Fairy Kiri’s Point of View.
My name was Kiri.
At the time, I was traveling with the Alraune, but don't let that fool you—I was actually a very important fairy! As a proud protector of the woods, I had spent my life guarding the Dryades' Forest.
Yet, for some reason, I found myself in a human city.
And it wasn't even the Tower City, which sat comfortably under the protection of the Dryades. No, this was a distant place called Edelweiss. I was currently wandering its streets alongside Trent.
"Why do I have to go through this? If it weren't for Alraune-sama, I wouldn't have set foot in a place like this if you paid me!"
After all, I was a flower fairy born and bred in the woods. Oh, how I missed them. The Mother Forest was my only true home!
That was why I didn't care much for human settlements. These artificial, man-made stone cities were utterly dull. They were like forests made of rock; no matter where I looked, I couldn't find a moment's peace.
Technically, some plants did grow in the city, but every one of them looked miserable and cramped. It was just one more reason to dislike human cities. Honestly, if the whole place just turned into a forest, those poor things would finally be able to grow freely.
"I mean, where did Alraune-sama even go?!"
Alraune, who had been with us just a moment ago, had hopped into a human carriage and vanished. If I recalled correctly, it was a vehicle belonging to some human business called the Pilz Trading Company.
Alraune had been fixated on reaching the Duke’s Mansion for some reason. If that merchant's carriage was headed there, she would likely reach her destination safely. That was all well and good, but it left us with a problem!
"Kiri, go back to the inn with Trent! I will go alone from here!"
That was what Alraune had commanded, but things had quickly become complicated.
"Where on earth are we?!"
Since it was my first time in the city, I had absolutely no sense of direction. We had moved exactly as Alraune told us, and now I had no idea where we had started.
"Hey, Trent. Do you know where the inn is?"
"…………"
"Wait, you do?!"
"…………!"
"Come to think of it, you always went off to find rare plants for Alraune-sama and managed to find your way back without getting lost every single time."
Trent was surprisingly capable. There were very few things she couldn't handle.
"Alright then, Trent. Target: the inn. Move out!"
"…………!"
I touched down on the head of Trent, who was still wearing her human clothes. I figured I could just leave the rest to her and we’d be back at the inn in no time. That was the plan, anyway—until the nearby humans started shouting.
"Hey, look! That kid’s head just flew off!"
Until a moment ago, Alraune had been perched on top of Trent. The two of them had been using mimicry to pose as a human child, but since Alraune—the "head" of the operation—had departed, our disguise had been blown. It seemed people had witnessed her boarding the carriage, and a commotion was quickly spreading.
"Oh, great. It looks like we’ve been spotted."
"…………!?"
"Don't panic. For now, Trent... run!"
"…………!"
Trent took off, weaving through the crowd. With her leg strength, which was easily a match for any horse, slipping through a human encirclement was child's play.
"Hey, it's getting away!"
"What was that thing?"
"I thought it looked weird for a human, but..."
"Wasn't that a little winged person with it? Looked like a fairy to me."
"And that thing running... it looked a lot like a Treant in a suit."
"Nah, you’re seeing things. There's no way a fairy or a Treant would just wander into Edelweiss."
"But if monsters really have infiltrated the city, that’s a serious problem..."
"Better report it to the Knight Order, just in case."
I could hear their voices fading behind us, but I didn't care. To us, this city was just a stop on the way to the Royal Capital. We weren't staying long, so a little trouble wouldn't hurt anyone.
Or so I thought. As it turned out, navigating the City of Edelweiss with just the two of us was a nightmare. There were just too many people!
The main thoroughfares were so crowded we couldn't walk them, forcing us into the back alleys. Because of that, we weren't getting any closer to the inn. To make matters worse, the city’s Knight Order had started chasing us. By the time we finished dodging them, we were completely lost.
"Hey, Trent. Didn't we pass this spot already?"
"………………"
"I see. So we really are lost."
I was starting to feel nostalgic for the Tower City. I used to sneak in there to play all the time, so I never had trouble finding my way around.
As Trent and I paused to catch our breath in a narrow alley, it became clear that we wouldn't be getting a rest.
"Found them! The fairy and the Treant!"
