Case 02: The Pollinating Alraune

Case 02:
The Pollinating Alraune

 

WITH THE ISSUE of Arahnia and the Black Widows still up in the air, Glenn set up a temporary clinic in Souen’s villa. Sapphee and the fairies would help him provide treatment for the monsters of the village. Since the residents had come here to hide from humans, he was worried they wouldn’t trust him, but Saki explained to them that he was Souen’s brother, and they warmed up to him rather quickly.

There were about fifty monsters living in the village altogether.

About half were former humans who had Demonitis. The rest were lamia, arachne, harpies, and mermaids. All of them had faced discrimination, and all of them were species known in the east by eastern names, with different scale patterns and feather coloring from their counterparts in the west. It was clear to Glenn that they were subspecies that had evolved separately.

He examined a demon who’d been injured in a deer attack and nursed a lamia child with a fever. After treating several cases, he began to gain a reputation as a capable doctor. Souen’s younger brother, the monster specialist, became the trusted physician of the village in the blink of an eye. He wrote a letter to Cthulhy to tell her about his success and inform her that he’d be unable to reopen the Lindworm clinic for a while.

He’d also been thinking about how to get his father to accept Arahnia.

 

***

 

“Glenn, I’ve been thinking,” Souen said, over some of the east’s famous soba.

It was lunchtime. Saki had made the soba by hand, and she sat with them out on the veranda, as was eastern tradition. Sapphee and Tisalia were there as well. Unskilled with chopsticks, Tisalia was using a fork, which looked strange.

Arahnia was nowhere to be found. Glenn didn’t know if she was in her room or up on the roof again, but she was still avoiding him, and she looked away awkwardly whenever their eyes did happen to meet.

“I think the only way to get Father’s permission is to ease his concerns about the Black Widows,” Souen said.

“That’s what I figured.”

“It’s causing problems for the people of Heian anyway,” Souen said, slurping his noodles.

“Father believes that the human realm will change eventually. People with Demonitis will be accepted, as will marriage to monsters, and trade with the west will progress. That’s what the world will become.”

“No, you’re going to make that world, Brother.”

“That’s right. That’s why Father doesn’t object to your marriage at this point.” Souen proceeded to drink every last drop of the soba soup. It was high in sodium, and Glenn thought it must be bad for his health.

“Father’s only concern is that it will lead to false rumors about the Litbeit family. Of course, I won’t do anything that would affect business.”

“But Souen, all you do is look at the books,” Saki said coldly as she cleared the table.

Souen furrowed his brow.

“Saki’s right. Father is concerned about that too. Even if the business is unaffected, he probably wants to avoid damage to his reputation.”

“I see.”

Vaclav was always talking about how important credibility was for trade. He hated the prospect of a bad reputation, which would damage his business in the long term.

Glenn was a simple town doctor. He didn’t think the Black Widows could do anything to him. Or at least, not to his reputation. According to the rumors, they were a violent group of bandits.

“If they’re committing robberies in Heian, why isn’t the council of statesmen doing anything?”

“They’re trying,” Souen said heavily. “Even I’ve been given orders…”

Glenn wondered when he’d become so powerful in the eastern administration. When Souen said he’d do something about the Black Widows, had he meant that he’d lean on his political connections?

“However, they haven’t found a single thing in terms of a base of operations. You’d think we’d at least be able to uncover some sort of regular ceremony, since they’re calling themselves a religion.”

“Is it possible they don’t have gatherings? I mean, bandits form a band to attack, don’t they?”

“It’s other way around,” Souen said. “They aren’t forming up and then setting out to rob people; they only come together at the houses of merchants they’ve already planned to rob. While the victims are scrambling to counter the attack, they steal whatever they came for and then scatter like newly hatched spiders, darting off in all directions. That’s why no one can figure out where their base is.”

“They can do that?”

“That’s what they are doing.” Souen ground his teeth, utterly exasperated. “The fact that they can move with such coordination proves they must have a base! If they don’t train together, then how could they attack with such precision?”

“Hmmm…” Tisalia, who was draped gracefully on the veranda, nodded as she wiped her mouth with her napkin. “I train with my attendants. Kay and Lorna are always training too. That’s why we fight so smoothly together.”

“And new religions need a sense of unity,” Sapphee added. “Some monster assassin organizations will even use drugs to induce group hallucinations. The Neikes don’t do such things, but a sense of unity, even just through shared living spaces or ceremonies, is vital for antisocial groups. Doubly so for religions.”

“Which means they must have some means of unifying themselves, or at least communicating. We just don’t know what it is yet.” Souen looked contemplative.

Very few people could match Souen in either intellect or cunning. Glenn was beginning to realize the Black Widows weren’t your average bandits. Arahnia might know something. She’d guessed that the Black Widows were connected to her mother after all. But he didn’t want to give Souen or his father more ammunition against his fiancée.

“If we can’t chase them down, then we need to bring them to us.”

“H-huh?”

“Apparently, the group goes after rare items. They especially like things from the monster realm. Fortunately, we have Sioux, Saki, and Tisalia. I say we use them to lure the group out and catch them all in one go.”

“Whaaat?” Glenn grimaced.

It was a dangerous plan, exactly the kind of thing Souen liked.

“Yes! We’ll call out those crafty bandits and get ’em in one blow!” Tisalia exclaimed. “It’s perfect!”

“The princess seems to be overflowing with vigilantism. What do you have in mind?” Sapphee asked bitterly.

“I don’t know yet,” Souen said honestly and somberly.

“I’ll think of something,” Glenn said. “We need rare items related to monsters…right?”

“Please.” Souen’s answer was curt.

Glenn pondered as he stacked the soba dishes. His brother had never asked anything of him. But wherever Saki was involved, Souen’s pride seemed to fall by the wayside.

“Heeey.”

