Fiery Feast and Unexpected Motherhood

The humans I'd grown a little fond of over the past fortnight fled helter-skelter down the mountain.

'Humans~~ Make sure you don't run into my master and live long, healthy, happy lives~~'

Watching their pathetic retreat, some broadcaster's speech pattern from my past life slipped out unbidden. Hmm, why do humans seem so pathetic? Is it because I'm a monster now—a plant-type monster, at that?

"Well then, shall we have some time just for the two of us?"

'Eek!'

A burst of multicolored pollen exploded from me before I knew it. My master missed me too. I'm so happy! A red-faced Isis Fly—the quick-witted little butterfly—grabbed Bugz and scurried off somewhere. You! The one who peeked at my fantasies back then! Even as the red butterfly flew away, it kept looking back, as if saying, 'Have a good time!'

I felt embarrassed for a moment, but I had no time to dwell on such trivial emotions.

'Hehe, just the two of us...'

Finally, alone with my master.

'Finally... finally, I can talk to my master!'

My stem-like chest felt like it might burst. To think we hadn't exchanged a single proper word until now. I could hardly believe we were finally having a real conversation.

"Master! So much has happened in the past fortnight!"

"I see..."

My master smiled tenderly. "Tell me about it."

"First! I cleaned the front yard!"

"Front yard?"

My master's eyes sparkled with curiosity. I etched the letters even more excitedly.

"Yes! The labyrinth is Master's house! So the mountain range is the front yard!"

After a moment's thought, I added, "I took care of it all! With Bugz!"

"Bugz...?"

"Ah! My subordinates! The bugs!"

One of my roots pointed to the back. The butterfly had dragged Bugz so far away they were barely visible. I appreciated them giving us space, but how far were they going...?

"Ah... so you call those bugs Bugz?"

"Yes! I fed them honey! And they swore loyalty!"

"Ah! Now my will is infused in the honey!"

"Hm? Your will?"

No sooner had my master glanced at the letters than her slender fingers delved in.

'Ah! Wait...!'

Rub rub

'Haa... Hee!'

This strange sensation after so long... I hated to admit it, but it felt too good.

Gulp. In the meantime, my master tasted my honey.

'Uh... won't that transmit my will weirdly...?'

"Hmm...? Did my touch feel that good, my little Ricoris?"

'Eh.'

"Wai—"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Before I could finish writing, my master's hand swooped in at ferocious speed. No! Rub rub rub rub

'Waaah!'

…

'Hic... Hek...'

"Hehehe... Ricoris, aren't you enjoying this a bit too much?"

"I-it's not... th-that..."

"I'll pet you lots from now on~"

"Yes!"

So this was the blissful life of a dog or cat getting petted wildly by their owner... My future as a happy pet—no, companion plant—awaited.

'Heehee. I'm happy.'

Hmm, wait... I feel like I forgot something important.

Ah! Right!

"Master!"

"Yes?"

"I want to transform into a human too!"

"Polymorph? Hmm... I wonder if you can do it."

'No way! Don't tell me I can't!'

"Master can... do it, right...?"

"Do you want to become human that badly?"

"Yes! Just like Master!"

"Hehe... such a cute one. Dragons can do it naturally from birth."

"Among other monsters, the ones that polymorph start around a thousand years old, I think?"

'What? 1,000 years!?'

"You should be able to do it after about a millennium too, Ricoris?"

"That's way too long!"

"Hm? A millennium is nothing—a few naps and it'll fly by."

'Huh?'

Just how old was my master, anyway...? The cataclysmic change I'd longed for required a whole millennium of waiting?

"Ah, right. I caught a Blaze Gurgan for you, Ricoris."

'Blaze Gurgan?'

A name I'd never heard. Ah, she mentioned it when she left last time. She'd gone to fetch my food. And here I'd thought she'd abandoned me...

'Hiiing, sorry...'

Boom!!!

Then, a massive chunk of ice plummeted from the sky. Inside it...

'Eek! Six stars!? Level 481!?'

