Title: A Centipede Wants to Live Peacefully.

Summary: I always wished to escape reality, believing in fairy tales, and immersing myself in books to distract myself from the duties of an adult. I wished to live in a cottage somewhere in a forest, free from the bustle of the city. I could never imagine that I would lose my life and then be reincarnated as a monster. Is my wish possible?

Back with another chapter! Hope you enjoy it!

Note: Understanding the skill system for the series is so hard sometimes. So, Mai had acquired Plant Magic a few chapters ago and it evolved into Harvest Magic but it seems that Plant Magic will still be displayed in the actual skill list so instead of replacing we just acquired a new skill so you should see the correction in the future chapters and this one. It's just a small error for the magic section of the skills because I knew that even though the skill evolved she could still use previous magic skills. I saw this tidbit after reading Julius's skill list. So it should be displayed in the skill list like this:

i.e: Plant Magic LV10, Harvest Magic LV1

It was difficult choosing an evolution from this list of options as they all had something I didn't want for myself. I carefully read them over and over but still couldn't choose one. "System, are they any other evolutions available for me?" I asked, hoping for it to tell me 'yes' and 'sure' but all that displayed was the three options in front of me. Maybe, I should break down each evolution, listing the pros and cons to make the decision process easier. I paced around in my chamber in a circle, following my tail like a dog. I tuned out the voices of my children and pulled my thoughts together.

The first evolution was Queen Aricius which is a final evolution and it seems incredibly powerful judging by its description. The pros are its metal body and sheer size which could cause tremors and earthquakes just by moving slightly. The cons were that it loses its egg-laying ability which was incredibly detrimental in her reaching this point and having companions by my side. It losing its poison type and agility were the biggest cons for me because my entire strategy involved my speed and it was what helped me survive in the most pivotal moments. Choosing this would involve me having to change my entire battle style to suit being a slow-moving tank. Losing certain skills was another con and since I didn't know which skills I would be losing makes this evolution and any other huge risks.

The second evolution was the Matriarch Rafflesia which was the most deadly of the evolution from the batch. It all aligned perfectly with my style of fighting and was the most optimal for me. Considering the natural camouflage coloring of its body and its parasitic poison it had the most pros for me. I mean the ability to control my victims until they die was a great ability...for this world but the human side in me considered it a horrible way to go. The only other cons were the sacrificing of the egg-laying ability and its violent nature. I unconsciously give into my instincts more often than not and lashing out at my allies would hurt me more than it would them. I can't imagine lashing out at my children or god forbid, Naofumi. This was the only bad thing that would deter me from choosing this evolution.

The last evolution was the Flowering Brood Empress which had tons of pros but really bad cons. The biggest pro was that I would finally gain a human body from the torso up and a beautiful one at that. That alone made me consider this option. The other pros were that I had other options to replenish my energy which was a little vague, to be honest, but either way, sunlight, water, and eating normally were ways to get energy. The scented lure was quite nifty too but that was all there was to it giving birth to 1000 children every six months was very appealing because of the sheer number of children I would have. However, the cons were worse than the others in my opinion. Completely sacrificing my mobility seemed like suicide since my mobility was what kept me alive a lot of the times I got into battle. Furthermore, that meant my burrow would become useless to me since I would need to live on the surface out in the open. I would have no protection. The poison type was also a loss as it helped me stun enemies long enough to give them the finishing blow. Lastly, the part about luring males and sexually using them before eating them whole didn't suit me or my personality since I grew up in a conservative family.

In conclusion, they all had something I wanted but the cons often outweigh the pros. The sacrificing of certain types and abilities was bad enough as it is already. This made them all bad evolutions for me to choose from and I was reluctant to choose any. The Matriarch Rafflesia was definitely the better option for me but the thought of not being able to lay any more eggs and its violent nature deterred me a bit from it but it was the price I had to pay for choosing the better evolution. I had already made up my mind. I went to choose the evolution but the child I sent to shadow Hayate and Naofumi contacted me through the link.

"Mother, I have an update on the two humans." He said softly.