"I thought the report was a joke, but I'll be damned. They’re real."
"Where did they even come from?"
"Capture the fairy alive. As for the Treant, if it resists, feel free to take it down."
Oh, this was bad. We were surrounded by the Knight Order!
"W-What now, Trent?! Do we fight our way out?"
"…………!"
No matter how tough human knights were, Trent was no pushover. She wouldn't lose a one-on-one fight, but being cornered like this was a different story.
Trent and the knights squared off, tension thick in the air. But then, a chorus of screams erupted from the main street.
"Eek!"
"Look out! Run!"
"Sir Knight! Please, help!"
"The urn is on a rampage!!"
Something was happening on the main road. This was our chance. While the knights were distracted by the noise, Trent lunged forward, sprinting past them. She moved with a burst of speed no one would expect from a Treant, leaving the knights frozen in surprise.
"Stupid humans, they're no match for us!"
Having broken through the line, we dashed out onto the main street. However, the scene was bizarre. A tide of humans was sprinting in the opposite direction, fleeing from something.
"Those people were yelling about a rampaging urn. Is that what's causing this? Talk about lucky!"
"…………?"
"Take this chance to get back to the inn!"
"…………!!!!"
"What now? An urn is rampaging? Don't be ridic—oh."
It was true. An urn was definitely rampaging.
It looked like it had come from a bakery. The vessel was currently smashing the shop to pieces, and for some reason, it had arms and legs. I could feel the thrum of dark magic—it was likely a golem controlled by the Demon Race.
"Why is there a golem in Edelweiss? Wait... come to think of it!"
Before reaching the city, we had fought those bandits, but they had turned out to be golems made of clay. The urn wreaking havoc over there was probably just like them, controlled by the same golem user.
"We heard the Demon King’s Army was close, but they've already made it inside the city? How pathetic."
"…………!!!"
"What is it, Trent? People are being attacked? That has nothing to do with—"
The Urn Golem had emerged from the ruins of the bakery and was currently lunging at a man who looked like the shopkeeper. He was already covered in blood; if we left him, the golem would surely finish him off.
"…………!!!!"
"Wait, you want to help?! Ugh, fine! Have it your way!"
For a monster, Trent had a ridiculously overactive sense of justice. She slammed into the Urn Golem with her full weight. I wondered if she was picking up habits from Alraune, because for some reason, she had developed a taste for helping people.
The impact sent the Urn Golem flying. The human was lucky; without Trent, he would have been a goner. Since Trent couldn't talk, I decided to do the talking for her.
"Hey, human! You’d better be grateful to Trent!"
"A-A fairy?! And... is that a Treant? I thought the urn I just bought went crazy, but now what's... ow..."
"Yeah, you probably shouldn't move. You've got broken bones all over and you're losing a lot of blood. You're going to die at this rate."
"N-No..."
"It would be fine if we had some Saint Nectar, but we're fresh out. Human lives are short anyway—barely a hundred years—so you might as well give up."
"Ugh... so I'm going to die here? I just wanted... to see my daughter one last time..."
Even for a human, it was a bit sad. And looking at his face, I realized he looked strangely familiar...
"Never mind that! Where's Trent?!"
Trent was currently locked in a wrestling match with the golem. From a distance, it looked like a fight between a withered tree and a piece of pottery.
"Go for it, Trent!"
As I cheered her on, I heard voices approaching from behind. It was the knights from earlier, sprinting toward us at full speed. They were screaming at the top of their lungs.
"The trees are rampaging!"
They were talking about Trent again. She had just saved a human from a golem, and they were still calling her a monster? Humans really were heartless.
But then I realized something was off. The knights weren't looking at us. They were pointing at the tops of the buildings, their faces pale with terror.
"The trees are moving... the forest is closing in! Everyone, run!"
What were they talking about? A forest closing in? Unless it was Alraune's forest, that was impossible.
Curious, I looked up.
Giant Gajumaru trees were surging over the buildings, swallowing them whole. It was as if the forest itself were devouring the city. Faced with a cataclysm like that, it was no wonder the humans were panicking.
I didn't even have to guess who was behind it.
"Alraune-sama... you really did it!"