I am Alraune, a plant monster girl.
I had just activated my Teleportation skill to pursue Lord Marticoras, the Beast King and member of the Demon King’s Army’s Four Heavenly Kings, who was attempting to flee.
However, growing an Avatar Alraune required a bit of time. If the Little Witch became Marticoras’s prey while my sprout was still maturing, the consequences would be too terrible to imagine. Therefore, just to be safe, I decided to halt his movements before the teleportation was even complete.
I happened to have just the right plant for the job, so I figured I might as well give it a try.
Beast King Marticoras was a Manticore. As the name suggests, his lineage was heavily mixed with that of a lion. Lions are felines, and if there is one plant that holds absolute power over felines... that’s right, it’s Silver Vine!
In truth, Silver Vine was among the many plants I had secretly consumed and assimilated back in the Demon King's Castle Botanical Garden. It was time to put it to use.
I sprouted Silver Vine from the earth and forced it to bear small fruits. To ensure the best results, I performed a bit of rapid selective breeding to double its potency, then mixed in some of my own nectar for good measure.
In the brief moment before my teleportation to the Little Witch’s side was finalized, Marticoras came to a dead halt and began stuffing his cheeks with the Silver Vine fruits. He wore an expression of pure, unadulterated ecstasy. I had heard that Silver Vine worked wonders on cats, but the sheer effectiveness of it left me stunned. It seemed even a Beast King couldn't resist its charms.
While he was incapacitated by bliss, I drove a massive quantity of Dodder into his body. Restrained by my wriggling tentacles and dazed by the Silver Vine, Marticoras was rendered completely helpless. Without hesitation, I began carving the meat from his body from the inside out, dragging the pieces toward me.
Chomp. Munch, munch, gulp.
It was my first time eating a gentleman quite so muscular, but his meat was lean and low in fat—honestly quite healthy from a caloric perspective.
Thank you for the meal.
When it was all over, I had suffered virtually zero damage. My physical form had been blown apart twice, but those were mere fragments compared to the vastness of my true self, which now permeated the entire forest. Regeneration took only an instant; I didn't even consider it a loss.
For a legendary demon whose name appeared in history books, he was surprisingly easy to handle. The beastman had told me that I didn't know how vast the world was, but in reality, it was Marticoras who lacked insight. Despite having such powerful legs, his perspective had clearly remained narrow since ancient times.
Furthermore, he had treated Big Sister Dryades as an inferior, but she was actually remarkably strong. She had likely kept her trump card—the Power of the Divine Tree—hidden even from her comrades in the Demon King's Army. I suspect she might have actually been stronger than he was. While my own growth was thanks to my half-spiritization, Big Sister Dryades’s strength was in a league of its own. Lord Marticoras possessed incredible destructive power, but even he didn't seem to reach her level.
As for the "Stalker Four Heavenly King," the Golden Birdman, he was even further down the ladder than Marticoras. That chicken meat had been delicious, though.
At any rate, I hope he finds peace within me. Farewell, Beast King Marticoras.
...Oh, that’s right! I completely forgot to ask him who the mastermind was that sent him after me!
I had a strong suspicion it was a conspiracy between the Witch Queen and the Prime Minister of the Demon King's Army—the Older Sister of the Flame Dragon Lord. I still wasn't sure why the Prime Minister would bother helping the Witch Queen, though.
As I stood there pondering, small arms wrapped around me from behind.
"Alraune!"
The Little Witch, who had been huddled against a tree, lunged toward me.
"Little Witch, that must have been awful. I’m just glad you’re safe...!"
"I-It was so scary..." she whispered, her eyes brimming with tears.
"There, there."
I held her close. She could rest easy now that I was here. After all, I was her big sister! It seemed the experience of nearly being eaten by Marticoras had been deeply traumatic. Normally, people don't have to worry about being eaten alive. Even if it was only an attempt, the sheer terror was likely beyond anything she had ever imagined.
I couldn't exactly judge, considering how often I ate others. However, having been eaten alive by a plant monster myself back in my Saint Era, I understood her feelings all too well. Though, in my case, the shock of being betrayed by the Hero—my own fiancé—and that Shitty Junior Apprentice Saint who stole him was so overwhelming that the fear of being eaten had been somewhat numbed.
