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

 

 

Checkpoint

(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)

Hold returned to his own space, and at last, the full-scale setup commenced. Stella called out to Nana, and to Dia and Marcosias, who had descended from her chest.

“Then, let us get started!” (Stella)
“Ooh!” (Nana, Dia)

Thus, Stella and the others busily began arranging the items that Nana retrieved from storage.

With the assistance of the Dwarves, the work progressed quite smoothly.

Uniforms and the dollhouse were lined up efficiently and neatly.

“Heave-ho, heave-ho…” (Nana)

Nana continued to take items out of storage, but suddenly paused her hands.

“From here, it is the flower decorations. They will need assembly.” (Nana)

“Understood…! We shall be careful.” (Dia)

After all, the flower decorations could not remain intact and had been disassembled for storage.

“My storage is generally divided according to the type of items I envision, but when taking things out, the order will not match the way I put them in. It becomes arbitrary, you see.” (Nana)

“Understood! We must ensure nothing gets mixed up!” (Stella)

Marcosias lifted one forepaw sharply.

Then, Nana placed the flowers, branches, base wood, stones, and bats temporarily as she retrieved them from storage. Dia and Stella proceeded to assemble them. They first constructed the base and restored the flower decorations to their original form.

“Piyo. This angle goes here, piyo…” (Dia)

Squinting her eyes slightly, she plunged the branch into the base.

*Thrust, thrust.*

Marcosias grew a little uneasy.

“…You are applying quite a lot of force, you know?” (Marcosias)

“It’s alright, piyo. Lalatoma did it with about this much force, piyo.” (Dia)

Indeed, that was exactly the case. Dia’s fluffy memory perfectly reproduced Lalatoma’s crafting process.

“When inserting a branch, thrust it, piyo. If you try to do it gently, it wilts, that’s what Tetetoka said, piyo, right?” (Dia)

“Tetetoka would likely say that, yes.” (Stella)

“Indeed, she probably would.” (Dia)

As they worked in this manner, Audrey and Clarissa appeared suddenly.

“Wow…! Dia-chan is helping too!” (Audrey)

“As expected… And there are so many bats…” (Clarissa)

“Yes piyo! I am helping piyo yo!” (Dia)

Dia turned toward Audrey and the others, while Marcosias also lifted his forepaw sharply.

“I shall also assist.” (Marcosias)

“How admirable you are…!” (Clarissa)

Clarissa stroked Marcosias’ head gently.

“And you two, what have you been up to, piyo? Did something happen, piyo?” (Dia)

“Well, it is already noon, so we thought we might eat together…” (Audrey)

Upon hearing this, Stella was suddenly aware.

“We were concentrating, yet it is already such a time…!” (Stella)

“When you mention it, I may be hungry too.” (Nana)

“Piyo. It has already become noon, piyo…” (Dia)

Each of them, surprised by the arrival of noon, ceased their tasks.

“Daily meals are the foundation of growth…! Let us take a break!” (Stella)

“Understood, piyo!” (Dia)

“Roger that.” (Marcosias)

“Yes, yes.” (Nana)

In agreement with Stella’s words, everyone took a break. Healberry Village’s motto was to work diligently and rest properly.

Observing this, Audrey nodded once.

“The third-floor grand hall features a buffet-style lunch! There are many options available!” (Audrey)

“Many options, piyo!” (Dia)

“Eat heartily!” (Stella)

Dia and Marcosias grew visibly excited.

“Hehe, but we still have setup in the afternoon…” (Stella)

“Eat well, move well, piyo!” (Dia)

Thus, Stella and the others proceeded to the third floor of the cathedral.

 

—

 

Meanwhile, in the underground passage

As we advanced, we found puzzle mushrooms scattered here and there. They grew subtly along walls and floors, requiring keen observation to notice.

“Ah, another puzzle mush–…” (Nana)

“Piyo!” (Cockatrice)

The Cockatrice jumped nimbly toward the puzzle mushroom I pointed at and grabbed it.

Impressively fast. It was comparable to the buzzer speed of a quiz show. The Cockatrice was a swift creature when the situation demanded it, capturing puzzle mushrooms that tried to evade it accurately.

“Piyo!” (Blue!) (Cockatrice)

“Piyo yo” (Blue indeed) (Cockatrice)

Upon catching the puzzle mushroom, the Cockatrice displayed it briefly to us. Anaria quickly measured its size with a measuring tape.

“…It appears to have grown slightly. Approximately ten percent, I would estimate.” (Anaria)

I nodded at her words.

“I see, perhaps they grow larger as we approach Zanzas. Still, finger-sized though…” (Nana)

“Most likely, yes. However, it is not an ominous sign.” (Anaria)

Indeed, this increased the likelihood that the path ahead was not a dead end.

“Piyo, piyo yo?” (May I eat it already?) (Cockatrice)

“Ah, by all means, by all means!” (Anaria)

As Anaria waved her hands, the Cockatrice tossed the puzzle mushroom into its mouth.

“Chew chew… chew chew… piyo” (Cockatrice)

Watching, it seemed to chew and swallow for several minutes.

It appeared to be rather chewy

“Then, let us proceed ahead–…!?” (Hattori)

Hattori, attempting to lead, suddenly stopped. The adventurer in his thirties was wary. He asked

“What is the matter?” (Adventurer)

“…The echo is strange. Ahead, the sound dissipates, degozaru.” (Hattori)

“Ugo… Has something changed?” (Wood)

“Did we emerge somewhere?” (Elt)

The group murmured in concern. Apparently, the passage ahead had undergone some transformation. Anaria and Iskamina were withdrawn, and the formation was reorganized.

“Very well… Let us advance with maximum caution, degozaru.” (Hattori)

“Yes!” (All)

As we crept forward, the stone corridor abruptly came to an end. A massive underground chamber was revealed, illuminated by the Cockatrice’s eye light.

“T-This is…” (Elt)

The ceiling bore glowing moss, and the sound of flowing water could be heard. It closely resembled the square beneath the village. Yet, it was slightly dim, and the full extent of its size remained elusive. No one could fail to feel this impression. All were surprised, yet somehow understanding.

Hattori exchanged a glance with the middle-aged adventurer.

“…It bears an obvious resemblance to the underground square, degozaru.” (Hattori)

“Just because there is one, it does not mean there cannot be more, it seems.” (Adventurer)

The adventurer in his thirties then assumed a sword stance.

“However… it appears to be what one would call a checkpoint.” (Adventurer)

“Indeed, it does, degozaru.” (Hattori)

Hattori readied his kunai as well.

Then, under the Cockatrice’s illumination, puzzle mushrooms appeared from the far end of the square.

“…They have come!” (Nana)

They were enormous, colorful mushrooms, nearly as tall as a human.

 

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