"Alright, give me your report."

"They both have found someplace..to um..live in a village south of our burrow."

I sighed in relief as they chose a village far from the labyrinth. "Is that all?"

"The little one was crying all the time on the journey but it eventually stopped. What else should I do mother?"

"You can rest now, you did well. Find a safe place to rest and get some fresh fruit to eat." I told him.

"I shall do as you say, Mother!"

I happily crawled out of my chamber and went to the surface, forgetting about my task to evolve. I was relieved that they found somewhere to live safely and that Naofumi would have someone to care for him properly and have his needs taken care of. I could only hope that Hayate would be able to south his emotional needs and the matters that plagued him. Once I reached the surface I could feel the heat of the sun pressing down on my body. I wanted to enjoy being outside for a moment longer before I had back into my chamber to begin the evolution process which could take a day or longer.

The forest was peaceful as I leisurely strolled around, not going too far from the main entrance of the burrow. I glanced at the blurry figures of the animals that kept close to the burrow because of the special relationship we had between them. This is what I truly wanted for myself in the future. This peace and tranquility among the dense forest. My mind was clear for the first time in a long time.

I found myself at the edge of the forest where a small glade existed. I crawled across the grassy plain until I was in the middle of the glade. I could sense that I was above the main chamber of the burrow, which was several feet below me. This glad was my favorite area in the forest because it was one of the places the sun shone directly upon. There were no trees to block the sun from reaching this place. I liked to feel the sun against my body occasionally when I'm not underground. I coiled myself up, relaxing and enjoying the rare day as my children moved around by the edge of the glade to keep watch as they patrolled the forest.

"There will come a time where I will properly have this peace." I thought to myself, satisfied with everything I have achieved so far.

"I doubt you will have that peace you wish for anytime soon, Mai-chan!" D's voice echoed throughout the glade as a phone landed directly in front of me.

I inwardly frowned, knowing nothing good came from her presence. "Whenever you show up I know nothing good is going to happen. What do you want, D?" I said with an annoyed tone.

"I'm just here to warn you, Mai-chan." D chuckles, "No need to sound so annoyed with me. I do think this little kingdom you built up is pretty neat."

I ignored her jab. "What do you want to warn me about?"

"Your little action of wiping out an entire nest of Small Taratects had some major consequences." She laughed, snorting in between, "You have made the Demon Lord angry, and she is going to retaliate."

There was a Demon Lord?! This was new information to me but she had no place in this battle between me and Queen Taratect. "How did I make her mad?! It's the Queen Taratect that I'm defending against!"

D groans and I could almost imagine her face-palming. "Who do you think those beasts listen to, hm?"

I wanted to scream and pull out my imaginary hair. There was an actual Demon Lord that I somehow offended even though I was simply defending myself. It was one thing fighting against a giant overpowered spider but going up against a Demon Lord was another.

"I need to escape!" I screamed inwardly, panic overtaking my mind. If the Demon Lord decides that I'm a pest then she could easily come here and eradicate me. All my efforts in surviving would be for naught.

"Oh, calm down your paltry dramatics." D laughed out loud. "The Demon Lord has another little problem on her hands. One that is a much bigger threat than you."

"Does it even matter? It's a fucking Demon Lord!" I screamed at her, "Either you give me some OP skill or I start packing up and leaving!"

"Are you really going to abandon this little kingdom you built?" D questioned, "You're much more cowardly than I thought. You're not all that fun anymore."

"Fun?! FUN?!" I was completely hysterical. The thought of a Demon Lord scared me and that title in the media of my old world meant that it was an existence that was powerful enough to destroy worlds. I've read enough novels to know that a Demon Lord was all-powerful. The Demon Lord could probably snap her fingers and end my life. "You think the threat of someone's life is FUN?! Fuck you, D! I'm leaving this place!"

"I'm sorry but I can't let you do that." D cackles before the phone disappears.

"This bitch is crazy." I thought inwardly until the system rang out in my mind.

Forced Evolution. Individual Queen Ferect, Mai Yumehiro evolves into Flowering Brood Empress. Forced Evolution. Individuals, Elroe Ferects, evolve into Flowering Prince.

