The Dryad who rules the western forest, Lady Dryad’s older sister, is one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King’s army.
I never imagined a Dryad could fall to darkness like that.


And not only that, it turns out she had been manipulating things from the shadows this whole time, controlling both the giant eagle monster Begia Adler and Garuda Hræsvelgr of the Radiant Crown, another one of the Four Heavenly Kings.


In the end, the mastermind behind everything was Lady Dryad’s older sister, who dwells in the western forest.



On top of that, those blue flowers she uses apparently have the ability to control their host.


That reminds me of something.
I’ve seen that same kind of flower before, in the western forest.

It was when Kiri, who is currently plucking feathers, was eaten by a frog monster. Inside that frog monster’s mouth, the same blue flower had been growing.


Which means… the frog monster, the giant eagle, and even Garuda Hræsvelgr himself were all being controlled by that fallen Dryad.

I can at least understand it when it comes to monsters, but the fact that she was turning even a fellow member of the Four Heavenly Kings into a puppet is a bit disturbing.
A parasitic flower capable of stripping even one of the Four Heavenly Kings of their will is both malicious and exceptionally powerful.


Then, something changed with the parasitic blue flower.


“Ah…”


The flower I had pulled from the Heavenly King withered away in an instant.
It seems that once separated from its host, it quickly dies off.


Watching this, Lady Dryad murmured with a troubled expression.


“The fairy Oin you defeated earlier was my sister’s only fairy. If only we could have questioned Oin, we might have learned more. I never imagined she would’ve turned into a troll-like monster.”

“Lady Dryad… do you know anything about… the Seed of Evolution?”

“I do not. However, that seed was likely developed by my sister. She was always skilled in research and cultivation.”


When the poison fairy swallowed that so-called “Seed of Evolution” seed she received from her master, she turned into a grotesque troll.

That master must have been the fallen Dryad.
Letting her own fairy carry something as grotesque as that seed… there’s no way she has good tastes.


“Regardless, you not only dealt with the traitorous fairy, but also repelled one of the Demon King’s Four Heavenly Kings. Your accomplishments cannot be praised enough.”


It’s true. I never expected I’d end up defeating one of the Four Heavenly Kings.
The poison fairy must have been able to summon him as reinforcements because the fallen Dryad was controlling him with that blue flower.


But when I think about it more carefully, something feels strange.

Garuda Hræsvelgr of the Radiant Crown, one of the Four Heavenly Kings.
His light magic was powerful, and he was a formidable opponent.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he was the second-strongest enemy I’ve faced since becoming an Alraune.



That’s right, second. The undisputed number one is Fire Dragon-sama.
Honestly, even if all the Four Heavenly Kings fought him together, I can’t picture them ever defeating Fire Dragon-sama.


And that’s not all.
Back when I was still a saint, I fought alongside the Hero and helped defeat one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King’s Army.

Compared to that one, Garuda Hræsvelgr felt noticeably lacking.


Even factoring in that light magic doesn’t work on me, he still felt weaker than the Heavenly King I fought before.
Was that stalker really one of the Four Heavenly Kings?
Well, there’s probably a gap in strength even among them. Maybe Garuda Hræsvelgr of the Radiant Crown just happened to be the weakest of the group.



I took a closer look at the withered blue flower.


This flower… it looks familiar.


I remember seeing it in a plant encyclopedia back when I was a high school girl.
If I’m not mistaken, it was a forget-me-not.


Of course, it doesn’t have the ability to control people.
It’s just an ordinary flower.


Which means this forget-me-not must be a unique variety created by the fallen Dryad through selective breeding.


When the poison fairy Oin tried to wither me again, she said, “Lady Fea will surely be pleased.”

So the fallen Dryad, one of the Four Heavenly Kings and the spirit of the western forest, is probably named Fea.


Lady Dryad, the younger sister, spoke with a look of hesitation, as if the words were heavy on her tongue.


“My sister went so far as to control one of the Four Heavenly Kings in order to target both my life and the Hero’s Helmet. Even after fifty years, she has not given up. She will surely come for the sanctuary again.”


Wait, does that mean this place is going to be attacked again, Lady Dryad?


“I am counting on you as the forest’s guard, Alraune.”


W-What should I do…
I might have taken on a very troublesome job.


A Dryad who’s one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King’s army… who once killed the Hero fifty years ago… and who can even control other Heavenly Kings.

There’s no way she isn’t incredibly dangerous.
She’s got to be on a completely different level compared to Garuda Hræsvelgr of the Radiant Crown, who was getting his feathers plucked by the fairy Kiri over there.


Though, compared to Fire Dragon-sama, this is pretty manageable.


Well, I suppose it’s not all bad news.


Sure, the idea of another Heavenly King attacking isn’t exactly comforting.
But on the flip side, if I can just get rid of that fallen Dryad, the forest will return to being a safe haven.

In other words, my peaceful plant life will finally begin!


If that’s the case, then I should just go defeat that evil spirit as soon as possible.
Including my time as a saint, I’ve already defeated two of the Four Heavenly Kings. I’m sure I can manage a third.

If it happened twice, it’ll happen again, right?


But for that, I need to understand my enemy.

“Lady Dryad… there’s… something I’d like… to ask.”

I asked her to tell me about what happened fifty years ago.
Why was the Hero of that time killed?
Did the Dryad of the western forest really possess enough power to kill someone like the Hero?

Those questions have been bothering me.


“Very well. Though, I must admit, I do not know all the details. At the time, I remained secluded within the sanctuary and left the management of the forest entirely to my sister.”


So Lady Dryad used to be a shut-in spirit.
Which means the spirit of the western forest back then must have been a kind older sister, caring for her younger sister.

And yet she turned evil, killed the Hero, and joined the Demon King’s army.
What in the world could have happened?



“The truth is… my sister and the Hero were in a romantic relationship.”

“……………Eh?”

“They loved one another. Enough that my sister was willing to abandon this forest for his sake.”

“What!?”


That revelation completely caught me off guard.
I can’t believe it. A Hero and a spirit… a cross-species romance?


“My sister had hair like blue vines. So, believing it would suit her, the Hero presented her with a blue flower when he proposed.”

“A-and then?”


What should I do…
A romance between different species…
I can’t help but be a little curious now.


“My sister accepted the Hero, and the two of them decided to leave the forest.”


No way—!
A forbidden romance between a Hero and a spirit.
And it actually worked out?!


“However, after my sister accepted the blue flower, something seemed to have happened. After that, she began to resent me, and for some reason, she parted ways with the Hero.”


──Parted ways?
Wait… then that grave in the sanctuary…


“And then… my sister killed the Hero. In his hand, instead of the Holy Sword, he held a blue forget-me-not.”


With a sorrowful expression, Lady Dryad told me everything.

Her own sister killed the Hero.
Lady Dryad seems to feel terribly sorry about it, regretting that she wasn’t able to stop it.

That must be why, when I asked about the Hero’s grave in the sanctuary, she hesitated and struggled to find the words.


The Hero’s Helmet, belonging to the one who was killed, was left behind in the sanctuary.
Meanwhile, the sister who killed him joined the Demon King’s army.
Having come to hate humans, the fallen Dryad began using forget-me-nots to control others.

And she eventually rose to become one of the Four Heavenly Kings.



I’ve made up my mind.

The true enemy corrupting this forest… it’s the other Dryad in the western forest.


This forest is where I live.
It’s my home.

And anyone who threatens it is my enemy.


So I’ve decided.
I’m going to defeat the fallen Dryad.


Since I’m already here, I should strike before she does.
The battle has already begun, after all.


Operation: surprise attack on the western forest—commence!



──Wait.

Calm down, me.


Right… what am I supposed to do?
I just came up with the plan, but I already realize it’s completely impossible.


Because to defeat the fallen Dryad, I’d have to launch a surprise attack on the western forest.
But… I’m a plant.

My roots are stuck in the ground. I can’t move even a single step from here.


Operation: surprise attack—failed!


Alright, change of plans.
She probably won’t make a move right away either.
In that case, maybe it’s fine to just take it easy for now.


So, I’ll switch to a new strategy of relaxing in the forest and thinking things over at my own pace while photosynthesizing.


I’ve always been a passive little flower.
Until the enemy comes to me, I’m going to enjoy this brief peace!

***

Author’s Note:

Thank you for reading.

Next Time: The Lilies Bloom