Small will-o'-the-wisps illuminated the Flame Dragon Lord and me within the pitch-black forest.
As I watched the flickering magic flames, a heavy silence settled between us. Breaking the slow crawl of time, the Flame Dragon Lord placed a hand to his chin and spoke.
"I shall pray that when we next meet, I will hear a favorable response."
With a flick of his hand, he signaled the will-o'-the-wisps to move. A moment later, a dragon descended from the sky. It was the dragon he used for travel, and it seemed he was already preparing to depart.
"Flame Dragon Lord... are you not going to eat my nectar?"
The words slipped out before I could stop them. I was surprised that he hadn't reacted to my nectar at all.
"I have your nectar on hand through Parca, but... I suppose it wouldn't be bad to taste it directly for the first time in a while."
The Flame Dragon Lord reached out as he approached me. In response, I coated my vines with a generous amount of nectar. Just as my vines were about to brush against his fingers, he hesitated.
"...No, I think I shall refrain after all."
The Flame Dragon Lord pulled his hand back.
Wh-Why?!
Flame Dragon Lord, could you have grown to dislike my nectar?
"I shall save the pleasure of receiving nectar directly from you for our reunion." He climbed onto the dragon's back and added in a low murmur, "Though that may never come to pass, depending on your answer."
Whether I would join the Demon King's Army or refuse and choose the path of an enemy—I still hadn't been able to decide. There was a real possibility that the next time I saw him, we would be on opposing sides. This friendly conversation might be our last.
That thought must have spurred me into action. As he prepared to leave the forest, I called out to him.
"May I... ask one thing?"
"I permit it. What is it?"
"I’ve been curious for a while, but... what kind of position do you hold in the Demon King's Army, Flame Dragon Lord?"
"Are you that curious?"
Yes, of course I was.
"I am merely one of the Dragon Race."
I didn't believe him for a second. If that were true, Big Sister Dryades wouldn't have gone out of her way to greet him when we were at the Demon King's Castle. Besides, he clearly had plenty of subordinates who adored him.
"In truth, you are very important, aren't you?"
"There are those who call me the Dragon King."
"Was it... the Demon King who gave you that title?"
"The first time I was called the Dragon King was before the Demon King was even born."
Just how long ago was that? Forget my birth—the Demon King was supposed to have already existed when the Kingdom of Gardenia was founded. "Before the Demon King was born" must have been an unfathomably long time ago. I wondered who could have possibly called him that in such an ancient era.
"You seem quite intrigued. If you join the Demon King's Army, I may tell you more about myself."
Oh, come on. That was unfair. He was essentially telling me that I had to join the army just to learn his true identity.
"Regardless, I hadn't realized you despised the Demon King's Army to such an extent." As if struck by a sudden thought, the Flame Dragon Lord spoke softly. "I wonder how you would have answered if I had invited you to my side personally, rather than to the army."
With those final words, the dragon carrying the Flame Dragon Lord took flight. The will-o'-the-wisps vanished, and I silently watched as his silhouette soared out of the woods and disappeared into the darkness.
My response was...
The next morning.
I spent the hours until the Little Witch woke up ruminating on my secret meeting with the Flame Dragon Lord. Our discussion involved matters of such gravity that they would completely change our lives in the forest. I felt I had to share it with everyone.
Before noon, Fairy Kiri, who had stayed the night in the Dryades' Forest, and my younger sister, the Amazoness Treant, returned. Once everyone was gathered, I told them everything that had happened the previous night. At this stage, it wasn't just my problem anymore. I informed them of the Flame Dragon Lord's invitation to join the Demon King's Army and the warning that refusal meant becoming their enemy.
"What does everyone think?"
The Little Witch was the first to answer.
"I hate the Demon King's Army."
I expected as much. The Little Witch had been targeted by them for a long time. Even if it was originally the Witch Queen who had requested the search, being hunted by the army must have been a terrifying experience for a young girl.
"They attacked Alraune three times, too."
Now that she mentioned it, the Little Witch had been with me when I faced the Golden Birdman, Big Sister Dryades, and Beast King Marticolas. Very few humans had survived being attacked by the Four Heavenly Kings three separate times. That alone was reason enough for her to reject them.