"NO!" I was in shock and didn't know this person could do something like this. I was in too much shock to even register that my children were evolving along with me. This wasn't the evolution I wanted at all. I could feel my vision growing dark as the process began.

"It will be fun watching you defend your little kingdom, Mai-chan," D's voice viciously teased me, "Now you can't leave without fighting."

I cursed her in my heart, her voice fading away before completely blacking out. When I opened my eyes I was standing in an office facing my boss in the old world. He was berating me, insulting me, and I was just standing there taking it. I didn't know if D did this to me or If I was dreaming but seeing him again made me angry.

"Really? You can't do anything right!" He spat at me and I wondered if I was in a nightmare.

I couldn't move or say anything. It was as if I was a passenger in my own body. I knew exactly what day this was. This was the day I finally had the courage to speak out against him.

My tormentor.

"I can't do anything right?" I felt my mouth move, my body trembling, "You're sitting at that desk as if you earned something. It was all given to you by your father!"

"Y-You-!" He spluttered, his handsome face turning ugly.

I felt proud of myself but sad at the same time. Because after this I was forced into overworking myself and doing tasks I shouldn't be doing. Between this job and my demanding family, I realized that I lived a sad life. I already knew it but seeing it like this from an outside perspective drove it home harder.

Despite all of my hardship, I never ran away from it. Maybe it was because I was left with no choice but that was just an excuse. I could have resigned any time. I wanted to show him that I could endure his torments and still come out on top. A lot of good that did me in the end.

"You're going to regret this!" He roared, his eyes changing to a glowing red.

I was startled by the changing of his eyes but I couldn't do anything. The office fell away all around me, leaving only darkness as he morphed into the Queen Taratect. I stared up at the monstrous spider that loomed over me. I could see a dark figure standing on its head which strike fear into my heart. I so badly wanted to run but I wasn't in control of my body. The Queen was soon upon me with quickness and everything turned black again.

[Evolution completed. Became the Flowering Brood Empress species. Every basic ability increased and decreased. Level Up Bonus: Skill Proficiency was acquired. Incompatible skills have been removed and replaced with new skills.]

When I woke again, I was confronted by darkness again. I heard the system but I ignored it, still confounded by the dream I had. "What a nightmare." I thought rubbing my face with my hands.

Then it hit me. HANDS? I have arms?! The memories all came rushing back to me. I was forced to evolve because of D's wickedness. "That bitch!" I cursed inwardly wondering if she was my true enemy rather than the Demon Lord and her minions.

"Calm down, Mai," I told myself, "I can figure this out."

I recalled what I knew of the Flowering Brood Empress and knew that I wouldn't be able to move if the feel of my own body had anything to say about it. I could feel my roots extending deep into the ground, in fact, my roots ran deep into my burrow and reached as far as my personal chamber. I even could feel them absorbing water from the earth.

I was still livid that I was forced into an evolution I didn't want but I had to deal with the cards that I was dealt with. I touched the walls that encased me and felt its smooth leathery texture against my palm. I was surrounded by petals, I realized and focused, commanding them to open, and as if hearing my command they instantly opened. I was assaulted by sunlight shining down on me, telling me that it was the next day.

I still was in the glade but I could see everything clearly now. I could hear the wind against the swaying trees. I could smell the earth in all of its glory. I could finally taste other foods now. I had missed these things that I took for granted as a human and now I had them again. Furthermore, the sun felt great on my skin, making me more energetic than I felt in a very long time. I couldn't help but close my eyes for a bit, basking in the sun that filled me with energy.

Forcing myself out of my relaxed state, I inspected my body and my upper body became that of a human female just like the description said. I looked at my pale dainty hands that were nothing like mines in the old world. They were much smaller and really pretty. I started feeling my face and could feel tears rolling down my eyes. I was so happy to have two eyes, a nose, and a mouth that I couldn't stop the tears of happiness. I wondered what I looked like but I didn't exactly have a mirror. However, that happiness was dashed away when I opened my mouth to speak I realized I couldn't.

