I was Alraune, a plant monster girl.
Our new life in the East Forest had begun.
Morning arrived. When I opened my bud, the little witch’s face filled my entire field of vision.
"Morning, Alraune."
Even as she greeted me, she was sucking on her finger. That kind of childish behavior wasn't good once it became a habit. As her big sister, I really had to warn her.
"Putting, your finger, in your mouth, is, childish, so, it’s, not, good."
She looked back at me with a puzzled expression.
"You know, I’m ten years old now."
Listen here, little witch. It was a bit of a headache to have her say that so boastfully. Ten years old was still very much a child. It wasn’t exactly something to brag about.
"You still don't get it, do you? Alraune, do you even know how old you are?"
Wait, my age? Come to think of it, how old was I? If I included my previous lives, I was quite old. I was seventeen as a Saint, and about the same age during my time as a high school girl in Japan.
However, that was my mental age. Giving an answer based on my previous life felt wrong. I also wanted to point out that asking a lady her age was rude, but I didn't feel like I was at that "age" yet. As an Alraune, I was probably only about a year old. It had only been a few days since I was reborn in this young girl body, but she probably wasn't asking in that sense.
"About, one, year, old."
"Alraune is one. But I’m ten. Do you understand what that means?"
Hmm, did it mean we were both children?
"I’m a great senior in life who has lived ten times longer than you. You should show some respect to your elder sister."
As she spoke, she used her finger to scoop up the nectar clinging to the corner of my mouth. Then, she popped it right into her own. It seemed I had drooled nectar again in my sleep. I must have let my guard down because we were sleeping together. I had intended to scold her for being childish, yet here I was acting like a baby myself. This was embarrassing for a big sister.
"One year old would be a literal infant for a human. You can just take your time growing up. I’ll raise you as your big sister, so don’t you worry."
She patted my head. It actually made me a little happy... No, wait, I couldn't let myself enjoy this!
Gunu-nu. Between my actual age as an Alraune being one and my current form being that of a young girl, I was being forced into the "little sister" role perfectly. Even though I was actually the older one! But no matter how I looked at it, I couldn't beat her ten years with my single year as an Alraune.
It was so frustrating! I had to make her recognize that I was the elder. That’s it—if I showed her what a capable Alraune I could be, she might be convinced. If I could secure food, clothing, and shelter, she would surely respect me!
First, I had to improve our diet, which was our most immediate problem. She would be thrilled to see me bring home a massive haul!
"Go, to, the river, and, catch, fish."
"I guess eating fish once in a while would be nice. Okay."
I traveled to the river with her while she was in the form of a white bird. We arrived at a beautiful, pristine stream that felt untouched by civilization. Yes, there looked to be plenty of fish swimming here. This was my chance to shine. I had to show her who the real big sister was!
After she returned to her human form, I had her hold onto my vine. Then, I had her hurl me into the water!
Once submerged, I scattered my poisonous pollen into the current. Almost instantly, the fish that inhaled it began to float to the surface. I snatched them up with my vine immediately.
It was a huge success! I caught over ten of them.
"Here, I’ll, give you, fish."
In a great mood, I presented the catch to her. However, she looked at them with a grimace.
"Aren't these fish... poisoned...?"
...Ah. She was probably right! After all, I had caught them by forcing them to swallow poison. I had completely forgotten that while the prey didn't affect me because the poison was my own, normal people couldn't eat things contaminated by my pollen.
It couldn't be helped. Since it would be a waste, I decided I would be the one to eat the toxic fish. Afterward, I tried traditional fishing with my vines, but it was a total failure. Fish weren't that easy to catch.
If the river was no good, I would target land animals. This time, I’d catch them without poison!
Perhaps lured by the scent of my nectar, a crowd of small animals gathered: mice, squirrels, deer, and even a bear. I caught them one after another with my vines. I snapped the necks of the struggling animals to make them quiet.
"Meat, all you can eat. I’ll, give, all of this, to you!"
I presented the animals to her with a wide smile. I had already eaten the fish, so she could have as much of this as she wanted! As I offered my tribute in high spirits, she looked away apologetically.
"Raw meat is a bit..."
...Raw meat. It had been so long since I stopped being human that I had completely forgotten. Normal people didn't eat raw meat. Now that I thought about it, I had never seen a human biting into a whole mouse. I hadn't been that wild during my time as a Saint, either; I wouldn't have been able to do it even if someone told me to.