"And they kidnapped my Alraune."
The Little Witch puffed out her cheeks. She clearly still held a grudge about the time I was whisked away to the Demon King's Castle.
As the girl brooded, Fairy Kiri flew up to land on my petals.
"I don't have many fond memories of them either. They've been a violent bunch for as long as I can remember."
Like the Little Witch, Kiri had no love for the Demon King's Army. Even my younger sister, the Amazoness Treant, swung her branches vigorously to show her agreement.
Amidst the discussion, the Little Witch posed a simple question.
"I’ve been wondering, but what exactly is the Demon King's Army anyway?"
Actually, when I thought about it, I wasn't entirely sure myself. I had a vague image of a Demon King leading the Demon Race to destroy humanity, but I didn't know their actual motivation. Was it total extinction? World conquest? Or perhaps just the prosperity of their own kind? In any case, it was common world knowledge that they were the enemy of humanity. They had been at war for centuries, after all.
The Little Witch looked from me to the Treant, then shifted her gaze to Kiri.
"Do you know, Kiri?"
Objectively, Kiri was the most knowledgeable among us. I didn't know her exact age, but she had lived in this forest since Big Sister Dryades left fifty years ago. She had likely lived far longer than any average human.
Kiri looked down at the ground and spoke slowly.
"The Demon King's Army was formed hundreds of years ago. There might not be anyone left who even remembers why the war started..."
Something about Kiri’s response felt off to me. She hadn't really confirmed or denied anything; it felt like she was deliberately hiding something she knew.
"Kiri, do you... know something?"
"I'm just a forest fairy, you know? If you want the real details, you'd be better off asking Lady Dryades."
That was a fair point. As the Sage of the Forest, Lady Dryades likely knew a great deal about the Demon King's Army. I decided I would ask her the next time we met.
Regardless, I now understood how everyone felt. The consensus was clear: we wanted to avoid joining the Demon King's Army if at all possible. However, I also wanted to avoid a direct war. Even if we tried to flee, I was a plant and couldn't walk. Running forever wasn't an option.
To find a path to survival, my best bet was likely peaceful negotiation through the Flame Dragon Lord. Perhaps I could secure a peace treaty, similar to the one between the Demon King's Army and the Witch's Village. To achieve that, I needed to make the Demon King's Army believe that I was an opponent they didn't want to fight. If I became an entity they truly wanted to avoid clashing with, I could steer the negotiations in a favorable direction.
That meant I had to become stronger. And I wanted to expand the forest.
The larger this forest—my body—became, the more I could demonstrate that my influence was growing. A vast forest was also safer and more convenient for defense. With that in mind, I decided to make forest expansion my primary goal.
I wanted to create a deep, impenetrable woods that would deter outside invaders. I wanted to set up countless plant traps and perhaps even foster a population of resident animals and monsters. Growing the forest would directly translate to my own power. My first goal would be to cultivate a forest that could rival the Dryades' Forest!
While I was lost in these thoughts, I felt several humans entering the woods from the direction of the town. Based on the vibrations through the roots, there were two of them. Very few people came to my forest in pairs; it was almost certainly the Corporal and Drink Bar-san.
Wait—I just had a wonderful idea!
I had been worried about what we would do if there was a heavy snowfall like last year. Thanks to my Christmas Rose and Skunk Cabbage abilities, I wasn't afraid of the cold anymore, but it was too much to expect a human child like the Little Witch to sleep out in a winter forest. She needed a warm house with a roof to survive the season.
Since I didn't know the first thing about construction, I would ask the humans—the Corporal and Drink Bar-san—for their help.
The deadline for my answer to the Flame Dragon Lord was months away, and it seemed the Demon King's Army wouldn't have the resources to attack me until spring. Since I knew I had a period of relative safety ahead of me, it was important to solidify my living situation.
Peaceful living was my priority. To enjoy a quiet plant life in the forest, I had to resolve my lingering concerns, both inside and out.
And so, my first task was to build a wintering house for the Little Witch!