The White Bird’s true identity was a white-haired witch.
That little witch had just told me she wanted to keep me.
Since I was a plant, I assumed she meant "cultivate" rather than "keep," but since I was also a monster, I suppose "keep" wasn't technically wrong either.
Regardless, she had just boldly declared her intention to raise me as a plant.
I was absolutely floored.
Granted, I was just a flower. Sure, I could speak the human tongue and happened to be an insectivorous plant monster, but fundamentally, I was still a plant. It wasn't exactly strange for a cute girl of about ten to say she wanted to grow a flower.
But even for a child, what on earth did it mean for a witch to want to raise an Alraune just because she took a liking to it?!
I could understand the motivation to raise me a little better now that I was in the form of a sprout young girl, but I was still a plant monster. I wasn't a human child.
And besides, my soul was that of a former saint. Mentally, I was far older than this little witch.
I didn't understand what was happening anymore. Someone, please, explain this to me.
But even as I pleaded internally, the only one who could offer an explanation was the little witch standing before me. She began to speak slowly.
"I hate humans. I can’t trust them."
Witches were the enemies of humanity, and this little witch was no exception. She was still just a young girl, but I could only imagine what she had endured in her life so far. I felt like I could understand why she had become such a misanthrope.
"But if it’s a monster flower like an Alraune, I can trust it. Because you’re not human."
—I’m so sorry.
I felt terrible for hiding it, but I was a former human. Not just any human, either—I was a saint, the natural enemy of all witches. Internally, I was probably the one person in the world she should trust the least.
Even knowing that, did she still want me?
"I've been watching over this talking flower for the past year. I've taken such good care of you that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say you're already mine."
What a ridiculous leap in logic!
It was true that the White Bird had saved my life multiple times and helped me tremendously. If she hadn't been there, I wouldn't be alive today. I was well aware of how much she had looked after me.
Even so, it was news to me that I had already become her property.
"I’ve spent this whole year intending to keep you. That’s why I think you’d be happiest being mine and letting me care for you from now on."
What should I do? Even if it was the White Bird's wish, I had my reservations about becoming an ornamental flower for a ten-year-old girl. Especially since she had already declared ownership.
I suppose from a human's perspective, the flowers in their home were their property. Houseplants were the same.
Hmm, this was a difficult choice. Unlike when the Flame Dragon was about to incinerate me, I wasn't exactly weighing my life against the fate of becoming a houseplant. On the other hand, if you asked me if I actively wanted to be her houseplant, I couldn't say yes. No matter how much she was my Swan Prince, being "kept" was something to think twice about.
I was a forest Alraune. I was a cut above the average plants that could be tamed by people. Besides, compared to normal flowers, my maintenance was bound to be a huge pain!
That was why I couldn't just become her houseplant. As a former saint, I also felt some resistance to being the property of a girl younger than myself.
"Talking flower, don't look at me with such wary eyes."
As if she had sensed my resolve, the little witch suddenly smirked.
"Hey, talking flower. Don't you want some water?"
Water...?!
"Since I intended to water you, this bucket is full."
The little witch held up the bucket. In tandem with the movement, I heard the heavy slosh of water from within.
—Gulp.
I wanted that water. I was incredibly thirsty right now. The earth was parched from the fire, and as a new sprout, I needed a massive amount of hydration to grow.
I wanted it so badly! As much as I had during last year’s drought! I wanted it so much that I was practically ready to look up at her and beg for it!
"If you become mine, I'll water you."
"I... want... water."
Before I knew it, the plea had escaped my lips. I couldn't help it. It was as if an oasis had manifested before me while I was dying in the middle of a desert. If I didn't get water now, I would wither. I couldn't take it anymore.
H-hurry... give it to me...!
"With that... bucket... please... water me."
"Then, do you promise to be my flower?"
She pressed for confirmation, persistent as ever.
Ugh, a promise. In exchange for water, my body would belong to her. That was a problem.
But I wanted that water.
W-what should I do? Should I become her houseplant, or wither away here? What a cunning proposal. Did she make it specifically because she knew how much I was suffering?
It was the ultimate choice. Why had there been so many of these lately?
As I agonized over the decision, my gaze shifted to the arm holding the bucket. I saw a red burn scar on the little witch's hand. Looking closer, I realized there were burn marks all over her skin.
She must have been burned while escaping the fire.
