Several days had passed since I received word about the Demon King’s Army at the Ice Castle from Parca the Harpy.
I still found it hard to believe they were causing this massive snowfall just to weaken me. To think they would inconvenience so many people and animals for such a petty reason... Truly, they were capable of terrible things. I was genuinely angry!
Parca had warned me not to go to the Ice Castle, but I simply couldn't sit still and do nothing. For the sake of the city's peace, I had to take a stand. My body might have become that of a plant monster, but my heart was still that of a Saint.
With that resolve in mind, I used my vines to carry the deer monster, Teruhilfe, toward my lower mouth.
Munch, munch. Gulp.
Yes, the meat was delicious!
I couldn't exactly perceive the taste, but eating animals with my main body felt substantial; it gave me the sense that I was having a proper, satisfying meal. While ingesting nutrients by predating with the various plant bodies extended from my roots yielded the same results, swallowing my prey whole with my actual body just felt better emotionally.
The only reason I could enjoy a meal like this was thanks to my "little sister," Amazoness Treant, who had brought back monsters from the Dryades’ Forest as souvenirs. She had apparently worried that I might wither from a lack of nutrition due to the cold wave, so she had hunted a large number of monsters for me.
As expected of my little sister. I would have to make sure to praise her again later.
At the moment, neither she nor Fairy Kiri were in the forest. I had asked the two of them to handle a small task for me. It was difficult work given the heavy snow, but it was a vital mission that would greatly affect our future activities.
The cold was increasing with every passing day. Ever since the day Parca visited me, the weather had taken a turn for the worse for some reason.
To stop the heavy snow, I had to defeat whoever was in the Ice Castle. However, my opponent might be the Prime Minister of the Demon King’s Army—the Sister Dragon who governed ice. Excluding the Flame Dragon Lord, there was a chance she possessed power greater than any of the Four Heavenly Kings I had defeated so far.
I wasn't so naive as to charge toward such an opponent without a plan. Even if the enemy wasn't the Sister Dragon, they clearly had the power to manifest a blizzard from a great distance. They were no ordinary foe. Parca had said I would regret going there, so some unimaginable danger undoubtedly awaited me.
That was why I decided to endure the cold and make secret preparations for the coming battle.
That said, while my companions were away, my main body didn't have much to do. So, until they returned, I decided to spend my time relaxing in the forest! It was a brief moment of rest.
Of course, the heavy snow forced me to clear it away multiple times a day, so my life remained quite hectic. I wasn't the only one struggling, though; humans weren't the only ones troubled by the accumulating snow. The animals and plants living in the forest were suffering, too. Many trees were even snapping under the weight, their branches breaking. As a fellow plant, I couldn't bear to see it.
I would protect the safety of the forest's greenery!
As I worked on my project using Plant Generation, the Little Witch watched me and asked curiously.
"Alraune, what are you doing?"
"I'm... thinking... of doing... Yukitsuri."
When it came to protecting plants from the snow, this was the definitive method. Yukitsuri was a technique used to protect trees using ropes so that branches wouldn't break and trunks wouldn't be damaged by the weight of the snow. I had only read a little about it in a book during my high school girl era in my previous life, so I wasn't entirely certain of the specifics, but I remembered the gist of it.
"Fishing for... snow?"
The Little Witch looked perplexed. Well, they said seeing was believing, so it would be faster to just show her. Recalling the knowledge from my past life, I decided to give Yukitsuri a try.
There were several types of Yukitsuri used to protect trees from deep snow.
There was "Apple Yukitsuri," where a central pillar was erected at the trunk and ropes were stretched radially from the top to each branch. Then there was "Trunk Yukitsuri," where ropes were stretched from a thick trunk without a pillar. Finally, there was "Shibori," where the entire tree was bound with ropes as if being wrung out.
I only knew those three. Since I'd only read a bit in a book, I didn't remember much else.
Regardless, I was bored. To be honest, since I couldn't move, I was basically always bored. So, partly to kill time, I decided to recreate Apple Yukitsuri.
Using Plant Generation, I made a pillar stand upright near the trunk of a large tree. I grew vines radially from the tip of that pillar and tied them to the lower branches. And just like that, I had completed a Yukitsuri with a perfect conical silhouette!
