A blue dress came fluttering down from the sky.
Wait, this was my dress! Iris's dress!
I was currently an Alraune who happened to look and act exactly like Saint Iris, and now, my actual dress was descending upon me from the heavens. The sheer absurdity of the coincidence sent the crowd in the plaza into a complete frenzy.
Every eye was fixed on me, their intensity reaching a fever pitch.
"Lady Saint Iris's dress fell right to the Alraune... this can’t be a coincidence!"
"I knew it! Lady Iris's soul was being guided by the Alraune all along!"
"That dress must be a gift bestowed upon us by the late Lady Iris herself!"
"The Alraune is the resurrected form of Lady Saint Iris—she is the true successor to the Saint of Edelweiss!"
"A miracle... the miracle is right here before us!"
The roar of the crowd showed no sign of dying down. If anything, more and more people were dropping to their knees to pray as they looked at me.
I had been so close to finally convincing everyone that I wasn't Saint Iris, but after this, there was no hope. No matter how I explained it, I couldn't see a way to clear up the misunderstanding.
Though, to be honest, it wasn't exactly a misunderstanding—it was the truth. Still, it was a mess.
"But why did a dress fall from the sky?" I wondered, looking up at the heavens.
Only clouds floated above. Far off in the distance, well away from the city, the sky looked like it was being torn apart by a storm, but that was it. It truly felt as though the dress had fallen through the air with the sole purpose of hitting its target: me.
I was left speechless by the sheer impossibility of it all.
The crowd, however, was happy to continue their wild speculations without my input.
"The only person in Edelweiss permitted to wear a dress with iris embroidery was Lady Saint Iris herself!"
"And for that very dress to fall into that Alraune's hands..."
"It really is her!"
"There’s no way they’re unrelated now."
"Is that Alraune actually Lady Iris...?"
"I told you, I’m not!" I protested, but my voice fell on deaf ears.
Dammit. If that dress hadn't fallen from the sky, things wouldn't have spiraled this far. In the first place, why was my old clothing raining down on me? It made no sense!
As I glared resentfully at the sky, Alex, my former guard knight, leaned in and whispered to me.
"The people of this city truly loved Lady Saint Iris. They’ve been so lonely since her passing, and then someone like you appears... It’s only natural they would project her image onto you."
"They’re projecting... her vestiges... onto me!?"
"To put it simply, yes."
Did that mean they didn't actually think I was the real Saint Iris? But looking at this uproar, it seemed like quite a few of them were convinced.
Just then, a knight on horseback came galloping down the street.
"Clear the way! Emergency!" he shouted, pushing through the crowd toward us.
It looked like the trouble wasn't over. I had assumed that nothing could be more of an "emergency" than Urn Golems committing acts of terror or my Gajumaru tree accidentally entombing the entire city in foliage, but apparently, I was wrong.
The knight skidded to a halt in front of Alex and shouted frantically.
"Forgive me for remaining mounted, but I have an urgent report for Lord Alex!"
"A messenger? What happened?" Alex asked, looking up at the man.
The knight had come from the direction of the city gates. I leaned in, curious.
"We have spotted a massive enemy force in the distance! They are monstrous creatures flying black-winged flags. We believe it is the Demon King's Army!"
"The Demon King's Army!? I heard they were invading the western Kingdom of Gardenia, but have they reached Edelweiss already?"
Now that he mentioned it, I remembered the information I’d pried out of the Beast Ogre Mantiger. He’d said a portion of the Demon King’s Army was planning to strike Edelweiss. The Sphinx, Kusukusu, was supposed to be part of that unit too.
The attack on the Duke’s mansion and the chaos caused by the Urn Golems had all been part of a coordinated plan to destabilize the city before the main force arrived. Since the vanguard had finished their work, it was only logical for the army to show up now.
Alex questioned the messenger further. "And their numbers?"
"At least ten thousand."
"Ten thousand... that many?"
