I’m Alraune, a plant monster girl.
Out of the blue, someone went and set part of my forest on fire. I desperately wanted to avoid a total burnout. I hated the idea of the forest I had worked so hard to grow turning into a pile of ash—not to mention that if the forest burned down, I’d probably lose my life too.
Anyway, I had to put the fire out, and fast.
With that thought in mind, I teleported my consciousness back to my main body. The first thing I saw was my "little sister," the Amazoness Treant, staring blankly up at the sky. Why was she just standing there during a crisis? Unlike me, she had legs and could move freely; she could have left me behind and run away if she wanted to.
Wondering if there was something up there, I followed her gaze. There, floating in the sky above the forest, was a small human girl with white wings.
It was Little Witch!
Noticing that I had returned to my body, she looked down toward the ground and shouted with a bright smile.
"Storm Magic: 'Downpour (Nassauer)'!"
As she spread her arms wide, dark clouds swirled together in the sky. A moment later, a torrential rain began to fall, as if someone had overturned a giant bucket.
That was the Black Magic she’d mentioned—a spell only a witch could use. It was Storm Magic, capable of manipulating the weather itself. I’d heard she used it to defeat the Harpy named Parca, and ever since then, I’d been curious about how she actually fought.
Seeing it in person made everything clear. If she could wield a grand spell capable of rewriting the local weather, it was no wonder she had beaten Parca.
I spread my own arms wide toward the sky. The water tasted delicious. The rain gently enveloped the trees, soaking into everything. At this rate, the fire would be extinguished in no time.
Thanks to Little Witch, the forest was saved. You’re amazing, Little Witch!
Back when I lived in my former forest, I’d briefly held the job of a rain-making Shrine Maiden, but I’d never been able to make it rain exactly when or how I wanted. Yet here was Little Witch, calling down the rain at will. She had worked so hard to master this; I truly respected her for it.
Flapping her white wings, Little Witch descended from the sky. I snaked my vines around her small frame and pulled her into a hug. As I stroked her head and told her what a good girl she was, she whispered something peculiar.
"As Alraune’s big sister, I only did what was natural."
It seemed she still insisted on being the older one, even though I was actually the elder sister. It was quite cute, really. I decided to give my "little sister," who was trying so hard to act mature, even more headpats.
"You’re clinging to me so much... You really were scared, weren't you? Don't worry, I’ll protect you. You don’t have to fear the fire anymore."
Little Witch started patting my head in return. There we were, stroking each other's heads. My younger sister figure, the Amazoness Treant, watched the scene in silence. It was a little embarrassing.
Little Witch seemed to feel the same way; she looked down and began to mumble softly.
"If I can make it rain, then Alraune will never be thirsty again. That means that 'watering duty' adventurer won't have to come into the forest to water her anymore..."
It was true that I felt a bit bad making Drink Bar-san do all that watering by himself. With Little Witch’s Storm Magic, I could finally release him from his manual labor. I’d have to let him know next time I saw him.
But before that, I had a question for her.
"You could... fly... even without... the white wings... couldn't you?"
Since she already knew Levitation Magic, I wondered if there was really a need for her to grow wings on her back.
"I can fly without them, but it’s faster if I grow them..."
She must have pushed herself so she could save the forest as quickly as possible. It made me truly happy. Thank you, Little Witch.
And so, thanks to her Storm Magic, the flames threatening the forest were entirely snuffed out. The damage was limited to a few scorched patches. It hadn't turned into a major blaze, so the forest was largely unharmed.
A while later, the Corporal and Drink Bar-san arrived to give me a report on behalf of the Lord, Manfred-san. Apparently, the arsonists were members of a radical faction from the city. They had conspired with adventurers from other towns to try and get rid of me. The Lord was reportedly furious; he had sentenced both the masterminds and the perpetrators to exile.
However, the Corporal warned me not to relax just yet.
"Word is a Wanted Poster for 'The Alraune' has been issued in the neighboring town. More people like those arsonists might come looking for you. You’d best stay on guard."
"The neighboring town..." Little Witch whispered.
A Wanted Poster, huh? To adventurers who didn't know me, I suppose I just looked like a high-value target—an evil monster that needed to be put down for a reward. I only wanted to live a quiet life in the forest, and I was sure I hadn't caused any trouble for the neighboring towns.
