This continues from the perspective of the Newbie Apprentice Saint, Nina.
Sister had become a troll.
To be honest, I could barely believe this was actually happening.
Looking back, Sister had been acting strange ever since we spoke at the church. After all, she hadn't even spared a glance for the Saint Nectar she usually adored. Even then, she must have already been under the priest's control.
At this rate, I was going to be mauled to death by the very woman I called "Sister."
"Please, stop! Don't you recognize me? It's Nina!"
Ignoring my plea—or perhaps unable to understand it—the troll unhinged its massive jaws. The moment I realized I was about to be devoured, the priest's words flashed through my mind.
When he had manipulated me and sent me out of the church, he told me, "You will no longer be yourself." He had also said, "You will become useless even as an apprentice saint."
I wondered if this was what he meant. Perhaps those who had a blue flower bloom inside them were manipulated first, then ultimately transformed into trolls. The thought was utterly terrifying.
However, if this trollification followed the same logic as the blue flower brainwashing, there might be one remaining hope. I felt that if I forced her to drink this Saint Nectar, which was infused with Lady Iris's aura of light magic, I might find a way to break the curse.
The Saint Nectar I had gulped down earlier had been my own portion, but I still had the wooden tube I had intended to give to Sister. I fished it from my pocket and hurled the Saint Nectar straight into the creature’s maw.
What happened next was a display of power that far exceeded my imagination.
The troll began to thrash, letting out a piercing shriek. It released me, and I tumbled to the ground. As the creature wailed in agony, its body began to dissolve. At the same time, it vomited up seed remnants.
A moment later, Sister emerged from the heap of melting troll flesh.
"This nectar is incredible, Lady Iris...!"
She truly was the strongest saint in history. I never dreamed it would be possible to purify a troll's body and rescue someone who had already been turned into a monster.
As I nursed Sister, a realization struck me. With this Saint Nectar, I could save the other residents who had been transformed. The priest had been under the impression that I had merely removed the seed from the lord, but he was wrong. This Saint Nectar, carrying Saint Iris's aura of light, was the key to neutralizing the blue flowers and their seeds.
My stock of nectar was almost depleted. However, if Lady Iris were here, we might be able to resolve this entire catastrophe.
What concerned me most was the true goal of the priest and his cohorts. Given that they had planted troll-transforming seeds in so many people, this was clearly a calculated attack. Their goal was likely to seize control of the city, but I had a feeling there was more to it than that.
"Look!" someone nearby shouted, pointing toward the sky.
Looking out over the city, I saw plumes of smoke rising from every direction. Then I noticed that the castle, perched on the highest hill in the city, was bathed in a hellish crimson glow. The lord’s manor was engulfed in flames.
But why?
Even as the question formed, fires began to break out across the rest of the city. While I stood there in a daze, a passerby muttered in grim admiration.
"It looks like the city's adventurers have decided on a policy of total resistance. They've started using fire, the trolls' weakness, but I wonder how long they can keep the flames alive in this rain."
I recognized that voice. I spun around to find a blue-haired man standing there.
"Oh, if it isn't Nina. It seems you managed to stay safe."
It was Master Holger. He was the leader of the Crystal of Dragon Water, a dragon killer who specialized in water magic. We had become acquaintances after serving together in the Alraune subjugation force. Holger and his party were the strongest adventurers in the city. With their help, we might just be able to turn the tide of this desperate situation.
"I never imagined the city would be overrun by a horde of trolls," Holger said. "Between this and the terrifying monster that just appeared in the forest, I don't know what's going to happen to this place."
"Master Holger, what do you mean? What monster appeared in the forest?"
"Ever since the subjugation force was defeated, my party has been scouring the forest every day looking for that Alraune. We wanted a rematch. We were out searching again today when a massive dragon descended from the sky."
Holger held up a hand as if to say the real surprise was yet to come.
"And who do you think was with that dragon? It was the Fallen Spirit Princess. A dryades with blue vine hair and branch-like horns came riding down from the sky on a giant land turtle. I've seen her face on the Adventurer Guild's wanted posters enough times to know there's no mistaking her."
A woman with blue vines... The woman I saw parasitizing the priest earlier had also had blue vine hair. He had called her a direct subordinate of one of the Four Heavenly Kings, which meant this Fallen Spirit Princess was likely the one truly behind the priest’s actions.
"Master Holger, that dryades is the source of all of this! We have to defeat her immediately... but I can't just leave the priest like this. What should I do?"
"If you mean the priest from the church, I saw him walking toward the forest just a moment ago."
"Are you certain!?"
"Positive. We were rushing back to report the Fallen Spirit Princess's return to the Adventurer Guild, and I'm certain I saw the priest among a pack of trolls we encountered on the way."
"Was the pack of trolls also heading for the forest?"
The priest had gone to the forest with the trolls. Between that and the appearance of a member of the Four Heavenly Kings, there had to be something important in those woods. That had to be the true reason the Demon King's Army was attacking the city.
"Master Holger, I beg you. Please take me to where you saw that dryades!"
"What?! Nina, we should be staying here to hunt trolls..."
"All of these trolls were once human! The culprit behind this horror is in that forest right now, plotting something even worse. As an apprentice saint, I cannot simply stand by and watch!"
"............If you're that certain, then there must be something critical happening in those woods. Very well. We'll leave the city's defense to the other adventurers. As the leader of the Crystal of Dragon Water, I will assist you in subjugating the Demon King's Army!"
Accompanied by Holger and his three companions, I headed into the forest. I felt guilty leaving Sister with the townspeople, but I was likely the person who understood the current threat best. I had to be the one to stop it.
I couldn't wipe out an entire legion of the Demon King's Army single-handedly like Lady Iris, but if I worked together with Master Holger and his team—the strongest in the city—we could surely find a way.
We pushed deep into the forest. The rain made the ground muddy and difficult to navigate. After some time, a thunderous roar echoed through the trees.
"That was a dragon," Holger whispered.
We hurried toward the source of the sound. Through the dense foliage, a massive shadow loomed. It was a blue dragon, locked in a tense standoff. It was clearly engaged in combat with someone.
I followed the dragon’s gaze, and my heart nearly stopped.
Alraune was there.
The Alraune that was supposed to have vanished had returned.
But as I looked at her, I felt a wave of confusion. She resembled Lady Iris, yet she seemed... small. She was too big to be a toddler, but far too small to be an adult. She looked exactly like I imagined Lady Iris might have looked as a child.
This meant this Alraune might be an entirely different entity. I could understand a monster growing larger, but I had never heard of one regressing in age. Even leaving aside her monstrous nature, I couldn't bring myself to believe that the Lady Iris I knew and this Alraune were the same person.
After all, the Alraune standing before us had the appearance of a ten-year-old girl.
That concludes Nina's perspective. Through her eyes, we saw the chaos in the city just before Alraune's return. Next, we return to Alraune's point of view!
Next time: Battle for the Sanctuary.