I was in a tight spot.
To my front and back, my left and right—even in the trees above—scores of witches had suddenly appeared.
As for how it had come to this... the explanation was simple. The "pets" the skinhead man had been leading were actually witches who had transformed themselves into animals.
The birds that had dropped the fire bottles on me, the snake that had been slithering across the ground—even the small animals gathered nearby were all witches in disguise. There were roughly thirty of them in total. It seemed that while the humans of the subjugation party were approaching, I had been silently surrounded.
The snake that had been at Vol-nii’s feet now stood as a white-haired witch with strands of gold woven through her locks. She was the Witch Queen’s Assistant, and her sword was currently buried in Vol-nii’s chest.
"You're the one... from back then...!"
The moment Vol-nii saw her face, he coughed up blood and collapsed. It seemed the Witch Queen’s Assistant was someone he recognized. Now that he mentioned it, I felt as though I’d seen her somewhere before as well.
But that didn't matter right now. I had to save Vol-nii!
"Regardless of what you attempt, Alraune, this man is finished," the Witch Queen’s Assistant said, her sword now leveled at me as she took a measured step forward. "I pierced a vital organ. He will be dead shortly. Rather than worrying for him, perhaps you should be concerned for your own life?"
She wasn't wrong. My only ally on the field was Nina. In contrast, the opposition consisted of the Assistant, thirty underling witches, the skinhead man, and the Witch Queen herself.
However, while the animals had turned out to be witches, it didn't look like the rest of the subjugation party were their allies. The female swordsman who had been with Vol-nii was rushing toward his fallen form in a panic. Judging by the sheer worry on her face, she wasn't on the witches' side.
The skinhead man, however, remained by the white cat’s side, kneeling in a show of absolute loyalty. The white cat—the Witch Queen—let out an exasperated sigh.
"Honestly, I intended for the humans to kill the Alraune for me, but they were a complete disappointment. Is this really the best the 'human elite' can do?"
"I have no excuse, Your Majesty," the skinhead man apologized. Their relationship was clearly that of master and servant.
"It’s fine. My goal was to pin the crime of Alraune-slaying on them anyway, so I didn't expect much from the start. That's exactly why I had you join their ranks and decided to follow along myself."
The Witch Queen, still in her feline form, locked eyes with me.
"Nyahaha. Long time no see, Crimson Flower Princess-chan. I’m so happy we could meet again."
"I... am not... happy... at all. What... do you... want... with me?"
"I came to pick up my daughter, nya. Don't you think it's only natural for a parent to come for their child?"
By "daughter," she meant the Little Witch. The Witch Queen was supposed to have made a pact with the Flame Dragon Lord to leave me and my companions alone. To break that promise meant she wanted the Little Witch badly enough to risk his wrath.
I wouldn't have dared to make an enemy of the Flame Dragon Lord so lightly. He was a man of his word; if a pact was broken, he would surely incinerate the offender with the same hellfire he had used to level the forest.
Yet, the Witch Queen had betrayed him. She likely intended to frame the humans for my death and then feign ignorance. Did the fact that she was willing to walk such a dangerous tightrope mean the Little Witch was truly that precious to her?
Well, she was just as precious to me.
"Give... Rufe... back."
"A plant trying to interrupt a touching reunion between mother and daughter? How boorish. That’s exactly why we all came here to weed you out, Crimson Flower Princess-chan."
"Exterminate...? I am... not... a weed... though?"
"You're far more troublesome than a weed. You survived the snow damage and even took down a Frost Golem. But..." The Witch Queen licked her chops, her eyes scanning me as if appraising a piece of meat. "That 'Saint Nectar' of yours? It seems you produce a fascinating secretion. There’s no doubt it would make a top-grade ingredient for an aphrodisiac."
As usual, she only saw me as a resource. I refused to let her take the Little Witch, and I certainly refused to be turned into some witch's medicine!
