This story is told from the perspective of Beast King Marticoras.
My name is Marticoras.
I expect there isn’t a soul on this continent who hasn't heard of Beast King Marticoras.
That said, the country I was meant to rule as king is long gone. The Kingdom of Beastmen was wiped out ages ago.
In its place, I found a new homeland in the Demon King's Army. Two hundred and fifty years have passed since I was appointed as one of the Four Heavenly Kings. Today, I serve as the sovereign of the Beastman Demon Race, having sworn my absolute loyalty to the Demon King—the only being to ever force me into submission. It would be more accurate to say I remain in the Demon King's Army because of that man, rather than out of any loyalty to the organization itself.
One day, I received a summons from the Prime Minister and traveled to the Demon King's Castle. There, she shared an unbelievable report: an Alraune in a forest near Tower City had defeated two of the Four Heavenly Kings—the Spirit Princess, Vergissmeinnicht, and the Light Crown, Garudafresvelgr.
I was immediately given a secret order to subjugate this Plant Monster. The order came directly from the Prime Minister of the Demon King’s Army. According to my subordinates, the Prime Minister and the Witch Queen had been seen in a secret meeting shortly before this. Considering the timing, I suspected the Witch Queen was pulling the strings behind the scenes.
The Prime Minister had owed the Witch Queen a debt for scouting Vergissmeinnicht into the army fifty years ago. She was likely being called upon to settle that score. While I had no personal interest in avenging my fallen peers, I couldn't exactly refuse once the Prime Minister invoked the Demon King's name.
Besides, she promised me a mountain of live humans as a reward for the Alraune's head. Devouring humans was my only remaining pleasure. Ever since the Kingdom of Beastmen fell at the hands of humanity centuries ago, I had found it impossible to feel any sense of gratification except through the consumption of their flesh. The prospect of savoring a feast of humans once more was truly wonderful.
Upon launching my assault on the forest near Tower City, I quickly annihilated one Alraune. While it was said she had defeated two of the Four Heavenly Kings, it was clear that I was in a completely different league. There was no comparison between a newly emerged Demon Race member and a proud Beast King like myself.
With that thought in mind, I engaged the second Alraune, but that was when things began to go wrong.
No matter how many times I shredded the Alraune with my tail’s stinger, she regenerated instantly. Very few creatures possessed such overwhelming vitality. It was surprising, certainly, but not a true threat. I decided I would simply have to erase her so completely that there would be nothing left to grow back.
She should have felt honored. I decided to finish things with my ultimate attack.
I unleashed my "Bestial Roar: Wahnsinn Start," blowing away both the Alraune and the forest around her. The ground was gouged into a massive crater, and the Alraune was gone. She didn’t seem to be regenerating this time.
Hmph. Child’s play.
I assumed the Prime Minister’s mission was complete, but then I heard a voice behind me.
To my horror, the Alraune had already reformed. She drained my mana with her yellow tentacles, and her power seemed to bloom as if she had undergone an awakening. I realized then that I had to kill her immediately. If she grew any stronger, she would become a genuine problem.
I unleashed a second "Wahnsinn Start," doubling the mana of the first. There was no way even an Alraune could recover from this.
Or so I thought.
I was struck by a wave of pure shock. My attacks no longer worked on the awakened Alraune. I had never seen or even heard of a plant with the density to withstand a "Wahnsinn Start." Furthermore, the way those vines pierced my skin—the hide I prided for its steel-like durability—was terrifying.
What on earth was this creature? I had never encountered anything like her in my long life. Was she even a plant? She was beautiful to look at, but her true nature was that of a monster. I knew then that I couldn't win against such an irregular existence.
For the first time since my duel with the Demon King two hundred and fifty years ago, I felt true, primal fear. I thought that by submitting to him, I would never have to face despair again...
I chose to run.
I knew the subordinates of the Prime Minister and the Witch Queen were likely watching the battle, but I cast aside my pride and fled. My animal instincts were screaming at me to get away. My wings had been sealed, but I managed to distance myself from the Alraune on foot.
As I sprinted through the trees, I shouted back toward the creature far behind me.
"Haha! You might be as strong as a monster, but you're still rooted to the spot! Too bad for you, Plant Girl!"
As I raced through the woods, the scent of a human woman reached my nose. Perfect. I would tear her apart and eat her to restore my strength.
A few seconds later, I spotted a girl in a black robe. The white-haired human child began to tremble the moment she saw me.
She looked delicious.
Saliva pooled in my mouth. I was much better suited to being the hunter than the hunted. It was time for a meal.
The moment I moved to bite the child’s life away, a scent hit my nostrils. A sense of euphoria, like being blissfully drunk or ascending to heaven, washed over my body. The fragrance came from a mysterious fruit that had sprouted right in front of the girl.
When did that get there?
Despite my hunger for the human child, I found myself reaching for the strange fruit instead. I swallowed it whole.
What was this? Even the finest liquor couldn't compare to this bliss. I felt entranced, as if my very heart had been stolen. Was it my imagination, or was there a faint scent of nectar mixed in?
Then, I noticed an Alraune growing right in front of the child. Horrifyingly, she had manifested here, miles away from where I had left her. Unbelievably, it was the same individual. There couldn't possibly be more than one creature with that kind of power.
I had no time to waste on humans. I had to get away before she killed me.
But though my mind understood the danger, my body refused to obey. My legs gave out, and I slumped to the ground. Swallowing hard, I reached out for another of the mysterious fruits growing from the earth.
The Alraune watched me, murmuring as if her hypothesis had been proven.
"As... expected... Since... a... Manticore... is... also... a... lion... Silver Vine... seems... to... be... effective... doesn't... it?"
Silver Vine? Was that the name of this mysterious fruit? I wanted to know more. I wanted to taste more...
While my mind was occupied by the plant called Silver Vine, the Alraune’s tentacles pierced my body. My flesh was being devoured from the inside, and as I was dragged toward the mouth of her ferocious bulb, I finally realized the truth.
The fundamental structure of a Beastman and a plant were entirely different. A powerful demon could live for centuries, but even the common trees in a forest often lived just as long. There were Ancient Trees that had stood for a millennium.
Now that I thought about it, Spirit Princess Vergissmeinnicht was a Dryades. I had heard they were the spirits of Ancient Trees.
Haha. I had looked down on her as a subordinate, but perhaps she had lived much longer than I ever had.
Strangely, even though my life was fading, my heart was at peace. It was all thanks to that mysterious fruit. I had regrets, certainly, but I was still glad I had eaten it. In all my hundreds of years, I never knew such a plant existed. My own arrogance—my habit of looking down on "lesser" lifeforms like plants—had kept me from this discovery until today.
I remembered, too late, a cat beastman subordinate once mentioning a plant that made one feel incredible. This must have been it.
When the Kingdom of Beastmen fell, I lost my home. Since then, eating humans was the only joy I knew. No amount of wine, meat, or women could truly satisfy me. Yet this strange plant had given me more pleasure than any human soul had in centuries.
In a haze of heavenly euphoria, I was pulled into the bulb. As the plant consumed me, my final thoughts were of the greenery itself.
Ah, I wish I could have had just one more of those fruits.
With that, my consciousness melted into the plant.
And that concludes Beast King Marticoras’s perspective. This might be the first time I’ve written entirely from the enemy’s point of view.
From the next chapter, we return to the Alraune!
Next time: Alraune’s Forest.