"Figures that something like this would happen!" I screamed inwardly as more tears rolled down my eyes from both happiness and sadness.

Not dwelling on the saddening fact that I couldn't speak, I continued to inspect my body with half curiosity and half resentment. I could feel the long leafy centipede legs protruding from my back. I tried moving them and could control them independently as they were double-jointed. The six legs could curl around my torso perfectly and I brought them closer so I could see them and guessed that they were about 7-8 ft in length. The entire leg was green and covered in leaves that made them look like wings but beneath those leaves were sharp tiny spines with black colored tips.

I didn't know if I liked these changes and actually missed the many legs that assisted me in my agility. Speaking of changes, I finally had hair grown to waist-length and it was jet black and straight. I ran a hand through my hair, feeling the smoothing texture and the girl in me squealed. I was starting to have a love and hate relationship with this new evolution and didn't know what to do about it.

The problem is my lower body. I was growing in a huge yellow flower. The bright yellow petals were quite familiar to the tulip yellow empress flower in my old world. They are so gorgeous flowers but these petals are part of my body. There are several leaves overlapping each other below them which are also part of my body. I was greatly confused by this entire thing as it was an entirely new experience for me. I understand that the flower is connected to my waist and I can feel like the flower is part of my body but it's really a strange feeling. Going from a creepy crawling insect into a blooming human-centipede-flower hybrid was not on my to-do list.

Underneath the leaves grew what looks like a green huge bulb with a large mouth like that of a carnivorous plant and inside that mouth were retractable mandibles that shoo out to grab prey and pull them inside. From the side of the bulb, five leaves are growing with countless vines lazily spread out on the ground. I tried to open and close the bulb's mouth was successful in doing so. Furthermore, I could also move the vines freely like extended arms. I wasn't sure how to describe this entire feeling but I could adapt like I always did. I won't let D win this game she thinks she's playing.

But there is one thing that I had been avoiding while inspecting my body and that was my naked torso. I could feel the heaviness of my boobs that were quite perky for their size. Using my hands, I hefted them, gliding my palm across the smooth skin and across the pink nipple. It was weird having them after a long time of not being a female and I was not sure if I missed the weight they brought to me.

Thankfully, the lower half of my body is a flower and a plant so no other genitalia could be shown. However, the story is different with my upper body with my boobs hanging out. I would have to find a way to cover them but for now, I let my hair partially cover them. After I was done inspecting my body it was time to move on to another important fact. My children unexpectedly evolved along with me. I didn't know this was possible since the first batch of Elroe Ferects were all destroyed by Mason. I reconnected with them instantly and their voices bombarded me with any questions.

"Mother, you managed to evolve!"

"We're stronger now mother!"

Those were some of the questions asked but I ignored them and summoned the closest children to me. Several of them burst into the glade from the edge of the forest and to my shock, their bodies were still in the shape of a centipede, albeit a bit worm-like, but slightly bigger than their previous form. That wasn't the biggest change though because their bodies were completely yellow and replacing the hard shells on their backs were green leaves with tiny yellow and white flowers going down the length of their backs. Their backs looked like miniature gardens. There were also three extensions that looked similar to the legs on my back on each side of their head. I appraised them quickly, wanting to see their status now.

Name: Nameless

Type: Insect/Plant

Species: Flowering Prince

Level: 1

HP:2000/2000

MP:2000/2000

SP:2000/2000 (2000/2000)

Offense: 1700

Defense: 2000

Magic Power: 6000

Resistance: 2000

Speed: 8000

I was actually pleased by the boost in their stats which were higher than the ones from the previous form. Soon enough, all of my children that were in the area started clamoring around me. Some of them even came into the glade gliding through the air using the extensions on their head which shocked me.

"You guys can fly?" I hurriedly asked them, impressed by them.

"No, but we can glide through the air. It's so much fun, Mother!" They chorused happily, "You should try it!"

"You-" I wanted to get angry but I couldn't and laughed to myself. "You little gluttons know that I can't move from here! Get back to your stations!" I told them in a playful tone.

