I’m an Alraune, a plant monster girl.
Winter had arrived.
Expanding the forest was important, but something even more pressing had taken priority.
I was going to build a house for the Little Witch!
It was simply too much to expect an eleven-year-old girl to survive the winter outdoors. Thinking back, it was a bit strange that she had lived outside all through the summer, but her body definitely wouldn't be able to handle the winter frost.
Lately, as the temperature dropped, the Little Witch had taken to using my vines as a sleeping bag to stay warm. Even though I could maintain a temperature similar to human skin through the power of my skunk cabbage self-heating, that alone wasn't enough. It felt too cruel.
I didn't want to see her shivering from the cold.
And so, I decided to build a house where she could spend the winter in safety.
Using Plant Generation, I grew wood for building materials from the tips of my vines. Then, using an axe I’d previously received from the Corporal, I processed them into logs one after another.
With that, the preparations for construction were perfect. All that was left was to wait for the Corporal and the others to arrive.
"Are you really going to build a house?" the Little Witch asked timidly, still bundled up in my vines.
"A house will keep you warm in the winter. Humans need them."
"But even if you build one, you won't be able to go inside, will you, Alraune? I... I don't like that..."
Since I was a plant, I didn't need a house like a human did. In fact, a roof would only block the sunlight, so I was much more comfortable staying outside.
"If you don't want to be away from me, you can just come visit me during the day, like this."
"But we've been together all night until now, too..."
Oh, she really didn't want to leave my side. She was just like a younger sister who adored her big sister—how adorable!
"I’ll be worried about you if I'm not there, Alraune. After all, I’m your owner and your big sister."
No, Little Witch, you’ve got that backward. I’m the big sister here. You’re the little sister!
While I was huddled up with her to keep her warm, a group of humans arrived from the direction of the Tower City. Led by the Corporal and Drink Bar-san, about ten carpenters followed in their wake.
I had asked Lord Manfred through the Corporal to dispatch some carpenters to build the forest house. When I mentioned that the payment would come from my vegetable sales, he had sent them immediately. Since I had no idea how to actually build a house, it was a huge help.
However, the moment the carpenters saw me, they recoiled in fear.
"There’s a human woman growing out of that plant!" "What’s with that ferocious-looking mouth?" "How terrifying..." "We aren’t going to get eaten, are we?"
Perhaps I was just such a beautiful flower that they were keeping their distance out of a sense of awe? Yes, let’s go with that. Let’s just assume that’s the case.
Despite my wishful thinking, the Master Carpenter in charge of the group muttered bluntly while staring at me.
"I don't care if it's the Lord's command; I’ve got no desire to build a house for some monster flower."
How rude!
Fine, excuse me for being a flower. I might look like this now, but I used to be a Saint! I’m still human on the inside!
Perhaps because of that rocky first impression, we decided that I wouldn't speak directly to the carpenters. Instead, the Corporal would act as our intermediary. We both judged that the work would proceed more smoothly that way.
"Young lady Alraune, what kind of house did you have in mind?" the Corporal asked.
I gave it some thought. This was my forest, so I wanted a building that felt natural in its surroundings. A log house, maybe? Or even a tree house.
The Corporal turned to the Little Witch. "And what kind of place would you like to live in, little miss?"
"I want to be with Alraune..."
Even if she said that, I couldn't move from this spot. But then, I had a brilliant idea.
I could just grow an Avatar Alraune inside the house so I could teleport there. That way, I could talk with the Little Witch even when she was indoors!
If I was going to do that, I needed a house where my avatar—which would remain in a doll-like state when I wasn't possessing it—could be kept safely. Although there weren't many predators in the forest right now, a house that stood out too much might be dangerous if external enemies invaded.
In that case, how about building it up in the trees?
A tree house would offer protection from monsters that couldn't climb. It would be safe while she slept at night, and since she could use Levitation Magic, she could easily fly up to it whenever she wanted.
"A tree house, please," I told the Corporal.
I explained that I wanted a wooden house built high up in a tree. I chose a spot a short distance away from my main body. I didn't want her to get caught in the crossfire if an enemy like Beast King Marticoras attacked again, but I still wanted it close enough that I could sense if something went wrong.
Building a house in a tree was difficult work, so I decided to have my "younger sister," the Amazoness Treant, help with the construction. Since she was far stronger than any human, she was sure to be a massive help. I sent Fairy Kiri along with her to act as a translator.
Since the construction site wasn't right next to me, there wasn't much for me to do. The Little Witch had flown off somewhere to practice her magic, so I was left to watch over the clearing alone.
