I’m an Alraune, a carnivorous plant monster girl.
And those two men screaming and running over there are adventurers.


The moment they saw me eating, they took off at full speed.

Being called a monster was kind of a shock…
but while they were running, I heard them muttering something about the “saint,” which caught my attention. Piquing my interest, I decided to stop the two of them


I invited them to a tea party.
It’s my first time hosting humans, so I’m a little nervous.


“The vines are coming this way!”

“Run! If they catch us, we’re dead!”


Hey now, you two have been shouting this whole time. You’re being a bit noisy.
Like scolding a child, I grabbed one of the adventurer’s legs with a vine.


“Heeeelp meeeeeee!!”

“Partner—!!”


The grown man dangled in the air, crying and flailing.
The other, seeing his partner caught by the vine, stopped running.


“I-I won’t let you eat my partner!!”


The other adventurer charged at me with his sword raised, his arms and legs trembling.
His face was stiff with fear.
He even had his eyes shut too…


“Gyah!?”


Ah… what do I do?
He tripped over a pile of bird monster carcasses and fell over on his own.


“Partner—!!”

“I-It’s over for ussss!!”


The two of them wailed at the top of their lungs.
Judging from how pitiful they look… maybe they’re new adventurers?
This makes it seem like I’m the bad guy here.


I should tell them I’m not planning on eating them.


“Don’t worry… I’m not going to… eat you.”


At the sound of my words, the adventurers suddenly fell silent.
Alright, let’s keep this going. I need to convince them I’m a harmless monster.


“Hey… why don’t we… get along?”


I gave them a gentle smile.
A smile worthy of a saint.

If they see me in my human form, maybe they’ll relax a little.


But the timing couldn’t have been worse.
I was still in the middle of eating birds, with their remains stuffed into my lower mouth.
When I smiled with my upper mouth, the mouth on my bulb instinctively followed too, opening up into a wide grin.


“Eeeeeek!!”

“T-There are crushed bird monsters inside that plant’s mouth… When it says ‘let’s get along,’ does that mean we’re next…?”


H-Huh…?

Why are they even more scared now?

What am I supposed to do here?!



Just as I was getting overwhelmed by confusion, help arrived from the forest.



When I turned to look, a withered tree was sprinting toward us with sharp, athletic movements.

It was my little junior, the Treant, and the fairy Kiri. They’re back.
As I waved a vine at the Treant, saying, “Welcome back,” the adventurer who had fallen let out another scream and started running again.


“Some weird dead tree is charging at us!”

“It’s a monsterrrrr!!”


Cutting through the vines around his friend’s legs with a sword, the adventurer fled with his partner without looking back.
On their way out, they even threw away their weapons.
They really didn’t need to be that scared.


But I might’ve let my guard down a little.
Because my attention shifted to the Treant and fairy Kiri, the adventurers managed to escape.
So much for my tea party invitation.

I could have the Treant chase after them, but if there were other adventurers waiting outside the forest, it could get messy, so I decided against it.


As I gazed out towards the forest, Kir, who had sensed traces of humans, flew over to me with a worried look on her face.


“Did some humans come?”

“Yes… two of… them.”

“I see… so they finally found us.”


The fairy muttered anxiously.
It’s nice of her to worry about me. So she does have a kind side after all.
Guess she’s not just a nectar-obsessed fairy.


“They… probably won’t come back… so it’s fine… right?”

“You can say that because you don’t know humans, Alraune. I don’t think they’ll give up that easily.”


Actually, I used to be human.
I wonder what Kiri would say if I told her that.
Somehow, I feel like she wouldn’t believe me and brush it off as nonsense coming from an Alraune.


“Just in case… I’ll cast that on you.”


As the fairy chanted something under her breath, a small orb of light slipped into me.


“Kiri… what… was that?”

“A little charm using spirit magic. Just in case anything happens to you.”


Like a protective spell?
If so, even if it doesn’t do anything, I’m happy just knowing she cares.

