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

 

 

The Last Piece

(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)

That afternoon. I was at the usual command post. I had been making shields endlessly with magic, and finally, it was finished. A mountain of shields I had created. Leia, wearing a cockatrice hat, was nodding as she counted them.

“Um… with this, the shield-making is completely finished, Elt-sama.” (Leia)

“Phew, is that really all…?” (Elt)

“Yes! Thank you very much for your cooperation…!” (Leia)

I had started counting along but stopped because it was distracting my concentration. Probably, I made about three to four hundred. The handles would be attached to the shields one by one, so that work still remained. The rhythmic sound of a hammer striking echoed. Other sounds included wood being carved. Handles were being made quickly. But those were done by skilled people. It was no longer my turn.

“How is everyone? What is the progress on reducing the Flower Archers?” (Elt)

“Both are without problem, degozaru. We are avoiding approaching the enemy’s main camp and are steadily defeating those around it, degozaru.” (Ninja)

“The enemy’s main camp’s movements are as expected… but the decisive battle may come about a day earlier.” (Leia)

“We can consider this progress to be more than smooth, right?” (Elt)

I confirmed again, just to be sure. Well, I didn’t intend to be too strict about a one-week timeframe.  Avoiding injuries and defeating the enemy reliably was more important.

“That’s right… Next, we will lure the enemy while grouping them near the spring. That is not delayed either.” (Leia)

“…Stella says she will return the shot in the end.” (Leia)

“I wonder if she can really do it…?” (Ninja)

The ninja tilted his head. I understood his feelings. I had never actually faced that magic bullet, but I knew it well from the game. The Flower General’s aim was precise, and the bullets were smaller than a fist. Although they mostly targeted the lower abdomen, it was troublesome to intercept them.

Honestly, the plan Leia proposed, that was building a defensive wall with shields, was more rational. But Stella’s spirit was blazing. She was filled with the fighting spirit to return the shot. And I supported Stella’s challenge. Even in the game, the [Invisible Magic Bullet] was not something to be countered by shooting back.

It was something to defend against, endure, and win. That is why I might have let Stella do as she wished. With the hope that she might surpass the knowledge I had.

“I don’t know, but if anyone can do it, it would be Stella.” (Elt)

“Yes… that is certainly true.” (Leia)

“By the way, I want to check on Stella’s team. What is my schedule like?” (Elt)

“Since shield production is prioritized, Elt-sama’s sortie is not planned today. So, meeting with Stella-sama won’t cause any delay in the plan.” (Leia)

“Hmm… Alright, I’ll go see Stella.” (Elt)

“Elt-sama is going personally?” (Leia)

“That’s the promise.” (Elt)

I was uneasy, yes. She had practiced echolocation with castanets while blindfolded. It worked even last night, but I wondered how it would go in actual combat. Stella was stubborn, and once she decided something, she would not back down.

I had to see how she was doing, at least today. If it looked like no good, I would have to make her give up this time. Trying to shoot invisible bullets using echolocation was reckless. and that would not be strange to admit.

That was what I thought when I spoke, but the command post was somehow lively. The adventurers were excited.

“To have made this many shields and still go to the front line…!” (Adventurer)

“The lord himself is finally…!?” (Adventurer)

“We’ve won…!!” (Adventurer)

We haven’t won yet. I wouldn’t do anything reckless. If anything, Stella was the reckless one. Well, I doubt she would do anything foolish.

Thinking so, I left the command post.

 

—

 

I was guided by the ninja to where Stella and the others were. As expected of a ninja, he ran smoothly through the forest with grass and exposed rocks. I had asked him to guide me at a fairly fast pace, and he was truly quite fast. I was keeping up with a beginner’s [Enhance] magic, but just barely.

“…You are moving at a pretty fast pace, degozaru. Are you alright?” (Ninja)

“Yeah, if it gets any faster, I might lose sight.” (Elt)

“As expected of a noble. Even among adventurers, not many could keep up with my running, degozaru.” (Ninja)

Was he really that fast…? Honestly, I don’t know. I rarely had the opportunity to observe adventurers’ movement speed, even in the village.

