New chapter of Plant Magic Lord is out (1/3 chapters)

 

 

Trivial Matters

(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)

Healberry Village.

I woke from sleep, let out a yawn, and crawled out of the cotton. Dia and Wood were already out of the cotton.

“Good morning, piyo!” (Dia)

“Ugo-ugo, good morning!” (Wood)

On a separate bed of cotton, Dia was wriggling about doing morning stretches. She was stretching with a cute expression. Wood was doing normal stretches, moving his arms and legs.

“Ahh, good morning.” (Elt)

Come to think of it, out of the three of us, I’m always the last to wake up. Dia and Wood fall asleep quickly, but in return, they wake up bright and early. I seem to sleep deeply. I rarely dream though.

After eating a breakfast of ham, salad, and bread, I headed out for work.

There are still about four days until Stella and the others return. I have to do my best in my daily life too. Today, I have a meeting with Leia at the Adventurer Guild.

Leia arrived in the reception room, wearing her usual cockatrice hat.

“I’ve made contact with the land of the Elves, so I believe things will go smoothly.” (Leia)

“Thank you. It was sudden, but there’s no harm in making the arrangements ahead of time.” (Elt)

Apparently, the Adventurer Guild had its own unique long-distance communication method. Though it seemed its overuse was strictly prohibited and reserved for serious matters only.

Well, since Stella’s homecoming is primarily for clearing an S-Rank quest, there’s no issue.

“So… how’s the investigation of the underground plaza?” (Elt)

The reason Leia came today was about the underground plaza. After the festival and New Year, the investigation had temporarily halted, but it was finally resuming.

“Hmm… it’s not going very well… As expected, we can’t determine who built the plaza or the lion knight statue.” (Leia)

“I thought so…” (Elt)

It was unreasonable to try to trace something that wasn’t recorded anywhere. Incidentally, the lion knight statue had become an ornament at the Adventurer Guild. It was displayed in recognition of Stella’s achievements.

When you channeled magic into it, it gave a slight zap, though hardly anyone did it. Occasionally, Nyaff tribe members were found inside its mouth as a joke. They liked small spaces, being cat-like and all.

“There’s a passageway beyond the plaza, but we’re currently investigating that area cautiously.” (Leia)

“Hmm… That means it’ll take time.” (Elt)

“From Healberry Village to Zanzas, it takes about six days on foot one way. And that’s with travelers moving without worrying about their surroundings…” (Leia)

“It can’t be helped. Who knows what’s down there.” (Elt)

“Indeed… Even under good conditions, it may take one to two months.” (Leia)

It took two to three days by carriage to get to Zanzas. On foot, the speed was halved, so about five to six days. But that was assuming a relatively paved path where one could focus on moving.

The extending underground passage had potential traps and collapse hazards. And of course, there was also the danger of suddenly encountering another lion knight statue. Naturally, their movement speed would drop.

“However, there’s good news as well. So far, the passage is straight and not a maze. According to Iskamina’s assessment, there’s almost no risk of collapse either.” (Leia)

“So at present, there’s nothing obstructing the investigation…” (Elt)

Now it’s just a matter of whether an oni or snake shows up. All we can do is investigate slowly.

 

—

 

After talking for a while, we decided to take a break. We chatted about Zanzas, and about world news. Once we’d covered everything, I suddenly remembered the matter of the around-thirty adventurer. About marriage or something like that.

Leia is one of the people who connects Zanzas and Healberry Village. She probably knows a lot about the adventurers, so I decided to broach the topic indirectly.

“By the way… this is still a confidential matter, but…” (Elt)

“Yes, what is it?” (Leia)

“Do you think there would be any demand for arranged marriage meetings in this village?” (Elt)

Right now, this is a work-centered village, but before long, there’ll surely be those who want to start families. Not just me, that is. Considering the nature of this world, I think it’s good to have efficient matchmaking. After all, there are differences in race and such.

Even the literature describes matchmaking as a vital communal function. People who are going to end up together will end up together anyway, but… sometimes they need a push. In small villages and towns, that kind of support is surprisingly important. Matchmakers who properly arrange meetings are sometimes recognized by nobles and even hired as retainers.

Leia looked slightly blank, then cleared her throat.

“…Is there such a request or conversation that’s come up?” (Leia)

“Well, something like that.” (Elt)

“Is the instigator perhaps the one who frequently uses the soil bath?” (Leia)

Pffft. She saw through it. Well, considering it’s that guy and Leia, it wouldn’t be strange if he had a similar conversation with her too.

Leia quietly sipped her tea. She seemed to take my silence as confirmation.

“…But I’m surprised. That he would talk to Elt-sama directly. Even in the Zanzas adventurer’s guild, very few know about that.” (Leia)

“Is that so…? I wasn’t really aware of that.” (Elt)

I got along pretty well with that adventurer in his thirties. We often talked about trivial stuff. But when I thought about it, it was kind of odd. That adventurer… he wasn’t bad looking. On the contrary, he was quite decent. He was personable, and his skills as an adventurer were top-class. If he wanted to get married, he seemed like the type who could do it easily.

“From here on, this is just me talking to myself… please keep it confidential.” (Leia)

“Ah, I understand. Talking to yourself, got it.” (Elt)

With that preface, Leia began to speak.

“When he was still a rookie… there was a senior female adventurer he fell in love with. But that love didn’t come to fruition.” (Leia)

That’s pretty vague. If he was a rookie, that would put him around the same age I am now? So, about fifteen years ago?

“That was his first love, and he ended up holding on to it for several years…” (Leia)

“That’s quite a while…” (Elt)

“In the end, she got together with another adventurer and retired. Since then, it seems like he can’t do relationships with other adventurers…” (Leia)

I see. He probably keeps thinking about that senior, so people in the same profession aren’t options for him. There might also be issues tied to Zanzas itself.

“And that’s the end of my monologue.” (Leia)

“Hmm…” (Elt)

Judging from her tone… Leia must have been quite close to that situation back then. But I got the gist of it.

At this rate, that adventurer in his thirties might remain single forever… Of course, whether one marries or not is a personal choice. But if he wants to get married, it’s better if it happens.

“Well, there’s no rush. I’ll give it some thought… There may be other people who have similar desires.” (Elt)

When I said that, Leia quietly handed me a thin book.

“Yes. I do have this, but I think it’s something that should be considered for the village’s development.” (Leia)

This. What Leia handed over was the latest issue of Monthly Piyo. On the cover was a cute cockatrice illustration, spreading its wings with one leg lifted.

Apparently, it’s good to have it placed in the Adventurer Guild. So, I’ve subscribed to it… In other words, for Leia, the cockatrice takes priority. So, Leia is not a romantic prospect, noted.

I made a memo in my mental notebook.

 

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(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)