Stop it! Please, don't burn!!
Two trees near me were already ablaze. If I left them like this, the fire would undoubtedly spread. This was bad; the entire forest was going to go up in flames!
If that happened, it wouldn't just be my end. Everyone in the forest would meet a tragic fate. So many animals would be incinerated. Even those that managed to escape would lose their homes. No one could live in a forest that had been reduced to black soil and ash.
Hachi-san the Lady Knight, Madam Butterfly, the Tefutefu—everyone would lose their sanctuary. They had finally survived the battle with the Minotaurs; it was too cruel for them to be exposed to yet another life-threatening crisis so soon.
At least the members of the Forest Circle could fly. I hoped they could somehow escape.
The plants had it even worse. Escape had never been an option for us. Annihilation was inevitable. Including me, there was no future where we survived without burning.
Why? Why can’t plants walk? Come on, legs, it’s a fire! Let's go!
I didn't know how many times I'd thought this. Being unable to move was truly agonizing. And it wasn't just me; it was the same for every tree in the forest. We were all in this together. If we burned, we burned as one.
As the Lord of the Forest, I absolutely could not allow the woods to be lost. I had to do something.
The fire had only just begun. Two trees were burning, but it hadn't gone further than that yet. Before the flames could spread, I still had a chance to fix this!
I lashed dozens of vines around the base of the burning trees. I wrapped them in multiple layers to increase their thickness, making them harder to ignite. Even so, the fire began to lick at my vines. It was hot, but I endured it. More importantly, I had to act before the vines burned through.
"Hyah!"
Flexing my vines with everything I had, I yanked the trees out by their roots. I had "swallowed" whole trees many times before, so I was well-practiced at uprooting. I dragged the scorched trees toward me.
Within a ten-meter radius of my body, the ground was mostly bare of vegetation. I’d eaten everything else, after all! But thanks to my gluttony, there were no target plants nearby for the fire to jump to. If I kept the burning wood right here, the fire wouldn't be able to reach the rest of the forest.
While I was uprooting the first tree, however, the fire had jumped from the second tree to a third. The number of blazing trunks was back to two. If I took any more time, the speed of the spread would increase until it became irreversible.
I wrapped my vines around both of them at once and ripped their roots from the earth. I threw them into the clearing that served as my vacant lot.
But I couldn't rest easy yet. It was a terrifying sight; I looked like I had a massive number of fuses connected to my body. It was only natural since I had been grabbing the burning trees, but my vines had caught fire as well. The flames were traveling along the dozens of tendrils, racing toward my main body.
But there was no need to worry. That was where my fans came in.
I wasn't going to fan the flames; I was going to cut them. Using the axes—my "Iron Feather Fans"—I severed the vines one after another. The detached pieces simply burned out on the ground. For the vines still attached to my Bulb, I used Super Recovery to instantly regrow them to their original length.
Extending my vines was a simple task. Just like that, I was back to normal. I had managed to make it in time.
Red sparks danced in the air, drifting out from the center of the roaring fire. Some of them floated right in front of my face. I slapped them down with a vine, hating the heat. If I had been unlucky and the flames had spread, I might have ended up just like those sparks...
The three trees eventually burned themselves out, leaving nothing but pitch-black charcoal. If the gears of fate hadn't aligned perfectly, I might have been the one smoldering there.
At any rate, that marked the end of the ordeal. Three trees had been sacrificed, but the forest was safe.
───That was far too close.
I was relieved it had stayed a minor fire rather than a catastrophe. If the other trees had ignited before I could uproot them, it would have been the end.
If it were just a small fire, I didn't have to worry about the flames spreading to me because the clearing around me acted as a firebreak. I would likely be safe. However, if the entire forest became a massive wildfire, that wouldn't save me.
If I were surrounded by an inferno, my entire body would be assaulted by intense heat and violent embers. If the fire became hot enough to scorch the very earth, a plant like me wouldn't stand a chance. Even with my clearing, a massive wildfire would surely incinerate me.
I was so glad it didn't come to that. I didn't want to burn yet. I wanted to lead a much more relaxing plant life in this forest.