"As you wish, Mother!" They all replied before returning to do their tasks.

I shook my head before speaking to the group I left in the Labyrinth. "Are you guys alright? Were you attacked when you were forced to evolve?" I asked them.

"We are great, Mother! We had already cleaned the first level of monsters so there was no danger and we hid in a safe place."

I silently sighed in relief. "I want you all to return immediately," I ordered.

"We shall obey you, Mother."

Now that was done it was time to check my stats first to see how strong I was now. I became a little hesitant in checking the system. I really wanted to choose the Matriarch Rafflesia but now I was stuck in some sort of human centipede plant hybrid. I opened the system and the usual notifications came up.

Name: Mai Yumehiro

Type: Insect/Plant

Species: Flowering Brood Empress

Level: 1

HP:6,025/6,025

MP:6,015/6,015

SP:6,015/6,015 (6,015/6,015)

Offense: 8105

Defense: 6600

Magic Power: 14,194

Resistance: 5604

Speed: 0

I simply stared at my speed in shock. It used to be my highest stat and now it was zero. But it was expected since I'm literally rooted in the spot but seeing a zero there was still discouraging. The small buff in some of my other stats was actually decent but my Speed stat points that were lost got recalculated into the Magic Power stat which was still better than nothing. It was time to check skills now to see what skills I lost and what skills I gained from this evolution. I checked the system once more. I was grateful that I gained skills to replace those that were lost.

[The following skills have been removed: Skanda LV10, Poison Attack LV9, Enhanced Paralysis Attack LV8, Shadow Magic LV5, Poison Magic LV10, Hard Armour LV1, Toxic Brew, Poison Enhancement LV7, Paralysis Enhancement LV7, HP Auto-Recovery LV2, MP Recovery Speed LV3, SP Recovery Speed LV3.]

[The following skills have been gained: Wind Attack LV1, Plant Enhancement LV1, Wind Enhancement LV1, Magic Warfare LV1, Mental Warfare LV1, Magic Conferment LV1, Wind Magic LV1, Charming Evil Eye LV1, Prediction LV1, Flower Shield LV1, Plant Power LV1, Pollen Release, Solar Synthesis LV1]

[Egg-Laying LV6 has become Flower Seed-Laying LV1]

[Wind Attack LV1: Imbues physical attacks with the wind attribute.]

[Plant Enhancement LV1: Increases the power of plant-based attacks.]

[Wind Enhancement LV1: Increases the power of wind-based attacks.]

[Magic Warfare LV1: Consumes MP to temporarily raise base stats.]

[Mental Warfare LV1: Consumes SP to temporarily raise base stats.]

[Magic Conferment LV1: Imbues an object with magic. For example, a stone imbued with Fire Magic will emanate heat, or an arrow imbued with Wind Magic will accelerate like a bullet.]

[Charming Evil Eye LV1: Inflicts the heresy attribute effect "Charmed" on anything in the user's field of vision]

[Prediction LV1: When making predictions, adds a bonus to thinking ability.]

[Flower Shield LV1: Summons flower petals around the user which halves the damage taken by physical or magical attacks.]

[Pollen Release: User is able to release three types of pollen to attack opponents: Sleep Pollen, Paralyzing Pollen, and Sweet Pollen.]

[Plant Power LV1: The user always passively recovers HP, MP, and SP by absorbing sunlight from the sun and water from the earth. At night this process slows down.]

[Solar Synthesis LV1:The user converts sunlight to recover HP rapidly. However, if used at night the effect is much very slow.]

[Flower Seed-Laying LV1: User produces 1000 seed-like eggs once every six months. Once released they bury themselves underground. They will need sunlight and water to grow. Once they fully bloom they will produce a fully grown Flowering Prince.]

I read through each skill carefully, committing them to memory but the description of the last skill puzzled me. What would happen to the eggs that were in the incubation chamber underground? If my egg-laying skill evolved into something completely different then...

