I am the plant monster girl, Alraune.
I was overjoyed to be reunited with my friends from the Forest Circle after so long.
A swarm of dozens of Zornbiene—bee-type monsters—hovered in force above Big Sister Dryades’s head. These were my lady knights, led by Hachi-san. Further back, I could see the butterfly-type monsters known as Rustschmetterlings. It was Madam Butterfly and her fellow "Tefutefus."
Spider wasps specialized in hunting spiders, but Hachi-san and her kind were mere honeybees. For them to challenge a Huntsman Spider, there could only be one explanation.
The Forest Circle had come to save me!
"What annoying little vermin. Don't get in my way, you hear?" Big Sister Dryades spat as she prepared to unleash her spirit magic.
S-Stop!
If Hachi-san, Madam Butterfly, or any of the others were caught in her spirit magic, they wouldn't stand a chance. I didn't want to put them in danger for my sake anymore. When the Demon King's Army's Minotaurs attacked us before, so many of the Hachi-sans and Tefutefus had died fighting for me.
I never wanted to experience that pain again!
"Spirit Princess! If you're going to attack someone, attack me!"
"Oh? Are these insects acquaintances of yours, Princess? In that case, I’ll just have to make them suffer even more!"
──Stop it!
But what could I do? I wouldn't be able to generate an attack in time.
Just as I tried to manifest a Teppou-uri Machine Gun, Nina's mouth moved on its own.
"I can still fight. One more shot... 'Glanzstrahl'!"
It seemed Nina's consciousness was finally returning. It felt as though we were sharing a single body between us. Nina intended to keep pushing herself, and her resolve made me happy.
I understood. It would be painful, but I decided to rely on her strength just a bit longer. I promised to give her plenty of recovery nectar later; she just needed to endure this for a few more moments.
"Glanzstrahl!"
Faster than the spirit magic could manifest, our Light Magic pierced right through Big Sister Dryades. Unlike our previous attempt, this was a direct hit.
"Gwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!"
Her scream echoed across the clearing. The impact was immense, sent the Hero's Helmet flying into the air.
"Catch that helmet!" I cried out.
Responding to my shout, the lady knight Hachi-san intercepted the Hero's Helmet in mid-air. Even though she shouldn't have been able to understand my human speech, it felt as if our hearts were connected. The bonds of the Forest Circle were almost visible, and as the circle's president, I couldn't have been prouder.
I coated a vine in nectar and beckoned the Hachi-sans over. It was too dangerous for them to stay near Big Sister Dryades. I fed Hachi-san the nectar and took the Hero's Helmet from her. It was cracked and nearing the point of collapse, but there was still a vast amount of Light Magic energy stored within. Regardless, we no longer had to worry about Dryades using it to deploy a barrier.
When I looked back to see the state of our enemy, I saw her battered spirit body already regenerating. Furthermore, the Ancient Tree that served as her true form remained intact.
"I never imagined I would be driven this far," she muttered. "How many years has it been since I last rooted myself in the earth instead of a host?"
Big Sister Dryades glared at me as she plunged the roots of her Ancient Tree body deep into the ground. Apparently, unless I destroyed the main body itself, she would continue to revive indefinitely.
I wanted to launch a follow-up attack, but Nina's body had reached its limit. Having fired high-tier Light Magic in rapid succession when she wasn't accustomed to it, the Apprentice Saint’s physical form was failing.
I slowly withdrew the dodder vine from Nina's arm. At the same time, I allowed the blue Forget-me-not to wither and fall away.
"Nina, you did wonderful work. Thank you."
I bit into a vine to coat it with nectar imbued with recovery magic, then used the vine to feed it to Nina. As she swallowed, the light returned to her eyes.
"It tastes like Saint Nectar...!"
Nina snapped back to full consciousness. "It’s too sweeeeeeet!" she squealed dramatically, clutching her cheeks and hopping around. She seemed energetic enough, so her body had clearly recovered.
Big Sister Dryades, who had been watching our interaction intently, spoke to me as if she had witnessed a fascinating spectacle.
"Alraune Princess, what exactly did you just do? It looked for all the world like you were puppeteering that Apprentice Saint."
"I'll leave that... to your imagination."
"Imagination, hm? That girl shouldn't have had that much power or technique. It reminded me of that human Saint the Golden Birdman used to brag about at every opportunity... wait a moment."
Her gaze became fixed on my face. She began to observe me with an uncomfortably intense, predatory scrutiny.
"Now that I look at you, Princess, your face is quite similar to a certain portrait hanging in the Lord's mansion."
The Lord's mansion? What was she talking about? Why would there be a portrait of me there? Come to think of it, when I met the Lord of Tower City in the Royal Capital, his son had stared at me quite strangely. My cousin from the Hero's party had mentioned that I had many fans among the nobility, so perhaps that was the reason.
