I was an Alraune—a plant-type monster girl.
In exchange for providing my nectar, I had managed to arrange for regular food deliveries and a full-time security detail. Thus began my life as a sheltered ward of the bees.
It honestly made me feel like an idol being showered with gifts by her fans. Or perhaps a princess. Occasionally, a few of them would get a bit too rowdy and try to pounce on me, but I would just smack them down with my vines to drive them off. Bad children deserve a good scolding, after all!
Come to think of it, all worker bees are female. That meant these bees guarding me like valiant warriors were actually Lady Knights.
My little circle of bees was essentially a Lily Garden. This place was basically a girls' academy, with me, the Alraune, at its center.
Since they were gathering around me, I figured I should give the group a name. A club name? No, let's go with a circle name. I decided to call us the Forest Lily Council.
"Good day to you."
"Tell me, dear Sister, which bee might you be?"
"Oh? You reside in the nest and are known as the Queen?"
"Your Majesty, I am profoundly honored that you see fit to dispatch your Lady Knights to me at all hours."
"Since we have this opportunity, let us swear a vow of sisterhood and become sisters-in-law. I wish to live under Your Majesty’s divine protection."
"Therefore, please appoint me as your sister. If you do, I shall call you 'Big Sister' as a token of my eternal respect and affection."
Now that I thought about it, I recalled that sisters were called "Sœur" in French. It was funny how being an otaku filled one's head with nothing but useless trivia. "Good day to you, Big Sister."
Just a short while ago, a bee had come charging at me, intent on pollination, only for me to slam it into the dirt. That bee was definitely playing the role of the Villainess. If she did something that stupid again, she would meet a Bad End by being eaten. Since there was no guarantee she’d get a chance to reincarnate, she really ought to value her life and choose a better route.
A few of them were troublemakers, but they were all good girls as long as they played nice.
Even now, look.
Take those Monkey Monsters, the Barbaaffe. I had defeated one yesterday, and today, its companions had arrived for a retaliatory strike. The entire tribe had shown up to seek revenge. There were over twenty of them in total.
Worse yet, they seemed to possess some level of intelligence. Several of them were carrying swords and spears, and a few even had bows. It was all getting a bit too dangerous for my liking. As expected, I couldn't handle this many on my own. One of the monkeys had actually managed to slice right through my vines.
That was a first.
Feeling the pressure, I decided to send out a distress signal. I used my super-regeneration to heal my vines and stretched them high into the sky.
And then, wouldn't you know it? From out of nowhere, the heavy drone of something flying approached at high speed.
The Lady Knights had arrived.
My friends, the Zornbiene, appeared like a team of elite bodyguards. Against twenty armed monkeys, nearly a hundred bees—each larger than a monkey—descended from the sky.
It was a total slaughter.
No matter how many weapons they had, it was impossible for the monkeys to knock down every single bee when the swarm charged all at once. The monkey family was wiped out in an instant.
Before I knew it, a white bird had flown in from somewhere and started pecking at the monkeys' remains. It looked exactly like a crow that had been painted stark white. To be scavenged by a bird after losing the fight—the monkey family really was quite pitiful.
"Now then, Mr. White Bird, I've never seen your kind before. Perhaps I'll have a little taste?"
Too bad. The bird took flight the moment I moved my vines.
But it didn't really matter. I had a massive feast prepared right here. Several of my Lady Knights had also been struck down during the counterattack and lay on the ground, but I planned to offer them comfort. With my digestive juices, of course!
Munch, munch.
Tonight's dinner consisted of raw monkey family and fresh bee.
The other bees didn't seem to care that the corpses of their comrades were becoming my prey. They were remarkably focused, likely because of the nectar. They grabbed about half of the monkey family and headed back to the nest. They were probably going to have a nice dinner with their own families. Must be nice; I was always stuck eating alone.
While I ate quietly by myself, I began to think about the future. After my brush with the crisis of forced pollination, I had made a firm decision. I had a goal.
I was tired of danger. I was done with being betrayed, and I certainly didn't want to be exterminated. Therefore, I would create a paradise where I could live in comfort.
A great forest, lush with nature, where plants friendly to me grew thick and tall. I would be surrounded by animals and monsters who adored me, and we would all live in peace and harmony. I would spend my days as a plant, quietly photosynthesizing.
My current situation was the first step toward that dream. I would continue to expand my influence in the forest until I secured a safe, carefree life.
It was on the night I settled on this goal that I saw something strange.
It happened while I was tucked inside my bud, sleeping soundly. I felt the temperature around me suddenly skyrocket. If I were still human, I would have been drenched in night sweats. Fortunately, I was currently a plant and didn't have to worry about that.
When I woke up inside my bud, I felt something pass directly overhead. It looked like a flaming airplane streaking across the sky. A mysterious, glowing Unidentified Flying Object. A UFO, though not necessarily one from outer space.
I wondered what it could have been, but it was the middle of the night—a time when even the trees and grass were supposed to be asleep. Since a flower needs her rest, I decided not to open my bud and simply went back to sleep.
Looking back, I think it started that day.
The rain stopped falling entirely.
At the time, I didn't realize the weight of the words I often whispered to myself: "I want water." For a plant like me, that desire was a matter of life and death.
I was about to learn that lesson the hard way.
Thank you for reading. I plan to continue updating with two chapters a day tomorrow. I look forward to your continued support.
Next time: Someone, please teach me how to perform a rain dance.