I am Alraune, the plant monster young girl.
It was a bit embarrassing given that we were in the middle of a battle, but I was about to begin the act of procreation right before a gentleman’s eyes.
To counter the giant eagle-type monster, Begia-Ad Adler, who circled above, I decided to send my own clones into the sky.
As both a former Saint and a Duke’s Daughter, the thought of reproducing in front of an enemy was deeply mortifying. However, even if someone were to scold me for being unladylike, I wouldn't survive this encounter without pollination. I would much rather show off my pollination in public than be slaughtered by a giant eagle!
That said, since my main body wasn't the one actually being pollinated, the shame was—to be perfectly honest—almost non-existent. It was like a biology experiment; I was simply cross-pollinating the Alraune's Male Flower and Female Flower that I had bloomed on my vines to produce Alraune Seeds.
Next, I grew a Teppou-uri Machine Gun to serve as a casing for the seeds. With that, the weapon was complete, fully loaded with Alraune Seeds.
Since I was rooted to the ground and couldn't fly up to reach Begia-Ad Adler, my only option was to fire my seeds at him. Once they pierced the bird's hide, I could force them to germinate, allowing them to cling to his body. I couldn't think of any other way to attack him but this!
And so, I carried out the plan.
"Good day, Mr. Eagle. Please wait for me in the great blue yonder. I am coming to meet you now."
I fired a rapid-fire volley of Alraune Seeds toward the soaring Begia-Ad Adler. It must have been a daunting task for my seeds to be hurled into the air on a suicide charge, but as my clones, I knew they could handle it.
"My other selves, I leave the rest to you."
I saluted with a vine as I watched my seeds depart. Everyone, please come back safely...
The Alraune Seeds pierced Begia-Ad Adler's belly and wings. Because I had infused them with an abundance of Light Recovery Magic, the seeds germinated instantly. In the blink of an eye, over a dozen Child Alraunes sprouted from the giant eagle's body.
Yes, this was my Mistletoe Strategy.
Mistletoe is a parasitic plant that grows by digging its roots into the trunks and branches of other trees. Following that same principle, I intended to have the Alraune seeds parasitize Begia-Ad Adler. I had wondered if such a forced method would work, but it was progressing better than I had dared to hope. Perhaps I had unknowingly preyed upon a mistletoe plant at some point; it must have been among the many botanical gifts from my little sister figure, Treant.
Since there was no soil where they sprouted, the Child Alraunes began encroaching their roots directly into the eagle's flesh through his wounds. Thanks to that, they managed to stay attached without being shaken off. In fact, with Alraunes sprouting all over him and their roots gouging his meat, the process was a devastating attack in its own right. I had a feeling they were sustaining themselves by absorbing nutrients directly from his body.
As a result, a literal Young Girl Alraune Field bloomed across the giant eagle's belly. The many Child Alraunes each waved their vines down at me.
"Mama—!" "I'll do my best—!" "Watch us, Mama—!"
M-My children!
Even if they were technically clones, there was no doubt they were Alraunes born from me. To see them fighting that giant bird for my sake... it was enough to make me feel quite moved. I watched their progress with the pride of a parent attending a school sports day.
Oh, excuse me, neighbor, do look at that. Those young girl Alraunes over there? They’re all my children. Eh? You’re surprised I have so many children at such a young age? Yes, well, I may only be a one-year-old girl, but I’ve found myself a single mother of many. You’re asking where the Papa is? To be perfectly honest, I am their biological Papa. At the same time, I am also their biological Mama. Yes, it is quite a complicated family dynamic.
Even so, our thoughts were perfectly synchronized. Since they were my clones, I knew exactly what the Child Alraunes were about to do next.
"Is everyone ready?" "Leave it to us—" "Let's do this—"
The Child Alraunes invited Begia-Ad Adler to a "dance" with their Anesthetic Briars. The gentleman bird, embraced by so many young girls, seemed to grow flustered as his movements slowed. However, that alone wasn't enough to halt the rampage of such a massive creature. For a large male bird, being pestered by little girls wasn't a significant enough burden.
