​​Nooo!
Don’t burn!!

Two trees right near me were already on fire.

If I left it like this, there’s no doubt the flames would spread.


This is bad!
If the forest catches fire, it’s not just me who’ll be in danger. Everyone living here will face a grim fate.

Many animals will be burned alive, and even those who managed to escape will lose their homes.

A forest reduced to blackened soil and ash can’t support life.

Ms. Bee, the female knights, and Lady Butterfly with her butterflies, they’d all lose their homes.

It’s too much. They’d just survived the battle against the minotaurs only to face another threat to their lives.
At least they’re flying creatures, so they might be able to escape if they’re lucky.


The plants, though… we can’t escape at all. Our total annihilation is inevitable.

There’s no future where I, or any of us, survive being burnt.


Why?
Why can’t plants walk?

Move! We’re on fire!
I don’t even know how many times I’ve thought that now. Not being able to move is the worst.


And it’s not just me, every tree in the forest is stuck in place.
That means we’ll burn together.


As the forest’s guardian, I can’t allow the forest to be lost.
I have to do something.

The fire’s only just began, after all.

Only two trees are burning, for now.
If I act now, before the flames spread, I should still be able to stop it!


I wrapped dozens of vines around the base of the burning trees. I coiled my vines around thickly to strengthen them and slow the fire.

Even so, the flames are reaching the vines.
It’s hot, but I’ll endure it.

More importantly, I have to do something quickly before the vines burnt out.


Take that!!

I stretched the vines hard and pulled the trees out by the roots.

I’ve swallowed whole trees before, so uprooting them is second nature to me.

I dragged the trees closer to me.

Around me, there’s barely any other vegetation.
After all, I ate them all!

So thanks to that, there’s nothing nearby for the fire to spread to.

If I moved the burning trees here, the fire wouldn’t reach the rest of the forest.


While I was uprooting one tree, the flames had already spread from the remaining tree to another one.
The number of burning trees went back up to two.

If I take any more time, the fire will spread faster, and I won’t be able to stop it.

I wrapped vines around both trees at once and pulled them from the ground. I tossed them into the empty space near me.


Still, I can’t relax.

A terrifying sight, my vines were now acting like fuses.
It was inevitable since I’d been holding the burning trees, but all my vines had caught fire too.

Flames crawled from dozens of vines toward me.

But don’t worry.
That’s where my fan comes in.

Not to fan, but to cut.

With my axe shaped iron feather fan, I chopped the burning vines one by one.

The severed vines burnt out on the spot where they fell.

On the other hand, using regeneration, my vines regrew back to their original state.
Regrowing out my vines again is easy enough.

And just like that, everything’s back to normal.

Somehow, I made it in time.



Red embers leapt from the roaring inferno, twirling and scattering through the sky.

The sparks flew right before my eyes, causing me to swat them away with my vines.
I hated the heat.

If by some misfortune, the fire had spread any further, I might’ve been nothing but sparks…

The three burning trees finally collapse into blackened charcoal.

Had fate not aligned just right, it could have been me burning there.


Anyways, that’s one crisis averted.

Three trees were sacrificed, but the forest avoided catching fire.


————That was too close.

Luckily, it was just a small blaze, nothing serious.

If another tree had caught fire before I could uproot the previous one, the forest might’ve gone up in flames… and that would’ve been the end.

With only a small fire, there would be no need to worry about it.
There was nothing around me, just open ground. I’d probably be fine.

But if the whole forest were caught in a massive fire, it would be another story.
Surrounded by flames, hit by scorching wind and falling sparks, even a plant like me would be finished.


So thank goodness the forest didn’t catch fire.
I’m not ready to burn up myself, either.

I still want to live a leisurely, peaceful plant life here in this forest for a while longer.



Rustling came from beyond the bushes.

It was the direction the minotaurs had come from.


Looking closely, I saw a minotaur running deep into the forest.


No way.
There was another one hiding?

Could it be… that there was a rear guard minotaur?

So there was a scouting minotaur, the main force with their leader, and a rear guard following behind.


Come to think of it, there were bulls carrying supplies.

There were five bulls.
But I only fought four minotaurs.

That means the remaining bull belonged to the Minotaur that just ran away.

This was a blind spot I hadn’t noticed.
Had I realized earlier, I might have had the chance to take it out first.


But there’s no time to think about that now.

I threw my iron feather fan—my axe—after it.

The axe lodged itself into a tree next to the fleeing Minotaur
I missed.

The minotaur kept running, disappearing deep into the forest’s thickets.


Ah… it got away.

Guess he was too far away for me to hit him.


Plus, I’d thrown the axe so far that even my vines couldn’t reach it.
There was no way I could retrieve it anymore.

It’s so frustrating I can’t walk out there to get it.

Thanks to that, the four axes I got as spoils of war went down to three.
Oh well, nothing I can do.



Still, why were minotaurs even here?

The eyepatch minotaur said it had “work ahead.”
Could it be connected to the old woman’s painting?

What’s in the opposite direction from where the minotaurs appeared?

If I remember correctly, the village where the honey‑obsessed boy stayed should be that way.
That said, there’s no reason for them to cross the forest just to attack a small village. There are plenty of other villages around.

Beyond the village, there should be a fairly large city known as Tower City.
Could that be where they were headed?

But that’s not the only mystery.
It’s one thing not to know why the minotaurs were passing through the forest, but it’s another entirely why the Demon King’s army appeared here at all.

This isn’t their territory. Their lands were further ahead.

Beyond this forest is the Fortress City, the frontline between The Kingdom of Gardenia and the Demon King’s forces.

Originally, me, alongside the other members of the Hero’s party, planned to pass through the mountains and reach Fortress City.

Beyond that, the area was under the Demon Lord’s control.

So even if their territory was nearby, it’s extremely unlikely for them to have come beyond Fortress City.

That’s because the castle there is impregnable, with both high‑quality soldiers and a large garrison.
Because of that, the Demon King’s army can’t simply pass through the walled city.

And yet, some minotaurs of the Demon King’s army had made their way to this forest.
Something must have happened at the front lines.

But as a monster, I can’t know anything for sure.
After all, a mere plant living in the forest can’t see or hear what’s happening in the outside world.


And if the Fortress City has already fallen… then the land beyond this forest could already be under the Demon Lord’s control.

What should I do?
Was letting the rear guard Minotaur escape a mistake?

He said he had work to do, so next time, they might come storming the forest even with stronger allies.

The eyepatch Minotaur whispered “Lord Grüschwanz” at the end, that’s probably the name of his boss. What if it’s a powerful, violent demon?


If that happens, then I really won’t stand a chance.

After all, I’m just a plant monster.


I can’t move to ambush them elsewhere, nor can I escape.

I’m stuck here, living in this place, whether I want to or not.

I never know when that minotaur might come seeking revenge.
And no matter how terrified I am, all I can do is go on with my everyday life, just as I always have.


Say for example:

One ordinary day, I’m sunbathing and doing my photosynthesis routine.

Suddenly, from outside my attack range, an enemy targets me with fire magic.
That’s it, I’m gone.

I wouldn’t be able to resist, nor fight back, nor drive them away.
Falling to my weakness, fire, I would be disposed of like an unwanted nuisance.


Ugh… that’s a bit unpleasant to think about.

I don’t want that. I just want to live quietly, like a simple plant.
I don’t want to be frightened anymore.


Please, I hope the Demon King’s army doesn’t come back.

Please don’t come back…

***

Author’s Note:

Thank you for reading.
I’m planning to do two updates again tomorrow. Thank you for your continued support..

Next Time: Alraune’s Dream