The moment my sister Tulpe opened her mouth to speak, the Urn Golem charged.
Its target was the Duke’s Proxy herself.
The golem appeared to be completely beyond Kusukusu-san’s control; orders alone wouldn't stop it now. In a panic, I snapped my head toward Tulpe.
She was already scrambling up my body, desperate to reach my face, and was currently clinging to the top of my massive, swollen bulb. Pinned there, she had no way to escape. If anything, she’d made herself an even easier target. This was bad.
"Tulpe, get down!"
Tulpe ducked instinctively at my shout and slid down the smooth curve of the bulb, curling into a ball as she clung to it.
Having someone hug my bulb like this... it might be the first time since Bear-papa, back when I’d first been reborn as an Alraune. No, I don't have time for nostalgia! I have to protect her!
I forced vines to erupt from the ground to intercept the golem.
"Got... you!"
I lashed the vines around the Urn Golem as it lunged toward us.
Phew. Too bad for you. I am an Alraune; I can manipulate plants at will. With my reach, a walking clay pot like you doesn't stand a chance!
"—! —!"
"Now, don't struggle!"
I forcibly tightened my grip on the golem, which let out a series of voiceless screams. Despite its small stature, it possessed incredible strength, but I wasn't about to lose in a contest of power.
Just as I felt a wave of relief, Kusukusu-san shrieked.
"Alraune-chan, don't relax yet!"
"Eh?"
"That thing is going to explode!"
"Eeeeh!?"
I looked back at the golem. The urn was swelling, emitting a high-pitched cracking sound. She was right—it was going to blow.
"Ah... no...!"
Time seemed to stretch thin, a slow-motion nightmare unfolding as my life flashed before my eyes. I could regenerate, but Tulpe couldn't. There wasn't even a second left to weave a shield of vines to protect her.
I saw the clay start to shatter.
I wouldn't make it in time... but I had to protect Tulpe, no matter what! Desperate times called for desperate measures!
—Gulp.
Acting on pure instinct, I snatched Tulpe up with my lower mouth.
At that exact micro-second, the Urn Golem detonated.
The urn shattered. A thunderous blast rattled my eardrums as shards of clay sprayed outward like shrapnel. I reflexively shielded my face with my arms, but the fragments peppered my entire body.
"Ugh... I'm a pincushion..."
No, I didn't have time to check my own wounds. W-What had I done? I know it was to save her, but... I ate my sister! I ate Tulpe!
But if I hadn't, she would have been riddled with shrapnel and torn to pieces just like I was now. In the worst-case scenario, she would have been killed instantly. Compared to that, there was no doubt she was safer inside me.
I’d made sure not to secrete any Digestive Fluid, so she should be fine. I hope.
"Anyway, I have to get her out!"
Ignoring my own injuries, I thrust a vine into my lower mouth, wrapped it around Tulpe’s body, and pulled her out.
"T-Thank goodness...!"
Tulpe was unharmed. She was covered in my sticky body fluids (?), but none of her skin or clothing had melted. It seemed I’d managed to control my internal functions properly. Apparently, the inside of my bulb could serve as an Emergency Evacuation Site in a pinch.
The method left much to be desired, but I was just glad I’d saved her life.
"Tulpe, are you okay?"
"...Was I saved? That urn exploded right in front of me; I thought I was finished. But then I was suddenly trapped in a dark, slimy, narrow space... Just what happened!?"
H-How was I supposed to explain that I'd stuffed her into my bulb for safekeeping?
Kusukusu-san, who had been watching from a short distance away, was staring at my lower half with her jaw on the ground. Seeing my bulb's "appetite" for the first time was clearly a bit much for her.
Tulpe, still confused about what had actually transpired, suddenly gasped. After looking me over from top to bottom, she cried out in alarm.
"Alraune-san, you're covered in wounds! A-Are you alright!?"
Tulpe rushed over and began carefully pulling the fragments out of my body, one by one.
"This is terrible! W-What shall we do... Wait, you aren't bleeding, are you?"
My upper body looked perfectly human, but my true nature was that of a plant. As long as I could regenerate, no scars would remain. I wouldn't die from something like this.
"Is it possible that you... protected me, Alraune-san?"
"............Yes."
"No... You were injured because of me. W-What can I do?"
Seeing Tulpe so flustered made me feel like a little sister worrying about her elder sibling. Well, we were sisters, after all. Or rather, we used to be.
"I hope this won't leave any scars... Alraune-san, can you not use Light Recovery Magic!?"
"I... can't use it, of course."
