I’m an Alraune, a plant monster girl who has finally found peace.
And right now, I’m gently patting my adorable little sister, the little witch, on the head with my vines.


There, there.
The little witch is just too cute.

So cute I could just eat her up.

Ah, I don’t mean that literally, of course.
I’m not that savage or gluttonous of a girl.



“Lady Alraune, that was amazing!”


A moment later, the fairy Kiri and the Treant, my little junior, came running over.
Even after a disaster like that, not a single one of us was lost.
Just that makes me happier than anything.


Back when I was in my old forest, I was always alone.

But now, I have so many companions.


No matter how painful things get, just knowing I’m not alone makes me happy.
The little witch, the Treant, and Kiri.

Thank you for staying by my side.
Let’s keep living together from now on!



As I soaked in that feeling of gratitude, a brilliant idea suddenly came to mind.

From here on, we’ll be living in this forest.
Which means we’ll definitely need money.
After all, we’ve got a human with us—the little witch.


And that’s where one of the Four Heavenly Kings, Garuda Hræsvelgr of the Radiant Crown, comes in.
Those golden feathers of his were incredibly tough, and they shimmered with a beautiful, radiant light.

I wonder if those feathers could be sold.
As the little witch’s older sister, I need to think carefully about how we’re going to make money.


I brought the massive Venus flytrap I had hidden underground back up to the surface.
After confirming the golden birdman inside wasn’t moving, I had the plant spit out his body with a dull thud.

Venus flytraps don’t have very strong digestive abilities.
I do plan on improving that in the future, but for now I’ll play it safe and have my bulb finish consuming him instead.


Good. He hasn’t completely dissolved yet.
The golden feathers infused with light magic were still intact.
I can still make use of these.


If I’m going to ask someone for help, it’s got to be a fairy, right?


“Kiri… pluck those feathers… off.”

“No way, they’re covered in digestive fluids. That’s gross.”

“In exchange… for the feathers… I’ll give you nectar.”

“As you wish, Lady Alraune!”


Kiri eagerly got to work collecting the feathers.
Alright, that should secure our materials.



Just as I was feeling pleased about this unexpected bonus, a sprout suddenly pushed up from the ground nearby.


The tiny shoot quickly grew, becoming a large tree in the blink of an eye.

The speed of the plant’s growth reminded me of my own Plant Generation ability.
What’s going on?


“I never expected you would defeat one of the Four Heavenly Kings.”


To my surprise, a woman appeared, leaning against the large tree.


Her green hair was like that of trailing vines, and branches sprouted from her head like hair ornaments. She wore a beautiful white gown, intricately arranged with winding vines.

There’s no mistaking it. It’s Lady Dryad, the forest spirit.

But as a forest spirit, Lady Dryad shouldn’t be able to move away from her true body, the great tree.
So how in the world did she make it all the way here?


“I apologize for startling you. By extending the roots of my true body, the great tree, deep underground, I am able to move within the forest in a limited manner like this.”


So that means the tree that just grew here is actually part of the great tree where Lady Dryad resides.
By extending her roots, she can manifest her form anywhere within the forest.


Wait, that’s allowed?
Lady Dryad, that’s incredible!


“Thank you for protecting this forest and the sanctuary. You have my gratitude, Alraune.”

“No, this is… my job as the… forest’s guard.”

“Even so, it is too soon to relax. I observed this battle using spirit magic. Alraune, did you happen to notice the blue flower growing inside the giant eagle’s mouth?”


Now that she mentions it, there was a blue flower sticking out from the beak of that giant eagle monster, the Begia Adler.

Unfortunately, its body was completely erased by Garuda Hræsvelgr’s Heiligenschein, so there was no way to confirm it now.
What a waste… with a body that big, I could’ve spent several days slowly munching away at it.


“That blue flower is parasitic. It was planted by my elder sister, the Dryad of the western forest.”


Lady Dryad’s older sister…
In other words, the spirit aligned with the Demon King’s army, the one who killed the Hero of that time fifty years ago.
But what does that have to do with the blue flower?


“It is most convenient that one of the Four Heavenly Kings lies here. Open his beak and check deep inside his throat.”


Just as Lady Dryad instructed, I used my vines to pry open Garuda Hræsvelgr’s beak.
Pushing a vine deep into his throat, I felt something growing inside.
With a firm tug, I yanked it out, and what came out was a blue flower.

Incredibly, a flower had been growing inside the body of the Heavenly King.


“What… is this flower?”

“If that blue flower reaches the brain, it robs the host of their freedom. It is a dreadful flower that turns its victims into my sister’s puppet.”


A flower that can take control of someone’s body…
That really is a dreadful ability.


“Lady Dryad… just who… is your older sister?”

“My sister killed the Hero of that time fifty years ago. For that achievement, she joined the Demon King’s army and has now risen to become one of the Four Heavenly Kings.”


Which means—

“My sister is the Dryad of the western forest, and one of the Four Heavenly Kings who serve as a pillar of the Demon King’s army.”


I didn’t think I’d be hearing the words “Four Heavenly Kings” again so soon.

That blue flower… is something her sister uses to control others.
In other words, Garuda Hræsvelgr of the Radiant Crown, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, had been controlled by Lady Dryad’s sister, who is also one of the Four Heavenly Kings.


The giant eagle that attacked me…
Garuda Hræsvelgr being sent into this forest…

All of it was orchestrated by her, the Dryad of the western forest.

I see… so that’s how it was.


It seems the true mastermind was another forest spirit all along.

***

Author’s Note:

Thank you for reading.

Next Time: The Truth Behind the Dryad’s Fall