This is from the little witch’s perspective.

***

My name is Rufé.

I’m a witch who’s raising a plant monster called an Alraune.


For some reason, while I wasn’t looking, the Alraune I had been raising so lovingly had multiplied.


“There’s so many Alraunes now… what am I supposed to do…?”


Alraune gave birth.
I’m shocked she would have so many children all at once.

I never imagined my Alraune, whom I treated like a little sister, would have babies.
After all, Alraune was only one year old.
I was eleven.
Even though she was ten years younger than me, she went and became an adult before I did, and I didn’t know how to feel about it.


Still, when did Alraune even get pregnant?
Could something have happened to her while the Demon King’s army kidnapped her?
Was that how she got pregnant and ended up giving birth to so many children?


You damn army bastards—what in the world did you do to my Alraune?!


But wait. Do plants even get pregnant in the first place?
I know they’re born from seeds, but I don’t really understand how it works.

Now that I think about it, plants seem to just multiply on their own. So maybe Alraune can reproduce by herself too.
In fact, vegetables and fruit were always growing from her vines.
In that case, it probably had nothing to do with the Demon King’s army.
Not that it mattered. They kidnapped my Alraune. I won’t forgive them for that.



The multiplied Alraunes made short work of the dragon.
Dragons are the sort of incredible creatures you only hear about in stories and legends.
For her to actually defeat something like that… Alraune is just too amazing.

I wonder why she’s so strong?
Maybe it’s because I water her well.


Once the battle was over, Alraune started chatting happily with the older girl who was one of my regular customers.
Watching Alraune get along so well with her made something tighten inside my chest.
Come to think of it, this was the first time I ever saw her talking to another human besides me.


What if Alraune grows attached to someone else?
What if I end up all alone again?
Anything but that!


As it turns out, that girl was a saint apprentice. She even used magic to help Alraune fight.
Maybe Alraune likes people who are strong.
If that’s true, then I have to show her that I can be useful too!



Later, when we got into a fight with a Dryad from the Demon King’s army and someone had to chase after the enemy priest who was fleeing into the town, a thought flashed through my mind. ‘This is it!’


I’m Alraune’s big sister.
I have to prove that I’m more suited to be Alraune’s big sister than that saint apprentice!



I took to the skies and flew after the priest.
The people fighting alongside us had probably realized I was a witch now, but there was nothing I could do about it.

Once this battle was over, Alraune and I would have to move somewhere else together.
Both of us were being hunted by humans.
After the Demon King’s army, the people of the town were sure to become our enemies next.


Before long, I spotted the priest running through the forest below.

I lifted a suitably sized fallen tree with levitation magic.
Once I was back in the air, I hurled it straight at him.


The priest was crushed beneath the fallen tree.

That was easier than I expected.
I am still a witch after all.
If I put my mind to it, I can do it!


“We certainly weren’t expecting an attack from the sky.”


The fallen tree I had thrown suddenly sprang back towards me.
I barely managed to dodge it.

The priest must’ve thrown it back at me.
So my attack didn’t actually defeat him.
To throw a whole tree high enough to reach me while I was flying, that was far beyond what any human should be capable of.


“You’re one of the Alraune’s human companions. We weren’t expecting you to be a witch, but you’re hardly a match for us. Why don’t you come down here for a bit?”

The priest’s hands stretched out like tree branches.
He looked completely normal, but he wasn’t human at all!


I tried to run, but it was too late.
Caught by the priest’s hand, I was dragged to the ground.

The branches pierced into the earth like roots, binding both my arms and legs in place.
Pinned flat against the ground, I found myself unable to budge even an inch.


I tried to transform into a bird and fly away, but for some reason, my transformation magic wouldn’t activate.


Something felt wrong. I looked down at my chest.
There, a thin branch extending from the priest’s hand had pierced into me.

The priest walked closer.


“It would’ve been troublesome if you struggled, so we injected you with a toxin that robs you of your freedom of movement. Now you won’t even be able to speak.”


I’m sorry, Alraune.
I failed…


“We would normally kill you with poison, but this is a rare opportunity. You’ll become a troll instead. Turn into a monster, slaughter humans, and serve Lady Feagismeinnicht.”


A seed sprouted from the priest’s palm.

Alraune had turned trolls back into humans a while ago. Was he going to turn me into one of those trolls too?
I hated the human me, and I hated the witch me. But I never thought I would one day become a monster.


Tears welled up in my eyes.
I’m just getting in the way.
Alraune might end up hating me for this.
This wasn’t how it was supposed to turn out…


The priest’s hand reached towards my mouth.
The seed touched my lips. Just as he was about to force it inside, a voice came from somewhere nearby.


“You finally made it back to town, and this is where I find you.”


Before I knew it, a short man was standing between me and the priest.

He was only a little taller than I was, with hair the same color as mine.
An old dwarf. The same one who spoke to me in town the other day.

Back then, I was scared half to death when he almost figured out that my hair was naturally white.
But why was that same dwarf here in the forest?


The priest glared at the old dwarf.


“You… where did you come from…? Who are you?”

“Let’s just say I’m a passin’ adventurer. I have a bit of business with this young lass here, so I decided to lend her a hand.”

“So you’re one of the town’s adventurers? Then you’re another target for extermination. Do you really think a mere dwarf can stand against one of the Demon King’s army’s Three Spirit Beasts?”


Countless branch-like arms shot out from the priest’s body towards the dwarf.


“I suppose I have no choice then. This is self-defense, y’know.”


The dwarf was suddenly surrounded by a whistling gust of wind.
The next instant, the priest’s branches were sliced into shreds.
“W-What?!” The priest cried out in shock as his body fell apart.

Then, a blinding flash erupted from the priest’s body.
His body, now reduced to a charred black husk, burned fiercely.

I had absolutely no idea what had just happened.


“A cheap imitation of a Dryad was never going to defeat me.”


The dwarf defeated the priest.
He was strong… but more importantly, he saved me.

The dwarf walked over and pulled back the hood covering my face as I lay on the ground.


“No burn scars after all… just as I thought, your hair really is white.”


He was talking about the lie I told him before—that my hair had turned white because of burns.
I never expected him to verify that right here.


I wanted to thank him, but my mouth still wouldn’t move.
The poison still hadn’t worn off yet.


“No need to worry. I came here only to help you.”


He was going to help me.
I’d been sure he was going to capture me because I was a witch.


“Looks like the poison’s left you unable to move. Ain’t that convenient. This forest is ‘bout to become a battlefield, so you best sleep through it.”


The old dwarf held something beneath my nose.

His smiling face began to blur.

A wave of dizziness washed over me, making it feel as though the world were spinning around me.
He softly closed my eyelids. For a dwarf, his hand felt surprisingly gentle.


I thought I heard someone whisper, “Good night.”
It was a strangely familiar voice… but where had I heard it before?

Ah, never mind. I’m just so sleepy.


Unable to think of anything anymore, I drifted into a deep sleep.

***

Author’s Note:

This chapter was from the little witch’s perspective.

It seems this battle is finally over.
However, while the little witch was pursuing the priest, the Alraune’s own battle had already begun.

Next Time: Alraune vs. Dryad (Part One)