"Are the eggs in the chamber safe?!" I asked my children through the link, hoping that my conjecture was wrong and that nothing was going to happen. I truly loved all of these little rascals and they kept me sane in this world instead of suffering from loneliness.

"Mother, the eggs… we cannot sense any life from them." They replied in a soft sad voice, "Our brothers…."

Now that I was half-human I was able to cry. The tears wouldn't stop coming as the thought of my children dying and not being able to me meet, their mother was gut-wrenching. Was this what it was like losing a child? I can't imagine a mother losing a single child. If losing a single child was so heartbreaking and sad. Then losing five hundred was like being stabbed over a thousand times in the heart.

I never wanted to kill anyone more than I wanted to kill that wretched woman. Why does she keep messing with my life?! I had to deal with people who go on power trips back in my old world and now I had to deal with it here. I wrapped my arms around myself, barely finding comfort in the action.

"Mother, our brothers. We're sad we didn't get to meet them." The tiny voices from my children echoed in my head.

I wiped my tears with the back of my hand. "Don't worry, my children." I could feel anger bubbling up inside of me. "One day, we will get our revenge." The anger was building up inside me and I desperately needed some sort of outlet to release my anger.

"Mother, a party of 20 humans are investigating the village and are on their way into the forest. There is a possibility they might come here."

They are finally investigating the village that has long been burned down this late? "No, they will come here," I predicted, using the prediction skill I just gained. I started giving out orders to all of my children. "I want all builders to block every single entrance and exit. They don't have much use to me now. I'm rooted in this glade. This will now be our base of operation. I want multiple holes dug here in this glade but spread them out evenly and connect them all to the main chamber."

I was coming up with a plan of action on the fly to accommodate my new form and skills. The original purpose of the multiple exits was in case the burrow was attacked and we had more routes to escape. It was different now that I was out in the open so the burrow no longer served as a defense for me, and now would serve as both a storage and surprise factor for my enemies.

I looked around the glade with calculating eyes before putting my plan into action. While my children were working quickly to dig the holes and I decided to do some renovation with the glade. I raised my hands and used my plant magic on the grassy glade around me.

"Green Surge!"

The flowers and grass immediately grew across the field into full bloom, becoming thick and tall to hide the holes my children made. I directed my power to the trees and shrubs at the forest's edge, forcefully growing them to become denser to slow down intruders. I was in the middle of the glade surrounded by a tall field of flowers and grass.

"Mother, we are finished!" My children chorused in my mind.

"Great job!" I praised them as they swarmed out of the holes and into the field.

"Mother, are we going to attack the humans?"

"Only if they attack me first." I didn't hesitate to reply, "Replenish your energy levels in the sunlight before going back underground. I will summon you all when the time is right."

"We will, Mother!" They all replied before they started running around and gliding through the air, absorbing as much sunlight and water as they could get.

All of my preparations were done so I waited for them to come.

I know they will come.

Julius Zagan Analeit is my name and I'm the second prince of the Kingdom of Analeit. A small group of about twenty soldiers was sent to investigate a massacre that occurred in a village in the Oht's Kingdom while on the way to Sariella for the war by recommendation by Pope Dustin. This mission was requested by the Oht's Kingdom to help with relations between the two kingdoms and I volunteered to go with the group to get the experience while the main army continue to the rendezvous point.

I was traveling with a small group of soldiers chosen for this specific mission and as the youngest of the group was to keep close to Captain Reinhart who was in charge of him. Captain Reinhart is a strict and no-nonsense soldier. He also had a lot of knowledge of the world that impressed me and that wisdom is more times than not life-saving wisdom for his subordinates.

Our primary goal was to investigate the deaths and eradicate the monsters responsible. This was considered an S-Class mission because a fairly famous guild was wiped out in a single night and left many adventurers fearful of the danger. Captain Reinhart was courageous for even going

"I can't believe such a thing would happen," I hear a soldier say as the group begins to split up to investigate by order of the Captain, "What kind of monster could do such a thing?"

"Let's go, young Julius." Reinhart said and I followed him, "Tell me, why do you think Oht's Kingdom wanted us to investigate?"