"The name of the woman in that painting... if I recall, was Saint Iris."
I flinched at the sound of my name from my Saint Era. I grew wary, fearing my true identity was about to be exposed.
"Tell me, Princess... are you related to Saint Iris?"
"I don't know... what you're... talking about."
If this information reached the Demon King's Army, my position would become precarious. If Flame Dragon Lord found out I was the Saint who had once opposed them, he would surely try to kill me. To prevent that, I had to ensure Big Sister Dryades became nothing more than nutrients for the forest right here and now.
"Hmph... I see. So that's how it is. You really are full of surprises, Princess."
As she spoke, she reached for her eyepatch and tore it away. Embedded where her eye should have been was a seed roughly the size of an eyeball. She plucked the seed from her socket and brought it to her lips.
"I never thought I'd be forced to use this here. I intended to save it as a trump card for when I finally confronted Glühschwanz-sama."
Against the Flame Dragon Lord? Was she planning some sort of internal coup within the Demon King's Army?
"Is that... a Seed of Evolution?"
"Oh? You know of those, Princess? But no. This is something else entirely. It is nothing like that failure."
The Seed of Evolution was a failure? What did she mean?
"The Seed of Evolution was merely a fluke—an accidental byproduct of my research into this fruit. My years of study were all for the sake of creating this single seed."
Big Sister Dryades swallowed the mysterious seed. In that instant, her Ancient Tree body began to swell and groan.
"This is the 'Seed of the Divine Tree.' To use it is to host a fragment of the Goddess's power. It grants a level of strength so vast that even I cannot fully control it."
The Ancient Tree grew larger and larger before my eyes. It rose as high as the radio towers from my previous life, and a massive bud bloomed near its summit. The moment the bud appeared, Nina collapsed, gasping, "This scent..."
One after another, Drink Bar-san and the other adventurers crumpled to the ground.
"Nina! Drink Bar-san!"
It wasn't just the humans. Hachi-san, Madam Butterfly, and the others fell from the sky, lying motionless on the forest floor.
"They're finished. No human or monster can remain conscious in the presence of my Divine Tree Transformation."
Big Sister Dryades’s upper body emerged from the top of the massive tree, now completely integrated with the wood.
"What did you... do to them?"
"Nothing at all. They simply caught a whiff of the woody fragrance my body emits. I’ve merely put them to sleep so they can serve as a Sacrifice for the Divine Tree."
I couldn't believe it. To defeat every opponent in the vicinity with nothing but a scent... it was terrifying. I only remained standing because I was a plant myself.
"Ah... I can feel the power surging through me."
Massive branches spread out from the top of the Divine Tree, stretching so far they blotted out the sky. It felt as if both Tower City and the entirety of the Dryades' Forest were being swallowed by her canopy.
I was stunned that she possessed such a trump card. Her title as one of the Four Heavenly Kings wasn't just for show. In fact, she had become so powerful that she made the Four Heavenly Kings I fought as a Saint—and even my stalker, Golden Birdman-san—look insignificant by comparison. I had underestimated Spirit Princess Vergissmeinnicht.
"Now that I am the Divine Tree, I can see clearly. You may be a plant monster, Princess, but you are wrapped in an Aura of Light Magic that smells just like the Goddess."
Her eyes had changed, taking on the same special quality as Nina’s. I didn't know the exact mechanism, but she could now perceive the aura of my magic.
"I heard Saint Iris was dead, but perhaps you ate her and absorbed her power? Whatever the case, that power looks absolutely delicious."
Her guess wasn't entirely wrong. To be more precise, I hadn't absorbed her so much as I had assimilated with and hijacked this plant monster body.
"I've decided. I'm going to pull you into the Divine Tree and make you a part of me, Saint's power and all."
She licked her lips, looking down at me with the eyes of a predator who had already caught its prey.
"It’s a pity, but this is the end for you. In the end, we shall become one."
Big Sister Dryades, now the gargantuan Divine Tree, focused her full hostility on me. Our long struggle was finally reaching its climax.
The final battle was about to begin.
Five months have passed since I first started posting and maintaining daily updates. Thanks to all of you, I am filled with joy that so many more people are reading this than I ever expected. Thank you for your continued support.
I have an announcement for everyone. Updating every day for five consecutive months has been more difficult than I anticipated. While I have managed to keep it up until now, I would like to switch to every-other-day updates for a while.
Lately, I have had less free time, and it has become difficult to hit the posting deadlines. I apologize for the change, but I need to take a bit of a rest. For now, updates will be once every two days. If I find more breathing room in the future, I may return to daily updates.
I will continue to do my best to write a story you all enjoy. Thank you for your understanding.
Next time: Migrant Adventurer's Tower City Disturbance Chronicle.