There I was, an Alraune—a plant monster lying in wait with a trap at the ready.
The creature that had just touched down on the forest floor was my nemesis, the White Bird.
I was going to capture it right here, right now.
Its body was only about the size of a crow, so it wouldn't exactly fill my stomach, but it would certainly settle the score from the other day.
How dare you eat my Nectar Ball.
At the time, Bear-papa had ended up following the White Bird until they both disappeared into the distance, so the outcome had actually been better than if I’d thrown the Nectar Ball and dropped it nearby. Even so, the despair I felt in that moment was beyond words.
Admittedly, the White Bird wasn't a truly wicked creature.
But you see, White Bird... I’d always thought you looked delicious because of your beautiful plumage. Your color scheme was actually quite similar to a rabbit's, wasn't it?
So, there shouldn't be any problem if I ate you.
With a mental "Down the hatch," I triggered my trap with the predatory precision of a carnivorous plant. I had hidden my vines beneath the soil in advance, right near where the White Bird was standing.
I sent those vines bursting forth onto the surface with everything I had. From the bird's perspective, it must have looked like a forest of vines had suddenly sprouted from the earth.
However, the White Bird’s crisis management skills were as high as ever. The very instant I moved my buried vines, it flapped its wings and soared toward the heavens.
I’d missed it by a hair's breadth.
The White Bird successfully evaded my vine trap. It nimbly wove through the grasping shoots and retreated into the safety of the sky.
Ahhh.
Foiled again.
The White Bird had escaped me once more, even though I’d prepared so meticulously for today.
Well, it couldn't be helped. This was my first time using the trap, so I’d just have to use this experience for the next round.
But listen here, White Bird. Don't just circle above me; hurry up and go home. You have a nest to get back to, don't you? If making fun of me was really that entertaining, feel free to come back and play whenever you like.
I’m a generous soul, you see. That's why I’m inviting you back.
Because next time, I’m definitely going to eat you...!
Wait, what was that?
Something was lying on the ground. It was right where the White Bird had landed—a small, red, rose-like flower. Since there were thorns on the stem, it looked exactly like a rose.
A red rose was a wonderful find. It was the same color as my flower crown. In this world, the flower was known as a Rothrose.
It had been a long time since I’d seen a flower actually worth looking at. Up until now, the only things growing around here were nameless weeds and my junior, that Man-eater—whose relative was a Rafflesia.
Perhaps the White Bird had been carrying it in its beak and dropped it in a panic while escaping my vines?
What a stupid bird. From now on, I think I’ll just call it the Stupid Bird.
When a wild bird goes around carrying flowers and stems, there’s only one possible explanation.
I’d figured it out.
Tell me, Mr. White Bird—were you building a nest?
You had quite a nerve for a mere bird. Building a "my home" as a happy couple with your beloved partner.
Meanwhile, over here, I was a single flower whose "time without a boyfriend" was equal to my age. I had no house and no family, living a life completely exposed to the elements. The event closest to romance I could name was the time I, a pitiful female flower, was almost forced into pollination because a bee I’d just met tried to shove some random male flower’s dust onto me.
It was almost laughable that the true identity of such a lonely flower was a Former Saint.
That traitorous Apprentice Saint, that shitty junior of mine, had not only stolen my fiancé, the Hero, but they had apparently already gotten married. I imagine the two of them were enjoying a blissful newlywed life in the royal castle right about now.
Compared to that, why was I living a survival life all alone and half-naked in the middle of a forest?
I wondered if that shitty junior and the Hero slept in the same bed every night. Since they were newlyweds, they were probably spending their nights doing all sorts of... things. Maybe they even had a child on the way.
In contrast, my "romantic" highlights involved a bee trying to force a stranger's pollen on me in broad daylight. Why did I have to be pollinated just for existing? If I actually got pollinated, it wouldn't result in a child; I’d just turn into a seed myself—a future without a single shred of happiness.
Not only that, I’d been subjected to the torture of having my face endlessly licked by a wild bear with cubs.
There wasn't a single fun thing about this. My life was nothing but misery.
I’d be lying if I said I never wished for a partner to share my pain and sadness. If I had that, the happy moments would be doubled.
The sweet, blissful life I never got. The lovey-dovey newlywed life that the shitty junior and the Hero were leading. And now, even that White Bird was getting a taste of it.
I couldn't stand it. Are birds really that much better than me?
Yes, yes, I was just a lowly flower. A mere plant.
Ugh, I was so frustrated. When I got this cranky, the only solution was a snack.
I decided to try the rose.
Chomp.
Yeah, I couldn't really taste anything. After all, I just digested things. Still, if I could delay that White Bird's construction project even a little bit, I’d consider it a win.
Now then, I should probably retract all the vines I’d set for the trap. As I began pulling them back to my body—wait, this wasn't my vine!
The vine had started moving on its own against my will!
"What is the meaning of this?!" I panicked.
But the reason became clear immediately. This wasn't a vine at all.
It was a snake.
What I’d mistaken for a vine was a snake-type monster: a Wahnschlange.
The creature had snuck up beside me without me even realizing it. The Wahnschlange was poised to strike. While I’d been aiming for the White Bird, the Wahnschlange had been aiming for me.
It was a thick, long, and vicious-looking thing. I was on the verge of being eaten by a monster-class snake—something easily ten meters long with a maw capable of swallowing a human whole.
Wow, I didn't know snakes could open their mouths that wide.
But hey, wait a minute. Am I... about to be swallowed whole?
Give me a break!
I was sick and tired of being swallowed and digested! Experiencing that once in a lifetime was more than enough.
Close that mouth this instant! I hate being swallowed whole!
Thank you for reading. Next time: Monster panic with the Giant Snake Anaconda.