New chapter of Plant Magic Lord is out! (9/10)

 

 

River Character

(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)

(TLN: 川 is the kanji for River)

“That is Wood, my… family.” (Elt)

There are stories that he was created by magic or something, but I decided to skip over that part. What matters is that Dia understands the importance. I can explain the details later.

Dia tilted her head.

“Piyo, family… just the name?” (Dia)

“That is not a big deal. Differences in appearance don’t matter much.” (Elt)

“I see, piyo…!” (Dia)

Dia stared intently at Wood. She stayed like that for a moment, but then suddenly jumped up.

“Piyo! Somehow, just like Tou-sama! Wood is the Onii-chan!” (Dia)

“Hm? I see… so that’s how it is.” (Elt)

“If it’s family, that’s right…” (Stella)

“Ugo-ugo! Me, Onii-chan?” (Wood)

“Yes, to Wood, Dia is the little sister.” (Elt)

“Ugo-ugo! Little sister!” (Wood)

“Onii-chan!” (Dia)

To summarize, Tou-sama, me. Kaa-sama, Stella. Onii-chan, Wood. So that’s how it turned out. It’s unusual, but well, this kind of arrangement is possible.

“Piyo, Onii-chan, pet me too!” (Dia)
“Ugo-ugo, understood!” (Wood)

Wood carefully stroked Dia.

“Yay! I’m so happy, piyo!” (Dia)

“Ugo-ugo, you’re welcome!” (Wood)

It is a heartwarming scene. Still, earlier, Dia said something…

“Somehow, just like Tou-sama.” (Dia)

Wood, created by my magic, essentially has mana similar to mine. I can tell well because I am in contact with him every day. Wood’s mana is not enough to use magic, and it is basically at an ordinary person’s level…

People who can use magic also have the ability to sense mana. If you face or touch them suddenly, you can tell whether their mana is large or small. But usually, that is as far as it goes. If Stella and Naru are standing nearby, you can easily tell the difference in their mana. However, what you notice is only the difference in quantity. Even for me, judging differences in quality requires intense concentration and direct contact. Dia was able to judge it just by looking briefly. That is quite amazing…

Also, the moment she hatched from the egg, she recognized me and Stella as her parents. At the time, I didn’t find it strange, but she must have been able to tell clearly…

While thinking about various things, Stella quietly spoke to me.

“Elt-sama, it seems Dia understands mana quite well.” (Stella)

“…It seems so. She might have magical talent.” (Elt)

“Can we also raise her in that direction?” (Stella)

“Hmm… With Dia’s intelligence, she will probably want to understand what she senses someday. At that time, we can explain it, and if she wishes to learn more…” (Elt)

“Understood… I think that is fine for me too.” (Stella)

While we were talking like that, Dia spread her small wings.

“Tou-sama, Kaa-sama, pet us too!” (Dia)

“All right… I will pet you!” (Elt)

“Let’s pet her together.” (Stella)

Each of us extended one finger and gently stroked her.

Fluffy…

“Ah… happiness transmitted through the fingers…” (Elt)

“That’s true. How is it? Does it feel good?” (Stella)

“Piyo, I like it very much!” (Dia)

After stroking for a while, Dia fell asleep again.

Maybe because she is a baby, she sleeps a lot. There is a saying that children who sleep grow well, so I hope she grows up healthy and strong.

 

—

 

While Dia was sleeping, we prepared Stella’s room and finished some paperwork.

There is one more thing. I arranged for at least one person to stay with Dia at all times in the living room while she sleeps. Dia is sleeping soundly, but you never know when she will wake up. Having one person stay with her gives peace of mind.

While doing that, night came. Dinner time was approaching in our house… but Dia still hadn’t woken up.

“Hmm… she is definitely sleeping well.” (Elt)

“Hmm, it’s probably better not to wake her, right?” (Stella)

“Yes, I think she’ll wake up when hungry…” (Elt)

From what I heard from adventurers, Cockatrice chicks mostly sleep in their nests. They wake up occasionally, eat the food their parents put, and then sleep again. That is their cycle. If Dia, the Cockatrice Queen, is the same, she should only wake up occasionally. For now, I will leave her be… Also, Stella is here today.

