I’m an Alraune, a plant monster girl.
When I defeated that minotaur from the Demon King’s army, I found a drawing of a human tucked inside his belongings.


The drawing… well, it wasn’t good.
It looked like a child’s doodle.

But I guess you can’t expect artistic talent from a minotaur.

Maybe it’s a picture of an old lady?
Still, why would a minotaur be carrying a picture of someone’s grandmother?

I have no idea, but I’ll keep it. Might be something to stare at when I’m bored.

Even so, why did a member of the Demon King’s army come into the forest?
Honestly, there’s nothing in this forest that should be of any value to them.

paralysis potions, sleep potions, and a drawing of an old woman.
I’ve never seen an old lady wandering this forest.

What if that minotaur was searching for an old woman, and these paralysis and sleeping potions were meant to capture her?

Well, that’s possible.
Though, I have no idea why he would be doing that.

Thinking about it, the more plausible scenario is that he was just planning to kidnap the first woman he happened to find.
I’ve heard that in regions where demons roam, young women sometimes get abducted.
They probably used potions like these to drug them, calm them down, and bring them back.

No idea what the drawing means though.

Just then, someone appeared who might answer my questions.

But that “someone” wasn’t human; it was a demon. And not just one, either. They were traveling in a group.


From the same direction the minotaur came, more of its kind emerged.

A new set of minotaurs.
And they’ve brought a herd of cow-type monsters under their command.

Three minotaurs, and five cow-type monsters, the Ereshteia.


I see, so the first minotaur was a scout.
Demons really are troublesome.

And if this keeps up, it’ll be one against eight.

With three of them being minotaurs, the odds are definitely stacked against me.


Looks like my work as the Lord of the Forest isn’t done yet.
I’m overwhelmingly outnumbered. There’s no getting around that.

If I hid myself and messed with them using guerrilla tactics, I might actually stand a chance. The forest is my home turf, after all.

Normally, this would be the part where everybody runs, but I don’t have that luxury.
I’m a plant. I don’t have legs to run with.
My roots stay buried in the ground.

So my only choice is to stand here and fight.

After being reborn as a plant, I’ve gotten used to this kind of thing.

I don’t have any means of moving.
All I can do is defeat whatever enemy stands in front of me.

That’s how it’s always been.
And that won’t change now.
even if I know I don’t stand a chance.


So then, let round two begin.

If there are several of those minotaurs I struggled so much against, they might coordinate their attacks.
If that happens, I doubt I can handle it.

What’s more, the one in the middle is kind of scary.

He’s different from the other two, and from the one I beat earlier.

He has a scar over his left eye, covered by an eyepatch. But that’s not what’s frightening.

It’s the aura.

I may be a plant now, but I was once a saint who traveled with the Hero’s party. I’ve survived countless brushes with death and take pride in that.
It’s precisely because of who I am that I can understand certain things.

This minotaur is on a completely different level from the others.

The eyepatch minotaur, upon confirming the discarded armor of the scout, glared at me warily.

And sure enough, that one was the leader of the party.
He turned to the others and said, “Let’s do this.”

It’s natural for demons to possess the ability to speak. That didn’t surprise me.

The horde of minotaurs and bulls radiated killing intent.
Looks like they want to avenge their fallen companion.

Even for me, someone who’s defeated Papa Bear and plenty of other strong opponents, there’s no winning against these odds.
If it were one-on-one, maybe… but not like this.

Just as I’m debating whether I should propose a duel, the eyepatch minotaur started chanting.

He chanted words that sounded like a spell, and suddenly, his axe bursted into flames.

Fire magic!?

No doubt about it.
It’s fire magic, one of the Four Great Elements.

I was stunned.
The eyepatch minotaur can use magic too.

Even among humans, there weren’t many magic users. In fact, magical talent is rare.
It’s the same among demons.
No matter how much potential varies between races, individuals who could use magic are rare and powerful.

The flames around the minotaur’s great axe flared up explosively until it became one with fire.


Ah… no.
No no no.
I can’t win.


I’m weak to fire. I’m a plant.

