I’m an Alraune, a plant monster girl.
And right now, I’m about to be surrounded by more than twenty humans carrying weapons.


The group was mostly made up of knights and adventurers, but there was one non-combatant girl among them holding a staff.

The familiarity of her pure white saint apprentice outfit brought me a rush of nostalgia.

What’s more, I felt like I’ve seen that saint apprentice girl somewhere before.


She looks to be the same age I was when I was a saint, maybe a little younger.
It’s been four years since I died as a saint.
Which means, if I were to make that girl four years younger, she’d probably look like someone I know—




“You! You’re the Alraune from the wanted poster!”


My thoughts about the saint apprentice were abruptly cut off by a deep, gruff male voice.


A large knight in armor stepped forward from the group of humans.

Judging from how the others addressed him as “Commander,” he must be the leader of the town’s knights.


“We have come to subjugate the wicked forest spirit. If you know where the Dryad is, you will tell us at once!”


They came to subjugate Lady Dryad?

So I wasn’t their target after all…
That’s a small relief.


“If I tell you… where she is… will you not attack me?”

“What kind of human would spare a monster? Of course we’ll kill you first, then head for the Dryad!”


Ugh… so much for feeling relieved.
Well, if they’re going after Lady Dryad, then as the forest’s guard, I have to do my job.


“We know everything! The Dryad of the eastern forest siding with the Demon King’s army, and you devouring the missing adventurers! Monsters like you are enemies of mankind!”


Wait, what!? That’s news to me!

The Dryad working with the Demon King is the one in the western forest, not the east.
Besides, I sent every single adventurer back outside the forest.

I didn’t eat a single one of them!

Sure, I might look scary to humans, but I didn’t do any of that.
This is a false accusation!


“I have not eaten… any humans.”

“So you intend to lie? Insolent weed. This is why I despise monsters.”


Commander, please don’t say that.
Let’s not make such a scary face. We can just talk for a moment.
If we do, I’m sure this misunderstanding will clear up right away.


“Perfect timing. A monster that has harmed humans is a valid target. Let’s consider this a warm-up before the spirit hunt.”


The knight commander slammed the butt of his spear into the ground.


“Pass judgment upon the man-eating Alraune!”


Answering his call, the knights behind him echoed the cry, striking their spears in unison.


“““Pass judgment upon the man-eating Alraune!”””


Th-This is a misunderstanding!

I’m not a man-eating Alraune!

I only eat birds and bears and other forest animals.
So please don’t point your spears at me!


“The standard tactic against plant monsters is fire. Do it!”


At the knight commander’s order, several knights and adventurers began casting fire magic.
In front of them, shield-bearing knights lined up side-to-side, forming a defensive wall.
They’re serious about killing me.


The humans fired several fireballs.

In an instant, I summoned up the twenty Venus flytraps I had hidden underground, using them as shields to block the flames.



“Again!”


More fire magic came flying.

At this rate, I’ll be stuck on the defensive. This is bad.
Even though I can shed my skin like a lithops to escape, fire is still my weakness. I am a plant, after all. It can’t be helped.

Importantly, I need them to stop fighting if I want them to believe I’m not a bad monster.


“Please… listen to me!”

“Do not heed a monster’s prattle! Anyone who lets their guard down will be devoured!!”


As the knight commander shouted, the other knights raised their voices too.


“Judgment upon the monster that devoured humans!”

“Revenge for our comrades!”

“Death to monsters!”


Ugh… what is this?

W-What did I even do…?


All I did was put those adventurers to sleep and politely send them back outside the forest.
And yet I’m being called a man-eating monster… that’s just not fair.

Is it because I’m a plant monster…?


As that thought crossed my mind, a spear suddenly drove straight into my bulb.
It must’ve been thrown.


Pulling it out with my vines, I realized something else had pierced my heart.

Maybe monsters and humans just aren’t meant to get along.
And the little witch was only an exception because she was a witch.


I’m not human anymore.

So getting along with humans might’ve never been possible for me in the first place.



A warm, sticky sensation welled up around my eyes.


Now that I think about it, those adventurers from a few days ago also came to kill me.
Even if I showed mercy to people like that, as long as I’m a monster… they were never going to treat me kindly……



Before I knew it, my Venus flytraps had burned to ash.
Next time, the fire magic would be aimed at me.


There’s no way I’m going to just stand here and let humans burn me to death.

If it comes to that, then I’ll fight!



You see, once I realized humans might come to attack me, I didn’t just sit around doing nothing.
I’ve been setting traps here just in case strong adventurers showed up.


Humans, do you know what those vines at your feet are?
They’re all part of my body.

I’m a plant monster.
Plants are my body and my limbs.


I moved the vines beneath the feet of the humans casting fire magic.

Before they could react, I bound all the spellcasters.
For now, I’ll just put them to sleep with some sleeping powder.


“These vines are part of her body too!? Everyone, cut them down!”


At the knight commander’s order, the remaining knights, ever loyal, began hacking away at my vines.


No, stop—don’t cut me!

──is what I’d usually say. Not this time, though.

If anything, I’m more worried whether they’ll be okay cutting them so recklessly.


Because those vines aren’t just ordinary vines.
They’re infused with onion properties.


“M-my eyes!!”

“I can’t stop crying…!”

“It burns—my eyes, my nose—I can’t see anything!”

“Help meeeee!!”


The knights who cut through my vines collapsed, thrashing in agony.
All of them clutched their faces desperately, having fallen into a hell of tears and panic.


“What’s wrong with you lot!? What in the world is happening!?”


Ahem.

Commander, shall I explain?

The other day, I consumed an onion that the little witch brought back for me as a new ingredient.
Because of that, I not only gained the ability to produce onions, but I’ve also acquired their properties.


When you cut an onion, your eyes sting and tears come out, right?
Anyone who’s cooked before has experienced it at least once.

When an onion is cut and its cells are damaged, it releases compounds with a lachrymatory effect.
Those irritate the eyes and nasal membrane, making tears flow uncontrollably.


Because your knights here kept chopping up my vines, it’s as if they just cut apart a bunch of giant onions.
They’ve been exposed to a massive amount of lachrymatory agents, enough to leave them writhing on the ground in agony. I don’t think they’ll be of use anytime soon.


Onions shouldn’t be underestimated just because they’re vegetables.


This trait evolved as a defense mechanism to protect themselves from animal bites, driving animals away when their bodies are cut or bitten.


Any creature that experiences those tears won’t want to eat onions again.


It must be rather unpleasant for knights like you to be reduced to tears by a frail little flower girl like me.

Though, I don’t have any hobby of making men cry.


So please, take this as a lesson and stop cutting me, alright?

***

Author’s Note:

Onions are perennial plants classified under the Amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae). They used to be placed in the lily family (Liliaceae), but they’ve more recently been reclassified as Amaryllidaceae. Since the protagonist, an Alraune, belongs to the nightshade family (Solanaceae), that makes her unrelated.

Next Time: The Onion-Loving Knight Commander and the Art of Flower Arrangement