I was Alraune, a young girl and a plant monster.
In that moment, I was under attack by a fairy who was sprinkling a mysterious liquid over me.
It was the dead of night, a time when even the trees and plants slept.
While the Little Witch and I were deep in slumber, a small, glowing fairy had arrived. The moment she splashed that liquid on me, a wave of nausea washed over me. It felt as if I were about to wither at any second.
There was no mistake about it; I was being targeted by this mysterious fairy. I sensed that she hadn't sprayed me with water, but with some kind of poison.
Of course, I had no intention of taking this lying down. I had to catch the culprit!
I covertly maneuvered the vines I had hidden underground, positioning them around the intruder. The instant she stopped dousing me, I lunged with my vines!
However, perhaps due to the poor visibility in the darkness, I failed to snag her. Fairies are such small targets, after all.
"This flower... was it awake?!" the mysterious fairy exclaimed.
Just as I thought, she had come here under the assumption that I was asleep. Fortunately, the moon—which had been obscured by clouds until a moment ago—peeked out. Thanks to its light, I was finally able to see her face.
She was a stranger with sun-kissed, wheat-colored skin. Her gaze was far more malicious than Kiri’s. It appeared she was a fairy I didn't know.
"What... do you... want?"
"Just searching for something. I heard he was around here, but it looks like he’s gone for now."
So she really was looking for someone. But who?
"You're one of that guy's companions, aren't you? Where are you hiding him?"
"Who... are you... talking... about?"
"It's no use playing dumb. The fact that you're even here is proof enough."
The fairy insisted that I was an associate of this "guy," but I didn't have the slightest clue who she was talking about.
"Hmph. To still be feigning ignorance... you're quite cheeky for a flower. I wish you'd just wither away already."
Hold on, I couldn't just let those words slide. Why did I have to be called cheeky and told to die by a fairy I’d never even met before? No matter how broad-minded I was, there were some things I simply could not tolerate.
"In fact, you're that flower from the other day, aren't you? I'm surprised you haven't shriveled up yet. Why are you still alive?"
"……What... do you... mean?"
"I hate pretty flowers like you. That's why when I saw you in the West Forest the other day, I sprayed you with herbicide. I figured you'd be dead by now."
I see. Since she had found me in the West Forest, the one flying around me that night hadn't been Kiri, but this fairy.
And did she say herbicide? I wondered if it was like the weed killers from my previous life. Could it be that on that night, when I thought I was being watered in my dream, it had actually been this poison?
Ah, that explained it. That was why the following morning, my leaves had been shriveled and pale. It wasn't a lack of water; it was because this fairy had poisoned me. Which meant that, without my knowledge, I had almost been murdered.
The thought of being chemically withered was terrifying. To be targeted for death simply because a passing fairy didn't like my look... it was absurd.
In the first place, weren't fairies supposed to be subordinates of Lady Dryades? For one of them to try and kill me was strange, no matter how I looked at it.
"I have no interest in Alraunes. Withering you on the spot was just an afterthought, but... oh, I just thought of something brilliant!"
The mysterious fairy used magic, making her body glow. Droplets of moisture began to gather around her from the air and the soil. In mid-air, she generated a purple liquid that looked like nothing but pure toxin.
"My spirit magic can create poison from natural substances. I'll use this to finish you off."
"If... I... wither... will... you... be... satisfied?"
"There's that, sure—but if I kill you, maybe he will show up. He always had a thing for pretty flowers like you, so I'm sure he'll come crawling here once he hears the sad news."
I wondered who on earth she meant by "he." My only acquaintances were the Little Witch sleeping beside me, my "sister" Treant, Fairy Kiri, and Lady Dryades. All four of them seemed to like pretty flowers, so I couldn't narrow it down.
But I knew one thing for certain: my life was being targeted by an unfamiliar fairy. A fairy who appeared in the dark of night to manipulate poison. A "Poison Fairy," I suppose. Given that she wanted to kill me just because she didn't like my petals and intended to use my corpse as bait, her personality was utterly rotten.
Regardless of her reasons, I had no intention of dying. Honestly, I would have to have a word with Lady Dryades about this.
"Fairy... if... you... continue... I... will... tell... Lady Dryades."
"Go right ahead. I’m only here because Lady Dryades ordered me to be, after all."
"…………Eh?"
By Lady Dryades' orders? Did that mean she had given permission for my execution...?
Come to think of it, the Little Witch had warned me not to trust Lady Dryades or Fairy Kiri. At the time, I thought she was being overly cynical, but to think her suspicions would prove true. Right now, I was being murdered by a fairy acting on the orders of the forest’s master.
Had we been betrayed by Lady Dryades?
No... not again... I had been betrayed yet again............
"And so, for the sake of my mission, please just wither away. Be a good little bait and lure him out."
The Poison Fairy hurled the purple liquid at my roots. I instinctively shielded myself with my vines, but the herbicide splashed down, soaking the earth around my bulb.
"It's a fast-acting withering medicine. I've even increased the concentration, so a mere Alraune won't stand a chance."
My body grew heavy with terrifying speed. It felt as though the very biological mechanisms of my plant body were being dismantled. I felt sicker than I ever had in my life.
"Hey, does the herbicide taste good?"
I could hear the fairy’s high-pitched, mocking laughter. This girl was really starting to irritate me. Perhaps I should just crush her with my poison briars.
"……Huh?"
I tried to manifest the briars, but for some reason, the vines wouldn't change. I tried to produce a Teppou-uri Machine Gun as a test, but no fruit would grow. It seemed the herbicide was disrupting my plant hormones, preventing me from controlling my body.
What was I going to do? The herbicide was super-effective against me.
Before I knew it, my leaves had shriveled to nothing. The luster of my corolla had vanished. I was in the throes of death.
"A pathetic Alraune could never match me. Now, let’s go for the finishing blow."
The fairy used her spirit magic to conjure another mass of herbicide in the air. This was bad. If I took any more of that, I would truly wither away.
Stop it, please...!
Drowning out the silent scream in my heart, the Poison Fairy unleashed a massive spray of toxin. The purple withering medicine drenched me from the head down. My vines began to twitch with violent spasms.
I felt my corolla closing into a bud as if to protect itself. No, it wasn't a protective movement—it was shrinking because it was dying.
The effects of the herbicide ravaged my body. I watched as the chlorophyll was drained from my form, leaving me pale and translucent. At the same time, I lost all sensation in my limbs.
This was truly the end...
My vision collapsed into darkness. Right then, I was withering away.