Chapter 42
「That bird… that cry just now… It’s a Screamer Bird, isn’t it? They mimic human voices to lure people in.」
(Oh, I see. That’s a relief, it’s not like it actually understands human speech.)
Following my instruction, Noel stayed back and called out from behind. According to his explanation, this bird is a type of monster that mimics its prey to draw them closer. It seems it wasn’t a human reincarnated as a monster, which was a relief.
This bird cries things like 「Help me!」 or 「Mother!」 to lure people into dangerous places, where they’re attacked by other monsters, and then it feeds on the corpses.
(What a horrible creature! Mimicking human voices to lower their guard is terrifying!)
I didn’t know why such a bird was doing something like raiding crops in a human village, but… if left alone, it might have led the villagers who came to deal with it straight into the monsters’ lairs outside the settlement. I’m glad that didn’t happen. If I can’t protect the villagers, people will start questioning the very purpose of a witch’s existence. I just want to live in peace.
(So this bird was trying to disturb my peaceful life, huh…)
It’s a monster with high intelligence, able to mimic humans, and resistant to curses and poisons. If it were a kind creature like me, fine—but ordinary monsters are dangerous and ought to be eliminated.
(Then how should I eat it, I wonder?)
Since I went to the trouble of catching it, I should decide how to cook it. While I pondered whether it was safe to feed to Noel, or whether I should just absorb it myself if it seemed risky, the bird continued to scream 「Heeelp meee!」 again and again, unable to move.
But in the end, it was just imitation speech. The target is still a monster, no way it can escape being classified as prey for that.
「Poor thing…」
「But it’s a monster. It’s dangerous.」
「…Yeah, that’s true…」
Just as I was thinking that, Ellie started to pity the bird. She’s still a child, so it’s natural that her emotions get the better of her sometimes. That’s exactly why this kind of monster mimics human speech, to deceive people like her.
When I turned to tell her there was no need for sympathy, her face looked so sad that killing the bird right in front of her suddenly didn’t seem like something a 「Good Witch」 would do.
(Hmm… a kind witch wouldn’t do it. If she weren’t watching, I totally would, though…)
As long as I’m being observed, I have to act like a virtuous witch, not a suspicious monster. Looking down at the bird again, I thought of a way to neutralize it.
(Then maybe I’ll make it so I can finish it off somewhere unseen… I’ll plant a seed in its body…)
I’d done something similar with Leonhardt before, so I knew the process. By dividing my consciousness and creating multiple bodies of plant material, I could make something that still obeyed my will even when separated from me. I decided to implant a Mandragora seed in this bird.
Once planted, the seed would grow by feeding on the bird’s nutrients whenever I willed it to. Even if curses or poisons didn’t work, it couldn’t survive being drained enough to nourish a Mandragora. Perhaps I could have it absorbed when Ellie wasn’t looking and create a new Mandragora.
「Stoooop!!」
The bird began to cry out in agony as the seed took root inside its body. But perhaps that too was just mimicry of human pain… or maybe it really was suffering. After a while, the bird grew still and stopped screaming altogether. That’s when a message appeared before my eyes:
『Acquired: 【Servant】』
Startled, I let out a small yelp. I’d completely forgotten about my ability to display status information.
(A servant…? Like a familiar?)
I couldn’t appraise others’ statuses since that required the 【Appraisal】 skill, but I could see information about myself or anything directly connected to me. Curious what 「servant」 meant, I checked.
【Species】 Screamer Bird (Vassal)
【Level】 26
【Vitality】 C
【Mana】 B
【Skills】 Mimicry, High Intelligence
【Evolution Points】 0
【Description】
A Screamer Bird whose body has been implanted with a fragment of a powerful monster, now bound in servitude. A loyal servant that obeys the will of the one who holds its life. Through the parasitic fragment in its heart, its master’s commands can reach it anywhere.
Even if no immediate threat seems nearby, do not let your guard down, what orders it may act upon depend entirely on its master.
Having evolved to possess high intelligence, it can follow complex orders. Depending on its master’s will, it may lure humans into danger or trap them. If you hear a cry for help, do not approach.
(Scary! Why do these description texts always sound like warnings?! I’ll make sure to control it properly, not to attack humans or cause trouble!)
I’d already proven I could neutralize monsters this way with the Mandragora sprouts. It seemed that planting one of my seeds turned the creature into a vassal, and now I could issue commands without speaking.
I hadn’t expected that simply implanting one of my seeds could enslave a monster—but this could be useful if a troublesome one appeared again. As long as I could plant a seed, I could create as many obedient subordinates as I liked.
(…Wait. Didn’t I also plant a seed in Leonhardt…Eeek!!)
I suddenly remembered how I’d spread purifying roots through Leonhardt’s poisoned body, not just his armor, to absorb the toxins.
