The reason the ice dragon was here was simple.
Because there were eggs.
"I guess they were being wary of people because they would steal dragon eggs." (Kagari)
"What's the point of stealing eggs?" (Yuna)
They don't eat it, right?
"I don't know the details, but I heard that it is sometimes used as a secret medicine." (Kagari)
It was true that dragon eggs were sometimes treated as items in games.
When you thought about it like that, you could understand why ice dragons didn't let humans got close to them.
But why was she born here? I wanted to tell her to give birth in a place where no one was around.
As a result, many people were frozen in ice.
"Human children, go away. Moreover, don't get too close." (Ice Dragon)
The ice dragon's cold air became even stronger.
I built a wind barrier to protect us.
"I'm not going to do anything to the eggs." (Yuna)
For now, we couldn't have a conversation unless they calmed down.
Even if they didn't, they were angry that we came.
"Let me ask you one thing, if a baby is born from the egg, will you leave here?" (Yuna)
"At that time, I will leave this place" (Ice Dragon)
Finally, I was able to hear the words I wanted to hear the most.
I was glad they didn't have to continue living here.
"So, when will the baby be born?" (Yuna)
"I don't know" (Ice Dragon)
Maybe they had been incubating eggs for three years?
Also, I was not talking about several years.
"No, she'll be born soon." (Kagari)
"Kagari-san, do you know?" (Yuna)
"I feel like the it is trying to come out of the egg." (Kagari)
I wondered what it felt like.
Maybe Kagari-san understood because she could feel mana on her skin.
"Then we just have to wait." (Yuna)
If Kagari-san's words were true, it would be born soon.
If it happened, the ice dragon would leave. There's no need to fight an ice dragon. If they said they're leaving, there's no point in fighting.
If it's a game, you could get dragon materials. I would gladly defeat it, but as of now, I didn't need dragon materials.
We decided to leave so as not to provoke the ice dragon any further.
"Kagari-san. Is it really going to give birth?" (Yuna)
I asked Kagari-san on Kumayuru.
"As I said before, somehow. I want to see a mass of mana come out. I don't know when that will happen. Whether it'll be tomorrow or in a month" (Kagari)
"Isn’t it too wide?" (Yuna)
"I don't know anything about the ecology of dragons, so I guess it's inevitable." (Kagari)
When someone said that to me, I couldn't say anything.
Even I didn't know anything about dragon ecology.
Even in games, they just show up and fight.
They might have secret treasures or materials to become stronger.
Depending on the game, there might be dragons who would give you advice or even became your companions.
I didn't know how long it took for a baby to be born from an egg.
"Well, don't worry too much, the baby will probably be born soon." (Kagari)
Let's believe Kagari-san's words for now.
"If the ice dragon baby is born and the ice dragon leaves, Lise-san and the others will be saved a little." (Yuna)
Even if the ice dragon was defeated, the dead person's life would not come back.
Defeating the ice dragon might save Lise-san's heart, but the risk was too great.
"If there's a problem, it's when will it be able to fly?" (Kagari)
"..." (Yuna)
That's right.
Even if they were born right away, they wouldn't be able to fly right away, right?
When you imagined a bird, the scene that came to mind was a scene where a parent was feeding it.
"Well, if a baby is born from the egg, you'll be able to hold it in your mouth or grab it with your feet. I guess we can only hope that it's born quickly and they can move it." (Kagari)
Right.
"By the way, I thought you were going to ask about the nostalgic mana that the ice dragon was talking about." (Kagari)
"I thought so. But as a mother protecting her eggs, it wasn't in the mood to be asked such a question." (Yuna)
Also, how many years ago was the nostalgic mana? Even if they were related by blood over a hundred years ago, they were now strangers.
Even if I heard about such a person, I wouldn't think anything of it.
However, it might have been better to ask where they met.
For now, I was going back to the mine to tell Lise-san and the others about the ice dragon.
"...Did you really talk to the ice dragon?" (Lise)
"Yeah, it seems like they can't move because they're protecting the egg." (Yuna)
"So, you said they would leave this place after the birth." (Lise)
She looked surprised at our explanation, but then she looked a little happy.
"If that's true, that would help." (Lise)
"I didn't feel like I was lying. There's no need to lie. But the question is when will the baby be born? Kagari-san says it will be soon." (Yuna)
"That's just how I felt. Don't count on me. I don't want you to be happy." (Kagari)
"However, I would be happier if I could see a bright future than not being able to see it." (Lise)
Everyone smiled.
For a long time, they thought that the ice dragon would stay like this and this situation would continue forever, but Lise-san and the others seem happy when they learn that there was a possibility that the ice dragon would disappear.
That night, we decided to have a farewell party.
"Thank you, Yuna-san and Kagari-chan." (Lise)
"Thank you for the lots of food." (Kagari)
"Lise-san decided to stay, right?" (Yuna)
"Yes, if the ice dragon leaves, I will stay. Besides, I would like to build a grave for my mother and sister." (Lise)
"Kagari-san, if the ice dragon disappears, the ice in the city will melt, right?" (Yuna)
"It's different from regular ice. It's an ice that contains mana. It may not melt easily, but it will gradually melt if the mana supply runs out." (Kagari)
If so, that's good.