“Also, this is the first time I’m escorting a noble to the front line. I think the matter would already be done if left to us, degozaru…” (Ninja)

I see. So normal nobles do not keep their promises? Probably they just let things slide. But at least in the Nagash Household, lying is forbidden, I thought. It is one of the few virtues I could acknowledge… Since they recognize themselves as snakes, they take responsibility for their words. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be trusted by other nobles. That is admirable, but conversely, it means that even a single word had to be carefully calculated before being spoken.

They tried to say things in a way that avoided responsibility and trapped others. Even with close relatives like parents or siblings, do not make promises lightly or give verbal commitments, that is basically it. Or maybe they are suspicious. Well, that might be true too. But I have my excuses prepared.

“Sorry to make you worried. I’m just concerned about Wood. He is a being I created, and this kind of battle is his first.” (Elt)

“I have heard he was active even in the Zanzas dungeon, degozaru…” (Ninja)

“That was honestly a battle of only a few hours. It’s not like we are moving for days. Even if the combat power is sufficient, I wonder how continuous fighting will go…” (Elt)

Let’s just leave it at that. The real Wood is completely fine, though. I see him every day after all.

“I see… You really care about your retainer, degozaru.” (Ninja)

At that, the ninja glanced briefly at the sky. A signal fire was rising from a gap in the trees.

“It seems a Flower Sniper has appeared ahead, degozaru…” (Ninja)

“Hmm… Could it be for Stella’s squad?” (Elt)

“That too, degozaru. Honestly, from a distance it is hard to tell a Flower Sniper apart, degozaru. Should we take a detour…?” (Ninja)

“That won’t be necessary.” (Elt)

If it’s a Flower Sniper, it’s no problem. We can easily defeat them with the current plant magic. I have that much ability. It would be quicker to join up with Stella and the others and take them down rather than going around.

“The opponent is a B-rank monster, degozaru, though…!?” (Ninja)

“It’s the privilege of magic.” (Elt)

“…That boldness is admirable, degozaru.” (Ninja)

I answered only that and urged him to continue guiding me. The ninja said nothing further and resumed running.

After proceeding a bit, sounds echoed inside the forest.

*Kakkīn*

That must be Stella’s bat hitting the seeds. Soon, we came across a squad of Flower Archers fighting Stella and the others. Among the group of adventurers around thirty years old, I could see Wood’s large figure.

Wood was fighting by throwing stones from afar. He threw several, and his accuracy was pretty good. The thirty-something adventurers took advantage of the openings created by his hits.
They were quite skilled. They were coordinating properly.

“Ugo ugo, you came!” (Wood)

“Yeah, how is it going…?” (Elt)

“Ugo ugo, Stella is amazing! She’s blindfolded, and hitting them!” (Wood)

…Hmm?

“That’s right, degozaru… Whoa, she really is blindfolded, degozaru…!” (Ninja)

That was answered by one of the thirty-something adventurers.

“…Wow… Humans really can do that kind of thing, huh.” (Adventurer)

That reaction was understandable.

Oh, she really is keeping the blindfold on…

Stella is at the forefront of the battle against the Flower Archers. She is hitting the shots back while blindfolded… That’s no longer human skill. She probably have no choice but to do it since it is already happening.

“Elt-sama… you came to the front lines!?” (Leia)

“…Shield making is finished. Or rather, is she really able to hit them properly…?” (Elt)

“Yes, but she is struggling a bit against that Flower Sniper…” (Leia)

That must be the Flower Sniper over there. It was about a head taller. Indeed, she was hitting back the seeds of other Flower Archers, but it was probably because of the difference in bullet speed, she couldn’t properly return the Flower Sniper’s shots.  She was sending them off in completely the wrong direction. She was a bit late, or just off the mark. In baseball terms, they were foul balls.

Hmm, supporting her with magic would be easy too… Actually, if I do that, it would be over quickly… But a bug inside me stirred. Stella’s batting style is the usual kind. However, being blindfolded probably caused delays in her reactions or she couldn’t time the returns precisely.

If that is the case, there is a countermeasure or a method. Maybe not something to do right now… But Stella shows no sense of crisis. At least, she is able to hit the shots back. That alone is quite impressive.

“…Stella, can you hit while sliding your body?” (Elt)

“Huh…?” (Stella)

The pendulum swing batting style.

I think Stella could master that.

 

Flower Archer Subjugation Rate

Adventurer kills +4%

Stella and Wood kills +8%

Total so far: 46%

 

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