The next day arrived.


When I woke up, I laid inside my bud, thinking.

Last night, in the sanctuary of the forest spirit Lady Dryad, I discovered the Hero’s grave.

I couldn’t help being curious about what that grave truly meant, but Lady Dryad wouldn’t accept any further questions.


No matter what I asked, she gently brushed it off.
So for now, I’ll have to put the matter of the Hero’s grave on hold.

I’ll bide my time and see what happens.



Well then, it’s time to wake up.

When I opened my bud, for some reason, a huge amount of food was lined up in front of me.

Dried meat, smoked fish, vegetables, even bread.
It was all stuff that looked like it had just been bought from a shop in a human town.


“How did you get… all this?”

“The fairies procured it for you. They are quite skilled at covert operations.”

Lady Dryad began expressing her gratitude to the fairies fluttering in the air.


But… I can’t help but think…

They definitely went into town during the night and took all this, didn’t they?

I’ve never heard of fairies purchasing goods in a human city.
And the bread is obviously something made by human hands.


Wait, calm down, me.
I shouldn’t be jumping to conclusions and doubting people like this.


Yes.
This must surely be food the fairies obtained through perfectly legitimate means.

So I shouldn’t eat it with a guilty conscience.

The little witch’s health is at stake, after all.
If I worry over every little thing, there’s no way we could live together.

So I decided to pretend I hadn’t noticed where the fairies got the food from.


“I shall give all this food to you. With this, that witch will be able to live in the forest.”

“Thank… you… very much.”


With this much, we shouldn’t struggle over food for quite a while.
For now, the little witch’s food problem is solved!

I never imagined meeting Lady Dryad would make things go this smoothly.
I have nothing but gratitude.

But still, Lady Dryad gave me some stern advice.


“I have healed her illness and given you food. However, I do not recommend that you live in this forest together with that girl. Human children belong in the city.”

“But… this child… is… a witch…”

“There are many witches who live among humans. And if she dislikes that, there is also the option of sending her to a witches’ village. At the very least, the forest is not a place for humans to live. Life in the city would likely bring more happiness to this child.”

──The little witch would be happier living in a city.

Those words stabbed straight into the depths of my heart.


“And one more thing. For this matter, you now owe me a favor. When I call upon you, you will fulfill your duties.”

“What… should… I… do?”

“It is simple. Given your strength, I want you to serve as a guard. Should outside enemies approach the eastern forest, you will fight in my stead.”


A guard for the forest.
If someone were to attack the forest where the little witch and I live, they’d be our enemy too.

There are things about Lady Dryad that still bother me.
Like the Hero’s grave she’s been silent about since last night.

But I’m sure that even if Lady Dryad hadn’t asked, I would’ve ended up fighting anyway if enemies threatened the forest.

If the outcome is the same either way, then accepting the role of the forest’s guard should be fine.
I did similar work as the lord of my previous forest, after all.


“Understood… I accept”

“I’m counting on you, Alraune.”

This is my way of thanking her for saving the little witch.
I’ll do my best as the forest’s guard!


I have my reservations, but if it’s for the little witch’s health, it’s a small price to pay.

I gently stroke the little witch’s head with a vine as she sleeps quietly, her fever finally gone.

I’m her big sister.
For the sake of her peaceful life, I’ll fight anyone, no matter who they are!



And so, having taken on the role of the forest’s guard, our little group left Lady Dryad’s sanctuary behind.

Carried along by the Treant, the little witch, Fairy-san, and I returned to where we were before.


Perhaps because we left the sanctuary, the matter of the Hero’s grave refused to leave my head.


I recalled the face of the Hero who was once my fiancé, my childhood friend.

No… that can’t be right.

There’s no way the Hero could be dead.


I’m sure the Hero is still alive.
He must have married that infuriating saint-in-training brat of a junior and is probably still living in the royal capital.
That nectar-crazed boy told me so.


If that’s the case, then the Hero buried there must be the previous generation’s Hero.


I remember a story my grandfather once told me about a Hero.

Long before I was born, about fifty years ago, there was a Hero who fought the Demon King’s army and was said to have died.


Then that grave must belong to that Hero.
Which would mean the previous Hero lost his life in this forest.


But why would a Hero die in the dwelling place of a forest spirit?
I have no idea.

I don’t think Lady Dryad fought the previous Hero… but still.

Even if she is a forest spirit, she isn’t human.

By the same logic that treats spirits as monsters, it’s possible she ended up in battle with the previous Hero.
If so, that would mean Lady Dryad defeated him. But is the forest spirit really powerful enough to kill a Hero?