Since I’d started interacting with humans, my joys had increased, but so had my troubles. Still, seeing people like the Corporal and Drink Bar-san made me hope that one day, everyone might accept me. Until that day came, I wouldn't give up. Compared to the old days when I was completely alone, I was incredibly happy now, even if people were targeting my life.
"We want you to come back to the city and help finish the tower, but since there might be remnants of the radicals lurking about, it’s probably best if you stay low in the forest for a while."
And so, I ended up staying behind to look after the forest while the city was being secured. I had Kiri and the Wood Golem remain in the city to work with the carpenters. The Wood Golem was a big help since it could work automatically as long as I gave it orders.
Once we’d settled on our plan, Drink Bar-san spoke up.
"On a different note, there’s a festival coming up in town soon. Would the Crimson Flower Princess like to participate?"
It seemed they were holding a Festival Celebrating the Arrival of Spring around the same time the tower was scheduled for completion. Come to think of it, it was already that season.
Back during my Saint Era, I was a Duke’s Daughter and a very busy Saint, so I’d rarely had the chance to actually see a festival. I only knew about them from books. They were rituals to pray for a good harvest and to drive away "evils" like diseases or witches. I’d heard that townspeople would even dress up as witches or demons to play the part of the ones being driven away.
Was it really okay for someone like me to join? I was a monster, and Little Witch was a literal witch. If I was just going to be the one getting chased out of town, I’d rather pass.
"In our festival, it’s tradition for a representative of the city to climb to the top of the Moon Goddess's Tower and offer a prayer. The Lord is very eager to have the Crimson Flower Princess perform that duty."
Drink Bar-san gave a somewhat troubled smile. Normally, that role belonged to an Apprentice Saint from the Church. However, Nina—the city’s only Apprentice Saint—was still away at the Royal Capital.
Thus, the choice fell on me, an Alraune who resembled Saint Iris and the "heroine" who had helped save the city. It sounded like it was mostly the Lord’s own personal whim, though. Then again, I was a Former Saint, so I suppose I was actually quite qualified.
According to legend, the Moon Goddess lived at the top of her tower in the Holy Capital. These regional towers were built so people could pray from as high a point as possible, to be closer to her.
But would the Goddess be angry if a monster like me climbed her sacred tower? More importantly, how was I supposed to get up there? My roots were literally stuck in the ground. I am a plant, after all.
"I won't force you, of course. What do you think?"
"If I... take... such an important... role... won't the people... be angry?"
"The people of this city have lived alongside the forest and its Dryades since the beginning. Sure, the Demon King's Army has been active lately, which made some people bitter toward Dryades and Alraunes, but they’re starting to remember that some monsters can be friendly. No one will be angry."
"But... it’s a festival... for the Goddess... is it really... okay for a... non-human... like me... to join?"
"Worrying about the Goddess’s feelings even though you’re a monster... you really are something else. I can’t speak for the Goddess, but personally, I want you to be there. And the Lord feels the same way."
The Corporal grinned. "I’m with him. Besides, the other adventurers are all on your side. You’ve got nothing to worry about."
Drink Bar-san, Corporal... if they were going that far to invite me, maybe it was okay.
"I won't be... a nuisance?"
"If we thought you were a nuisance, we wouldn't have asked. We wouldn't even have let you rebuild the tower."
That was a fair point. I decided to take them up on their kind offer.
"I... understand. I would... be honored... to participate."
I wasn't trusted by every single human out there, but at least the people in this city accepted me. That realization made me incredibly happy and proud. Besides, I’d never had the chance to join a festival back when I was human; I never imagined I’d be doing it as an Alraune. Life really is full of surprises.
My first life had ended, but I’d been granted a second one as an Alraune. Because my previous life had been cut short by betrayal, leaving me full of regrets, I wanted to live this one as freely as possible. If they were telling me it was okay for even a monster to enjoy the festival, then it would be rude of me not to enjoy it with everything I had!
I was already getting excited.
The Corporal and Drink Bar-san prepared to head back to the city to handle security and festival preparations. They mentioned how tough it was to coordinate everything while still hunting for the radical remnants and overseeing the tower.
As I waved my vines to see them off, a brilliant idea struck me. They seemed so busy; perhaps I should lend them a helping hand. After all, I had plenty of free time!
Yes, it was settled. I was going to help with the festival preparations with all my might!
I used my Plant Generation to restore the scorched parts of the forest, and it was back to normal in an instant.
Next time: If I disguise myself as a human, it'll be okay to go to town incognito.