A few days had passed since the Master Carpenter mistook me for a Dryades.
Finally, the Little Witch's Tree House was complete.
At the same time, I realized something glaringly obvious.
This Tree House had been built right on top of one of the trees that made up my body!
It was a surreal sensation, having a dwelling constructed on my own person.
The Master Carpenter had taken care not to drive any nails into my bark while building it, so it didn't hurt, nor did it feel particularly unpleasant. However, having a large man-made object attached to my body felt quite peculiar.
That said, my body has now expanded to an incredible degree.
I don't know who started it, but people have begun calling the area "Alraune's Forest," and it is already double the size it was when I fought Beast King Marticoras. It would probably take quite a while to walk from one end to the other.
If I think of it as just a small event occurring on one part of my massive form, perhaps it isn't something to worry about so much.
Yes, to distract myself, I should expand the forest even more.
Outward and onward, I shall extend my roots!
By the way, through the process of building this Tree House, I’ve learned how to use "Plant Generation" to shape wood into things other than just trees.
When I tried to manifest wood in the shape of a chair, an actual wooden chair was created.
The shape is still a bit clumsy, but it is a proper, functional chair.
Isn't this actually a significant breakthrough?
I feel like if I keep honing this technique of manipulating wooden structures, it won't be just a dream to grow an entire Tree House all by myself.
Then, I could build as many houses as I want, wherever I like in the forest.
It looks like I might have a flourishing career ahead of me as "Architect Alraune"!
Come to think of it, I also decided to have the Master Carpenter and his crew build a Log House for guests.
I thought it would be better to have a place where the Corporal or Drink Bar-san could stay.
Lord Manfred visits the forest occasionally as well, so I plan to let the humans use it as their base of operations.
The location is right on the boundary between Tower City and my forest.
It's technically inside the forest, but building it close to the city should be convenient for everyone.
Drink Bar-san was overjoyed at the prospect of having a place to live in the forest.
With one thing and another, the Little Witch promptly moved into her new home.
As expected, having a roof and walls made it much warmer and more comfortable than being outside.
Still, it seemed the chill of winter was starting to bite.
I extended my roots up through the tree serving as the house’s foundation and sprouted an Avatar Alraune inside.
Then, I activated "Teleportation."
In the blink of an eye, my consciousness shifted to the body that had sprouted in a corner by the window inside the Tree House.
It seemed I had successfully managed to move inside the dwelling.
I hadn't been inside a proper building since my time at the Demon King’s Castle.
As I began to enjoy being indoors for the first time in a long while, I heard the Little Witch’s startled voice.
"An Alraune sprouted!? You can even grow inside the house..."
The Little Witch, who had been busy preparing her living space, stopped dead in her tracks when she saw me.
"Are you a child Alraune? Or are you... my Alraune?"
"It’s me."
"I-I knew it! It’s my Alraune after all... I’m so happy. Now we can be together even inside the house!"
The Little Witch gave a tight squeeze to my body, which had become smaller in its Clone Alraune form.
In this form, the Little Witch was actually larger than me, which made me feel like I had become a child.
"Spending time with a small Alraune feels so nostalgic. It reminds me of when you lived in the bucket."
The Little Witch muttered this while pointing to the bucket sitting on the shelf.
That bucket had served as my home for a time, back when we spent every day together.
It was quite nostalgic.
But you know, Little Witch...
You don't really have to dwell on the days I spent as a "Bucket Alraune."
Having a period in my life where I lived out of a pail isn't exactly something I want to shout from the rooftops. If I were still a Saint and not a monster, the sheer embarrassment of it would have made me faint.
When the Little Witch turned back toward me, her gaze shifted past me toward the window.
"...Snow."
Reacting to her voice, I looked out the window.
Small white grains were fluttering down from the sky.
The snow had begun to fall.
The house for winter hibernation was finished.
A situation like last year, where I was buried in snow and left all alone, wouldn't happen again.
Back then, it was cold and lonely; it was truly miserable.
Spending months alone in a forest sealed off by snow... that's a hardship only someone who has experienced it could truly understand.
However, I will never have to endure such a sorrowful life again.
Because I am not alone anymore!
Using a vine, I gently grasped the Little Witch’s hand.
She squeezed my vine back with her small hand.
"Alraune, I hope it doesn't snow too much this year."
"I... don't like... snow. Because last year... I was buried... and I almost... withered..."
"That was a rough time, wasn't it? I worked really hard shoveling snow to save you, Alraune."
—Wait, snow shoveling!?
No way. That mysterious person who cleared the snow to save me when I was buried last year...
I’d had my suspicions, but it really was the Little Witch?
As I stared at her in a daze, she whispered, "I knew you hadn't noticed."
Well, at that time, I didn't even know she existed. I only recognized her as the White Bird.
I certainly didn't think a White Bird could shovel snow, so I never connected the dots.
Of course, I remembered that she had given me cold-resistant Christmas Roses and self-heating Skunk Cabbages as presents while in her bird form.
But how did she handle such a massive amount of snow all by herself? Ah, I see. She must have used Levitation Magic to move it. That magic really is a lifesaver.
While I was processing this year-old revelation, I saw the Corporal passing under the Tree House from my vantage point at the window.
He seemed to be heading toward the location of my main body.
I wondered if he had some business with me.
I decided to teleport back to my primary body to welcome him.
"Man, it’s freezing today. It’s even started snowing."
The Corporal walked slowly toward me from a distance, rubbing his arms against the cold.
Back in my main body, I waved a vine broadly and greeted him with a "Good... day."
The Corporal raised his right hand and waved back, shouting, "I’ve got a delivery!"
He was holding something that looked like a letter.
"A letter for you, Alraune-missy!"
Eh, for me?
I used a vine to take the letter from him.
The sender was Nina.
Nina, the Apprentice Saint, should have reached the Royal Capital by now. She had been ordered back to provide a detailed report on our battle against the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King's Army.
I was a bit anxious about whether my existence would be exposed to the Royal Capital during her report.
If it became known that Saint Iris was still "alive" as a plant monster, I couldn't even imagine the fallout. If my former fiancé, the Hero, or that Shitty Junior Apprentice Saint found out, something terrible would surely happen.
Could Nina be writing to warn me about that?
Or had she sent information regarding those two back in the capital?
Either way, I was dying to know.
Just in case it contained bad news, I needed to read it immediately.
Steeling my resolve, I opened the letter from Nina.
To summarize the contents: she had arrived safely at the Royal Capital, though she hadn't yet been able to investigate the Hero or the junior Saint as I’d requested.
But what truly touched my heart was her mention that many people in the capital still held the memory of Saint Iris dear.
Reading those words, a warmth spread deep within my chest.
I had died with my mission only half-complete after being betrayed by my comrades, yet there were still people in the capital who remembered me...
That made me incredibly happy.
However, as I reached the end of the letter, I noticed something strange.
I blinked and looked back at a specific sentence, letting out a small sigh.
It read:
"I need Saint Nectar immediately. I am terribly sorry, but could you please send a massive shipment of Saint Nectar to the Royal Capital?"
It seemed Nina was asking for a huge supply of nectar.
N-Nina...
I sent her off with a literal mountain of Saint Nectar in her caravan. Does she really need more?
Surely she didn't drink every last drop of it herself?
The letter even specified the exact amount she wanted.
The quantity Nina requested far exceeded what any single human could possibly consume. It was as if she were planning to serve a whole crowd.
In any case, I was relieved she had reached the Royal Capital safely.
But what on earth was she doing with all that Saint Nectar?
Nina, just what are you up to over there?
With the construction of the Tree House finished, the Alraune and the Little Witch were finally alone together again.
They were about to welcome their first winter together as a family.
Next time: Newbie Apprentice Saint's Return to the Royal Capital.