He heard a voice he knew. It was a low, flirtatious voice, nonchalant in tone, though even that simple greeting oozed charisma.

Glenn looked up to see a massive bulb being borne on the shoulders of male monsters.

“Aluloona?!”

“Hmph! Do you know how hard long trips are on the elderly?” The alraune had separated from the group after they’d arrived in the human realm. She’d said she’d be off sightseeing, but instead, she was here.

Her escorts heaved in unison and set the massive bulb down on the ground. Though flowers bloomed all along the edges of the bulb, Aluloona’s naked green flesh was showing.

“I’m sorry to make you wait, farmer.”

“You can call me Aluloona. You must be Master Souen. Mmm, you have a nice face, don’t you?”

Glenn didn’t know what to make of this.

Aluloona laughed. Souen glanced over at Glenn, one eyebrow raised.

“Didn’t you hear, Glenn?” the alraune asked. “I’ve decided to take a break from my family trip to stay in this village for a little while. There aren’t many inns that will take us, since my family is…quite large.”

Glenn tilted his head. “How large?”

From the other side of the villa, Aluloona’s servants brought over more bulbs—about half the size of Aluloona’s—one after another. Soon there were ten, then twenty, with no end in sight.

Pop, pop, pop! The bulbs began to bloom, and dozens of alraune with the same body structure as Aluloona appeared.

Glenn hurried to cover his mouth and nose against the aphrodisiac that alraune produced. He’d lost his free will to this intoxicating pollen when Aluloona had pursued him in the past.

“Mom, are we here?”

“This is a nice village. The plum blossoms are pretty.”

“The boys are pretty, too.”

“Yes, the boys.”

“Is this your first time meeting the doctor?”

“Such a cute kid. Oh, how about this good-looking man?”

“Tee hee! Boys.”

“Boys!”

“I love it when there are boys around.”

“Hey, we just got here! Settle down!”

There were now about thirty blossoming bulbs. They were all the spitting image of Aluloona, but smaller. Even their faces looked just like her. Insect- and plant-type monsters had body structures that differed greatly from that of humans, and it was typically difficult to tell them apart.

Even so, the resemblance here was striking. They must all be her sisters, or—

“Sorry they’re so loud. These are my daughters.”

“Daughters…” Glenn remembered what Sapphee had said. Aluloona had many children.

“We’ll be here for a bit, Souen. Tee hee hee!”

Souen bowed his head without saying a word, apparently amenable to this. Aluloona’s daughters were whispering among themselves, all of them looking hungrily at either Glenn or Souen…in other words, at the only men there.

“The girls share my personality too,” Aluloona declared, without a hint of apology.

She was probably referring to her appreciation for men. But her daughters’ gazes already provided more than enough evidence to draw that conclusion.

“Er…”

Sapphee wrapped her tail around Glenn’s torso, glaring at Aluloona’s daughters.

“Er…”

“Tee hee!”

The alraune family continued to laugh, unconcerned by Sapphee’s gaze.

“Now then, Lindworm Farmer Aluloona…” Souen formally greeted her, offering her tea, which she accepted with an outstretched vine. “My name is Souen Litbeit. We’ve done business together, but this is the first time we’ve met in person.”

“Mmm, indeed. You’re quite handsome.” Aluloona wasted no time, using one of her vines to stroke Souen’s cheek.

Sapphee put a hand to her forehead and sighed. This was just like Aluloona.

“Now, Master, are you interested in joining my harem?”

“Ha ha! It’s certainly a tempting offer, but I don’t think my fiancée would approve, and she’s not the kind of woman you want to give a polearm to. So I’ll be going now.” Souen seemed cool and collected, but Glenn was beside himself.

He was especially surprised to see that Saki, standing behind Souen, really was carrying a polearm. The blade was sheathed, but it was still incredibly dangerous. His brother’s fiancée was a frightening woman. As for Souen himself—though he was smiling, he clearly didn’t think highly of Aluloona.

“Well, that’s a disappointment,” the alraune said.

“It’s my pleasure to welcome you to this village, though, Aluloona the alraune.”

“Mmm. My daughters and I appreciate your hospitality. And I should let you know that we don’t require any food. We live off of water and sunlight. We couldn’t just barge in here with a group this big and demand to be fed!”

“I apologize. As you can see, this is a very small village.”

There weren’t many places where monsters could feel safe in the human realm. Even a village of this size would be far more comfortable than just about anywhere else.

Aluloona fanned herself coquettishly.

“And look at that. The young doctor is still here. I thought you’d have finished notifying your parents of your marriages by now.”

“Well, about that… We haven’t quite gotten permission yet.”

“Hmm?”

Aluloona tilted her head.

“Dr. Glenn, maybe you should try talking to Aluloona,” Sapphee whispered. “She’s close with Arahnia and, well…she may be boy-crazy, but she’s been around for a long time. She probably has some useful knowledge.”

“Y-yes.”

Glenn followed Sapphee’s advice and explained the situation to Aluloona. He told her about the Black Widows and his father’s concerns. The only thing he left out was the bit about Arahnia’s mother.

“Hmm. I’ve heard rumors about the Black Widows. Apparently, they’re mostly active in Heian.”

“I apologize that you had to hear such unpleasant things, Aluloona,” Souen said.

“Why, Master Souen, you’re far too handsome to grovel before authority figures in this way.”

This made Saki burst out laughing. Souen looked like he’d been punched in the gut.

“Now then, you said you’re looking for a way to lure the Black Widows out of hiding?”

“Y-yes.”

“Well, since it’s spring, the alraune will be pollinating soon. My family and I shall be engaging in a group bloom, which we only get to do once every few years.”

Aluloona showed them a new bud on the tip of her vine. Nectar gushes from the bud, which suddenly bloomed into a flower that had a hungry, carnivorous look to it, mouth opened wide.

