This is the perspective of the newbie apprentice saint.
My name was Nina.
I was working as a newbie apprentice saint in the Tower City.
Several days had already passed since my encounter with the Alraune in the forest.
According to information from the adventurer Franz-san, there had been no further sightings of the Alraune in those woods.
That Alraune had been cloaked in the exact same aura of light magic as Saint Iris-sama.
Not only that, but she even possessed Iris-sama’s memories.
Since she even knew about the handkerchief Iris-sama had once given me, I had no choice but to believe it.
Iris-sama was living her life as an Alraune.
I couldn't even begin to imagine how such a thing had happened.
I wanted to see her again soon, apologize for my rudeness the other day, and talk about so many things.
Rufe-chan, the nectar seller, had also vanished from the city.
I wondered where the two of them could have gone.
Their absence had left the city in a state of absolute chaos.
Now that the supply of Saint Nectar had been cut off, the regular customers were on the verge of losing their minds.
I was lucky enough to have some Saint Nectar left from my personal stockpile, but those who hadn't were practically starving for it.
I heard a rumor that the local honey shop had been completely cleaned out of its stock.
It seemed a group of residents, lamenting their inability to get Saint Nectar, had swarmed the shop instead.
Eventually, suspicion arose that the owner was hiding backstock, leading the residents to raid the store. It turned into quite a messy disturbance.
In the midst of all this, I was attending a meeting at the Lord’s mansion, where the city’s most influential figures had gathered.
Part of the reason I was there was to serve as an attendant to the Priest, but that wasn't the only reason I’d been summoned.
I was the only person in this city capable of using light magic.
Because of that, I was permitted to sit in on this vital meeting regarding the city's future in my capacity as an apprentice saint.
The attendees included the Knight Commander, the Guild Master of the Adventurer Guild, the Guild Master of the Commerce and Industry Guild, our Priest from the church, the Lord of the Tower City, and several other nobles.
There were others present as well, but every one of them was a person of immense status and power.
I felt like a complete fish out of water just being there.
Once the meeting began, the Adventurer Guild Master immediately addressed the group.
“First the man-eater Alraune, and now the spirit of the East Forest. I believe we should move quickly to organize a subjugation squad against the Dryades.”
An elderly, low-ranking noble raised his hand.
“The spirit of the East Forest is meant to be the protector of both the woods and this city. Subjugating her is unthinkable. If we are to act, it should be against the West Dryades, who has joined the ranks of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King's Army.”
The next instant, a heavy thud echoed through the room.
The Knight Commander slammed his fist onto the table and roared.
“Do not speak such nonsense! The Dryades of the East Forest is precisely the evil we must strike down at once! Why should we do anything else before passing judgment on a spirit who is an enemy to all humanity?!”
The Commerce and Industry Guild Master nodded in agreement.
“Quite right. Furthermore, it is the East Forest, not the West, that borders our city. In terms of priority, eliminating the wicked spirit on our doorstep is the only logical choice.”
For some reason, several members of the council had been aggressively insisting that the forest’s Dryades and fairies be captured and killed.
It seemed the primary agenda for today’s meeting was the fate of the forest spirits.
Even the Priest appeared to be in favor of the Dryades’ subjugation.
“To begin with, spirits are existences that the Goddess we worship does not recognize. As the representative of this city's church, I cast my vote in favor of the spirit hunt.”
The closer a person was to the city's seat of power, the more radical their stance on exterminating the Dryades became.
It had been the same way when the first subjugation party was formed.
They were so dogmatic that it felt as if they had become entirely different people. Honestly, they were starting to scare me.
With a loud rattle of his chair, the Lord stood up.
“I find myself in agreement. Unless there are further objections, I intend to dispatch a subjugation squad once more. Understood?”
At some point, the Lord had also suddenly shifted into the hardline pro-subjugation camp.
Therefore, it was safe to say the outcome of this meeting had been decided before it even began.
“When that time comes, we shall look forward to the contributions of our apprentice saint. After all, she is the hero who struck down the man-eater Alraune.”
The Lord suddenly turned the spotlight on me.
I felt my face flush with embarrassment.
More importantly, I couldn't believe how things had spiraled like this.
After Franz-san and I had gone to the forest and reported the Alraune's disappearance to the Priest, it was somehow decided that we were the ones who had defeated her.
The Adventurer Guild had reached the same conclusion—since the immobile plant monster was gone, she must have been killed.
As a result, Franz-san and I were credited with the glorious feat of the Alraune’s subjugation.
I was incredibly frustrated because we hadn't actually defeated her.
However, I couldn't exactly talk back to the high-ranking nobles, so I had been forced to accept the title.
The following night.
As a reward for exterminating the ferocious man-eater Alraune, both Franz-san and I were invited to a banquet hosted by the Lord.
How on earth did it come to this...?
Upon arriving at the Lord’s mansion, we were escorted to the dining hall.
The Lord greeted us, and I took my seat alongside Franz-san.
The only people dining tonight were the Lord and the two of us. I felt incredibly small in such a grand setting.
The Lord was a famous gourmet, often referred to as the “White Pig Lord” by the townspeople.