I'd only known about it vaguely from my reading, but I think I managed to recreate it quite well. The Little Witch seemed interested in this new forest monument, staring up at it intently.
"I don't really get it, but it's kind of pretty."
"I thought so, too!" I wanted to say. "Take a good look at my masterpiece."
Getting carried away by her praise, I proceeded to mass-produce Apple Yukitsuri across the forest. With this, I was sure the trees would be safe from the heavy snow.
As I worked diligently, the Little Witch used Levitation Magic to fly up to my side. She carefully brushed away the snow that had accumulated on my head and petals.
"It's fine to get absorbed in playing with the trees, but you're going to end up covered in snow yourself at this rate, Alraune."
"...Thank... you."
The Little Witch was so kind! She really had grown into a good girl. As her older sister figure, I felt incredibly proud.
Still, she was right. Unlike humans, I wasn't inside a house; I was growing outside in the elements. If I didn't shake off the snow every few dozen minutes, not only would my temperature drop, but I might end up buried again like that one time. I'd had quite enough of almost dying from the snow.
In that case, there was only one thing to do. I should just perform Yukitsuri on myself! After all, I was a plant. There was no reason I couldn't use it to protect my own body.
So, I generated a pillar right next to me. I extended vines from the tip and tied them to the vines of my own body. And there it was—the completed Yukitsuri, with me at the center.
I recalled reading that Apple Yukitsuri was originally devised to protect the branches of apple trees. That being the case, this version I made for my own body could probably be called "Alraune Yukitsuri."
Now I could relax and watch the snow while keeping my body safe. I didn't even have to worry about my pride-and-joy red flowers being scattered. I was quite satisfied with my handiwork.
Since she was right there, I decided to ask the Little Witch for her thoughts.
"Does it... suit... me?"
"I don't know if 'suits you' is the right word, but I've never seen anything like this before. I'm just surprised..."
The Little Witch might not have understood, but I felt like I was in a beautiful winter garden. I was certain it looked like a stunning scene that would draw crowds of tourists! It was no wonder she was at a loss for words.
As she stared at the Alraune Yukitsuri, she muttered softly.
"If I had to describe it, it looks like Alraune is trapped in a cage."
"............Eh?"
Trapped in a cage? What kind of reaction was that?! After I worked so hard on it, too.
"Plus, it looks like you're inside a triangular birdcage, which is actually kind of cute."
The Little Witch climbed up onto my petals, slipping through the gaps in the vine ropes. She gently patted my head.
"You're a plant, but you come up with such amazing things. You're very impressive."
When she praised me like that, I couldn't stay upset. Fine, I would just forget the part about the cage. She thought it was amazing, so I would take the win.
While I was busy with my Yukitsuri, Fairy Kiri and my little sister Amazoness Treant returned from their mission. I had actually sent the two of them on a reconnaissance mission to the Ice Castle. Scouting the enemy's situation was a basic rule of engagement, after all.
"Good work, you two. How was it?"
"There's no doubt about it. The blizzard is blowing into this forest directly from the Ice Castle," Kiri reported.
It was just as Parca had said. The Demon King’s Army was targeting me with this snowfall.
"Did you... see... the enemy?"
"It was snowing so hard I couldn't see much, but that Ice Castle was magnificent. I've never seen anything like it before."
For Kiri to praise it that much, I found myself getting a bit curious about what it looked like.
"And... what about... the plan? Does it... seem... okay?"
"Perfect! As expected of Lady Alraune, your idea was flawless."
"It's... only because... of Kiri's... spirit magic... that I could... do it."
It seemed my preliminary preparations were complete. All that remained was to end this heavy snow as soon as possible.
Since being reincarnated as the plant Alraune, I had never once gone on the offensive into enemy territory. After all, with a plant's body, I couldn't move freely on my own. But now, if I borrowed the strength of my companions, I could travel. We would fight by combining everyone's power.
"Then... shall we... go?"
It was time for everyone in Alraune's Forest to go for a stroll. Our destination: the Ice Castle in the Fortress City.
It was the start of a snowy picnic.
Apple Yukitsuri: A method of snow protection. It is said to have been originally devised to prevent the branches of apple trees from snapping under the weight of their large fruit.
Next time: The Little Witch's first castle visit.