Only human women recognized by the Goddess can wield Light Recovery Magic. It certainly wasn't a skill an Alraune should possess. That said, as a Former Saint, I could achieve the same results.
"Please, don't worry. I'll be fine even without magic."
Applying the same principles as Light Recovery Magic, I forced my body into a rapid growth spurt. The shards were pushed out of my skin as the damaged cells knit themselves back together. One shouldn't underestimate the Regenerative Power of plants. I have enough confidence in this to say I won't lose to anyone!
"H-How incredible... It's just like that girl's Light Recovery Magic..."
Tulpe murmured the words with a nostalgic look in her eyes. I knew that "girl" referred to Iris—to me.
When I lived in Edelweiss, I often patrolled the city to treat the injured. Tulpe used to follow me around back then, watching intently whenever I performed my magic.
Come to think of it, Tulpe had always been quite fond of me as her sister. She loved Saint Iris to an almost frightening degree.
If that was the case, as family—as my sister—would she accept me? Or would she reject me because I’d become an Alraune?
I felt more anxious about her reaction than I had with Vol-nii or Nina. Because we were family, the fear of rejection was that much sharper. Maybe it was better to keep my identity a secret for now. Or should I find the courage to tell her the truth?
"Alraune-san, thank you for saving me."
"I-It was nothing. More importantly, I've ruined your dress. Even though it's so expensive..."
"It is of no consequence. A dress or two is a pittance compared to the wealth of the House of Duke Edelweiss."
The dress she was wearing cost more than a commoner would earn in a lifetime. I felt bad for ruining it, even if it was for her own safety, but she was right—the Duke's family could afford it.
I used to have countless dresses in this mansion, too. They were gifts from my father, but I’d rarely had the chance to wear them because I was always so busy with my duties as a Saint.
"That aside, Alraune-san, you seem remarkably knowledgeable about dresses for someone born in the forest. You seem to know exactly how much my gown is worth."
"T-That’s..."
"And Alraune-san... why did you know my name?"
Ah. I’d called her by name without thinking. I’d been so flustered by her questioning that I’d let it slip. I really messed up. I have to cover this somehow!
"Actually, I... I heard the Proxy's name from someone at the Pilz Trading Company."
"Then, even though this is our first meeting, how did you know I was that Proxy?"
"T-That’s... because your dress was so beautiful! I assumed you couldn't be a servant, so I figured you must be the Duke's Proxy herself..."
Ugh. That excuse was thin. I could feel her suspicion mounting. W-What should I do?
"There are many things that pique my curiosity, but I suppose I shall leave it at that for now. Even so, I noticed you were addressing me quite familiarly?"
"............I'm a monster, so I don't really understand manners very well. Among plants, there is no hierarchy. Aha, ahahaha............"
"Is that so? Then why did you address that person over there with '-san'?"
Tulpe gestured toward Kusukusu-san. As expected of my sister—she’d been listening to every single word. She definitely suspects something.
No, that's impossible. The only thing about me that resembles Iris is my face.
Suddenly, as if remembering her surroundings, Tulpe looked at Kusukusu-san again.
"In any case, who is this woman with the cat-like appearance? This four-legged monster..."
"Ah, this is the Sphinx, Kusukusu-san. She was an enemy, but she’s an ally now, so please don't worry."
"An ally? Normally, there is no such thing as a monster that isn't an enemy."
That was true from a human perspective, I suppose... but then, why wasn't she more on guard against me? I was a monster now, too.
Still, this was my chance. I needed to change the subject while her attention was elsewhere.
"Tulpe... -san? Or should it be -sama?"
Calling my own sister "Tulpe-sama" after all this time felt incredibly awkward. As I was mulling over how to address her, a thunderous boom erupted from the mansion.
A second later, a window shattered spectacularly, and someone came flying out of the house.
W-What now!?
I turned my head and saw a familiar figure.
"Ah, that's...!"
The man with the afro—it was Diesel. The mysterious subordinate of the Witch Queen Kirke and a former general of the Glanz Empire.
As Diesel tumbled through the air after crashing through the window, a bolt of lightning fell from the clear sky. Struck directly, Diesel slammed into the courtyard with a heavy thud. He lay there, charred and motionless.
I stared at his unconscious body, wondering what on earth had happened, when I felt a gaze from the mansion. I looked up. Behind the jagged glass of the broken window, a mature woman with snow-white hair was waving at us.
"Wait, who is that!?"
That look—no, it couldn't be. Was that the Witch Queen!? Why would the Witch Queen be inside the Duke's mansion?
Hint: Ru—e.
Next time: Tulpe Edelweiss - Part 3.