I was Alraune, a plant monster girl brimming with onion components.
Writhing on the ground before me were the knights who apparently lacked any culinary talent.
By severing my vines, they had all fallen victim to the onion's lachrymatory substance.
They were struggling in agony now, shedding a deluge of bodily fluids from their eyes and noses.
If you are all so moved to tears, I shall grant you a second helping.
I generated new onions at the very tips of my vines.
Then, I shoved those onions deep into the knights' gaping mouths.
The knights let out wordless, muffled screams.
Perhaps their stomachs were full, for they seemed to drift off to sleep almost immediately.
I hoped the taste of my onions—laced with sleeping powder—was to their liking.
Compared to the fact that they had intended to kill me, this was a small price for them to pay.
Now then, the knights and adventurers who had used fire magic, along with the knights who had cut my vines, were all lying face-down on the dirt.
Only the hot-blooded Knight Commander remained.
For now, I supposed I should offer him a final ultimatum.
"Will you... surrender?"
"There is no way the proud Knight Order of Tower City would ever yield to a monster!"
"But your fellow knights are all sleeping soundly after eating their onions, you know?"
"That is all your doing! To be a monster is to be evil! There is nothing for you but death!!"
The Knight Commander began to chant an incantation.
"Erde-Kavallerist!"
A bull made of earth magic manifested before him.
The Knight Commander mounted the riding bull, which possessed two massive horns, and charged straight at me.
To a human, I suppose that bull might have seemed terrifying, but to me, it looked like a mere calf.
Compared to the bull-type monsters I had fought countless times in the forest where I previously lived, I found it nothing short of adorable.
Still, since he was going to the trouble of coming all this way to see me, I decided to welcome him just a little bit.
Good day to you, Sir Knight Commander.
I shall cordially invite you to a dinner party.
With my Teppou-uri Machine Gun, I fired a single seed at the magical earth bull.
Using the bull as a nursery bed, sprouts burst forth from the seed the moment it pierced the earthen hide.
As my "invitation," I had planted a Sundew seed.
As long as I had earth as a base, I could grow as many plants as I wished.
The vigorously growing Giant Sundew swallowed the earth riding bull in the blink of an eye.
"What is thissssss!?"
The Sundew moved quickly to capture the Knight Commander.
The sticky, adhesive tentacles of the Sundew began crawling all over the Knight Commander’s full plate armor.
I decided to forcibly strip that armor away, leaving him buck-naked right then and there.
After changing the Knight Commander into a rather embarrassing, casual outfit—consisting only of his underwear—it was finally time for his meal.
This was, after all, my private dinner party.
Heavy armor would only get in the way.
Since this was a private affair, I decided to showcase my culinary skills and prepare a dish for him myself.
I generated a cluster of onions right in front of the Knight Commander’s face.
Since the opportunity had presented itself, I thought I would show him the preparation process up close.
Using a vine to wield a sword I had snatched from one of the knights, I began to slice the onions.
Oh my, Sir Knight Commander, I had no idea you loved onions enough to weep so piteously.
Please, forgive me.
I simply hadn't noticed.
To be weeping with such joy must mean you want to eat your meal as soon as possible.
Well then, it was a bit early, but I decided to let him dig in.
I stuffed a massive quantity of onions into the Knight Commander’s mouth.
Large, heavy tears spilled from his eyes.
It appeared he was truly overcome with emotion at the chance to eat his favorite food.
The Knight Commander, who had been rejoicing with such wild thrashing at first, soon grew quiet.
I was delighted that he was moved by the taste of the onions enough to lose consciousness.
Now then, after the meal, it was time for a lesson in flower arrangement.
I hung the Knight Commander, who was now covered in mucus and tears, from a nearby tree.
Please, take a look.
An ikebana of a Knight Commander, teary-eyed and glistening with slime, was complete!
As it happened, I was quite well-versed in the principles of flower arrangement.
By making an onion flower bloom from his mouth, I had transformed the Knight Commander into a splendid flower vase.
Upon hearing the Knight Commander’s earlier insults, my spirits had become agitated, likely due to the shock.
Therefore, I chose to express those frustrated feelings through the medium of floral art.
The Knight Commander, still clutching the onion in his mouth, retained his teary eyes and looked somewhat happy.
I hoped he would remain there as a lovely piece of forest decor and let his flower bloom.
"Now, this is a surprise."
From among the few remaining humans, a gentleman wearing blue armor stepped forward.
Clapping his hands in a slow applause, he approached me with total disregard for his own safety.
Though his style differed from the Knight Commander’s, he wore magnificent equipment.
