I was Alraune, an insectivorous plant monster girl.
Those gentlemen screaming as they fled into the distance were adventurers. The two of them had taken off like a shot the moment they witnessed my mealtime.
Being called a monster was a shock. However, while they were running, they said something along the lines of, "It’s just as the Saint-sama said." That piqued my curiosity, so I decided to stop them.
I would invite them to a tea party. It was my first time hosting humans, so I felt just a little bit nervous.
"The vines are reaching out!?" "Run! If we’re caught, we’re dead!"
Honestly, you two have been far too noisy for a while now. Like a parent rebuking a child, I snagged the adventurers' feet with my vines.
"Helbp meeeeeeeee!!"
"Partneeeeeeerrrrrr!!"
One grown man wailed and wept as he dangled in mid-air. The other seemed to stop running only because his partner had been captured.
"I—I won't let you eat my partner!"
With his sword-wielding arm and both legs trembling, the second adventurer charged at me. His face was contorted with terror. Actually, he even had his eyes squeezed shut.
"Ugyah!?"
Oh dear, what should I do? He tripped over a bird monster carcass and fell all on his own.
"Partneeeer!!"
"I-It's all over for ussssss!!"
The two adventurers continued to howl. Judging by their pathetic display, perhaps they were newbie adventurers. At this rate, it looked like I was the one doing something wicked. I had to let them know I had no intention of eating them.
"Don't... worry... I... have... no... intention... of... eating... you."
Whether they reacted to my words or not, the adventurers fell silent. Good. I needed to maintain this momentum and give them the impression that I was a harmless monster.
"Hey... let's... be... friends?"
I beamed a smile at them—a smile I intended to be as radiant as a Saint's. I thought that if they saw my human form, they might lower their guard a little.
Unfortunately, my timing was terrible.
I was currently in the middle of eating bird monsters, and my lower mouth was stuffed with prey. When I smiled with my upper mouth, my lower bulb’s mouth reflexively mimicked the expression and yawned open.
"Hieeee!!" "The plant's mouth is full of mangled bird monsters... Does 'getting along' mean she's going to do that to us, too!?"
Oh? That’s strange. It seemed I had scared them even more.
Wait. What was I supposed to do now?
While I was being swallowed by a wave of confusion, a lifeline arrived from the forest. Or rather, it came running. When I shifted my gaze, I saw a single withered tree rushing toward us with impressive form.
It seemed my younger sister-figure, Amazoness Treant, and Fairy Kiri had returned. While I waved my vines at Treant and said, "Welcome... back," the fallen adventurer screamed and resumed his flight.
"Some weird withered tree is running at us!" "It's a monsteerrrrrr!!"
He sliced through the vine holding his leg with his sword, and the two adventurers vanished into the distance. In their haste, they even threw away the sword that was supposed to be their weapon. They really didn't need to be that frightened.
Perhaps I had been a bit careless. My attention had shifted toward Treant and Fairy Kiri, allowing the adventurers to escape. My invitation to the tea party was effectively rejected. I could have sent Treant after them, but it would be a problem if there were more adventurers waiting outside the forest, so I decided against it.
As I gazed toward the woods, Fairy Kiri sensed the human presence and flew over to me with a worried expression.
"Did humans come here?"
"Two... came."
"I see... So you were finally found."
The fairy-san muttered anxiously. To think she would worry about me; she really did have a kind side. It seemed she wasn't just a nectar-crazed fairy after all.
"They... won't... return... so... it's... fine... right?"
"You only say that because you don't know humans, Alraune. I don't think they'll give up that easily."
Actually, I was a former human. I wondered what Fairy-san would think if I told her that. I had a feeling she would just dismiss it as an Alraune's nonsense.
"Just in case, I should cast this..."
As Fairy-san hummed a tune, a small orb of light entered my body.
"Kiri... what... was... that?"
"I cast a charm with spirit magic. Just to make sure nothing happens to you, Alraune."
It was like a protective amulet. Even if it didn't have a practical effect, the sentiment alone made me happy.
While thanking Fairy-san, I looked at the adventurer's sword lying on the ground. What should I do with it? A sword was surely a vital possession for an adventurer. I decided to keep it in case they came back for their lost property.
Then, I had a wonderful idea. This sword could be used as a kitchen knife. Until now, the Little Witch could only bite directly into vegetables, but with this, she could actually cook. I would borrow it as a knife until those adventurers returned. What a lucky find!
Regardless, those adventurers had mentioned a "Saint-sama." They were likely talking about the Apprentice Saint in the Tower City. It might even be the same person I saw in the Saint's carriage when I first arrived at the Dryades' Forest.
Judging by their parting words, they had come to investigate this area based on that Apprentice Saint's instructions. Perhaps our battle with the Four Heavenly Kings had been seen. A swarm of bird monsters was quite conspicuous, so it might have been spotted from the city.
If they came to investigate the bird monsters, they could just report that the Bird Army had become my dinner and was no longer a threat. If the danger of the city being attacked was gone, everyone should be relieved. In fact, since I was the one who exterminated the Demon King's Army, I felt I deserved some praise!
For now, peace had returned to the forest. Thank goodness.
In the evening, the Little Witch returned from the city. Apparently, the nectar wasn't selling very well. She looked quite dejected because of it.
"I... might not be suited for business..."
She didn't seem to know how to increase her sales. All right, then—her big sister would teach her a secret technique! I didn't have experience selling things during my Saint Era, but I had some knowledge from my High School Girl Era.
I gave the Little Witch some advice. If she gave out single, free sips of nectar, people would learn the taste and the number of customers would grow! I had often fallen for that trap myself when shopping at the supermarket. My hand would always drift toward the freshly grilled sausages at the Sampling Corner.
Once I finished my sample and said, "It's delicious," my mother would buy the sausages with a resigned look. If people knew the taste, they would surely buy it. I would simply apply this strategy to our shop!
The next day, I finished passing on the Sampling Strategy to the Little Witch. The only question now was how well she could call out to the people in the city. More than that, though, my greatest wish was just for her to return home safely.
"Did... you... take... your... lunch?"
"...Yeah."
I had prepared a lunch box for her that morning. It contained roasted turnips and roasted broad beans wrapped in leaves, plus an apple dessert. Carrying a small barrel on her back and her lunch in a bucket, the Little Witch set off to sell her nectar.
I used a vine to squeeze her free hand tightly.
"Take... care."
"It's okay, leave it to me. But... I think I want some I'm-leaving Nectar..."
"It... can't... be... helped."
I bit into my vine, allowing a generous amount of nectar to well up. The Little Witch took the nectar-slicked vine into her mouth. I could feel the sensation of her tongue licking the vine through the plant itself.
My nectar was being drunk, and the Little Witch was happy. That fact filled me with a sense of bliss. I was starting to become very aware of the fact that I had become her food source.
"Thank you for the meal. Well, I'm off!"
"Good... luck."
The small, soft human hand pulled away from my vine. I continued to wave until her back was no longer visible. I felt like a newlywed seeing her husband off to work.
However, being a newlywed wasn't easy. Intruders—like home-wreckers—began to appear in our nest of love.
Their goal was me. While I was home alone, they charged in rudely with murderous intent. That’s right; adventurers had begun coming to subjugate me.
Actually, the Little Witch had been selling nectar with almost no sales pitch until now. It turned out the nectar had been selling only because the Apprentice Saint and her friends, who were the first to buy, had become repeat customers.
Next time: I am not a Bad Alraune.