Chapter 8 – Alraune and Forest Girls’ Academy
I'm Arlaune, a plant monster girl.
In exchange for my honey, I received food ration and protection from the Zornbienes. Is this the beginning of life surrounded by bees? I feel like an idol who received a tribute from the fans. No, it's a princess and knights.
Every once in a while, there were newcomers who tried to pollinate me, so I chased them away after some good beating. I need to punish the bad children strictly so they would reflect on their mistakes.
Speaking of which, I've heard that all worker bees are females. This means everyone protecting me here are female knights. The bee circle turned to be a Lily Garden. Is this a girls' academy?
The female knights gathered around me, Alraune. If we are going to do this regularly, I think we will need to decide a name for this gathering. Okay, let's call it Forest Girls Association.
Good day, everyone.
Say, which one among you is the leader?
What? Her Majesty Queen Bee never left the nest?
I'd like to give her my greatest gratitude for always dispatching her female knights to guard me. I also hope she would make me her sister-in-law and take me under her wings. If she accepts it, I will call her 'Onee-sama' as a proof of my respect.
Speaking of which, it seems that sisters are called 'sœur' in French. If you're an otaku, you'll accumulate all the weird knowledge you won't even use.
Just a few minutes ago, there was a Zornbiene who tried to pollinate me, so I knocked her down to the ground. That girl must be in a position of villainess.
If you do something stupid like this again, you will meet a bad end inside my stomach. There's no guarantee you will be reincarnated, so take care of your life and don't choose the wrong route.
There are some who pissed me off, but everyone is my friends. The proof is right in front of my eyes.
A pack of monkey monsters called Balbaa'affe came to avenge their friend I killed yesterday. There’s around 20 of them. Moreover, these guys seem to be intelligent, and for some reason, some individuals carrying swords, spears, and even bows.
I couldn't deal with a group of armed opponents alone as expected. Therefore, for the first time, I tried to send a distress signal by extending my vine high to the sky.
Can you guess what happened afterwards? Thar's right, I heard a familiar buzzing sound approaching from somewhere. The female knights were coming to my rescue.
Then, after a while, my friends, the bee monsters --- Zornbiene, finally appeared like SPs. Facing 20 Balbaa'affes with weapons, I have around 100 Zornbienes that were physically bigger than them with me.
Of course, it was our overwhelming victory. No matter how many weapons they had, it was useless when a swarm of Zornbienes attacked them at the same time. The whole pack of Balbaa'affes was annihilated as a result.
When I noticed it, there was a white bird from who-knows-where kicking and stepping on the corpses of Balbaa'affe. The bird looked like a crow that had been painted white. I felt sorry for the Balbaa'affes seeing their dead bodies being toyed with by a small bird.
All right, the white bird I’ve never seen before over there, you will become my snack.
Unfortunately, that white bird escaped to somewhere the moment I moved my vine.
Oh well, there's already plenty of treats prepared for me here.
Some of the female knights have fallen in the battle, so I need to comfort their souls. Of course, with my digestive juice.
*swallowed*
Tonight’s dinner is raw Zornbienes and Balbaa'affe. The Zornbienes don't seem to mind if I eat their fallen comrades. This must be the power of my honey.
The Zornbienes went back to their nest, carrying half of the Balbaa'affe's corpses with them.
I'm sure they will have dinner with their families. That must be nice. I always eat alone here, after all.
While eating quietly in my loneliness, remembering about the pollination crisis, I decided to make a plan for the future.
Yes, I've decided my future goals!
I don't want to do anything dangerous anymore. I don't want to be betrayed, and I don't want to be exterminated. Therefore, I will create a paradise where I can be at ease.
A large forest with abundant nature and many plants that are friendly to me. Surrounded by animals and monsters that adore me, everyone will get along and live in peace. That's how I'll spend my plant life quietly photosynthesizing.
The current situation is the first step towards such goals. From now on, I will spread my influence throughout the forest to guarantee my safe and secure plant life.
On that night, when I was sleeping soundly inside my corolla, something strange happened in the forest. I felt that the temperature around me suddenly skyrocketed.
Isn't this kinda hot here!? If I were a human, my body would be drenched in sweat and sticky. I'm free of such a worry now.
Feeling something just passed above me, I opened my corolla and saw something like a burning plane was flying in the sky.
A shining unidentified object flying in the night sky.... is that a UFO!? That doesn't mean it came from the space, though.
I wondered about the identity of the flying object for some time. However, since my instincts were telling me that plants were not supposed to be active in the night when there was no sunlight, I closed my corolla and went back to sleep, putting the matter about unidentified flying object in the back of my mind.
Probably, it was from that time that the rain had stopped coming altogether. Later I would learn the true meaning of words 'I need some water' that I always muttered in my heart, through experience.