New chapter of Plant Magic Lord is out! (6/10)

 

 

 

Reunion

(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)

The Dryads who stood up stretched their bodies and yawned, saying whatever came to mind.

“Nn ah, finally the welcoming party came?” (Dryad)

“…I’m hungry.” (Dryad)

“Who are these people?” (Dryad)

However, overall the mood was relaxed and slow. Even when they looked at us, they just tilted their heads slightly and did not show particular caution. It was a truly Dryad-like reaction.

Lalatoma stood in front of all the Dryads, took a breath, and said one thing.

“Everyone, these are surprise guests! They have come to visit us!” (Lalatoma)

“Huh?” (Dryad)

“Oh…” (Dryad)

*Clap clap*

The Dryads clapped sparsely.

Well, it is not exactly a visit for fun, but there is no other way to explain it…

“So, these people are not related to the welcoming party. But since they are people from outside who came after a long time, let’s welcome them!” (Lalatoma)

“Ohhh…” (Dryads)

*Clap clap*

The Dryads clapped again, as if they understood, but also as if they did not. It was more than before, though… But, Lalatoma? I do not know Dryads very well, but… is this atmosphere okay?

I glanced at Stella, who had slightly moved backward. Her face was calm, but it seemed this reaction was unexpected.

“So, these people say that Tetetoka-neechan is still alive!” (Lalatoma)

“Ooooh!!” (Dryads)

*Clap clap clap!*

Startled. The Dryads all clapped at once.

Eh… Is the talk about Tetetoka really that exciting?

“She is the Four Heavenly Kings-neechan who did not stop eating grass dumplings even in front of the queen. She seems to have lived stubbornly after all!” (Lalatoma)

“So, can we live on the surface?” (Dryad)

“Is it a forest now?” (Dryad)

Some strange phrases came out, but that is fine. Or rather, Tetetoka was indeed an important person… one of the Four Heavenly Kings. Probably, it is correct to understand her as an aide to the queen, right?

If so, it explains the way they speak. Apparently, Tetetoka is respected to some degree…

“That’s right, it has become a forest. A splendid forest.” (Elt)

“That seems to be the case!” (Lalatoma)

Then, I cleared my throat.

If I am to move the conversation forward, this is the place. If I am to bring it up, it is about Tetetoka.

“Everyone, do you want to meet Tetetoka?” (Elt)

“Yes, we want to meet her!” (Dryad)

“We want to meet her!” (Dryad)

“Alright, then let’s go see her. To get to the surface, take the underground passage…” (Elt)

The Dryads looked at each other.

Lalatoma pointed to the back of the plaza and said…

“There is a staircase to the surface over there!” (Lalatoma)

“Hmm…” (Elt)

Then, we will use that. Or rather, there is such a thing, huh…

 

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We walked in a group toward the back of the plaza. The river flowing at the edge of the plaza made a gentle sound, and the glowing moss decorated it fantastically. There was not much smell of soil. Perhaps it was the power of the Dryads, but it felt like walking through a field at night.

“It’s pretty, piyo.” (Dia)

“I think so too. Even the pool of hell is not as beautiful as this.” (Marcosias)

“Maru-chan’s examples are sometimes hard to understand, piyo.” (Dia)

Dia had learned to ignore Marcosias’ sudden hell talk.

Well, since the meaning is really unclear (including to Marcosias himself), there is no choice but to ignore it.

“This is the staircase! But it has not been used for a while!” (Lalatoma)

“I see…” (Elt)

It was not really stairs but a simple slope. Since it matched the Dryads, there were almost no steps. From my perspective, it felt like climbing a gentle slope.

However, an entrance or exit… I do not remember seeing any entrances or exits on the surface around here. Either it was hidden or it cannot be used from the surface now…

At the end of the winding slope, when I looked closely, the path ended near the ceiling.

“Can we proceed from there?” (Elt)

“Yes!” (Lalatoma)

“Let’s try to go for now…” (Elt)

We climbed the slope and gradually got closer to the ceiling. As we got higher, we could grasp the whole shape of the plaza.

“…There are more things here than I expected.” (Elt)

“Ugo ugo, is there a small tree growing over there?” (Wood)

“Yes, it seems so… It is dark, so I cannot identify the species well.” (Elt)

A river flowed from one corner of the plaza to the opposite side, and there was a small forest in a different direction than the one we came from. Seeing this, the minimum environment necessary for living seemed to be in place. However, it did not seem very comfortable.

