This is the perspective of the former corporal and migrant adventurer.
My name is Franz.
I used to serve as a corporal in the army, but these days I’m a migrant adventurer working out of Tower City.
I made my way toward the center of town, glancing sideways at a honey shop currently under siege by a mob.
"The streets have gotten awfully dangerous lately."
If I recalled correctly, that was the third time this month that particular shop had been targeted.
The root of the problem was simple: the forest fairy had stopped selling her Saint Nectar, and the number of residents screaming for their fix had skyrocketed.
According to Nina, the Apprentice Saint, that fairy’s name was Rufe.
Based on Nina's last encounter in the woods, the fairy had apparently set off on a journey to find the Alraune.
But the fairy wasn't the only one hunting for her.
I had been commissioned by a certain individual to track down the Alraune as well.
At the same time, I spent my days scouring the forest for the source of the Saint Nectar.
Both tasks were proving nearly impossible; I hadn't found a single lead.
And now, I had to deliver that fruitless report to the highest-ranking official in the city. The very thought made my heart heavy.
I arrived at the lord’s manor and was escorted to the same room where the last banquet had been held.
While I killed time by studying the portrait of Saint Iris hanging on the wall, the plump "White Pig Lord" finally made his appearance.
"Franz, my apologies for the wait."
The man was affectionately known by the locals as the White Pig Lord.
Despite his noble status, he was genuinely kind-hearted—though that might have been because he was a bit of an eccentric.
After all, despite being a lord, he frequently went undercover as an artist for the Adventurer Guild.
It was this lord who had hired me to find the Alraune and investigate the nectar.
Everything had started at that banquet Nina and I had been invited to.
The lord had consumed some Saint Nectar, only to collapse after vomiting a Blue Flower.
Shortly after that, for reasons known only to him, he sought me out with an official request.
"My deepest apologies, sir. I have yet to determine the source of the Saint Nectar or the Alraune's current location."
"I see. Thank you for your hard work. I’ve never tasted anything quite so exquisite, so I was determined to secure it for myself, but perhaps it wasn't meant to be."
The lord walked over to the portrait of Saint Iris, continuing in a low voice as if speaking to himself.
"Still, I was stunned when you told me the Alraune and Saint Iris shared the same face. When the Adventurer Guild described her as a plant monster that resembled the Saint, I drew the Wanted Poster accordingly—but I never imagined they were identical. I still find it hard to believe."
The lord was an obsessive fan of Saint Iris.
It had been four years since her passing, but her early death only seemed to have amplified her legend.
Come to think of it, Saint Iris had saved my own hometown once when it was overrun by a monster horde.
That was what inspired the Granddaughter of the Great Sage, who lived in the house next door, to become such a fanatic. It felt like a lifetime ago.
"The Church’s priest and the knight commander were vehemently against it, but I’ve officially called off the subjugation of the Man-eater Alraune and the West Forest Dryades. If an Alraune who looks exactly like Saint Iris is truly as friendly as you say, I would have loved to see her with my own eyes. Truly a shame."
"In that case, would you care to hear a story about a certain Saint who saved my... no, my village? Perhaps it would serve as a substitute."
"Ho? I thought I’d heard every tale of Saint Iris’s exploits, but by all means, let’s hear it."
Just as I was about to begin my story, the sound of a vase shattering echoed from the hallway.
Violent shouts and the screams of soldiers followed immediately after.
A moment later, the door flew open and one of the lord’s guard knights stumbled in.
"My Lord! Trolls! There are trolls in the manor! You must flee at—"
Before the man could finish his sentence, a pair of thick, bulging arms slammed down from behind, crushing him.
A massive, giant-like Troll stepped over the fallen knight and into the room.
"Why are there Trolls in a place like this!?"
Even among monsters, Trolls are a nightmare to deal with.
No matter if you sever an arm, they possess near-instant regeneration.
Beyond that, they aren't the type of creature to suddenly manifest in the heart of a city. What the hell was going on?
I stepped forward to shield the lord just as a squad of armored knights swarmed through the door.
The lord let out a relieved cry at the sight of them.
"Knight Commander! Thank goodness! Quickly, kill this Troll!"
The Knight Commander looked back at us, his lips curling into a dark, unsettling smirk.
"I’m afraid I can’t do that, My Lord. You see, we didn't come here to save you from the Trolls. We came here to capture you alongside them."
As he spoke, the Knight Commander's body began to swell and bloat.
In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a Troll himself.
Worse yet, he wasn't alone. Every single knight who had entered with him followed suit, their bodies warping into the same monstrous forms.
The Knight Order... turned into Trolls?
Instead of an explanation, the monsters let out a collective roar and charged.
I reacted instantly, casting a wall of fire to block their path.
While they recoiled from the heat, I grabbed the lord’s arm and dove through the window, making our escape.
"Franz, what is the meaning of this?! Why did the Knight Commander become a Troll?!"
He could ask all he wanted, but I didn't have a clue either.
The only thing I knew for certain was that we were being hunted.
When we reached the courtyard, Trolls lunged at us from every direction.
It seemed as though nearly every soldier and knight in the place had turned.
I cursed my luck; I’d handed over my weapons when I entered the manor.
Fortunately, I’d had combat training drilled into me since I was a boy—with or without a blade.
Never underestimate someone from the Village of the Great Sage!
"Flammenwerfer!"
I unleashed my fire magic.
Trolls are weak to fire, so I had the advantage there.
However, the sheer numbers were against us. Trolls were pouring out of the manor and over the walls like a flood.
What was happening? It was as if every human in the vicinity had been replaced!
We were going to be overwhelmed. I had no choice.
I pulled out a small glass vial I’d been saving for a dire emergency.
The Magic Power Amplification Liquid—a custom brew from the Great Sage himself.
It would multiply my mana several times over, but the backlash would leave me unable to use magic for days.
It was a hell of a gamble, but if not now, when?
I downed the liquid and unleashed my spell.
"Flammenwerfer!"
A massive Flame Vortex erupted around us.
The Trolls were forced back by the sheer intensity of the heat.
But as a side effect, the manor was now engulfed in a raging inferno.
...I-It wasn't my fault.
I'm blaming the Trolls for that one!
"Well done, Franz! Forget the house, we need to get out of here!"
I fled the grounds with the lord at my side.
Once we reached the city streets, we were met with a scene out of a nightmare.
Tower City was being systematically trampled. Trolls were emerging from every alleyway and house with gleeful malice.
I watched as a person was pinned down and forced to swallow something by a Troll.
The human’s body bloated and warped instantly, birthing yet another monster.
I looked around, refusing to believe my own eyes.
There was no longer any sign of human life nearby.
The city had ceased to be a home for people; it had become a hive of monsters.
Only one person came to mind who might be able to fix this madness.
The Apprentice Saint, Nina.
If anyone could save us, it was her—the girl who wielded the Light Magic of the Goddess.
With that hope in mind, I began to run toward the Church.
This chapter followed the perspective of the adventurer Franz.
It offers a glimpse of the Troll-infested Tower City—a situation Alraune is currently unaware of.
Next time: Migrant Adventurer's Tower City Disturbance Chronicle – Part Two.