I’m an Alraune, a little plant monster girl.
And right now, Lady Dryad is trying to pollinate me.


I clamped my mouth shut to resist.


I’m really struggling right now with both Dryad sisters attacking me at the same time.

On one side, my vines are desperately struggling against Lady Dryad’s vines, which are trying to force my mouth open.
On the other, my banyan roots are fighting back against the older Dryad sister’s banyan roots, which are closing in to strangle me to death.

This is way too much to deal with at once!


Lady Dryad’s vines wrapped around my body like chains.
First the banyan roots, and now vines—I feel like I’ve been tied up way too much today.
This must be the most I’ve ever been tied up in my entire life.


Just as I was thinking that, I suddenly felt dizzy.
While I had somehow managed to hold my own against both Dryad sisters, strength gradually began to drain from my body
Because of that, my banyan roots and vines were slowly being overwhelmed by the Dryad sisters’ attacks.


“What… is this? I can’t… put any strength… into my body?”


In response to my confusion, Lady Dryad answered in a cold, flat voice.


“Spirit Magic: Life Force Absorption—Energy Drain. My vines are absorbing your life energy. Before long, your flower will fall, and you will wither away into a pitiful husk.”


You’ve got to be kidding me!
I finally managed to bloom into a beautiful flower. There’s no way I’m letting myself wither away!

I extended the dodder’s haustoria from my bulb and made them parasitize Lady Dryad’s vines.
If she’s going to steal my energy, then I’ll just steal it right back.
Time for the “Yellow Vampire” to show what it can really do!

Besides, if they’re allowed to fight me as a pair, then there’s no reason why I can’t team up with someone too.


“Nina… hit me with your… light magic!”


Nina, who had been keeping her distance so she wouldn’t get caught up in my battle with the older Dryad sister, responded, saying, “Leave it to me!”


“Light Orb Detonation—Licht Sprengung!”


A ball of light shot from Nina’s staff.
When it struck my body directly, the ball exploded into light.


Bathed in the light, the chlorophyll throughout my body cried out in joy.
I’m growing bigger!


My bulb gradually grew larger and larger, becoming big enough to swallow most animals whole.
My crimson petals spread even wider, and my leaves grew lush and green.

The human part of my body, which had been stuck in the form of a ten-year-old girl, began to mature as well.
That’s it! Keep growing!

Ngh, my chest is starting to feel tight.
With some quick work, I adjusted my vine bra.
All right, perfect.

My body, which had still been that of a growing child, transformed into a fully matured figure, curving where it should curve and slender where it should be slender.


Now I’m completely back to normal.
Photosynthesis is delicious!


The older Dryad sister murmured in surprise, “Absorbing light magic to make your body grow so rapidly… just how are you doing that?”
It seems that even for a spirit like a Dryad, absorbing light magic is difficult.

But it’s too early to be surprised.
Because the real fun begins now!


Lady Dryad, the younger sister, suddenly staggered, losing her balance.

Because of my rapid growth, the amount of nutrients my dodder was absorbing from her had increased dramatically as well.
An enormous amount of energy was now flowing into me, far more than she had taken from me with her Energy Drain.

And my body and dodder weren’t the only things that grew from Nina’s light magic and the nutrients I stole from Lady Dryad.
Of course, my banyan grew larger too!


My banyan roots started crushing the older Dryad sister’s banyan roots.
Our strength had been evenly matched before I grew. So naturally, once I became stronger, mine would come out on top.

My banyan roots tore through hers one after another.

How about that, Dryad sisters?
When Nina and I combine our strength, something like this is easy!


And now, with the older Dryad sister struggling against my banyan, it was our chance.


“Kiri… now!”


Kiri, who had been waiting in the air above us, cried enthusiastically, “Leave it to me, Lady Alraune!” and charged for the sanctuary door.


Forced entirely onto the defensive by my banyan’s attacks, the older Dryad sister shouted, “I won’t let you through!”


