I was the Alraune, a plant monster girl.
Apparently, I had somehow become one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King’s Army without my knowledge. What was more, there was even documentary evidence of it.
It had to be a lie! I didn’t know the first thing about any of that!
Wait—the rumors said a Harpy from the Demon King’s Army had been distributing those flyers. Did that mean Parca? What in the world was she thinking?!
No, wait. I needed to stay calm. Parca wouldn't have propped me up as one of the Four Heavenly Kings on her own. There had to be a mastermind behind this. And who could that be? Naturally, it had to be Parca’s boss: the Prime Minister, that Sister Dragon.
I recalled Parca mentioning the other day that His Excellency the Prime Minister was planning something, and that her fellow Harpies were scattering papers throughout the Kingdom’s major cities. It was undoubtedly a conspiracy orchestrated by the Sister Dragon.
She was supposed to find me a nuisance, so why was she trying to promote me to the Four Heavenly Kings? Could she be trying to make amends? No, that was impossible. It was far more likely to be a targeted form of harassment.
Thanks to her, people were already showing up to subjugate me. I was in a real bind. The Flame Dragon Lord had tried to scout me for the position before and I’d turned him down, but I never imagined they would just forcibly appoint me. To top it off, the appointee herself had been kept entirely in the dark!
“She looks shocked that we’ve caught onto her identity as one of the Four Heavenly Kings! Leader, now’s our chance!”
The female swordsman accompanying Vol-nii lashed out at me again with wind and lightning. It wasn't enough to be a fatal wound, so I braced my body for the impact while my mind raced.
To summarize: Vol-nii and his party had come to exterminate me because I was supposedly one of the Four Heavenly Kings. In other words, they hadn't been ordered to hunt me because they knew Saint Iris was still alive as an Alraune. That, at least, was a relief.
That said, my childhood friend Vol-nii knew my face all too well. Even if he didn’t recognize the child-like face I wore now, he would surely realize the truth the moment he saw my fully-grown main body. It would be a disaster if they ventured any deeper into the woods.
I just wanted to live a quiet life in the forest with the Little Witch and the others. If Vol-nii discovered I was Iris, I might never be able to go back to the way things were. Vol-nii might keep my secret, but there was no guarantee this girl attacking me would be so tight-lipped.
Still, I decided to offer a warning just in case.
“If… you attack… any more… I won’t… hold… back… okay?”
“That’s what I’m counting on! I’m going to take you down and become famous, just like my grandpa!”
Apparently, the female swordsman had no intention of stopping. I didn't know who her grandfather was, but defeating me wouldn't make her famous. After all, I wasn't actually a member of the Four Heavenly Kings.
Even so, I felt like I had seen this girl somewhere before. She looked remarkably like someone I knew. I wondered who…
Regardless, I couldn't just let her keep attacking me. My leaves were already getting shredded by her wind blades. It was time for her to settle down. If I could get her to take a nap so I could speak with Vol-nii alone, the situation might change.
I aimed my Teppou-uri Machine Gun and fired Anesthetic Seeds at her. Her Magic Sword of Electric Shock and Wind Blades shouldn't have been able to deflect them.
The moment I fired, Vol-nii swung his sword.
Suddenly, with a thunderous roar, explosive flames engulfed the area. Every single Anesthetic Seed from the Teppou-uri Machine Gun was incinerated. Through the thick smoke, I could see the silhouettes of Vol-nii and the girl. My attack had been completely neutralized.
“It’s useless. A plant monster’s attacks won’t work on me.”
Vol-nii, a master of fire magic, had unlocked a high-level derivation called Explosive Flame Magic. For a plant monster whose primary weakness was fire, he was a natural predator. His overwhelming destructive power had been a comfort back when we were allies, but as an enemy, he was terrifying.
“You might look human, but you’re a monster at heart. I see your talk of negotiations was just another lie.”
What was I going to do? Vol-nii had fully committed to the idea that I was his enemy. At this rate, he was really going to hunt me down!
“Vol-nii, wait!”
“……Crimson Flower Princess Alraune, where did you learn that name?”
Vol-nii glared at me with sharp, suspicious eyes.
“Did you hear about me from Iris?”
I realized I’d accidentally let his name slip. No wonder he was suspicious; there was no reason a monster in the middle of a forest should know who he was.
“If you’ve met the Iris who defected to the Demon King’s Army, I suppose that explains it. And that face of yours…”
For some reason, Vol-nii lowered his voice so his companion couldn't hear. But that confirmed it—he had noticed the resemblance between my current face and my face as Iris.
Should I tell him the truth? No, the risk was far too great. I had to wait for a better opening.
“No intention of talking, then? Fine. If that’s how it has to be.”
Vol-nii leveled his sword at me again. He was so blinded by the preconception that I was a monster that he couldn't bridge the gap to the idea that I was Iris herself. Encouraged by the female swordsman’s cheers, he prepared to unleash a massive blast of Explosive Flame Magic.
If I fought him for real, neither of us would walk away unscathed. I could probably win, but that would only prove the lie that I was a general of the Demon King’s Army.
I paused to reconsider my goal. What did I actually want? I wanted to spend my Plant Life in peace!
To achieve that, it wasn't strictly necessary for Vol-nii to know who I was. In fact, if an old acquaintance found out I had become an Alraune, my peaceful life would be over. If rumors spread to the Royal Capital that the Saint was now a monster, I’d never have a moment's rest.
Worse yet, there was a chance Vol-nii was still in contact with the Hero or that Shitty Junior. Vol-nii and the Hero had been as close as brothers. Unlike the clueless Nina, he might have been fed the lie that I had betrayed the Kingdom.
If the report went back to the capital that the traitor Iris had survived by becoming a monster, my life would be finished. I’d never have peace again.
I had to protect my secret. That meant this had to be the last time I ever saw Vol-nii. He had come here to slay a member of the Four Heavenly Kings; I would just have to let him succeed so he could go home.
In other words: the Playing Dead Strategy!
This Young Girl Alraune form was just an avatar. These two didn't know that. If I allowed this body to burn, they would return to the Royal Capital satisfied that their mission was complete. I had no grudge against Vol-nii and no reason to fight him, so this was the best outcome for everyone.
To bait his finishing move, I lashed out with my briars. Vol-nii systematically sliced through them as he closed the distance. My briars alone weren't enough to make him go all out, so I created an opening by aiming my Teppou-uri Machine Gun at the girl.
Predictably, Vol-nii reacted instantly to protect his comrade. He unleashed his ultimate Explosive Flame Magic.
A massive explosion erupted before my eyes. The blast pulverized the surrounding trees, and my small frame was consumed by the roaring, hungry flames.
This was it. My final farewell to Vol-nii in this life. While searing the memory of my cousin’s heroic figure—the man who had just "defeated" his own cousin—into my mind, I activated Teleportation.
“Good… bye…”
My final words, whispered while engulfed in fire, likely never reached him. But that was for the best. I was a monster of the forest, and he was a warrior of the Kingdom. The worlds we lived in were now literally different.
I returned to my main body. Through the connection with my roots, I confirmed that the Avatar Alraune had been reduced to ash. To Vol-nii’s eyes, I was dead. No one in the capital knew I could manifest avatars, so they would surely leave the forest in peace now.
One crisis averted, but another remained.
Somehow, I’d become one of the Four Heavenly Kings. I didn't know the first thing about it! I had to gather information immediately.
When I’d visited Tower City recently, no one there had mentioned it. If the news had reached them, Lord Manfred would have told me immediately. That meant the rumors hadn't hit the human territories yet. If the humans didn't know, I’d have to ask the Demon King’s Army.
The fastest way was to ask Parca, but of course, she wasn't in the forest today. She was always stalking me when I didn't want her to, yet she was nowhere to be found when I actually needed her. But wait—there was someone else who might know about the army's inner workings. The Demon Maid!
But then I remembered—I still had to find the Little Witch!
Aaaaaah! What should I do?!
“Alraune-sama, is something wrong?”
A familiar voice called out from behind me. I turned around to find my junior, the Amazoness Treant, and Kiri the fairy. It seemed they had just finished their patrol.
“You look so worried. Is something bothering you?” Kiri asked, fluttering down onto my corolla. “If you’re troubled, just say the word! I am your fairy, after all!”
Amazoness Treant swayed her branches rhythmically, as if saying, Leave it to us!
That was right. I wasn't alone anymore. I wasn't that same girl who had spent her days crying in the dark of the woods. I had reliable friends now.
“I… have… a request… for both… of you.”
I explained that the Little Witch was missing and that intruders had entered the forest claiming I was one of the Four Heavenly Kings. My path forward was clear: search the neighboring town for the Little Witch and extract information from the Demon Maid.
Together, Kiri, Amazoness Treant, and I set out to face our problems head-on.
Next time: The Novice Apprentice Saint challenges the Forest Dungeon.