I’m Alraune, a plant monster girl whose job is making nectar.
And this is the little witch who sells nectar.


Every morning, the little witch leaves my side like a husband heading off to work.


“Be… careful.”

“I haven’t gotten my send-off nectar yet.”

“I suppose… it can’t be helped.”


Lately, for some reason, she refuses to leave unless I give her “send-off” nectar.
It feels like having a little sister who clings to her older sister for attention. And honestly, it makes me oddly happy.
If it’s for the little witch, I’ll give her nectar as many times as she wants!



But that’s not my only job.
As the one entrusted with this home, it’s my duty to keep our living space clean.
That means I have to sweep away the filth—namely, those adulterers… I mean, adventurers—by throwing them out of the forest.
Alright then, it’s time to start cleaning!



Day one.

Compared to yesterday, the numbers today were dramatically higher.

On this day alone, eight parties of adventurers showed up.
And the little witch? She sold to over twenty people.
Normally, once she heads out in the morning, she doesn’t come back until evening. But today she returned in the afternoon to restock.
So that’s basically two rounds worth of sales.

Amazing, little witch!
You’re working so hard!



Day two.

Fifteen groups of adventurers came today. It feels like the number of visitors keeps increasing day by day.
but it’s not just the adventurers who are increasing.
The little witch sold to over forty people.
That’s four barrels’ worth. What in the world is happening in town?



Day three.

At last, adventurers who seemed to be of a higher rank started coming to see me.


“So this is the Alraune that steals weapons…”

“Don’t let your guard down. Most of the town’s adventurers have already been defeated by her.”

“She may be beautiful, but I’d rather not end up inside a carnivorous flower’s stomach.”


Among all the humans I’ve fought since becoming an Alraune, these ones are definitely on the stronger side. But compared to a Raub bear or that golden birdman Heavenly King, they’re still weak.


In the end, the adventurers fell one after another. As they lay on the ground, I could hear some of them muttering.


“So this is the difference in rank for a named monster…”

“At this point, the only ones in this town who might stand a chance are the Dragonwater Crystals…”


──Wait a second.

Did they just call me a named monster!?


That means I’ve been listed on the Adventurer’s Guild’s wanted board as a dangerous monster, right?

I see, so that’s why so many adventurers keep coming after me!
I wonder if there’s even a bounty on me.
What do I do…?
I used to be a saint, but now I’m a wanted monster?


That’s kind of embarrassing…

I’m really not that scary of a monster.
I’d like to move somewhere quieter so I can live in peace, but that’s not exactly an option.

Because, well… I’m a plant.


Just realizing this, but since plant monsters can’t move, once humans find me, doesn’t that mean I’ll never get a moment of peace again?


Ugh… no way……


Plant monsters really have it rough………


What should I do to keep humans from coming near me?
All the adventurers who’ve attacked me so far, I’ve just put them to sleep and had them carried outside the forest.
Since their lives were never in danger, maybe that’s why more and more people keep showing up, thinking their lives are guaranteed.

If that’s the case, then perhaps if they thought I was a terrifying monster that actually eats humans, they’d stop coming.
But… I don’t want to eat people. And I don’t want to kill them either.

Seriously… what am I supposed to do?



In the end, five groups of adventurers came today.
There aren’t any rookies showing up anymore, so the number’s gone down a bit.
But now I’ve got a mountain of adventurers’ weapons and belongings piling up around me.


What do I do with all these lost items?
Honestly, I’d like to keep them to help with my daily life, but that would make me a thief, wouldn’t it?
Even though I’ve become a plant monster, my conscience as a former saint won’t let me take what belongs to someone else.

Besides, there might be a chance in the future for me to get along with humans.
If that happens, it’s probably better to leave everything as it is.



As I was sitting there, deep in thought, the little witch came back with a beaming smile on her face.


“Hey, listen! I sold nectar to eighty people today! Isn’t that amazing!?”


She was carrying a whole bunch of ingredients, along with a large pot.

