The following continues from the Little Witch’s perspective.
My name was Rufe.
I had just run into Diesel, a man who once served as a subordinate to the Witch Queen, right there in Duke Edelweiss’s mansion.
Diesel, a mercenary who doubled as an animal tamer, seemed intent on attacking the estate. He had confessed his plan right in front of me, Tulpe’s Proxy, and the lady knight Katharina.
However, something about Diesel’s behavior was off. He kept insisting that I was the spitting image of Witch Queen Kirke, looking as though he were ready to drop to his knees and worship me at any moment.
He felt this way because I had grown a pair of cat-ears to pass myself off as a member of the Beast-ear Race, which apparently made me look identical to the Witch Queen. Of course, I wasn't her daughter or anything of the sort, and I had no intention of ever admitting to such a thing.
That was why I made my stance clear to him.
“...I have nothing to do with the Witch Queen. No matter how much we might look alike, she and I are different people.”
I was myself. The Witch Queen didn’t matter. I was an individual named Rufe.
As I said it, the realization finally clicked.
—I see.
No matter how much I resembled the Witch Queen, I wasn’t her. I was me. Even if we looked like twins, we were still strangers. I hadn't even realized it until I said the words out loud. After all, I had been harboring the exact same doubts about the Alraune that Diesel was having about me.
The Alraune looked exactly like Saint Iris. But the Alraune was the Alraune. No matter how much she resembled Saint Iris, the two were unrelated. The Alraune simply wasn't Saint Iris.
—Yes, exactly.
It didn't matter if the Alraune looked like Saint Iris. That had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I loved her.
“...I think I feel a bit better now.”
I had come to Duke Edelweiss’s mansion to investigate why the Alraune looked like the Saint. But now, it didn't weigh on me as much as it had before. There might have been some connection between the two, just as there was a connection between me and the Witch Queen. In fact, it seemed more likely than not.
But none of that mattered. No matter who she really was, she was still the Alraune I loved.
Once the fog in my mind cleared, a sense of calm washed over me. The most important thing now was to handle the situation at hand. I pointed a finger at Diesel and made my declaration.
“Diesel... I don't really understand you, but I know for a fact that you’re a bad person. That’s why I’m going to stop you.”
I wasn't the weak child I used to be. I wasn't the girl who always had to be protected by the Alraune anymore. I had defeated a Harpy from the Demon King’s Army, and my Travel Training with my Flashy Man Master had built up my stamina. I had no intention of losing to a mere human, even if he did work for the Witch Queen.
However, despite my bold declaration, Diesel spoke to me with a gentle tone, as if he were humoring a child.
“I suppose I got a bit carried away and let my tongue slip. I have no regrets, though. While I serve the Witch Queen, I am also bound to serve her daughter, Lady Rufe... I simply couldn’t help but want to report my findings to you.”
“I’ve told you again and again, I’m not her daughter. And stop saying weird things about serving me.”
“I'm afraid that's impossible. From the moment I recognized you as the Witch Queen’s successor, I was compelled to show you loyalty—that is the nature of our contract.”
“...Contract?”
“It’s not something a child needs to worry about. Just know that you should be grateful for the agreement I have with the Witch Queen.”
Come to think of it, all of the Witch Queen’s other subordinates were witches, yet Diesel was just an ordinary man. Why was he working for her? And what did he mean by a contract? I didn't fully understand, but it seemed he was physically unable to defy the Witch Queen’s will.
A heavy silence filled the hallway. Finally, Tulpe’s Proxy, who had been listening quietly, spoke up.
“Witch Queen Kirke? Hecate? I have no idea what you’re talking about, but Rufe-san is a member of the Beast-ear Race, not a witch. Look at her ears; she is clearly one of the folk! Rufe-san is clearly distressed, so I suggest you stop mocking my guest. Besides, you—you look like a complete suspicious character!”
