I’m the seed of an Alraune, a plant monster girl.
And it feels like a long time has passed since I escaped from the Demon King’s castle.


While I’m a seed, it’s as though I’m asleep.
I have no senses, so I can’t perceive the outside world at all, nor do I have any sense of time either.
To be frank, there’s nothing I can do as a seed.


But at last, the time for me to sprout has finally come.


Light poured into the cramped world that had been shrouded in darkness.
My body stretched upwards as if I was rising to my feet, and the bud enclosing me slowly opened.

This marked my fourth bloom as an Alraune.


“Where… am I?”


It wouldn’t exactly be funny if I’d landed in the garden of the Demon King’s castle.
Fortunately, that didn’t seem to be the case.


After all, I was growing out of a cliff.
My seed must’ve lodged itself in a crevice along a sheer rock face before taking root.

It’s pretty high up too.
If a human fell from here, they probably wouldn’t survive.
Though, as I am now, I doubt a fall like that would kill me anymore.


The sound of rushing water echoed through the air.
There was a massive waterfall cascading down nearby.

Could I’ve been swept away by the waterfall?
Then, by sheer luck, the current carried my seed into this rocky crevice, where I finally sprouted.


────Ah, that was close!

If the current had simply dragged me to the bottom of the river, I might have died right there as a seed.

T-That’s scary.
Flying as a seed is far too risky.
Even so, considering I landed on a cliff, it’s a wonder I managed to sprout at all.

It must be because I lead a virtuous life. Surely the gods lent me a helping hand.
Although… if they were going to help me, I wish they’d done it before I became an Alraune, back when I was dying as a saint…

In any case, it looks like I sprouted in a pretty strange place.


Still, the mist spraying from the waterfall feels so wonderful.
Water is delicious!

Though, it wasn’t only the waterfall spraying me with mist—it was raining as well.
I wonder what would happen if I used the Javan cucumber’s ability to fly while it was raining.
The raindrops would probably ruin my gliding wings, and I might just crash.
With that in mind, it would probably be wiser to wait until the rain stopped.


I want to get back to the forest as soon as possible, yet here I am, stuck waiting in some place I’ve never seen before.
I mean, where exactly is this place anyway?

Below the cliff stretched an endless forest, but it didn’t look like the Forest of Dryades.

Maybe I’m still somewhere in the Demon King’s territory.
If this was near the border with the Kingdom of Gardenia, then the Forest of Dryades shouldn’t be too far away.



Anyways, since I had some time to kill, I decided it was time for a meal.

This rocky crevice was home to several other plants.
It was a cramped little space, but there seemed to be a small cluster of vegetation. With plenty of sunlight and an abundance of moisture, I suppose it was actually a pretty comfortable place to live, at least from a plant’s perspective.

There were all sorts of vine-like plants growing here. Among them was one with thin, yellow vines spread everywhere like a spiderweb.


This is a dodder.
It’s a parasitic plant I remember being nicknamed the “Yellow Vampire” back when I was a high school girl.

Just as its name suggests, a dodder has no roots of its own.
Instead, it drives its fang-like haustoria into the bodies of other plants through its yellow vines, draining their nutrients just as a vampire drinks blood from its prey.


Chomp.

I ate the dodder.
Now I could do what parasitic plants do as well.

It’s the birth of the Vampire Alraune!


If I could make use of the dodder’s haustoria, maybe parasitizing animals wouldn’t be impossible.
Then, just like the troll Dryad I fought earlier, I would be able to hitch a ride by parasitizing someone.
Though, with how inefficient I am, I would probably suck my host completely dry and kill them in the process…



I wish some animals would come by.
A bird would be perfect. Though with all this rain, I doubt any would be flying around.


I had no idea how much time had passed since I was a seed.
If it had been several days, then it wouldn’t be surprising if the older Dryad sister had already taken control of both the Forest of Dryades and Tower City.

And that’s why I’m so worried
I want to get back to the forest as soon as possible!



Just as I was thinking that, a tiny speck appeared in the distance.
It looked like a bird was flying this way.


Come here, little birdie.
I’ll wrap you up with my vines and drink up all your nutrients through my haustoria.
And while you’re at it, fly in the direction I tell you.
Don’t worry about the fare. The payment will be collected in nutrients.


“Maybe… today’s my lucky day. It’s really… coming this way.”


The little bird was flying straight towards me.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!


Come on, little white bird.
Let’s dance a waltz of love together.
I won’t let go of my haustoria until the day you die.


────Huh? A white bird?


“Hey!”


I heard Kiri’s voice coming from the white bird.


I’m almost certain. This could only mean one thing.
That white bird was the little witch, and Kiri was riding on her back!


Little witch!
Kiri!
I’ve missed you so much!!


The white bird landed right in front of me and opened her tiny beak.


“Alraune, you’re safe! Thank goodness.”

“A lot happened… but I managed somehow. More importantly… how did… you find me?”

“We were able to track you down thanks to Kiri’s magic.”


Kiri’s magic? Did she mean the spirit magic Kiri had put on me as a sort of protective spell?
I can’t believe it was actually a tracking spell.
That really saved me.

Kiri fluttered over and landed on top of my head.


“I was so horrified when Lady Alraune split in two! Then one of the signals disappeared, and just when I thought that was it, it split again! And this time it started moving incredibly fast! I was panicking!”


She was probably talking about when I pollinated myself and became a seed.
Well, since ordinary people don’t just split apart, it was no wonder she was surprised.


“More importantly… we need to… get to the forest… quick”


The white bird’s body distorted.
She transformed back into the little witch.


After carefully digging me out, the little witch took to the air using levitation magic while remaining in human form.
I didn’t have a flowerpot anymore, so instead I wrapped my roots in golden cotton.
We soaked the cotton thoroughly with water from the waterfall. That should keep me going for a while.


“How did you manage to escape from the Demon King’s army, Alraune?”

“Well… it’s a long story…”


On the way back to the Forest of Dryades, I told the two of them everything that happened in the Demon King’s castle.
I also told them that, at this very moment, the Dryad was moving to attack the forest.

The little witch was surprised, but Kiri was even more shaken.
The Forest of Dryades was her birthplace, so it was only natural that she would be worried.
No matter what, we have to stop the older Dryad sister’s rampage!


That night, we decided to spend the night in an abandoned village we found along the way.
Long ago, it had been one of the frontier villages of the Kingdom of Gardenia.
After years of war against the Demon King’s army, it must’ve fallen into the Demon King’s territory.



The next morning.

We set out from the abandoned village at sunrise.

It was our second day traveling through the sky with the little witch.

The rain still hadn’t stopped, leaving the little witch looking miserable. The cold was clearly taking a toll on her.
Using the skunk cabbage’s ability to generate heat, I warmed myself up so I could act as a portable heater.
Hang in there, little witch! You got this!


After a while, I noticed that the forest below began to change color, becoming noticeably brighter.
Kiri, noticing this too, cried out happily,


“We’re almost there! The Forest of Dryades is just ahead!”


Far off on the horizon, I could make out something like a long, slender stick.
That’s where Tower City is.



The little witch increased the speed of her levitation magic, and we quickly arrived above the Forest of Dryades.
But something seemed off about the town.
Amidst the sound of the rain, we could hear screams.


“Little witch… let’s check out… the town.”

“Okay.”


Just to be safe, the little witch transformed into her white bird form.
She flew towards the skies above Tower City.
Then we saw it—part of the town was glowing red.


A fire had broken out.

Fortunately, the rain seemed to be keeping the flames from spreading.
But that wasn’t the only problem.


The town was overrun with trolls.

We were too late.
The older Dryad sister’s invasion had already begun.


“How could this happen…?” Kiri murmured. “Lady Dryad’s barrier surrounds the forest. It’s impossible for this many monsters to have entered from outside.”


Only a handful of powerful demons could pass through the barrier.
Ordinary trolls shouldn’t have been able to cross Lady Dryad’s barrier.
So where had they come from?


Some of the trolls in the town were marching towards the forest.
Pointing frantically in the direction of the forest, Kiri cried out,


“If Lady Dryad’s elder sister is behind this… then she’s after the sanctuary!”


So that’s it. They’re heading for the sanctuary to dispel the barrier.
The older Dryad sister’s plan is to seize the Hero’s Helmet and kill her younger sister, Lady Dryad.


That means Lady Dryad is in danger!


I’m supposed to be the Forest of Dryades’ guard.
So there’s no way I’m letting the older Dryad sister do as she pleases.

I will protect the peace of this forest!

***

Author’s Note:

Dodder (Cuscuta): A genus of parasitic plant in the Convolvulaceae family. Although it is a plant, it has neither leaves for photosynthesis nor roots of its own. It is also a relative of the common morning glory.

Next Time: Daily Report; The Rookie Saint Apprentice’s Tower City Incident Log (Part One)


TL’s Note:

Haustoria: The specialized root-like structures of parasitic plant used to penetrate a host organism for its resources and nutrients

Image of a dodder species (Cuscuta denticulata)