I was an Alraune, a plant monster girl.
I froze in shock when the Flame Dragon Lord told me, "I want Alraune's Nectar."
I had been all alone ever since I was reborn as an Alraune. Perhaps that was why being needed by someone made me so happy. His words seemed to resonate deep within my heart.
Now that I thought about it, back when I served as the Flame Dragon Lord’s maid in the Demon King’s Castle, I had provided my nectar as dessert for all three of his daily meals. Could it be that he had grown to miss the taste?
"Is... simply giving you my nectar... enough?"
"That is sufficient. Your nectar is a delicacy."
—Ehehe. He said my nectar was delicious.
In truth, I had rarely been praised for its taste by anyone other than the Little Witch. I couldn't help but get a little carried away. If the Flame Dragon Lord was going that far, I wasn't about to say no. I’ll give you all the nectar you want! Besides, if he was willing to get the Little Witch back for me, it was exactly what I wanted.
"I... accept that deal."
I decided to provide some nectar immediately as a sort of down payment. I bit down on my own vine with a soft hamu. Once the vine was thoroughly coated with nectar from inside my mouth, I held it out toward him.
As if he had anticipated this very move, Uncle Teddy stepped forward. "Glüh-sama, please use this," he said, handing a spoon to the Dragon King.
The Flame Dragon Lord caught the nectar dripping from the vine with the spoon and brought it to his lips. The way he ate was so elegant. As expected of the Flame Dragon Lord!
"How... is it?"
"As I expected, Alraune's Nectar has a profound depth of flavor."
He didn't let much show on his face, but he seemed satisfied.
"I was surprised to see how beautifully you have grown from a mere sapling, but the flavor of your nectar has also become even more savory."
"I am... grateful."
Yay, I was praised again!
Still, weren't the dragons supposed to be in an alliance with the witches? I wondered why he was willing to lend me a hand.
"Is it... really alright... to take the Little Witch... from the Witch Queen?"
"Do not fret. That woman owes me several favors. I shall use them to settle the matter."
"Why... are you being... so kind to me?"
"I hold you in high esteem."
It seemed he valued me quite highly. While I was grateful for the sentiment, the truth was that the Flame Dragon Lord had once sought my life. If he ever discovered that I was the same Alraune who had killed his subordinates, he would surely burn me to a crisp again. For now, he mistakenly believed that the 'me' from back then was dead, so I had to keep up the deception somehow...!
"If you were to become my subordinate, I could even promise to protect you and your companions from the Witch Queen indefinitely. What say you?"
It was a very tempting offer. However—
"I am... sorry, but..."
"It is fine. I did not expect to win you over with a single invitation. In fact, that stubbornness is exactly why I find you so interesting."
I wondered why the Flame Dragon Lord was smiling even though I had turned him down. It made me a little uneasy about what he might be planning for the future.
After that, I finalized the details of our agreement with the Flame Dragon Lord and Uncle Teddy. He would bring back the Little Witch, and in exchange, I would regularly offer him my nectar.
To be honest, I had no other way to rescue her. I didn't even know where the Witch's Village was located. Therefore, even if it meant being tied to him through nectar, I had to accept. If anything, I was lucky he wasn't burning me as punishment for defeating a member of the Four Heavenly Kings right then and there.
"Once a deal is struck, do not ever think of breaking your word."
The Flame Dragon Lord was a dragon of his word. If I ever refused to provide him with nectar, I would likely pay for it with my life.
"Of course. In exchange... please... save the Little Witch."
"Umu. Leave it to me."
The Flame Dragon Lord and Uncle Teddy mounted their transport dragon. Just as they were about to leave, he asked me a question as if he had just remembered something.
"Alraune, who is that small dryad there? I feel as though she resembles Vergissmeinnicht."
He directed a sharp, piercing glare toward Fair-chan, the sapling dryad. My heart skipped a beat. If he found out that this child was actually the reincarnation of Big Sister Dryades, he might try to punish her. She had no memories of her past life; she had been reborn as an entirely new being. I couldn't let her be killed for the sins of her previous existence.
Fair-chan tugged on my vine, murmuring, "Mother—?"
Don't worry, I'll protect you!
"This child... is my daughter."
"............What?"
The Flame Dragon Lord stared at me as if I had just said something incomprehensible. Being stared at so intently was quite embarrassing.
"You are only a few dozen days old yourself, are you not...?"
"Even so... I gave birth to her."
"And the father?"
"............It was me."
"And yet you say you gave birth to her?"
"The mother... is also me."
"..................What?"
A long, silent gaze passed between us. It seemed I had given him a significant shock regarding plant ecology. I was a female flower, but I could grow male flowers using my Plant Generation ability. Furthermore, self-pollination was perfectly normal in the plant kingdom. However, since dragons couldn't have children without both a male and a female, it was a massive shock to his system.
"I had forgotten for a moment that you were a plant monster. Given how much you have grown since your time at the castle, I suppose such things are possible."
The Flame Dragon Lord eventually accepted my explanation. I had successfully managed to divert his suspicion.
"It is the providence of nature for plants to bear seeds. I shall not dwell on it."
the transport dragon began to beat its wings. As a final parting word, the Flame Dragon Lord spoke to me once more.
"Therefore, do not forget—I desire you."
The dragon carrying him and Uncle Teddy took flight. With his signal of "Now, to the Witch's Village," they soared away toward the horizon.
He said he desired me... but that was surely just because he wanted my nectar. At the very least, as long as I had this nectar to offer, I could maintain a positive relationship with him.
As I watched them disappear into the distance, Lady Dryades, who had been watching silently, finally spoke up.
"Alraune, how do you know that dragon?"
Something was wrong with Lady Dryades. Her face was deathly pale.
"I have heard stories of dragon siblings in the Demon King's Army who possess unfathomable power."
Now that she mentioned it, I recalled the Flame Dragon Lord having an older sister. Back at the castle, I had heard him mention an "Elder Sister," so it had to be true.
"I was told that all dragons in the Demon King's Army fall under their absolute rule. Because of this, they are known as the Dragon Kings who govern all their kind."
The Flame Dragon Lord was a Dragon King. It was a title that suited him perfectly.
"To speak so casually with such a being... Alraune, how on earth did you form a friendship with a Dragon King?"
"When I was... kidnapped to the Demon King's Castle... a lot of things happened."
It wasn't so much a friendship as it was a relationship between a master and a maid. And, if I were to be precise, I was also his favorite dessert.
"I feel as though I would start trembling just by standing before him," Lady Dryades whispered.
It seemed even someone as powerful as her found him terrifying. I didn't feel like I was going to survive our first meeting either, but once you got used to him, he was actually quite a decent person. He praised me when I gave him nectar, and he was surprisingly kind. Despite his looks, he was a good dragon.
While I was talking with Lady Dryades, Fairy Kiri, who had been scouting elsewhere, landed on my head.
"Lady Alraune! The humans are about to wake up!"
The humans? Oh, that’s right. Nina and the others had been put to sleep by Big Sister Dryades’s spirit magic. They hadn't moved for so long that I had started to get worried.
My "little sister," the Amazoness Treant, came over carrying them. She gently laid them down on the ground near me.
"Nina?" I called out softly.
Slowly, the eyelids of the apprentice saint, Nina, began to flutter open.
The friendly relationship I had built with the Flame Dragon Lord back at the castle had led to this "equivalent exchange." You truly never know where a connection might lead.
Next time: the long-awaited dialogue with the humans.