Seems like she finally bought the pot she’s always wanted.
With eight barrels’ worth of nectar sold today, she must have made quite a profit.
But it also means she spent the whole day going back and forth between the forest and the town. She was visibly exhausted.


“Tonight’s going to be a feast!”


The little witch looks so happy.
Yes… compared to that smile, humans really don’t matter.


I have her, after all.

Even if more adventurers come, I can just deal with them and send them away.
As long as I can live happily like this with the little witch, I don’t need anything else.
I can pat her with my vines, praising her, and we can eat dinner together.
That alone is enough for me.


With clumsy, unpracticed hands, the little witch chopped vegetables with a knife.
She tosses the chopped pieces into the pot, letting them simmer.
She looks like she’s having fun, happy just being able to cook.


Watching my little sister do her best, I quietly smiled.

Ah… I wish moments like this could last forever.


Right now, I’m truly happy.




After that, three peaceful days passed.

All those adventurers who had been swarming before stopped coming entirely. It was as if they were never there.

So they’ve finally decided to leave me alone.
After all, there’s no reason for adventurers to come all the way into the forest just to pick flowers from an Alraune like me.
Please, just forget about me.


While the little witch was in the town selling nectar, I had tea parties with my friends, the bees, Lady Butterfly, and her entourage of butterflies.

I treated everyone from the Forest Club with my nectar.
In return, the bees brought me venison as a gift. It was delicious!


Meanwhile, the little witch’s nectar sales have now exceeded a hundred people a day.
That’s ten barrels’ worth.


It’s been such a huge success that even the bucket we used as a lunch container is now being used to carry nectar.
Because of that, she had to buy a new lunch container, so she ended up buying a secondhand bag to use for her lunch instead.

The little witch looked thrilled to finally have her own proper belongings.
Up until now, all she had was that bucket.
At last, the little witch is finally starting to get properly equipped like a human would.



Thinking back on it, these past three days might have been the happiest I’ve been since I became an Alraune.

Days filled with tea parties with my friends.
My little junior, the Treant, would bring me gifts of plants, and Kiri would keep me company when I had free time.


And in the evenings, I’d cook vegetable dishes together with the little witch.
I’ve even gotten used to starting a fire now.
The meals themselves are simple, just cutting vegetables with a knife and tossing them into a pot, but cooking a vegetable stew together while chatting and laughing with her was so much fun.



The season is already summer.
It’s been a whole year since I first met the little witch, back when she was still in the form of that white bird.
I’ve been able to spend such unbelievably happy days, ones I never could have imagined a year ago.


But, that peaceful life of mine collapsed suddenly on the fourth day.



That day too, after licking her “send-off” nectar, the little witch cheerfully headed to Tower City to sell nectar.

It happened while I was going through the plants my little junior had brought back as gifts.


This one’s a morning glory—chomp.

This one might be oxalis—chomp.

Just as I was wondering what the next plant might be, humans showed up again.


But something was completely different this time.
Before, even when adventurers came in parties, there were only around five at most.


But now… I could hear so many footsteps I couldn’t even count them.
The metallic scraping of armor and weapons.
And the voices of many, many people.


That’s right.


A group of over twenty humans had appeared before me.


They all had their weapons raised, clearly ready for battle.
No matter how I looked at it, the atmosphere wasn’t exactly peaceful.


I shifted my gaze to observe the visitors.

About ten people who looked like adventurers, and around ten knights clad in steel armor.
And among them, a single woman dressed completely differently from the rest.


A pure white outfit adorned with golden embroidery representing the Goddess of Light.


──How nostalgic.


There was a time when I wore something just like that, back when I was a saint apprentice.

As a former saint, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of familiarity toward her.


Because among this group of humans, there stood a single saint apprentice.

***

Author’s Note:

Even though the barrels filled with nectar are heavy, the little witch uses levitation magic to float them as she carries them. That’s how, even with her small body, the little witch can make multiple trips between the forest and the town while hauling heavy barrels.

Next Time: Letter; The Named Monster Hunt of an Adventurer Working Far From Home (Part One)