Chapter 339: Chapter 47 - Clean Up Magical Plants Discovery
"New magic plants always grow in unexpected places, huh," I muttered after seeing what Aiko saw.
In the fast-flowing river, she found an underground river that was overgrown with new magical plants and matched the location point detected by Alyssa’s magic circle formation.
Seeing some of the new magical plants growing around the watery area, I now understand why they’re hard to spot with the naked eye. It’s because their growth areas are hidden or covered.
Earl Timoti, who had conducted a military expedition that explored this dense forest in winter, would certainly not have found any magical plants hidden in the ice or in the cold, rushing river.
Thanks to detailed explorations on military expeditions like this, we have discovered several species of wild animals that have mutated into wild monsters and several new magical plants that Earl Timoti did not discover.
"I think... I’m starting to understand the characteristics of this new magical plant that grows around watery areas," I muttered, making my twin sister smile at me.
"Onee-sama seems to be thinking the same thing as me. I also understand some of the characteristics of the new magical plants that grow around watery places. Especially with the small notes on the copy of the map that Earl Timoti had drawn," Alice said while showing a small note written by Earl Timoti.
In that short note, Earl Timoti only describes an area covered by thick ice and assumes that it is a watery area after spring comes.
"I didn’t even see that little note, you’re really thorough, Alice," said Alyssa, who also noticed the little note on the copy of the map that Earl Timoti had drawn.
My eyes immediately compared the two copies of the map that Earl Timoti had drawn and found some small notes left by Earl Timoti during a military expedition in the winter to control the population of dense forest monsters.
"I think, we should be more careful when reading maps drawn by military experts," I said while continuing to pay attention to what Aiko was doing.
In the dark underground, water flowed with strong currents. Aiko seemed to have difficulty taking one of the new magic plant samples that had been successfully detected.
Based on the natural ability of a stealth slime to detect changes in magical energy around it, I became curious about how this new magical plant could go undetected by the stealth slime herd.
Normally, they were able to detect any changes in magical energy flows with a high sensitivity, but for this new magical plant, they were completely unable to detect it and simply passed it by.
"Aiko, this makes me curious. Does this new magical plant we discovered have such a low magical energy that it’s difficult for the stealth slimes to detect it?" I asked Aiko, who was busy taking samples of one of the new magical plants to put in a glass jar.
[ Yes, Supreme Commander. I can feel some weak magical energy, but as for whether it is a magical plant or not, I am a little unsure about it and think it is just an ordinary plant. ]
[ I feel like they grew after this dense forest air spread some magic residue. ]
[ I also sensed the remnants of the magical residue from the Golden King Bear that still hasn’t disappeared, and I feel that it is the main cause of the many new magical plants that are trying to grow in certain... hidden places like this. ]
[ For example, like magic plants that grow in dark and fast-flowing places like this. ]
I nodded my head as if I understood what Aiko was saying.
"Magic residue, huh?"
"You girls are really sensitive in this matter, so I’ll assume that theory is correct," I muttered while nodding my head after listening to Aiko’s explanation.
Alice and Alyssa seemed curious about this.
They both stopped for a moment from the work they were doing and waited for me to explain what I had learned.
"Lily-nee, it seems like you know the situation about this," said Alyssa, who couldn’t wait to hear my explanation.
"Yes, some information has been confirmed by Aiko, who has taken some samples of the new magic plant. One conclusion she has reached is... this new magic plant is a plant that has just grown after the air in this dense forest was polluted by the magic residue from the Golden King Bear," I said, which made several military officers in the central command tent surprised.
Alice and Alyssa showed expressions of shock, just like what was happening on the faces of the military officers who heard this information.
"What is happening in the dense forest may change, as time goes by," I continued after seeing everyone’s shocked looks.
"Lily-sama, it seems we should convey this information to Marchioness Amagi and Marquess Rommel as A2-classified information. With this important information, we can be a little more alert to something growing in the dense forest and prevent anything that is felt to threaten the surrounding life," said one of the military officers who put forward an idea in her head.
"I was planning to do that once I had evidence to support the theory. Once Aiko returns and brings back some samples of the new magical plants she discovered, that will be clear evidence to present to my mother," I replied with a gentle smile to one of the military officers who had no hesitation in presenting her idea.
"Should I prepare a written report on that, Lily-sama?"
"Yes, I order you to make written report about that."
Ting!!
