The next morning, I was woken up by Kumayuru and Kumakyu.
Apparently, no monsters appeared.
When I checked with my detection skill, an ice golem reacted just within the detection range.
Considering what happens later, it might be better to defeat it.
When I saw Kagari-san sleeping, she was being woken up by Kumayuru and Kumakyu, just like me, but she said things like "I'm sleepy" and didn't want to wake up.
But in the end, she had to wake up with Kumayuru on her face.
"So, what are you planning to do today?" (Kagari)
Kagari-san asked while getting dressed.
"I thought about it for a while, an ice dragon can talk?" (Yuna)
"I don't know if you can call that one-sided conversation a conversation, but I'm sure you understand what he's saying." (Kagari)
"Also, the fact that he didn’t attack us means that he has no hostility towards us." (Yuna)
"From the ice dragon’s perspective, he may not have considered us an enemy." (Kagari)
"If he doesn't think of us as enemies, then there's probably room for dialogue and negotiation. So, I was wondering if we could ask him to leave here." (Yuna)
If they could understand language, they should be able to have a dialogue.
"That's true, but if you bother him, he'll crush you." (Kagari)
I understood what Kagari-san was saying.
If you did or said something they didn't like, they might attack you.
"I'm not going to fight, and I'm not trying to force you out." (Yuna)
Kicking them out in battle was not the only solution.
"For now, I think I'll try talking to the ice dragon." (Yuna)
Either way, nothing would be resolved unless we took action.
"So, Kagari-san..." (Yuna)
Before I could continue saying that she could go back to the Land of Harmoni, Kagari-san spoke.
"Let's go together." (Kagari)
"It is dangerous" (Yuna)
"I can't let the little girl go alone. Besides, it's a ship that's boarded up. I won't leave her and get off the ship halfway. I'll stay with her until the end." (Kagari)
She said I was a little girl, but Kagari-san was smaller in appearance.
However, Kagari-san was happy, so I would be thankful.
Today's schedule was decided, and when I went outside the bear house, Lise-san and the others were shoveling snow.
"Yuna-san, Kagari-chan, good morning." (Lise)
"Good morning. Are you shoveling snow?" (Yuna)
"It would be inconvenient if we didn’t take care of the area around the mine and the hut." (Lise)
The snow wasn't as deep as my knees, but for someone like me who grew up in Tokyo, it's quite a lot.
"I'll help you." (Yuna)
I thought about telling Lise-san about the ice dragon, but I decided to shovel snow.
"Let me help too." (Kagari)
Kagari-san also offered.
Kagari-san and I used fire magic to melt the snow.
"The snow is melting more and more."
"There's no work for us."
"But there's water on the ground and it's causing a lot of trouble."
It's true that the snow has melted and the ground was a mess with lots of puddles.
"It will disappear over time. It's even more difficult if there's snow." (Lise)
Lise-san was right. I watched the news about heavy snowfall on TV, but it's terrible. You couldn't walk on the road, and cars wouldn't move. There was also shoveling snow from the roof of the house. For the average person, snow was considered a nuisance. Maybe the only thing that made me happy was ski resorts.
Anyway, Kagari-san and I were concentrating on melting the snow for now.
And within an hour, the snow around the mine was gone. In return, a puddle formed on the ground.
This puddle might freeze, but it should be better than snow.
The three of us, sweating from shoveling snow, took a bath.
The manager's and the fisherman's wife didn't take a bath because they were preparing food.
I had asked Kumayuru and Kumakyu to keep watch in case something happened.
"Thank you, Yuna-san and Kagari-chan. Thank you for your help." (Lise)
"I hope I was helpful." (Yuna)
"So, when are Yuna-san and Kagari-chan leaving here?" (Lise)
"I haven't decided yet." (Yuna)
"I see" (Lise)
Lise-san looked a little relieved, and then she glanced over at us, as if she wanted to say something.
"Did something happen?" (Yuna)
"I'll listen if you want some advice." (Kagari)
"Of course, there are things we can do and things we can't do." (Yuna)
When we called out to her, Lise-san thought for a moment and then opened her mouth.
"...Everyone is telling me to get out of here." (Lise)
Just like Kagari-san and I were talking in the bear house last night, Lise-san and the others were also talking.
Everyone seemed to want Lise-san to leave here and be happy.
"I'm happy for everyone's feelings, but I can't believe I'm leaving here and leaving everyone behind." (Lise)
"I guess that can’t be helped." (Kagari)
"Kagari-chan?" (Lise)
"You are cherished by everyone. You can see that even by watching from the side. Everyone probably thinks of you as if you were a grandchild or their own child. It's normal for an adult to wish." (Kagari)
"Hehe, Kagari-chan is a really strange girl. She seems much more mature than me." (Lise)
Yes, that's correct. She's a grandmother.