A rustling sound came from beyond the thicket—the direction the Minotaurs had come from.
When I turned my gaze, I saw a single Minotaur sprinting deep into the forest.
You've got to be kidding me. There was still one hiding?
I suppose that meant they had a Rear-guard Minotaur. There had been a scout, the main force with the leader, and then this one bringing up the rear.
Come to think of it, there had been luggage strapped to the Bull Monsters. There were five bulls in total, but I had only encountered four Minotaurs. One bull’s worth of luggage was extra. In other words, the owner of that remaining bull was the Minotaur currently making his escape.
It had been a total blind spot. If I had noticed from the beginning, I might have been able to sense his presence and finish him off first. Regardless, if I didn't hurry, he would get away.
I threw an axe—my Iron Feather Fan.
The blade thudded into a tree right next to the fleeing monster. I had missed. The Rear-guard Minotaur didn't slow down; he vanished into the depths of the forest.
Ah, he got away. As I expected, I couldn't hit a target that far off. Furthermore, I had thrown the axe so far that it was beyond the reach of my vines. Recovery was impossible.
The fact that I couldn't just walk over and retrieve it was truly pathetic. Thanks to that, the axes I had obtained as loot had decreased from four to three. Well, I suppose it couldn't be helped.
Even so, I wondered what the Minotaurs were doing here. The Eyepatch Minotaur had mentioned they had work further ahead. I wondered if it really had something to do with that old woman's drawing.
What lay in the opposite direction from where they appeared? The village where the Nectar-crazed Boy lived should be that way. That said, there was no reason to go out of their way through a dangerous forest just to attack a tiny village. There were plenty of other villages elsewhere. Beyond the village, however, was a fairly large city called Tower City. Maybe they had business there?
But that wasn't the only mystery. Why the Demon King's Army had appeared in this forest at all was baffling. This area wasn't under their control. Their territory was much further away.
If you followed the border along this forest, you would reach the Fortress City. That was the front line between the Kingdom of Gardenia and the Demon King's Army. Originally, back when I was in the Hero's Party, we had planned to head toward the Demonic Realm Mountains—the mountain range where the Demon King's subordinates lived—and then enter the Fortress City.
Beyond the city was the territory of the Demon King's Army. Even though the border was nearby, it was rare for the Demon King's forces to ever make it past the Fortress City. The castle there was exceptionally sturdy, garrisoned by a high number of elite soldiers. It was a bottleneck they couldn't easily bypass.
And yet, Minotaurs from the Demon King's Army had reached this forest, which was well past the Fortress City. Perhaps something had happened at the front? I couldn't think of any other explanation.
But there was no way for me to know for sure. For a mere Plant Monster living in the woods, learning about the affairs of the outside world was an impossible wish.
Just in case, though... what if the Fortress City had fallen? If that was the case, the land beyond this forest might already be the Demon King's territory.
What should I do? Letting that Rear-guard Minotaur escape might have been a massive mistake. He said they had work to do, which meant he might return with even stronger allies to swarm the forest.
The Eyepatch Minotaur had muttered "Lord Glühschwanz" at the end. That was surely his superior's name. What if it was a powerful, violent member of the Demon Race? If that happened, I would have no chance of winning.
After all, I was just a Plant Monster. I couldn't move to set up an ambush elsewhere, nor could I flee. Whether I wanted to or not, I was rooted to this spot.
I had no way of knowing when that Minotaur might return for revenge. No matter how much I trembled in fear, my only choice was to spend my days as I always did.
Suppose, for example, on a day like any other, I was focused on my daily routine of photosynthesis. What would happen if an enemy suddenly targeted me with fire magic from outside my attack range? I would simply burn up, and that would be the end. I wouldn't be able to resist or fight back. I would be defeated by fire, my greatest weakness, and incinerated like common garden waste.
Ugh, I really didn't like that thought. No, I just want to live a quiet life as a plant. I don't want to deal with anything scary anymore.
Demon King's Army, I really hope you don't come back. I really, really hope you don't...
Thank you for reading. I plan to update twice tomorrow as well. Thank you for your support.
Next time: Alraune's Dream.