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

 

 

Preference

(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)

“I’m home.” (Elt)

“Ugo, I’m home.” (Wood)

When Wood and I returned home, Stella was making a mini bat in the living room. She was doing it very casually, without making any fuss. Dia and Marchosias were peacefully taking an afternoon nap on the sofa.

“Welcome back…!” (Stella)

Stella put down the mini bat she had been working on. Apparently, she had been carving it from wood.

Well, there is no other real way to make it anyway.

“…How was it, the mini bat?” (Stella)

With a cheerful expression, Stella asked.

“Ugo, said it was good. …I might need it again.” (Wood)

“That is the best news…! Yes, of course I will make another one.” (Stella)

It seems that she will be making another one. Still, when did she even manage to make such a mini bat…? No, perhaps for Stella, it was not a big deal.

For me, hand-making a bat feels like an extremely high hurdle. One has to shave the wood and coat the surface. Balancing it properly is not an easy task. If it were magic, I am familiar with that, so I could produce one instantly. However, Stella would probably be able to manage it through intuition to a certain degree.

She possesses the talent to simply make it happen.

“But I was happy. When I heard from Wood that he wanted a mini bat…” (Stella)

“Ugo, thank you for making it… It was finished quickly.” (Wood)

“Not at all…! Please do not worry about it. I was happy that you relied on me.” (Stella)

Stella fluttered her hands as she waved them.

I see. Stella herself was happy that Wood had relied on her. Certainly, within this family, Wood tends to act like an older brother. However, little by little, a sense of independence is definitely beginning to take root.

He makes flower decorations by himself, and continues to experiment and try things out. And then, when necessary, he asks Stella to create the things he needs. Both of those are important steps.

“So, what kind should we do next? I mean, it will still be a bat, but…” (Stella)

“What kind?” (Wood)

What kind… What does she mean by that? A bat is a bat, is it not? Perhaps she means to change the size.

“Ugo… maybe red?” (Wood)

“Red…! That is a nice choice. Passionate red!” (Stella)

Stella nodded firmly several times. At that moment, I understood what Stella had meant.

“…Are you planning to paint it?” (Elt)

“Yes. The wood grain is beautiful, but… if it is only for display, I thought painting it could also be an option.” (Stella)

“That makes sense… You are really starting to get into this.” (Elt)

“Yes, if I am going to do it, I want to try various things…” (Stella)

Saying that, Stella silently slid closer to me. Quickly, without making a sound.

“…Just a little bit, but… some wood material.” (Stella)

She eagerly extended her hands toward me.

“Please give me some wood for making the bat…!” (Stella)

Stella looked truly delighted.

That makes me happy as well. No, if I am being honest… I still do not quite understand it. I do like her, but she is unfathomable. Well, I will just make it and hand it over right away. It is also important for Wood’s future. Still, a colorful bat with flower decorations, huh.

*Gulp*

What kind of work will it turn out to be, I wonder.

 

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The next day as well, Victor was gazing at the current of the great river from inside his mascot costume.

The sun was gradually tilting toward the west. It was the afternoon. It was not that Victor had free time. Victor possessed four magic aptitudes, and like Luise, he was capable of manipulating wind and flying through the sky. He was simply making time for fieldwork research, while also properly fulfilling his duties as a teacher at the academy.

While looking at the great river, Victor called out to the sailor he had met yesterday. The sailor appeared to be idle.

“…Today, compared to yesterday, there are even fewer ships.” (Victor)

“Yeah, I heard a Leviathan showed up downstream or something… That made the number of ships drop even more.” (Sailor)

“Hmm, is that so. I had heard that the Leviathan was taken care of.” (Victor)

“You sure are well informed. Apparently, some noble-sama who happened to be passing by took it down, but people still got scared. Sounds like the knights will be coming next, but who knows how it’ll turn out.” (Sailor)

Incidentally, the one who defeated that Leviathan was Victor himself.

Yesterday, when he was on his way home, he overheard such a story. So, he took action as the situation demanded. Fortunately, the Leviathan was still in its juvenile stage, so he was able to take it down instantly with ice magic. Of course, he had still been wearing the mascot costume, so his face remained unknown.

…This costume really is convenient.

Victor thought.

If Victor, the eldest son of a high-ranking noble family, were to be wandering around a place like this and encountered someone who recognized him, it would cause an uproar. However, as long as he wore the costume, there was no risk of being identified.

Naturally, this cockatrice mascot costume had been tuned and modified for high defense capabilities. It possessed strong resistance not only against blades and arrows, but also against magic. It was an extremely secure piece of equipment. Moreover, he did not get bothered by unsavory individuals.

Among the public, it was well known, trying to pick a fight with a vampire wearing a cockatrice costume was something only a fool would do. After all, vampires are individually powerful, and their mascot gear was strong as well. The result would almost certainly be a counterattack.

There was no reason to provoke one.

What if it is not actually a vampire inside?

That was certainly possible but in a different way, one would still not want to approach. Though for Victor, it was something he finds regrettable.

For a short while, Victor and the sailor had a conversation. They mainly spoke about the great river and the river cockatrice. That being said, it seems that cockatrices are not often seen in this river after all. At most, they occasionally float to the surface.

“Why are you, Professor, searching for cockatrices in this river? Wouldn’t there be cockatrices in other seas and rivers too?” (Sailor)

“That is a good question.” (Victor)

Victor shifted his gaze from the great river to the sailor.

“This river has a particularly strong current.” (Victor)

“Yeah… that’s true. That’s where we get to show our skills.” (Sailor)

The sailor nodded.

This river was well known in the region for having an extremely fast flow.

“But then, what about it…?” (Sailor)

“How is it that cockatrices are able to swim against the current? Is that not strange? Cockatrices also exist in calmer waters. However, if their swimming strength is the same, they would be swept away by the current of this great river. Which means their swimming power must be different. But why is it different? Even though they appear to be the same cockatrice.” (Victor)

“…Now that you say it, that does make sense.” (Sailor)

The sailor, although he did not truly understand, nodded in agreement for now. He had a feeling that it was better not to question things too deeply.

“It may be that their appearance is slightly different as well. I suspect that the secret lies in either their legs or their tail feathers.” (Victor)

“I see… Your perspective really is different.” (Sailor)

The sailor had also been working on this great river for a long time. The people who spend extended periods watching the river’s flow are usually those of this kind. Only people as elusive as water itself are capable of staring into the river’s movement.

“Well then, I will be heading out. I have no more work, so I am going to go home and sleep…” (Sailor)

“I see. You have done well.” (Victor)

He did not seem to be a bad person.

The sailor thought.

What a truly strange professor…

 

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