I’m an Alraune, a plant monster girl.
And it turns out this botanical garden is the private property belonging to a certain individual within the Demon King’s army.


They didn’t tell me who “that person” actually is, but I have a pretty good guess. It might be someone I know.
I really hope I’m wrong, but there aren’t exactly many members of the Demon King’s army that I’m familiar with.


After saying, “I’ll come again,” Feagismeinnicht, the Dryad who served as one of the Four Heavenly Kings, left.



The next day.
As usual, I was spending time with my friend, Barometz.


“Barometz… do you know what… this is?”

“I’ve never seen it before. It looks to be a red, slender fruit.”

“Then… try eating it.”

“Very well. Thank you for the food.”


Barometz plucked the red fruit growing from my vine using one of her cotton hands and popped it into her mouth in a single bite.
The next instant, she let out a scream as though she were breathing fire.


“It’s so spiiiiicyyyyyyyyyyyy—!”


With tears in her eyes and her tongue sticking out, Barometz cried out.
I know, right? Chili peppers are spicy.


As it happened, during my daily phantom thief activities, I had successfully stolen and eaten a chili pepper plant growing somewhere in the botanical garden.


Chili peppers belong to the nightshade family, just like me.
They’re red too, the same color as my flower petals, so I can’t help but feel a little kinship with them.


“M-My mouth is burning! It feels like it’s on fire!”

“Here… have some water.”


For this little prank, I had prepared water in advance.

I handed Barometz some water stored inside the water pouch of the Kangaroo Pocket I’d grown from one of my vines and let her gulp it down.


That’s right, this is another new plant I acquired from the garden!


Believe it or not, the Kangaroo Pocket is a plant that can store water in its leaves.
Its defining feature is a swollen pouch-like leaf structure, which allows it to hold water inside.


Apparently, the name “Kangaroo Pocket” came from the fact that those pouches resembled a kangaroo’s pouch.


Since I had eaten one in the botanical garden, I immediately tried reproducing the water pouches on my vines.
And that’s how I ended up using them to provide drinking water for Barometz after making her eat the chili pepper.


With these water pouches, I’ll be able to store water during the rainy season.
In other words, they’re a countermeasure against drought!

That adventurer I fought recently who used water magic…
What was his name again? I think it was Mr. Drink Station.
If I ever fight a water magic user like him again, I feel like these would be incredibly useful.



Since I had the chance, I decided to use up all the water I had stored in my Kangaroo Pocket pouches and play in the water with Barometz.

Splashing each other and laughing together.

Since we’re both plant monsters, we absolutely love water.
Water is delicious!



While we were doing that, the Heavenly King from yesterday came barging in again.
It was Feagismeinnicht, the fallen Dryad.


“I’m back.”


As usual, she was riding atop her land tortoise.
Coming to the botanical garden two days in a row… maybe the Spirit Princess has too much time on her hands?


“Barometz, would you mind doing the usual for me?”

“Of course, Lady Feagismeinnicht!”


It seems she had come to see Barometz.
Using her blue vines, the Dryad examined Barometz’s body.

She ran her vines over every inch of Barometz’s body, from her stem and cotton bolls to the places where her plant and human halves joined together, the inside of her cotton coat, her face, her hair, and even her horns.


“Barometz truly is the perfect fusion of plant and animal. I’d love to dissect you just to see how you’re put together.”

“I would prefer that you didn’t dissect me.”


When the Dryad said that, Barometz glanced in my direction for some reason.
She immediately lowered her gaze, looking apologetic.

I wonder what that was about. Maybe she’s embarrassed about having her body touched?


“Now then, let’s examine Princess Alraune next.”


No thank you.
There’s really no need for a physical examination.

──Ah, no, it’s too late. I can feel her vines crawling over my body.


“What a magnificent bulb. And such beautiful red petals. My fairy has a rather nasty personality, you know. If she saw how lovely you are, she’d probably start spraying weedkillers just to wither you.”


I can believe that.
After all, the poison fairy already tried to wither me once. I’ve experienced it firsthand


But more importantly than th—

Hey!
T-That tickles!


Being examined all over by my sworn enemy is so humiliating!
And for some reason, she’s touching my chest with her vines!


“For a plant, you’re awfully cute. Covering your chest with vines and imitating humans like this. Where did you learn it?”

“…I came up with it… myself.”