That was a lot. With my father, the Duke, away, Edelweiss’s military strength was at an all-time low. Facing ten thousand demons in this state would be a nightmare.
"But why hasn't the warning bell rung? What is the guard doing?"
"Well... mysterious plants have completely overgrown the bell tower. We couldn't ring the bell to signal the invasion."
Ah.
Oops. I... I felt a little bad about that.
"It took far too long to reach the plaza after confirming the enemy's presence. I’m heading straight to the Duke’s mansion now to report!"
"Understood. Good work," Alex said, and the knight spurred his horse onward.
So, while I had been busy playing hero and smashing golems, the Demon King's Army had been creeping up on us. My roots were spread throughout the area, but I had been so distracted by the noise in the city that I hadn't noticed them at all.
Wait, wasn't this a massive crisis?
The surrounding knights, having overheard the report, began to panic.
"Come to think of it, I saw something flashing in the distance earlier. Was that the army attacking?"
"I heard thunder, too."
"The wind has been getting strange, hasn't it?"
"That 'Angel' we saw flying toward the outskirts... maybe she was related to the Demon King's force?"
"But ten thousand... the city is still in shambles from the golems."
"We don't have the manpower to intercept an army that size!"
"How did they get so close without being seen?"
"The golems must have been a distraction to keep us from looking at the horizon."
"Wait, did the enemy make the city turn into a forest to distract the guards, too!?"
"Doesn't matter now! We have to do it! We'll protect the city with our lives!"
As expected of the brave knights of Edelweiss. Even facing ten thousand demons, they remained resolute. As the former daughter of the Duke, I felt a swell of pride.
And because of that pride, I knew I had to handle this. As the one who had once been Saint Iris.
Besides... I was the reason the city was a forest. I had gone a bit overboard trying to save everyone from the golems. I was definitely reflecting on my actions.
I had to make it right.
I looked around slowly and made my declaration.
"Please leave the Demon King's Army to me."
"B-But there are ten thousand of them!"
"The numbers do not matter. I will protect this city."
I’d done this once before, back when I was still human. I had returned to my hometown of Edelweiss for a visit, only for the Demon King's Army to launch a massive assault. They had wanted to break my spirit by destroying the place I loved.
An army of over ten thousand had besieged the walls, but I had used the Secret Technique of Light Magic to defend the city single-handedly. That event had made the Demon King's Army terrified of me, and Edelweiss had been left in peace ever since. With the Light Magic Barrier I’d erected, the city had flourished.
But that peace had only lasted as long as Saint Iris was alive. My barrier was gone now.
Fine then. I would beat them so badly they would never even dream of touching Edelweiss again.
"Alex... please, look after my dress."
"Are you truly going alone?"
"Of course. I’m leaving this place in your hands."
"...Understood. I shall pray for your victory!"
—Teleportation!
To intercept the army, I warped to the outskirts. I sprouted an Avatar Alraune in the middle of the highway leading to the city and transferred my consciousness into it.
I expected to open my eyes and see ten thousand demons ready for slaughter.
Instead, when I opened my eyelids, I found a scene of absolute devastation.
"...Eh? What happened here?"
The area looked as if a hurricane had just torn through it. Trees were snapped like twigs, and the earth was churned up as if it had been plowed by a giant.
Everywhere I looked, the ground was littered with broken weapons, torn flags, and fallen demons. But there weren't nearly enough of them. It was as if thousands had simply been blown away or vanished into thin air.
Not a single soul was left standing. They were either face-down in the dirt or dangling from broken branches. Many of the larger demons were scorched black, as if they’d been struck by multiple bolts of lightning.
I didn't know the details, but one thing was clear: the army that was supposed to destroy Edelweiss had already been annihilated.
"Seriously, what happened?"
As I stood there in a daze, something moved nearby. The ground began to heave and wiggle. Startled, I fixed my gaze on the shifting dirt.
"Something's coming out...!"
A hand burst through the soil. Then, a fire-clad humanoid dragged itself out of the earth like a mole.