We are still in the Little Witch’s POV.
My name is Rufe.
To return my body—which had been aged up by the Witch Queen’s magic—to its original state, I unleashed a massive spell upon the Demon King’s Army.
The forces gathering on the outskirts of Edelweiss were... well, there were too many to count. There were an incredible number of them, but from my vantage point in the sky, they looked like nothing more than tiny specks.
The large-scale spell, "Storm Disaster (Turbulenz)," tore into those demons.
As expected of a spell the Witch Queen had intended to use against Alraune, its destructive power was absolute. Lightning rained down from the massive cumulonimbus clouds, striking the demons on the ground in a synchronized barrage.
That wasn't all.
Countless tornadoes descended from the heavens, vacuuming the demons up into the air one after another. They were caught in a relentless pincer attack of lightning and wind, a localized apocalypse for the Demon King's Army.
"Am I... actually amazing?"
I had become capable of using such an extraordinary spell. With power of this scale, I might not even lose to Alraune.
"Oh... is that the Fire Spirit from before?"
Atop a hill stood a figure resembling a red demon in human form. However, he likely wasn't a demon at all, but a spirit.
"The Fire Spirit the Sphinx mentioned... If I recall, he was supposed to be a Legion Commander of some sort."
She had said he was as strong as the Four Heavenly Kings. If he was a spirit, that made sense. The fallen spirit, Big Sister Dryades, had also been quite formidable.
But the current me wasn't afraid of a spirit. I wanted to use him as a benchmark to see just how much I had grown.
"Blow them away...!"
I concentrated the lightning and tornadoes onto the Fire Spirit. Despite the onslaught, and even though the lightning was definitely hitting home, there was no sign of him falling. Instead, he soared up into the sky, wreathed in pillars of fire.
"The Fire Spirit is flying? Incredible. He can take to the air too."
"You... How dare you lay waste to my legion!"
The Fire Spirit closed the distance, stopping right in front of me. So, fire spirits can fly. Even the Forest Dryades couldn't do that.
"I wondered who was bold enough to attack my army, but who on earth are you... Y-You!?"
The Fire Spirit’s eyes widened as he looked at my face. Were we acquaintances?
"Do you know me?"
"You are Witch Queen Kirke!? Why is the Witch Queen in a place like this?"
"Ah, another of her acquaintances..."
I had forgotten for a moment that I looked exactly like the Witch Queen right now. I was still in my adult form, and I even had cat-ears. It was only natural that he’d mistake me for her.
Still, since I was already here, I thought I might as well try pretending to be her. It seemed like it might be fun!
"That’s right! I am Witch Queen Kirke. Well done, seeing through my disguise."
"As I thought! But I heard the Witch Queen had gone missing after being defeated by Crimson Flower Princess Alraune..."
"I was hiding in Edelweiss. So I wasn't missing."
"Is that so... If I report this to the Prime Minister, she will surely be pleased."
"The Prime Minister?"
The Prime Minister of the Demon King's Army? Wait, what was a Prime Minister again? A relative of the King?
"Who was the Prime Minister again?"
"What nonsense is this? D-Don't tell me... do you have amnesia!?"
"I have amnesia?"
"The rumors said Alraune beat you to a pulp, but was it such a fierce struggle that you lost your memories? Is that why your aura is so different from before...?"
The Fire Spirit seemed to have convinced himself of something, even though I was completely lost.
"If you have amnesia, then your assault on my legion makes sense. Now, Witch Queen Kirke, deactivate your magic."
"Um... no."
"W-Why!?"
"Because... I have to attack you guys. Sorry."
Even as we spoke, the demons on the ground were being scattered by the storm. Besides, if he was an acquaintance of the Witch Queen, that was even more reason to take him down.
"Have you lost your wits, Witch Queen!? Kh... I’ve always found you unpleasant, but I won’t tolerate this any longer. It seems witches and spirits are truly incompatible after all!"
"I suppose so."
But Alraune and I got along just fine. I really wish he wouldn't make assumptions just because I was a witch.
"Since you stand against the Demon King’s Army, I shall regard you as an enemy, even if you are the Witch Queen! Forgive me, but I’m taking you down!"
The Fire Spirit unleashed a massive Flame Ball at me. He must have been storing up fire inside his body during our conversation, because it was packed with an abnormal amount of magic power. If that hit me, I’d be charred to a crisp in an instant.
"Storm, protect me!"
I intercepted his attack with the tempest. The mountain-sized mass of fire collided with my "Storm Disaster (Turbulenz)." Fireballs burst in every direction, but then something strange happened.
"The flames... were they absorbed by my storm?"
