The sun shines brightly today, its warmth a rare comfort in this isolated place. I step out into the garden, stretching my stiff limbs.
Margaret-chan, the Alraune, is in full bloom, her petals vibrant and unsettling. Our eyes meet, and I quickly avert my gaze, still unnerved by her presence.
Things have been tense since my return, especially after witnessing her aggressive behavior and Olivier's repeated failures to win her affection. I've also begun to suspect Margaret-chan's gender might not be what it seems, and her pollen-based interactions only add to my unease.
As I turn to re-enter the church, I notice the Goddess statue—my personal shrine piece—in Margaret-chan's tendrils. She swings it gently, as if it were a plaything, her vines impossibly reaching into my room where I had left it last night.
How did she get it? I distinctly remember placing it in my room. Her tendrils shouldn't be able to reach that far, but now isn't the time to question it. The statue is my only means of protection.
"Give it back! Please! Without that, I can't protect myself!" I lunge forward, desperation overriding caution.
A tendril whips around me, binding me tightly before I can react. The familiar routine follows: the embrace, the nuzzling, the smearing of pollen. I've grown accustomed to it, though it never gets less unsettling.
But today is different. Margaret-chan grabs my face with unusual force, her grip fierce and unsettling. She pushes a finger into my mouth, her actions deliberate and strange.
What is she doing? I can't fight back, so I focus on counting her petals to stay calm.
Before I reach ten, something strange touches my tongue. My eyes fly open as a thick, sweet liquid is forced into my mouth, burning down my throat.
"Ugh—uhh...!" I try to twist away, but her vines hold me firmly. More syrup floods in, and I can't even choke.
The sweetness reaches my stomach, and before I can stop myself, I blurt out, "Delicious!"
* * *
Damn that Margaret-chan... what a dirty trick. I ended up sucking it down.
Out here in the sticks, sweets are rare.
Margaret-chan must've decided to bribe me since I stopped coming close. Clever girl. Too clever.
I'll have to be more careful around her honey traps and find a safer place for the Goddess statue. I can't protect myself without it.
I grip the statue and swing it a few times, testing its weight. In the corner of my vision, I notice a body—Olivier, again.
Not again. He must have tried to flirt with Margaret-chan. I sigh and resurrect him—again. The moment he's back, his teeth grind with rage.
"What makes you different from me, Priest-sama? Why won't she accept me?" Olivier demands.
"Well... maybe don't touch her petals without permission?" I suggest.
"But I can't help it! And besides—I'm the one who raised her! I planted her seed! Sure, I've been busy lately, but still!" He rambles, then suddenly freezes.
"That's right—the watering. You've been doing it every day, haven't you, Priest-sama? Animals bond with whoever feeds them..." He snatches up a watering can and stands.
Cradling the watering can, Olivier charges toward Margaret-chan.
"Wait for me, Margaret-chan! I'll give you all the nourishment you need!"
And just as he said—
A rainbow forms across the sky as Olivier waters her. Margaret-chan soaks in the water, her petals gleaming, her face almost... content.
Good for you, Olivier. I pick up his severed head from the ground. "You look great right now," I tell him sarcastically. "See? Look at yourself—at your moment of glory."
I turn his dull eyes toward the rest of his body, which is spraying blood like a fountain. Under the clear blue sky, crimson rain falls, nourishing Margaret-chan as the blood runs down her petals.
* * *
"No good, I'm telling you!"
"I refuse to give up!!"
Olivier's nothing if not stubborn.
For some reason, Olivier scoops ash from the fireplace and dumps it over his head.
"Priest, lend me your robe," he demands.
"Eh? What are you planning?" I ask.
"Just give it here!" He lunges, ripping my robe off. It's soaked in blood and heavy, but he throws it on without hesitation.
"Honestly, what are you doing? You look ridiculous," I say. His hair is ghost-white from the ash, blood drips down his arms, and his eyes burn with a cursed light.
"It's a disguise. Look—I'm just like you, Priest-sama," he declares.
"What? Me? Don't be absurd. Not even close. I don't radiate that much negative energy—and it doesn't even fit you," I retort.
I pat his head twice, but he's dead serious. Ah well. Guess I'll be resurrecting him again soon. I follow, just to witness his next demise.
"Here I go, Margaret-chan..." His expression shifts, and he straightens his back, rising onto his toes as he steps carefully toward her. He's dragging the robe, making the disguise look sloppy. Seriously—wait. Is she... falling for it?
Margaret-chan's vines extend—but slowly, gently, not with the killing edge I've come to expect. She moves as if handling something fragile.
Wait, really? She's buying this? Is he that similar? That's... kind of depressing.
"Margaret-chan! Please—accept me!" Olivier spreads his arms wide like a saint ready to ascend.
Yeah, no. Doesn't look like me at all.
But then Margaret-chan's eyes widen, and even her usually still face shows surprise. The vines freeze in place.
"Margaret-chan?" Olivier tilts his head.
And in the next instant, he explodes. A wet, crunching sound fills the air as her vines crush him flat, folding his body into itself and splattering his organs. She slams him again and again into the ground until there's nothing left but pulp.
To enrage a being as emotionless as Margaret-chan... Olivier, you really did touch her heart more than I ever could.
Her gaze locks onto me. Before I can blink, a vine snaps forward, and my feet leave the ground. I'm airborne.
Her grip is rough—far rougher than usual. Gravity tugs at my insides, and I can feel everything shift within me.
Margaret-chan? It's me. The Priest. I just... don't have my robe on right now.
My vision flickers. If she keeps this up, I'll end up like Olivier—scattered and gone. Unlike him, I can't be resurrected from that.
Wait—was she identifying me by my clothes this whole time? That's... actually kind of hurtful.
Margaret-chan's face looms close, her eyes narrowing as she studies me. It's me, Margaret-chan. Really.
I can't speak, so I plead with my eyes.
She squints tighter, like someone peering over glasses.
Then she grabs my face.
So this is it. I'm going to die.
But just as the darkness closes in, that sharp, sweet taste floods my mouth again. It scorches down my throat and drags me violently back to life.
My eyes snap open, and I shout, "Delicious!"
* * *
My stomach's about to burst.
What was that? An apology for rough handling? Trying to make peace with honey, huh, Margaret-chan? You really are like a spoiled child sometimes.
Licking the syrup from my lips, I stroll back into the church.
A scream shakes the stained glass. Aegis-san, a knight in silver armor, holds a blood-soaked body wearing my robe, ignoring how the gore stains her gleaming chestplate.
"Priest...! Priest-samaaaa!!" Aegis cries.
You too, huh.
I tap her on the shoulder.
"What's wrong?" I ask.
"Ah—huh?" she responds.
Aegis looks back and forth between me and the corpse. Then, with visible embarrassment, she drops the body onto the carpet with a wet thud.
"Forgive me. Uh... right! Priest! There's something urgent!"
"Demonic activity... Retaliation," she says gravely.
Notes:
• Margaret-chan - an Alraune(?) living in the church garden with pure white petals and hair, flat-bodied like a doll, releases pollen, gender subject to various theories, hopelessly in love with Julius.
• Olivier - A male adventurer burdened by the constant deaths of his companion Katarina.
• Aegis - a female red-haired holy knight in silver armor, harsh to others and herself but shows weakness to Julius, to whom she swore loyalty, leads the Secret Police Squad.