It seemed the condition for subjugation was specifically the planting of a Mandragora seed. So treating Leonhardt’s poison had been safe—thank goodness. If other types of seeds worked too, that could’ve been disastrous! The thought that I might have unknowingly made Leonhardt my vassal was enough to make me shriek internally from pure horror.
「Huh…? That bird got quiet?」
「You’re right… Is it not dangerous anymore?」
「Maybe it realized the difference in strength. It was a smart bird, after all. It probably sensed Witch-sama’s overwhelming aura!」
(Huh? Am I giving off some kind of aura? Well, maybe I’m releasing oxygen from photosynthesis, but still…)
The Screamer Bird now sat quietly in my hands, no longer uttering a sound. Since it seemed to be obedient, I had the vines of my glove feed it an antidote. Once freed from paralysis, the bird hopped to the ground, picked something up, and brought it back to me.
It was a string of glass ornaments shaped like droplets—some sort of decoration. That must’ve been what glittered in the sky earlier.
「Wow, pretty! A present from the bird?」
「Seems like it. Guess it really intends to obey Witch-sama now… Though I’m still its senior here.」
「So maybe it’s saying sorry? …It’s a hair ornament, right?」
「Probably… but the stem’s broken, so it can’t be worn.」
(A broken hair ornament, huh… It’s beautiful, but useless like this. Maybe it was throw away?)
Or perhaps the bird had stolen it from someone and broke it. I stared at it, and it let out a squeaky 「Hii!」, a sound that could’ve been fear or apology. Unlike my sprouts, I couldn’t quite sense its thoughts; perhaps because it wasn’t plant-based. Was that 「Don’t suspect me!」 or 「Yes, I’m sorry!」? Hard to tell.
「These are the kind of things Query sells, right? She mentioned once that if she doesn’t like how a piece turns out, she just breaks or throws it away.」
「What?! What a waste!」
(It is a waste… but very much like her. She seems like the type to do that…)
No one in the village wore ornaments like this, so it must’ve been the work of Query, the designer who came during the marketplace. She often sketched designs or crafted pieces even while at her booth, so this was likely one of them. Hard to understand an artist’s sensibilities, how could she discard something this lovely?
(If she’s throwing it away anyway, I might as well remake it and use it. I’ve been wanting to look a little more human with some accessories…)
If the base stem was gone, I could just make one. Extending a vine from the remaining short shaft, I shaped it into a rod and tucked it into my hair. Since the part touching my head was vine, I could weave it in securely so it wouldn’t fall. Placed near the flower atop my head, it blended perfectly, just right.
「Witch-sama, you look beautiful!」
「It suits you perfectly, Witch-sama. …Actually, seeing you wear it so gracefully might make Query and even this ornament regain some confidence. As expected of Witch-sama!」
…That hadn’t been my intention, but Noel seemed convinced, so that was fine.
Now, as for the Screamer Bird, it had presented me an offering, and to destroy it after accepting that would be rather cruel. I mean, I’m a monster myself, so 「Cruelty」 is relative, but since it was now a vassal and would obey, and as long as it didn’t trouble humans, letting it go seemed fine.
(Still, the description text would totally expose that I’m a monster, so don’t show yourself around people, okay? Especially not in front of Nikolaus, he can see others’ statuses, and he’ll probably come again…)
He couldn’t see my status, but he might see the Screamer Bird’s. So I commanded it to stay away from humans, especially Nikolaus.
(Hmm, might as well give it another job. Let’s see… If you find any rare plants, bring them to me.)
I gave it three commands: do not harm humans, do not appear before humans, and bring back rare plants. Then I released it into the sky. The bird circled once overhead, then flew off toward the mountains. As long as it left the village, the problem was solved.
「To think Witch-sama could even tame such a troublesome monster… Truly amazing.」
「Witch-sama, can you talk to animals? Is that how you became friends with Hikari and the others too? That’s so cool!」
With that, the bird no longer disturbed our fields or the village. Noel and Ellie seemed completely unconcerned—case closed.
A few days later, after I’d completely forgotten about the bird, Leonhardt came by and widened his eyes at the sight of my new hair ornament.
「Witch-dono… that hairpiece…」
When he pointed out the ornament gifted by the bird I’d turned into a vassal through parasitic Mandragora, I nearly screamed at the reminder that I’d almost done the same to him. But my cry only came out as a smile.
…If I ever ended up enslaving a human, I’d stop being a Good Witch and become just another malicious monster. I’d better be careful.
[TL Note: Hello, Pink Tea here, first of all, thank you for all of the donations, it’s a great help and we really appreciate it. About the schedule, I’ll stick to translating chapters as soon as they come out, but we caught up to the author at this point, and that’s now the only bottleneck. They release only one chapter of mandragora per week at best.]
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Reincarnated as a Mandragora, Worshipped as the Flower Witch. …If They Find Out I’m a Monster, Will They Hunt Me Down?
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