I’m Alraune, a plant monster girl.
I was busy hosting a ball at the Forest Circle when a Minotaur from the Demon King's Army suddenly crashed the party, forcing me into a fight.
With the head of a bull and the body of a giant, the Minotaur was a member of the Demon Race. He belonged to a higher-ranking species than monsters like Bear-papa or myself. Depending on the individual, they could even use magic, and they possessed a civilization similar to that of humans.
Basically, this Minotaur was a forest invader. Why a member of the Demon King’s Army had come all this way was a mystery; I didn’t have the slightest clue.
Minotaurs were ferocious beings. His appearance—two long horns protruding from his helmet and a barbaric face—was terrifying enough, but his combat prowess was even worse. Ordinary adventurers or knights stood no chance against one, even if they banded together. They would simply be crushed by his massive muscles and superior axe-work. It was no wonder his race had made a name for themselves as elite warriors.
That Minotaur had clearly noticed me. He tossed the Tanuki monster he was holding into his mouth, then stared at me with a smirk. He had the eyes of a hunter who had just spotted his next prize.
Wait, did he intend to make me his after-dinner snack? I had just been sharing nectar with Hachi-san and the Tefutefu, so my body was practically overflowing with the stuff.
Hold on—was I about to be licked by a Minotaur? I really, really didn’t like where this was going. I had no intention of becoming his dessert. I might look the part, but he’d regret it if he took me lightly. My nectar might be sweet, but my strength was anything but.
As a side note, Minotaurs also ate humans. Apparently, they found them delicious. That was why humans feared them so much, but currently, I was an Alraune. That meant I probably wouldn’t be chewed; it would be the "swallowed whole" pattern.
Why was it always things like this with me? I really wanted to graduate from being the character in charge of the perverted situations.
The Minotaur closed the distance. I decided to do him in before he could do the same to me. My attack range was superior, anyway. Besides, I held a grudge against him for ruining my lovely ball.
I don’t accept guests without an invitation.
With that, I launched a preemptive strike. I snapped my briars toward him like whips. However, with a composed expression, the Minotaur sliced through the vines with his axe. His speed was incredible; I almost wanted to praise him despite him being my enemy.
That single strike told me everything I needed to know. This Minotaur was strong. He was a professional soldier, trained for the Demon King’s Army. His mindset toward combat was fundamentally different from that of a wild monster.
We wild monsters fought to survive. A warrior, however, fought to kill his opponent. I grasped that difference in an instant.
It would be bad if he got any closer. I fired off a burst of poison pollen, but the Minotaur used his axe as a shield to block the cloud. He was clearly a veteran. He kept his mouth and nose guarded so as not to inhale the toxins.
In that case, how about a trap? I summoned countless briars from the ground to entangle him. Unfortunately, his heavy armor prevented the thorns from doing much damage. Changing tactics, I aimed for his weapon, wrapping the briars around the axe's handle.
Timing it for the exact moment he swung his arm to shake them off, I fired another blast of poison pollen. This time, he inhaled it. Success!
I’d managed to win somehow. I struggled a bit, but in the end, he was no match for me.
Or so I thought. Just as I was basking in the sweet wine of victory, the Minotaur began to squirm. Surprisingly, even while foaming at the mouth, he didn’t lose his composure. He reached into a pouch tied to his waist and pulled out a small vial. After gulping down the contents, he turned back toward me.
Wait, what!? The poison wasn't working. He’d inhaled the pollen and the poison from the briars should have been circulating through his veins, yet he looked perfectly fine.
Don’t tell me that vial was an Antidote? Hey, using items is cheating! Wild monsters don’t carry gear around. It’s totally unfair that only his side gets to use items. I wanted to file a formal protest alongside every other monster in the world.
Ugh, I never expected to fight an enemy who actually had countermeasures for my poison. He was a formidable foe indeed. I tried to spring more briar traps, but they were all hacked to pieces by his axe.
The Minotaur licked his lips. He had a joyful, disgusting look on his face, as if he were seconds away from enjoying his dessert.
Gununu.
Listen here—I wasn't born just to be someone’s after-dinner snack. Bear-papa might have licked me, and I might provide nectar to Hachi-san and the butterflies, but a dessert has its pride. If you’re going to taste me, I want it to be friendly and delicious, not forced. You could learn a thing or two from the Lady Knight and Madam Butterfly!
I thrust my briars forward like spears to show him I would resist to the end. The Minotaur blocked them easily with his axe.
However, at that exact moment, he tripped. It worked! Everything was going according to plan.
I had secretly snaked a few briars along the ground to snag his ankles. A trap isn't just about bursting out of the earth; it’s about how you use it.
I treated the fallen Minotaur to another dose of poison pollen. He stabbed his shield into the ground to guard himself yet again. He was persistent, I’ll give him that. But he was still being too naive.
Right next to his face, I sprouted a vine from the earth with a pop. I used Plant Generation to grow a Man-eater flower on the tip and fired from there.
Take a face full of poison!
Usually, I released poison pollen from my own corolla. But since I could generate plants, I had wondered if the flowers I created could also release toxins. It turned out I was right.
The Man-eater’s poison pollen hit the Minotaur point-blank. Since the vine was separate from my main body and the flower was relatively small, it could only fire a small amount once. Still, it was the perfect surprise attack.
I watched the pollen swirl right into the Minotaur's open mouth. He desperately tried to reach for another Antidote in his pouch, but I wasn't about to let him. I lashed his arms with briars and pinned him to the ground.
I held the struggling Minotaur down until, eventually, everything went quiet.
Living a quiet life was my dream. It seemed the warrior had finally come to sympathize with my vision. He expressed his agreement by rolling his eyes back and foaming at the mouth. How heartening.
I decided to invite my new supporter into my "lower mouth." After that battle, I was running low on nutrients. Let’s live together in silence, shall we?
I stripped off his armor and gear with my vines since I couldn't digest those, and then—munch.
Yeah, he was quite the opponent. That was the first time since becoming an Alraune that I’d faced someone who pushed me with technical skill. I really didn't expect him to be carrying an Antidote.
Speaking of which, I wondered what else was in that pouch. It was the first time I'd ever gotten loot, and after a year of boredom, the prospect of new items was incredibly exciting. My heart was actually racing.
Now then, let's see...
There was the Antidote, and this other one was a Sleeping Potion made from Traum Grass. Don’t tell me this Minotaur suffered from insomnia? Maybe his training was so strict he couldn't sleep at night. Poor guy.
I would have felt sorry for him if that were the case, but it seemed I was wrong. Right next to the Sleeping Potion was a Paralysis Potion. If I recalled, this was made from Faul Grass. Since I doubted there were any perverts out there who drank Paralysis Potions just to get a thrill, he must have been carrying it to use on someone else.
It was surprising that a ferocious, man-eating Minotaur would carry drugs meant to capture a target without killing them. It didn't seem to fit him at all.
Well, it wasn't any of my business. These might come in handy later, so I decided to keep them.
There wasn't much else of interest among his things, except for one item. Inside his pack was a single scrap of paper. It looked like an ordinary page, but it was far too bizarre for a Minotaur to be carrying.
Drawn on the paper was a human. Specifically, a drawing of a small human child.
Thank you for reading.
Next time: At this rate, I might end up as an ornamental houseplant kept just for my nectar.