“This season is difficult for us. My daughters and I can’t stop our buds from blossoming, nor our nectar from flowing, and bees are attracted to that nectar, covering us in pollen. As a result, I become covered in fruit that I can’t do anything about.”

Aluloona held out another vine. A heavy red fruit similar to an apple hung from it. It would only be more cumbersome once it reached its full size.

“I’m sorry, Aluloona. I’m not really educated in such—”

“Basically, it’s mating season. Making children is a hobby for me. I do it all the time. And my daughters are no different.”

“Ah, ahhh…”

Souen was dumbfounded. Tisalia’s face grew red as she listened in the courtyard. But Glenn was familiar with this phenomenon. Plants flowered as a means of procreation.

Aluloona was always in heat, but it was probably even worse now. When alraune were in bloom, they could absorb pollen from a wide variety of plants—the human equivalent would be having many sexual partners at once. But it wasn’t a state of being that the alraune were proud to show off.

“If you’d like to know more… Alraune biology is specialized for reproduction. Group blooming evolved as a way for alraune to receive a variety of pollen types and then produce fruit—in other words, pass on their own genes. Naturally, human and monster sperm are the same in this respect.”

Glenn tried to form his face into an appropriate expression. Their reproduction-specialized biology probably made things pretty hard for the alraune, particularly their helplessness to keep themselves from being pollinated by insects. There was little they could do to stop themselves from bearing fruit. It didn’t just inconvenience them in their daily lives—bearing fruit also consumed valuable nutrients, and could result in health problems. The alraune’s evolutionary focus on their flowers—in other words, their sexual organs—was unusual even among plant monsters.

“The group blooming is quite an ordeal for us. We came to fish for men in the east because we didn’t want to cause trouble in Lindworm.”

“So that was the real reason for the family trip, then…”

“We can’t be emasculating all the men in Lindworm. When my daughters get serious, they can drain men’s libidos dry. Stripping them of their virility makes it hard for them to work.”

Sapphee made a disgusted face, but this was probably a serious issue for the alraune. Aluloona was taking care of her family, in her own way. Glenn wasn’t sure sucking the eastern workforce dry was a solution, but it was probably better than draining the men in just one city.

“It truly is fortuitous that you haven’t returned to Lindworm, young doctor. You’ll be able to help out with the group blooming!”

“Oh, ohh… I mean, I can only help with symptomatic therapy, but if that’s enough—”

“Of course. Please get to it before my daughters attack both you and Souen,” Aluloona said, apparently forgetting that she’d once broken into Glenn’s bedroom. Sapphee and Saki were staring daggers at her. She continued fanning herself. “The good news is that you’ll get tons of nectar and fruit as byproducts. You can use it to make absolutely heavenly sake, which will draw out the Black Widows.”

Glenn nodded. Treating blooming alraune was fairly easy, and certainly within his capabilities, though it would be laborious to treat over thirty of them. But this was a health issue, and he wouldn’t turn them down. Besides, if Aluloona and her family didn’t need the nectar and fruit right now, he’d be grateful to take them from her.

Tisalia was brandishing her sword in the courtyard. If Glenn could get her to team up with Sioux, they’d make short work of the Black Widows.

“I’m confused. Can you tell me more about this…mating season?” Saki asked.

“It’s an orgy.” Aluloona said.

“Oh.” Saki looked taken aback by the candor of this answer. “W-well…as our guest, I want you to be able to relax. But if you’re going to be having orgies, well…that will be a problem.”

She seemed distraught. And she still held a polearm.

“No, that’s incorrect!” Glenn cut in. “Aluloona’s just trying to rile you up.”

“What? I didn’t say anything wrong.”

“It might not be wrong, but it’s certainly not correct!”

The phenomenon was unique to alraune, so it was difficult to explain it in a way that was easy to understand. But as a doctor, Glenn had to try.

“Alraune flowers bloom in order to accept pollen. In other words, once they’ve been pollinated, the blooming ends—making deliberate pollination the best way to bring their libidos under control.”

“In other words, an orgy,” Aluloona jumped in.

“Aluloona might think of it that way, but there are better terms for it to help other species understand. The only way to treat Alraune group blooming…is to appease the bloomed flowers while also not allowing seed development, therefore circumventing the bearing of fruit.” Glenn held up a finger. “It’s called self-pollination.”

 

They would need to treat Aluloona and her family right away.

Group blooming was an urgent issue for the alraune, and they had to gather some items for self-pollination…including brushes.

These would be used to collect pollen, which would then be rubbed on their pistils. Most plants sought to receive pollen from the flowers of a different plant. Using pollen from the plant’s own flowers—its own bulb—was called self-pollination.

There were plants for which self-pollination was the norm, but this led to a lack of genetic diversity, as no new genes were being added into the mix. Alraune biology allowed them to reproduce with a variety of other species, incorporating a wide variety of genes, but in exchange, their bodies weren’t designed for easy self-pollination. When pollination was attempted using their own pollen, the flower would close, which shut down the blooming process.

Aluloona had used the term “orgy,” but it was actually more like masturbation. At least…that was the closest comparison that would make sense to humans.

Assisting an alraune in self-pollination wasn’t difficult, but the proper tools—something like a brush—were required in order to apply the pollen efficiently. According to Saki, brushes weren’t common in the village, which didn’t have a high literacy rate. Souen could probably get him some brushes, but from a sanitary perspective, new brushes that had never touched ink were ideal. They also needed scissors to prune the unnecessary vines and fruit. Alraune vines were thick and sturdy, so it was possible that garden shears wouldn’t be strong enough.

“Maybe Arahnia has something?” Sapphee suggested.

It was likely that Arahnia, a designer, would have brushes and scissors. Glenn started looking for her in the village to ask for her help.

Sure enough, he found her with the arachne child in the corner of the village.

