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Chapter 27 – I Will Become A Bagworm From Today
I’m bored....
It's been a few weeks since I've decided to become the lord of the forest. However, nothing special happened during this time. I guess strong enemies just don't come that often. I'd like to go on a patrol around this area, but that kind of activity is impossible for me. I'm a plant, after all.
I mean, isn't it strange that a plant like me became the Lord of the Forest? Yeah, I know, it’s a little too late to ask that question.
Now that the Four Heavenly Kings of the Forest are also gone, the ecosystem must be undergoing a major transformation. Just like how I claimed Daddy Bear's territory, other monsters must have claimed their territories, too. Maybe there are already new Four Heavenly Kings of the Forest or something. The sad part is that I can't go there to check it out.
Well, if something goes wrong in the forest, I’m sure one of the animals will come to report it. I’m not sure what to do after that, though.
Speaking of which, tribute no longer comes. I'm not too happy about having more subordinates, so that might be fine.
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Oh, good day ladies!
My female knights seem to have come to see me. Even after I became the lord of the forest, our relationships stays the same. I give them honey in exchange for the preys they have caught.
Unlike before, there are no longer any challengers coming here to test their skills, so I'm quite undernourished now. That’s why I'm really grateful to them for bringing me food.
I've gotten much stronger compared to when I met them for the first time. If something happens, it's my turn to protect them.
You are going home already?
I see, please give my regards to Onee-sama.
Take care!
Speaking of unchanged, the dead tree I was curious about is still standing there. That being said, there's something that bothers me --- was that dead tree always looked like that?
The location is the same from what I can remember, but I think the angle is slightly different. Maybe the branches are still growing even though the tree itself is dead? How mysterious. That dead tree is one of the Seven Wonders of the Forest, after all.
Oh, it looks like something was caught in the trap I had set up near that dead tree....
Last time, a wild bear was lured by the honey I smeared on some trees around the area. I caught it with my vines, snapped its neck, and drag it into my bulb. The other day, some monkeys fell to the ground after eating the poisonous apples I put on nearby trees, so I let them to rest inside my bulb forever. That's how I have been staving off my hunger.
However, the forest feels kinda strange lately. The animals seems to have completely disappeared form this area. I'm even starting to think that maybe I have over-hunted them. I mean, not even a single wild bear showed up after I sprinkled a lot of honey around.
That's not all. My female knights were acting strange as well. They demanded more honey than usual. This had never happened before. Thanks to this, I've always been undernourished and short on water.
Speaking of water, it doesn't rain much anymore The temperature is not hot like during the drought. It's actually getting colder lately. Even so, it’s been quite a while since the last rain. I wonder what is going on with the sky.
My roots are also getting less and less water these days. It's not just because the lack of rain water. I've got the feeling that something is also changing underground.
I also feel that the nutrients obtained from photosynthesis are decreasing considerably. I still want to do more photosynthesis, but I feel somewhat unsatisfactory nutritionally.
There's something wrong, after all.
There's something happening in this forest.
My instinct tells me that there's some kind of big change happening in this forest right now.
I just don't know what it is.
I wonder what is going to happen in the future.
I'm feeling uneasy....
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Many days had passed since then, but the climate was still the same. In fact, it was gradually getting worse.
It's been really cold lately.... That's right, I still feel cold or hot despite being a plant. I guess it’s because I’m also a monster.
I welcome such human-like features, but just as you can see, I'm practically not wearing any clothes. I only wrapped vines around my breasts like a bra and not wearing anything down below. I wish I had a coat or something to protect me from the cold.
Because the cold was getting unbearable, I decided to wrap my whole body in vines while leaving only my face open.
I feel like a bagworm now.
Oh well, at least it warms me up a little bit.
Okay, I've decided it. I will become a bagworm from today!
Actually, I also wanted something like a kotatsu (a low table with built-in heater) in addition to a futon (Japanese mattress). I’m not in good terms with fire since I’m a plant. That being said, I welcome a moderate warmth from a kotatsu.
