New chapter of Plant Magic Lord is out! (2/10 chapters)

 

 

Fluff and Admiration

(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)

The cockatrice that came out from the underground passage was, as expected, just a little smaller than me… or maybe about the same. It could not be called adult human-sized. I think the cockatrice from Zanzas that I heard about in stories was several meters long. Compared to that, this one was considerably smaller.

“Piyoyo.” (Cockatrice)

That cockatrice walked up to the grass dumplings and stared intently at us. Round, wide, glistening eyes.

“Do you think it will eat it…? Munch munch.” (Tetetoka)

Tetetoka said this lazily while eating.

Was the cockatrice looking at Tetetoka, perhaps? …Ah, that might be it. Like testing whether it’s poisonous by eating it together. Eating the same thing, in a way, represents trust. Since you can’t do anything suspicious that way.

“…Piyo!” (Cockatrice)

Perhaps having made up its mind, the cockatrice quickly picked up the grass dumplings, then swallowed it whole.

*Gulp*

It ate it all in one bite. The cockatrice swallowed it down energetically and flapped its wings with joy.

“Piyo, piyoyo!” (Cockatrice)

“It’s saying it was delicious, piyo!” (Dia)

“Piyoo!” (Cockatrice)

“You’re welcome, piyo!” (Dia)

The cockatrice slowly approached me. Its coat looked soft and fluffy. Yet its eyes were still fixed on the grass dumplings that Tetetoka was holding.

“…Want to eat?” (Tetetoka)

“Piyo~!” (Cockatrice)

Tetetoka offered the grass dumplings. The cockatrice picked it up from her hand and gobbled it down.

*Munch munch*

This time, it seemed to be savoring it. It wasn’t gulping it all at once.

“Piyo piyo~!” (Cockatrice)

“I’m glad, piyo!” (Dia)

“Piyo…!” (Cockatrice)

Saying that, the cockatrice gently hugged me. Tetetoka too. I indulged myself in the cockatrice’s fluffy coat with my whole body.

…So fluffy. So soft. Oh, so this is what touching a big cockatrice feels like. Indeed, it’s top class. It has a charm different from the small Dia. Though I suppose Dia will eventually become like this too.

“So soft, isn’t it!” (Tetetoka)

“Piyo, it feels good, piyo~!” (Dia)

Tetetoka and Dia were also enjoying the fluffiness.

Hmm, for now, I suppose it’s safe to say we’ve become friends.

 

—

 

Meanwhile, Stella, Wood, and the adventurers were fighting the Flower Archers. Though, it was a one-sided battle. The adventurer in his thirties swung his spear and let out a voice of admiration.

“This is seriously amazing…” (Adventurer)

A Flower Archer on its own isn’t such a threat. It’s about on par with a trained, armed civilian. Also, their tactics aren’t clever. They just repeat predetermined actions to attack. Their long-range attacks are troublesome, but once you get used to them, you can dodge or shoot them down.

“But when there are a lot of them, that’s where it gets tough…!” (Adventurer)

Running along the trees, he weaved left and right to make them waste their shots, then dashed in during an opening and struck with a blow. Their weak spot was the sunflower-like flower part. In other words, attacking anything else was mostly pointless. It just regenerated quickly.

When Flower Archers lined up in formation, the sheer number of shots increased. Though they didn’t fight in a way that covered for each other, the volume of projectiles was troublesome. However, Stella turned those projectiles to her advantage.

A shot fired from a Flower Archer… Stella swung her leg like a batter to smack it away. With full force, yet precisely aimed.

“Sei!” (Stella)

*Clang!*

The returned shot struck the Flower Archer. That Flower Archer crumbled to the ground.

“Phew, I’m getting used to this…” (Stella)

From the prep motion to the time of firing, and the projectile speed… She had also figured out how to position herself so she wouldn’t be targeted by multiple enemies at once. Stella was gradually mastering it all.

Two more Flower Archers appeared. Stella took a small step back to create a time gap. First, one shot came from a Flower Archer. Stella exhaled lightly and swung. A precise swing landed.

*Clang…!*

Swiftly, Stella reset her stance. Seconds later, a shot came from the second Flower Archer.

“…I can see it!” (Stella)

The Flower Archers’ shots were always fired at a constant speed. And their aim was extremely accurate. They rarely missed the torso. That should be an overwhelming strength. However, for Stella, it was rather convenient. It was like they were always throwing easily hittable balls. Stella adjusted her stance instantly and swung.