The moment I thought this to myself, Kagari-san poured hot water on my face.
"I've said it many times, but you show too much on your face." (Kagari)
Did it really show on my face? I thought I had a good poker face.
"Besides, you'll have to do what you need to do before you leave." (Kagari)
Kagari-san looked at me with a meaningful expression.
"That's right. I have something to talk about with everyone." (Yuna)
"Are you asking for advice..." (Lise)
After we got out of the bath, we decided to talk while we ate the lunch that the caretaker ladies had made for us.
"So, Yuna-san. What are you talking to us about?" (Lise)
When the meal started, Lise-san asked if I was really concerned.
"I was thinking of going to meet the ice dragon for a moment." (Yuna)
Everyone's hands stopped eating.
"Yuna-san, you're going to meet the ice dragon..." (Lise)
"There's something I haven't told everyone about the ice dragon yet. The ice dragon I met yesterday talked to me." (Yuna)
"Does that mean the Ice Dragon spoke?" (Lise)
"Yeah, it's one-sided though." (Yuna)
"I can't believe it."
Everyone looked incredulous.
Same went for me.
No one would think that ice dragons could talk.
"So, I'm going to talk to the Ice Dragon. Maybe he'll let you get out of here." (Yuna)
"It is dangerous!" (Lise)
"That's right. What would you do if you were attacked?"
"It's like trying to get killed."
"For our sake, please stop. If Yuna-san doesn't come back..."
Everyone said something against it.
"Miss-chan, why would you do all this for us, strangers? Do you even know anyone in this town?"
I shook my head.
"No. It's a coincidence that I came to this town." (Yuna)
I guessed I could say it was a coincidence, but I was guided to it.
I thought that the bear signpost might have been meant to lead us to meet the ice dragon.
It's nice that ice dragon said he missed my mana.
"Then why..."
"I'm having trouble waking up. If I go home like this, I think I'll be worried about everyone." (Yuna)
I hope everyone was okay. I wondered if they were being attacked by monsters. I wondered if he was alive. was the food okay? Maybe there were many things to think about.
If I set up Bear's Transfer Gate, I could come see them anytime, but that didn't really solve the problem, and I didn't think it's the same.
Besides, something might happen while I was gone.
Maybe I would regret it then.
I should have done it at that time.
I should have talked to the ice dragon at that time.
That's what I thought.
I didn't mean to call myself a good person, but I didn't think I was a heartless person either.
"So, I'm going to talk to the ice dragon." (Yuna)
"Kagari-chan please say something too. Please stop Yuna-san." (Lise)
"It's impossible. This guy is so good-natured. She helps people even when it has nothing to do with him." (Kagari)
"I’m not particularly nice." (Yuna)
"I'm the only one who thinks that way. And don't worry. I'm also planning on going with you."
"Are you going too Kagari-chan? I don't feel at ease anymore." (Lise)
"That's right." (Kagari)
"There's no need for the girls to take risks."
"This too was fate."
Maybe everyone had given up.
For three years, they couldn't do anything and just lived.
But I wanted Lise-san to see the future, so they decided to entrust Lise-san to me.
"It's too early to give up." (Yuna)
"That's right. If we give up, there will be no future. As long as we live, we have to keep struggling." (Kagari)
Kagari-san said to herself.
"We can't do anything about the Ice Dragon."
"That's we're here. You must have worked hard to survive for three years. And by living, you were able to meet us. Do you think it's too late or too early? I don’t know." (Kagari)
"If everyone thinks you've given up, bet on us for the last time." (Yuna)
"...Yuna-san" (Lise)
"However, the worst-case scenario is if negotiations with the Ice Dragon break down. I don't know what will happen." (Yuna)
In that case, there would be a battle, and it would be good if we won.
If we're about to lose, I would just take everyone and run away.
"That's right. If you're going to die like this without doing anything, I'll bet on both of you." (Lise)
"That's right. For three years, we lived in fear of monsters. All I could do was watch over my frozen family."
"No one came to help us. The ones who helped us this far were the girls. The girls said they were willing to risk the risk and go see the Ice Dragon. Our lives were in danger. We entrust our lives to Miss."
"Either way, even if I don’t do anything, if I’m just going to die in this frozen city, I’ll leave it to you."
"I won't hold a grudge even if the ice dragon gets angry and comes to kill us."
I wouldn't let that happen.
If he got angry and became dangerous, I would use Bear's Transfer Gate to make everyone escape.
"Thank you" (Yuna)
"However, please prioritize your own lives." (Lise)
I thanked everyone for their kindness and decided to head for the top of the mountain where the ice dragon was.
Before that, I defeated the ice golem that was within the detection skill.
Author's Note
Now, let's go to the ice dragon!
...
*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.