I was Alraune, a plant monster girl.
Just then, I witnessed a Summer Supernatural Phenomenon—a glowing UFO suddenly vanishing into thin air. I had seen that Unidentified Flying Object before. It was the same burning, radiant craft that had appeared at the start and end of last summer.
Whenever that Unidentified Flying Object visited the forest, an intense heatwave followed, bringing drought in its wake. Conversely, when it vanished, summer ended and the air turned cool. Now, that summer-heralding UFO had appeared once more. Just as I thought it was flying toward me, it emitted a staggering flash of light and disappeared. I wondered what that light could have been.
Was spring already over? Was it summer already? It felt a little early for the season to change, but the heat was unmistakable. Summer had arrived alongside the UFO.
As I wondered if there was a being truly capable of manipulating the climate, a roar suddenly erupted from the distance.
What was that?! Had the UFO dropped a bomb? No, things like that didn't exist in this world.
Immediately after, a blast of wind raged through the trees. The forest groaned under the force of the gale. Far in the distance, smoke began to rise, billowing up like a mushroom cloud. What on earth was happening?
An explosion of that scale had to be comparable to, or even greater than, a large-scale spell cast by multiple High-level Mages. Was it the UFO’s doing? It had come from the same direction as the flash I’d seen earlier.
If I recalled correctly, the village where the Nectar-crazed Boy was staying was located in that direction. Something had happened there.
More roars echoed in rapid succession. It sounded as if a battle had broken out. Perhaps the soldiers of the Kingdom's Army were fighting someone. But who? There shouldn't have been many enemies in this region capable of causing such a massive commotion.
The battle seemed to drag on. After a while, the smoke thickened. It rose from every direction in front of me, spreading across the horizon. It looked as if the entire forest ahead of me was engulfed in flames.
Yeah, there was no mistaking it. The forest was burning. The sheer volume of smoke made any other conclusion impossible.
Then, I saw it. A Flame Column shot up into the sky. There weren't many Fire Magic users capable of such a feat. If someone like that was on a rampage, it was only natural for the fire to spread to the woods.
Which meant the forest was definitely on fire.
Oh no, what was I supposed to do? It was still quite far away, but at this rate, the flames would eventually consume the entire forest. This was bad—I had to get out of here right now!
But wait. I couldn't run away. I was a plant.
Seriously, why do plants have to just sit there when a fire is right in front of them? Come on, legs, move! We’re going to burn!
No matter how hard I tried, my roots refused to budge. Evacuation was impossible. If that was the case, there was only one thing left for me to do.
I decided to begin the Uprooting of all the nearby trees. If the fire reached me, it would jump from tree to tree. If I pulled out as many as possible to create a wide clearing around myself, I might stand a chance of surviving even if I were surrounded by flames.
"Heave-ho!"
Oh, look at that. There was a tree with something like corn growing on it over there. Now that the trees in front of it were gone, I could see things I usually couldn't. It felt almost refreshing.
As I continued the Uprooting, a sense of unease washed over me. Had that dead tree always been so far away?
Yes, that dead tree that had suddenly appeared. I could have sworn it was growing much closer to me, but when I cleared the surrounding area, it seemed much further off than I’d expected. Was my sense of distance becoming paralyzed?
Well, I’d been curious about that dead tree for a while, so it was probably for the best that I didn't pull it out. It was already pitiful enough that it had withered so suddenly. As a fellow plant, I couldn't help but feel a little sympathetic.
The smoke from the fire drew closer. At this rate, the forest would be completely reduced to ash. If I could, I would have joined the firefighting efforts, but that wasn't my place. Like a captive princess, I could do nothing but wait for a prince to come to my rescue.
My forest was burning. And I had finally become the Lord of the Forest, too.
Who was responsible for this? Step forward and identify yourself this instant! I have a very long lecture waiting for you!
As if responding to my anger, a sphere of light rose from beyond the trees. No, it wasn't a sphere. It was a long, thick rod-like object stretching vertically into the sky. It radiated an intense, scorching light. Its shape was almost like a snake’s tail.
Was that the UFO’s true form? From this distance, I had no idea what it actually was.
As I watched the mysterious tail from afar, the light began to concentrate at a single point. The ball of light at the tip of the tail swelled until it reached its limit, then burst.
Bundles of light erupted in every direction, centered around the tail. They were just like beams. It looked exactly like a scene from a Kaiju Movie I’d watched back when I was a high school girl.
Countless Beams gouged through the forest, blasting trees into the air. The wood scorched by the Beams turned into black ash and scattered in the wind.
"Wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-what was thaaaaaaaaat?!"
I had never seen anything like it! A direct hit from something like that would easily vaporize an entire city. Even though I had fought many powerful foes back when I was a Saint, I had never even heard of such an irregular attack. It was a violent, divine light, like something out of a forgotten myth.
Thank goodness. I was so glad those Beams hadn't been aimed at me.
That single attack must have turned a massive portion of the forest to cinders. Even having seen it with my own eyes, I could hardly believe it. It was a complete catastrophe.
But unfortunately, the terror didn't end there. Next, a massive ball of fire came hurtling from the front. It was just like a Flame Breath unleashed by a monster. A colossal wave of fire washed over the forest.
"Hiee?!"
What was with that fire?! Was the UFO shooting that, too? It was like a weapon of war! I was going to be incinerated like some kind of pest!
"P-please, stop! Give me a break! Stop picking on me!"
I didn't want this. I didn't want to burn. I didn't want to be bathed in those terrifying flames.
"Please, I give up! Don't come this way!"
Ignoring my prayers, the flames of despair danced closer. It was an invitation to a Scorching Ball where a single touch meant turning to ash. I had no right to refuse, and if those flames embraced me, I had no future.
I had no intention of performing a dance that required my life as an offering. No thank you! Being scorched by the passion of love is more than enough for me! I had no desire to dance with the flames of a Grim Reaper inviting me to my death.
So please. Someone, anyone, help me.
Take my hand and save me from this nightmare.
Thank you for reading. Today will be two updates in one day. Next time: A prince on a white horse, or perhaps a princess.