Revolving Lantern.
This was the second time I had seen it.
No, that wasn't right.
Even if it was the second Revolving Lantern, these memories were new to me. This was the first time.
Because these were the Flower's Memories.
The memories of the Main Body Flower Monster that had become my core—from the moment it sprouted in this land until it devoured me, the Former Saint, and faded away.
Nurtured by warm Sunlight, abundant nutrients, and plentiful moisture, it had grown tall and strong.
It seemed to realize it wasn't an ordinary flower—but a monster—when it snared a wild bird that approached it with its Vine. That moment had filled it with joy.
It was cheerful and carefree, never burdened by deep thoughts. Well, it was just a flower, so expecting intelligence from it would have been unreasonable.
But after fusing with me, the Flower Monster met its end. I had hijacked its body.
Even so, reborn as an Alraune, I had become one with it. In a sense, the Flower Monster still lived on as part of me.
At the instant of our fusion, the Flower Monster had harbored thoughts like these:
I want to grow even bigger.
I want to scatter seeds and multiply my kind.
I want to live out my Life as a Plant in peace, without complication.
That was what the Flower Monster had yearned for.
To achieve it, it needed more time.
It didn't want to die yet.
And so it met its end.
That moment also crystallized the Flower Monster's Last Wish.
Because of our fusion—because I had taken its body—what became of that wish? Was it still being fulfilled, even in this hijacked form?
I understood completely.
I didn't want to die yet, either.
Even when betrayed by the Apprentice Saint's junior and my Fiancé Hero-sama, I had thrashed desperately because death was the last thing I wanted.
And now, here I was—alive.
Living a Life as a Plant.
I still didn't want to die.
Neither had that Flower Monster.
Our desires were one and the same.
Something roared from the depths of my body.
It might have been my Unconscious Roar—the most likely explanation.
Or perhaps it was Someone's Vestiges, lingering until the very end.
I still didn't want to die!
A Wild Flower like me—survive with your Weed Spirit!
My eyes snapped open.
Right. Bear-papa had me. He was on the verge of ripping me from my roots.
If this continued, I would die.
Plants can't survive apart from the earth.
Uprooting doesn't kill instantly, but it would still be the end.
Laobubear had a habit of impaling its prey on its horns and dragging it back to its nest.
No matter how much it craved my Nectar, those horns would finish me.
As an Alraune with no Magic Power, I couldn't regenerate or grow without drawing moisture from my roots via Recovery Magic.
Time would wither me away.
Then I'd be tossed aside in Bear-papa's Nest.
Bear's Trash. That future loomed clear.
To defy it, I refused to give up.
Like any plant, I'd fight to the last.
My roots tore free.
But not all of them.
Only half—the side facing Bear-papa—had surfaced.
There was still time...!
From every Vine I could move, I bloomed Man-eater Flowers. I stretched them in a circle around my body, sinking them into the ground like fangs.
Spread wide as an Anchor, they locked me in place.
Bear-papa's pull halted.
But it wasn't just the Anchor.
My remaining roots included the Taproot.
The thickest one, plunging from my Bulb into the earth.
It supported my entire frame—my Lifeline as a Plant.
And thanks to that drought, it had burrowed deep for water: a Genuine Shut-in Root.
It wouldn't yield easily.
Bear-papa targeted the Anchor first, rearing back its right arm and slamming it down. The punch gouged the soil, erupting like a bomb blast.
A crater scarred the ground.
Hey!
This Bear-papa was beyond ridiculous.
Plenty of Anchor Vines remained, so I held—but a direct hit would pulverize me.
Nothing like his earlier Tree Throwing.
Wait—I'd just noticed.
Blood dripped from Bear-papa's Left Arm?
Not my doing.
Which meant... that scrap with the Wolf of Hell Hellwolf? A bite, maybe.
Watching closely, his Left Arm lacked power.
That ground pound? Right arm.
The half-uprooting? Right-side roots from his view.
Plus, the Bee Monster Army had stung his back. Their poison was working.
Hachi-san, too.
If I stretched this into a war of attrition, he might relent and leave.
Bear-papa's Power ebbed.
My roots ran deeper than expected, buttressed by the Anchor. Add his injury from the Wolf of Hell Hellwolf battle, the Bee Monster Army stings, and a faceful of my Poison Pollen...
Bear-papa's Stamina had hit its limit.
He abandoned the uprooting.
But he kept my body pinned tight.
No need for such a vise grip—I wasn't escaping. Couldn't from the start.
I pitied plants everywhere. Sometimes you just want to bolt.
Then Bear-papa began savoring me.
Yes—he lolled out his tongue.
Perori.
No way could I, the former Former Saint, endure that.
Not High School Girl me, either.
Defenseless me.
This mighty bear slathering over me in frenzy.
Not some casual lick.
Humiliation. Pure mental torment.
The Giant Bear lapped at my face with meticulous care.
Nectar scent rose from my entire upper body, not just my face.
He eyed me as if licking every inch.
His gaze slid from face to neck... chest... stomach... waist.
Ah, not there.
Stop. No.
Ahh, not like that...
I might never marry now...