Chapter 44: Rapid Growth

‘Let’s stop with the scary thoughts…’

After Niss and the master left, I shook off the anxious thoughts that filled my head.

Instead, I should think about Polymorph, which has gained a lot of related characteristics.

Originally, I had to wait 700 years, but thanks to absorbing the knights’ magic power, I could shorten it to 5 years, right?

‘If it’s 5 years, wouldn’t I be able to do it now?’

My heart suddenly pounded at that thought.

The flower petals trembled with excitement.

‘Should I give it a try?’

Flutter, flutter!

Miel was the first to fly over my flower petal, as if she had sensed me.

Then, one by one, the bugles began to gather.

It was cute to see them prickling their antennae and looking at me with excitement.

Cecilia also spread her fiery wings and looked excited.

Lotte circled me in a regular cycle like the moon orbiting the Earth.

But Glessia… was still lying leisurely in the corner.

She really has a lot of personality…

Well, that’s okay.

‘Good! Watch closely!’

I slowly began to prepare with a mixture of excitement and nervousness.

First, I used the Radiance skill to make my body shine brightly.

The light emanating from my entire body brightly illuminated the inside of the room.

‘Hoohoo. I think I’m perfectly prepared!’

I shouted in my mind.

‘Polymorph!’

…

Nothing happened.

Bugles was still looking at me with her round eyes.

Only Miel tilted her antennae slightly, which made me think, ‘What is this?’

‘Shall we try again?’

This time, I shouted in my mind louder.

‘Polymorph!!’

At the same time, I imagined a human form as specifically as possible.

Walking gracefully with long legs, holding objects with my hands, speaking with my mouth…

…

But still, nothing changed.

Only the petals sparkled a little more.

I felt Bugles’ eyes gradually changing from anticipation to regret.

Miel approached my petals and tapped them with her slender legs.

It seemed as if she was saying, ‘Cheer up…’

‘Don’t pity me!’

The petals drooped in disappointment.

Isn’t this the way?

I tried tilting my body this way and that, and shaking the petals hard, but there was still no change.

I tried twisting the roots this way and that, but it was no use.

‘If I had known this would happen, I should have asked the master and Master about the method before they left…’

At that moment, a thought flashed through my head.

‘Hmm… Let’s just gather our strength! Transformation is a spirit! Just like when we evolve!’

I tightened my petals and put all my strength into my roots.

I concentrated my whole body, recalling when I evolved.

‘Huh-huh-huh-huh-huh!’

I gathered all the magic power in my body into one place.

Even the stamens trembled!

‘Yuck!!!’

My body suddenly felt hot.

My whole body was burning as if I had been exposed to hot sunlight.

‘Huh? What is it!?’

A red light began to rise from my body.

It was as if smoke was enveloping my body.

Burlesque looked at me again with eyes full of anticipation.

Miel’s wings flapped faster, and Cecilia’s flame wings also glowed brightly.

‘Is this it!?’

The light that enveloped my entire body grew stronger.

Warm energy spread to every corner of my body.

‘Yes, this is Polymorph!!!’

I’m finally becoming human!

I can walk side by side with my master, right?

And I can talk and dance…!

‘Huh, huh?’

But something felt strange.

My body began to get heavier.

The petals grew bigger and the stems grew longer.

I felt the roots digging deeper into the ground and becoming stronger.

The bugles started to circle around me in surprise.

They looked so excited that their wings flapped faster and their antennae twitched.

Even Glessia woke up at some point and was looking at me with wide eyes.

When did she wake up?

But now was not the time to worry about that!

‘This is… not Polymorph, my body just grew bigger!’

The petals and stem continued to grow, and now it was a little bigger than my master.

The stems became thicker, and the petals changed from pitch-black to a reddish color.

The stamens that moved like a viper’s tongue were now longer and clearer, moving like small whips.

‘Eww… Is this all? It’s just a little bigger!’

First of all, it wasn’t at all the human form that I had expected.

It was just a little bigger and more gorgeous flower!

The status window flickered a little too late.

『Evolved into Dominant Thanatos Crown.』

‘What!?’

There wasn’t even an evolution possible indication in the status window?

What kind of easter egg is this!?

『Ability values ​​have changed slightly.』

‘Huh?’

Looking at the status window, all abilities increased by 400.

Grow 40 levels at once!

‘This is good…’

It’s good to be strong, but…

‘Ugh… I still don’t want to grow…’

It’s hard to be rubbed…

The flower petals slightly closed in regret.

I felt even sadder as I recalled the way my master used to caress my weaknesses.

A subtle emotion of joy for growing stronger and sadness for growing bigger came rushing in.

At that moment, bugs swarmed around me.

Now that I had grown bigger, there was more room for bugs to gather.

