This is from the perspective of Anna, the female swordsman.
There are certain words I never want to hear again as long as I live.
"Anna is the Great Sage’s granddaughter—there’s no way she can’t use magic, right?"
The voice of a former friend who said that to me still rings in my ears.
I trained desperately every single day. Yet, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't use magic. I possessed absolutely no talent for it. The day I watched my much younger brother use magic without the slightest effort was the day I finally gave up.
If I couldn't use magic, I would just have to become a hero as strong as my grandfather. With that resolution, I stopped trying to be a mage and dedicated myself to the sword.
I have continued my training every day since. But as soon as I became a swordsman, the whispers changed.
"She’s the Granddaughter of the Great Sage, but she only uses a sword? That’s weird. Shouldn’t she be a Magic Swordsman?"
Faced with constant ridicule, I reached a point where I wanted to throw everything away. The title of "Granddaughter of the Great Sage" was a burden. It was simply too heavy for me to carry.
Why didn’t I have the same talent as my brother? Why was I born as his granddaughter? There was a time when I hated everything, when I felt like I didn't want to live anymore.
It was when I was twelve years old that I found a goal that wasn't just my grandfather.
On that day, the town where I lived was attacked by the Demon Race of the Demon King's Army. A swarm of Orcs, each as tall as a house, suddenly flooded the streets. My grandfather, the Great Sage and national hero, was away in the Empire visiting an old friend.
While the adults fought, I took up my sword to protect my little brother. I hid him in our storehouse and leaped outside alone. My body trembled just standing before an Orc more than twice my size.
Even so, I was the Granddaughter of the Great Sage and—at least in my own mind—a swordsman. I was faster than them; surely, I could find a way.
"You monster, prepare yourself!"
"Nngh?"
The Orc's massive club swatted my sword aside, and on the backswing, it crushed my right hand and my blade into splinters.
"A slip of a girl? You look delicious."
My right hand’s bones were bent backward, protruding through the skin. The agonizing realization of my own powerlessness despite all my training, combined with the sheer terror of being eaten, rushed through me. I let out a wordless scream.
"Well then, let's start with the legs."
the Orc’s hand clamped around my torso. I had gripped my sword every day with everything I had, yet I was no match for a single Orc. If only I could use magic, I wondered, would things be different?
"I was on my way back to the Royal Capital from the Kingdom of Holy Light, but it seems stopping here was the right choice."
A calm, dignified woman's voice resonated through the chaos. Before I knew it, a woman stood between me and the Orc. She wore the habit of an Apprentice Saint.
She looked only two or three years older than me. While I was glad an Apprentice Saint had come, I had hoped for someone who could fight. I needed my life saved before I needed my arm healed.
"Young lady, you’re safe now that I'm here. Please, rest easy."
No, wait. Something was different. Her white robes were adorned with luxurious gold embroidery. My grandfather had once told me that Apprentice Saints only wore yellow; only those who reached the rank of a true Saint could wear gold.
"Are you... a Saint...?"
"I’ll help you now, so please stay still."
The Saint smiled radiantly and whispered a single word: "Glanzstrahl."
"I held back quite a bit, but it seems that was enough."
A dazzling golden Beam shot forth, instantly obliterating the upper half of the massive Orc.
Was that Light Magic? I had heard that Saints were usually healers who lacked combat prowess. But the Saint of this generation was rumored to have talent that eclipsed all who came before her—not just in healing, but in battle as well. If I recalled, her name was...
"Saint Iris?"
"So you know my name. More importantly, let’s fix that arm. 'Angel's Blessing (Engels Gruss).'"
I watched in awe as my arm was miraculously restored, then looked up at her. Close up, Saint Iris was breathtaking. She was more beautiful than any painting in the Royal Capital Church. She looked like a goddess.
"You'll be fine now. I'm going to go wipe out the rest of the Demon Race, so please find a place to hide and stay quiet."
As she turned to leave, I called out, "Um...!"
I wanted to thank her, but I was so nervous the words wouldn't come. Instead, she gently stroked my cheek.
"I’m going to save the town. I won't let anyone else die, I promise."
Saint Iris moved like a divine gale, defeating the Demon Race with Light Magic and healing the wounded. She was a hero like my grandfather, yet as holy as a goddess. I became an instant fan.
I decided then and there that I would become a Saint. However, I was never granted the gift of Light Magic. So, I changed my resolve: I would become a swordsman strong enough to protect the Saint.
Several years have passed since then.
The Saint who told me she wanted to save everyone was killed by the Demon King's Army. She is no longer in this world. She must have died with so many regrets. If that’s the case, then I will be the one to carry on her dream.
I swung my sword every day and cut down more monsters than I can count. Even if I can't use magic, I am strong. I’m done being afraid of the whispers of petty people. If I can stand at the top like Saint Iris did, maybe the backbiting will finally stop.