I suddenly felt that things would get more troublesome if my mother read my handwriting.
Somehow, I can see the future that will happen if my mother reads my handwriting.
Instead of reading the written report, my mother would ask me to present what I had written in the military expedition report.
Presenting the written report was not a big problem for me, my biggest problem was my mother’s boundless curiosity.
Several questions about the new magical plant and its correlation with the magical residue of the Golden King Bear would fill all the questions until my mother’s curiosity was answered.
I don’t want to experience such a horrible thing, and it’s better to hand over this written report to one of the military officers, who I can rely on at this time.
Sreeett...
Srreett...
With swift and agile movements, the military officer who came up with the idea immediately wrote a military report on the suspicions and theories about the new magic plant.
[ Um, Supreme Commander. Should I move to another new magic plant location? ]
"Yes, Aiko, you still have three more new magical plants to take their sample. I hope you’re not too bored with this monotonous task," I replied to Aiko’s question.
[ I’m not bored with monotonous tasks like this. Please tell me the way to the next new magic plant, Supreme Commander! ]
I glanced at Alyssa to immediately continue the task of collecting samples of this new magical plant.
Twink...
Nods...
While blinking my eyelids at Alyssa, I gave a small signal to Alyssa to get ready.
"Oh! I almost forgot about this important thing. Aiko, please trace the underground river all the way to its outlet. I want to know the exact route of the underground river!" I said while giving Aiko further instructions.
[ I think it will be very long, Supreme Commander. ]
"It’s okay, it’s still early. Waiting an hour or two won’t hurt!" I shouted excitedly.
I did this to give a military officer who was preparing a written report to send to my mother, an extra time.
After ordering her to make a written report based on my theories and preliminary assumptions, I had no choice but to stall for more time until the written report was finished by troubling Aiko.
"If my guess is correct, then this underground river will connect to one of the puddle of water that contains the new magic plant."
"I’m sure of that..."
I don’t know where this feeling of confidence comes from, but I can feel this true confidence like I’m betting on winning.
[ I will try to explore this underground river flow even deeper, Supreme Commander! ]
I felt like, I was forcing Aiko to work even harder, with her body diving in the fast-flowing underground river, and I felt a little guilty.
The slight feeling of guilt suddenly disappeared, replaced by curiosity about the exit route from the underground river that Aiko was exploring.
Without blinking and paying attention to Aiko’s moving position, I occasionally glanced at Alyssa, who was describing the underground river path that Aiko was currently dive through.
Thanks to her calculations and natural talent for quick thinking, Alyssa was able to estimate the exact position of the underground river flow that Aiko was diving through with the scale of the map drawn by Earl Timoti.
Sreeettt...
Srreettt...
Her eyes were fixed on my magic circle formation that mapped the surrounding area, not looking away for the sake of high accuracy on the underground river path she was drawing.
Srreettt...
Srreeettt...
Sraaakk!!
Suddenly, the entrance of the central command tent opened, reveal Ellen carrying food on a plate.
"My Monarch! An omelette from a wild monster is ready to be eaten!"
"Would my Monarch like to taste it right now?!"
Ellen, who suddenly entered, was unable to break Alyssa’s full concentration, who was drawing the underground river that Aiko was currently diving.
Without a blink...
Without any distractions that could disturb her concentration...
I also paid attention to Alyssa, who was serious and ignored the presence of Ellen, who had finished cooking the eggs offered to me from the wild monsters that were tamed by Sirius.
Blush...
Alyssa’s face suddenly turned pink after I noticed.
"Lily-nee... if you look at me with such serious eyes."
"My concentration could fade after a while..." Alyssa grumbled, realizing that I was staring at her.
I smiled gently at Alyssa and touched her cheek.
Caress...
Caress...
"Keep concentrating, Alyssa, don’t let small distractions like this mess up your concentration," I said while touching her cheek several times until Alyssa gently bit my index finger.
Chomp...
"If Lily-nee doesn’t stop teasing me, I’m going to put Lily-nee’s index finger even deeper in my mouth."
Alyssa looked annoyed, but her gaze didn’t shift from my magic circle formation, and her hand was still drawing the underground river that Aiko was diving through.
"Onee-sama... you like teasing a woman when she was in serious mode, huh?" whispered Alice, who suddenly bit the nape of my neck from behind.
"Umm... M-My Monarch?" Ellen looked awkward with my current... lewd situation.