I was Alraune, a plant monster.
The moment I teleported into the center of the city, I stumbled right into a life-or-death crisis: the fairy Kiri was about to be blown to bits by an Urn Golem.
Wait, talk about a sudden disaster!
I instinctively lashed out with my gajumaru vines, wrapping Kiri in a protective wooden cocoon just in time.
An instant later, a bone-shattering explosion roared through the plaza.
"Kiri, that was a close one," I said, my voice steady despite the chaos.
When I spoke, Kiri whipped around in shock. Her eyes were watery, as if she were still processing her narrow escape from the jaws of death. She looked immensely relieved.
"You came at just the right time, Alraune-sama!"
"It looks that way. Hold on, I’ll get you out of there."
Only one Urn Golem remained. It recognized me as a threat and charged, letting out a bizarre, screeching cry. I snared it with my gajumaru vines and crushed it into dust instantly.
Once I was certain the golem was well and truly shattered, I scanned our surroundings. Everything seemed clear—wait, Treant was down?!
"Treant?! Are you okay?!"
I extended a gajumaru branch and swung myself over to the Amazoness Treant. She had clearly been in the thick of the fight; the ground around her was carpeted in shards of pottery.
I was certain she must have been wounded. But just as I reached out to begin healing her, she sat up with a start. Then, as if nothing had happened, she flexed her branch-like arms and struck a magnificent, graceful pose.
That was my little sister figure for you. As an Amazoness Treant, it would take more than a point-blank explosion to leave a single scratch on her.
"I guess she was just stunned. This girl is a lot sturdier than she looks."
Relieved that Treant was safe, I moved to the person lying nearby. A man had collapsed right in front of the bakery, and he looked badly hurt. I set to work on his treatment immediately.
"This is my nectar. Here, drink it..."
"Uugh... it’s... it’s sweet... The pain is going away... I feel like... power is surging through me...?"
"You’re going to be fine now. Please, rest easy."
"I’m alive?! I really made it?! But more than that... the nectar... give me more of that nectar..."
Judging by his apron, he was likely the baker. He had a look of pure bliss on his face as he drank, but then I paused. Had I seen this man before?
As I stared intently at his face, he looked back at me. His eyes went wide with shock.
"That face?! C-Could it be... Lady Saint Iris?!"
It seemed he also recognized my old face. Even now, in my hometown of Edelweiss, there were so many people who remembered Iris. I had been reminded of that fact time and time again today alone.
The Urn Golems’ rampage had been a catastrophe, but being able to reconnect with the people of the city like this was an unexpected silver lining. My chest felt so warm that I was genuinely glad I had come back.
"I heard you had died, but you were alive all along! Six years ago, when they announced Lady Iris had passed away so suddenly, none of us could believe it. If the people find out you’re alive, they’ll be overjoyed!"
"...No. I am not Saint Iris."
"What?! But I’d know that face anywhere! Every resident of Edelweiss knows who you are!"
I appreciated the sentiment, but I was an Alraune now. I couldn't simply claim to be Saint Iris. Besides, it wouldn't be long before he noticed the truth.
"Lady Iris saved me! Just what I’d expect from the Saint of Edelweiss... wait, huh? No... that flower on your waist... and your body is growing out of a tree... Wh-What is going on?!?! That form... you’re not human?!"
"............"
No matter how much I might have once been the Saint, I couldn't call myself that in this state. I looked him in the eye and spoke clearly.
"That’s what I told you, isn't it? I am... not Saint Iris."
The baker shook his head vigorously, refusing to accept it. He reached out and grasped both of my hands.
"......No, it doesn't matter if you aren't human! It doesn't change the fact that you saved me!" He squeezed my hands tightly. "You’re my savior. How can I ever repay you?!"
"It’s fine. Really, don't worry about it."
"No, I have to! Even if you aren't human, you still look exactly like the Saint to me... Oh! I know! Please, take this!"