After thanking the fairy, I turned my attention to the swords the adventurers dropped on the ground.


What should I do with them?
A sword must be important to an adventurer.
If they come back for them, I should keep them safe.

Oh, I’ve got a great idea!


These swords could work as kitchen knives.

Up until now, the little witch could only bite straight into vegetables, but with this, she’ll be able to cook.


I’ll borrow them as knives until those adventurers come back for them.
What a nice find!



Still, that adventurer earlier mentioned a “saint,” didn’t he?
It must be the saint apprentice who’s said to be in Tower City.

Maybe it’s even the same person I saw riding in that carriage when I first came to the Forest of Dryades.

Judging from what that adventurer said as they ran off, it sounds like they came here because of something the saint apprentice told them.


Perhaps they saw my battle with one of the Four Heavenly Kings the other day?
That flock of bird monsters was pretty conspicuous. Maybe someone in the city spotted it.


If those adventurers came to investigate the bird monsters, then they should just report back to the city that there are no longer any threats, since, well… they’ve all already become my food.
If the town isn’t in danger anymore, then everything’s fine, right?
If anything, I’d say I deserve some praise for taking out part of the Demon King’s army!

For now, peace has returned to the forest. What a relief!



Come evening, the little witch returned from the town.

It seems the nectar didn’t sell very well.
She looked a bit down because of it.


“Maybe I’m just not cut out for business…”


The little witch doesn’t know what she should do to sell more nectar.


Alright then, big sis will teach you a secret technique!


I never sold anything back when I was a saint, but from my past life as a high school girl, I’ve picked up a bit of knowledge.

So I gave the little witch some advice.
If she hands out small free samples of the nectar, people might try it and decide to buy it!


I used to fall for that trick all the time whenever I went shopping at the supermarket.
Those freshly grilled sample sausages at the sample counter would always tempt me.

Back then, after finishing a sample and saying, “This is good,” my mom would already be there, reluctantly picking up a pack.
Once people know how it tastes, I’m sure more of them will want to buy it!
So this time, we’ll be the ones using that strategy!



The next day.

I’ve already passed on the sample strategy to the little witch.
Now the question is how many people in town can she actually call out to.

But more than that, what matters most is that she comes back safely.


“Did you… make sure to… bring your lunch?”

“…Yeah.”


I made her lunch early this morning before she left for work.

Roasted turnips and grilled broad beans wrapped in leaves, and an apple for dessert.


Carrying a small barrel on her back and a bucket holding her lunch, the little witch set off to sell nectar.

I tenderly wrapped a vine around her free hand and gave it a light squeeze.


“Be… careful.”

“I’ll be fine, leave it to me. But… I could use some send-off nectar…”

“Well… it can’t be helped… I suppose.”


I bit into one of my vines, coating it generously with nectar.
The little witch took a deep bite, letting thick droplets fall to the ground.
Through the vine, I could feel the faint sensation of her tongue licking it clean.

As the little witch drank her fill with a happy expression, I was overcome by a sense of bliss.
I’m starting to feel like I’ve become her food.


“Thanks for the meal. I’m off now.”

“Do your… best.”


Her small, soft hand slipped away from my vine.
And just like that, the sensation of her touch faded.


I kept waving my vines until her back disappeared from view.

In a way, it feels like I’m a newlywed wife seeing her husband off to work.


But being a newlywed isn’t easy.


Because intruders, like unwelcomed lovers, have begun appearing in the little love nest the little witch and I share.


And their target is me.
While I’m left alone in the forest, they charge in, filled with killing intent.

That’s right.

Adventurers have started coming to hunt me down—a monster.

***

Author’s Note:

It turns out the little witch hadn’t really been calling out to customers at all while selling nectar.
The only reason she’d been making sales was thanks to the saint apprentice, who was the first customer, and her friends, who kept coming back as repeat customers.

Next Time: I’m Not a Bad Alraune