Tulpe’s Proxy stepped in front of me as if to shield me. Katharina, the lady knight, stepped even further forward, drawing her sword to protect the Proxy.
“Katharina, seize that man. He confessed to planning an attack on the Edelweiss estate; show him no mercy!”
“By your command!”
Katharina lunged at Diesel, but he didn't even flinch. Instead, the strange urn he was carrying shifted to block her like a shield.
“H-Hands grew out of the urn?! And it blocked my sword? How bizarre!”
“This Urn Golem is a custom model provided by Kusukusu-san. In a close-quarters brawl, it’s stronger than any knight.”
Katharina and the Urn Golem began to clash. I was startled to see hands and feet sprout from the urn, but I was even more shocked by its strength. It was much harder than it looked, and Katharina’s sword couldn't seem to make a dent in it. She was clearly struggling.
“I might have let the news of the attack slip, but it hardly matters now,” Diesel said. “After all, both the Proxy and the lady knight are going to die right here.”
“...I won't let you do that.”
I moved in front of Tulpe’s Proxy, bracing myself to cast a spell. From what I could see, Diesel was the only attacker. If I could just deal with him and that strange urn, everything would be fine.
“Leave this to me. Please run, Tulpe’s Proxy!”
“W-What are you saying?! As the Proxy of Duke Edelweiss entrusted with this mansion, I cannot possibly abandon my guest and flee!”
“...Then go get reinforcements. My Alraune is outside the room we were just in... If you can bring her here, we can win.”
“The Alraune?! That famous Alraune is here in the mansion?!”
“It seems she followed me. She’s in a flowerpot, so she shouldn't be hard to find...”
“...I understand. I will fetch her, but I cannot leave a child like Rufe-san to face this man alone!”
“...I’m not a child. I’m a member of the Beast-ear Race, so I’m actually twenty years old.”
“O-Oh, that’s right. I did see that in the reports.”
I had used that cover story to pass myself off as a merchant. Since Tulpe’s Proxy had investigated me thoroughly, it made sense that she had heard that bit of misinformation from the city officials.
“In that case, I shall leave this to you! I will find the Alraune at once, so please, do not do anything reckless until I return!”
With that, Tulpe’s Proxy turned and sprinted back down the hallway. With the Alraune on our side, the tides would turn instantly. Fortunately, Diesel and his urn seemed to be the only ones here. If I could just dig in and buy some time, we could end this. It was certainly better than letting Tulpe’s Proxy stay here in harm's way.
But when I looked back at Diesel, he was busy smashing one of the windowpanes.
“...What are you doing?”
“Ah, Lady Rufe. I was just sending a signal.”
A white pigeon fluttered out from inside Diesel’s coat. It let out a soft coo and took flight, disappearing through the broken window. I had seen him do this before—Diesel kept animals hidden all over his person. The Alraune had called him a "magician," but I wasn't quite sure what that meant. I’d have to remember to ask her later.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Lady Rufe. Everything is perfectly prepared now.”
“...Diesel, what did you mean by a signal? Do you have allies?”
“I shall be honest with you. A certain collaborator from the Demon Race has infiltrated this mansion, and I have just signaled her.”
“...Signaled her for what?”
“The signal to begin the attack on Edelweiss. The signal to activate all the Urn Golems and burn the city to the ground.”
Diesel answered every question with total honesty. Even though he shouldn't have been sharing secrets with an enemy, he just kept talking.
—Is this really my doing?
Maybe he was obeying me because I looked so much like the Witch Queen. Regardless, based on what he said, Diesel and the Demon Race were about to lay waste to the city.
“Then I’ll stop you right here! Storm Magic: ‘Heavenly Thunder (Blitz)’!”
I attempted to use my Storm Magic to manipulate the atmosphere and call down a bolt of lightning to strike Diesel down. However, despite a deafening crack and a violent tremor, no lightning appeared in the hallway. Instead, I heard a sound like something tearing from above.
Apparently, the bolt had struck the roof of the mansion instead.
