I had finished saying my goodbyes to everyone in the Forest Circle.
I was the only one left in this forest now.
It looked like the fire had reached the right side of the woods as well. Before long, my entire world would be swallowed by flames. It seemed the forest fire would reach me even faster than the Blue Flame the Flame Dragon had "gifted" me could finish its work.
Well, either way, the end result was the same. I was going to burn.
Aaaah. So this was how my life was going to end.
In my previous life in Japan, I had died as a high school girl. In this world, I had died as a Saint at the age of seventeen. And now, as an Alraune, I was reaching the end of my life after only a year.
Thinking back on it, it really had been a disastrous life.
The gears of fate had started turning the moment I awakened to Light Magic as a child. I had spent my days immersed in training to become a Saint, only for my childhood friend to become the Hero and me to become his fiancée.
We had formed a party to subjugate the Demon King and set out from the Royal Capital. Things had gone smoothly enough up until the point we defeated one of the Demon King’s Army Executives.
The problem was what came after that. Everything had started on that day.
I was betrayed by the Hero and that shitty junior Apprentice Saint. They severed my limbs, and to top it all off, that shitty junior stole the Hero right from under me. I was left in the depths of despair to be devoured by a flower monster, only to realize I had reincarnated as an Alraune.
What an outrageous life.
Even after that, it was one hardcore survival situation after another. From almost being pollinated by Hachi-san to being licked all over by Bear-papa, looking back only brought up miserable memories.
Still, meeting the members of the Forest Circle and the White Bird had been a true blessing. I had even become the Lord of the Forest; I had grown quite attached to this place.
I remembered a movie I’d seen as a high school girl about a captain who chose to share the fate of his sinking ship. Now, I understood exactly how that captain felt.
I had been reincarnated as an Alraune and given life once more in this forest. This forest was my new home. And here, my fellow plants grew in abundance.
Those very trees and plants were burning now.
Even that withered tree I’d always been curious about—the one that had appeared so suddenly—was about to be caught in the blaze. Even if it was already dead, I knew it wouldn't want to burn. But we were plants; we couldn't move. There was nothing we could do.
In that case, let us go together. I couldn't escape the fire anyway, and I certainly couldn't extinguish the Flame Dragon’s Blue Flame.
That was why I chose to share my fate with the forest, alongside my fellow plants. We would all be consumed by the fire together. Once we were reduced to ash, we would finally be one. I wouldn't have to feel lonely anymore...
One last thing. I wondered if the White Bird was okay. He seemed to be fleeing from the Flame Dragon, so I hoped he had made it out.
White Bird... please, at least you should survive. After all, you are my... swan... ngh...
For a forest plant, a fire signifies the end of all things. Normally, there is no such thing as a plant that runs away because it hates the heat of an approaching blaze.
That was why I assumed my life was over.
But just as I gave up on life, I heard the vigorous sound of something being pulled out of the earth.
Pop!
The sound snapped me out of my daze just as my consciousness was starting to drift.
What happened? What was that noise?
I looked around and felt my eyes meet with a tree. Or rather, the Withered Tree. It was the mysterious tree that had suddenly appeared near me and withered.
That Withered Tree pulled its roots out of the ground and started walking. Using its roots like legs, it took off at a steady, waddling pace.
That Withered Tree wasn't just a tree. It was a monster. Its true identity was a tree-type monster called a Treant.
I was shocked. So you were a tree monster all along? That meant you hadn't suddenly withered; you had secretly walked over and settled down near me. The reason the angles of your branches changed or your position shifted slightly was because you were moving whenever I wasn't looking.
A Treant was a tree-type monster. Broadly speaking, it was a plant monster like me, but it possessed the incredibly rare ability to move. Since the fire was closing in, it was simply relocating so it wouldn't burn. Well, if you could walk, of course you’d do that. It made perfect sense.
The Treant stared fixedly at me. It actually had eyes. It seemed it had a mouth too, though it had been hiding it until now.
I had known this Withered Tree—this Treant—for quite a long time. We must have been neighbors for about a year. My intuition told me that the Treant was male. I didn't know if they actually had genders, but I just felt it.
After all, it had chosen to take root in a place where it could watch me. Even though there was a risk of being attacked by me, it had dared to stay nearby. The Treant must have been interested in me. If it wasn't, it would have moved somewhere else long ago.
Looking back, the reason I had gazed at that Withered Tree so often was likely because I felt its eyes on me. I had been bothered by its presence and looked back in response. Without realizing it, the Treant and I might have been staring at each other this entire time.
But I had assumed it was just a normal dead tree. Even though the Treant had plenty of chances to reveal itself, it never did. It had spent its time unilaterally observing me, a fellow plant monster.
It was almost like an unrequited love. Maybe it had been silently watching over me out of sympathy for a fellow monster. Or—and this might be a bit conceited—maybe it was smitten by my beauty.
After all, both the Minotaur and the Flame Dragon had told me I was beautiful. I was confident in my status as a gorgeous flower. So, it was entirely possible the Treant had fallen for my looks.
I felt like that sort of thing could happen between plant monsters. That was why I suspected it was male. In that case, maybe it would do something about my predicament? Maybe he would save me like a Withered Tree Prince?
It was a nice thought. But if I wanted help, I realized I might have to ask for it.
I made up my mind and opened my mouth.
"Um, Mr. Treant... please... help me."
I had given up on my life once, but the moment a potential savior appeared, I couldn't help but hope.
As I watched the Treant, it suddenly moved. It gave me a single, brief glance, and then bolted in the opposite direction at full speed.
It happened in an instant. With a sharp, athletic form, the Treant dashed into the depths of the forest that hadn't caught fire yet. I could only watch in stunned silence as its figure disappeared into the woods.
...You’ve got to be kidding me.
That bastard just abandoned me! He ran away to save his own skin!
I couldn't believe it. As a fellow plant of the forest and a fellow plant monster, he was a disgrace to our kind.
"Y-You traitor—!"
Nectar poured from my eyes as I sobbed and screamed.
Thank you for reading.
Next time: "I don't want to burn."