"Wait... are you the Saint?"
My eyes met theirs before I could look away.
The person who spoke had a face that looked hauntingly familiar. And it wasn't just them; as I scanned the crowd, I saw several other nostalgic faces mixed in with the strangers.
I had a feeling I knew why.
Edelweiss was where I, Iris, had been born. Without even realizing it, I must have crossed paths with these people countless times throughout my life.
"I could never forget that face. Could it really be...?"
"I look at your portrait every day, but seeing you in the flesh... it brings back so many memories."
"I’ll never forget the day Lady Iris cured my sickness. I'll carry that gratitude to my grave."
"I remember too! Lady Iris healed the arm I lost fighting the Demon King's Army!"
"But isn't Lady Iris dead?"
"It’s been six years now, hasn't it?"
"Then is she just a look-alike?"
"But to look that much like her... it’s nothing short of a miracle."
Faced with the bewildered residents, memories of my past began to flash before my eyes.
When the Demon King's Army had attacked Edelweiss, I had fought to save everyone here. Beyond that, whenever someone fell ill or was injured, I had spent my days walking the streets to treat them. I had undoubtedly met these people during those times.
But wait—does this mean they’re actually going to figure out I’m Saint Iris?
That’s... a bit of a problem!
"U-um, well..."
As I stood there hesitating, unsure of how to respond, the crowd only grew more certain.
"She’s the spitting image of Lady Iris. Even her eyes are the same color."
"Her hair is white instead of blonde, but it almost seems to glow."
"I can feel a divine aura from her, just like the real Saint."
"I can't believe anyone could look this much like her."
"Wait, is she even human...?"
"Her body is growing out of a tree. No matter how you look at it, she’s a monster..."
All eyes drifted toward my midsection. They stared curiously at the place where my human torso met the tree.
That’s right—I was an Alraune now.
I didn't have the large bulb for a lower body since I was growing directly from a Gajumaru tree, but my upper body was only covered by a vine bra. I must have looked wild and primal, a far cry from the image of a refined Saint.
The realization seemed to hit the crowd. The people who had been shouting "It’s the Saint!" with such excitement now looked confused, as if they were staring at something they couldn't quite wrap their heads around.
It had been a long time since I'd been stared at like this. The fact that these were people who had known me as Saint Iris only made it more awkward.
Suddenly overwhelmed by embarrassment, I hid my face behind my vines and looked away.
"Y-you've got the wrong person!" I blurted out.
—Teleportation!
Ugh, how humiliating.
It was the same kind of burning shame I’d felt when I first became an Alraune. I never felt this way back in the Tower City; I suppose being in my hometown of Edelweiss really did make a difference.
The reactions of the people who knew me from back then were more taxing on my mental state than I had expected. To put it simply, my feelings were complicated.
Now that I thought about it calmly, I was doing some pretty outrageous things...
No, I shouldn't overthink it. We were in the middle of a crisis. Saving lives had to come before everything else, including my own pride.
Right. I just needed to forget about that for a moment. I had to pull myself together and help the next person!
"Are you all right? I'll help you now."
On my eighteenth teleportation, I destroyed an Urn Golem that was closing in on a child.
The girl lying in the street looked to be about six years old. She seemed to have been separated from her family in the chaos and left all alone. She had fallen while trying to escape the golem and had a nasty scrape on her leg.
I immediately applied nectar to a vine and offered it to her.
"Here, drink this. The pain will go away soon."
"Big sister... are you a tree spirit?" the girl whispered, staring at my body.
Seeing a woman growing out of a tree would certainly raise some questions for a child.
"Yes, that's right. I'm a kind spirit who likes humans."
"I knew it! Grandma told me spirits are just like Lady Iris. You're a Saint!"
"...Just like Lady Iris?"
"Yeah! Grandma said Lady Iris was the Saint who saved Edelweiss. You saved me too, and you look just like her!"
"Um... have you actually seen Lady Iris before?"
"Uh-huh! Her portraits are all over the city!"
I had passed away six years ago, so this child wouldn't have any actual memories of me. And yet, she knew exactly who I was. That meant there were people still telling my story to the next generation—a thought that filled me with a quiet warmth.
"You're such a good girl. I’ll give you a little extra nectar as a reward."
As I was busy showing the girl the wonders of sweets, an elderly woman rounded the corner, looking frantic. She appeared to be the girl's guardian.
Once she saw that the child was safe and happily licking the nectar, she turned to me and spoke in a hushed, trembling voice.
"I recognize that face... You are Lady Saint Iris, aren't you?"
"...No, I'm not."
"No, I could never be mistaken! Many years ago, you cured me of an incurable disease. Not a single day has passed since then that I haven't remembered your face."
The woman clearly hadn't noticed that my lower body was part of a tree. If she had, she likely wouldn't be so insistent.
"You've mistaken me for someone else. My hair is a completely different color, for one."
"B-but..."
"Besides... the woman named Iris is dead."
"......"
No matter how many times I had to say it, acknowledging my own death always felt strange.
Still, I couldn't admit the truth. It was better for everyone if as few people as possible knew who I really was. I felt bad for lying, but I couldn't risk revealing my identity here.
Just to be safe, I added one final remark.
"Look closely, Grandma... look at my body. I'm not human."
I’m sorry. Truly. But the Saint Iris you remember is gone.
After handing the girl over to the old woman, I prepared to move on to the next location. As I began to teleport, the woman's voice reached me one last time.
"Thank you for saving my grandchild—"
—Teleportation.
"...I think I remember her, too."
The woman's face lingered in my mind. I recalled an old woman who had wept with gratitude after my light recovery magic had saved her life.
And surprisingly, the expression on her face just now was almost exactly the same as it had been back then.
I see.
Even though I’d become an Alraune, what I was doing hadn't changed at all. Just like when I was a Saint, I was helping the people of this city, and they were thanking me for it.
The realization filled my heart with a gentle heat.
I wasn't human anymore; I was a plant monster. My form had changed significantly, save for my face. And yet, my soul remained the same. Knowing that made me feel just a little bit lighter.
"Now, for the rest..."
I could sense the state of the city through the vibrations in the Gajumaru trees. There were only two spots left where the Urn Golems were still rampaging.
I could feel my little sister, the Amazoness Treant, causing a stir at one of them. She could handle herself, so I decided to leave that for last.
I teleported to the other location, which seemed to be a much fiercer battlefield.
—Teleportation.
At the new site, a large group of knights was locked in a desperate struggle against the Urn Golems. It looked like a significant portion of the House of Duke Edelweiss’s forces had gathered here.
But why were there so many enemies in this one spot?
"Wait... is this...?"
It was the Pilz Trading Company.
This was the same company we had saved from bandits when we first arrived in the city. We had even visited the building recently. At the same time, this place was the root of the entire problem—they were the ones who had imported the "strange urns" that turned out to be golems.
It seemed their remaining stock had finally gone on a rampage.
The building had been so grand and beautiful yesterday, but now it was a wreck. Even though they were responsible for the chaos, I couldn't help but feel a little bad for them.
I commanded the Gajumaru trees to lash out, crushing the Urn Golems one after another. In seconds, the Pilz Trading Company was completely overgrown with thick, sturdy wood.
The knights stood there with their mouths hanging open as they watched the building become swallowed by the forest. Honestly, I’d seen that look so many times today that I was starting to get bored of it.
Still, my resolve didn't waver.
I looked at the stunned humans and made a silent vow.
Don't worry, everyone.
I might not be a Saint anymore, but I’m going to protect this city with everything I’ve got!
Next time: The Saint of Edelweiss - Part 3.