I had talent for the sword, but I struggled with how to present myself. Eventually, I started calling myself the "Genius Beautiful Girl Swordsman."
People gave me cold looks and said things like, "What is she even talking about?" but the disappointed comments about me being the "Granddaughter of the Great Sage" finally stopped. Being treated as a weirdo was a hundred times easier than failing to meet impossible expectations.
Because I couldn't use magic, my grandfather gave me two magic swords as a gift. They had belonged to a close comrade of his from fifty years ago when he traveled as the Hero's Ally. One created a Wind Blade when swung, and the other generated a Lightning Strike when it thrust. Both were national treasure-grade weapons.
I trained even harder as a dual-wielder and eventually studied abroad in the Empire. After being recognized as a first-class swordsman there, I finally reunited with my grandfather and my brother, Armin.
Grandfather was traveling with Armin to try and spark his interest in magic. Despite his talent, Armin didn't care for it at all. However, Armin had changed. He wasn't interested in magic; he had become obsessed with Nectar.
"Big sis, tell me where the most famous Nectar shop in the Imperial Capital is!"
Why Nectar? What happened to magic, little brother?
Grandfather told me that Armin had gone missing for three days in a forest near a Border Village. Ever since he came back, he had been a Nectar-crazed boy. Grandfather figured he had found a beehive while he was hungry and developed a taste for it.
But the obsession was abnormal. Even while traveling, Armin never let go of a small vial of Nectar, constantly licking it off his fingers. As his older sister, I was seriously worried about his future.
After graduating from the academy and returning to the Kingdom of Gardenia, I received a summons from the King. He wanted me to help subjugate an Alraune from the Demon King's Army. He sought me out because of my reputation as a swordsman in the Imperial Capital.
Not as the Great Sage’s granddaughter, but as myself. For the first time, I felt like I was being acknowledged as an individual.
I joined the subjugation party and went to the frontier forest, not far from where Armin had once gone missing. And now, I find myself fighting as an ally to the Alraune I was supposed to kill, facing off against the traitorous mercenary, Diesel.
Repaying a debt to a monster just because she reminds me of Saint Iris might be foolish. But unlike the Orc that tried to eat me, I felt no malice from this Alraune. When the Dog-ear Leader was stabbed by a Witch, the Alraune saved him. Meanwhile, Diesel conspired with the Witches to kill him. It’s obvious who the villain is.
"Good grief... if an Animal Tamer’s animals are all dead, what’s a guy like me supposed to do?"
The Alraune had wiped out all of Diesel's beasts while she was clearing out the Witches. In direct combat, I was far superior to a tamer. My magic swords lashed out like a storm.
The massive pile of luggage Diesel was carrying clattered to the ground and spilled open.
"A birdcage?"
The cloth covering it tore, revealing a cage with an exhausted white bird inside. I stayed on guard, but it didn't look like an attack animal. Its eyes were hollow, and its beak was gasping for air.
The enemy came first.
"I have no mercy for traitors. Prepare yourself!"
"I never betrayed anyone. From the beginning, I’ve only ever done what makes that person happy."
The wounded Diesel began shoving Nectar Bread into his mouth.
"This is that Nectar Bread popular in the Capital. Miraculously, your wounds heal the moment you eat it."
"Then I'll just have to stop you from eating!"
My magic sword's lightning made him stagger, causing him to drop a few crumbs. The white bird in the cage snapped them up instantly. I saw the bird's weak body begin to glow.
"Anna, I didn't realize you were such a pain. Fighting while protecting my prize is going to be difficult."
I kept up the pressure on Diesel while keeping an eye on the bird. It seemed the bird was the "prize" he mentioned; he was positioning himself to keep me away from it. The bird, invigorated by the Nectar Bread, began throwing itself against the bars. Then, its body began to warp and shift.
"I kept her drugged! How is this happening!?" Diesel shouted in shock.
The cage shattered. The bird inside was swallowed by a mass of light that grew larger and larger.
That was the day I learned there was still so much in this world I didn't know. After all, I had just watched a bird turn into a white-haired girl.
And that was Anna's perspective! She is indeed Armin's older sister.
After reading the manga, I really wanted to see Armin again, so I gave him a little cameo! Anna’s reunion with him takes place a bit after Armin first discovered the taste of the Alraune's Nectar.
Also, the first volume of the "Plant Monster Girl Diary" manga is released today! When I first started this series, I never dreamed it would get a manga adaptation, so I’m incredibly happy. This is all thanks to your support.
Thank you so much for everything. I’ll keep doing my best, so please keep supporting "Plant Monster Girl Diary."
Next time: The Little Witch's first Witch-hunt!