Three days had passed since I took in the boy.

Apparently, as long as I give him nectar, he is satisfied with his meals. However, don’t be surprised, my dining menu is no longer limited to just nectar.
Of course, I didn’t feed him raw animal monsters. I made sure to give him proper human food.

Besides the knowledge I gained from the boy, there was also another reward.

Inside his bag, there was a ringle fruit.
Its appearance and taste were exactly like the apples I ate in Japan, so it’s considered quite a delicious fruit even in this world.

I snatched the ringle fruit from the boy and devoured it with my lower mouth.
By doing so, I was able to absorb the fruit’s properties and successfully generate ringle fruit on my own.

First, I made the ringle fruit bloom female flowers on one vine and the male flower on another.
Using the thin vine I created through plant generation, I took the pollen from the male flower’s stamen and transferred it to the female flower’s pistil.

Then, I used my light recovery magic to make the fruit grow rapidly.
And voilà!
A ringle fruit was born!

I fed the finished ringle fruit to the boy.
I must say, being able to create fruit like this is starting to make me feel pretty skilled at being a plant.

***

Perhaps because of all this, the boy began to grow fond of me.
From time to time, he’d cry out, “I want nectar,” “There’s not enough nectar,” “I miss nectar so much it hurts!” He’d repeat these three phrases at every opportunity.
but when nectar was on the line, he became a smart boy, obediently listening to whatever I said.

The boy’s name is Armin.

His parents were killed by the Demon King’s army, and now he’s traveling with his grandfather.
Apparently, his grandfather is quite a skilled magician, but Armin couldn’t keep up with the harsh training.

While his grandfather went off to fight a monster at the request of the local villagers, Armin decided to run away by himself.
Did he really hate the training that much?

It’s a regrettable decision. As a former Saint, I’d want to scold him for running away, since magical training is supposed to be tough.

But the misfortunes didn’t stop there.
When he tried to leave the forest, he got lost and was captured by a group of Zornbienes, which stung him with poison. That’s how he ended up in my care.

If I hadn’t been a former human, an Alraune starving for entertainment, he would’ve likely been devoured by the forest monsters.
In a way, I saved his life.

Since I went to the trouble of saving him, I want him to survive from here on out.
So, I decided to train the boy.

After all, I used to be a Saint.
When it comes to magic, I’m an expert.

I could use two of the four basic elemental magic types in addition to the light element.
Light magic, said to be available to only one in hundreds of thousands and can only be used by women as a blessing granted by the goddess, is something I could wield. That’s how I became the greatest Saint of my time.

Perhaps because of this, when I started giving the boy advice about magic, he stood there with his mouth agape in astonishment. He must be amazed at my deep knowledge.
With this, he can’t help but feel respect for me.

“Can you use magic, onee-san?”
“No… just knowledge… only.”

Even if I tell him I was a former Saint, I doubt he’ll believe me.
It’d also only make things worse if the people of the kingdom found out, so I’d rather remain silent about the truth.

“You’ll regret… if you don’t train.”
“Why?”
“When you’re in a pinch, your magic will be the… only thing that can protect you. It’ll be your tool.”

This is from my own experience.
Because I mastered light healing magic, I was able to survive when I was consumed by a flower monster. Though I ended up absorbing its cells and fusing with it, I managed to survive in the end.

Maybe it was a miracle or a divine intervention, but even so, without my healing magic, I would have melted in the stomach of that flower monster.

In the end, the only thing that can protect you is your own strength.
That’s why power is essential.

It’s too late to regret it after the enemy kills you.
To survive, you have to hone your magic, keep training, and become stronger.

“Is that how it is?”
“Yes, it is.”

While I was lecturing the boy about the tips and tricks of magic, a small shadow appeared on the ground.
I looked up to see a strange bird flying in the sky.

It looked like an eagle, but it was incredibly fast.
What is that?

“Oh, that’s grandpa’s magic wind bird.”

Huh, so that’s wind magic.
I’ve never seen anything like that before.

What’s this? Armin, explain it to me.

So the magic takes the wind and shapes it into a bird, which is then controlled remotely, sharing visual information from the surroundings.

Wait a minute, isn’t that some seriously high-level magic?
I can’t do that, and even the royal court’s magicians can barely pull it off. Maybe the head court magician could, but that’s the level of skill we’re talking about.

If Armin’s grandfather can cast such magic, things could be bad.
If I’m spotted, I might be hunted down.

If I consider the situation from his grandfather’s perspective, it’ll look like I’m a monster who’s made his grandson addicted to nectar and kidnapped him in the forest for three days.

This is really bad.
If I were his grandfather, I’d tear that creature to pieces.

I need to send the boy back to the village before his grandfather finds me.
If I remain friendly, I’m sure his grandfather will forgive me, thinking that I’m not a bad monster. I mean, I did keep him here for three days, but I hope he’ll overlook that.

“I’m a monster. You’re a human.”
“So?”
“You and I… can’t walk… together.”
“So?”
“You live in… the village, and I live in the forest.”
“Why!?! I like you so much, onee-san!”

Oh my? So you like me that much?
What exactly do you like about me?

“What do you… like about… me?”
“Of course, it’s the nectar you give me! It’s sweet and delicious!”

Huh?
That’s not exactly the answer I was expecting.

Now that I looked closely, the boy’s eyes were glazed over, just like a bear crazy for nectar. He’s completely lost in my nectar.
Well, there’s nothing I can do about it.

“Armin, go back… to the village.”
“No! I can’t live without onee-san’s nectar!”
“Forget… about me. Keep it secret… from grandfather.”
“I’ll never forget the taste of that nectar! Not in a million years!”

Wow, he really loves nectar that much.
Is he so addicted that he doesn’t want to go back to his family? Poor thing.
I guess he’s the same as a bear in that sense, totally obsessed with nectar.

Even so, if he stays with me, my life could be in danger.
If I can make him never forget the taste of nectar, maybe he’ll go back?

I decided to create a special nectar.
I concentrated it in my body so it wouldn’t dissolve easily. I felt like I could control the nectar itself in the same way I can control its flow.

If it’s just regular nectar, it’ll melt once licked. But if I infused it with light recovery magic and made it thicker, I could solidify it into a ball.

And so, I created a nectar ball infused with light recovery magic.
If it works, the light magic should prevent the nectar from melting. Once it starts to melt, it will regenerate. Since nectar is part of my plant body, I hypothesized that this would be possible.

I fed the boy the nectar ball, hoping it would buy me time before he went into withdrawal.

“Nectar ball… Swallow it.”
“Just swallow it, right, onee-san?”
“Yes. The special nectar… won’t melt in your body.”
“It’s so delicious! Thank you, onee-san.”
“Now go… to village, okay?”
“If you give me one more nectar ball, I’ll go back.”

This kid’s greedy!
Well, fine. I’ll give him one more.

Hah.
I’m exhausted. I’m out of energy. I need some nutrients and water.

Meanwhile, the boy, completely unaware of my struggles, happily swallowed the second nectar ball and waved at me as he left.

He might still crave nectar, but with the nectar balls in his body, he should be able to last for a few days.
Until he reunites with his grandfather and leaves this place, the nectar balls should last and keep him from going into withdrawal. After that?
I don’t know, and honestly, I don’t care.

I’ll probably never see him again.
It’s none of my business.

***

Author’s Note:
Thank you for reading.
The next update is scheduled for tomorrow.

Next time: Do Nectar-Mad Boys Dream of Alraunes? (Part One)