“Is that so? Then let’s have a look underneath those vines, shall we?”


S-Stop it!
If she takes away the vines covering my chest, I’ll really be naked!


Maybe because of my desperate resistance, the Dryad didn’t tear off my vine bra, seemingly content not to force the issue.

It’s strange. I had imagined her as an evil spirit, but seeing her cheerfully playing around with plants like this felt a little different from what I expected.
Considering what the poison fairy Oin did, and how she controlled the golden birdman with those blue flowers, I’d always thought of her as a complete villain.

This is a little surprising.

Maybe she’s kinder towards plants because she considers them her own kind.


“Say, Princess Alraune. Why don’t you come with me? If you choose of your own will to leave this place, I might be able to use my authority as one of the Four Heavenly Kings to get you out of here.”

“And if I did… what would happen… to me?”

“You’d get to participate in breeding experiments in my laboratory, of course. Congratulations. This way, princess, you’ll finally become a woman.”


So she was planning to experiment on me after all—!

I absolutely hate the idea of being forcibly crossbred.
Being treated like some object is the worst… well, I am technically a plant, but still!

As I crossed my vines into a big X to show my resistance to the Heavenly King, a lifeline arrived.
The hydra, who had been watering the garden, stepped in.


“I’d rather you not try recruiting our Alraune.”

“Surely you know I was joking. I’d never damage something that belongs to… that person.”


With that, the Dryad of the Four Heavenly Kings left the botanical garden, saying, “If you ever change your mind, just call for me.”


Ugh… every time I meet that Dryad, she somehow always ends up taking the lead.
At this rate, I’ll never get an opportunity to defeat her.


She’s an incredibly terrifying spirit.
Mainly because my chastity is constantly in danger around her.


If this had been a botanical garden directly under the Demon King’s army, I’d probably have been that mad scientist’s guinea pig by now.
I might even have been carrying the pollen of some male flower I’ve never met.

The only reason that didn’t happen is thanks to “that person,” the owner of this botanical garden. For that, I’m truly grateful.
If even one of the Four Heavenly Kings can’t interfere here, then they must be incredibly powerful.


And I happen to know of one incredibly powerful member of the Demon King’s army.


B-But surely not…
There’s no way that can be true… right?



Just as I was thinking that, the atmosphere suddenly changed.
The temperature inside the botanical garden shot upward.

It was already summer, but it was as if a brutal heat wave had descended without warning.

It almost felt as though the area surrounding the Demon King’s castle had been struck by a drought.


──Hmm, a drought?

D-Don’t tell me…


When I looked up, I saw a massive silhouette flying in the sky through the transparent roof.


A dragon as large as a mountain, with two enormous wings.
Its entire body burned like molten magma, while its glowing tail shone brightly amidst the scorching heat.
It was both majestic and terrifying.


I’ll never forget that sight.

There’s no mistake.
For the first time in several months, I found myself in the presence of Fire Dragon-sama again.


Fire Dragon-sama descended from the sky and landed before the castle.

──BOOM!

The impact traveled through the ground and into my roots.


Then, in the very next moment, Fire Dragon-sama vanished.
Maybe he went into the Demon King’s castle.
Though, considering his size, I’d expect the castle to collapse if he tried to enter it. I wonder how he got inside?


But this is not time to be worrying about that.

Because I’ve just seen the one person I should absolutely never meet again.


The reason is simple. Fire Dragon-sama wants me dead.
After all, it was he who burned me before.
The only reason I’m still alive now is because I somehow managed to pollinate and transfer myself into a new body as a young Alraune.
If he ever found out that I was still alive, I’d probably be burned to ashes on the spot.


What if “that person,” the owner of this botanical garden, turns out to be exactly who I think it is?

I’d like to run away before I’m discovered if possible, but I can’t.


After all, I’m a plant…

***

Author’s Note:

Chili Pepper: An annual plant in the Solanaceae family. There is even a unit called the Scoville scale that’s used to measure the spiciness of chili peppers.

Kangaroo Pocket: A climbing epiphytic plant in the Apocynaceae family. As its name suggests, it is found in Australia, though it can also be found throughout Southeast Asia.

Next Time: I Already Know the Name of the Dragon I Saw That Day


TL’s Note:

Actually native to the Philippines, the Dischidia vidalii is also commonly known as the ant plant for its symbiotic relationship with ants.