“By the way, Stella, what about dinner? Will you eat here?” (Elt)

“Y-yes… I would like to do so.” (Stella)

“All right, then wait here. I will prepare it.” (Elt)

“Ugo-ugo. I will make dinner!” (Wood)

Wood opened the cupboard door and took out a whole leg of raw ham.

This has been his recent favorite. He likes eating a little bit of raw ham at a time. For now, if there is nothing else, I have him bring out the ham.

Wood has become capable of doing delicate tasks. He has gotten better at slicing off pieces from the whole leg. The slices are still about the thickness of bacon though…

I also stand in the kitchen. Cooking with fire is still too dangerous for Wood. That said, since there are tasty vegetables, I just lightly boil or grill them…

Then, before I noticed, Stella was standing beside me. She looked somewhat surprised.

“Could it be that you are cooking yourself?” (Stella)

“I think cooking with fire is still dangerous for Wood.” (Elt)

“No… I thought someone else would come and prepare the food…” (Stella)

“I want to prepare it myself, so don’t worry about it.” (Elt)

This is true. The cuisine of this Zanzas region has very strong flavors. To me, it is too strong and hard to eat. Of course, simple grilled dishes and salads are exceptions… For that reason, I have not hired a chef. I don’t want someone pointing out differences in taste to me all the time.

“…I will cook.” (Stella)

“No, that’s…” (Elt)

“I understand. You cook yourself because the flavors around here are too strong, right…? I struggled with that too, and I can adjust it.” (Stella)

“Hmm… but…” (Elt)

“It is unthinkable for the lord to cook…” (Stella)

I see. Stella is so insistent because I am a noble… In other words, she cannot eat my cooking. Still, should I really leave it to Stella here…? She quickly understood the reason I cook. She must have some confidence.

I glance briefly at Dia, who was behind me.

Hmm… we are family after all. Of course, for Stella, being with me is also work… On top of that, asking her to do housework feels unfair. Wood usually has free time after cleaning during the day. Housework is his job.

Looking at it this way, asking Stella to do housework would be too much for her… I’ve decided to keep this household a white (fair and reasonable) one. Alright, I will have Stella watch Dia. That is why she lives with us for a while.

I said something offhand and let Stella sit.

“No, I will do it. In the Nagash Household, this happens often. If you lose your skills, people complain.” (Elt)

“Huh…? Is that so?” (Stella)

“Yes, it is a strange tradition… Stella, don’t worry about it. Please watch over Dia.” (Elt)

“U-um… understood.” (Stella)

When I said that, Stella couldn’t refuse.

Forgive me, Stella. It’s not that I’m scared of centuries-old elf cuisine. Really…

When I started cooking spaghetti, a voice came from behind. It was Dia.

“Good morning! I’m hungry!” (Dia)

Perfect timing, it’s mealtime.

 

—

 

After finishing the meal and taking a light bath, night deepened. By the way, after eating, Dia immediately fell asleep again.

Hmm, I should go to bed early today too… I should tell Stella just in case.

“You probably know, but when Dia wakes up, try to be together as much as possible.” (Elt)

“Yes… gulp.” (Stella)

“There is a big bed. The order of sleeping will be me, Wood, then Stella. Stella will be on the wall side. I will put still Wood between us so you can sleep somewhat comfortably… It will be a burden though.” (Elt)

(TLN: This is where the kanji 川 bring its meaning. There are three lines in the kanji, think of it 3 people are together. Elt on the left, Wood in the middle and Stella on the right.)

“U-um…?” (Stella)

“I always sleep with Wood.” (Elt)

“I-I see.” (Stella)

“Dia is only a few months old…” (Elt)

“Y-yes.” (Stella)

“It’s fine if you sleep during the day, so let’s do that for a while. Put Dia’s basket at the edge of the bed where Wood sleeps.” (Elt)

“Understood… yes.” (Stella)

“What’s wrong?” (Elt)

Stella shook her head lightly.

“…I was just a little surprised.” (Stella)

I understand roughly what she means. I keep proper boundaries around here. Wood’s body itself will be the boundary.

 

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(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)