"After the ice dragon leaves, we'll have to go to a nearby town to ask for help." (Lise)
"Then I'll go." (Baran)
Baran-san the fisherman offered.
"After all, we didn't know where you two came from or how you got there."
"I'm sorry."
There were many things that were difficult to explain, such as the moving island Targui, the fact that Kumayuru and Kumakyu could run on the sea, and the need to use Bear's Transfer Gate to return home.
"I know that both of you are mysterious girls. Coming to a place like this by yourself, there being a mysterious bear, and your magic being amazing. Maybe there was a lot about the world that I didn't know." (Lise)
"Well, it's true that I was saved thanks to the girls. I'm grateful."
The old men drank the sake Kagari-san served with a delicious look.
By the way, Kagari-san also tried to drink alcohol, but I stopped her.
As expected, I couldn't show a young girl drinking alcohol.
"We just went to talk to the ice dragon." (Kagari)
"We can't even go to the top of the mountain."
"Not to mention, I'm too scared to go see the Ice Dragon."
That's usually the case.
Even I wouldn't think of going to see them unless I had bear equipment.
It's like going to death.
"I'm going to feel lonely when you two are gone." (Lise)
"I'll come again." (Yuna)
"Really?" (Lise)
"I'm curious about what happened to the ice dragon." (Yuna)
"We look forward to it" (Lise)
If I set up Bear's Transfer Gate, we could come anytime.
In the first place, we couldn't go home without setting up Bear's Transfer Gate somewhere, so there would be a connection here.
The farewell party continued until late.
The next day, it's sunny.
As Kagari-san and I were getting ready to leave, everyone came over.
"Thank you very much, Yuna-san and Kagari-chan." (Lise)
"I'll be waiting for you anytime"
"You're always welcome."
"I won't ask you how to get home, but please be careful when you get home."
Kagari-san and I rode Kumayuru and Kumakyu and left this place.
When I turned around, Lise-san was waving at me.
"I'm a little disappointed though." (Yuna)
"This can't be helped. We can't stay here forever." (Kagari)
"I agree" (Yuna)
I wished I could stay until the ice dragon left.
In a situation where we didn't know when the ice dragon would leave, we couldn't stay until then.
"Are Lise-san and the others okay?" (Yuna)
"They were the ones who decided to stay. Besides, if the Ice Dragon leaves, they'll have a lot of work to do." (Kagari)
If the ice dragon disappeared, the ship would return, and if the ice in the city melted, a sadness awaited.
It was safe to say that the ice dragon killed all the residents of the city.
However, no one from Lise-san and the others asked us to defeat the ice dragon.
"They don’t hold a grudge, do they?" (Yuna)
"Are you talking about Lise and the others?" (Kagari)
Kagari-san reacted to my soliloquy.
I couldn't help what I heard.
I said what's on my mind.
"I think they would normally hate ice dragons after having your family frozen by ice dragons and being forced to live in a mine for three years." (Yuna)
"At first, they probably hated it. However, when it comes to people you can't help with, you may give up first. There's nothing you can do. It's impossible to defeat them. People learn to give up." (Kagari)
"Is that what it is?" (Yuna)
Maybe if someone you cared about was killed, you would hate it. Especially if it's an important family member.
"That's probably because they recognized the ice dragon as someone who can defeat them." (Kagari)
"..." (Yuna)
Certainly, maybe they wouldn't know until they tried fighting.
Even if they didn't win, they had no intention of losing.
"As a hypothetical example, suppose someone you care about is a sailor. Suppose the weather suddenly changes, a storm develops, the sea becomes rough, the ship sinks, and the person you care about dies. Do you want to defeat the weather?" (Kagari)
"That's because it's a natural disaster." (Yuna)
"For people without power, I think an ice dragon is the same thing as a natural disaster. It suddenly came, and without doing anything, the city froze, and they lost their families. It's a kind of natural disaster." (Kagari)
I understood what she was saying.
But I felt like it's different.
"Ice dragons are living things, and disasters are not living things." (Yuna)
"What would you do if it was God who caused the disaster?" (Kagari)
"..." (Yuna)
"If they manipulate the weather freely and do it from a place that no one can reach, you can't do anything either." (Kagari)
"God wouldn't do that." (Yuna)
"There are also evil gods. It's not just good gods." (Kagari)
If someone said that to me, I couldn't say anything back.
"What I'm trying to say is that just because you can do it, don't think that others can too. Everyone has their own yardstick. It's better not to measure by your own yardstick." (Kagari)
Just as I wouldn't think of defeating a natural opponent, Lise-san and the others might not have thought of defeating the Ice Dragon either.
If I didn't have the bear equipment, I might have given up and lived quietly like Lise-san and the rest, without even thinking about fighting the ice dragon.
Author's Note
Yuna: "Okay, I guess I’ll go home."
Author: "…………"
...
*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.
Translator's Note
We are approaching the same chapter as the author. At this time, we are only about 15 chapters behind the author. So, next month (tomorrow), I will only publish 4 chapters of Kuma per week, maybe on Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday.