The following is from the perspective of the former Newbie Apprentice Saint, now officially Newbie Saint Nina.
My name is Nina.
I’m a newly minted Saint who found herself part of a party tasked with subjugating the Four Heavenly Kings—specifically, the one living in the forest where the Crimson Flower Princess Alraune resides.
Except, you see, that Alraune who’s been branded one of the Four Heavenly Kings seems to actually be the great Saint Iris herself...
I have no idea why Lady Iris is being called one of the Demon King’s Army’s Four Heavenly Kings, but I’m certain she’ll explain everything once we meet. Right, Lady Iris?
It took dozens of days of travel after leaving the Royal Capital. Our party decided to take a rest in a small town before storming Alraune's Forest, which had reportedly transformed into a dungeon.
Then, on the morning of a particular day, a white bird flew through the window of my room at the inn and chirped:
"I didn't think you'd be in this town. I'm so impressive for finding you. I'm glad we could meet."
The bird... spoke?!
No, this bird was no ordinary avian. I had heard the stories from Lady Iris, so there was no mistaking her identity.
"I-I can't believe it. Could you be...?"
"You know who I am, don't you, Apprentice Saint Big Sister?"
"...I'm actually not an apprentice anymore."
The bird was the transformed state of Rufe, the witch who lived with Lady Iris. I had still been an apprentice back when I first met her, but quite a lot had happened since then.
Mind you, quite a lot had happened to Lady Iris as well. Since I had the chance, I thought I would ask Rufe why Lady Iris had supposedly joined the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King's Army.
But just as I opened my mouth to speak, a knock sounded at my door.
This was bad. If anyone caught a Saint conversing with a witch, it would be my undoing. And yet, before I could even shout "Please wait a moment," Lord Wolfgang pushed the door open and stepped inside.
"I heard voices. Are you alone, Saint of the Yellow Wings? Where is Anna?"
"I... I am alone. A-Anna... she just jumped out the window. That must have been the sound you heard from the hallway."
My heart was pounding so hard I thought it might burst through my ribs. Since Rufe was still in her bird form, she was unlikely to be outed as a witch as long as she didn't speak the human tongue. Still, the fact remained that I, an official Saint, had been caught in a secret meeting with a witch. Because I knew I was doing something forbidden, my face flushed bright red from the sheer nerves.
To maintain an air of normalcy, I decided to shift the topic to Lord Wolfgang.
"So, Lord Wolfgang, what brings you here so early in the morning?"
"There's something I wanted to ask. It's about the rumor that the Crimson Flower Princess Alraune resembles Iris..."
It was true; the Crimson Flower Princess Alraune shared the exact same face as Lady Iris. That noble, beautiful countenance. And that sweet scent of Saint Nectar that wafted through the air just by being near her!
Ah, just the thought was enough to make my heart race. I couldn't take it anymore. I needed to have some Saint Nectar, and I needed it now!
Lord Wolfgang looked concerned by my trembling, so I told him, "My heart palpitations won't subside. I'm terribly sorry, but would it be alright if I lay down for a while?" and hurried him out of the room.
Finally, I was alone with Rufe again.
I-It’s not like I did that just because I wanted to drink Saint Nectar, okay? This was all part of the plan!
I indulged in a moment of pure bliss as I drained my supply of Saint Nectar. Ah, it was as sweet and delicious as ever.
"...Big Sister, is it safe to talk now?"
"O-Of course...!"
Facing the white bird, I resumed my discussion with Rufe. I explained that I had come here as a member of the Four Heavenly Kings Subjugation Party and gave her the details on our numbers and composition.
In exchange, however, I wasn't able to get much useful information from Rufe.
As it turned out, despite being the target of the rumors, Lady Iris didn't even know she’d been appointed as one of the Four Heavenly Kings. Rufe seemed just as confused by the whole topic.
In other words, the report about her being a member of the Four Heavenly Kings was entirely false.
I hadn't believed it for a second to begin with, so I was relieved to have my suspicions confirmed, but a lingering anxiety remained. I didn't think for a moment that the nobles of the Royal Capital would believe the testimony of a witch like Rufe or a monster like the Alraune Lady Iris had become.
The same applied to the members of this party. Everyone firmly believed that monsters were evil beings that existed only to be destroyed.
I had thought the same thing until I reunited with Lady Iris and we reached an understanding. The fact that I had lost my head and attacked Lady Iris after she’d become a plant monster was a nostalgic—if embarrassing—memory now. Because of that experience, I knew firsthand that people couldn't change their deep-seated beliefs easily.
I asked Rufe to deliver a message to Lady Iris: tell her to be on guard because intruders were entering the forest. Rufe agreed and flew out the window.
Please make sure the message gets to her, I prayed.
Despite my hopes, I was met with a shock the very next day. One of my companions, the mercenary Diesel, was holding a very familiar white bird.
"This here's my pet," Diesel said with a smirk, showing me the white bird trapped inside a cage.
No, no matter how I looked at it, that was Rufe...
Wait a minute. Why was Rufe caught?