“That’s right. If you spin it, the thread gets twisted…now gather that together, ball it up…there you go. You did it.”

“I can’t do it like you, Arahnia…”

“That’s not true. You’re smart, Tsumu, so you’ll pick it up quickly. I’ll give you this ball as an example, so you can practice at home.”

“Thank you very much.”

It seemed she was teaching the child how to make a ball. Glen could hear Arahnia’s gentle laugh. Then the arachne child noticed him, startled, and ran away.

He’d thought at first that the child was wary of him, but everyone in the village knew Glenn was the doctor by now. Maybe she was just shy?

“Oh, Doc,” Arahnia said, flipping her hair. “I was playing with Tsumu, trying to hide from you.”

“Tsumu? Is that the arachne child that just ran off?”

“Yes. Her name is Tsumugi. She’s an orphan Weaver, so Saki took her in but…she doesn’t know how to use her thread, so I was teaching her.”

“I see—you like kids, huh, Arahnia?”

“Not really.”

Arahnia’s answer was curt. However, Glenn was well aware of the fact that this arachne’s words didn’t always reflect the truth in her heart. The fact was that she was still staring in the direction Tsumugi had run off in.

“But we generally learn how to spin thread from our parents, so if you don’t have any parents, someone has to teach you.”

“See how kind you are?”

“Ugh. Don’t start praisin’ me, Doc. Makes me want to tickle you so much I can hardly bear it.” Arahnia contorted her body, as if it was actually painful to hear her own praises. “Well, it’s not like I learned from my parents either.”

“You didn’t?”

“My ma wasn’t interested in child-rearin’. It was Claudette, owner of Loose Silk Sewing, who taught me my arachne skills. She’s also my mentor as a designer.”

“I see…”

Arahnia really was a hard worker. Perhaps it was because she felt a sense of gratitude toward Loose Silk Sewing and Claudette.

“By the way, I heard Aluloona has come? And with her daughters. I heard they were on a family trip, but I didn’t expect to see them here.”

“Y-yes.”

“And they’re going to make sake from the nectar?”

Apparently, Arahnia somehow already knew everything. “Yes. And as payment for their treatment… Aluloona said she will give us nectar and fruit.”

“I see. I am interested in that sake…” Arahnia shook her head. “And then I heard you’re going to lure out the Black Widows? So you’re collecting rare items. My ma, she likes rare sake and things from the monster realm.”

“Yeah so—”

“But,” Arahnia cut him off. “When Ma wanted something, she never cared about how she got it. Doc, you be careful. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you because of the Black Widows.”

“Is there any way you can talk to your mother? Maybe if you’re there, then—”

“Impossible.” Arahnia threw her four arms up in disgust. “She’s not the type that would listen just ’cause I’m her daughter. Also, I’m pretty sure the Black Widows is just a residual group. I think the principal offender, my ma, is gone. If she were still around, she’d do things more quietly and make sure the organization name didn’t get out.”

“So that’s how she worked…”

“Yeah. She never let her activities go public. I’m sure she’s beat it by now. The Black Widows are probably men who were deceived by Ma, and they’re acting like this because they want her to come back.”

Glenn felt that he could trust Arahnia’s instincts on this—after all, she was actually related to the culprit. However, there was a sense of loneliness in her expression. Noticing that, he asked, “Do you…miss your mother?”

“Ma? Yeah, well,” Arahnia was balling up thread with her four arms, as if to keep her hands busy. She was probably making the same sort of ball that she just gave to Tsumugi. “I did try to see her once. I told you about how I came to the east. Remember, I said I came to the human realm as part of my designer training…”

“Oh, yes, I remember.”

“That was true—it was for my designer work—but actually…I had another objective. I heard a rumor that Ma was somewhere in the east.” As she spoke, the thread grew more and more rounded, forming a neat ball. “So I came to the human realm to search for Ma…but in the end, I never heard a single rumor while I was traveling.”

“You did that because you wanted to see her?”

“Yes.”

The ball was finally complete.

Arahnia held the ball she made high over her head.

“She just left me to go do as she pleased…”

She bit her lip.

“I wanted to tell the wench to never come near me again—to completely cut her off forever!” she said, throwing the ball.

It flew far and fell to the ground, then bounced a few times and came rolling back. When Glenn looked closely, he saw that Arahnia was holding a thread still attached to the ball.

“In the end, I never found Ma. If I don’t see her, I can’t tell her that I never want to see her again. I’m sure she established the Black Widows in secret in the east back then, and got up to all kinds of evil stuff.”

“I see…”

“So now she’s hiding out somewhere, and it’s the people she left behind who’re committing these acts.”

Arahnia pulled on her thread and brought the ball back to her.

“I don’t want you to do anything dangerous, Doc. I think it has to be me that does something about the Black Widows, and if possible, I want to confront my ma…but I don’t want to see you get hurt in the process,” Arahnia said, staring down at her ball. She took Glenn’s hand. “There’s undoubtedly some kind of connection between me and the Black Widows, Doc. I know you want your father’s blessing, but please, please, don’t do something crazy for my sake.”

He understood Arahnia’s urgency. She wasn’t afraid of not being able to marry Glenn—she was afraid of Glenn getting hurt. And it was true enough that confronting a group of criminals would be dangerous.

“I’ve said it a lot, but I’m fine being a convenience for you Doc. I’m happy as a mistress.”

“Arahnia…”

So that was it, then. Glenn finally realized this was Arahnia’s way of protecting her heart. As the daughter of a thief, there was always the chance that she might bring trouble to Glenn’s door someday. If they were in love when that happened, then he would be hurt that much more.

That was why she said she was fine being a mistress. She didn’t want the risks that came with getting close to someone.

“I’m not going to marry anyone who’d be fine just being a mistress,” Glenn resolved.