Just seeing those flames makes my petals shrivel.
If I get burned, that’s the end.


Plus, this isn’t some amateur spellcaster.
He’s seriously skilled at magic.

Am I going to get burned alive?


“Looks delicious, and beautiful too.”

The minotaur opened his mouth, staring at me intensely.

As a flower, being called beautiful doesn’t feel bad, but I wished he’d stop saying I look delicious.

See, I have some emotional trauma about being considered tasty.

And with its next words, the minotaur offered me a second choice, forcing me into a terrible dilemma.

“Submit to us. If you refuse, I will burn you as an enemy.”

He wanted me to submit to them?

Drool trickled from the corner of his mouth.
He probably wants to lick me for nectar.

Enjoying my sweetness before he ultimately burns me.

Either I become dessert first and then get burned,
or get burned immediately without becoming dessert.
Both options are terrible.

Then… what if I just surrender?
What if I let myself become dessert?

Maybe then they won’t kill me, keeping me alive as a treat.

To offer the minotaur my nectar, I’ll have to let him lick my face.
I’d hate it, but at that point I’d already be his property.

I’d have to smile and offer nectar, even if I hated every moment.
The minotaur wouldn’t care. He would just lick and drink from me whenever he wanted.


I’d survive… but I’d be nothing more than a decorative plant, a pet.
My heart and soul would no longer be there.

But I’d still be alive.

A life spent offering myself, both body and nectar, to the minotaur.
Is living as a dessert better than dying?


———————No, that’s unbearable.

I can’t stand it.

Even Papa Bear licking me was humiliating enough.
Being enslaved by some brutish minotaur and licked for the rest of my life?
I’d regret that forever.

Even if it meant sacrificing my body, I refuse to surrender my soul


Even if I burn and return to the soil, I won’t regret it.

The pride of the saint and duke’s daughter I once was refuses to let me bow.
I won’t dedicate my life to a demon.

I’ll live for myself—a quiet, peaceful life spent basking in the sunlight..
I refuse to live a life branded with humiliation, kept like some pet for my nectar.


I’ll fight to the end.

Even if my body burns to ashes………


I braced myself with thorns to show my refusal.

My determination to resist must’ve been clear, as the eyepatch minotaur, showing no mercy, stepped forward.


But suddenly, he stopped.
What’s wrong?

At the same instant, something fluttered at the edge of my vision.

I looked and saw a familiar friend hovering.
It was Ms. Bee.

My knight in shining stripes had arrived, bringing her comrades.

And not just her.
on the opposite side, a swarm of butterflies gathered.

Lady Butterfly, my dance partner, returned with her graceful troupe.


Did you… come back to help me?

I didn’t even ask you to.

Look at the enemy.
They’re stronger than any of us.
And they wield fire.

We’re all weak to fire.
One hit and we turn to charcoal.
It’s too dangerous, you should’ve ran.

And yet… you still came for me.


No, what do I do? The nectar’s spilling from my eyes.

The nectar won’t stop.

Normally the bees and the butterflies would rush to collect so much nectar,
But today they ignored it completely and faced the minotaurs instead.


Since becoming an Alraune, life has been nothing but misfortune…
but being able to be part of this forest club with my friends… that’s the one good thing.

Alright. I’ve made up my mind.

I won’t let my knights and Lady Butterfly get burned after coming this far for me.

For everyone who cares about me, I can’t lose


Even if I can’t win alone, together we can fight.
Let’s take them down, together.

The peace of this forest will be protected by us, the forest club.


So then, Mr. Minotaur…

If you wouldn’t mind, may I have this dance?

It’s your first time in this forest, isn’t it?
Allow us forest maidens to welcome you properly.

And this won’t be an ordinary ball.
It’s a rather rough, martial-arts style dance.

Now then, everyone, are you ready?

Let the welcome ball begin.

***

Author’s Note:

Thank you very much for reading and always supporting the story.
As a little token of gratitude, tomorrow I’ll be doing a rare double update.

Next Time: A Joint Dance Party by the Forest Club and the Demon King’s Army