Hmm… No idea.


The little witch warned me not to trust the fairy, Kiri.
And the same goes for Lady Dryad, the spirit of the forest.

After all, we’ve practically just met.


To truly trust someone, you need information.
For the sake of a peaceful life for me and the little witch, I need to learn more about the inhabitants of this forest.


So where do I get that information?
There’s only one option—Fairy-san!


That said, I doubt she’d tell me the truth if I just asked outright.
Then we just have to negotiate in a way that forces her to tell only the truth!

Fairy-san wanted nectar, and if we trade it for information, she might tell us everything.



With that brilliant idea in mind, we arrived back at the place with the large rock where we were before.


We don’t have a house yet, but this will be the home of the little witch and me.
For now, it’s just a campsite, though.


The Treant set us down on the ground, then slowly walked off into the depths of the forest.

This Treant is like a little sister to me.
She’s probably gone to gather food for the little witch and rare plants for me, just like I ordered.

Little deadwood.
As your big sister, I’m looking forward to the results of your foraging.


After seeing her off, I turned my gaze to the fairy.


She’s been a great help this time.
So, just like I promised before, I’ll give her some nectar.

I told her I’d give her nectar once she brought us to the eastern forest, but I hadn’t actually handed it over yet.

Once Fairy-san starts licking the nectar and gets thoroughly soaked in its sweetness, I’ll propose an exchange of nectar for information.

It’s a perfect plan!

Now that it’s decided, the operation begins.


“Fairy-san, my nectar… that was our… promise… right?”

“That’s right. I completely forgot to get it!”


The fairy flits right up in front of my face.

Staring straight into my eyes, she starts drooling.

“Alraune! Hurry up and give me the nectar we promised!”

“D-don’t… rush me.”

I bit down on one of my vines, coating it with nectar.

Then, saying “Here you go,” I offered the nectar-covered vine to her.


Fairy-san immediately started licking it up.

“This rich sweetness that feels like it’s melting my brain… Alraune’s nectar is the best!”


After savoring every last bit of nectar on the vine, Fairy-san fixed her gaze on my face again.


“‘It’s still not enough! I want more!’

“That’s all… for today. Come back… tomorrow.”

“There’s no way I can wait until tomorrow! In that case…!”


Fairy-san’s expression hardened, as if she had made up her mind.

No matter what face she makes, I’m not planning on giving her any more today.


Giving too much nectar is dangerous.
Besides, I don’t have much moisture left, so there’s no way I can give her a lot of nectar.


The moment I opened my mouth to say ‘No,’ something shocking happened.


Fairy-san suddenly sprang into motion.
Before I could react, she dove headfirst, body and all, straight into my open mouth!

Caught completely off guard, I ended up with a fairy in my mouth.

“Yay! If I’m in here, I can eat all the nectar I want!”


Fairy-san’s voice echoed from inside my mouth.


Eeeeeeh?!

I… I’ve got a fairy in my mouth!


She was inside my mouth from her head down to her waist.
From the outside, it probably looked like her lower body was sticking out of my mouth.

Just how desperate is this fairy for my nectar?!


Maybe because fairies are so small, they become nectar-crazed much faster than other nectar lovers.

I never imagined Fairy-san would become such a nectar-obsessed pervert that she’d shove herself straight into my nectar-filled mouth.


But then, a wave of anxiety hit me—one that was even more jarring than the shock of having a fairy stuck inside my mouth.


That’s because my mouth also functions as the stigma, the part of the flower responsible for pollination.

The stigma is the place where a pistil receives pollen for fertilization.
In other words, if pollen from a stamen gets into my mouth, which acts as a stigma, I’ll be pollinated, just like before.


Which means…
If, by any chance, pollen from a stamen is stuck to Fairy-san’s body, then I’m basically doomed to be forcibly pollinated.


What’s wriggling around inside my mouth right now is a forest fairy.
She flies around the forest all the time, brushing up against flowers, so there’s no way to rule out the possibility that pollen has stuck to her.

If she’s carrying pollen from a stamen, then I’m about to be pollinated by a fairy.


N-no waaaaaay!


It’s already too late.
I was finally reborn as a little girl, but now I might end up losing my purity all over again…

My eyes rolled back as I continued to hold Fairy-san in my mouth.

Someone please tell me this is a lie.


I might have just been defiled by a fairy.

***

Author’s Note:

Thank you very much for reading.

Next Time: I’d Rather Not Be Pollinated While I’m Still a Bud