I explained to the Little Witch that my current body was merely an avatar and asked her to return to my main body. Once I watched her fly off using levitation magic, I decided to have this Avatar Alraune self-pollinate.
I caused an Alraune's male flower to bloom and opened my mouth wide, swirling my tongue around the stamen. I then began to extend a pollen tube toward the ovule inside the ovary. With that, the Avatar Alraune was successfully pollinated. Before the body could fully transform into a seed, I teleported my consciousness back to my original form.
Once back in my main body, I extended a vine toward the location where the avatar had been. When the vine reached the spot, I felt around until I grasped the Avatar Alraune seed that had fallen to the ground. I pulled it back to my side and—voila!
Recovery of the Avatar Alraune seed: complete.
I didn't like the idea of leaving an Alraune in doll form just lying around, and by using this method, I could recreate my avatar as many times as I needed.
Now that things had settled, I deactivated the Power of the Divine Tree I had awakened through my half-spiritization. With a surplus of energy available, I diverted that power toward restoring the forest Marticoras had ravaged. The scars left by his "Beast King’s Roar" were gradually hidden under a fresh blanket of green.
"There. All back to normal."
The forest was completely restored. I’d done a good day’s work.
Still, while my Forest Fortification Project was only half-finished, this location had proven to be quite an advantage in a fight. Simply put, this entire forest was my territory—a literal extension of my body. I felt that as long as I could lure an enemy inside, I was invincible. Even if the final member of the Four Heavenly Kings were to attack, I was confident I could win.
The Flame Dragon Lord might be a different story, but against anyone else, I didn't feel like I could lose as long as the elemental compatibility wasn't disastrous.
I put the fortification project aside for the moment and teleported to check on Hatake-raune. Once I confirmed she was regenerating properly, I returned to my primary body just as the Little Witch arrived. I wrapped her in a hug using both my vines and my human arms.
"I wanted to use the new magic I learned to fight that beastman, but I... I couldn't do it," she sobbed.
"Your desire to defend yourself was admirable, but your opponent was simply too much for you this time. If it had been anyone other than the Demon King's Four Heavenly Kings, I’m sure you would have fought wonderfully. So, don't be discouraged, okay?"
That night, Fairy Kiri and my little sister figure, the Amazoness Treant, returned. They told me that the sound of Marticoras’s attack had reached all the way to the city. There had been a bit of a panic when people saw a section of the forest vanish, but since the greenery returned so quickly, the chaos had subsided just as fast.
The news that I had defeated the intruder reached the Lord of Tower City via the Corporal and Drink Bar-san. It seemed he was under the impression that I had gallantly repelled a Demon King’s Army invasion to save the city. He sent a message saying they intended to worship me as a guardian deity, but I really wished they wouldn't be so enthusiastic. I’d had more than enough of being put on a pedestal back when I was a Saint.
Regardless, peace had returned to the forest. The Witch Queen and her conspirators were bound by their promise not to snatch the Little Witch directly, and with another of the Four Heavenly Kings dead, the Demon King’s Army would likely stay quiet for a while.
Once again, there was no one left to disturb me. From here on out, I intended to stretch my vines to my heart's content and let my flowers bloom in abundance. I would live a life of elegance and grace in my quiet woods!
Looking back, it was around this time that more and more people began calling the forest I had created by a different name than the Dryades' Forest.
I don't know who said it first. However, not only the humans of Tower City but even the demons of the Demon King’s Army knew the name. Strangely enough, everyone began to refer to my home in unison as:
"The Alraune's Forest."
Later, the name of the Alraune's Forest would become famous across the entire continent, but at the time, I had no way of knowing that.
Thank you for reading!
I have an announcement for everyone: This series is officially getting a light novel publication!
I'm only able to share this happy news because of the constant support from all of you. Thank you so much! I can't reveal the label or the release date just yet, but I'll make sure to report back as soon as I have more details.
Please continue to support "Plant Monster Girl Diary" in the future!
Next time: Nina's Departure.