We decided to head to the mine to meet the other survivors.
"The house is……"
Bollard-san and Lise-san were surprised when I put the bear house into the bear box.
"It's a portable house." (Yuna)
"So, that's why there was a house in the middle of the road." (Lise)
"But, an item bag that can fit such a big house..." (Bollard)
They were looking at the polar bear puppet curiously.
I made the polar bear puppet move.
"Then you two ride Kumayuru." (Yuna)
"Kyuu~n" (Kumayuru)
Kumayuru chirped as if he were responding to his name being called.
"Are we going to ride a bear?" (Lise)
"It’s faster and easier that way." (Yuna)
Kagari-san and I rode Kumakyu.
The two of them saw us riding Kumakyu and approached Kumayuru fearfully.
"They're not scary, it's okay." (Yuna)
"Yes, Kumayuru-chan, thank you very much." (Lise)
"Thank you very much." (Bollard)
"Kyuu~n" (Kumayuru)
Kumayuru cried and sat down.
"Maybe they understand the words?" (Lise)
"Yeah, they understand. That's why they get sad when you get scared, and they get angry when you say something bad about me." (Yuna)
"Yuna-san's bears are smart, aren't they?" (Lise)
Bollard-san and Lise-san were scared, but they rode Kumayuru.
"Then, please give him directions." (Yuna)
"Yes. Please head that way." (Lise)
Kumayuru and Kumakyu started running in the direction Lise-san pointed.
We ran through the town and down the road that led to the mine.
As we moved away from the city, the ice disappeared and a normal landscape appeared.
"It doesn’t seem to have any effect here." (Yuna)
"Yes. That's why we were saved." (Lise)
"However, the people who were in the city…" (Bollard)
They're frozen.
We were heading towards the mine through a gentle mountain road.
After a while, there were many rugged rocks.
"We're almost there." (Lise)
Just as Lise-san said, we came to an open area.
There were several huts that appeared to be workshops and a hole into the mountain. An elderly man was standing near the hut.
"Bollard-san!? Everyone, Bollard-san and Lise-chan are back!"
The elderly man called out to the hut.
A person came out from inside the hut.
These were the six survivors that Bollard-san and Lise-san said.
There were three elderly men, one woman, and a man and woman in their 40s. There were 6 people in total.
"Bollard-san, who are those bears and girls!?"
"They were the cause of the city's lights. This bear will be fine as long as we don't harm them." (Bollard)
Bollard-san gently touched Kumayuru to reassure everyone.
"I-I see."
"Where did the girls come from? Is there anyone else?"
"I'll explain." (Bollard)
Bollard-san and Lise-san described us. He gave me a vague explanation of how Kagari-san and I looked, so he didn't go into much detail. Bollard-san and Lise-san were met with stares many times as they explained their explanations.
"The food is real."
"It’s not a fish."
"We have bread, meat, and vegetables. Is there somewhere we can eat?" (Yuna)
"Then it's in the hut."
The hut was said to be the one where an elderly couple lived when they worked as a mine manager.
Kumayuru and Kumakyu wait outside, and we went inside the hut.
The inside of the hut was neatly tidy.
The table seemed to have been added, and there were eight chairs.
I could see that they all survived by helping each other.
It wouldn't be strange if they fought over food or fought each other.
I put bread on the table.
"I hope Baran-san (バラン) and the others eat a lot."
An older man said to a man about Bollard-san's age.
"That's right. You always go out to catch fish for us, even in danger."
The old couple's son was said to be a fisherman.
I was told that after the city was frozen in ice, he went to the sea and was fishing.
"That's not true. I'm sure everyone has gone deep into the cave and brought water for us."
"Speaking of which, what about water?" (Yuna)
"There used to be a river, but a dragon has taken up residence at the top of the mountain and it has become frozen. There is a place where spring water came out when we were digging a hole in the mine, so we now carry water from there."
Spring water?
Did he mean underground water?
I put food on the table to prove that there was plenty of food.
"There's more than just bread, so don't worry about it." (Yuna)
"Meat!"
"Is it really fine?"
"There's plenty, so it's okay." (Yuna)
It's wolf meat. I still had a lot of stock.
"Then I'll grill it. It's been a while since I cooked meat."
An elderly woman happily carried the meat to the kitchen.
"Mother-in-law, I will help you too."
If I remembered correctly, they said they were married to their son, so I guessed she's his son's wife.
They both began cooking.
Everyone happily ate breads, meats, and vegetables.
"Delicious"
"I thought I'd never be able to eat again."
"Thank you, ladies."
"By the way, what about Lise-chan’s clothes?"
The man asked, noticing that Lise-san's clothes had changed.
"Yuna-san gave it to me." (Lise)
"Also, I was wondering, aren’t you two looking prettier?"
"Well, we took a bath." (Lise)
"Bath!?"
Everyone was surprised.
It varied from country to country, but if there was a culture of bathing, I wanted to take a bath.
Everyone looked jealous.
I could have them take a bath in the bear house, but I would think about it for a while.
"Bollard-san, can I take a look around?" (Yuna)
"That's fine, but why?" (Bollard)
"I'm thinking of making a bath." (Yuna)
Everyone was surprised by my words.
"Then I'll show you around." (Lise)
"I'll go too." (Kagari)
I left the hut with Kagari-san and Lise-san.
Kumayuru and Kumakyu who were outside approached.
