I was Alraune, a plant monster girl who had finally secured a moment of peace.
I used my vines to gently pat the head of the Little Witch, my adorable younger sister.
There, there.
The Little Witch really was the cutest thing.
She was so precious I felt like I could just eat her up.
Ah, but I didn't mean that literally, of course. I wasn't a girl so barbaric or gluttonous as to actually do that.
"Lady Alraune, that was incredible!"
Fairy Kiri and my younger sister-figure, Treant, arrived shortly after. Despite the scale of the disaster that had unfolded, not a single one of us was missing. That made me happier than anything else.
When I lived in the former forest, I had always been all alone. But now, I had so many companions. No matter how difficult things became, the simple fact that I wasn't alone made me feel truly blessed.
The Little Witch, Treant, and Fairy Kiri.
Thank you all for staying by my side. Let's keep spending our days together from now on!
As I basked in the gratitude of having friends, a brilliant idea struck me. We were going to be living in this forest from now on, which meant we would eventually need money. After all, I had the Little Witch to look after, and she was human.
That was where Garda-fresvelg of the Radiant Crown, the member of the Four Heavenly Kings I had just defeated, would come in handy. That birdman’s golden feathers were incredibly sturdy, and they were quite beautiful in the way they shimmered. Perhaps I could sell them?
As the Little Witch’s older sister, I had to be responsible and think about our finances.
I commanded the Giant Venus Flytrap I had hidden underground to sprout back up to the surface. After confirming that the Golden Birdman inside wasn't moving, I had the plant spit out his body with a heavy thud.
Venus Flytraps didn't have particularly high digestive capabilities. I intended to improve upon that in the future, but for this occasion, I had planned to re-consume him with my lower bulb to be safe. Fortunately, it seemed the birdman hadn't been fully dissolved yet. The golden feathers, imbued with Light Magic, still retained their shape.
They looked perfectly usable.
If I was going to ask someone to do the dirty work, it had to be the Fairy.
"Kiri, pluck those feathers for me."
"No way! They're covered in digestive fluid. That's gross."
"I'll give you nectar in exchange."
"At your service, Lady Alraune!"
Fairy Kiri set to work gathering the feathers with newfound enthusiasm.
Good, that secured our materials. Just as I was celebrating our unexpected bonus, a sprout suddenly shot up from the ground right next to us. The germinated sprout grew at a staggering rate, maturing into a large tree before our eyes. It was a burst of growth that almost rivaled my own Plant Generation.
What was happening?
"I never imagined you would actually manage to defeat one of the Four Heavenly Kings."
To my surprise, a woman appeared, leaning gracefully against the trunk of the great tree. She had green hair that resembled ivy, with branches growing from her head like ornate hairpieces. She wore a magnificent white dress fashioned from vines. There was no mistaking her—it was the Forest Spirit, Lady Dryades.
However, I thought the Forest Spirit was tied to her main body, the Great Tree, and couldn't move. How was she standing here?
"I apologize for startling you. By extending the roots of my main body deep through the earth, I am able to manifest myself throughout the forest in this limited fashion."
So, the tree that had just sprouted was a part of the Great Tree where Lady Dryades resided. By extending her roots, she could manifest her spirit body wherever they reached. Was that even allowed? Lady Dryades really was incredible!
"You have done well to protect this forest and the Sanctuary. You have my thanks, Alraune."
"No... I am the Forest Bodyguard, after all."
"However, it is too early to relax. I was observing the battle through Spirit Magic. Alraune, did you happen to see a blue flower growing inside the mouth of the giant eagle?"
Come to think of it, a blue flower had been protruding from the beak of that giant eagle monster, Begia-Ad Adler. Unfortunately, the corpse had been erased by Garda-fresvelg’s Heiligenschein, so I couldn't check now. It was such a waste; a creature that massive could have kept me fed for days.
"That blue flower is a Parasitic Flower. it was planted there by my older sister, the Dryades of the West Forest."
Lady Dryades’s sister... In other words, the spirit who served the Demon King's Army and was rumored to have killed the Hero fifty years ago. I wondered what the flower had to do with her.
"It is fortunate that the member of the Four Heavenly Kings is lying right there. Open the birdman's beak and examine the back of his throat."
Following Lady Dryades's instructions, I used a vine to pry open the mouth of the Golden Birdman. When I thrust a vine deep into his throat, I felt something growing there. With a sharp tug, my vine pulled back, clutching a blue flower.
To my shock, a blue flower had been growing inside the body of one of the Four Heavenly Kings.
"What... is this flower?"
"Once that blue flower parasitizes the brain, the victim loses all control over their body. It is a terrifying plant that turns people into my sister’s puppets."
Controlled by a flower... That was a truly frightening ability.
"Who exactly... is your sister, Lady Dryades?"
"Fifty years ago, my sister was the one who claimed the life of the Hero. Because of that achievement, she joined the Demon King's Army and rose to the rank of the Four Heavenly Kings."
Which meant...
"My sister is the Dryades of the West Forest, and she is one of the Four Heavenly Kings who makes up the strength of the Demon King's Army."
I never expected to hear that title again so soon.
According to Lady Dryades, her sister used those blue flowers to manipulate others. That meant Garda-fresvelg of the Radiant Crown had been nothing more than a puppet for his fellow Heavenly King.
The giant eagle attack and the arrival of the Golden Birdman—all of it had been orchestrated by the older Dryades sister from the West Forest.
I see. It seemed the true mastermind was the other Forest Spirit.
Thank you for reading. Next time: The reason the Fallen Dryades turned to darkness.