“Spirit Magic: Nature Transformation—Veränderung. ‘Man-Eating Teufelbaum!’”


The tree growing in front of the sanctuary door was transformed by her magic, and its bark turned pitch black.
Its trunk thickened, while its branches writhed like tentacles and began thrashing around.
A huge mouth opened at the top of the tree, giving it the appearance of an enormous carnivorous plant.


So she planned to use that man-eating tree to guard the sanctuary door while also catching Kiri and eating her.


“Eek!? L-Lady Alraune, there’s no way I can handle that thing!”


Kiri started complaining, so I offered her some words of encouragement.


“Trust… me. Charge… straight at the… man-eating tree!”

“N-No way… Fine! If I get eaten, you’d better take responsibility!”


Kiri charged towards the man-eating tree.
Like a moth flying into a flame, its tentacles lashed out at her.


“I-I’m gonna get caught!”


Just as the tentacles were about to grab Kiri, countless thorns shot up from beneath the ground.
The thorns wrapped around the tentacles of the man-eating tree’s, stopping them in their tracks.
In the blink of an eye, the man-eating tree was completely subdued by the thorns.


The puzzled voice of the older Dryad sister echoed around us.


“Thorns coming out of the ground? What in the world is going on?”


Actually, those thorns belonged to the baby Alraunes.
When we burned Drago, the cloned Dryad, my children had turned themselves into seeds and escaped underground.


After that, I had them stay hidden underground just in case something happened.
By using the ability of the Rhizanthella, which blooms underground, it was possible for an Alraune to sprout under the soil as well.

That was why none of the baby Alraunes had appeared above ground since we defeated Drago.
I had kept them hidden as an ambush force in case of an emergency, and it looks like that was the right decision.


“So the Alraunes that were parasitizing the dragon didn’t burn to death alongside it. They turned into seeds and hid underground instead? What a ridiculously convenient ability.”


Kiri slipped past both the older Dryad sister and the man-eating tree and reached the sanctuary door.
When she touched it, it opened slightly.
A narrow gap appeared, just wide enough for a fairy to pass through, and Kiri went through it as though she was being sucked inside.


I thought we could finally breathe a sigh of relief, but things weren’t going to be that easy.
Lady Dryad, who was standing right beside me, said, “It seems you are targeting my true body. I will not allow that,” and tried to transfer herself into the sanctuary.

But you know, I’m not going to let you do that either.


I caught Lady Dryad’s body in my sticky sundew.
If I held her like this, she couldn’t transfer herself into the sanctuary and stop Kiri.

After a short while, several of Lady Dryad’s vines dropped to the ground.
The vines scattered across the ground transformed into blue forget-me-nots.

It looks like Kiri has successfully used the nectar orb to remove the blue flowers parasitizing Lady Dryad’s true body inside the sanctuary.
Good job, Kiri!



“What in the world…” Lady Dryad said as she looked around.

“Are you… back to your… senses?”

“It appears I was being controlled by my sister. How terribly embarrassing.”


We did it! Lady Dryad’s brainwashing has been broken!

As I explained the situation to Lady Dryad, her sister snapped and spoke in an irritable voice.


“Don’t get too full of yourself just because you freed my sister.”


No need for the sour grapes.
It’s not just Nina and me anymore. We have Lady Dryad and the baby Alraunes on our side too.

Meanwhile, you’re all alone.

The table has completely turned.


Not long ago, I was despairing over the difference in the strength of our forces, but now, just look at us.
If we keep this up and combine everyone’s strength, we can even defeat the Spirit Princess, one of the Four Heavenly Kings.

Now then, Feagismeinnicht.

This time, it’s our turn!

***

Author’s Note:

Rhizanthella: A saprophytic plant in the Orchidaceae family. By obtaining nutrients from fungi, it is able to live underground.

Next Time: Alraune vs. Dryad (Part Three)