Chapter 109: The Market Is the Root of All Evil!

My head ached the more I talked to Iris.

Why on earth were the rumors like this!

I was depicted as a complete monster!

A man-eating plant with hundreds of eyeballs and octopus-like roots!

I’m a totally beautiful flower!

And the bit about immediately drawing blood and killing people, and giving nightmares every night…

This is ridiculous!

If it weren’t for me, your kingdom would have been devoured by Abraxas’s followers!

“Where on earth did you hear those rumors!?”

As I burst out in anger, Iris flinched and answered.

“Um… I usually heard them at the market. I heard people talking in groups.”

The market!

I slapped my knee.

So the market is the root of all evil!

Then the answer is simple.

I just have to go to the market and clear things up myself!

“Alright! Let’s go to the market!”

“What…? Right now?”

Iris’s eyes went wide.

“Yeah! I’ll judge the fools right away!”

“W-what!?”

Iris’s face was filled with fear.

‘Is it because I said ‘judge’…?’

‘I just told her I’m not a bad monster…’

“No… I’ll just correct the rumors.”

“Ah…”

As I hurriedly corrected myself, Iris let out a sigh of relief.

But she still looked extremely anxious.

I hurried from the third floor down to the first-floor banquet hall.

Iris followed behind me and asked cautiously.

“Will it really be okay? What if people are even more surprised?”

“It’s fine! Once they see me, they’ll know how kind I am!”

I answered confidently.

‘It’s a really simple task!’

‘Go there and say, “I’m Lycoris, and I’m not a bad monster!” and it’s over!’

I threw open the banquet hall doors and shouted.

“Master! I’ll be right back!”

However…

“Huh?”

The banquet hall was empty.

To be precise, only two servants were cleaning.

“What! Where did everyone go!”

As I raised my voice and called out, I saw Cecilia flying towards me from the other end of the corridor, riding Glacia.

Her flame-like red hair scattered in the wind, looking incredibly cute.

“Mommy!”

Cecilia landed in front of me with a happy smile.

Glacia’s large wings created a breeze that made my dress flutter.

“Where’s the Master?”

“Gwamma went fow a wawk wif Auntie Gwamma!”

‘Aha, did she go to see the garden with Lady Nis?’

‘She hasn’t seen all of the lair yet.’

“I don’t see Leivi and Ryandel either?”

“Weivi and Wyandel went to thei-w woom!”

Well, I guess they don’t necessarily need to be there.

I’ll just go quickly by myself and come back.

“Then I’ll be back in a bit!”

“Me too!”

Cecilia stood up straight on Glacia and raised both arms.

“Huh? You want to go out?”

“Uh-huh! Wif Mommy!”

I couldn’t refuse when I saw Cecilia’s sparkling eyes.

Besides, with Cecilia, people would be easily captivated by her cuteness and innocence, much more so than if I went alone!

Flap, flap!

Miel also flew in from somewhere and circled above my head.

[Let’s go]

Miel lightly plucked a strand of my hair and wrote a short message in the air.

“Alright! Let’s all go together!”

Glacia also seemed to like the idea, blinking its big, round eyes.

However, since Lotte was nowhere to be seen, it seemed Lady Nis was still holding it.

“Then let’s go!”

We headed towards the entrance of the lair together.

When we arrived at the entrance, the guards were startled to see me and started fumbling around.

“L-Lady Lycoris! Where are you going so suddenly…!”

“Yeah! I’m going to the market!”

“The market? I’ll prepare a carriage!”

‘Ooh?’

‘Did my carriage arrive already?’

But the carriage the guard brought was a different one.

‘Of course, there’s no way it would have arrived already.’

‘It would take over a month to get here from that old, sick land, and the horses have even turned into pigs.’

Still, it was a pretty nice carriage.

The white base with silver trim looked luxurious.

But compared to my golden-decorated royal carriage…

‘Hmm, it’s still a bit disappointing.’

I did like the crest engraved on it.

It was a red flower surrounded by ice crystals, totally me and the Master!

“The dwawing is pwetty! Mommy and Gwamma!”

Cecilia also admired the carriage’s crest.

“Right? This has some sense!”

I wanted to quickly engrave this crest on my carriage when it arrived.

‘No, more splendidly!’

‘Embroider it with gold thread and stud it with gems!’

The coachman politely opened the carriage door.

The interior was surprisingly spacious and plush.

The carriage started moving smoothly.

Cecilia used Glacia as a footrest and watched the outside with her nose pressed against the window.

‘Glacia is going through a lot…’

Flap, flap!

Miel suddenly plucked a strand of my hair and began to write.

[While we’re out, let’s get your adventurer’s token too.]

