Esh suddenly froze while removing her clothes in her room. “Oh dear.”

Her pupils elongated as she sensed movement from the room she had just left. Every tiny motion triggered her heightened senses. Quickly putting her clothes back on, Esh hurried out of her room. Following the small footsteps, she suddenly had to stop in her tracks.

“My Lord.”

Rubellan stood blocking her path, gazing out the window. He had intercepted Esh as she rushed forward.

“I’ll go,” he said, his gaze following the small figure moving southward.

“But I should—”

Looking after Rael was Esh’s assigned duty. If anything went wrong, she might have to pay with her life.

Instead of answering, Rubellan simply turned his gaze toward her. Esh broke into a sweat under her master’s stare, which made her feel like an insect trapped in a spider’s web, unable to move a muscle.

In the end, all she could do was watch Rubellan’s back as he walked down the corridor.

* * *

“Shouldn’t there at least be a path in a forest, even if no one lives here?”

Rael grumbled while pushing aside the dense vegetation, already regretting her decision to enter the forest. She should have considered another escape route.

Her plan had been to cross the forest to reach a place beyond the Demon King’s influence, where the power restricting magic would weaken. Then she could use her modest magical abilities to cross the desert. But simply getting through this forest was proving to be a major obstacle.

“Sigh…”

The situation called for nothing less than a deep sigh. She had long since discarded her mud-soaked shoes, and her drenched clothes made her shiver with cold.

The journey had become so difficult that she briefly considered turning back, but she had already come too far to return.

“This is maddening.”

It wouldn’t be surprising if she died wandering aimlessly through this forest.

She trudged forward with heavy steps.

Swish, swish—

Something moved rapidly through the rain, but Rael, exhausted and dazed, failed to notice it.

Suddenly, a green tendril shot out and grabbed her leg.

“Ahh!”

Rael screamed in surprise at the sudden force pulling her leg.

“What—what is this?”

Discovering the green vine wrapped around her left ankle, she reached down to remove it. However, another green tendril sprang out and blocked her hand.

“Ahhh!”

The force was overwhelming. Not only could she not move her hand, but the pressure on her captured leg made her fall on her backside and get dragged along the ground.

“Ugh…”

She tried to untie herself, but her rain-slicked hands kept slipping, unable to loosen the green tendrils. It wasn’t just the rain—a sticky liquid covered the entire surface of the thick green vines.

“What on earth is this? Ahhh!”

In an instant, her body was lifted into the air. The sudden elevation caused her nightgown to flip up, covering her eyes. Rael quickly reached down to hold her skirt in place.

Between the darkness and the rain blurring her vision, she couldn’t see what had captured her. Trembling with fear, she recalled stories about plants that ate humans or dissolved them to death, sending chills down her spine.

Unable to bear it any longer, Rael summoned all her strength to cast an illumination spell.

“Gasp!”

What she saw in the brightened surroundings made her freeze. Before her was a massive plant. At first glance it resembled a tree, but its entirely green trunk looked like a cactus, and the numerous tentacles extending from it reminded her of a sundew plant.

“What… is this a monster?”

It definitely wasn’t an ordinary plant, judging by how quickly it had captured a moving target.

“Urgh…”

[Tsk, tsk, tsk…]

This confirmed it wasn’t a plant. What plant would make such sounds?

“What are you?!”

When she shouted while hanging upside down, the plant seemed to hear her voice and brought her body closer to its trunk.

“Ugh!”

Her captured ankle hurt, but even more disturbing was the creepy, sticky liquid. Despite having no visible eyes, the plant monster seemed to be examining her, turning her this way and that while poking her cheek with another tendril.

Just as the blood rushing to her head was making her dizzy, her body was lowered to the ground, and Rael was unceremoniously dumped onto the wet earth with a splash.

“Ouch.”

Pain shot up her tailbone. Regardless of what this creature was, Rael knew she needed to escape immediately.

She quickly got up and ran.

“Eek!”

But a tendril wrapped around her waist, pulling her back as far as she had run.

“Ungh…”

The sticky tendrils multiplied from one to two, then three. Soon her limbs were completely bound.

“Let go!”

Though unsure if it could understand human speech, Rael struggled and tried to remove the tendrils while demanding to be released. Rolling in the rain-soaked mud, she became increasingly disheveled. Her strength was gradually fading.

Not a demon, not a beast—was she destined to become plant food?

“Ah! Really! Ha.”

She was too stunned and indignant even for tears.

Fine. Just kill me then, kill me. What grand life am I trying to preserve anyway?

“Mmph!”

But when the plant’s tendrils began tearing through her clothes, a truly alarming thought crossed her mind.

“Ahh!”

It was a disturbing thought in a very specific direction—like the tentacle monsters and humans in those forbidden stories the village librarian had once shown her. This thought arose because the plant’s tendrils were now tickling her chest.

“This is insane! Ahh!”

No matter how much she struggled, the plant only tightened its grip on her.

“Waaah! What did I do wrong? Why is this happening to me?!”

The tears she had been holding back finally burst forth. If only she could use her magic properly, she would have burned these tendrils to ashes, even if it meant burning herself in the process.

“Hic…”

As a tendril crept up her thigh, Rael truly began to tremble with fear.