The crawling bugs mostly settled at the bottom of the stems, while the flying bugs danced around on the flower petals.

It was as if a small village had formed.

Each person took their place and moved busily, all in perfect order.

‘Now it’s the bugs’ apartment…’

Still, I felt good because the bugs seemed happy.

‘But I can’t just stay like this!’

I want to shrink again!

Let’s try it!

‘Get smaller!’

I shouted with all my might in my heart, but nothing happened.

‘Shrink!’

I tried to squeeze the petals as hard as I could, but it was no use.

‘Shrink!’

‘Miniature!’

‘Loribeam!’

I thought of all kinds of words, but it was no use.

No matter how hard I tried, my body was the same.

‘Ugh…’

Should I just live like this, grown so big…

I guess I’ll just have to endure it until I polymorph.

I won’t try anything weird and just wait quietly for five years like Nissim said.

The petals opened with a new determination.

‘Five years will be quick!’

And if humans like the Knights come and give us their magic, it’ll be even faster!

I didn’t really like the sight of myself growing to the size of my master, but there was nothing I could do.

The bugles excitedly explored my newly formed, huge body and secured more space.

Miel jumped around on my petals and began drawing something with her antenna.

When I looked closely, it seemed like she was drawing me.

‘Huh? You can draw too?’

As I carved letters with my roots, Miel flapped her wings happily.

…

Time passed like that.

Two weeks had passed since the master and Niss left.

Every day, like a diligent apartment resident, Bugles began her work busily.

Our Bugles apartment became more systematic as the days went by.

Some cleaned every corner of the common area, and some went around the labyrinth to detect external dangers.

Glessia was a total idiot, but…

Lotte still orbited me at a constant speed like a black satellite, acting as a shield.

Now Bugles had gotten used to him, and sometimes he would sit on Lotte’s back and rest.

Square, square!

Since losing to Lotte last time, Cecilia had been gnawing on my flower petals with passion.

Like an athlete training at the gym, she regularly ate flower petals every day and trained to fly quickly while fluttering her flame wings.

Today, I felt a strange energy coming from Cecilia’s body.

Her fiery wings glowed brighter than usual, and suddenly intense flames began to surround her body.

‘Ouch, hot!’

Cecilia’s form began to change in the flames.

Her wings spread wide and her body grew slightly larger.

And the most surprising thing was…

She gained another pair of wings!

『 ☆☆ 【Cecilia】 Celestial Flame Trinity LV140 』

‘Oh! It evolved!’

The heat was soon forgotten, and my petals shone brightly with joy.

Cecilia had now become a gorgeous flame butterfly with three pairs of wings.

Each wing seemed to contain a real sun, with red and orange flames dancing around it.

The wings had grown a little larger, and the colors had become more vivid.

‘Trinity… does it mean trinity? Is it because it has three pairs of wings?’

Celestial Flame Trinity…

What a wonderful name.

Cecilia flew around me in circles, showing off her new look.

Every time she flew, a splendid trail of fireworks was drawn in the air.

It was like a fireworks show.

All the bugles gathered to watch Cecilia’s splendid flight.

Miel also flapped her wings and flew in the air with Cecilia, but she could not compare to the intensity of the fireworks.

Glessia was still lying down in a lazy posture, but her eyes sparkled at Cecilia.

Lotte also slowed down her orbit slightly and showed interest.

‘Wow, she was already pretty, but she’s even prettier!’

I gently stroked my proud daughter’s wings with the tip of the root.

At that moment, I felt a warm aura from Cecilia’s wings.

In this cold ice cave, such a high-quality hot pack was truly precious.

I was very proud of Cecilia.

Hyukhyuk had grown up and now reached level 140, and she had three pairs of wings…

Of course, she grew up eating me…

Flap!

Cecilia confidently flapped her wings and flew through the air, then suddenly flew towards Lotte!

‘Huh? Not again?’

As expected, Cecilia charged at Lotte, spewing out a splendid flame.

The flames from her three pairs of wings completely enveloped Lotte.

‘Ugh.’

But the result was the same this time.

Lotte was still fine despite Cecilia’s attack.

Rather, the surface of Lotte that had been touched by the flames seemed to sparkle even more.

Cecilia bounced back less than last time, but it still had no effect.

‘As expected of Niss-nim…’

Cecilia returned to me, looking disappointed.

The sight of her now-large wings drooping was even more pitiful.

‘It’s okay, Lotte’s defense is a cheat.’

I comforted Cecilia, stroking her with the tip of my root.

‘You just have to be pretty!’

Flap flap!

Cecilia sat down on my flower petals and began to rest.

The sight of her three pairs of wings slowly folding was really pretty.

I suddenly thought of my master.

Cecilia evolved and I evolved.

I just grew up, that’s all.

‘Master, when will you come back…’

Now time seemed to pass more slowly.