Kotatsu is a magical table. I used it a lot when I was a high school girl. However, once you enter, you will never be able to get out. I wonder how many time I fell asleep under a kotatsu. Every time I did it, I was scolded by my mother.
I want to get into a kotatsu again.
I wonder if someone will let me get into their kotatsu.
I don't want to be left out of the group just because I'm a plant.
Someone, a kotatsu.... will you let me get into your kotatsu?
I feel like a certain little match-seller girl right now.
Master over there, would you mind inviting me to your kotatsu?
Just as you can see, I'm a lonely single flower.
If Master let me into your kotatsu, I will decorate your room with this beautiful corolla and give you sweet honey for dessert after dinner.
I'm sure it will be a wonderful night unlike any other.
No? How heartless of you.
That's a very inhuman act to refuse someone who is in need of a kotatsu. Or are you saying you won't let me into your kotatsu because I'm a plant? If I were a human being, perhaps they would welcome me into their kotatsu like a family member.
The place for a flower like me is outside in the wild?
Fine, I will ask someone else!
Someone, a kotatsu.... will you let me get into your kotatsu?
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Well, I've never heard of or seen people putting a flower pot under a kotatsu, but that doesn't mean it's illegal. Even so, my body and soul are trembling so badly from the cold. It's impossible to go through the winter without a kotatsu, after all.
Hold on, winter...?
Yeah, that’s it, winter!
I finally understand what is happening in this forest now. No, it's not just this forest, I’m sure it's happening in this whole kingdom. The reason why the climate feels strange is because winter is approaching.
Why didn’t I realize it sooner? For the past month or so, I always feel strangely hungry. I still want to eat more even after swallowing Daddy Bear and Mommy Bear. I also ate a lot of animals who came to pay tribute.
Now that I think about it, maybe it’s all because my body is getting ready for the winter. Of course, my growth period also plays not a small role.
My female knight demanded more honey than usual to stock up for the winter. The reason animals seems to have disappeared from the forest is because most of them have already started hibernating.
For wild animals, winter is a harsh season. No, not just animals, winter is also a harsh season for plants. The dryness of winter reduces the amount of water that can be replenished from the ground.
That's not all. Many plants also wither due to frost or freezing during the winter. They are continuously being exposed to the cold outside air, after all.
Speaking of winter, there is snow. If it snows heavily, small plants will be buried under the snow. If that happens, photosynthesis will be impossible.
I wonder how much it snows in this region. If this forest is in a region where it snows a lot during the winter, even I would be buried by the snow. If that happens, there's nothing I can do about it. No matter how powerful and poisonous I am, I would still wither away and die in the end.
I was just passing this forest during a journey to subjugate the demon king, so I had no idea how the winter would be like around here. To begin with, as someone who had never left the royal capital until joining the hero party, I don't know much about other places in this country. There was someone who was good at geography in our party. He was the one who decided our itinerary and so on.
Speaking of which, he said something about the snow melts and does not accumulate even during the winter in the nearby mountainous area. If that’s true, there's a quite high possibility that this forest is not in a region with heavy snowfall. Then no matter how much it snow, my bulb will not get buried in snow at least. I won't know until I actually experience it, though.
Still, I wonder what would happen if a once-in-a-few-decades snowstorm hit this region. I mean, I'm half-naked with no roof or walls around me. If such a thing really happens, I would suffer damage beyond the level of catching a cold. I may not even be able to greet the next spring.
Oh well, it only happens once every few decades, so I should be fine. That being said, it doesn't change the fact that winters are usually harsh for plants.
I wish I could get through this harsh winter with someone by my side.
Unfortunately, I have no such a luxury right now.
If your body is lonely, your heart will be lonely, too.
I am about to begin a frightening and dangerous winter life, all alone.
Thus my first winter as a plant monster was coming.