“…interesting.”

Just then, a low voice cut through the sound of rain. It was a familiar voice that normally sent chills down her spine, but in this situation, it was the most reassuring sound she could hear.

“Rubellan!”

“You seem to be having quite an entertaining time out here.”

Rubellan looked down at Rael, who was bound and being toyed with by the plant tendrils. She wanted nothing more than to express how glad she was to see him and beg for his help.

“I didn’t know you had such tastes.”

Rubellan glanced between the plant and Rael with a smirk.

“No! This is absolutely not my thing!”

“You seemed to be enjoying yourself, though.”

Rael couldn’t understand how this looked remotely enjoyable to him.

“That creature will drain your life force completely. Are you prepared for that? You might become a mummy while seeking your pleasure.”

Rubellan’s words sent such chills down her spine that her neck stiffened painfully. One wrong move and this place could become her grave.

“Ru-Rubellan…”

With a shred of pride as an escapee, she found it difficult to ask for help outright.

“Do continue. I’ll just watch.”

Rubellan was annoyed that Rael, despite her teary eyes, still refused to admit her mistake or ask for help. He was also curious to see how long she would hold out.

“Ugh…!”

The tendrils, which had hesitated at Rubellan’s appearance, seemed to decide he posed no threat and continued their work. A tendril was now burrowing between her thighs.

“Stop it!”

Feeling the sticky sensation against her underwear, Rael finally made her decision. Pride be damned—if she persisted, she would suffer a terrible fate. She had no desire to die from biting her tongue after enduring such humiliation.

“H-help me, Rubellan!”

“Hmm…”

Despite Rael’s urgent cry, Rubellan stood with his arms crossed, calmly observing the scene.

“Why should I?”

“I-I’m sorry. I won’t do it again. Please get me out of here. This crazy plant… Ahh!”

As the cold sensation reached her private parts, pushing aside her underwear, Rael nearly bit her tongue. Rubellan continued watching with an indifferent expression.

“Hic… I was wrong. Please…”

Rael’s face crumbled in despair.

Snap. Plop. Snap.

Simultaneously, the tendrils broke apart. The vines that had bound her body fell to the ground.

“Ugh…”

Finally freed, Rael frantically backed away. No—she was literally crawling away from the plant. Glancing back, she saw the severed tendrils regenerating instantly. The writhing tendrils, recovering from their pain, began to extend vigorously once more.

“Ahh!”

Rael ran on all fours. However, with her legs lacking proper strength, she could only crawl. Eventually, the person she clung to was none other than Rubellan.

“Save me.”

“Not enjoying the mood after all?”

Though irritated that Rubellan was teasing her when he clearly understood the situation, she was in no position to complain. Rubellan was her only savior now.

“P-please don’t let it follow me… Ahh!”

The tendril grabbed Rael’s leg again. Seeing this, Rubellan firmly stepped on the tendril with his shoe.

“What will it be? A good time with this plant here? Or back to the castle?”

He was asking her to choose between quietly returning to the castle or being violated by the plant and becoming a cold corpse.

Rael answered immediately.

“I-I’ll go. Back to the castle.”

Her hands clutching his trouser leg were trembling uncontrollably. The horrific sensation of the plant probing her intimate areas wouldn’t leave her mind.

Rubellan looked down indifferently at the trembling Rael. As his foot lifted slightly, the plant gripped Rael’s ankle tightly, causing her eyes to widen.

“However…”

“W-what?”

Her heart raced with fear that he might abandon her.

“I’m not in a particularly good mood.”

“What would make you feel better?”

Her life hung on Rubellan’s mood.

“Beg me.”

“What?”

Looking up in confusion, she saw Rubellan’s expression was icily cold. The wind blowing his hair created shadows across his face, chilling Rael to the bone.

She swallowed dryly. Her heightened senses told her this was absolutely no joke.

“Beg me properly never to run away again. That might improve my foul mood somewhat.”

His slightly upturned lips weren’t from pleasure.

“…Ah.”

The words didn’t come easily. After all, she still intended to leave the castle someday. That would never change.

But.

“…Save me.”

Rael wasn’t a paragon of virtue who always kept her word, and she knew that sometimes a desperate situation called for desperate measures.

“I’ll never run away again. I was wrong.”

Survival was paramount in this situation. There was nothing to think about.

“Hmm?”

She clutched his trouser leg tightly, wearing her most pitiful expression.

“In such a short time…”

Rubellan narrowed his eyes at her.

“You’ve become quite the fox.”

His forehead twitched strangely.

Suddenly, flames erupted from under his shoe and rapidly spread along the tendril to the plant’s main body. Even in the rain, the monster burned vigorously.

“Graaah!”

The plant monster collapsed hideously. The sight of this massive terror being destroyed so easily and pathetically shocked Rael.

She felt both relief and terror. Terror because she realized that the demon who could so effortlessly kill this enormous monster could just as easily snuff out her life like crushing an insect.

“Your hand.”

While she was still staring at the plant, Rubellan extended his hand behind her head. Belatedly noticing, Rael quickly grabbed it.

Her legs trembled as she stood up. Though she wiped away her tears trying to appear composed, her hand gripping his was still shaking.