If we had fire, we could have had a barbecue, but we had no way to start one. She had fled her village with absolutely nothing. My only possession was a bucket. I tried making fire with some nearby wood, but it wouldn't catch. I had never done it before, so it was impossible. A duke's daughter never had to start her own fires. Even in my high school girl days, I only ever used lighters or matches.
"I’ll give the animals to you, Alraune."
"Tha...nk you..."
Chomp.
I ushered the animals into my lower mouth. She watched silently as I converted the raw meat into nutrients.
What was I going to do? Our diets were completely different! I was being forced to realize the stark reality of the difference between a plant monster and a human. If we couldn't eat the same things, how were we supposed to live together?
Instead of meat, I gave her my usual apples and nectar. For now, those were the only things she could eat. I wondered if a growing girl could survive on just those two things. Perhaps it was a fool's errand for a plant monster to try and live with a human. Normally, plants stayed in the forest and people stayed in towns. Maybe the two were never meant to cross paths.
At this rate, she was going to collapse. I had to find new food in the forest that she could actually eat. Or maybe it would be better to move toward a human settlement for her sake. Regardless, I realized that our current lifestyle was unsustainable. If I wanted us to stay together, I had to try harder!
Then came the following day. The thing I had feared most finally happened. She suddenly collapsed.
"Alraune... I'm so... hungry..."
"I’ll, give you, nectar, so, cheer, up?"
Without a word, she thrust her finger into my mouth. She stirred it around to collect the nectar and then brought it to her own lips. It was strange; having a finger shoved into my mouth should have been unpleasant, but it didn't feel that way now. If anything, it was a relief. For some reason, it felt natural for her finger to be there. It was only the second time she had done it, so my reaction was odd.
She kept licking the nectar, but it wasn't enough to give her strength. She remained slumped on the ground.
"It's no use... I can lick the nectar, but no strength is coming back..."
Her arm fell limp against the earth.
LITTLE WITCH!!
I screamed as I supported her with my vines. Her body temperature felt high. She might have caught a cold. Between being covered in mucus and bathing in the river, she had been wet quite a lot. Her health must have finally broken down.
Beyond that, she was incredibly light. She had been a prisoner in her village before we met. She probably hadn't had a decent meal in days, leading to severe malnutrition. I wanted to help her immediately, but I couldn't move while carrying her. I was a plant, after all.
Even if I could move, where would I go? She was a witch, but still human. Taking her to a town was likely the right move, but unlike her, I was a monster. The moment I stepped into a town, I’d be hunted down.
I had to do something here in the forest, but the only one I could rely on was that fairy—and I didn't even know anyone else. I didn't care if it was a random, passing monster; I just wanted someone to save her.
"Someone, help!"
"......Zzz."
I heard a soft sound of breathing nearby.
"Just... sleeping...?"
It seemed she had simply fallen asleep. I thought it was the end and completely lost my cool. Nevertheless, the fact remained that she had collapsed from malnutrition. She still had a fever, and I had to treat her quickly.
As I was agonizing over what to do, I heard footsteps in the nearby brush. I turned toward the sound and saw a withered tree standing there. Its shape was very familiar. It looked exactly like the withered tree that had been my neighbor for the past year.
Actually, that withered tree had been a tree-type monster, a Treant. I hadn't expected to have another one as a neighbor here. But I didn't have time to worry about trees right now. I had to identify the source of the footsteps. If the fairy was back, I’d ask for help. If it was a hostile monster, I had to fight to protect the girl.
As I watched warily, the withered tree began to lumber forward. The footsteps were coming from the tree itself. Normal withered trees didn't walk, which meant this was indeed a Treant.
Wait, could it be...?
Just to check, I waved a vine at it. The Treant waved a branch back. It didn't seem hostile; it actually felt quite friendly. Then, in the next moment, it broke into a run toward me with a very specific, sharp form.
That way of sprinting, as if dashing gallantly... there couldn't be many Treants that fast. That settled it.
It was the Treant from before!
There was no mistake. This was the same Treant who had abandoned me and bolted when the fire broke out in the former forest!
I stood there, dumbfounded by the turn of events, as the Treant sprinted toward me at full speed. Just like during the fire, I could only watch in awe as it ran.
You’ve got to be kidding me. In this new world forest I had traveled so far to reach, I had run into an old acquaintance. I had actually achieved a reunion with the Treant that had left me behind to die.