“...Huh? Why?”
“It seems Lady Rufe has never attempted Storm Magic indoors before. No matter how you command the weather, you don't yet have the finesse to pull the effects inside a building.”
Come to think of it, I had almost never fought inside before. My enemies were always outdoors.
“W-What do I do...?”
If I couldn't call down lightning, I had no way to attack. I didn't think I could win a physical fight against a grown man like Diesel.
“Now, Lady Rufe. Be a good girl and let me capture you so we can take you back to the Witch’s Village.”
“Never...”
“Please, don't be like that. I really don't want to have to take you by force.”
Diesel really was behaving strangely. It was as if he were trying his best to accommodate me.
If that was the case—
“Diesel, stop the attack.”
“Even if you are the Witch Queen’s successor, my primary mission is the assault on the Edelweiss estate. I can give you information and warnings, but I cannot obey an order to stop.”
“...Why did you even tell me about the attack in the first place?”
“Consider it a small token of my loyalty. I truly don't want you to hate me, Lady Rufe.”
“...It’s too late for that. I already do.”
“That is a pity. But as it stands, only Witch Queen Kirke can order me to stop. And since she’s locked away in the Royal Capital, stopping me is impossible.”
Diesel was definitely acting weird. He hadn't been this cooperative when we first met. But now that I had cat-ears, he was willing to entertain my questions. He had mentioned something about me having Hecate’s aura, but whatever the reason, I had his ear.
It was because I had drawn closer to the image of Witch Queen Kirke.
—In that case, what would happen if I looked exactly like her?
“If I looked just like the Witch Queen, would you listen to me then?”
“That’s not quite how it works. Even if you looked identical, you couldn't possibly mimic the magic power she possesses.”
“Is my magic not similar to hers?”
“Oh, it’s quite close. You became a witch through her crest, and you harbor Hecate’s power within you. It’s almost the same, but ‘almost’ isn't enough.”
“...I see. So, if I had the same magic power as the Witch Queen, you’d have to listen to me.”
“The possibility is high, but her magic power isn't here. Like I said, stopping me is impossible.”
“Then, how about this?”
I reached into my bag and pulled out a small fruit. I had left it tucked away for so long that I’d almost forgotten it was there.
“Lady Rufe, pulling out a piece of fruit isn't going to help you.”
“If it were an ordinary fruit, you'd be right... But this isn't just any fruit. It’s a Mistletoe Fruit taken from the Witch Queen herself.”
“Kirke-sama’s fruit?! You don't mean—from that time?!”
I remembered when the Alraune had defeated the Witch Queen. To seal Kirke’s magic, the Alraune had used a parasitic plant called mistletoe, planting it right in the Queen’s eyes. The mistletoe had drained her magic, leaving her in a weakened state.
This fruit had fallen from that very mistletoe. I had found it in the forest and tucked it away, thinking that a fruit filled with the Witch Queen’s magic might come in handy someday.
The Alraune really was incredible. Only she could have done something as ridiculous as sealing a Queen’s magic power into a tiny piece of fruit.
“Well then—down it goes.”
“S-Stop! Don't you dare!”
—Gulp.
I swallowed the tiny Mistletoe Fruit in one go.
In an instant, I felt a surge of magic power race through my entire body. At the same time, the witch’s crest Kirke had carved into me began to burn with a searing heat.
“L-Lady Rufe?! That... that form!”
Diesel’s voice was thick with shock. Just moments ago, I had felt completely outmatched by his physical strength. But now, that feeling was gone. Power was overflowing from deep within me.
“...So this is the Witch Queen’s magic?”
Mistletoe (Yadorigi): Santalaceae family. Found throughout Japan, from Hokkaido to Kyushu. Mistletoe is a semi-parasitic plant, meaning it performs its own photosynthesis while simultaneously drawing nutrients from its host. If you look up into the trees, you might just spot one for yourself.
Next time: The Alraune of the Strange Urn.