I am Alraune, a plant monster.
I was hiding beneath the earth when a nectar-crazed bear discovered me.
Lured by my sweet scent, the Bear Squad Leader had dug into the soil with single-minded devotion.
And then, he found me.
It was practically a horror scene.
I never expected to be caught, so it gave me quite a shock.
The Harpy standing beside the Bear Squad Leader looked just as stunned, wondering aloud, "Why is there an Alraune under the ground...?"
Usually, plants bloom above the surface. I can understand her confusion.
However, the flower known as the Rhizanthella blooms underground.
So please, forgive me. As far as the Rhizanthella is concerned, I was simply acting according to my nature.
Even so, I decided to make use of the situation.
First, the Bear Squad Leader extended his tongue toward me.
Unable to contain himself, he prepared to attack. I wondered if he even realized who I was.
Unfortunately, I couldn't just let him lick my body.
Having been licked all over by Kuma-papa in the past, I never wanted to experience such a humiliating ordeal again.
Furthermore, from the Bear Squad Leader's perspective, he might have just been trying to lap up the nectar he loves so much.
But for the one being licked, it was unbearable.
Not just psychologically, but for my physical safety as well.
It would be a catastrophe if, by some chance, the Bear Squad Leader had pollen from another plant on his body.
The thought that he might have been licking the nectar of some unknown plant on his way here—and that his fur might have brushed against a stamen and picked up its pollen—filled me with unbearable anxiety.
Because if that were the case, I might end up being pollinated by some random, unknown plant.
That is exactly why I am incredibly wary when dealing with pollinators.
It was the same with Hachi-san.
Other plant monsters would probably welcome it, but as a former Saint, I must refuse.
For those reasons, Hachi-san and the bears are my natural enemies.
It wasn't that I would lose to them in a fight, but there was a possibility I could lose in a much more significant sense.
Which was why—I decided to get serious.
"Bear Squad Leader, stop!"
"I can't resist the smell of sweet nectar-kuma! I'm almost there-kuma!"
It was no use; simply calling out to him wouldn't bring him to his senses.
Thinking fast, I immediately bloomed a flower on one of my vines and produced nectar within it.
While it was a step down compared to the nectar harvested directly from my body, the nectar from my flowers still had a reputation for being top-tier.
Using the vine like a fishing line and the nectar as bait, I dangled it in front of the Bear Squad Leader's mouth.
The Bear Squad Leader, already at his limit, shifted his target to the nectar-filled flower that had suddenly appeared before him.
He lunged to take a bite—and I jerked the vine away.
With just that, I had complete control over the Bear Squad Leader's movements.
What a pure-hearted bear he was when it came to nectar.
Slowly and carefully, moving the vine so he couldn't catch it, I lured the Bear Squad Leader out of the hole.
Once he was outside, I stopped the vine.
I let a massive amount of nectar gush from the flower.
"Time to eat-kuma!"
I felt something snap at the flower blooming at the end of my vine.
I knew exactly what it was without thinking, but I tried to push the image out of my mind.
I had protected my main body, so I decided to leave it at that.
While the Bear Squad Leader was preoccupied with the nectar, it was time to deal with the Harpy.
I used my vines to capture her while she was still looking completely repulsed by the nectar-crazed Bear Squad Leader.
Perhaps because she hadn't grasped the situation yet, she was caught quite easily.
"A blunder! This Alraune... is she really that Crimson Flower Princess Alraune?!"
"Now, say 'ah.'"
"Mmmph?!?!?!"
I bound the Harpy with vines and forced her mouth open.
Once she was ready, I gave her a present of my nectar.
Though the Harpy struggled at first, once she swallowed the nectar, she became remarkably docile.
Her face looked as though it were melting away.
It seemed she liked it.
"I didn't even want nectar... b-but it's too sweet! I've never known anything like this...!"
"There's plenty more for seconds."
"I want to drink it! I want more nectar! Give it to me, hurry!"
This Harpy seemed to have quite the talent for this.
Even though she had been repulsed by the Bear Squad Leader's state just a moment ago, she had become the same way before I knew it.
Thinking about it, Parca-san was impressive for a fellow Harpy.
Even though she was supposed to be nectar-crazed, she never lost her composure to this extent. I suppose since a pervert is a pervert by nature, drinking nectar doesn't change them much.
And so, following the Bear Squad Leader, the Harpy messenger was also stained by the nectar.
As I extended my roots and emerged onto the surface, the members of the beastman squad watched from a distance, looking quite put off.
Among them were some who looked like they wanted to beg for nectar, but I had no intention of being any more generous than this.
"Bear Squad Leader, order everyone to pull back."
"Understood-kuma! You guys, go off and do some hunting or something-kuma!"
The Bear Squad Leader's orders must have been absolute, as the members of the squad reluctantly moved away and disappeared into the depths of the forest.
It felt a little cruel to make them leave without giving them anything.
I decided to give the Bear Squad Leader some nectar as a souvenir so they could all drink it together later.
Thus, only four of us remained: myself, the Bear Squad Leader, the Harpy messenger, and Witch-ko, who had flown down in her form as a white bird.
Now, the real work began.
"Bear Squad Leader, if you have any new information, please tell me."
