Chapter 9

Suddenly, summer arrived.

It's so hot. What's up with this weather?

I stretch out my hands while looking up at the cloudless sky.

I wonder if it will rain.

I really want some water.

Ever since I saw the unidentified flying object glowing in the night sky, summer suddenly arrived.

A UFO that calls summer.

I feel a sense of youth, like a radio signal, but I've never heard such a story in this world.

Perhaps due to the prolonged heat and lack of rain, the ground began to crack.

It's a drought.

The forest is crying out for water.

My body is groaning too.

I'm losing moisture and wilting.

Even my proud petals are wilting, and my leaves are cracking.

The xylem, which is the water transport system in plants, is screaming to send water throughout my body as quickly as possible.

Recently, the xylem has been idle due to the lack of work.

But you should complain to the roots.

I'm doing everything I can.

I'm stretching my roots deeper and deeper, using all the strength I have.

I command the roots to absorb more water.

But they could only get a mist-like amount of water.

The drought has been so severe.

The trees around me should still have some leeway in this situation.

Compared to other plants, I have a larger body.

That's because I'm a monster plant called Alraune, and I consume much more energy in a day than other plants.

I have a mouth on my large bulb, can move my vines freely, and even have people growing on my flowers. I'm a special and rare existence among plants, which makes me inefficient.

I just have to endure.

I really hope it rains soon.

A few days passed.

One morning, I woke up with a strange feeling.

Someone is touching me.

I felt a pressure as if something was hitting my bulb.

When I looked down, I saw roots emerging from the ground.

What's going on? There were no roots here yesterday.

No, they're not my roots.

So, is this... harassment?

The culprit of the harassment was quickly found.

After all, it was standing right in front of me. It's you, the tree!

The roots of a nearby tree had stretched to me, even exposing themselves on the surface.

The roots hadn't grown this much until recently.

What could have motivated such rapid growth?

Could you be a perverted tree?

You're caught in the act.

You have the right to remain silent. But if you give me a lot of water as compensation, I might let this slide and not report you to the police.

I really want water.

This tree must have been the same.

It had exposed its roots and spread them out, trying to collect as much water as possible.

No ordinary tree could grow its roots so much in just a few days. Perhaps this is what is called a magic tree. It was the first time I had seen one.

But harassment is not good.

So, I'll eat the bad one.

Of course, I'll put it in my stomach!

The magic tree was less than 10 meters away, within the range of my vines.

I used my vines to punish the harasser.

It took half a day, but I managed to pull it out by the roots.

I broke the branches with my vines and carried them to my mouth.

Here we go.

Yes, there's a little water.

So, this is the way!

I gathered all the strength I had and collected the surrounding grass and plants.

They haven't withered yet, so they must still have some water inside.

In other words, it's a free-for-all for water.

This is the natural world.

A world of the survival of the fittest.

So, weaker plants are eliminated by stronger ones.

It can't be helped.

Because it's necessary to survive.

That's how I managed to get water and endure the drought.

Perhaps out of sympathy for my water shortage, the bees temporarily stopped collecting nectar.

Thank you. If only they could bring water from the river, it would help even more, but I can't ask that of bees. They can't draw water with their hands.

Still, life was tough.

The environment was so bad that I felt like I was being tortured.

I was so thirsty that I thought I might go crazy.

The bees were considerate, but I finally reached my limit.

I went crazy.

Rain, rain, come down!

Goddess in heaven, please bestow your merciful rain upon me!

A single Alraune praying.

It's very surreal.

But I can't say such things anymore.

I really, really want water.

I'd do anything, even a rain dance.

I don't know how to do it, though.

I wish I had looked up how to do a rain dance in my previous life.

But if I have to do it, I will!

I feel like a priestess praying to the gods.

Since I've been doing so many rain dances, I think it's about time I awaken my shamanic powers.

As I struggled with the unfamiliar role of a priestess, I felt a gaze from the nearby ground.

A white bird was watching me perform the rain dance.

I've been seeing that bird a lot lately.

Bird, you're lucky.

Because you can fly freely in the sky.

When you're thirsty, you probably take a bath at a water source. I envy you.

The bird looked at me with pity.