“Yeah.” Arahnia, staring off into the distance, gave a flat response. “That’s what I like about you, Doc. But really…you could stand to be harsher with me.”

“Er…”

She really did have a low opinion of herself. Glenn didn’t know what to say to appease her.

 

***

 

They had brushes and scissors.

The brushes were brand-new. The scissors were large, used for cutting thick fabric. All the tools belonged to Arahnia, who wasn’t on board with the plan to lure out the Black Widows, but who still loaned them the tools they needed in a show of good faith.

“Doctor, Doctor?”

“Please hurry up and treat me.”

“The fruit is heavy. So heavy.”

“My body aches all over and I can’t stand it.”

“My nectar is overflowing everywhere and I can’t stop it.”

“I found a human male prostitute to service me, but it just wasn’t enough.”

Aluloona’s daughters, gathered in a room in one of the cottages in the village, each had their own complaints. Frankly, Glenn couldn’t tell them apart by their faces, and their heads were hidden by leaves, but the general shape of their faces looked exactly like Aluloona. Aluloona, insatiable sex-lover that she was, had probably birthed children all over the place—and it was just her style, rich as she was, to make sure that each of them was raised with class.

The main difference between the daughters was the color of the flowers blooming on their vines. The colorful sea of blooms made the room look like a field of flowers. It reminded Glenn of the Radon District back in Lindworm.

The flowers were blooming vibrantly.

“Hmmm…”

Glenn groaned to himself as he approached the group.

While he’d been involved in milking Aluloona’s nectar in the past, he’d been in no state to perform an examination at the time, since he’d been doped with pollen that robbed you of your reason. He’d now covered his mouth with a cloth as a guard against that pollen. He was now in a closed room with many alraune, after all—a normal man would be completely overcome and become their prey. He needed protection.

“Sorry. I have countless daughters, but these are the ones who were born as alraune and share my genes. I just don’t know how they grew up to be so lewd.”

“It’s your fault, Mother!”

“You’re just randomly dropping kids all the time.”

“You don’t care about anything as long as you can have sex!”

“Don’t talk to our mother like that! She’s the reason we got to come on this trip.”

There was a type of bamboo called Clumping Bamboo, which looked like a number of individual plants above ground. Underground, however, their roots were all connected. Even when separated, they had the same genes and all bloomed together once every few decades. Once the flowers had served their purpose, the entire thicket would wilt and die.

Alraune were similar in that respect. The girls born of Aluloona had the same blooming period, and though they didn’t wilt after blooming, they actively sought pollination and copulation during mating season. If anything, it was the men they were after who would wilt.

The alraune have a legend that they are born from the semen of criminals who died by hanging. They do have powerful libidos, so the myth might originate in the fact that they reproduce by squeezing the fluids from a man.

But it was treatable. That was what the doctor was for—and Sapphee, also prepared with brushes.

“Glenn could just take care of us himself.”

“No, I can’t,” Glenn answered without hesitation. It would kill him, and not just figuratively. They would literally drain all the fluid out of his body and he would die. “Aluloona, we’re ready. Can we begin?”

“Sure, go for it.”

“Now, then,” Glenn said, picking up a brand-new brush. He called out to the alraune closest to him. “I will begin the treatment. Let’s start with you.”

“Aggh, agggh, thank you!”

Her bulb was small, so she was probably still quite young. The sweet nectar smell drifted from her bright yellow flowers.

“Let’s begin.” Glenn held the tip of the brush and gently touched it to the anther and stamen of one yellow flower.

“Ahh, oh, mmm.”

The alraune squirmed. But Glenn didn’t stop. He gently rubbed the edges of the flower, getting pollen on the tip of the brush.

“Mmm, arggh!”

Next, he removed the brush and examined it to make sure that there was pollen on it.

“O-ohh… Doctor, please be gentler.”

“I’m sorry. The pollen is packed in, so let me finish.”

“Ahhh, mmm!”

Glenn stuck the brush with the pollen on it back in the same flower. Self-pollination wasn’t easy. He had to be thorough.

“Ahhh, th-that’s so…so deep…”

“I’m sorry, I have to go a bit deeper.”

“Arrgh, I-I can’t hold it! I can’t hold it!”

Nectar began to ooze from the flower. Nectar was generally used to attract bees and promote pollination, but the kind that flowed from this flower looked like it could be spread directly on a slice of bread and eaten. Each flower produced several times the normal amount of nectar during group blooms.

“Collect.”

“Nectar.”

“Have a lick?”

The fairies who were waiting under the flower collected the nectar in a jar.

“Just a little,” Glenn responded. This nectar would be used later for making sake.

“Ahh, ahh. Oh, ohh…”

“That’s one down,” he said after making sure the pistil was covered in pollen. The alraune was heaving. This was how the procedure went, but he was still on the first alraune…and each alraune had multiple flowers. He needed to work quickly.

“Dr. Glenn, you’re taking too long,” Sapphee said as she worked with her brush. There were already two nectar-sticky alraune around her who’d passed out from pleasure, their self-pollination complete. The fairies were wiping up the nectar that had splashed on the floor.

“Argggh. Oh, girlll. Ah, y-you’re so good… Ah… N-no, no, no. Argggh!”

Another alraune was squirming with pleasure as nectar dribbled from her mouth. Her vines were intertwined with Sapphee’s tail.

“If you don’t hurry, you’ll be here all night,” Sapphee said to Glenn, completely ignoring the flirtatious voices of the alraune.

“R-right, sorry.”

Sapphee grew herbs as ingredients for her medicines and she was used to cultivating plants. She was probably much better at treating plant monsters than Glenn, and she handled the pollen-laden brush much quicker as she worked to self-pollinate the alraune.