I remembered then—this spell used fire to summon the storm. Even if an opponent used fire against me, it only served to increase the storm's power. Thanks to the spirit's contribution, "Storm Disaster (Turbulenz)" swelled to an even greater size.
"This spell seems to have a high affinity for fire."
"You absorbed my flames!?"
The Fire Spirit threw up his hands in shock. Before he could react further, he was swallowed by the massive tornado and vanished into the distance. The remnants of the Demon King’s Army followed, swept up and blown far away.
"As expected of the Witch Queen’s magic. It really is incredible."
Even a Legion Commander was blown away like a leaf in the wind. However, this spell hadn't been cast by the Witch Queen; it was mine. I hadn't just gained her appearance; I had gained her power too.
But I wasn't done yet.
There were still many enemies remaining, and I was still in this adult body. If the Demon King’s Army invaded Edelweiss, the city would be ruined. More importantly, I had to expend more magic to return to my original form.
"So, I’ll drop even more lightning!"
I rained bolts down from the clouds like spears. As the Witch Queen’s magic drained away, my body began to shrink. It was working.
"More!"
I dropped more lightning. As the demons were blown away, I grew shorter.
"More, more!"
I unleashed a barrage of strikes. My height dropped significantly.
"More, more, more!"
I called down enough lightning to crack the very earth. As the demons were blasted away along with the soil, my body finally returned to its original size.
"...I can't do any more. I'm exhausted."
I had never fired off spells in such rapid succession before. A wave of drowsiness washed over me.
"But... maybe it was worth it."
I looked up into the distant sky. I could see the tiny specks caught in the storm being carried far away until they vanished from sight.
"Everyone’s gone."
The vast majority of the demons had been cleared away by the storm. With their numbers thinned this much, hopefully they would give up on invading. Edelweiss had been kind to me, and it was also Saint Iris’s hometown. I didn't want the Demon King’s Army trampling over it.
Besides, I had successfully burned through the Witch Queen’s magic. I was satisfied.
"There are still a few demons left, but if I’ve reduced them this much, they’ll just go home, right?"
A few larger demons were scattered on the ground. They weren't moving, so it was probably fine. There was no sign of the Fire Spirit, either. I wanted to check where he’d ended up since he was a Legion Commander, but I was at my limit. I was just too tired.
To get home as quickly as possible, I flew toward the city at full speed.
"Yawn... I just want to wrap myself in Alraune’s vines and sleep..."
Thanks to all that magic, the lingering traces of the Witch Queen’s power were gone. My hands were small again, and my body was back to being a child’s. My time as an adult was over.
"I finally made it back to the city... Ah!"
The moment I relaxed, the fabric of my clothes slipped right off my body. Looking down, I saw the blue dress fluttering toward the ground. It caught the wind and disappeared somewhere into the streets below.
"...Eh?"
Because I had shrunk, the dress had fallen off! The adult-sized dress was far too large for my child form. Flying at full speed had only made it easier for the wind to strip it away.
And that meant...
"W-What should I do!?"
I was completely naked! Even my underwear was about to slip off if I didn't hold it in place. I had finally made it back, but if I landed like this, it would be a disaster. I didn't want any strangers seeing me this way!
I was just glad I was still high in the air.
"...That’s right! It’s only embarrassing because I’m human. I just need to stop being human!"
Alraune was always half-naked, but she never looked embarrassed. That was because she was a plant monster, not a human. If I wasn't in human form, being naked wouldn't matter.
"I'll just turn into a bird...!"
Transformation Magic!
My body distorted. My human limbs shrank and shifted until I had become a white bird. As a bird, clothes were irrelevant.
I'm so smart!
However, my problems weren't entirely solved. The borrowed dress was gone!
"I wonder where it went..."
I circled over Edelweiss, looking down. I couldn't spot the blue dress anywhere. I must have lost track of it while I was panicking about being naked.
"I really wanted to show Alraune Saint Iris’s dress..."
I had been looking forward to her reaction. But right now, losing a borrowed dress was the bigger crisis. I had to find it!
Still in my bird form, I glided over the city. After a while, I noticed a massive crowd gathered in the central plaza. The atmosphere was electric; people were cheering, and some were even weeping as they offered prayers.
Wondering what could have happened, I flew closer. Just then, I heard a resident scream:
"Lady Saint Iris has returned! The Saint has come back to Edelweiss!"
Wait, what? Saint Iris has returned?
Hold on a second. What on earth happened in the city while I was off fighting the Demon King’s Army!?
And so, that was the story from the perspective of the Little Witch, Rufe.
Next time: Saint Iris's Vestiges.