I’m an Alraune, a plant monster girl lying in wait with a trap.
And the one who just landed on the ground is my mortal enemy, the white bird.

Now’s my chance.
I’m going to capture that bird.
It’s only about the size of a crow, so it won’t exactly fill my stomach, but it will give me some satisfaction after what happened the other day.

How dare you eat my nectar ball.

Sure, in the end, Papa Bear followed that white bird and vanished somewhere far away, so maybe it all turned out better than if I’d just tossed the ball myself.
But still, there’s no way to describe the despair I felt in that moment.

It’s true, the white bird isn’t exactly evil incarnate.
But you know, little bird—
You’re so pretty. I’ve always thought you looked delicious.

The color kind of reminds me of Mr. Bunny.
So eating it shouldn’t be a problem, right?

‘Alright, let’s eat!’ I say, activating my trap like a carnivorous plant.

I’d already hidden my vines beneath the ground near where the white bird had landed.
I sent them up with full force.

From the bird’s point of view, it must look like countless vines suddenly burst out of the earth.

But of course, that bird’s danger instincts were sharp.

The moment I moved the buried vines, it flapped its wings and leapt skyward.

The difference was just a split second.
The white bird narrowly escaped my snare.
It twisted away from the vines and soared back into the sky.

Ahhh.
I missed it.

The white bird slipped through my grasp again.
And I went to all that trouble preparing today, too.

Well, it can’t be helped.
This was only my first trap anyways.
I’ll take what I learned and use it next time.

Still, white bird, stop circling above me and just go home already.
You’ve got a nest somewhere, don’t you?

If teasing me is really that fun for you, then come back another time.
I’m kind. So do come back again.
And next time, I’ll make sure to eat you properly…!

Huh, what’s that?
Something’s lying over there.

Right where the bird landed, there’s a small red flower.
It was like a tiny rose, with thorns on its stem.

A red rose, huh? How lovely.
It’s the same color as my flower crown.
In this world, that flower’s called a Rote Rose. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a flower worth admiring.
This area’s been filled with nameless weeds or my distant cousin, the Man-Eater.

Maybe that white bird was carrying it in its beak, only to drop it in a panic while escaping my vines.

What a stupid bird.
Maybe I should start calling it “Birdbrain” from now on.

If a wild bird’s carrying flowers or stems around, there’s really only one reason for that.

I get it now.

White bird, are you… building a nest?
How fancy of you, for a bird.
Building a cozy home with your beloved partner.

Meanwhile, I’m a lonely flower whose age equals the years she’s been single.
No house, no family, just living out here in the open rain.

The closest I’ve ever come to romance was when some strange bee tried to pollinate me with another male flower’s pollen on our first meeting.
Pathetic, isn’t it?

And to think this lonely flower used to be a saint.

My junior, the traitorous saint-in-training, stole away my fiancé, the Hero, and even went so far as to marry him.
They’re probably enjoying their blissful newlywed life in the royal castle as we speak.

Meanwhile, why am I here, half-naked, surviving alone in the forest?

That damn junior and the Hero—are they sleeping in the same bed every night?
Maybe they’re even doing this and that together because they’re newlyweds?
Maybe they even have a child by now.

And here I am, getting forcibly pollinated in broad daylight by random bees. Why must just existing mean I’m at risk of pollination?
If I ever do get pollinated, I don’t even have a child to show for it. I’ll become the seed. Not a shred of happiness awaits that future.

Oh, and let’s not forget getting my face endlessly licked by a wild bear with kids of his own.

Not one good thing ever happens.
It’s nothing but misery.
Sometimes I wish I just had someone to share that pain and sadness with.
If I did, maybe the joy I felt would’ve been twice as sweet.

The warm, blissful life I never got to have.
The life my traitorous junior and the Hero are enjoying.
That’s what that white bird has too.

I can’t take it anymore.
Are birds really that great?
Fine. I’m just a flower. A plant, that’s all

Uuugh, so frustrating.
When you’re this annoyed, food’s the only cure.
Let’s sample this rose.

Chomp.

Hmm, can’t really tell what it tastes like.
I mean, I only digest things, not savor them.
Still, if it delays that bird’s home-building project even a little, that’s good enough for me.

Alright, time to reel back the vines from that trap earlier.
Let me reposition them around my body… Wait, hold on.
That’s not my vine!?

My vines are moving on their own!

What’s going on!?

I panicked, but I soon realized why.

These aren’t vines
It’s a snake.

What I thought were vines… was actually a snake.

This is definitely a snake-type monster, a Varnschlange.
One of them had slithered right up to me without me noticing.

And now, the Varnschlange was about to devour me.

While I was targeting the white bird, it had been after me.
A thick, long, terrifying serpent.

I was about to be eaten.

It has a mouth and body capable of swallowing a person whole, being a monster-class snake estimated to be over 10 meters long.

Wow, snakes can open their mouths that wide, huh?

But, wait a second.

Am I about to be swallowed whole…?

Please, no more.
I really don’t want to go through being eaten and digested again!

Once in a lifetime is more than enough!
So please, close that mouth right now!

I don’t want to be swallowed whole again, nooo!

***

Author’s Note:

Thank you for reading!

Next time: Monster Panic – The Giant Serpent

TL’s Note:

Sorry I’ve been late with the release, it’s been busy.