I was Nina, a newbie saint.
I had been standing on the upper floor of a tower in the Holy Capital, gazing out at the scenery with the Lady Shrine Maiden of the Goddess, when the topic of Alraune came up out of nowhere.
It was a closely guarded secret that Alraune’s true identity was actually Lady Iris. Because of that, my heart leaped into my throat.
However, this was the Kingdom of Myrte Holy Light. I couldn’t imagine that the Lady Shrine Maiden, who had been staring out the window, would bring up the subject of Alraune—who should have been far away—without some sort of reason. After all, there was no way she could actually see Alraune’s current location from here.
It certainly sounded like she was talking about Alraune, but maybe she meant someone else? Or rather, that was what I desperately hoped.
The Lady Shrine Maiden murmured as she looked out at the horizon.
"To think the rumored Crimson Flower Princess Alraune would be capable of so much. It is no wonder she managed to defeat even the Witch Queen Kirke."
It was about Alraune!
Who else but Alraune—Lady Iris—had nectar that turned into Elixir or the ability to regenerate repeatedly from her roots? I couldn’t imagine anyone else so extraordinary existing in this world.
"If an Alraune with that much power were to turn into an enemy of humanity, it would prove quite a nuisance."
"Alraune... has been friendly toward humans," I stammered. "I don't think she would ever become an enemy."
"She is indeed friendly toward humans, and she is hostile toward the Demon King’s Army and the Witch Queen. At a glance, she appears to be on our side, but that Alraune keeps the witch’s daughter by her side."
The witch’s daughter—she had to be talking about Rufe.
The true identity of the child who had been selling nectar in the Tower City was a witch. Rufe and I had been friends since she first started selling her nectar in the streets. But I knew just how strong the bond was between her and Alraune.
Lady Iris told me that when she had first become the plant monster Alraune and was desperately trying to survive alone in the forest, she had met Rufe. That was why I believed Lady Iris stayed with her—not because she was a witch, but simply because she was Rufe.
However, I couldn't say any of that to the Lady Shrine Maiden, so I remained silent.
"Alraune might appear to be fighting the Demon King’s Army, but I wonder if she is truly our ally. After all, it seems she is on intimate terms with that hateful Evil Dragon."
"...The Evil Dragon?"
"You must have heard the stories, Nina. The enemy of humanity that burned the world to ashes five hundred years ago."
"I read about it in the Church's history books. But that was ages ago, wasn't it? Does that dragon actually still exist?"
"It lives. That creature is more troublesome than the Witch Queen, though it lacks her ambition. If that Evil Dragon had the mind for it, humanity might have already perished."
I couldn't believe such a terrifying monster was still out there. If I ever came face-to-face with it, I wouldn't stand a chance. And where on earth could Lady Iris have met such a creature? To think they were on "intimate terms" was simply beyond belief.
"On the day that Evil Dragon and Alraune join forces, humanity will truly meet its end. I sent a monitor to see if there were any signs of that, but..."
A monitor. I remembered that.
I had included that very information in the letter I sent to Lady Iris. An investigator from the Kingdom of Myrte Holy Light might be heading toward you, Lady Iris! I had warned her in advance. I hadn't received a reply yet, so I wondered what had happened.
"I had been receiving reports about Alraune from Pandia, whom I sent as a monitor. But one day, all information regarding Alraune simply stopped."
"Pandia?"
Was that the name of the investigator? I had never heard it before.
"Pandia is one of Lady Goddess Selene’s Apostles. She has always despised monsters, but perhaps she grew fond of the Alraune."
"You mentioned before that you had sent a pawn... so that was her."
An Apostle of Goddess Selene. In the Selene Sect, that meant an Angel. It was said that the Angels descended to the earth alongside Goddess Selene a thousand years ago. However, no one living had ever actually seen an Angel. Ancient texts claimed people had seen them, but since that was a millennium ago, the truth was a mystery.
Personally, I figured they probably existed once but had long since passed away. Surely this "Pandia" was just someone of such high rank within the Selene Church that she was referred to as an Angel. Since the Lady Shrine Maiden called her a pawn, she was likely just a subordinate.
"It is quite a problem if the pawn I went through the trouble of sending has been won over. I would like to send another, but... more importantly right now, the Royal Capital of the Kingdom of Gardenia smells of trouble."
"Is it because the Demon King’s Army is approaching?"
"Whether defending the capital takes priority... no, rather, if that Alraune were to achieve some great feat there, it would be truly troublesome. Hmm, I am conflicted."
The Lady Shrine Maiden turned away from the window. Locking eyes with me, she whispered:
"Now that I think about it, there is a white-haired girl by Alraune’s side. A witch’s daughter who looks exactly like the Witch Queen Kirke."
