"So, where are you planning on putting that gate?" (Kagari)
While I was thinking, Kagari-san asked me.
"That's right. I'd like to put it somewhere inconspicuous." (Yuna)
"Considering that we don't know what will happen to the city once the Ice Dragon leaves, I think a place away from the city would be a good idea." (Kagari)
I agreed with that.
Also, I didn't want to be seen when the fisherman Bende-san came to catch fish, so I decided to head to the opposite side of the ocean from where Bende-san went to catch fish.
As I was looking around to see if there was a good place to set up Bear's Transfer Gate, Kumayuru and Kumakyu loudly shouted, "Kyuu~n!"
"What? A monster!" (Kagari)
Kagari-san, judging by the way Kumayuru and Kumakyu cried, shouted.
I immediately used my detection skill.
"Ice Dragon" reaction in detection skill.
But the direction was not the mountaintop.
It's coming from the sea.
I turned my eyes to the ocean where there was a reaction.
"Kagari-san, look over there." (Yuna)
I looked at the sea and pointed to the sky.
At the tip of my finger, there was a creature flapping its large wings and moving towards me.
"Is it an ice dragon?" (Kagari)
"Kagari-san, I'm going back." (Yuna)
"What are you going to do when you go back?" (Kagari)
"I don't know. I hope that ice dragon doesn't do anything. There might be a case." (Yuna)
Optimistically, there was a possibility of a partner for the ice dragon on the mountaintop, just came to pick up a baby ice dragon. As long as they left after the baby was born, there's no problem.
However, I didn't know what would happen if they changed my mind and the two of them decide to live together.
"I'll just check. Kumayuru, Kumakyu, let's hurry back." (Yuna)
"Kyuu~n" (Both Kuma)
"You're really a good-natured person." (Kagari)
I thought so myself, but I couldn't just say, "Another ice dragon has arrived. Let's just go home and not worry about it."
I couldn't just relax and worry about it.
For now, I couldn't go home unless I understood the situation.
Kumayuru and Kumakyu, carrying me and Kagari-san, headed back the way we came.
"Looks like I can't relax." (Kagari)
Fast.
In terms of detection skill reaction, it's right on top.
"Is that another ice dragon?" (Kagari)
Kagari-san was looking towards the mountaintop.
An ice dragon flew from the top of the mountain.
It was heading straight for the ice dragon that had come from the sea.
Greeting?
Did it go to pick up?
The ice dragon made contact. They started circling each other.
"Are they fighting?" (Yuna)
I couldn't see it because it's too far away, but something like cold air was exhaling from their mouth.
It looked like they were attacking by pointing their feet at the opponent.
"What's going on!?" (Kagari)
I felt the same way.
Please explain what is happening.
But there's no one to explain it to me.
All I could do now was head to Lise-san and the rest.
Kagari-san and I returned to the mine.
There were Lise-san and her father Bollard-san.
"Yuna-san, what's wrong?" (Lise)
Even though we had just broken up, she was surprised to see us come back.
"Did you forget something?" (Lise)
Apparently, she didn't notice.
"Look up" (Yuna)
I pointed towards the ice dragon.
Lise-san looked at where I was pointing.
"…Are those two ice dragons?" (Lise)
"What's going on?" (Bollard)
Lise-san and Bollard-san were surprised to see the ice dragon in the sky.
"What about everyone else?" (Yuna)
"Today is the day off from work, so everyone is in the cabin." (Lise)
Good.
Baran-san didn't go fishing.
"I'll let everyone know." (Bollard)
Bollard-san ran towards the hut.
"Yuna-san, what's going on?" (Lise)
"I don't know. When we were about to go home, an ice dragon appeared from the sea and started fighting the ice dragon that was on the top of the mountain." (Yuna)
It's not like they were playing around with each other.
Spitting ice wasn't how an ice dragon greeted when they met.
Everyone came out of the hut.
"The girls are really coming back."
"Is it true that a new ice dragon has appeared?"
I looked up as everyone gathers.
"Two ice dragons..."
"Are they fighting?"
After all, that's what it looks like.
"Have any other ice dragons ever appeared?" (Yuna)
"I don't think so" (Lise)
"I've never seen it either."
"Basically, if we see an ice dragon, we hide, so we don’t really know."
If they hid inside a mine, they wouldn't know what's going on outside.
In fact, there was a good chance that it had appeared in the past, but Lise-san and the rest didn't seem to know about it.
"Besides, I only saw one ice dragon, but there is a possibility that it was another ice dragon."
What I had been looking at so far is the possibility that it's a different individual. That's quite possible too.
But I didn't think that judgment could be made easily.
It would be different if they had their own characteristics, but it's just like when you looked at wolves, they all looked the same.
"Damn, what the hell is going on?"
Everyone felt irritated.