The little witch was the White Bird. That’s right—she had risked her life to save me time and time again. Those burns were surely proof of that. Perhaps she had sustained them while trying to extinguish the flames around me.
Unable to wait for my delayed response, she continued.
"I've never seen a flower as beautiful as you. I can't help but be mesmerized. That's why I want you."
"I want you."
How long had it been since someone had said that to me? I thought there was no one left in the world who would ever want me.
But there was one person right here. I hadn't been forsaken by the world just yet.
"I want to be with the talking flower. Because when I look at you, for some reason, I feel at peace..."
I felt the same way. For some reason, I felt safe when I looked at her. She had been willing to sacrifice her own body to save mine. How could I not open my heart to her?
I had already decided once before that it would be fine to offer my life to the White Bird. After all, she was my Swan Prince.
I needed to think this through. Which was better: being left alone on this scorched black earth, or being raised by the little witch?
If I chose to stay here, I would surely wither from malnutrition. There was no moisture left after the fire, and my prey had all vanished. Now that the forest was gone, I couldn't feed as I had before. I couldn't walk, either. I would simply wither away slowly over a long, agonizing period.
In contrast, what would happen if I stayed with her? She would water me, and she might even bring me nutrients. Not only that, but I might be able to leave this place.
Fortunately, I was currently a young girl. She could carry me in her hands and fly through the sky to a safer land. If she did, I wouldn't wither; my life would be saved.
Moreover, she had been keeping me for a year and clearly liked me. She wouldn't do anything cruel. In fact, she had saved my life more times than I could count. I didn't want to become a slave for dessert and companionship like that eyepatch minotaur wanted, but living with a kind, cute girl while she watered me didn't seem so bad.
In fact, it was the only way I was going to survive. My pride as a former saint softened at the realization that she was the White Bird.
"Hey... Witch... why do you... want to be... with me?"
"That is..." She soundlessly closed her eyes. "My parents were killed. There is no one left on my side in this world. I am... all alone now."
The girl, eyes still shut, continued.
"But I don't want to be alone anymore. I want to spend my time with someone. When I thought about who that should be, the first one that came to mind was you, talking flower."
She opened her eyes and looked straight at me with a gentle expression.
"To me, you are the most important existence in the world. You're a flower and not a human, but that doesn't matter to me."
Something pierced my heart. It felt like a tiny thorn—a dangerous one, soaked in poison. Slowly, a sensation spread through my entire body. It was a very pleasant, intoxicating kind of poison.
"Please, talking flower. I want you to be with me."
She watched me in silence, waiting for my answer.
I thought about it. The White Bird was my Swan Prince. If it was her, she would surely melt my frozen, lonely heart. She might give me a warm place to belong in this cold, unchanging world.
After all, she wasn't a stranger. She was the one who came to see me even during the great snows of the Great Cold Wave. She was the one who brought me water during the summer droughts. And during this great fire, she had come with a bucket to save me. Whenever I was in trouble, the White Bird was there, watching over me.
She turned out to be a white-haired girl instead of a bird, but while her appearance had changed, her soul was the same. I thought I might be okay with spending my life with her.
"I... want to be... with you... too."
Before I knew it, I had accepted her proposal. It was better than dying out here, anyway.
And if the worst came to the worst, I could always do something about her later. I was probably stronger if we actually fought. She might think she held my life in her hands, but I held hers as well.
But that was just my public stance. My true feeling was different.
Finally, I didn't have to be lonely anymore. Just thinking that made me feel like nectar was about to overflow from my eyes.
How much had I wished for this? There were nights when I had cried nectar in my loneliness. There were days when I thought I was losing my mind because the isolation felt like it would last forever.
I was sick of that life. I wanted someone to water me and comfort me. I had screamed those empty feelings at the blue sky while struggling to survive on my own.
And now, those days of penance were finally over.
I had waited a year. I had been so lonely I felt like my heart would be crushed, and there were times I almost withered away. But I was finally being released from that agonizing solitude.
I didn't have to be alone anymore. If it was with her, I knew I would be fine. I decided then and there to live with this girl.
I would no longer wet my cheeks with nectar out of loneliness. I could feel my Absolute Zero Heart melting from the sun-like warmth of human touch.
the long, long winter that had lasted since my reincarnation as an Alraune was finally coming to an end.
And at last, spring had come to my heart.
Next time: The Witch Who Tasted Nectar.