‘That’s right! I left without getting my SS-rank token!’

‘Hmm…’

‘I could get a national-power-level one once Lotte is upgraded…’

‘But I should probably get the SS-rank one for now, right?’

“Right, I need to stop by the Adventurers’ Guild too.”

“Lady Lycoris, you’re an adventurer?”

Iris asked, looking intrigued.

“Yeah! I’m the one and only SS-rank adventurer in the world!”

“SS-rank…?”

Iris had an expression of disbelief.

‘Sigh…’

‘The fact that I became the only SS-rank adventurer didn’t spread… only strange rumors did.’

“Mommy! Thewe awe so many people!”

Cecilia shouted, pointing at the window, as we were moving along gloomily.

The market was getting closer.

The number of people and shops was increasing.

The smell of grilling fish, baking bread, and various spices wafted into the carriage.

The carriage stopped in the square in front of the market.

As a rather fancy carriage suddenly appeared, people started gathering one by one, murmuring.

“What’s a noble doing at the market?”

“I’ve never seen that crest before.”

“Ice and a flower…? Was there a family like that?”

I could hear the curious voices of the people.

It seemed they were all curious about who would come out.

When the coachman politely opened the door, I stepped out of the carriage with dignity.

In that moment, everyone’s gaze focused on me at once.

I heard the familiar murmurs.

“Wow… so pretty.”

“Which family’s young lady is she?”

“But her eyes… are they red?”

“She must have a fiancé, of course…?”

‘Yes, yes. I’m very pretty, aren’t I?’

‘Someone as beautiful as me couldn’t possibly be a monster!’

Following me, Cecilia flew out on Glacia.

“Hiiik!”

“Wh-what is that monster!”

“Don’t tell me, that child is controlling that monster…?”

The people’s reactions changed drastically.

It seemed everyone was scared by the appearance of the giant Glacia.

‘Glacia is certainly intimidating.’

But some people had a different reaction.

“That hornet… isn’t that the monster that was at the Adventurers’ Guild before?”

“That’s right! The one an S-rank adventurer left behind!”

“Then that cute child is…?”

It seemed some people had seen Glacia before.

‘Is there no one who has seen me?’

‘I wandered around the capital too!’

‘And by the way, it’s not S-rank, it’s SS-rank!’

‘And that’s me, not Cecilia!’

‘Hmph…’

“You foolish humans!”

Everyone looked at me.

The murmuring suddenly quieted down.

It felt like I was in the spotlight on a theater stage.

“I saved your country from being devoured by Abraxas’s followers! But why are the rumors like this!”

At my shout, the people became even more bewildered and looked at each other.

Murmurs were heard here and there.

“She defeated Abraxas’s followers?”

“Did something like that happen…?”

“There was that incident where the evil god’s followers were wiped out in the noble district! Isn’t that it?”

Just then, one person asked cautiously.

“Excuse me… who are you?”

‘Alright, this is my chance!’

‘It’s time to reveal my identity!’

“I am Lycoris!”

At my answer, a few people screamed and ran away.

“Aaargh! It’s Lycoris!”

“Run!”

But some people were frozen on the spot.

It seemed they were too scared to even move.

‘Aaargh! Seriously!’

‘I just said I saved you!’

“Hey, hey, hey! I came out to clear things up because you guys only believe strange nonsense!”

The surroundings gradually quieted down a bit.

People exchanged glances and murmured.

“Th-then… is it a lie that you drink blood?”

One person asked with a trembling voice.

“Uh, that… I do drink blood… I just drank some a little while ago.”

The people’s faces turned to fear.

They trembled all over as if they were facing death.

“No! I don’t just kill people to drink their blood!”

Then, a person who had come to his senses asked in a small voice.

“Then… is it true that His Highness knelt because you were trying to eat the prince?”

“It’s not! Hmm… what did I say? Maybe… I said I would kidnap the prince and got a lair instead?”

The people’s expressions hardened again.

‘Uh…’

‘It feels like the more I try to explain, the weirder the atmosphere gets.’

‘Isn’t this like revealing that a robber with a gun is actually a robber with a knife?’

‘What should I do…!’

‘Oh, right! I’m Mikel’s apostle!’

“Wait! I’m Mikel’s apostle, I’ll show you my power!”

I could feel the people’s faces relaxing a little.

‘Good!’

“Hiyah! Divine something-or-other, body-lightening power!”

I stretched my hand out towards the people, struck a cool pose, and tried to unleash my power.

But nothing happened, leaving my cool pose feeling awkward.

‘…Huh?’

‘Oh, right! I sealed my divine power!’

‘But wait! Isn’t it past the time for it to be unsealed?’