"I am Holger of the 'Crystal of Dragon Water.' The beautiful adventurer known as the Dragon Killer."
This human with blue hair and sharp eyes was apparently an adventurer.
I wondered if his self-proclaimed beauty referred to his face rather than his gear.
He was indeed somewhat handsome.
That said, to me—who had quit being human to become a flower—his appearance didn't resonate much.
Besides, my preference was someone more like the Lord Hero... Ahem.
This blue-haired man called himself a Dragon Killer, and judging by his equipment, his team was likely quite capable.
Wait... "Crystal of Dragon Water"?
Come to think of it, an adventurer I defeated previously mentioned that the only ones in this city who could potentially beat me were the "Crystal of Dragon Water."
That would mean this man was the strongest adventurer in Tower City.
Adventurers were specialists in monster extermination.
Compared to the city’s Knight Commander, they were a far more troublesome breed of opponent for a monster.
"I seek not only beauty, but strength as well. That is why I will eventually become the strongest man in this country. Defeating you seems like a perfect stepping stone toward that goal."
I felt a greasy, lingering gaze as he sized me up like prey.
It seemed this adventurer also operated on the principle that monsters should be killed without question.
Or rather, he was aiming for the top.
Presumably, the strongest man in the country currently was my former fiancé, the Hero.
Well then, as someone who knew that Hero well, I decided I would measure this man's worth myself.
If you intend to become the strongest man in the country, you must be able to easily best a former Saint who was discarded by the Hero.
As I entered a combat-ready stance, the blue-haired adventurer raised a hand.
In response, three other adventurers stepped forward.
They were clearly his comrades from the "Crystal of Dragon Water."
"Let's do the usual."
At the blue-haired man's command, his comrades each began to chant.
"Windschutz!"
This was a support spell of wind magic that granted a blessing of piercing movement, greatly increasing speed.
"Bodenschutz!"
An earth magic support spell that granted skin as hard as the ground itself, boosting defensive power.
"Vulkanschutz!"
A fire magic support spell that granted the power of pulsating flames, increasing attack power and physical strength.
Each of these required the casters to maintain their chants, but in exchange, the effects were outstanding.
It appeared the style of the "Crystal of Dragon Water" was for the subordinates to provide constant buffs while their leader, the blue-haired adventurer, fought alone.
"With this treasure lance created from a Water Dragon's fang, this treasure armor born from Water Dragon Scales, and the power of three support spells, there is no monster I cannot defeat!"
The leader declared his victory with absolute confidence.
Well then, I decided to see if his words held any truth.
I opened fire with my Teppou-uri Machine Gun.
Zupopopopopopon!
My seeds streaked toward the blue-haired adventurer.
However, before they could impact his body, the momentum was absorbed as if they had struck the surface of a pond.
Japopopopopon.
Suddenly, the seeds were blocked by a mass of water that had manifested in mid-air.
Before I knew it, the blue-haired adventurer was clad in armor made of pure water.
It seemed my seeds had been sucked into that liquid wall.
"Wasserwurm Harnisch. It is a water magic that combines offense and defense, allowing the user to wear armor generated from water."
It seemed his reputation as the top adventurer in Tower City was legitimate.
He appeared to be amplifying his water magic several times over using that special Water Dragon gear.
Water gushed from the magical armor like a fountain, and the mass of liquid continued to swell.
The expansion only stopped once it had taken the shape of a small Water Dragon.
The blue-haired adventurer now looked like a miniature dragon made of water.
Since he was enveloped in water, both my onion's lachrymatory substance and my sleeping powder would likely be washed away or blocked.
It was a magic clearly specialized for defense.
However, not a single drop of concern regarding how to fight such an opponent surfaced within me.
"How is it, plant monster? Are you struck speechless by my beautiful and terrifying form?"
Terrifying was the last word I would use.
If anything, you look delicious...!
Gulp.
I mean, really, what a wonderful body he had!
That water armor was essentially an invitation for me to enjoy an all-you-can-drink buffet.
I was a plant.
I was a living creature whose very purpose was the absorption of water.
To me, this man who had manifested the power of a Water Dragon seemed like nothing more than a private swimming pool.
I had a feeling that this magical water would taste far more refined than rainwater or groundwater.
As a plant, I simply couldn't help myself.
At that moment, I ceased to see the Water Dragon adventurer as an enemy.
To me, he was now a juice machine at a drink bar.
Time to dig in!
(Note: The stinging in the eyes caused by onions is due to allyl sulfide. When volatile allyl sulfide is released, it stimulates the mucous membranes of the eyes and nose, resulting in tears.)
Next time: The Water Dragon Armor Drink Bar and the Forest Salad Bar.