"Next one, here we go—" "Got it—" "Let's do it—"
The Child Alraunes sprouted Sundew Vines, connecting them to one another until they had covered Begia-Ad Adler’s wings in a mass of sundew. It looked as though they were giving the eagle a massage with the sticky mucus overflowing from their tentacles. Whether the viscous sensation felt good or not, Begia-Ad Adler’s wings soon became immobilized.
He seemed to have been rendered completely spineless by the devoted massage of the Child Alraunes. By using the sundew vines—which were sticky enough to pull long, thick threads—they successfully sealed his flight.
Between the Anesthetic Briars eroding his strength and the sticky vines robbing his wings of freedom, the eagle’s movements ground to a halt. Unable to stay aloft, Begia-Ad Adler plummeted toward the earth. He crashed into the ground near me with a heavy thud. Since he had fallen on his back, the Child Alraunes parasitizing his belly were unharmed. Thank goodness.
"Mama, hurry... the finishing blow."
I couldn't let everyone’s hard work go to waste.
"Mid-air dancing and massages—thank you for your service, everyone. Now that my daughters are finished, it is time for me, their Mama, to serve you."
"Good day once again, Mr. Eagle. My children were very well looked after by you. I am quite delighted that you played together so well. As a token of my gratitude, I shall officially invite you to my tea party."
It was fine; even if both his wings were occupied, I would feed him myself.
"Now, say 'ahh'."
I pried the giant eagle's beak open with a vine and prepared to treat him to my handmade "sweets." I generated a Poison Seed Teppou-uri Machine Gun and fired a rapid volley directly into his open maw.
Spo-po-po-pon!
Countless poison seeds were sucked into the back of Begia-Ad Adler's throat.
"How do you find the flavor of my pride-and-joy poison seeds? When you are full, please signal by closing your beak. Until then, I shall continue to serve you."
"Oh? You want seconds? To open your beak so wide, you must have been quite famished. Very well, here is an extra helping from the machine gun."
"My, Mr. Eagle, you’ve grown thirsty, haven't you? I shall give you some tea to wash it down. Now, say 'ahh'."
The giant eagle gulped down my poison pollen. While foaming at the mouth, he seemed to express his satisfaction. He had evidently taken a liking to it. Finally, his eyes rolled back and his head slumped to the ground as if to say he couldn't eat another bite.
It appeared the meal was over.
As if it were a return gift for my tea party, a Blue Flower popped out of the eagle's mouth. It was just like a magic trick.
—Wait, what was that?
Why was there a flower growing inside a bird's mouth? Besides, I felt as though I had seen that flower somewhere before...
"Begia-Ad Adler was defeated?! T-That’s impossible..."
The Poison Fairy was in a state of total panic. It seemed she hadn't considered the possibility of my victory for even a second.
"Next, it is your turn."
"H-Help me—!"
The Poison Fairy turned to flee. However, because she only had one wing left, she couldn't fly properly. She wouldn't be able to escape at that pathetic speed. I sprouted a Venus Flytrap from the earth and, like a fly being caught, the two lobes of the insectivorous leaves snapped shut around the fairy.
"Gyaaah!"
I had successfully captured the Poison Fairy. Now then, what to do with her? I could even eat her if I felt like it.
"T-This won't end here! Once reinforcements arrive, the tables will turn instantly!"
I wondered if it was just the fairy’s sour grapes, but a sudden premonition struck me—a gut feeling that she might be telling the truth. I sensed a strange presence. Something was approaching from the horizon. Something with a power similar to the magic I held when I was a Saint was flying toward us at incredible speed.
A Saint wouldn't be flying through the sky. So, what on earth was it? I could feel the unidentified presence drawing closer and closer.
Then, I realized. Whatever was coming possessed the exact same Light Magic as a Saint.