"Y-You are very well-informed..."
"The power she used to wipe out the Demon King’s Army rivals that of Kirke herself. If that is the case, the girl may have already caught Hecate's eye."
"Hecate?"
Another name I didn't recognize.
"That dark magic energy I glimpsed earlier... there is no doubt Hecate attempted to take the girl's body once. It seems the possession failed, but with a vessel of that caliber, Hecate will undoubtedly target her again."
"Wait, what does that mean?"
"No, there is no need for you to know, Nina. You are fine just as you are."
I could tell she was talking about something heavy, but I was speaking to the Lady Shrine Maiden, the true supreme authority of the Church. She wasn't someone I could just press for details.
Left with no other choice, I looked back down through the window. Below the tower, merchant carriages were stretched out in a long line. Every single one of them was loaded with Saint Nectar.
"What are you going to do with all that imported nectar?"
"I am gathering it to save the people."
Alraune's Saint Nectar had the same effect as the Elixir created by Goddess Selene. It could instantly heal any wound or illness. I understood the desire to stockpile it, but...
"I don't think there's a need to buy up quite that much, is there?"
"Tribute from countries and churches across the continent flows into the Holy Capital. Using that wealth to prepare for the salvation of the people is one of the duties of our Selene Church."
"I... see..."
All of that Saint Nectar was being transported into this Moon Goddess's Tower. Once inside, it was moved somewhere else via a teleportation circle. I had no idea where that massive amount of nectar was actually going.
"It is strange that such nectar comes from that Alraune, given how much she resembles Iris. She looks even more like Saint Iris than the rumors suggested. Don't you think so, Nina?"
"Y-Yes, I suppose she does..."
"Even though she is a monster, she hides an aura of Light Magic within her. The kind of magic that should only be usable by human women."
"W-Why would that be?"
"I do not believe Goddess Selene would have granted power to such a creature. Therefore, it is only reasonable to assume she stole the power from a human who used Light Magic through some unknown method."
"......"
"And looking at that face, there is no need to wonder whose power she stole."
The Lady Shrine Maiden seemed convinced that Alraune had snatched the power of Light Magic away from Lady Saint Iris. She wasn't entirely wrong, but she wasn't right, either. She was "not far off the mark," I suppose.
"Even so, I cannot imagine that Iris would fall behind a mere plant monster. She was the masterpiece I had waited a thousand years for."
"...Masterpiece?"
"I mean she was the greatest Saint. If only Iris had lived, everything would have been resolved..."
What did she mean by that? It felt like she was hiding something, but the Holy Capital was built on secrets. What a newbie saint from a commoner background could know was extremely limited.
Come to think of it, I didn't even know the Lady Shrine Maiden's real name. Her very existence was a secret, and I knew nothing about her past. The only thing I did know was that her face looked exactly like someone else’s.
Hoping to change the subject from Lady Iris, I decided to mention it.
"Lady Shrine Maiden, your face really does resemble the First Saint Nemea, doesn't it?"
I had seen the portraits of Nemea, the founder of the Selene Church, many times throughout the city. Her face was a perfect match for the woman standing before me.
"The First Saint Nemea had children. Many who inherit that blood still live within the Kingdom of Myrte Holy Light and the Kingdom of Gardenia."
Now that she mentioned it, the royalty of Gardenia supposedly carried Nemea’s bloodline. Lady Iris, being from the House of Duke Edelweiss—a branch of the royal family—was also a descendant. Perhaps that was why Lady Iris and the Lady Shrine Maiden shared a similar atmosphere.
After a long pause, the Lady Shrine Maiden took an envelope from a desk drawer.
"An Alraune with the power of a Saint, and a girl favored by Hecate... Matters of this magnitude are too much for ordinary hands to handle. I shall go and inspect them directly."
"Um... what is that?"
She held the envelope out to me. It bore the Royal Family's Emblem of the Kingdom of Gardenia.
"Open it."
"Excuse me... Let's see... Is this an invitation to a wedding in the Royal Capital?"
"It is for the wedding of Count Turmburg of Gardenia and the First Imperial Princess Freundliche of the Glanz Empire. It was addressed to the Pope, and I intended to send a proxy as usual, but..."
It was the wedding of Lord Manfred—the lord of the Tower City where I used to live—and the Imperial Princess. Since it was the wedding of someone I knew, I had been hoping I might get to attend.
"While attending this wedding, I shall personally judge the state of those two."
"...Eh?"
The Lady Shrine Maiden never left the Holy Capital. That was the rule. And yet, I thought I heard her say she was going to the wedding herself. It had to be my imagination.
"Um... It sounded as though you were saying you would be going to the wedding?"
"That is exactly what I said. I am going to the Royal Capital of Gardenia. And Nina, you shall come with me."