I thought that the ice dragon would leave soon, but a new ice dragon appeared, and if that ice dragon won the territorial battle and continued to live in this area, nothing would change. There's no hope.
One of the ice dragons got behind the other and attacked its wings.
It's so far away that I couldn't tell which ice dragon was which.
The ice dragon's wings were attacked and I thought it was going to fall, but it righted itself, flew into the sky, and started circling.
"Kagari-san, do you know which is which?" (Yuna)
"As expected, I can’t tell from this distance." (Kagari)
The battle of the ice dragons continued.
"But why are the ice dragons fighting each other?" (Yuna)
"Are they ice dragons that they don’t get along with?" (Kagari)
"Or is it a territorial fight like animals often have?"
"But please don't do that here."
Even the animals in the area fought over territory.
People also competed for territory and fought.
But I wanted to say it.
"If it's a turf war, do it somewhere else." (Yuna)
"I don't understand how they feel. It would be unbearable if a battle were to take place in the Land of Harmoni. I feel bad for Lise and the others, but I'm glad it's not in my country." (Kagari)
It's inevitable. No one wanted monsters to come to their country or city where they lived.
"In exchange, Land of Harmoni took on a monster called a giant snake." (Yuna)
"I didn't accept it because I liked it." (Kagari)
Kagari-san seemed displeased, but I couldn't help but think that it was bad luck if it wasn't a man-made disaster.
We couldn't control the monster's behavior, so we had no choice but to give up.
And we had to do what we can.
Even though the battle seemed even, one side began to gain the upper hand.
The ice dragon's tail slammed down.
The ice dragon that was slammed fell towards the ground.
"There’s a town over there!?"
There was a city in the direction where the ice dragon fell.
But somehow it didn't fall into the city, but fell nearby.
However, the other ice dragon chased after it.
"If this continues, the city will be destroyed." (Kagari)
Everything would be shattered.
Buildings and people too...
"Kumakyu!" (Yuna)
"You, are you really planning to go!" (Kagari)
Kagari-san stopped me when I shouted Kumakyu's name.
"If they keep fighting like this, the city might be destroyed." (Yuna)
"There are two ice dragons." (Kagari)
"In the worst-case scenario, I'll fight two of them." (Yuna)
I'd like to say it's one thing, but I didn't think the ice dragon protecting the egg was an ally.
It's the ice dragon that froze the city and Lise-san's family.
However, they said that once the eggs hatch and the baby was born, they would leave.
I didn't know the purpose of the new ice dragon.
There was also a possibility that the other would defeat the ice dragon that was on the top of the mountain and stayed here.
The best-case scenario was for the new ice dragon to defeat the ice dragon at the top of the mountain and left.
The worst thing was that they settled here instead of the ice dragon that laid the egg.
In that case, it would be best to defeat the new ice dragon and let the ice dragon at the top of the mountain leave.
The worst part was that that behavior wasn't a territorial fight, but the way the ice dragons greeted each other, and they were actually good friends, and maybe it was a pattern of two ice dragons living together.
It's not a greeting from the Ice Dragon style, is it?
They're fighting.
"...I understand. Let's me go too." (Kagari)
"Lise-san and the others hide in the mines if they you it's dangerous." (Yuna)
"Yuna-san. Are you really going? It's dangerous." (Lise)
"But if things continue like this, the city might be in trouble." (Yuna)
I didn't want to see anyone shattered.
I didn't want to see Lise-san and the others sad.
"But what if something happens to you two?" (Lise)
"That's right. You won't do that much for us."
"I think this is also our fate and give up."
"You can't give up." (Yuna)
"That's right. If you give up, it's over. You should entrust your fate to this strange-looking bear girl. She may have such a strange appearance, but she has the power to change people's destinies." (Kagari)
"...Kagari-chan" (Lise)
"Even if we fail, the worst situation will only get worse. Nothing will change. In that case, please wait and pray that things will change for the better, even if just a little." (Kagari)
Kagari-san was right.
Nothing would get better if you didn't do anything.
If the ice dragon protecting the egg won, the status quo would remain. If they lost, I didn't know what would happen.
Furthermore, there was no telling what would happen to the city if the battle continued.
There was a possibility that things would turn around if we went. At worst, there's a possibility of a three-way fighting.
Well, in the end, you wouldn't know until you went.
Kagari-san and I rode Kumayuru and Kumakyu to the place where the ice dragon fell.
"Kumayuru, Kumakyu, hurry!" (Yuna)
"Kyuu~n!!" (Both Kuma)
Kumayuru and Kumakyu replied and ran at top speed.
If they're going to fight, I wanted them to do it somewhere else.
I wanted them to think about the inconvenience caused to people.
Not only that.
Even eggs should be laid in a place where there were no people.
Author's Note
...
*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.