A massive lion's corpse with a mane like the sun was trapped in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the ice. Even frozen, searing heat radiated from its body.

'Cr-crazy...'

"Master... you took down such a powerful monster... all alone...?"

I glanced at my master.

Her level was still invisible. Even a near-500-level monster showed up, so how high was hers...?

"Hehe, for my Ricoris."

My master's silver dress fluttered in the wind. Her sparkling smile brimmed with the joy of victory.

'Master truly is the strongest...'

Being chosen by her was luck far greater than being born a emperor's child in this world.

"Now, eat up. It'll be delicious."

My master shattered the ice encasing the lion and placed the corpse beside me. Blood from the body slowly soaked the snow.

Sumptuous crimson blood of the finest quality! With synergy from Blood Heaven Dew, this would taste amazing!

"Thank you...!"

The moment I dipped my black root into the blood—

'Kiyaaaaaaaah!!!'

Fire ignited from the tip of my root. Like a wick lit aflame, the blaze raced up the root, scorching my entire body.

'It hurts hurts hurts hurts hurts!!!'

"Ricoris!?"

I heard my master's shocked voice, but the unbearable agony left me unable to even write. All I could do was watch as crimson flames engulfed my black root, charring it to charcoal bit by bit.

"How could this...!"

A flash of blue light. My master's ice magic devoured the flames in an instant.

'Whew... haa...'

My auxiliary battery, which had exceeded 700k, dropped to 600k. Without it, that damage would've killed me over 50 times. Kevin's fire magic barely hurt last time... Was this blood from an especially potent fire-type monster?

No fire resistance skill, though... Just Pain Resistance joyfully leveling to evolution... Was Inferno Stigma truly insurmountable forever...?

"Ricoris... are you okay...?"

'Ah... I need to explain to Master...'

Regaining my senses with effort, I etched letters with a trembling root.

"It's because of Inferno Stigma..."

"Inferno... Stigma?"

"Yes... it's my trait. Makes me weak to fire attributes..."

"A trait?"

My master's eyes filled with puzzlement.

"Then... you don't know about status windows, stars, levels...?"

"What do you mean by that?"

'Huh...?'

I was stunned. Status windows, levels, traits... The foundations of this world as I knew it—unknown even to my master, who seemed to have lived millennia?

'Really just me...'

As a strange sense of reality washed over me, the egg on my petals began to quiver.

'Huh?'

As if pleading, 'Give me that blood.'

"Master... that kid..."

I hesitated to speak. It was the blood from the Blaze Gurgan my master had specially hunted for me... But gazing at the egg, I felt a tiny life yearning beyond its blue shell.

'Sorry, Master...'

"Oh...?"

My master eyed the egg with interest, then lifted it with a graceful gesture.

'Ah, that egg is really...'

My heart sank. The precious egg left by Frost Lunaris. What if it burned too...?

But the egg trembled more violently, as if it had been waiting.

"Could I give the blood I couldn't eat... to this kid...?"

Her white fingertip slowly lowered the egg onto the snow pooled with Blaze Gurgan's blood. The sapphire-blue glow shifted in an instant. Red seeped in like dawn sky, soon blazing into fiery hues.

Crack— With a small sound, the egg hatched.

'Whoa.'

Perched on the pristine snow was a living flame. The fingernail-sized ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠red larva gleamed like condensed fire. Each wriggle sent tiny flickers dancing within its body.

'Cute... no, but... why only 2 stars...'

Your mom was 6 stars! And born from high-level 6-star blood!

...Was dad maybe a 1-star loser...? It was adorable, but my expectations had been too high. Disappointment crept in.

"Well now..."

A warm smile spread across my master's lips. "I didn't know you'd become a mom."

'Huh...?'

"No, why am I the mom!?"

Her mom was alive and well! And how could a flower and bug be parent and child? I was only three!

"Huh? Aren't you going to raise it?"

'Oh? Is that how it works?'

Wait, then...?

"Does that make Master my mom too...?"

"Hehe... no, that won't do. We'd be too close then~"

'Gasp!'

I released a spray of iridescent rainbow pollen and passed out.