Pollination was unmistakably an act of sexual reproduction for alraune. Their groans of pleasure indicated how sexually satisfying this was for them, but for other species, pollination was simply a fact of life. Plants that bore too much fruit might not provide enough nutrients, so humans practicing agriculture often had to decide which ones to selectively pollinate, sometimes even conducting artificial pollination or using self-pollination to create certain flavors. Sapphee had probably done much the same when she learned to work with plants.

“Ahh, ahhh, aahhh. Doctor… More, more pollination…” the young alraune said in a sweet voice, moving closer to Glenn.

She was right in the middle of a sexual act…probably. But from Glenn’s perspective, all he was doing was moving a brush in and out of a flower. This wasn’t erotic to him. It’s just a medical procedure.

He remained calm and continued his task, grabbing a vine and sticking the brush into another flower. He collected pollen on the brush and applied it to the pistil. It was the same for each flower.

“Ahhhmmm! N-not there… Don’t grab me there…”

“I’m sorry, I’ll be gentle,” Glenn said, holding a flower by one petal and thrusting the brush deep within.

“D-Doctor, that’s so good…”

“Ahhh, I can’t stand it. Hurry, do me…”

“Hey, wait your turn!”

“I’ll knock you over.”

“I’m happy with the lamia lady. Her technique is so good…”

The way they were all talking, you’d think they were in a brothel.

“Calm down, everyone. It feels even better if you have to wait for it. Be patient.”

“Yes ma’am!” the girls answered in unison.

Actually, a brothel was a place of business. This was more promiscuous. Glenn, who couldn’t see it as any more than a pollination procedure, found it hard to understand.

While he was thinking about that, he moved on to the especially large flower on this alraune’s head.

“Ah, ah, ah, ah. Mmm argghh. N-no, I’m going to pollinate, nooo…”

“Well, that’s the point.”

Glenn moved the brush in small, smooth movements.

“Agh, Ahh, Ahhh, mmm!” Her vine was thumping on the ground, showing her pleasure. He didn’t really get it—all he was doing was moving the brush.

“Ahh, Ahhh… Th-thank you so mmmuch…”

“Yes, you did a good job.”

The exhausted alraune collapsed on the floor. Apparently, the act was so intense that it consumed all of their energy.

“Now…next”

“Me!”

“No, me!”

“Hey, don’t cut in front of me.”

“I can’t wait…”

“We will take care of everyone in turn.”

There were still so many left. Glenn didn’t know if it was because the girls were wanting—anticipating—his skills, but every one of them had nectar oozing out of their flowers. The fairies were scrambling to collect it.

“Dr. Glenn, you need to move faster or you won’t finish,” Sapphee reminded him, cool as a cucumber. She was already in the process of making her seventh alraune faint.

“R-right, I’ll get to it.”

“Please!” the girls all said together.

Surrounded by countless girls, Glenn made his decision.

Collect pollen.

“Ahhh, mmm.”

Apply pollen to pistil.

“Mmmm, deeper, there…”

Cut off ripened fruit with scissors.

“Don’t hold me there…ahhh, I’m so embarrassed…”

Glenn also didn’t understand why it would be embarrassing to harvest ripened fruit, but it seemed that’s how it felt to the alraune. Either way, they needed the fruit to make wine, so he didn’t hesitate to harvest it and then pass it along to the fairies.

Alraune clearly thought differently than animals. Each of the girls was soaked from head to toe in her own nectar and collapsed on the floor in the small room, panting. To them, it probably did feel like an orgy, but Glenn couldn’t see it.

Man, I’m tired…

It was hard to concentrate on treatment while surrounded by erotic, coquettish voices.

But then—

“Dr. Glenn, I’m finished over here.”

“Argh, ohh, ahhh…”

The alraune whom Sapphee was taking care of was passed out on the floor, nectar spread around her. Or maybe it would be more accurate to say that her bulb root was no longer able to hold her up and she toppled over.

Sapphee gently supported the girl with her tail and wiped the nectar from her cheeks.

“I’ll be done in just a minute.”

“Aggh, oh, Doctorrr…it’s like you’re just at work …you’re so cold…”

“Actually, this is work for me.”

“Ahhh, mmmm, that’s so cold…I love…”

The last alraune Glenn was working on also crumpled to the ground.

The ones who’d been examined first were fast asleep. Others, their sexual appetites still unsatisfied, were kissing each other. There was no risk of infectious disease, so they were free to do such things at their own will. Plant monsters had no concept of incest.

The sight only drove home the fact that human values and ethics did not apply here.

“Good job, Doctor,” Sapphee said, wiping his nectar-covered hands.

“Oh, yeah…”

The brush he was using was soaked in sticky nectar. He had borrowed it from Arahnia, but now he wasn’t sure if just washing it would be enough before returning it.

“So that’s it, then?” Aluloona asked, fluttering her fan. She had been watching the ordeal. “Sorry to ask you to do this for my daughters.”

“No, it’s work…but this is quite a scene, isn’t it?”

“Well…it’s normal for us.”

All Glenn could do was smile.

“…By the way.” Aluloona extended her vine. At the end of it bloomed a bright red flower. The bud popped open and nectar began to ooze forth. The smell was so strong and so sweet that it even permeated the cloth Glenn was using to cover his nose, and he started to feel dizzy.

“Will one of you please pollinate me?”

“Oh…right.”

“Hehe. I’m not like my daughters. If you don’t keep your wits about you, I’ll end up devouring you. I mean, that’s fine with me, but…” Aluloona licked her lips.

Glenn hadn’t examined her since her nectar treatment, and that had just been an excuse for her to attack Glenn. This time was probably different. Aluloona was dripping with nectar that had accumulated inside her. The fairies were scrambling to collect it, but their little jars weren’t nearly enough to do the job.

Just as he was girding his loins to begin treating her, he felt a tail tap on his shoulder. It was Sapphee.