The Oht's Kingdom had a monopoly on the labyrinth in terms of trading monster material. This is what I learned during his history lessons with the royal tutor. I didn't know why the Oht's Kingdom didn't' send anyone to investigate but was it really to help with relations? "I don't know sir," I replied.

"The Oht's Kingdom doesn't want to deal with it because they were an indirect cause of this tragedy. When a guild has so much control over a village you must wonder why the higher-ups aren't interfering." Reinhart answered.

"Are you telling me that the Guild and the Kingdom had some sort of agreement?" I asked him but he simply smiled.

We went to where the guild once stood and surveyed the rubble but found nothing. We circled the area a few times before meeting back up with the group in the center of the village. I felt like something was watching me so we met back up with them in case anything happened.

"Captain, we didn't find any bodies!" A soldier ran up to them with a worried expression.

"Either the bodies were eaten or they were taken away." Reinhart deduced as he looked around the village with calculating eyes.

"I found something, Captain!" A soldier suddenly ran up to us.

"Lead the way, soldier," Reinhart ordered with a serious expression.

We followed the soldier to a section of the village and watched him tap the ground. "The happened about a week ago but the soil here is still soft like something dug a hole and covered it up. There are several of these spots throughout the village if you look carefully because it's not something easily noticed. This tells me that the people may have been attacked from underground."

"What kind of monster attacks like that?" I asked as I went through of monsters I read about, "I know the Mole Bears can dig like this but they aren't native to these parts, right?"

"There aren't Mole Bears for sure." Reinhart frowned, observing the fallen houses, "The village may have been caught off-guard by something but if you look at some of the damage taken by the houses, there probably were explosions as well. Did anyone check the surrounding forest?"

"Some of us checked but didn't go too far, Captain. We found pieces of rubble scattered throughout the forest." A soldier spoke up.

I looked at Reinhart with imploring eyes. "We search the forest but we stick together this time," He ordered, "Be on guard!"

We entered the forest in a snake formation with Captain Reinhart and me at the helm. As we got deeper into the forest I realized that it was getting denser the further they went which was unusual. Despite this, we still pushed forward at Reinhart's orders. We walked for a long time, clearing away shrubs and bush that impeded our way. I realized that the direction we were going was a good distance away from the village and deep into unexplored forested areas that we had no clue about.

"Captain, should we turn back?" I suggested when we finally reached a point where moving forward was not an option because the bush and trees were growing in a way that made it impossible.

"What do we do now, Captain?" A soldier asked.

"Leave it to me," Reinhart replied, drawing his sword quickly in a wide arc, leaving a streak of light. The trees and bushes were cut down easily, creating a pathway for us to move forward.

I stared in awe at the pathway he created and my admiration for him went up a few more notches. We walked through the pathway he made, stepping into a gorgeous glade with flowers covering every inch. Captain Reinhart stopped and I followed his eyes. There in the middle of the glade was the most beautiful thing I ever laid my eyes on. I could feel my cheeks reddening and I looked away in embarrassment as it was my first time seeing them.

"That thing is not a human, young Julius." Captain Reinhart suddenly said, "Don't view it as a human. It's a monster so do not feel embarrassed."

I nodded my head, fighting my blush as I stare at the monster in the middle of the glade watching us.

"I've only read about this monster in books but to actually see a Flowering Brood Empress in person. She's absolutely beautiful and terrifying." A mage soldier whispered as he tries to appraise it, "I can't appraise it with the appraisal stone, Captain."

"Could it be that she was the one who destroyed the village and killed the people?" Another soldier asked, drawing his sword.

A soldier cleared his throat, trying to fight the blush on his cheeks. "Who else could it be? We have to kill it!"

"It is highly unlikely this monster attacked the village. There is a war going on so we should get this mission over and done with. There is a monster we should eradicate. We will remove its head as proof of completing the mission. Thought, we should tread carefully as we haven't found something like this. It's a plant-type monster and they don't like fire. Mages, I want you to spread out on the edges of the glade casting your strongest fire spells. If you have to burn the field do it. We will assist you if necessary."

