself!"
"…………What are you even saying?"
Witch Queen Kirke had turned me into a witch. My life as a simple village girl had ended that day. My hair had turned snow-white, and I had gained the ability to use magic. I knew I looked quite a bit like her; the Alraune had even said our auras were identical. I was aware of that much. But for some reason, Diesel was looking at me with a fanatical, worshipful gaze, as if he were seeing the Queen herself.
"I see it now, Kirke-sama! Rufe-sama has truly become your daughter!"
"…………My mother isn't the Witch Queen. I know that for a fact."
"Blood is irrelevant. That presence… it seems Hecate-sama has already descended into your body. And above all else, your head is the image of Kirke-sama’s."
Diesel dropped to one knee, taking the pose of a loyal knight. He looked up at me with profound reverence.
"That face, that white hair… and those cat-ears on your head. You are the image of Witch Queen Kirke-sama!"
"…Cat-ears?"
Then, I remembered. Witch Queen Kirke always wore a white dress and a white witch's hat adorned with cat-ears. I had always assumed the ears were just part of the hat.
But looking at Diesel’s reaction, I realized I might have been wrong. Perhaps real cat-ears actually grew from the Witch Queen’s head.
"The current Rufe-sama is the spitting image of the Queen… even the cat-ears are perfect. I am moved to tears…!"
"Wai-Wait a minute."
"No, I shall not wait! You are the image of Kirke-sama in her youth!"
"…Kirke and I are spitting images?"
Like the Alraune and Saint Iris?
"I must admit it. Rufe-sama is the daughter of Witch Queen Kirke-sama—and therefore, you are the one I must serve……"
"…Do I really look that much more like her than I did before?"
"Compared to our meeting a year ago, you have grown. You look so much like her now that no one could see you as anything other than mother and daughter. It’s not just the aura, it’s those cat-ears, too."
"I see…"
I glanced to the side. The hallway window acted like a mirror, reflecting my image back at me. There, I saw a girl with pure white hair and cat-ears very similar to the ones the Witch Queen had. Because I was pretending to be one of the Beast-ear Race, I had used magic to grow them.
The girl in the reflection looked strikingly like the Witch Queen Kirke in my memories.
"It’s true…………"
I hadn't noticed at all until he pointed it out. I really did look exactly like the Witch Queen.