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

 

 

Into the Depths of the Underground Passage

(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)

The following morning.

Stella awoke with a soft mumble upon her lips.

“Mmm… faa…” (Stella)

She stretched her body with a long, slow motion. Dia and Marcosias were already awake, standing by the window. They were pressing their faces firmly against the glass. It was the sort of sight that could only be described as buni-ni-ni~, their cheeks flattened against the pane.

Tilting her head in mild puzzlement, Stella greeted them.

“Good morning…” (Stella)

“Good morning, piyo!” (Dia)

“Good morning!” (Marcosias)

After greeting her, the two turned back toward the window once more. Dia and Marcosias were wiggling their bottoms in delight as they gazed intently outside. Stella was about to ask why they were glued to the window when she noticed it, white flakes drifting down beyond the glass.

“It is snowing, is it not?” (Stella)

“That’s right, piyo! It started falling a little while ago, piyo!” (Dia)

“This window doesn’t open, so we’re pressing our faces to it,.” (Marcosias)

“I see…” (Stella)

Since this Grand Cathedral once served as a fortress, the windows were probably sealed shut.

“Now that you mention it, this may be the first time I have properly seen snowfall.” (Stella)

“The snow in Ice Crystal was not natural, so that is true.” (Marcosias)

“Piyo… It’s strange, piyo. The snow just keeps falling and falling from the sky, piyo.” (Dia)

“It looks delicious.” (Marcosias)

“…You must not eat it. Snow that falls from the sky is not exactly clean, you know.” (Stella)

“What!?” (Marcosias)

“Piyo…! That’s a shocking truth, piyo!” (Dia)

Startled, Dia and Marcosias pulled their faces away from the window.

“I was thinking we could go outside and eat lots of snow, but I’ll stop.” (Marcosias)

“That seems like the better idea, piyo…” (Dia)

“…You must not put anything from outside into your mouth.” (Stella)

“Piyo. Even things that fall from the sky are bad, piyo?” (Dia)

“As a rule, yes, they are.” (Stella)

“Piyo! I understand, piyo!” (Dia)

Having learned that they must not eat snow, their curiosity seemed to fade. Dia and Marcosias toddled, te-te-tee, back to Stella’s side.

“Now then, today we must meet with several people and continue preparing for the Art Festival.” (Stella)

Preparations themselves would take about two days. With Zanzas and the dwarven craftsmen dispatched to help, there should be more than enough time.

“I will do my best, piyo!” (Dia)

“I will!” (Marcosias)

Thanks to the subjugation of the Ice Crystal, the Art Festival could proceed as planned.

While changing out of her nightclothes, Stella strengthened her resolve. She understood well the importance of the upcoming festival. The Ice Crystal had served as a perfect opening act. Now it was a matter of spreading its influence deeper.

Clenching her fist with renewed determination, Stella spoke.

“The spread of Noball rests upon this, after all…” (Stella)

 

—

 

Meanwhile, in the underground plaza of Healberry Village.

The air felt ever so slightly warmer now. After all, February was nearly at its end. Before me stood the assembled expedition team for the underground passage. Though it was only decided yesterday, we resolved to reinforce the exploration of the tunnels, especially with the new development involving the Puzzle Mushroom. At the core were the veteran adventurers led by the adventurer in his thirties and Hattori, accompanied by the scholar group of Anaria and Iskamina. And then there were Wood and myself, along with the two Cockatrices, currently devoted to their diet and part-time work, piyo. Everyone except Wood wore a metal helmet. The words “Safety First” were engraved upon each one.

“Ugogo… I do not need one?” (Wood)

“You’re harder than steel, so you should be fine.” (Elt)

The adventurer in his thirties and Hattori nodded at my words.

“That is true, y’know. You didn’t need one even in the battle with the Flower Archer.” (Adventurer)

“The added weight would only slow him down, degozaru.” (Hattori)

Incidentally, even the Cockatrices wore helmets. They were probably tough enough not to need them, but just in case.

“Piyo piyo!” (So smooth!) (Cockatrice 1)

“Piyo!” (So shiny!) (Cockatrice 2)

“Piyopipi!” (So amusing!) (Cockatrice 1)

“Piyoyo!” (Like a shell!) (Cockatrice 2)

They poked at each other’s helmets with their wings, seemingly delighted rather than bothered.

I called out to the group, and together we entered the underground passage.

“All right, do not let your guard down as we proceed.” (Elt)

““Yes!”” (Adventurers)

““Piyo!”” (Cockatrices)

The moment we stepped into the passage, the Cockatrices’ eyes began to shine brilliantly.

*Pe-peka~!*

“Piyo.” (All right, done!) (Cockatrice 1)

“Piyoyo.” (The ground is bright and safe!) (Cockatrice 2)

Excellent. Thanks to them, the path ahead was well illuminated. The adventurers who had been preparing torches exchanged glances.

“Torches are limited, so we’ll save them, degozaru.” (Hattori)

They hastily put the torches away.

“Well, having eyes that shine sure is convenient. With this brightness, we won’t miss a thing.” (Adventurer)

“Mogu, such incredible luminosity, mogu~!” (Iskamina)

Iskamina chattered excitedly, shovel in hand.

We continued onward. It took quite some time to reach the area where the Puzzle Mushroom had been discovered.

Hmm, multiple round trips like this would be rather tedious. If only there were a good solution.

After several hours of walking, we finally arrived.

“Right about here… There it is, the marker stone. I placed it before we withdrew yesterday.” (Adventurer)

“Impressive. You hit the mark exactly.” (Elt)

A small white stone sat neatly along the right side of the passage.

“Remembering distances to this extent is an essential skill for adventurers.” (Adventurer)

“Ugougo, that is quite a lesson.” (Wood)

So, they calculate their walking speed and steps carefully as they go. I see.

“From here on, this is where things truly begin.” (Elt)

“Indeed, we must be cautious. There’s no telling when a huge Puzzle Mushroom might appear.” (Adventurer)

I swallowed hard.

“By the way, how long do the Cockatrices’ eyes keep glowing like that?” (Elt)

“Piyo?” (Eh?) (Cockatrice 1)

I had been wondering the same thing. Their eyes had been glowing for hours now.

“Do your eyes not dry out?” (Elt)

They blinked occasionally, but beyond that, I had no idea. My own eyes certainly did not glow.

“Piyo! Piyoo!” (We’re fine! Our eyes are perfectly fine!) (Cockatrice 1)

“Piyoyo!” (We turn belly fat into light!) (Cockatrice 2)

Piyo piyo piyo!

They seemed all right.

“Very well, let us proceed even further inward.” (Elt)

 

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(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)