I was Alraune, a plant monster girl who had evolved into a Half-Spirit.
Three days had passed since I defeated Big Sister Dryades, and peace had finally returned to the forest. My current residence was now situated right in front of Lady Dryades’ Sanctuary. Or rather, I had taken root here during the battle and found myself unable to move.
In my immediate vicinity, there was a cluster of trees I had planted that remained connected to my roots—an area I liked to call the Alraune Grove. It was actually quite a comfortable place to live.
I had also gained a new companion. Or perhaps it was more accurate to call her my daughter. Fair-chan, the sapling Dryades, remained growing right next to me. Much like myself, Fair-chan’s main body—her tree—couldn’t be moved easily. However, as a Dryades, she could travel to other locations by moving through her roots. Unlike me, she was perfectly capable of going off to play elsewhere.
Since I’d become a Half-Spirit, I really wanted to hurry up and learn how to use Teleportation myself.
The forest was the very picture of tranquility, with no major changes to speak of. If I had to name one, it was simply that Lady Dryades had taken over the management of the West Forest, which had previously been Big Sister Dryades’ domain. Lady Dryades was currently teleporting back and forth to the West Forest to conduct various investigations. Knowing her sister, she might have released strange creatures or left behind bizarre experimental sites. To ensure no future incidents, we had to nip any potential trouble in the bud.
While the forest was quiet, things were quite busy in Tower City. The lord, Manfred-san, was reportedly exerting every effort toward the city’s reconstruction. Yesterday, Apprentice Saint Nina and the Corporal came to visit, and they filled me in on the state of things. It seemed Manfred-san was pouring his personal family fortune into restoring the city.
It looked like my plan to provide Golden Cotton for trade would have to wait a little longer. Since reconstruction was the top priority, I hoped that as both a lord and a noble, he would do his best for the sake of his people.
Oh, that reminded me—I gave Nina and the others plenty of Nectar as a souvenir. Until now, I had only known how people reacted to it through the Little Witch’s reports, so seeing them so genuinely delighted made me very happy.
I decided to leave the West Forest and Tower City to the others. My job for the time being was to play the role of caretaker for the East Forest. I would protect the entrance to the Sanctuary!
While I was quietly psyching myself up, Fair-chan was busy napping in the sun. Suddenly, Kiri’s voice drifted in from the distance.
"Alraune-sama—!"
Hush, Kiri! Fair-chan is sleeping; if you shout like that, you’ll wake her up!
When I looked toward the source of the voice, my junior, Amazoness Treant, was sprinting toward me with impressive, sharp form. Fairy Kiri was riding on the Treant’s branch. That was all well and good, but if they ran that violently, the vibrations alone would wake Fair-chan.
"Please, run, more, quietly, when, you, come!"
Exchanging such warnings, Kiri and the Amazoness Treant returned from their patrol. The Treant was clutching a single, large tree in her branches.
"What is, that tree?" I asked.
"The Treant said it’s a present for Alraune-sama!" Kiri chirped.
The Amazoness Treant was always bringing me rare plants, which was a huge help. Moreover, the plant she brought today had a name that made it a perfect gift.
This was a Christmas Tree.
Usually, the term "Christmas Tree" brings to mind a fir tree decorated with lights. Unlike those trees that create a fantastical, romantic atmosphere, this was a species that had actually existed in my previous world. With its orange flowers blooming amidst green leaves, it looked like an ordinary tree at first glance.
In truth, however, the Christmas Tree was a clandestine parasite beneath the soil. Its roots possessed the ability to snip through other roots like a pair of scissors. When it located the roots of another plant, it used its parasitic roots to sever them and forcibly connect its own, stealing water and nutrients. Apparently, their cutting ability was so strong that they had been known to sever underground power lines and cause blackouts.
I preyed upon the Christmas Tree with my lower mouth.
Chomp.