"Nothing in particular-kuma. I got lost and couldn't reach Edelweiss, and I barely made it here-kuma. It's embarrassing-kuma."
Well... that couldn't be helped.
I had intended to use the Bear Squad Leader as an information source, but that had failed.
However, it wasn't a total failure.
Because thanks to the Bear Squad Leader, I had found my next target.
"Well then, Harpy-san, since you're a messenger, you must know all sorts of things. If you'd like, why don't you tell me about the Demon King Army?"
"Hmph, as if I'd tell you anything. As a messenger, even if I'm captured by the enemy, I won't spill a word until I die!"
"Look at this. It's... additional nectar."
"I-I'll talk! Anything! I'll tell you anything! Just give me that nectar!"
I do like honest girls.
Once I soaked the Harpy in nectar as she requested, she spilled everything, including things I hadn't even asked.
- The Prime Minister of the Demon King's Army is leading the First Army toward the Royal Capital.
- The Second Army is even further ahead, already lying in wait near the Royal Capital.
- His Excellency the Prime Minister is apparently furious after learning that the Third Army, which was supposed to attack Edelweiss, was annihilated by the Crimson Flower Princess Alraune.
- The Royal Capital is protected by a Holy Magic Barrier (Dämonenwand) and cannot be entered, but an internal traitor in the capital is scheduled to lower it at the right moment.
- The identity of the traitor has not been revealed to her, as she is just a messenger.
- Yesterday, a delegation from the Kingdom of Myrte Holy Light arrived at the Royal Capital.
- All the guests for the wedding between the Lord of the Tower City and the Imperial Princess have arrived.
- The blockade of the roads leading to the Royal Capital is complete. The Kingdom's messengers and messenger pigeons are being intercepted before they can reach the capital.
- The attack on the capital is set for the day of the wedding.
- The Imperial soldiers within the Royal Capital are also planned to revolt at the same time.
- Since the neighboring lords have already gathered as guests in the capital, the individual territories have not yet realized that strange events are occurring around the capital.
- A few territories have noticed something is wrong, but it will take time for them to rush to the capital, so it's not a problem.
- She is jealous of her colleague, Parca-san.
- She had actually wanted to try the Alraune's Saint Nectar for a long time.
- Now that she knows this taste, she can never go back to her old life. She wants more nectar.
...And so on.
Since the Harpy messenger was talking non-stop, Witch-ko even returned to her human form and started drinking nectar alongside the Bear Squad Leader.
While there were many things to be concerned about, there was no doubt that the traitor was Zelma.
My former junior Apprentice Saint, and one of the people who betrayed and killed me.
Once I went to the Royal Capital, I'd finally be able to see Zelma.
The delegation from the Kingdom of Myrte Holy Light was also concerning.
I was sure Nina was supposed to be in Myrte, so perhaps she had returned to the capital with the delegation.
The last letter I received from her said it had been discovered that Saint Nectar could become an Elixir, and that the Goddess's Priestess was wary of me.
Furthermore, the Goddess's Priestess was the one who had sent Priest Pandia, an angel, to investigate me.
She had even ordered Pandia to eliminate me in the worst-case scenario, so there was no doubt things would get troublesome if we encountered each other in the capital.
Come to think of it, I—Iris—had met the previous Goddess's Priestess, but I had no acquaintance with the current one.
I wondered what kind of person she was.
"In any case, we understand the situation now."
We needed to enter the Royal Capital before the wedding day and neutralize Zelma and the Imperial soldiers inside.
At the same time, we had to deal with the Demon King Army approaching the capital.
Then there was the captured Witch Queen, the Goddess of Darkness Hecate who was targeting her, and Pandia-san the angel who was opposing her... there were so many problems.
"Well, I'll just have to do something about it."
Everything had been difficult until now, but we had managed somehow.
So I was sure it would work out this time too.
"Thank you for the information. Bear Squad Leader, Harpy-san, please go and eliminate the Imperial soldiers who are blockading the road."
"Understood-kuma!"
"Understood!"
Having received their nectar souvenirs, the Bear Squad Leader and the Harpy messenger immediately departed the forest.
Perhaps this would improve the situation even a little bit.
"Well then, shall we go too?"
Even though I said that to Witch-ko, there was no response.
She was staring intently at me with a serious expression. I wondered what was wrong.
"Hey, Alraune. I just thought of something good."
In that moment, Witch-ko's body distorted.
She was using her Witch's Magic to transform.
"Th-that form is...!"
"...How is it? Does it suit me?"
The figure standing there was no longer the Witch-ko with white hair and animal ears from a moment ago.
Instead of hands, she had bird wings, and her feet were bird talons.
Wrapped in blue feathers, she looked exactly like a Harpy in every way.
She had transformed into the Harpy messenger from earlier.
"In this form, I can blend in with the Demon Race."
"You certainly look just like a Harpy. But what are you going to do with that?"
"I'll pretend to be a messenger and enter the Second Army's camp, and then the two of us can annihilate the Demon King Army."
Her eyes were so pure and sparkling.
Given her track record of single-handedly wiping out the Third Army of the Demon King Army at Edelweiss, I immediately understood that she wasn't joking.
As her sister, I was worried.
Before I knew it, Witch-ko had become incredibly combative!