…But Lulomet didn’t feel like explaining all that, so he simply gave them his word that there were no more holes.
“That means there’s a high chance it’s as Kunon says,” he continued. “The shining plant should still be underground.”
They might be right, thought Reyes.
Kunon, excited as he was, was already thinking several steps ahead.
“Isn’t that a problem?” he asked.
“You’ve already figured that out?” asked Lulomet.
The incident was being treated as solved because the spread of the plants had ceased. But the culprit could still be underground. And if that was true, the fundamental problem had yet to be fixed.
“It’s possible more plants are growing down there as we speak. The higher floors might be safe, but they could still be creeping across the lower ones…”
“Or they could still be boldly turning the place green at a breakneck pace!” suggested Kunon.
Lulomet wasn’t sure he’d phrase it like that, but he said, “sure” all the same.
“That’s dangerous!” Kunon’s eyes were hidden behind his mask, but it was easy to tell they were shining. “We have to go capture it! That plant is like a radiant lady waiting for a gentleman to take its hand!”
I knew he would reach that conclusion, Lulomet thought, though he ignored the “lady” and “gentleman” nonsense.
In fact, this was Lulomet’s ultimate goal: He desperately wanted to capture the mysterious plant. He was also afraid of letting it roam free underground, of course.
A shining plant. A creature that left a trail of new growth in its wake. He had never heard of such a thing and couldn’t repress his curiosity.
It was surely a highly magical and valuable being, and that was exactly why he wanted to learn what little he could about it. It would be unbearable if he pursued it prematurely and lost sight of it forever.
He had to capture it. Lulomet didn’t need to be present when the plant was secured; he was even planning on telling the teachers about it. He was willing to set aside his personal desires and prioritize securing this valuable specimen.
Even if it didn’t end up in his hands, just learning about it would satisfy him. He might be able to obtain a shining plant the next time one appeared. But for now, he would be satisfied just knowing it had been captured.
The worst-case scenario would be losing it because of a small mistake. That could seriously damage magical society’s progress.
Lulomet just wanted knowledge. He’d probably have to entrust the rest to the teachers, but he hoped they would give him at least a few morsels of information from their discoveries.
What exactly was that plant? Was it even a plant?
He would be happy with even such small details.
“What do you think, Reyes?” he asked. “Do you have any idea what it could be? I think it might have some connection to that forest.”
“I do have an idea, but nothing to prove it,” replied the Saint.
The Saint thought it was likely this “shining plant” was the divine flower. She hadn’t been able to find it despite extensively searching the forest. Perhaps that was because the divine flower had fled from them and ended up slipping into the Rationality Faction’s base. That seemed like a plausible explanation.
“Also, I am forbidden from sharing that information with you. I’m afraid I cannot tell you any more.”
Reyes was still forbidden from revealing anything about the forest and about the Kira Vera. Naturally, that meant she couldn’t discuss anything within the forest, either. Kunon was an exception because he already knew about it, but she wasn’t allowed to tell anyone else.
“I see. You’re the only student who was allowed to join the investigation, so I figured you might know something. I also guessed you had been sworn to secrecy.”
That was all just as Lulomet had expected. Still, he’d thought the Saint might be more likely to let something slip. She’d already told him she had an idea about what the plant was, and that alone was valuable information.
“Oh! I know, I know! Let’s apply to join the exploration team, Lulomet!”
“Huh?”
Lulomet had not, however, anticipated Kunon’s overly optimistic suggestion.
Wait a moment, he thought.
He might not be allowed to know the full details of the case, but he could apply to join the exploration team. There was no harm in trying anyway.
In fact, now that he thought about it, there was a good chance the teachers would let him come along. Lulomet knew exactly where the vegetation had ceased inside the dungeon—in other words, where they’d lost sight of the shining plant. The exploration team would consist mostly of teachers, but they would need a guide. The underground facility might be empty of wildlife, but it was still a dungeon. It was easy to get lost if you didn’t know where you were going.
It was true the layout had been designed to prevent people from getting lost, but you still needed some familiarity with the place to navigate it without difficulty. The presence of a guide who knew where they were going would significantly speed up the expedition.
“The idea was so obvious it didn’t even occur to me,” admitted Lulomet. “Let’s do it.”
Lulomet had planned on leaving the rest to the teachers and hadn’t even considered trying to join them. He resolved to negotiate with the faculty right away, and in no time at all, he’d convinced them to let him take part in the exploration.
Kunon—who had gone with him to speak with the teachers for some reason—was added to the team, too. He managed to convince them his presence would make various things go more smoothly.
Seeing this, Lulomet reconsidered some things. He’d always thought it was important to know when to give up. But perhaps there were times when it paid to be persistent.
Regardless, it was decided they would begin exploring the artificial dungeon the very next day.
“Are you saying you might spend tomorrow night away from home?”
That evening at dinner, Kunon—after barely making his curfew—spoke of his plans for the next day.
It had been a year since he’d arrived at the magic city of Dirashik. Unsurprisingly, after attending school and visiting his older friend’s house on a daily basis, he’d grown quite accustomed to the city. Slightly more surprising was the extent to which Rinko, his maid, had done the same.
She had even become famous in their neighborhood. She was so familiar with its residents that they had developed a saying about her: “There’s no fight Rinko won’t stick her nose into.”
“It’s possible. I don’t actually know how long it will take.”
The search for the shining plant would kick off the following day. Kunon and Lulomet had spoken with the faculty after paying a visit to the Saint. That was why he’d almost broken his curfew.
Lulomet said he’d spent days walking around the underground facility. He’d quickly realized he would be at it for a while, and had returned to the surface to prepare. Even so, he’d spent two entire days underground.
First, the exploration team would go to the location where Lulomet had lost sight of the shining plant. Then they would begin the search. That was the general plan.
Kunon expected they would reach the location fairly quickly. The search would be the difficult part.
They had no idea where the shining plant had gone, and the deeper into the dungeon they went, the longer the search would inevitably take.
“What?” said Rinko. “You’re telling me I’ll have to spend a night without you?”
“I’m sorry. I don’t want to leave your side, but my work demands it.”
“Is work more important to you than I am?”
“Before I answer that, let me ask you this: Do you prefer me with money or without money?”
“Take care on your expedition. I’ll pass the time eating alone at expensive restaurants. I’ll have you foot the bill, of course.”
What a quick change of heart. Her tone even suggested he’d asked her a very stupid question. The response was just like her.
Thank goodness she didn’t disapprove, Kunon thought.
He’d discussed things with the Saint earlier and learned of her tighter curfew. It would be a disaster if Rinko inflicted a similar punishment on him. He would lose the ability to get parfaits with ladies on the way home from school.