The Zornbiene brought me a flower monster.
She was to be a new "princess" for the bees to dote on, second only to me.
Her name was Man-eater.
She had a flower for a face, complete with vicious-looking teeth, and a tree trunk for a torso. Dozens of roots dangled from her body like the tentacles of a jellyfish. While she wasn't particularly tall—shorter than me, in fact—she was massive compared to any ordinary flower.
I wondered if the bees intended to harvest nectar from this Man-eater as well.
Or perhaps they brought in a newcomer because I’d stopped providing nectar during the drought? Honestly, that was an emergency; it couldn't be helped.
Besides, I highly doubted any delicious nectar would come out of this thing. How should I put it... her appearance was "intense," to say the least.
She looked terrifying.
I really wanted to ask her, "Are you related to a Rafflesia?"
This flower had a face that practically screamed, "I actively hunt humans."
Not only that, but the creature actually had the gall to try and intimidate me. She let out a bizarre "Gya-gya!" screech in my direction.
By all accounts, she was hostile.
However, I decided to handle it like an adult. I extended a vine to initiate a handshake, offering a polite "hello." As fellow flower monsters, I figured we should try to get along.
Yet, in a shocking display of rudeness, the creature bit my vine right off.
To bite the vine of someone you’ve just met... she was the absolute lowest of the low, a disgrace to ladylike behavior.
It didn't stop there. The Man-eater used her own vines to strike me, throwing a sharp, piercing blow like a karateka’s straight punch.
But I remained virtually unscathed.
To be honest, the enemy was severely lacking in power. I felt such a massive gap in our strength that I wanted to tell her to go train—maybe do ten thousand straight punches a day with a heart full of gratitude—before she even thought about challenging me again. I was clearly the superior being!
I am not an Alraune who would be toppled by a mere small-fry like a Man-eater.
This brat... to think she’d attack me so soon after our first meeting. Did she view me as an obstacle?
Now I was genuinely ticked off. Just because she was a flower didn't mean she’d get a pass. I have my pride as a flower to uphold, after all.
I saw right through her; she was trying to hog all the bees' affection for herself. I couldn't allow that!
Still, I tried to stay calm. I was the senior here. Even if a junior was being a bit rambunctious, it was a senior’s duty to gently admonish them.
Wait, hold on.
Thinking about "juniors" just reminded me of that infuriating Apprentice Saint—that piece of trash. How dare she steal my fiancé, the Hero, and then have me executed after framing me for her own crimes.
Juniors must die. They must be destroyed.
This forest doesn't need any "Forest Princess" other than me. I am the one who will bring the bees happiness!
Once I’d branded her an enemy, I cast mercy aside.
I ensnared the Man-eater with my vines. In terms of thickness, length, and sheer numbers, I outclassed her in every way. I used my vines to forcibly tear her body apart. I might not look it, but I possess monstrous strength.
A mere Man-eater was never a threat.
Now then, I had to destroy the evidence before the bees noticed. I opened the mouth on my bulb wide and tossed the Man-eater inside.
Munch, munch.
And just like that, my peaceful daily life returned.
A bee on patrol gave me a curious look, but it flew off without questioning the Man-eater’s sudden disappearance. That was a relief; perhaps the nectar I’d offered as a bribe was doing its job.
It was shortly after that when my body began to feel strange.
I had the sensation that new buds were about to sprout from my vines. It was a feeling I’d never experienced before.
Testing a theory, I focused energy into my vines—the same way I used Recovery Magic—to force a growth spurt. Lo and behold, Man-eater flowers bloomed right off my vines.
Wait, what is this?!
Why are Man-eaters growing out of me? Is my relative actually a Rafflesia after all?!
I tried it with my other vines as an experiment. Sure enough, I could now bloom Man-eater flowers at will.
This had to be it. I had assimilated the Man-eater's power into my own body.
I’d eaten plenty of animal-type monsters before, but that had never triggered anything like this. This meant that if I consumed plant-type monsters, trees, or flowers, I could manifest their specific abilities and characteristics.
To confirm this, I conducted another experiment. I plucked a common weed with yellow flowers growing nearby and devoured it with my lower mouth.
Munch, munch, gulp.
When I pushed power into my vines, a single yellow flower bloomed. It was identical to the weed I’d just eaten.
There was no doubt about it. I possessed the ability to absorb and command the properties of plants.
Was it a byproduct of using Recovery Magic to accelerate plant growth? Or was it because I’d pushed my Saintly powers to the limit, causing an "ultra-recovery" that resulted in me assimilating with the flower monster? I didn't understand the underlying principle, but I’d be a fool not to use it.
For the time being, I decided to name this ability "Plant Generation."
From that point on, I began devouring the surrounding flora to convert it into my own power. One can never have too many weapons, after all.
That said, most were just ordinary plants, so few offered much in the way of combat utility. The most useful find was the tree growing right next to me. I swallowed it whole, which allowed me to harden my vines into something resembling its sturdy trunk. It became my primary method of attack.
That tree had been quite tall, and its branches had always cast a shadow over me, cutting my sunlight intake by half. It had been a constant nuisance, but now the area was nice and clear.
The offender who dared to steal my sunlight was gone. I couldn't be happier.
With that, my routine returned to normal. As the Forest Princess, I offered my nectar to the bees, and they brought me prey in return. When it rained, I raised my hands in celebration; the next day, I’d be muttering about wanting more water.
But in the midst of those peaceful days, the thing I had dreaded most finally arrived.
The bees brought me a new tribute.
It wasn't a simple animal, nor was it an animal-type monster. It wasn't even a new flower monster.
A human child had been dropped right in front of me.
What’s more, the child was still alive.
Dear bees... whose orphan is this? This is kidnapping, plain and simple. I’m not ready to become a criminal!
What am I supposed to do with this child? Honestly, what?
Gulping back the words "nutritional deficiency," I cradled my head in my vines.
If you enjoyed this, your support is a great encouragement for me to keep going. Thank you for reading.
Next time: My first human.