I was Alraune, the plant monster girl.
The sunlight was warm and toasty, and basking in it felt divine.
The area around me had been razed by the light magic of the Stalker Four Heavenly Kings, turning it into a barren clearing.
Because of that, both the exposure to the sun and the view had improved significantly.
I could even see the tall tower that served as the symbol of the Tower City from where I sat—a sight that had been hidden from me until recently.
Since the Tower City was perched upon a plateau, gazing at it from the forest had become one of my favorite ways to pass the time.
It was from that very city that a new group of adventurers arrived.
"What? I thought it’d be some kind of freak, but isn't it just a cute Alraune?" "Those other two were rookies; they probably just got cold feet."
Apparently, they were a different duo than the ones from yesterday.
In any case, I had to make it clear that I was a monster who disliked conflict.
"Mister humans, please... listen... to what I have to say."
"Whoa, this thing understands speech even though it's a plant." "Must be a Unique Monster. I bet we can brag about it once we take it down."
Oh, good grief.
To think they would try to kill me just for a bit of tavern gossip...
Just because I was a monster didn't mean they had to be so cruel.
I felt like I was going to cry.
Unmoved by my plight, one adventurer let loose an arrow from his bow.
At the same time, the other leveled his spear and charged toward me.
Honestly, one should never point such dangerous things at a lady.
"Hah!"
I snatched the flying arrow out of the air with a vine.
While I was at it, I sprouted more vines from the earth and forcibly disarmed the spearman.
"W-What is with this Alraune!?" "She’s terrifyingly strong!"
It wasn't that I was strong; it was simply that they were weak.
I had the Man-eaters blooming on my vines release Sleeping Powder for the two of them to inhale.
The noisy gentlemen promptly went silent.
Now, what to do with these humans?
I had no intention of eating them, and there was no point in leaving them lying around.
Yes, I would just have to dump them outside the forest.
I clapped my hands together, tap-tap.
Immediately, the Treant who had been standing by as a withered tree behind me hurried forward.
"Take these humans... and leave them... outside the forest."
My little sister, who understood exactly what I wanted, hoisted the two men onto her shoulders and ran toward the forest's edge.
Ah. I forgot to send their bow and spear back with them.
In fact, there was luggage scattered about besides the weapons.
—Wait, what?
Inside that adventurer’s bag, I spotted the Little Witch's wooden tube!
Oh no, was that adventurer actually a Nectar Purchaser?!
The world really is a small place.
For now, I suppose I had no choice but to leave the weapons and the bag here.
"See? I told you more humans would come."
"It was... just as Kiri... said."
Fairy-san, who had been hiding behind my back, fluttered up into the air.
She had stayed by my side out of worry that I might be attacked again.
"The humans probably saw your fight with the Four Heavenly Kings the other day."
"And so... they came... to investigate me?"
"Humans have a tendency to fear anything that isn't like them. Anything living in the forest is a target for their hunts. Oh, speak of the devil..."
Kiri pointed toward the woods.
A new Trio of Adventurers emerged from the trees.
I wouldn't be able to get a moment's peace at this rate.
First, I would try to negotiate and settle things peacefully.
"Please, listen. I am... not... a bad... Alraune."
"Oh sure, you say that now, then you'll try to eat us like those bird monsters, you freakish flower!" "Freakish? She’s a total beauty. I think I’m in love." "You two, stay focused. Letting your guard down during a hunt is a death sentence."
Ugh, they didn't believe me either.
Humans were so cold, assuming that being a monster automatically made me evil.
I used to be human myself, so I really wished they would be a bit kinder to plant monsters.
Moreover, this three-person party felt slightly more formidable than the previous two groups.
It looked like they even had a mage with them.
Still, they were no match for me.
"M-My sword won't work!?" "I've never seen such a terrifying beauty; I think I'm gonna die!" "Impossible... my Wind Magic blades aren't even leaving a scratch...!"
Once the noisy adventurers were finished with their display, I had them take a long, deep rest.
They seemed exhausted from their little forest excursion, as they fell asleep instantly.
As soon as the Treant returned from dumping the first group, I would have her take these three out of the forest as well.
Ah, I forgot to make her take their weapons and bags again.
What should I do about this?
The pile of lost property was starting to grow.
By the end of the day, two more groups of adventurers had appeared.
I put them all to sleep and left them outside the forest.
Since no one was seriously injured, I doubted they would hold a grudge.
They might be annoyed about leaving their gear behind, but it was a small price to pay for their lives.
Still, I wondered what to do with the growing mountain of luggage.
I hoped someone would come to claim it eventually.
As I was fretting over the adventurers' belongings, the Little Witch returned and hugged me with an anxious expression.
She seemed worried that I had been attacked by humans.
"Alraune, are you okay?"
"I’m fine. More importantly... how much... did you sell... today?"
"It was amazing! Ten people bought nectar!"
"That’s wonderful. Good girl, good girl."
"It’s all thanks to you, Alraune. Everyone who tried a sampling bought some. The second they took a lick, their eyes lit up and they reached for their wallets."
Yes, yes, I was just happy to see the Little Witch smiling again.
I decided to give her some reward nectar of her own.
I bit down on a vine to create a Nectar Vine.
"Say ahh," I murmured, letting the nectar drip toward her lips.
"It’s so thick and sweet. My whole mouth feels like it’s melting."
"Do you want... seconds—glp!?"
"I'll harvest the seconds myself, so don't worry."
The Little Witch thrust her finger inside and stirred the nectar around forcefully.
The sensation of my interior being overrun reminded me of my place as the Little Witch's houseplant.
The thought made me flush with embarrassment, causing the nectar to spill out in a thick slurry.
The Little Witch scooped up the nectar that had escaped my mouth with her finger and licked it clean.
"Alraune, you're delicious."
"Mmh..."
"Can I have one more helping?"
"Okay..."
The Little Witch’s finger reached deep inside me again.
However, it was no fun just being on the receiving end.
I snared the Little Witch with my vines and pulled her into a tight embrace.
From an outside perspective, it probably looked like a plant monster was restraining a girl with tentacles.
But this was just my way of showing affection; we were only playing.
It wasn't like I was some kind of tentacle monster!
Perhaps being swaddled in vines felt good, because I soon heard the sound of the Little Witch's rhythmic breathing.
She must have been exhausted.
Good work on the nectar-selling job today.
I noticed a new vegetable sitting in the bucket the Little Witch had brought back.
It was an onion.
I assumed she had bought it with the proceeds from the nectar.
All right, it was time for this big sister to whip up some Onion Cooking!
I had to work hard for the Little Witch’s sake.
Chomp.
With that, I gained the ability for Onion Generation.
I needed to make plenty of food for her.
As her big sister, I would take charge of managing the Little Witch's diet!
I was needed by her.
That thought alone made me happy.
Because of that, I couldn't afford to be taken down by adventurers.
No matter how many mediocre adventurers came my way, they were no match for me.
Cleaning up adventurers felt no different than swiping away tiny gnats.
No matter how many times I was attacked, my peaceful life would remain unshaken.
I wouldn't let anyone get in the way of the life the Little Witch and I shared!
It has been three months since my first post!
Thanks to all of you, I managed to reach 57th in the quarterly rankings for Otherworld Reincarnation/Teleportation! Yay! ＼(T▽T)／
The fact that I’ve been able to maintain daily updates until now is entirely due to your support.
Thank you all once again! m( )m
Next time: The nectar-selling Little Witch is a huge hit in the city, and I'm becoming quite the popular plant monster among adventurers.