Continuing from the perspective of the little witch, White Bird-san.

***

I’m Rufé, the witch.
Lately, whenever I had some free time, I would transform into a bird and go observe the Alraune.

That Alraune needed me.
Which meant it was my responsibility to take care of her.

Because I’d been using my dark magic to turn into a white bird almost every day, I’d completely mastered flying by now.

At this point, I wouldn’t lose to real birds at all.

Even if I were attacked by a monster that birds normally couldn’t escape from, I could always just stack levitating spells on myself and get away.

Thanks to my witch powers, I was able to move freely through the dangerous forest.

This was all for the sake of observing and caring for the Alraune, the one who avenged my parents and saved my life.



Now then, let’s take a look at how the Alraune spent her day.

Most of it was spent basking in the sun, soaking up its warmth.

With nothing in particular to do, she looked bored.
Just spacing out the whole time.

Every now and then, when a bee monster came by, she would give it nectar.

Other than that, she would catch animals or monsters that wandered too close to her vines and eat them.
The eating scenes are still a little scary to watch.

If I got too close, I’d probably be eaten too.
I really don’t want to be dissolved by a flower.

Since plants can’t move on their own, it seemed she really couldn’t do anything by herself. Everything was reactive.
She had no freedom at all. It was kind of sad.


The Alraune, though, would sometimes talk to herself.

She moved her vines like puppets, muttering something under her breath.

Her eyes looked vacant… I wondered what was wrong with her.
Whenever that happened, she always ended up crying in the end.

Without making a sound, she would stare up at the sky with the eyes of a dead fish, shedding tears as her mouth opened and closed.

For her to act this strangely… could the talking flower be sick?

Or maybe she’s just lonely.

She was always all alone, after all.
Just like me.

We’re kind of alike, aren’t we?

Witches and monsters were both hated by humans.

Because we shared so many things in common, even if it was selfish of me, I felt like I had made my very first friend.

Not a human, but a plant monster.
And yet, I felt a closer connection to this Alraune than to anyone I had ever met in my life.

A flower as a friend.
For a lonely, outcast witch like me, maybe she was my perfect match.



One day, the Alraune was being attacked by a huge bear.

I have to help her!
But how?

The Alraune, struggling desperately, pulled something out of her mouth.
It looked like a ball of nectar.

The bear was fascinated by the nectar ball, but the Alraune threw it up into the sky

Just tossing it into the bushes of the forest wouldn’t make the bear chase after the nectar candy.
It’d be easier to steal more nectar directly from the Alraune right in front of it than to search for the candy that had disappeared into the distance.

With no other choice, I sprang into action.
My beak managed to catch the nectar ball as it sailed through the air.

With the nectar ball held tight, I circled around the bear, provoking it on purpose.
With that, I was able to lure it all the way to the edge of the forest.

I’m amazing!

That makes me the Alraune’s lifesaver, doesn’t it? She should be more grateful.

And the talking flower was the one who avenged my parents.
Since we’re each other’s benefactors, let’s get along from now on.



My caretaking continued.

But even though I worked so hard for the talking flower, she was still a wild flower in the end.

No matter how much I took care of her, she never grew fond of me.

After all, she tried to lure me in and catch me!

A few days after I led the bear far away,
Worried about how she was doing, I landed near the Alraune.

Then, vines suddenly burst out of the ground; It startled me so much!

If I’d been even a second slower in using my levitation magic, I definitely would have been captured by her vines.
By now, I’d probably be dissolving inside the Alraune’s big mouth.

T-too scary!

Even for a carnivorous plant, that was way too indiscriminate.
I wished she would recognize me by now and understand that I was a bird she shouldn’t eat.

I think it was about time she started trusting me a little.

Still, I’m not a plant—I’m an intelligent human.

So even if a flower I’ve been caring for almost bites me, I won’t get angry.
No owner would immediately kill their dog just because it bit them once.

I refuse to give up on someone just because they’re difficult.
That’s exactly like being labeled evil and hunted by other humans just because they’re a witch. And that’s terribly sad…………

If I keep treating her kindly, then someday, I’m sure the Alraune will open her heart to me.



I thought I was a gentle witch, but the talking flower turned out to be an utterly wild one.

She actually managed to take down that huge bear from a few days ago.

That bear… it was supposed to be the Lord of the Forest, wasn’t it?
The village chief had warned us that the forest was home to a very dangerous bear.


This Alraune wasn’t just special because she could understand human speech.
She’s stronger than a bear that size! There’s no way she’s an ordinary flower.

As expected of the flower I’ve been taking care of.
Looks like I do have a good eye for talent after all!

But from now on, I have to be extra careful.
If I get too close, the Alraune might just eat me without a second thought.

After all the care I’ve given her, getting eaten by her is the one death I would absolutely hate. It’d be as absurd as being burned at the stake for being a witch.



Observing her more closely, I noticed something amazing. It seems that the Alraune can make any plant she eats her own.

She had different kinds of flowers blooming along her vines, so I was pretty sure about it.

In fact, when I deliberately dropped a red rose and a blue flower for her to eat, the same flowers soon sprouted along her vines.

To think she has such a special ability… this Alraune really is incredible!

Still, even a special Alraune was ultimately a wild flower.

When I dropped the blue flower, she extended her vines toward me while I was flying.

Wait, she definitely tried to capture me, didn’t she?
As proof, after that, she began actively attacking small birds.

She spread her toxins over the little birds as if taking revenge for not being able to catch me.
Then she swallowed the ones that fell to the ground.

If I wasn’t careful, I could have been eaten just like them.

Wait… she’s aiming for me!
What an ungrateful flower!!
I mean, she’s a plant, so I don’t really mind, but…

Being eaten by a flower is absolutely out of the question. I’m not ready to die yet.
Maybe I should stop giving her plants as gifts for a while.



Even so, my gifts never stopped.

Because my feelings for this Alraune had grown beyond simply taking care of her.

Other than my parents, I’d never truly cared so deeply for anyone.
Until now, there was no one else I’d truly wanted to cherish with all my heart.


Now, without my parents, this plant monster had become the most important being in my life.
The Alraune had become like family to me.

A witch, left all alone.
And an Alraune, left all alone in the forest.

A witch, an enemy of humans.
A monster, an enemy of humans.

Both hated by others.
We’re like sisters with similar circumstances.

We support each other’s loneliness through our very existence.

All this time, I believed I had been working hard for the Alraune’s sake.
I saved her life several times.
I was always the one helping her.

But somehow, without realizing it, the Alraune had been helping me, too.
I hadn’t realized that her very presence had become my emotional support.

From the day my beloved parents died until now, the reason I chose to keep living like this was all for the sake of nurturing this flower, the Alraune.

If I hadn’t met her, I probably wouldn’t even be in this world right now.

Without my parents, life had no meaning for me.
That was why it felt as if I were offering myself to the forest monsters, throwing my life away.

Or I might have ended up getting defeated by the monkey monster who killed my parents.

None of that happened thanks to Alraune.

From then on, I resolved to give everything I had for her sake.


Because Alraune was the only truly precious existence in this world for me.

Besides, after all the care I’ve given her, she’s already practically mine, right?

My precious Alraune.


I will protect her, no matter what.

***

Author’s Note:

Thank you very much for reading.

Next Time: Diary; The Little Witch’s First Plant Cultivation Project (Winter)