Chapter 17

Chapter 17

After planting purification blossoms around the village well and manure pit, I began to feel hungry. I’d made a large number of full recovery fruits, and it seemed my magic consumption had outpaced my regeneration.

There were a few purification blossoms petals scattered around the well—likely because the well had indeed been contaminated. I picked one up and subtly opened a gap in my glove to touch it. As expected of a petal praised as fertilizer, it was tasty for me as well. Since the flower had already bloomed, I didn’t need to use any more of my magic on it, and if the villagers didn’t use the flowers for farming, I could eat the leftovers. …Isn’t this what you’d call symbiosis?

「Witch-sama, these petals are pretty… but what do we do with them?」

「They become fertilizer. This flower turns things that are poisonous to people into nutrients that help plants grow.」

While I was still trying to figure out how to explain it to Noel, Daon arrived and answered in my stead. It seemed he knew about purification blossoms. That being the case, I didn’t need to explain further—he’d probably know how best to use it.

Today, Daon had a sword at his waist—different from usual. It suited him well, giving him an air that didn’t resemble a rural village chief at all.

(Why is Daon-san wearing a sword…? Don’t tell me—he’s found out I’m a monster and plans to cut me down…?!)

「Daon-san, why are you dressed like you’re going into battle? Witch-sama’s curious too.」

「Ah… We’ve had more wild animals around lately. Probably ones that lost out in the survival battles up in the mountains. I’m heading out to reinforce the fence around the village, but there’s a chance I could be attacked.」

Apparently, creatures that couldn’t adapt to the shifting magical ecosystem of the demon realm had fled down here. Like bears descending from the mountains when food runs out.

But for me… that might actually be a good thing. I smiled at Daon and pointed at myself. Let me handle that job. That’s what I meant.

「Witch-sama wants to do it? …Right, Daon-san, you just recovered from being sick.」

「I took the recovery medicine Witch-sama gave me, so my strength is fully back. You’re too kind, Witch-sama—no need to worry about me.」

(No, that’s not it… I just want to eat something…)

「…Do you have a plan, Witch-sama?」

Not exactly, but I’d like to be alone if possible. When I nodded, Noel also nodded back as if he understood.

「Daon-san, let Witch-sama handle this. I think… there are some kinds of magic she can’t use when people are around. Last time she fought a beast, she told me not to follow her. She must have a powerful spell that could accidentally involve others!」

(Well… I mean… my voice is a hazard to humans, so he’s not wrong…)

Noel’s trust in me was almost painful. I’m just a cowardly mandragora, but to him I’m apparently some grand, powerful Flower Witch.

Daon sighed in what seemed like resignation, but his expression looked more like one of satisfaction—or perhaps acceptance.

「Very much like Witch-sama. Understood. Then I’ll warn the villagers to stay away from the area. Noel, help me out.」

「Yes!」

As I watched them walk away, I thought: there are definitely some misunderstandings happening here—but they’re convenient ones. With that, I headed out of the village. The village is surrounded by a wooden fence, which apparently serves as protection against beasts.

Though it has outward-facing wooden spikes, its defensive power is still limited. I figured it was time I stepped up. …Especially if it meant getting food.

(But first… let’s eat. If I head into the thicker parts of the woods, something’s bound to attack me…)

Even when you know you’ll be attacked, it still startles you when it actually happens. Mandragoras are prone to being easily frightened—we scream over the smallest things. I really don’t want to be startled, it’s exhausting. It feels like walking into a haunted house you’re bad with.

Tense, I crept into the forest—and, as expected, some sort of beast leapt at me. I let out a full-blown internal scream, caught it with my hair vines, and grappled with it.

(Aaah! This thing’s resisting so much! Just calm down already!!)

Once you bind the joints, animals can’t move—but this monster was like a furry snake, squirming and wriggling to escape my vines. I had no choice but to exude some sedative and paralyzing medicine through the vines to pacify it. Since I didn’t know which would work, I released both—but the creature secreted its own fluids, trying to slip away, and may have been neutralizing the medicine. It showed no signs of calming down.

(At times like this… I’ve gotta stab it like a shot!)

I grew a plant with sharp thorns from my vines. The more the snake squirmed, the more the thorns pierced it. When I infused the thorns with medicine, it finally began to settle down.

Once it stopped moving, I unwrapped my hair and lowered the creature to the ground. Its slick texture reminded me more of an eel than a snake. …Might be good grilled in a sweet soy glaze. Not that I’d cook it—raw’s more efficient for me.

(That was terrifying… No human could handle something like this. And that fence wouldn’t stop it either… We have to do something.)

I touched the snake—it was packed with nutrients and tasted great. I’ve noticed: the stronger the monster, the more satisfying it is. I don’t have a stomach, so it’s not 「full「 in the human sense, but I do feel a clear sensation of being nourished. This should restore the magic I spent earlier.

(If things like this are showing up, we’ll need stronger thorns on the fence. I’ll grow some of those spiky plants. But I should make sure the villagers don’t touch them…)

I reinforced the wooden fence with a plant called Chain Rose. Its thorns are sharp enough to wound even a monster’s hide, and it grows beautiful roses, so visually it’s not too bad. I made sure the thorns only grew outward, not facing the village. The original fence had spikes pointing outward, like a shield, so I simply added to it.

…The village is now surrounded by thorny vines—it might look a bit like the plants are taking over. But it’s pretty, so I think it’ll be fine.

(I’ll instruct the vines to catch monsters that come near… but hmm, not being notified when something gets caught is a bit inconvenient.)

The plants I create with diversification follow my orders even when I’m not nearby. So they’ll automatically catch monsters—but they don’t have a way to alert me.

(It’d be great if I could watch them from a distance. But when a part of my body is separated, I can’t control it anymore… unless—oh.)

Suddenly, I heard the familiar 「ping!」 of skill acquisition. The message read: 【Skill Acquired: Clone】. Whoops—another skill. That leaves me with only 10 evolution points.

(…But 「Clone」 huh… does that mean… I can make more of myself?)