"Are you really going to make a bath?" (Lise)
"Wouldn't it be better to have a bath?" (Yuna)
"Yes, but" (Lise)
I wouldn't need it if we went to another city at Bear's Transfer Gate, but I wouldn't know what to do next unless I listened to everyone's stories.
It's not as time consuming as building a separate bath.
You could make a little bit of it with magic.
I looked around.
Maybe it would be nice if it was a little bigger and closer to the cave.
"Lise-san, is it okay to build around here?" (Yuna)
There was an open area on the right side of the cave.
"It's okay, but how do you make it?" (Lise)
"This is how I make it." (Yuna)
When I moved to a place where I had been given permission, I poured mana onto the ground. The soil swelled up, creating a large lying bear.
It felt like chubby bear house.
"You really like bears." (Lise)
"I don't remember if I told you about it, but I have the divine protection of a bear, and being a bear increases its strength." (Yuna)
I didn't know if it would be okay if a dragon came, but it wouldn't freeze.
"It's amazing. Something so big can be done in an instant. Can any mage do it?" (Lise)
I didn't know about other wizards, so I looked at Kagari-san.
"Kagari-san, what do you think?" (Yuna)
"Should you really ask me?" (Kagari)
"Because I think you know more than me." (Yuna)
"In conclusion, a mage with a lot of mana can do it." (Kagari)
"After all, it's all about the amount of mana. If I had more mana, I could go see my mother." (Lise)
"Your mother?" (Yuna)
Come to think of it, I hadn't heard anything about her mother.
"My mother and sister are frozen. But the house is frozen, so I can't go see them. Once before, Bende-san (ベンデ) did his best to melt down the door. It's too difficult, so I haven't asked him." (Lise)
Is Bende-san one of your grandfathers?
In order to change the somber atmosphere, I resumed making a bath.
I attached the door to the side of the lying bear and went inside.
I entered the bear's belly and created a room about 2 meters wide in the center. Even though it's called a room, it's more like a hallway.
I added doors to the left and right.
I Separated into men's and women's baths on the left and right.
Then, I made a shower and bathtub, attached fire and water magic stones, and completed.
By the way, the women's bath was on the head side of the bear, and the men's bath was on the tail side.
Kagari-san also helped along the way, so it was completed in no time.
"I'll ask everyone to come in later."
"Thank you, Yuna-san and Kagari-chan." (Lise)
When we went outside the bear bath, Bollard-san and the others were looking at the bear house.
"Father, it's amazing. I thought Yuna-san used magic to create a bear house, but in no time, she created a bath." (Lise)
Lise-san excitedly explained.
"Is this bear a bathroom?" (Bollard)
"Yes. Once inside, the women's bath is on the side of the bear's head, and the men's bath is on the tail side." (Lise)
Lise-san explained it for me.
"How about water?" (Bollard)
"I'm using water and fire magic stones, so we can get hot water. I saved up some hot water earlier, so I'll add it in a while." (Yuna)
Everyone went into Kuma's house to confirm what Lise-san and I had said.
And they came out after a while.
"It's really a bath."
"Are you sure we can come in?"
"Yeah, I made it, so I’d be happy if you could." (Yuna)
Everyone was happy and went inside the bear building.
Only Bollard-san and Lise-san, who had taken a bath before, remained.
"Yuna-san, thank you for everything. So, just to confirm, what are you going to do now? I don't know how you got here. I think being able to use such magic came in a way we couldn't imagine." (Bollard)
Bollard-san seemed to sense that we were being vague.
"We all talked about it earlier. If you don't mind, could you please take this child with you?" (Bollard)
Bollard-san pushed Lise-san's back.
"Father!" (Lise)
"You're still young. There's no need to stay." (Bollard)
"Father is young too. And so are Baran-san and everyone else." (Lise)
Bollard-san shook his head.
"Baran-san says he has no intention of leaving his parents behind. Bende-san and the others also say that they will not leave the land where their friends are sleeping and will watch over them until they die." (Bollard)
"How about father?" (Lise)
"I'm still a lord. I'm going to watch over them until the end. When the dragon leaves and the ice melts, I have to be in the city. That's my role as the final lord." (Bollard)
He gently placed his hand on Lise-san's head.
It's been three years since Dragon had been here. He didn't know when it would leave.
It could be tomorrow, it could be years from now, it could be decades from now, it could be after Bollard-san passes away.
But he said he would stay.
"And I can't leave my sleeping wife and daughter behind." (Bollard)
"I-I'll stay too!" (Lise)
"Don’t embarrass me." (Bollard)
They didn't take a step back from each other.
Kagari-san interjected between the parent and child.
"Please wait, we have something to discuss." (Kagari)
Kagari-san looked at me.
The decision to use Bear's Transfer Gate was up to me.
"That's right. We'll be in town a little longer, so think about it." (Yuna)
"Yes, I understand" (Kagari)
I had no intention of abandoning Lise-san and the others.
That being said, I had no intention of forcibly taking away those who had said they would stay in the city.
It might seem cruel, but even if you forced yourself to take someone with you, you wouldn't be able to take care of them until the end.
Whether you wanted to live or survive in this area, you would need a variety of things.
It's a difficult problem.
Author's Note
They met with everyone.
...
*Thank you to everyone who reports typos.
Please note that some kanji have been revised to match the book, so some may not have been revised.