The man himself seemed to enjoy the nickname, and I frequently saw him chatting and laughing with the commoners without any air of superiority.
While he was quite portly, my impression of him was that he was a very generous and intelligent man.
Despite inheriting the title at a young age after his father’s passing, he had a reputation among the nobility for managing the territory excellently. He truly was a respectable figure.
In the White Pig Lord’s banquet hall, a portrait of a woman I knew well was on display.
“Splendid, isn't it? It is a portrait of Saint Iris-sama. Beautiful, wise, merciful, and incredibly strong. Don't you agree she was truly the Saint among Saints?”
The Lord threw his hands up and spoke with a booming voice.
His voice cracked slightly at the end, a clear sign of his excitement.
“Truth be told, I painted this myself. When I saw Saint Iris-sama in the Royal Capital, her beauty was so overwhelming that she utterly stole my heart.”
“You are very talented, Lord-sama.”
“Aren't I? Just between us, I also serve as the exclusive artist for the local Adventurer Guild. Painting is a mere hobby, but it allowed me to produce a marvelous piece recently. I was actually the one who drew the wanted poster for the Alraune you defeated, Nina.”
Franz-san, sitting next to me, whispered under his breath, “So the exclusive artist who was supposed to be Saint Iris’s biggest fan was actually the Lord?”
It seemed he had heard the rumors about the Lord’s artwork back at the guild.
Before long, the food was served.
The Head Cook stepped forward to explain the dishes, standing dutifully behind the Lord.
The moment I caught the scent of the aperitif on the table, my body practically vibrated with excitement.
Unable to hold back, I asked the Head Cook a question.
“This drink... does it happen to contain Saint Nectar?”
“An excellent eye. It is exactly as you suspect. This is Saint Nectar Wine.”
I never imagined that Saint Nectar, which was currently so scarce in the city, would be served at a banquet.
If you put this on the market right now, it would fetch an incredible price.
The Lord offered an explanation with a knowing smirk.
“I believe you have a fondness for this nectar, Nina. One of the Head Cook’s subordinates seems to know you quite well, so I had it prepared for you.”
Ah, it must have been that person.
The young cook who always used to show up to buy Saint Nectar right after me in the city square.
I was stunned to think that, because of him, I was getting to drink Saint Nectar Wine at a formal banquet.
The Head Cook continued his explanation, and my gaze landed on the final dish.
“Is this... some kind of seed?”
Inside the soup, there were round objects that looked like plant seeds.
I came from a poor, commoner background.
I’d eaten plenty of vegetables that weren't exactly considered "choice cuts" before, but I had never seen a seed like this.
“Indeed it is. That seed soup is a personal recommendation from the Lord himself. He was quite insistent that Nina-sama try it, so I put my heart and soul into the preparation.”
“I’d recognize a broad bean, but I’ve never seen a vegetable that looks so much like a literal plant seed. What kind of plant is this from?”
Just as I was about to press for an answer, the Lord stood up, glass of Saint Nectar Wine in hand.
“Now, now, that story can wait for later. We wouldn't want this wonderful, warm meal to go cold. Let us eat.”
In this city, the Lord’s word was law.
We toasted with our glasses, and I drained my Saint Nectar Wine in a single go.
Ohhh, yes! This was it!
The sheer sweetness of the nectar made my very brain shudder.
I felt as if something had burst open from deep within my soul, and my vision grew hazy and unfocused with bliss.
Wait, Franz-san?
Why were you sitting there with your mouth hanging open, looking so shocked?
If you weren't going to drink your Saint Nectar Wine, I was more than happy to take it off your hands.
“Lord...sama...?!”
Franz-san’s confused voice cut through my haze.
I looked over and saw the Lord clutching his throat with both hands, looking like he was in agony.
His empty glass shattered as it hit the floor.
Did the wine go down the wrong pipe?
“Uguwaaaaaah!!”
No, this was something else.
His face was turning a deep shade of purple, and his eyes were rolling back in his head.
He looked like he was about to collapse.
—Crash!
The Lord slumped onto the table.
The impact sent the dishes flying, and food scattered across the floor.
The seed soup I’d been looking forward to went tumbling along with the rest.
A moment later, the Lord gagged and spat something out.
“...A blue flower?”
It was bizarre. A flower had come straight out of the Lord’s mouth.
What on earth was happening?
“Lord-sama! I’ll cast recovery magic immediately, please stay calm!”
I rushed to his side, determined to do my duty as an apprentice saint.
But then, the Lord said something completely baffling.
“Who... are you? You’re wearing the clothes of an apprentice saint, but I’ve never seen you in this city... And what is the meaning of all this?!”
For some reason, the Lord didn't seem to recognize me at all.
It appeared he had lost his memory of everything that had happened over the last ten or so days.
The moment he spat out that blue flower, his memories had vanished.
I leaned in to get a better look at the flower.
That’s when I noticed a familiar-looking seed entwined in its roots.
It was exactly the same kind of seed that had been in my soup.
This was the perspective of the newbie apprentice saint, Nina. We’ve had a glimpse of the situation in the Tower City several days after the Alraune was taken to the Demon King's Castle.
Next time: Newbie Apprentice Saint's Tower City Disturbance Chronicle - Latter Part.