“Dr. Glenn, take this.”

“Hmm?”

“It’s a stimulant that I made into a pill. If you take it, then you will be able to withstand Aluloona’s seduction for a time.”

“Th-thanks,” Glenn removed the wrapping and swallowed the pill.

A nauseating bitterness spread through his mouth, but in return, the sweet smell Aluloona was emitting seemed to fade. He decided that it was enough to let him work.

“Now, then…please excuse me.”

“Oh, please proceed.”

Glenn picked up the brush and touched it to Aluloona’s flower.

“Hmm, mmm,” Aluloona started to groan.

She was probably reacting like this because flowers had a sense of touch. On the other hand, she showed no signs of pain when he pruned her fruit with scissors. He wondered what her nervous system was like?

“Aluloona, you have so many flowers that I’m going to help too,” Sapphee told her.

“Mmm! Hehe… Sapphee too? Go ahead. I can take more than one at a time. Agggha?!”

“Please don’t look at my husband like that, Miss Aluloona,” Sapphee said, eyes sharp.

She skillfully used her brush to pollinate Aluloona. Her flowers, overflowing with nectar, moved convulsively in a mysterious way, as if the petals were living beings and the brush were an intruder. To counteract that movement, Sapphee thrust the brush harder, so it would reach the pistils in the back.

“Ahh, mmm. S-so aggressive. Is that how badly you want sake? Aggh, mmm.”

“Please don’t say anything unnecessary,” Sapphee said.

Glenn tilted his head.

He knew that Sapphee liked alcohol. There was nothing strange about her wanting alraune sake…but why had Aluloona made a point of commenting on it?

“Hey, now, young doctor, why are you stopping?”

“Oh, sorry. Now then…”

The flowers popped open and shut again, as if trying to seduce Glenn. He thrust his brush in to gather the pollen. It was only natural at her age, but Aluloona’s vines were thick and her flowers were large.

It was easy to collect the pollen but—

“Hmmm…?”

Her pistils were well hidden, probably because the flowers were so big. Glenn peered in to examine the flower he was working on. The petals fluttered as if to entice him, and the fragrance of the nectar oozing from its center was so strong, it filled his nostrils. If he hadn’t taken Sapphee’s pill, he probably would be incapacitated by now.

“Excuse me, I need to get in the back.”

“Mmm, ahhh.”

Aluloona gasped.

Glenn found himself with the unprofessional thought that he had got pretty used to her charming voice. He plunged the brush deep.

“Mmm, ahhh!”

Her nectar erupted like a fountain. Glenn’s white coat was soaking wet, but he said nothing.

“E-er…you’re so good, it just all came out. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine…”

Glenn trailed off. He knew that she had more nectar than the others, but this much? Group blooms might be a significant event for the alraune, but carrying around this volume of nectar must impede her daily life. It had to be her long lifespan that had made her vines develop this much and her flowers get this big.

He wiped the nectar off his face and continued with his work.

“Mmm. Whooa! Y-you two are quite good. I need more, more—”

“We aren’t doing this to pleasure you, Aluloona.”

“So heartless. What’s wrong with enjoying this togeth—argggh?!”

“Keep in mind that it’s only the alraune who enjoy this,” Sapphee said sternly.

She had already finished one round of pollination. She was much faster than Glenn. Next, she moved around to the back of Aluloona to reach her brush to the flowers on her head.

“Hmmm… You don’t have to do my head.”

“Oh, is that your weak point?” Sapphee giggled. Perhaps because she was operating under the pretext of medical treatment, she was being more aggressive than usual. “Doctor, please help me. Let’s take care of the biggest flower now.”

“Oh, okay.”

There was an especially large, deep red flower blooming on the side of Aluloona’s head. Glenn pulled his brush from the flower he was finishing with a slurping sound. Aluloona was quivering.

“Oh, that. B-both of you together… Mmmm, waaa…”

“This is the biggest, so you’ll feel a lot better if we pollinate it.”

“N-no. I want to get lots more eastern men! Ohhh.”

As Aluloona tried to crack a joke, Sapphee jabbed her brush in the flower, causing the nectar to overflow. “Get over here, Dr. Glenn.”

“Her vines are so…ugh.”

Glenn’s feet were getting tangled up in Aluloona’s desperate attempt to resist. However, Aluloona was succumbing to the pleasure, no longer putting up much of a fight. He did his best to step around the vines and approached her head.

“Ohh, young doctor…this is your chance to enjoy… Mmm aggh.”

“I see you’re not totally incapacitated, then,”

Glenn was getting tired of Aluloona’s endless debauchery. She really was a bottomless pit of lust.

He jammed his brush into Aluloona’s flower. He and Sapphee were now both moving their brushes back and forth in Aluloona’s temporal region. They just needed to pollinate her pistils, but the bigger the flower, the harder it was to find them. The gushing nectar was another obstacle in their way.

“Mmmm. I can’t take two in the same hole…”

“Oh, there it is. In the back.”

“Ohhh, not there. Mmmm, aaagh.”

“Okay, okay. Just a little more…” Glenn wiggled the brush more to reach the back.

“Mmmm! Ahhh…! Mmmm. Yaaah… Ahhh… Ahhh…”

He thrust harder.

It seemed Aluloona had reached the peak of pleasure. Her body was convulsing, her countless vines sprawled in all directions, as if she had run out of energy.

“Whooo…”

Glenn pulled out his brush and wiped the sweat from his brow.

“This should be good for now.”

“Yes. I think we’re just about done,” said Sapphee, the MVP of this ordeal. She really was much better than him at treating plant monsters. Perhaps he should have studied botany too.

“Eh-er… You were both amazing. Young doctor, are you sure you don’t want to be my hundredth lover…?” Aluloona asked as she hovered on the brink of collapse.

“I don’t think so,” Sapphee said, sticking her brush back in the flower before Glenn could answer.