Five mages ran across the edges of the glade to different points, forming a circle around the monster. I watch as all five of them charge their staves with magic before casting the spell. "Fireball!" They roared, thrusting their staff forward and shooting flaming fireballs at the monster.

I held my breath as the fireballs struck the monster from different directions resulting in a fiery explosion. When the smoke cleared, revealing the monster to be unhurt, flames spread to the grass and flowers around her before quickly going out. The expression on her face was one that I would remember for a long time. It was the expression so cold that it send shivers down my spine.

Captain Reinhart frowned. "Burn the field!" He ordered the mages.

"Wouldn't the forest get caught on fire as well?" I quickly asked, not sure if I was more worried for the monsters or the soldiers and that simple thought made me worried.

"The mages are capable of outing the fire if it gets out of control," Reinhart told me before watching the mages cast another spell.

"I'm sorry," I whispered in my heart, staring at the monster.

"No, I'm sorry." A cold feminine voice said within my mind and my eyes widened at the monster who was looking at me directly.

Then she attacked.

The next chapter is sure to be fun and I want to make it action-packed. Also, D is very mischievous and our MC really hates her now. Why is D messing with Mai, you ask? We'll find out later in the story.

I really hope you guys liked the new skills I gave to the new evolution. The idea for these evolutions stats was this:

Flowering Brood Empress: High Magical Power Output, Decent Defences and Resistances and Amazing Recovery.

Queen Aricius: High Defense, Attack, and Resistance. Low Speed and Low Magic Power Output. Mostly Physical Attacks.

Matriarch Rafflesia: High Attack, Magical Power Output, and Speed. Low Defenses and Resistances.

So this is the stat points increased and decrease for the evolution.

HP:4025/4025 +2000

MP:4015/4015 + 2000

SP:4015/4015 (4015/4015) 2000

Offense: 8105 +0

Defense: 4600 +2000

Magic Power: 3804 +10390

Resistance: 3604 +2000

Speed: 8390 -8390

Name: Mai Yumehiro

Type: Insect/Plant

Species: Flowering Brood Empress

Level: 1

HP:6,025/6,025

MP:6,015/6,015

SP:6,015/6,015 (6,015/6,015)

Offense: 8105

Defense: 6600

Magic Power: 14,194

Resistance: 5604

Speed: 0

Stat Skills:

Herculean Strength LV4, MP Lessened Consumption LV3, SP Lessened Consumption LV3, Plant Power LV1

Attack Skills:

Wind Attack LV1

Enhancement Skills:

Piercing Enhancement LV6, Plant Enhancement LV1, Wind Enhancement LV1

Active Skills:

Expel LV10, Herbalism LV1, Magic Warfare LV1, Mental Warfare LV1, Magic Conferment LV1, Solar Synthesis LV1, Flower Shield LV1

Leadership Skills:

Fartalk LV10, Flower Seed-Laying LV1, Cooperation LV10, Leadership LV7

Perception Skills:

Detection LV10, High-Speed Processing LV1, Prediction LV1

Magic Skills:

Magic Power Operation LV9, Heretic Magic LV6, Harvest Magic LV1, Pure Water Magic LV8, Wind Magic LV1, Plant Magic LV10

Evil Eyes Skills:

Paralyzing Evil Eye LV5, Charming Evil Eye LV1

Resistance Skills:

Status Condition Nullification, Acid Resistance LV3, Heresy Nullification, Rot Resistance LV2, Fear Resistance LV2, Fire Resistance LV8, Cutting Resistance LV1, Pain Resistance LV6, Faint Resistance LV6, Destruction Resistance LV5, Pain Mitigation LV5, Piercing Resistance LV1

Passive Skills:

Stealth LV10, Concealment LV2, Heatless LV1, Silence LV1

Other Skills:

Taboo LV7, n% I = W, As One, Appraisal LV10, Fertile Nature, Pollen Release, Satiation LV4, Shelter LV6

Titles:

Foul Feeder, Assassin, Kin Eater, Hedge Witch, Poison Technique User, Commander