‘What’s going on!’

Seeing my powerless no-show, the people started to slowly leave.

‘No!’

‘This will only lead to weirder rumors!’

Just then, Iris cautiously approached and whispered.

“Lady Lycoris… how about you show them your true form? If they see the beautiful flower you mentioned, I think they’ll be reassured.”

‘Ah! Right! That’s for sure!’

I shouted loudly at the people again.

“Humans! You think I’m an octopus with tens of thousands of eyeballs!? I’ll show you my real form now!”

‘Polymorph!’

A crimson mist enveloped my body.

And when the mist cleared, the form of a beautiful flower was revealed.

Ruby-like petals in a harmonious blend of red and pink, long, outstretched pistils of a violet hue, and a glossy, jet-black stem…

My appearance, sparkling in the sunlight, was truly fantastical.

Using my area-dominating radar after a long time, I checked the surroundings and saw that the people’s eyes were wide as they looked at me.

“Wow…”

“It’s really a flower!”

“So beautiful!”

‘Phew… This is working!’

Iris was also looking at me with a very surprised expression.

‘You’re the one who suggested it, but you didn’t believe it either!’

‘Or maybe she’s just in awe because I’m prettier than she thought.’

‘Well, I’ll take that!’

People started to approach me.

“A transformation, it’s really amazing!”

“Are the rumors really just exaggerated?”

“Yeah! If the rumors were true, we’d all be dead by now!”

‘Finally! My plan is succeeding!’

But it was then.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, Glacia seemed excited, flapping its wings and charging towards me.

‘? Why, why!? What’s going on all of a sudden!’

Glacia approached my pistils, sticking out its giant tongue.

‘Ah! The nectar!’

‘This crazy b*tch! I told you no nectar!’

Because of Glacia’s sudden movement, Cecilia, who was riding on its back, lost her balance.

“Aaaah!”

Cecilia started to fall from Glacia.

Her small body wobbled in the air.

‘No! Cecilia!’

I quickly shot several roots up from the ground.

Thwack!

One root hit Glacia’s head, while another caught Cecilia.

But there was no way Cecilia, who was much stronger than me, would get hurt from falling from that height.

I had forgotten in my worry over her cute appearance and had shot out the roots without thinking.

However, the problem was that because I shot the roots up in a hurry…

The market floor cracked like a spiderweb, and the roots made a mess of the market.

Fruit stands were overturned, and tomatoes and apples flew everywhere.

Tomatoes were squashed on the ground, their red juice flowing everywhere, and oranges rolled around from the collapsed stands.

A bakery’s sign was hit by a root and fell to the ground, shattering.

A fishmonger’s water tank was knocked over, and cold water flowed everywhere.

“Aaargh!”

“Run away!”

“We’re going to die!”

People screamed and scattered in all directions.

‘Uh…? This isn’t right…’

I slowly returned to my human form.

Looking around, the market was a complete disaster.

Dust was rising thickly, and I could hear the sound of debris falling here and there.

‘Ah… I’m screwed…’

Only Iris remained, trembling, while all the other humans had fled in terror.

“L-Lady Lycoris…”

Iris said in a trembling voice.

She was looking at me with a pale face.

‘This isn’t what I wanted… This isn’t what I wanted at all…’

Cecilia ran to my side and said.

“Mommy! Awe you okay?”

“Yeah… Cecilia, are you hurt?”

“Uh-huh! Mommy caught me!”

Cecilia smiled brightly and hugged my leg tightly.

Seeing her pure smile calmed my heart a little.

Miel flew over my head and wrote.

[Now the rumors are going to get even weirder lol]

“Aaargh!”

‘This wasn’t how I meant to clear things up!’

Glacia was cowering in a corner, holding its head.

‘Did my root actually hurt?’

‘But it’s not enough!’

“You nectar-addict!”

Thwack!!

I flicked Glacia’s head with my hand.

“Aaargh!”

But my hand was the one that hurt!

My finger swelled up red against Glacia’s hard carapace.

‘I shouldn’t have hit it with my hand!’

‘How could I forget so soon!’

As I held my hand, Cecilia stepped forward with an angry expression.

“Hmph!”

BOOM!!!!

With a huge explosion, Glacia’s eyes rolled back, and it collapsed.

‘Is it unconscious…? It’s not dead, is it…?’

Seeing that Cecilia’s level was the same, it seemed to be alive.

“I punished it fow Mommy!”

“Good job, Cecilia!”

I patted Cecilia’s head and looked around again.

The market was destroyed, everyone had run away, and the rumors were going to get even weirder…

‘I’m screwed…’

“Maybe I should just live up to the rumors…”