What's with that guy? Is he trying to start a fight with me?

Is he here to watch this poor flower wither and die because it can't even go for a drink?

I won't allow it. I'm angry.

Hey, bird, you look pretty healthy.

If I eat you whole, it will moisten my throat.

I extended my vines to capture it.

But it slipped away and flew off again. Grr.

That white bird seems to be good at sensing danger.

But something good happened.

It seemed that the bird had just taken a bath, and when it flapped its wings, water droplets flew up.

It was only a little, but it was indeed water.

The water that fell on my roots, even if only a few dozen drops, was a blessing for the plant.

Thank you, bird. I'll let you off this time because of the water.

This is how I recovered from my limit. My head also cleared up.

Still, I continued the rain dance every day.

Because I really need water.

My wish came true about a week after I started the rain dance.

It was night.

Something glowing passed overhead, just like the night the drought began.

The unidentified flying object, wrapped in a red light as if it were burning, disappeared into the distance.

The next morning, I checked the direction the UFO had flown.

There should be a large mountain in that direction, a mountain range known as the Demon Realm.

The minions of the Demon King are said to live in that mountain.

After all, the next destination for our party when we were holy maidens was that Demon Realm mountain.

But that's irrelevant to me now.

I'm no longer interested in the Demon King.

It's not something a simple flower living in the forest should be concerned about.

The unidentified flying object passing through the night sky is also a mystery, but I have no way of knowing.

Perhaps it was a spirit that appears during the seasonal changes in this region.

I've heard that spirits have the power to control nature, so it's possible.

Still, it's just a guess. I have no idea what really happened.

I'm completely cut off from the outside world, and even if something big happens out there, I can't do anything about it as just a flower.

So, I try not to think too much about the outside world. I hope the day will come when I can find out the truth about the UFO. Until then, I won't worry about it.

What I'm concerned about is the cloudy sky that has covered the sky for the first time in a month.

I clench my hands tightly, wishing for it to happen soon.

Then, a drop of moisture appeared on the ground.

It spread exponentially in the blink of an eye.

It started to rain.

──I was saved.

Swallow.

The water is delicious...

The scorching summer ended.

Life returned to normal.

Since then, there hasn't been a drought.

It rains properly, and the temperature doesn't rise abnormally.

I never thought I would be so thirsty for water. Rain really brings blessings to nature. Without rain, the world might have been enveloped in a desert. I'm grateful for the rain. The water is delicious.

Now I can enjoy a comfortable life again.

I wake up in the morning, bask in the sun, and in the afternoon, the bees bring me food in exchange for nectar. I take a nap in the sun, and in the evening, I exchange food and nectar with the bees again. At night, I close my buds and go to sleep.

I might ask myself if this is a NEET lifestyle, but it can't be helped.

This is how plants live!

It's the best!

Well, there's not much entertainment, so I almost die of boredom!

Such days of my paradise continued.

The best environment, like a reward for the hardships of the drought.

I've realized the plant life I've dreamed of, living quietly while performing photosynthesis!

The bees and I are the best partners.

Since the drought has ended, I've been giving the bees more nectar out of gratitude. They seem to be happy about it.

Everyone can live together in peace.

If this continues, I might be able to take control of the forest. It means there will be no more threats to me if there are no enemies.

Then I can truly live a complete plant life.

Achieving that will truly fulfill my wish.

To achieve that, I'll work hard to provide nectar while being protected by the bees.

Sorry, bees.

Can you bring me a rabbit for dinner tonight?

I like them because they're cute.

They're small, so they're not very nutritious, but they're like a dessert.

I must be feeling confident because my safety and food supply have stabilized.

I don't have much experience being pampered by boys, but being doted on by bees and becoming the princess of the forest didn't feel bad.

A peaceful forest circle with the female knight bees and us, the nectar providers.

That's why.

I was afraid.

Afraid that this situation would end.

And then, a circle-crasher appeared.

It was brought in by a Zolbine and suddenly appeared.

The bees brought a new princess.

But I was surprised.

The bees' new princess was, surprisingly, a flower monster.

Thank you for reading.

I plan to update twice a day.

Next time, the circle-crasher, its name is Man-eater!