I am Alraune, a plant monster girl.
After being kidnapped, I was—of all things—repotted in a botanical garden under the jurisdiction of the Demon King’s Castle.
As I stood there in a daze, Barometz-san approached me with a worried expression.
"You must be quite startled, being brought to a place like this so suddenly, but please rest assured. You will get used to it in no time."
This Barometz-san, a girl with sheep horns, was a plant monster just like me.
She looked as though she were wearing a coat of golden cotton, and her lower body consisted of fruit that resembled large, golden cotton balls.
When I think of plant monsters, that Circle Crasher Man-eater comes to mind.
Compared to that Man-eater, this Barometz-san seemed like a very pleasant plant.
However, no matter how kind of a plant monster Barometz-san was, I still wanted to go back to the Dryades' Forest.
I wanted to see the Little Witch’s face as soon as possible.
I was certain she was worried sick about me by now.
If Fairy Kiri had been left behind at the scene, I assumed the news of my kidnapping would be conveyed. However, she likely had no way of knowing where I had been taken.
Therefore, I had to escape from here on my own.
But since I couldn't walk, escaping was essentially impossible, wasn't it?
I wondered what I should do.
Wait—this was the Demon King's Army Botanical Garden.
If that was the case, members of the Demon Race were bound to show up eventually.
I just had to take one of those demons hostage and negotiate my way back to the Dryades' Forest.
Yes, that was the only plan I could come up with.
Alright! I’m going to give it my all!
—Bam!
Suddenly, the door to the botanical garden swung open.
A fearsome being emerged from the other side.
A massive serpent with nine heads slithered into the garden.
Wait, hold on a second.
That snake... that was a Hydra, wasn't it?!
In a sense, a Hydra was a member of the Demon Race even more troublesome than a dragon.
They possessed astounding regeneration abilities; even if you severed their heads, they would immediately sprout back from the wounds. Furthermore, rumor had it that one of those nine heads was immortal.
He was a powerhouse on the level of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King's Army.
In fact, I suspected he was even stronger than the Golden Birdman from the Stalker Four Heavenly Kings.
What business did a formidable enemy like a Hydra have in a botanical garden?
Could it be that he had come to slay me for defeating one of the Four Heavenly Kings...?
As if to blow away my anxieties, Barometz-san greeted the Hydra casually.
"Oh, Manager. Good afternoon."
—Eh?
The manager?
"Allow me to introduce you. This is the Manager of the botanical garden."
Barometz-san beckoned the Hydra over.
"So, you're the new Alraune? Such a beautiful flower. This will make the watering worthwhile."
"Nice, to, meet, you..."
"In this garden, the only plant capable of speech is Barometz over there. Make sure you two get along."
"...Um, what about, the person, in the Top Hat, who brought, me here?"
"It seems he’s gone off to fetch more plants. He likely won't return until the end of summer. His business is irrelevant; I must get to work."
The Manager, the Hydra, began spitting water from his nine mouths.
A gentle rain fell upon the plants within the garden.
Apparently, he was the one who did the watering.
I never would have imagined that a Hydra would be a botanical garden Manager, let alone that he would be the one tending to the plants.
What was the deal with this place?
Even for the Demon King’s Castle Botanical Garden, I never expected such a high-ranking figure to be doing the manual labor!
If I had to face a Hydra, a life-or-death struggle was a certainty.
He wasn't an opponent I could best easily.
—Right, let's put that hostage plan on ice for now.
Barometz-san, seemingly oblivious to my dejection, spoke to me cheerfully.
"Plant monsters capable of human speech are rare. As the Manager said, you and I are the only ones here who can talk. That is why I am so happy you have come here, Alraune-san."
Barometz-san expressed her joy with her entire body, her stems bobbing up and down.
Seeing such a positive reaction didn't feel bad at all.
"Oh dear, all that moving has made me hungry."
As she spoke, Barometz-san used her cotton to manifest a pair of hands.
With those large cotton hands, she plucked a massive weed growing to her right.
She brought the grass to her face and took a bite.
Barometz-san munched away.
Now that I thought about it, she did have sheep horns; she was likely a herbivore just like a real sheep.
However, Barometz-san wasn't satisfied with just that one weed. She began plucking up all the surrounding plants by their roots.
She devoured them all with the voracity of a competitive eater.
Wait, hold on, Barometz-san!
Is it really okay to eat that many of the garden's plants?!
The surrounding greenery was completely gone!
"I am terribly sorry. I am a herbivore, but I am also a bit of a glutton... Before I realize it, the grass around me has usually vanished."
"I, I see."
After a while, the Hydra Manager returned from his watering rounds.
He let out a heavy sigh and issued a warning to Barometz-san.
"Eating the grass can't be helped, Barometz, but no matter how hungry you get, do not eat that Alraune. She is an extremely rare Alraune Unique Monster."
"I am well aware. Personally, I do not view Alraune-san as a food source."
"I’ve also been ordered to ensure the other flowers in the garden aren't eaten, so keep that in mind. Ideally, I’d prefer it if you stuck to the edible grass I plant specifically around you."
"I shall do my best."
While Barometz-san giggled "Ohohoho," I tried asking the Manager something that was weighing on my mind.
"Is it, okay, to eat, the plants?"
"Yes, but only Barometz is permitted to do so. She is the only Barometz in existence on this continent capable of producing Golden Fluff. There is nothing in this botanical garden more valuable than the Barometz of the Golden Fleece."
Producing Golden Fluff...
I see. Barometz-san wasn't just a houseplant; she had been brought here so her Golden Fluff could be harvested.
"I’ve already given up on stopping her, as her species is naturally gluttonous. But Alraune, if you start eating the plants like she does, you will be subject to immediate punishment."
"Specifically, what, kind...?"
"I'll feed you to the Barometz."
I don't want thaaaaaaaat!!
Ugh, there were so many rare plants here that I was hoping to prey on.
I suppose I had no choice. I'd rather not be eaten, so I would have to endure the hunger.
—But then again, if I ate them secretly while the Manager wasn't looking, I'm sure he'd never find out.
While the flames of my secret ambition flickered in my heart, the Manager left the garden.
Once she confirmed he was gone, Barometz-san cleared her throat.
"I apologize for startling you earlier. When it comes to food, I tend to lose my head and eat voraciously without any discretion."
"I don't, mind."
If anything, I was a glutton myself.
I understood the feeling of being overcome by an insatiable appetite all too well.
Besides, a vine or two would grow back in no time, so it wasn't a big deal.
"But, please, don't, eat, me."
"Of course I won't. You have my word."
...Is that really true?
I was still a little worried.
"That aside, Alraune-san. I have a request for you."
Surely she wouldn't say "I want to eat you" now.
As long as it wasn't an offer to be her dinner, I wouldn't mind hearing her out.
This was the first time I had ever spoken this much with a fellow plant monster.
If possible, I was hoping we could build a good relationship.
"What, is, the request?"
"Well, you see..."
Barometz-san rubbed her cotton fluff together bashfully.
She took a deep breath, and then, with a desperate expression as if she had finally found her resolve, she spoke.
"Would you please... be my friend?"