Chapter 2

I was on a journey to defeat the Demon King when I was killed by my fiancé, the hero, and my junior, the novice holy maiden, and ended up reincarnated as a plant-type monster.

A human woman's body grew from a bright red floral crown, with the lower half being a plant monster. Yes, I had become an Alraune.

What on earth had happened? I could remember using the holy maiden's power to regenerate my flesh to avoid being digested after being eaten by the flower monster. But could it be believed that I had become a monster when I regained consciousness? I had never heard of such a thing.

Still, I was not dead. I was still alive, and for that, I was grateful. I should think that way. Perhaps this was a chance given by the goddess, or perhaps the over-recovery had caused me to fuse with the flower monster. In any case, I had to grasp the current situation.

The upper half of my body was still human. The skin was the same. The only changes were that my hair had grown to my waist and had turned from a light golden color to a pale green.

The problem was the lower half. I was growing out of a large floral crown. My lower body was a flower, bright red and vivid like a rose, so beautiful that one would want to decorate it, but this flower was also a part of my body. It felt strange. Below the flower, several leaves were layered. They were also part of me.

I understood that my lower body had become a flower, but my legs were gone. In their place was something like a second body.

Below the floral crown, a large root-like structure had grown. This root had a large mouth with thorny protrusions like a carnivorous plant. The ominous opening was large enough to swallow a car whole, and it must have evolved from the flower monster that had devoured me, the holy maiden. It looked more evil than when I had glimpsed it before being eaten.

From the sides of the root, countless vines had grown, and my surroundings had become a cluster of my own vines. It seemed that the roots were growing into the ground, absorbing water from the soil.

Yes, I was completely a plant. Moreover, a rather vicious one. The mouth of the root was particularly scary.

When I tried to exert force in my lower body, the root's mouth moved. The vines also seemed to move freely like hands. It felt strange, different from when I was a human with only two arms.

Even though I was a plant, having a self-awareness was quite monster-like. If I were discovered by adventurers, I would surely be hunted as a monster.

There was one thing I had to solve urgently.

I was naked!

My lower body was a flower and a plant, so I had to give up on that, but my upper body was naked. Even though I had become a monster, I was originally human. As a noble lady and a holy maiden beloved by the people, it was unacceptable to be naked.

Even though I had become a wild plant monster, this was something I could not compromise on as a woman.

However, there were no clothes in this place. The clothes I had been wearing seemed to have been dissolved and disappeared.

So, I decided to make a bra using the vines. I wrapped the vines around my chest, and there it was, completed. It was quite convenient.

I had managed to cover what needed to be covered, so I decided to be satisfied with this for now. What about my lower body? I don't know. Let's eliminate the concept of being naked in the lower body. Plants don't usually wear clothes. It would be strange if the root wore a skirt. So, it can't be helped. I'm a plant, so I'm not naked.

No lower body. Upper body in a wild, vine-made bra. I never imagined I would end up in such an Amazonian outfit, both as a holy maiden and as a high school girl.

It was surprising that I had memories of my past life, as much as being reincarnated as an Alraune.

My name in Japan was Koshiki Ayame. During school breaks, I would read plant encyclopedias to distract myself from being a loner, and at home, I would indulge in anime and games as a hidden otaku. I remember all of this.

However, I couldn't remember why I had died or been reincarnated. It seemed that only the things I had liked and found interesting were vividly remembered. Well, it couldn't be helped, as they were memories from my past life.

The most vivid memory I had now was being betrayed by my companions. Born as the second daughter of a duke's family in the Gardenia Kingdom, I was recognized for my talent in light magic and became a novice holy maiden at a young age. I became a super recovery magic user capable of regenerating my body and was acknowledged as the greatest holy maiden of the time. I set out on a journey to defeat the Demon King with the hero, who was the second prince of the kingdom and my fiancé, and my other companions.

We had defeated the Demon King's subordinates and were about to get close to the Demon King when I was betrayed by my companions. I don't know why. But my life had ended at that moment.

I was only 17 years old. The training to become a holy maiden was tough, and I had thought I would be free after defeating the Demon King. It was also a proud thing to become the wife of the hero and prince. If I had children, a boy might have become the king to succeed the country, and a girl might have become a holy maiden like me. By leaving descendants in the royal family, I could have done something for my parents and family. I might have spent my later years peacefully in a peaceful world without fighting monsters. All of these futures had been taken away from me.

To be honest, I can't forgive the junior holy maiden and my ex-fiancé, the hero, and I want to take revenge, but more than that, my heart is broken. I'm a mess. I was betrayed and killed, and then I became a monster.

If I were to meet those two in this form, I don't want to imagine what would happen. I would be embarrassed if I were found out. I was a noble lady, and I can't show this form to my father and mother. If I were laughed at by the hero and the junior, I might lose my sense of self. I might even be killed again.

I've never heard of Alraune being a strong monster, so I probably can't win in a fight. After all, I'm a plant, just a flower.

To begin with, I can't move because I have roots in the ground. I can't even go to see the people I hate, so there's nothing I can do. So, I'll put this on hold for now. Just thinking about it makes me irritated!

Anyway, I need to calm down. I am now a high school girl from Japan in my past life, a former human holy maiden in this life, and currently a plant monster, an Alraune.

It's understandable that my memories are still in chaos. Having the memories of two lives in a new body means, in a sense, a third life.

So, my personality has settled into a mix of the noble lady holy maiden, the high school girl otaku, and the flower's memories, all divided by three. Time will slowly resolve the rest. There's no point in dwelling on it.

The human me is gone. This is my second life. Or is it my third life because I have a past life? Since I'm a flower and a plant, should it be called a flower life? Whatever, it doesn't matter.

Without dwelling on the details, I need to face reality. There might be a way to return to being human. If I don't give up and keep living, something good will surely happen.

Alright, let's do our best!

Yay, let's go!

Hmm?

My chest feels wet. When did this happen?

Moreover, a liquid is flowing from my chest, down my stomach, and onto the petals. What is this?

Oh, this is a bit of a shock.

As a high school girl and a noble lady holy maiden, this is impossible. I'm not that age, and I have no such experience. This is too much.

I want to cry. Tears will come out because I'm a girl. I'm a flower now, but...

Wait, this isn't tears. It's nectar. Nectar is dripping from my eyes.

It seems to be coming from other places too. As an experiment, when I focused, look!

It's nectar, not saliva. Great!

From now on, I'll try to produce nectar from my mouth. I can control where the nectar flows. Saliva is a bit strange, but it's better than from other places. I did well!

I can't taste it because it's coming from my body, but it smells very sweet. It feels sticky when I touch it, like honey. By the way, I have a sense of smell even though I'm a plant. That's surprising.

While playing with the nectar on my fingers, I suddenly felt someone's gaze. Looking around, a bear appeared from the shade of a tree in front of me.

It's a big bear. But that bear with a unicorn-like horn is not a normal bear. It's a monster.

It's a terrifying bear that will chase you until you can't move if it meets a human in the forest. I've heard it's so tenacious and strong that it's called the lord of the forest.

I can sense the bear's hostile intent.

It's ready to attack. This bear is a bit scary.

But I can't run even if I want to. I'm a flower, after all.

Wait, isn't this too disadvantageous for a plant?

When you meet a strong enemy, you should run away, but that doesn't apply here.

This is impossible.

I can't deal with this.

Someone, please help!

Of course, no one could hear my plea. It was a bitter feeling.

And so, I had my first encounter with life and death as an Alraune.