She appeared to be asleep, or perhaps unconscious. I wondered what on earth had happened to her after she left my room. I wanted to find an opening to let her escape, but Diesel's pet cat, Aie, was constantly watching the birdcage, making it impossible. I wondered if there was some sort of animal kinship between them, both being white.
My confusion only deepened from there. To my surprise, our leader, Lord Wolfgang, and the magic sword user Anna had apparently encountered an Alraune in the forest while scouting.
"That was definitely the Crimson Flower Princess Alraune. However, it was smaller than the reports suggested, and it acted as if it were hiding something..."
Lord Wolfgang rubbed his chin, muttering quietly, "Why did its face look so similar...?"
It seemed even Lord Wolfgang, Lady Iris's cousin, had noticed that the Crimson Flower Princess shared her face.
Still, this was an opportunity. Let's just pretend the Four Heavenly King has been defeated and head back to the Royal Capital. Then, I could sneak back to the forest alone later and get the full story from Lady Iris.
I raised my voice so everyone could hear and pointed toward the direction of the capital.
"With this, the subjugation of the Four Heavenly King is complete! Come, everyone, let us return to the Royal Capital!"
"Nina, wait a moment."
The one who dampened my spirits just as I was about to busily prepare for our departure was Lord Hoffmann of the Knight Order of Tower City.
"That Alraune was merely a small avatar. The main body, the root of all this evil, must be lurking deeper in the forest!"
I really didn't like this man. He insulted Lady Iris at every turn, and I had zero respect for him. Unfortunately, thanks to Lord Hoffmann's insistence, the party reached a consensus that we hadn't actually finished the job yet.
We wouldn't be returning to the capital. We were heading deeper into the forest.
I had desperately wanted to stick to the narrative that the Alraune was dead so I wouldn't have to lead the party to Lady Iris, but with a Knight Commander who knew the specifics of the events in Tower City present, things weren't going to be that simple.
Honestly, why did the Knight Commander even come to the Royal Capital by himself? If he had just stayed in his city, none of this would be happening.
However, thanks to his knowledge of the local geography, we were able to advance without running into any monsters. We took a detour back to the road leading to Tower City to avoid the most dangerous parts of the woods. The soldiers who usually blocked the road were nowhere to be found this deep in.
The plan was to follow the safe path until we were near Tower City and then re-enter the forest near the area where the Crimson Flower Princess was rumored to live.
After a while, the familiar sight of Tower City appeared on a hill in the distance.
"Wait, was there always a tower like that...?"
It might have been my imagination because of the distance, but I felt like a new tower had been built without my knowing. And unlike the previous one, this one looked like it was made of wood. I had a sinking feeling that Lady Iris was involved in that, too...
"We enter the forest here. Stay sharp," Lord Wolfgang commanded.
At his signal, we stepped back into the dense trees. I prayed we could make it through without running into anyone...
My wish was immediately ignored. I spotted bee-type and butterfly-type monsters fluttering through the air. Those were Lady Iris's friends! I remembered them clearly because they had assisted us during the battle with Vergissmeinnicht, the Dryades of the Demon King's Army.
If you stay here, my friends are going to hunt you! Please, fly away before they attack!
Perhaps my prayer reached them, because before Lord Wolfgang or the others could draw their weapons, the insects vanished into the thickets. I was relieved; I really didn't want to fight Lady Iris's companions.
But in their place, a strange sound began to approach.
"What is that...?" Lord Wolfgang asked, scanning our surroundings.
It sounded as if someone were sprinting toward us at full speed. A mysterious enemy was charging through the woods. My companions readied their weapons, bracing themselves for whatever was coming.
"Something's close!"
The trees began to rustle violently. Even though there was no wind, the branches in the distance were swaying wildly.
No, that wasn't right. Those weren't forest trees. There was no way something running that fast was just a normal tree.
"There's a weird tree... and it's running right at us!" Anna, the magic sword user, cried out in bewilderment.
No, that wasn't right either. That wasn't just some "weird tree." That withered tree sprinting with such perfect form was, without a doubt, my acquaintance—the Treant.
Suddenly, while still at a full gallop, the Treant waved a branch in my direction.
—Sway, sway.
Oh, no. Stop it! I was happy that he remembered me and wanted to say hello, but this was the worst possible time! If my party saw a Saint being greeted by a Treant, they'd realize I was in league with the Crimson Flower Princess!
"It's a Treant! And it's trying to attack!"
N-No, Lord Wolfgang! That’s not an attack, he’s just waving hello!
It was a relief that he didn't realize the monster was greeting me, but he was completely wrong about it being a threat! And Treant-san, you need to read the room! Stop running! If you charge at people with that much momentum, of course they’re going to be terrified!
Despite my desperate inner pleas, the two forces were about to collide head-on in the forest.
Thank you for waiting for this update. Truthfully, I am still feeling quite unwell, so updates might be a bit slow for a while. I hope you can bear with me. m( )m
Also, since Nina has officially been promoted from an apprentice to a Saint, I’ve slightly adjusted the subtitle.
Next time: Newbie Saint's Forest Dungeon Conquest - Middle Part.