Despite it being winter, the weather was lovely. Sunlight filtered down through the canopy—not as intense as in summer, but still warm.
Sunlight is delicious.
As I was blankly sunbathing and photosynthesizing, I suddenly felt a sharp pain in a part of my body. Someone was attacking me.
I was being slashed with a blade!
Where was it coming from? Almost immediately, I realized that one of the trees in the forest—a tree that was part of my extended consciousness—was being cut down. It was near the tree house site.
That meant the culprit was one of the carpenters.
I hated having the forest cut. It was connected to me. It was one thing if I grew wood and cut it for my own purposes, but I couldn't stand having my body hacked away by someone else without permission.
It was like working hard to grow your hair long, only for a total stranger to hack it off while you were napping. No one could stay calm after that, right? Besides, the trees connected by my roots were essentially my limbs. Even if I was the one who requested the construction, they had no right to cut off parts of my body without asking. I’d already prepared plenty of lumber for them to use!
When I lodged a complaint through the Corporal, the Master Carpenter came to see me alone. He wore the surly, uncompromising expression of a lifelong craftsman and barked at me.
"This forest belongs to the Lord! As long as we have his permission, we'll cut whatever trees we please!"
"No! I created this forest. It is mine. Those trees are part of my precious body!"
"Part of your body? Hah! You can't even tell the difference between a tree and a flower. You might look human, but you’re just a monster after all. I guess plants just can't understand the way the world works."
With that parting shot, he stormed back to the construction site.
I’d have to have a word with Lord Manfred later about who actually owned this forest, but for now, the Master Carpenter and his crew were the problem. He clearly had no intention of communicating with a plant monster like me.
Come to think of it, I’d mostly been interacting with humans who were well-disposed toward me. There was Nina, the Apprentice Saint; the Corporal, who was the first to realize I wasn't dangerous; Drink Bar-san and his party, who had fought alongside my Big Sister Dryades; and Lord Manfred, a devoted fan of Saint Iris.
Things had been rocky at first, but now they all treated me like a person. Interacting only with them had made me forget the general human attitude toward monsters. To most, monsters were the enemy—evil creatures to be slain, not neighbors to coexist with.
I remembered that not too long ago, adventurers from the city had been attacking me, calling me the "Man-eater Alraune." I suppose people's feelings don't change that easily.
As a drop of nectar secretly trickled down my cheek, I saw the carpenters walking in the distance with the Amazoness Treant. To my absolute shock, the Treant—who was definitely a monster—was getting along famously with them!
The carpenters had been terrified of the Withered Tree Treant and the little fairy at first. But after only a few days, they had somehow hit it off. The Amazoness Treant had even been scouted by one of the workers, who told her, "You're a natural. Why don't you come work for my firm?"
...What was going on?
Not a single carpenter would come near me, yet the Treant and Kiri were mingling with them as if they were old friends.
Hey, Amazoness Treant! What on earth did you do to win them over?!
Maybe the carpenters weren't keeping their distance just because I was a monster? Driven by curiosity, I caught Fairy Kiri and asked her what was happening at the site.
"Kiri, how did the Treant become friends with the carpenters?"
"What’s this? Do you want to join in too, Lady Alraune?"
"I-it’s not that, I just..."
"You really aren't honest, are you?"
No, it wasn't that at all! This was... yes, this was a study to learn the habits of humans from the perspective of a plant monster.
"I don't particularly care about making friends with humans, but if that's what you want, I'll tell you. If you do the jobs that humans can't do, they'll respect you immediately. They're simple like that, and they aren't bad people at heart."
"But I’ve never done carpentry work before."
"You don't need to do what humans do. There are plenty of things that only you can do, Lady Alraune. If you show them that, I'm sure you'll hit it off with them too."
Something only I can do...
The next day, I waited for the carpenters to arrive. When the group showed up from the city, I spread my vines in a welcoming gesture.
Good morning, Master Carpenters.
If you think I'm just a pretty flower, you are mistaken. When it comes to work, I won't lose to the Master Carpenter or the Amazoness Treant. I’m a plant that can get things done when I try; I’ve just been hiding my strength.
Allow me to show you all that I’m more than just a flower who loves to sunbathe.
Happy New Year. It looks like the busy days will continue this year, but I hope to get a lot of writing done. Thank you for your support!
The new year has started, but things have become quite hectic compared to last year. Regrettably, it looks like my writing won't keep pace with the update schedule, so I'll be adjusting the frequency slightly. That said, I still want to update as much as possible. For the time being, I'll be aiming for one update every five days.
I appreciate your understanding.
Next time: Architect Alraune.