The following continues the story from the perspective of the former corporal turned migrant adventurer.
My name is Franz, and I was working as a migrant adventurer in Tower City.
After being attacked by Trolls at the Lord’s mansion, I had been running for my life through the streets with the Lord in tow. For some reason, the citizens had all been transformed into Trolls. If I were to tell my family back home what was happening before my very eyes, they would never believe me.
There was only one person I could think of who might be able to save us from this living nightmare: Lady Nina, the Apprentice Saint. Gifted with Light Magic from the Goddess Herself, she was our only hope for ending this tragedy. Betting everything on that slim possibility, the Lord and I made for the Church.
"Franz, look! The Trolls are gaining on us!" the Lord cried.
I glanced back to see a massive swarm of the monsters closing in. This was beyond terrifying. What had I ever done to deserve this? I sprinted through the city, leading the Lord as the number of pursuers grew. They were definitely targeting him.
"Franz, I’ve made up my mind!" the Lord panted, clutching his jiggling belly as he ran with all his might. "If I survive this, I’m going to start exercising so I can run faster!"
Now that the Knight Order—the very men meant to be his guards—had all turned into Trolls, I was his only protection. But I knew I couldn't fight them all alone. We had to reach the Church, and we had to do it now.
"You humans there, wait a moment."
A voice drifted down from above. I looked up and saw a white-haired woman hovering in the air on a broomstick. Once again, I found myself doubting my own eyes.
"I apologize for the intrusion while you are so clearly occupied," she said in a calm, collected tone, "but could you tell me where the Adventurer Guild is located?"
Who was this woman? How could anyone ask for directions so casually while the city was being overrun by Trolls? It defied all logic. Then again, the fact that she was flying on a broomstick meant she was already well beyond my comprehension. She was likely a Witch.
The Witch from the recent Witch Hunt was said to have pure white hair, but this woman had strands of gold mixed into hers. Perhaps she wasn't the one the Witch Hunt Squad had been after. Regardless, I had no idea why a Witch was here.
To be honest, my life had started spiraling out of control the moment I became a Corporal in the Witch Hunt Squad. I wanted nothing to do with Witches ever again, and I certainly didn't have the time for a leisurely chat. She was safe in the air, but we had a horde of Trolls at our heels!
Deciding not to overthink it, I simply pointed. "The Adventurer Guild is that way!"
"You have my thanks," the Witch replied.
I was stunned that I could actually hold a civilized conversation with a Witch, a supposed enemy of humanity.
"Honestly, that person is such a slave driver..." she muttered to herself before looking back at us. "Oh, and are those hideous creatures behind you your human friends?"
With that parting remark, she flew off toward the guild. At the same moment, the thundering footsteps of the Trolls reached us. They had caught up. The Lord and I broke into a desperate sprint for the Church.
Perhaps meeting the Witch had brought us a stroke of luck, as we didn't encounter any more Trolls in our path.
"Lord, I see it! The Church is just ahead!"
I kept moving, repelling the encroaching Trolls with Fire Magic until we finally reached the gates. I was certain we would be safe inside. If we could just link up with Lady Nina and barricade the doors, we could catch our breath. However, my naive hope that the Trolls wouldn't dare enter a holy place was shattered instantly.
A fresh swarm of Trolls came pouring out of the Church doors. The building had already been turned into a nest. With the Church Trolls in front and the pursuing army behind, we were completely cut off.
"We're trapped!" the Lord squeaked, cowering like a cornered rat. We were surrounded. It was checkmate.
Behind us loomed the symbol of the city: the Goddess’s Tower. It was said to be a replica of the original tower in the distant Holy Capital. Facing his impending death, the Lord looked up at the imitation tower and clasped his hands in prayer.
"O Goddess, please... save us!"
I scoffed internally. There was no way a prayer would save us now. If praying actually worked, my fellow soldiers wouldn't have been incinerated by a fire dragon during the Witch Hunt.
And yet, as if his plea had been heard, the Lord let out a confused cry. "What... What is that monster?"
He pointed at the sky, his finger trembling. A thunderous roar of splintering stone echoed through the air. I looked up just in time to see the Goddess’s Tower being swiped by a colossal vine. The symbol of our city was being demolished before our eyes.
I couldn't wrap my head around what was happening, but the debris falling from the sky was a much more immediate concern. In a stroke of miraculous luck, the top half of the tower crashed down directly between us and the Trolls. It formed a makeshift wall, blocking their path.
Still, they would climb over it eventually. I needed to do something to keep them back.
"Forgive me, Goddess, but I’m using this opportunity," I muttered, casting Fire Magic onto the fallen ruins.
The tower erupted in flames, and the Trolls began to back away from the heat. It looked like we had bought ourselves a little time. But then, a giant vine sprouted from above and performed the impossible: it reached down, gripped the burning tower, and carried it away toward the forest.
"What in the world was that...?"
As my eyes followed the vine toward the woods, I realized the forest had been completely transformed. The once-lush greenery was gone, replaced by a Great Tree so massive it seemed to pierce the heavens. Near it stood another monstrosity—a giant flower unlike anything I had ever seen.
The catastrophe wasn't just limited to the city; the forest was the epicenter.
Suddenly, a sweet fragrance tickled my nose. A rich, honey-like aroma began to drift through the air. I had smelled this twice before. It was the scent of the Alraune’s flower—the one that looked exactly like Saint Iris. But there was no Alraune in sight. Where was it coming from?
"I can taste it!" the Lord shouted. "The air tastes like Saint Nectar!"
He began inhaling deeply, huffing the air as if possessed. He was right; with every breath, a sweet, honeyed sensation filled my chest. It was as if microscopic droplets of Saint Nectar were suspended in the very air we breathed. I had no explanation for it, but after everything I had seen today, I had learned that reality was far stranger than fiction.
Then, the next miracle occurred. The Trolls surrounding us began to shrink, their bodies appearing to melt away. From within the heaps of distorted flesh, humans began to emerge. The people were being restored to their original forms.
"The Saint Nectar is repelling the Trolls!" the Lord exclaimed.
I was about to dismiss his nonsense when the term "Saint Nectar" gave me pause. I looked back toward the forest and saw a yellow, pollen-like mist being released from the giant flower. That burning red color... that unmistakable scent...
"Lord, we’re going to the forest!"
Whatever was happening to the city was tied to that Great Tree and the giant flower. If we went there, we might find answers.
"Wait, Franz! We can't just leave the city like this!"
"That scent belongs to the Alraune," I insisted. "She must have returned to the forest."
"In that case, I'm coming with you. There may still be Trolls lurking about, and the city will be safer if I draw them away toward the forest with us."
When we reached the outskirts of the woods, it was like walking into a hurricane. The rampaging Great Tree was hurling soil and timber through the air. The entire ecosystem had been ravaged; the ancient trees of the forest were withered and dead, their life force seemingly sucked dry by the celestial Great Tree.
Suddenly, the Lord collapsed. I rushed to his side, but then a strange, woody aroma I had never encountered before hit me. Was the tree emitting some kind of defense mechanism?
My head swam. I was losing consciousness. We were so close to the Great Tree and the giant flower... or perhaps it was because we had gotten so close that we were being attacked.
As my vision faded into black, the last thing I saw was the figure of Saint Iris, standing small as if blooming from within the heart of the crimson flower.
And that concludes the story from the adventurer Franz's perspective.
The scene now returns to the forest, moments before this chronicle ends.
Next time: Alraune vs. Dryades - Part 7.