However, the scenery was very good. The underground world lit up by glowing moss had a beauty not found on the surface. And the ceiling gradually got closer. Wood had to stoop to proceed.

As we walked on, there was a ladder in front of us. Lalatoma stopped there and said…

“There is a door in the ceiling, and it is here! Huh?” (Lalatoma)

“Hmm, something is blocking it. This is… tree roots?” (Elt)

The place Lalatoma guided us to was near the ceiling underground. Above the ladder was a square frame filled with brown tree roots.

Was there a door above the ladder…?

Below the ladder, scattered pieces of wood lay around. Perhaps fragments of a door defeated by the roots. Since it had not been used for a while, Lalatoma probably did not know about it either.

“Wow, really!?” (Lalatoma)

Well, if there was a normal exit, it would have been found when exploring the surroundings. The guess that it had become unusable was unfortunately correct. However, if it is tree roots, it should be okay to move them. It seems that it still connects outside.

“Do not worry. Plants are fine.” (Elt)

I concentrated my mana and held out my hand.

[Forest Walker]

This magic moves grass and trees, so it should work on roots as well. The roots slowly moved with force, creating a space.

“We did it…! But where does this connect to?” (Lalatoma)

“Maru-chan, can you tell by smell, piyo?” (Dia)

“Dia, Maru-chan is not a dog, is he…?” (Elt)

Sniff sniff (Marcosias)

She is like a dog…

Marcosias sniffed a little and tilted his head.

“Hmm? I smell roses.” (Marcosias)

“Is it not Lalatoma?” (Elt)

“It is similar but different. Look, those white roses–…” (Marcosias)

*Pata pata*

After the restless footsteps, a presence approached from beyond the tree roots.

Was there a person on the surface side? Wait, there should be no people around here except my village. Ah, could these roots be…?

“Is it from the floor of the house?” (Elt)

“Ah…!?” (Stella)

“Wow, Tetetoka-neechan!” (Lalatoma)

Tetetoka peeked her face from above the ladder. Stella let out a surprised voice.

“So… have we moved under the village?” (Stella)

“If the direction is correct, we should gradually approach Zanzas, so that is right.” (Elt)

Zanzas was located to the southeast. There was a village to the east from here, and from there going south leads to Zanzas.

We walked along the path without mapping. Our intention was to go as far as we could. We circled and returned under the village. I did not expect it to connect to the base of the Large Tree Tower. However, judging by the walking time, it did feel like we left the village and returned. However, the details were forgotten by Tetetoka’s next action.

“Lalatoma… you are alive!” (Tetetoka)

Tetetoka smiled and swiftly jumped down from the ladder.

…Is that really okay?

“Lalatoma!” (Tetetoka)

“Tetetoka-neechan!” (Lalatoma)

They hugged tightly. Tetetoka said with deep emotion. It was the first time I heard that kind of voice from Tetetoka.

She is indeed special. Dryads do not usually show such skinship, so it was very fresh.

“Lalatoma was here. You were surprisingly close.” (Tetetoka)

“You too, Nee-chan! Ah… you got a little bigger!” (Lalatoma)

“You noticed? I got bigger.” (Tetetoka)

Lalatoma patted the white rose on Tetetoka’s head.

Oh, she touches it… The books I bought and read said even family or lovers are not allowed to easily touch that flower on the head. It said the Dryads’ head flower is like a collarbone. You can see it, but you do not touch it daily. Normally, even family does not touch it so much.

“Lalatoma, do you want some grass dumplings?” (Tetetoka)

Tetetoka took grass dumplings from her bosom in her usual tone.

“Or rather, eat.” (Tetetoka)

Mmmph …munch munch (Lalatoma)

Tetetoka forcefully pushed the grass dumpling into Lalatoma’s mouth.

“…There is still more.” (Tetetoka)

Mmph! I can’t eat that much! (Lalatoma)

Even while saying that, Lalatoma was munching.

“…I will call everyone.” (Elt)

“Yes… for now, let’s show them here.” (Lalatoma)

I also did not know much about the Dryads. But family, huh… I do not know how long they had been apart, but they could reunite like this.

Not bad.

 

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(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)