*Clang!*

A solid hit. The shot landed right on the Flower Archer’s flower. When Stella glanced over, she saw Wood bravely charging in and throwing stones to fight back. Thanks to his high defense, even a 100 km/h soft ball didn’t deal damage. He bounced them all back head-on.

Before anyone noticed, most of the Flower Archers had vanished. The remaining ones were finished off by charging adventurers. That was it. Even the last one had fallen.

“Looks like we’re in the clear now…” (Stella)

At that moment, Stella turned around and saw it. A cockatrice… a chick, had appeared without anyone noticing. Though it was only slightly smaller than a human. For a chick, it was very large.

“So cute…” (Stella)

And there were Elt and Tetetoka being fluffed by the cockatrice.

So jealous!

Stella instinctively felt that.

As someone who considered herself a fluff enthusiast, Stella immediately started toward the cockatrice, but…

“Hey, you heading back? Aren’t you going take the materials…?” (Adventurer)

The adventurer in his thirties called out. Looking over, the adventurer was cutting the roots off the Flower Archers they had defeated. Only the root part of a Flower Archer had market value.

The rest, well… you could burn it.

To Stella, though, the value of the root was less interesting than the fluffiness of the cockatrice. This one was a different individual from the cockatrice of Zanzas. The feel might be the same… or slightly different. She wanted to find out that subtle difference. Money, honestly, she had been given a lot by Elt… and she was just saving it.

So, this answer was inevitable.

“Um… you can have mine.” (Stella)

“Huh…? But you were the one who took out the most, and second was Wood.” (Adventurer)

“It’s fine. Do as you like with my share. See you!” (Stella)

Saying that, Stella left behind the stunned adventurer and briskly walked toward the cockatrice. Thinking about the joy of fluffing with both it and Dia.

…Cleanup duty has been assigned!

The adventurer in his thirties, who never imagined she was thinking that, nodded repeatedly.

“Man, S-rank adventurers really are something else. So generous… Alright, let’s finish up quick, guys!” (Adventurer)

““Yeah!”” (Adventurers)
“Cut everything properly. We’re splitting with Stella and Wood. Taking the money after they beat the most would be a disgrace to adventurers!” (Adventurer)

““Yes, sir!!”” (Adventurers)

 

—

 

Stella and Wood were heading our way. There were no Flower Archer signals on the [Forest Appraiser] either. Looks like they wiped them out quickly.

“Elt-sama…!” (Stella)

“Stella, Wood… You’re both okay?” (Elt)

“Ugo-ugo, piece of cake!” (Wood)

“Yes, as you can see, not even out of breath…” (Stella)

Released at last from the hugging, I was patting the cockatrice’s head with my right hand. With my left, I was tickling Dia in my breast pocket. A two-layered defense that showed no opening.

*Fluff, pat-pat*

“…Looks like you’re having a lot of fun…” (Stella)

“Sorry, I’ve been focused on getting along with this one.” (Elt)

“No, someone needs to protect Brown and Tetetoka. More importantly… it ran away before, but now it doesn’t.” (Stella)

“Yeah, it looks like it really likes grass dumplings. Also seems to enjoy being petted.” (Elt)

That’s just like Dia. It seems to be fond of people, or at least doesn’t dislike being touched.

The cockatrice turned to face Stella and lowered its head.

“Piyoyo, piyoo!” (Cockatrice)

“Thanks for defeating the flowers, piyo!” (Dia)

“You’re welcome…!” (Stella)

“Piyoyo!” (Cockatrice)

“Likewise! Piyo!” (Dia)

“Hm?” (Stella)

“Huh?” (Elt)

Stella and I tilted our heads at the same time.

Did the cockatrice just understand Stella’s words and reply? It didn’t seem to understand mine before. I thought it only started understanding through the piyo-language relayed by Dia…

Then, the cockatrice flicked its wings sharply. As if it was mimicking a swinging motion.

Swinging… Yes… No way…

“Piyoyoo!” (Cockatrice)

“It’s saying, ‘I want to do that!’ piyo!” (Dia)

I knew it. It must have liked Stella’s swing just now. It twisted its body and flicked its wings again with a swish. In response to the cockatrice’s words, Stella raised a wooden stick.

“Very well, let us aim for it together… Koshien!” (Stella)

“Piyoo…!” (Cockatrice)

Wait a second. Something’s off.

 

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