With that, I acquired the Christmas Tree’s Scissor-like Parasitic Root ability. Now, I could slice through the roots of other plants and graft them onto my own. Essentially, if I connected every plant in the forest to myself, I could theoretically transfer ownership of the entire forest from Lady Dryades to me.
Whatever should I do? I felt like I could just snatch the Dryades’ Forest right away. Well, I wasn't actually going to do that, of course. Still, it meant I could secretly siphon as much nutrition as I wanted from the forest plants underground.
As a test, I decided to try severing a nearby root to parasitize it. Glee-fully relying on my sense of touch, I located a suitable root in the dirt. Then, with a snip of my "scissors"—there! I didn't know whose root it was, but it was now linked to mine. Time to share some nutrients.
The moment our roots connected, Fair-chan, who was supposed to be napping, let out a startled cry. "Hyaa!?"
It seemed she was wide awake now. I wondered what had happened so suddenly.
"Fair-chan, what is, the matter?"
"Mother—! Someone just entered inside of me!"
...Hm?
"My root was cut, and then something from outside came in... It feels like a part of someone else has merged with my body. It’s such a strange sensation!"
Could that... be me?
Oh dear. It seemed I had accidentally severed Fair-chan’s root. That meant that at this very moment, Fair-chan and I were physically connected. Thinking about it, she was the closest plant to me, so it was only natural that I’d hit her if I just reached out blindly. As a result, we had merged. What should I do?
"How, strange, isn’t, it?" I said aloud while using the Christmas Tree’s ability to snip the connection. That should have separated us.
"Mother—! The root was cut, and that weird presence disappeared. I wonder what that was..."
That, my dear, was me.
As I agonized over whether or not to tell her the truth, a large shadow swept over the ground. Looking up, I saw the underbelly of a dragon with its wings spread wide. It was Uncle Teddy’s transport dragon.
Which meant...!
"Alraune!"
Along with the shout, a white-haired girl jumped down from the dragon’s back. It was the Little Witch!!
I used my vines to catch her as she floated down slowly.
"I wanted to see you so badly! I couldn't wait another second!" she cried.
"I, too, was thinking, that I wanted to, see you, soon!"
I was so happy we could finally reunite. But more importantly, was she alright? I used my vines to gently palpate her body. From what I could feel, she wasn't injured anywhere.
"Ah, Alraune... That tickles..."
The Little Witch squirmed, trying to escape my touch. We had finally reunited after all this time; I wasn't about to let her go! I'd been so worried.
I pulled her into a proper hug. Her small hands wrapped around my back, and we stayed there, quietly embracing.
Buried against my chest, she mumbled, "Alraune’s body is chilly."
Being a plant, my body temperature was naturally different from a human's.
"In the summer, it was, cool, and nice, right?"
"Yeah... but it's going to get cold from now on. I like it when it's warm."
In that case, I had her covered. By using my Skunk Cabbage’s Self-heating Ability, I could easily raise my temperature to match a human's.
Ah, there was something about this... Relaxing here with the Little Witch made me feel so at peace. The tension that had been wound tight within me for so long began to melt away like ice.
A lot had happened since I moved from my original forest to the Dryades’ Forest. I had gained many companions—people I could truly call the family I had to protect. The Little Witch, Fairy Kiri, my junior Amazoness Treant, and Fair-chan. Every one of them was precious to me.
Before I knew it, the long summer had ended, and autumn was beginning to set in. The tumultuous days were over, and peace had finally arrived.
"Oh, I have to say it," the Little Witch whispered, as if suddenly remembering something.
"...What is, it?"
"Alraune... I'm home."
I realized then that for her, the place where I stood had become the home she belonged to. That realization made me feel incredibly happy and proud.
And so, I responded with a smile.
"Welcome, back!"
Christmas Tree: A hemiparasitic plant of the Loranthaceae family. This specific variety is found in Australia in the Southern Hemisphere. It blooms with orange flowers during the height of summer in December, coinciding with Christmas.
Next time: I’m moving out!