The baker scrambled toward his shop, which had been partially demolished by the golems. A few moments later, he emerged carrying a paper bag.
"Here. I baked this myself."
He pulled a single loaf from the bag. It had a unique shape with a distinctive, lattice-like pattern on the crust. It was shaped like an iris.
"It’s an Edelweiss Specialty: Iris Bread. It actually originated in my home village."
He didn't need to explain it to me. I had just been staying in that very village recently.
"I once presented this bread to Lady Saint Iris herself. I always dreamed of handing it to her in person again, but I thought that chance was gone forever... So, please, I want you to have it. You, who look so much like her!"
The moment he said that, it clicked. I finally remembered where I had seen him. I hadn't just met him once; I knew his family.
"Are you... the Village Chief's Son?"
"Wh-?! You know my father?"
"I was cared for by the people of that village before I came to Edelweiss."
I knew it. He was the son the Village Chief had mentioned—the one who had used the village’s wheat to open a bakery in the city. It really was a small world.
I took the iris-shaped bread from him. This bread had been created back when I was thirteen, following a visit I had made to that village. The villagers had been so grateful for the lives I had saved that they had created this loaf in my honor.
In this world, the name "Iris" also referred to the "Ayame" flower. Holding the bread that bore my name, my memories of being a Saint came flooding back.
I hadn't become a Saint just for Edelweiss, but for everyone in the Kingdom of Gardenia—and for all of humanity on this continent. I had staked my entire life on saving people, sacrificing everything I had.
Even if I had been betrayed by my comrades and murdered, what I had done hadn't been in vain. People like this baker, the Village Chief, and everyone else in this city were still living their lives because of me. The person named Iris was gone, but the proof that she had lived remained.
Receiving this bread was the final confirmation I needed.
I was glad I had become a Saint.
I had trained since I was five years old to earn that title. I had always tried to live up to the name, and looking back, I think I really had been a good Saint. I had worked so hard, after all.
Between being murdered and turning into an Alraune, I hadn't had much of a chance to reflect on my past. When I first turned into a monster, I had plenty of time, but I had been in no state of mind for it. But now, three years later, I felt like I could finally look back on those seventeen years of my life with a clear head.
If someone asked if I still had regrets about my life as a Saint, the answer was yes. There were so many things I had wanted to do, so many dreams I hadn't reached.
But I could still fulfill my duties as a Saint, even if my form had changed. Just as I had repelled the Demon King’s Army at the Duke’s Mansion and saved the city today, I could still protect people.
Maybe that was why my regrets as "Iris" felt so much heavier than my regrets as a "Saint."
I really wanted to see my family.
I still wanted revenge on the two who betrayed me, of course. But more than that, I wanted to see my family. I had finally made it back to my hometown. I didn't want to see them as an Alraune; I wanted to see them as Iris.
But I was a plant monster now. Even if my face was identical, would they believe me? The fear of being rejected was paralyzing. I didn't yet have the courage to face them as Iris while trapped in this body.
"What am I supposed to do...?" I murmured to myself.
The sound of my own voice snapped me back to reality. I realized the atmosphere around me had shifted. I looked up and realized that while I had been lost in thought, a massive crowd had gathered in the street.
"Huh...?"
"Oh, you're back with us. You went quiet all of a sudden, and I was getting worried," the baker said kindly.
Apparently, I had been standing there like a statue. It couldn't have been that long, but it had been a while since I had been that deeply immersed in my own thoughts. I used to do that a lot when I first became an Alraune, mostly to escape reality.
"Um, what’s going on? Who are all these people?"
"They’ve all gathered to say thank you."
The residents of the city were swarming the area, surrounding us. I saw people from the Pilz Trading Company and even members of the Edelweiss Knight Order in the mix. The energy was so high it felt like a festival was about to break out.
They looked at me, their faces glowing with joy, and let out a collective shout:
"Blessings to the New Saint of Edelweiss!"
Whaaaat?!
Wait, what? What happened to everyone all of a sudden?!