A fleeting vision.
This is my second time seeing it.

No, that is not quite right.
This is my second time seeing this vision, but for me specifically, this is the first time.
After all, these are the flower’s memories.

The memories of the flower monster that became my true body, from the moment it was born, to when it devoured me, and finally to its death.

It sprouted here, fed on warm sunlight, rich nutrients, and fresh water, growing steadily.

It seems it realized it wasn’t an ordinary flower when it caught a bird approaching with its vines. That made it very happy.

It was cheerful and carefree, living blissfully without a thought in its head. A completely happy-go-lucky flower.
Well, it is a flower so expecting intelligence would be unreasonable.

But when it fused with me, that monster flower died. I had taken over its body.

Even so, reborn as an Alraune, I am still fused with that flower monster. In a sense, the flower monster still lives as a part of me.

***

The moment it merged with me, the flower monster had a thought.

I want to grow bigger.
I want to leave seeds and reproduce.
I want to live peacefully as a plant without much thought.
That was what the flower monster wanted.

To do that, it needed to live longer.

It didn’t want to die yet.

And so the flower monster reached the end of its life, having left that last wish.

Because it fused with me, I wonder what became of the flower monster’s wish? I had taken over its body, but is that wish still being fulfilled?

I understand the feeling.
I didn’t want to die yet either.

Even when I was betrayed by my junior saint-in-training and my fiancé, the Hero, I didn’t want to die, so I struggled desperately.

And as a result, I’m still alive now.
A miracle had given me a new life as a plant.

I didn’t want to die yet.
The flower monster didn’t want to die yet either.

Our wishes were the same.

As if responding to our desperate plea, something surged up, a cry from deep inside my body.

Perhaps it might be my unconscious roar. That’s the most likely explanation.
But a part of me wondered maybe it was the last remnant of someone else.

I don’t want to die yet!
I’m a wild flower, so survive with the tenacious heart of a weed!

***

I woke up.
Right, I was captured by Bear Papa and was about to be uprooted.

If this continues, I’ll die.
Plants cannot be removed from the ground.

If a plant is pulled up, it doesn’t immediately wither, but it’s still bad.
That’s because raub bears have a habit of stabbing prey with its horns and carrying it back to its nest.

Even if Papa Bear is only after my honey, there’s no way I’m surviving if I’m stabbed by those horns.
Right now, I am an Alraune without any magic. If I cannot take in water through my roots, then I cannot heal myself or grow at all.

With time, I would wither.
Then I’d be discarded in Bear Papa’s nest.

I would become bear trash. I can see that future.

To prevent that, I won’t give up just yet.
I’ll struggle to the end like a plant should.

My roots had already been uprooted.
But not all of them.

Half of them remain in the soil, only the ones on Papa Bear’s side have been ripped from the ground.
So there’s still time…!

I made all the vines I can move bloom with man-eater flowers, spreading them in a circle around my body and biting into the ground.
Using the vines like anchors, I secure myself to the ground.

Thanks to that, Papa Bear’s movement had stopped.

But it’s not just because of the anchor.
The roots still left in the ground are what you would call my taproot.
Being the thickest of all my roots, It stretches from my bulb deep into the earth.
It is what holds up my whole body, the lifeline of me as a plant.

It had grown deep during that drought, searching for water.
It’s a true recluse root.
It won’t fall easily.

Maybe Bear Papa thought the anchor was in the way, because he swung his right arm hard, smashing into the ground.
The punch tore up the earth, shattering the ground like an explosion. The impact of the punch formed a crater in its place.

Hey!
Isn’t this Bear Papa way over the top?

I still have many anchor vines, so it’s fine, but if that punch had hit my body instead, it would’ve been the end.
Compared to the tree toss earlier, this is on another level.

Wait, I just noticed something.
Is that blood coming from Bear Papa’s left arm?
I didn’t cause it.
Then maybe he got bitten or injured fighting the Höllenwolf.

Thinking that, I observed him more closely. Sure enough, Papa Bear’s left arm didn’t seem to have much strength in it.
He swung the ground with his right arm earlier, and the roots he uprooted were also on his right side.

What’s more, he was also stung by my knight brigade on his back. That venom must be doing something, even if it’s just a little bit.

Maybe if I drag this out, he’ll give up and leave.

Bear Papa’s strength was weakening.

My roots turned out to be deeper than he expected, plus they were anchored.
Having to withstand all these factors, Papa Bear was finally slowing down.

Bear Papa stopped trying to pull me out.
But he’s still firmly holding me.

You don’t have to hold me so tight. I’m not escaping. I can’t escape from the start anyway.
All plants in the world must feel the same. When you want to escape, you just want to run away like normal creatures do, right?

Then Bear Papa started to savor his prize.
Yes, he started licking me.

There’s no way I, a former saint, can endure this.
Even as a high school girl, I couldn’t.

I am defenseless. I can’t move. I can’t fight back.
And this massive bear keeps licking me desperately.

This isn’t a casual lick like before.
I am humiliated, mentally and utterly.

The massive bear continues to thoroughly licks my face.

The scent of honey drifts not only from my face but my entire upper body.
Bear Papa’s gaze traces my body as he keeps licking me.

From my face down to my neck, stomach, chest and waist.

No, don’t look there.
Stop it. Don’t.
Ah, please no…

I might never be able to get married now…

***

Author’s Note:

Thank you for reading.
Today will also be a two chapter update.

Next time: After Everything, Will Someone Still Marry Me

TL’s Note: