I was Alraune, a plant monster girl.
After traveling from the snowfields to the Dryades’ Forest, Lady Dryades told me that I now possessed power rivaling that of a true spirit. She inspected me with an impressed gaze.
"Your appearance remains that of a Child Alraune, yet you teleported by possessing a clone with only your spirit. You’ve acquired yet another quite unique ability..."
"It seems... I’ve become... able to use... the dryads’... teleportation... ability."
"It resembles a dryad's power, though I suspect it isn't exactly the same... Still, to think I can feel this much strength even from a clone; did something happen after you left the forest?"
Since moving away from the Dryades’ Forest, I had started growing vegetables for the humans in the city, learned to teleport, and even had Beast King Marticoras launch an attack on us.
Wait, was the Beast King the reason?
During that battle, my spirit power had awakened, allowing me to tap into a portion of the Power of the Divine Tree. That might have been the catalyst for my power-up.
"I feel a presence so strong that I could almost mistake it for my older sister returning to the woods. Since you also seem to have inherited some of her abilities, it appears your power has already surpassed my own..."
"That... isn't... true. I’m just... a plant monster... after all."
"No, it is entirely possible. To be honest, I’m almost worried the Dryades’ Forest might be taken over by you..."
Oh, Lady Dryades, were you really thinking such things? There was no way I would ever try to seize control of the forest.
A moment after my arrival, Fair-chan teleported into the space between Lady Dryades and me.
"Mother, welcome back!"
Her smile was absolutely dazzling. She was clearly overjoyed that I had returned to the forest. Yes, yes—I was also deeply moved to be taking root in my old home again.
After that, I gave Lady Dryades and Fair-chan a brief summary of everything that had happened since I moved out. However, it seemed they had already heard most of the details from Kiri. That explained why Lady Dryades hadn't been shocked by my teleportation; she had already processed the news.
I was genuinely impressed by how efficiently information was being shared between the two forests. As a plant who couldn't move freely, I was very grateful for it. As expected of Kiri, the coordinator for the forest fairies. She was doing excellent work!
A short while later, the Little Witch, Kiri, and the Amazoness Treant arrived at the Sanctuary. But that was when the trouble started.
The moment the Little Witch spotted me, she cried out. "Get away from her!"
"You little dryad over there! Get away from my Alraune!"
As it turned out, Fair-chan had remained clung tightly to me. To make matters worse, I had been using my vines to gently stroke her head.
"Alraune belongs to me! She’s not yours, so give her back right now!"
Because Fair-chan was taller than my current Young Girl Alraune form, it probably looked like she was the one embracing me. This seemed to have set the Little Witch’s "big sister soul" ablaze.
Fair-chan didn't take the remark lying down, responding with a huff.
"Mother will not become the property of a human child like you."
"That's not true! She promised to be my flower, and I've always doted on her like a little sister!"
She was right; back on the day the forest burned, I had promised to be the Little Witch’s flower. So, in a sense, I did belong to her as well.
"Mother is not a little sister. If anything, she is the older sister, and you are my little sister."
"What are you talking about, you newborn dryad? I’m eleven years old! Alraune is roughly two, and you’re only a few months old. There’s no question that I’m the oldest!"
"Please do not conflate the age standards of humans and spirits."
"Age doesn't have 'standards'! Besides, don't act like an older sister when you're the one getting petted by Alraune. I'm the only one allowed to get headpats from her!"
"I see. I understand now. You wanted to be stroked by Mother's vines too, didn't you? Is that why you're sulking?"
"I—I don't want to hear that from someone who's clearly enjoying those vines!"
The Little Witch and Fair-chan stood face-to-face as if in a staring contest. I could practically see the invisible sparks flying between them.
Come to think of it, I hadn't actually seen the two of them talk to each other before. When Fair-chan was born, the Little Witch had been taken away to the Witch’s Village. By the time she returned, we had moved away almost immediately, so they never really had much contact. This was likely the first time they were spending any real time together.
"Alraune is mine!"
"No! She is my Mother!"
Stop! Please, don't fight over me!
While I screamed that in my heart, I watched their interaction with a fond, indulgent smile. Yes, this was the life! This was exactly the kind of situation that line was meant for. It definitely wasn't meant for arguments between a fanatic faction that worshiped me and a radical faction trying to kill me.
Still, I wanted them to get along. Fighting was never good.
I used my vines to hold back the Little Witch—who looked ready to pounce on Fair-chan at any second—and changed the subject by explaining the monster attack on the city to Lady Dryades and Fair-chan.
Monsters from the West Forest had attacked the city. Kiri and I were convinced that something must be happening in those woods.
"What... happened... to the... West Forest... monsters?"
"Most of the monsters that were under my sister's control returned to the wild," Lady Dryades explained. "The majority of them should be living quietly in the West Forest."
"Then... has there... been... anything... unusual... in the forest... lately?"
"Anything unusual... well, it isn't strictly about the forest, but I have felt an unpleasant wind blowing from the west recently. It isn't quite as bad as last year's Great Cold Wave, but the snow damage has been severe."
The Little Witch had mentioned that the western sky looked like a massive blizzard was brewing. Maybe something really was happening out there.
"The newborn Fair doesn't have much cold resistance yet. I'm worried the cold damage might weaken her main tree."
With a few exceptions, most plants didn't handle the cold well. It seemed Fair-chan, being a sapling dryad, was no exception. The Little Witch was also shivering every day, so I really wanted to do something about this weather if I could.
Then again, I couldn't exactly control the weather, so there wasn't much I could do.
"Nothing else out of the ordinary has happened," Lady Dryades said, tilting her head thoughtfully. She didn't seem to have any leads regarding the monsters.
"Fair-chan... do you... know... anything?"
"Come to think of it, I saw something like a yellow bird flying over the forest this morning. It was a bird I rarely see in these parts, so it caught my eye..."
A yellow bird?
It wasn't a bird, but I knew someone who fit that description.
Just as the thought crossed my mind, I felt a presence through my roots. Someone had landed on a tree near my main body.
This was bad. Since I was only possessing a clone, my main body was currently sitting in the forest with its bud closed. It was completely defenseless. If a monster attacked, I would be killed without a fight.
"I'm... sorry. It seems... someone... has arrived... at my... main body."
I told everyone I had to leave and activated Teleportation.
When I opened my eyes, my familiar forest filled my vision. I had successfully returned to my main body.
The sensation of someone touching the tree had definitely come from over there. I looked up, casting my gaze toward the branch where I had felt the presence.
Just as I expected, someone was there, looking down at me.
Among this group, the height order is Lady Dryades, the Little Witch, Fair-chan, and then the Child Alraune.
Next time: The Cause of the Heavy Snow.