“Mmm…!” Aluloona let out a strange moan and then fainted.

***

 

Several days had passed since Aluloona’s treatment, and she’d come to visit the cottage that Glenn was using as his clinic.

“Here, as a thanks for the trouble I’ve caused.” She held out something toward Glenn with a grin on her face. It was a gourd-shaped container that he assumed contained as sake. Sapphee hurried to take it with her tail.

“It’s done already?”

“No, it takes time to ferment the fruit. I’ve left that to the chief at the sake brewery. This is just a simple mixture of eastern sake and nectar…but I think it’s pretty good.”

Brewing sake took time. Apparently, the village had the equipment it needed to make everything, but they wouldn’t be able to churn out a whole new batch of sake in just a few days. Once they did, however, sake made from flower monsters would be extremely sought-after in the east.

“How are your daughters doing?”

“Mmm. It looks like their libidos have settled down a bit. They’re able to go sailing and sightseeing now.”

“Are they okay alone? As a group of girls, I mean? People in the east tend to stare at monsters,” Glenn asked, and Aluloona smiled back.

“My lovers—I mean our male attendants—are accompanying them, so I doubt there’ll be any trouble. We stopped by a number of places on the way here and nothing strange happened.”

“Ahhh…”

“Also, we may be plant monsters…but that means we’re stronger than humans. If someone tried to assault them, they’d probably just counterattack and throttle them.”

Glenn let out a sigh. A human definitely couldn’t take on a monster one-on-one.

“I’ve also told them to keep an ear out for information about the Black Widows. If I get anything useful, I’ll let you know.”

“Thank you very much.” Glenn bowed to her.

They would be lucky to find anything that might help them understand the still-mysterious group, but—

“Dr. Glenn, would you like to taste?” Sapphee asked, already pouring the sake. A floral fragrance filled the air. It wasn’t the choking fragrance that Aluloona emitted, but more subtly sweet.

“Uh, but I’m working right now…”

“Just a little will be fine. Here.” She poured a splash into typical eastern sake glasses.

An alraune flower petal floated on the sake’s surface. He wondered where it came from.

“It’s cut with nectar, so it tastes like juice. Try gulping it down.” Sapphee drank hers down as if it were water.

“Ah, okay, then…” Glenn picked up a glass and took a tiny sip.

A moist sweetness spread through his mouth, followed by the peculiar sake warmth. The alcohol content was definitely strong enough for him. He coughed. It was also far too sweet.

“Hahaha, was it a bit too strong for the young lad?”

“Sorry… I don’t usually consume a lot of…alcohol. Sapphee, you can have the rest of mine,” Glenn held out his glass, aware that he couldn’t return what was left to the gourd. Sapphee used her tail to snatch up the glass, not wasting any time.

“Mmmm…whew. It’s sweet and delicious. This could sell.”

“Well, if you think so, it must be true,” Glenn agreed.

He had no idea about the value of sake. Trade was Souen’s forte. Even though it was illegal, harpy eggs were selling in the east, so there had to be a market for products originating from monsters.

“Dr. Glenn, is there something you’d like to say?” Sapphee was staring straight at Glenn’s face with an expression somewhere between sulking and blushing.

“Huh? No, nothing.”

“I’m asking what you’re thinking when you look at me,” Sapphee asked him.

Glenn shook his head. He didn’t really understand the question.

Only Aluloona was giggling. “It looks like it didn’t work, Sapphee.”

“That doesn’t make sense. The ingredients came from alraune, so it has to work.”

“It depends on the person,” Aluloona shrugged.

Glenn sat there confused, not knowing what they were talking about.

Aluloona hid her face with her fan. “Actually, Souen plans to sell this sake as a love potion.”

“Er?!”

“It’s infused with alraune nectar, so it should have aphrodisiac effects—but looking at you now, maybe not.” Aluloona grinned. “Too bad, huh, Sapphee? You were probably planning all kinds of things for him to do to you, now that you’re finally out from under Cthulhy’s eyes, hehe. I actually want to join you.”

“I-I had no intention of any such thing! And you would never be allowed to join!” Sapphee yelled.

Glenn looked nervously at the sake cup in his hand. As much as he had drunk so far, he wasn’t feeling any aphrodisiac effects. But thinking back to the flowers this sake came from—to the seductive, horny Aluloona and her daughters—that might be a good advertising ploy. Their pollen had titillating effects, at the very least. Glenn had experienced that for himself.

“I have no intention of doing any such thing. No intention at all. Doctor, please don’t misunderstand.”

“Y-yeah, it’s fine.”

“But Aluloona, please give me some more sake. I bet if it were fermented and made into liquor, it would be more potent!”

She claimed to not be thinking of such things, but here she was, thinking of ways to make it work… Perhaps this was why she’d been so proactive about treating Aluloona’s family.

“Tee hee hee. Take as much as you like. Ah, seriously, you two are engaged. You should be able to sack him anytime.”

“Shut up! I’m not the same as you, Aluloona! You have to set the mood…not that it always works.”

“Just knock him over,”

“I said no!” Sapphee screamed out. Aluloona giggled.

Glenn put his hand to his mouth, inside which a sweet fragrance still lingered. If lovers both drank this sake together, maybe it would engender those kinds of feelings.

“Aluloona, please give me some pollen. The pollen would work!”

“It’s all gone, thanks to your hard work. We’re almost out of nectar too.”

“Wh-what did you say…?!”

Sapphee was frantic. She must really have had high expectations for the sake.

Even if this sake did work like a love potion, there was no way it would work on Glenn. That was because…

I’m already in love with Sapphee, after all.

Glenn chuckled to himself as his beloved lamia continued biting Aluloona’s head off, oblivious to what he was thinking. He might need to make an effort to create the mood that she was seeking.