"My nectar... is not... an ingredient... for aphrodisiacs. I shall... show you... the proof."
I scattered poison pollen to force the Witch Queen’s Assistant away from Vol-nii. No matter how powerful a witch she was, I doubted she had a resistance to my toxins. In the opening created by her retreat, I used my vines to lift Vol-nii and pull him over to me.
When we were children, Vol-nii used to escort me; we even danced together once. Back then, he had been the one who was larger and stronger. Now, I could lift his body with ease. It felt... a little lonely.
"...Iri... s...?" Vol-nii whispered, coughing up blood as his consciousness flickered.
I was no longer the Saint Iris he remembered. My body had become that of a monster, with only my face remaining as a vestige of my human life. But even as an Alraune, I couldn't stand the thought of an old friend dying before my eyes—especially not my kind cousin.
I'll save you right now.
I pooled nectar in my palm, infusing it with as much light recovery magic as I could muster.
"Wh-What is...?" Even on the brink of death, Vol-nii looked at me with suspicion. Was he wary because he didn't know what the nectar was, or was he simply disappointed to see an Alraune wearing his cousin's face?
At this point, it didn't matter what he thought of me. Anything was better than him dying.
"Please... drink... this."
"B-But..."
Vol-nii believed I was one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King’s Army. To a human, monsters were the enemy. Consuming anything offered by a monster was usually an act of suicide, and someone who had spent his life fighting the Demon King's forces would know that better than anyone.
But the witches were already preparing their next move. I didn't have any more time to waste!
"This... is not... poison."
"............"
After I had become a Saint, I had started addressing him as "Lord Wolfgang" in public. My status meant I could no longer call him by a nickname, even though we were family. So, I spoke to him now just as I had when we were children.
"Believe in me... Vol-nii!"
"...I understand."
Vol-nii opened his mouth slightly, accepting the offering. I slowly poured the nectar into his mouth.
The witches immediately moved to intervene.
"Don't let him drink that! Gloire, finish him off!"
The Witch Queen’s Assistant, Gloire, unleashed a bolt of black magic lightning. I likely could have tanked the hit, but Vol-nii wouldn't have survived. I couldn't generate plants fast enough to shield him, and I couldn't dodge while holding him. After all, I was a plant!
"I won't let you! Holy Light Barrier (Magdeburg)!"
Nina stepped in, manifesting a wall of light magic that deflected the lightning strike.
"Iri—! Crimson Flower Princess-sama, use this chance to help Lord Wolfgang!"
Thank you, Nina!
Her defense was perfect, but her slip of the tongue was a disaster. Vol-nii was looking at me now with an expression that said, It can't be...
His body, now full of my recovery nectar, began to glow with a faint light.
"This warmth... and the way the wound is closing instantly... It’s just like Iris’s light recovery magic."
I used my vines to support him as he slowly sat up. The sword that had pierced his chest had already been forced out by the healing process.
"I was told you were dead... I never dreamed you were alive like this." Vol-nii stared at my face and smiled gently. "You were here all along, weren't you, Iris?"
Memories of playing at his estate came rushing back. I remembered him as a little boy, pulling my hand to show me his garden full of blooming flowers. He had helped me even after I became a Saint—when my engagement to the Hero was announced, and during our travels in the subjugation party.
When we had reunited earlier, he had looked at me with the eyes of a soldier facing a monster. But that was gone now. The man standing there wasn't the leader of a subjugation unit; he was my kind cousin. He didn't look at me with disgust for being an Alraune; he looked at me with the eyes of a brother worried for his sister.
"Good day, Vol-nii."
And just like that, I was truly reunited with him.
Thank you for waiting for this update!
I have an announcement: Volume 1 of the Manga Adaptation Plant Monster Girl Diary will be released on April 22nd! I am only able to share this happy news thanks to all of you who support the series. Thank you so much as always!
I hope you’ll check out the manga to see Alraune-chan in her adorable illustrated form!
Next time: As a Forest Spirit.