Two ice dragons descended.
Kagari-san and I, who didn't know the situation, were careful to move no matter what happened.
The ice dragon of the mountaintop landed on the ground and saw the frozen dragon.
"If you lose to a human child, you don’t have enough experience" (Ice Dragon)
The way they said it made it sounded like they could beat me.
Maybe they didn't actually intend to lose.
The ice dragon of the mountaintop walked and approached us.
"So, just to confirm, is the ice dragon behind you okay?" (Yuna)
"He signed a contract of subordination" (Ice Dragon)
Contract of subordination?
"You can do that?" (Yuna)
"Mutual consent required" (Ice Dragon)
In other words, did this mean that a contract of subordination could not be concluded without the consent of the other party?
It's similar to my contract magic.
I turned my attention to the ice dragon that had been frozen in a bear.
The ice dragon was aiming for the life of the ice dragon of the mountaintop.
An ice dragon that hated people.
I didn't think I would follow it.
But I would check it out just in case.
"Can you do it against this frozen ice dragon?" (Yuna)
Just like freezing the ice dragon, you wouldn't know until you tried.
The ice dragon of mountaintop moved in front of the bear's frozen ice dragon.
It stayed still and didn't move.
"It looks like they're talking about something." (Kagari)
"Maybe you can understand the conversation?" (Yuna)
As expected, Kagari-san.
That's what I thought, but the answer was different.
"I don't know. I just thought so because there's mana flowing between them." (Kagari)
So that's it, they were having a conversation using mana.
After looking at the ice dragon for a while, the horns of the ice dragon and the ice dragon on the top of the mountain began to glow. Then, after a while, the light disappeared.
"He signed a contract of subordination" (Ice Dragon)
Well then, this time it's over for good.
"But you were able to make a good subordination contract." (Yuna)
I didn't think it's the kind of ice dragon that would obediently obey.
"I said his body would be crushed if he did not obey" (Ice Dragon)
"Can you do that?" (Yuna)
The same was true for the skin, but the attack had no effect.
"We cover our bodies with mana to protect ourselves. It will be possible if mana runs out." (Ice Dragon)
So, does that mean you could defeat the Ice Dragon by draining its mana?
"You, don’t you think you could have defeated the ice dragon by eliminating its mana?" (Kagari)
"Kagari-san, can you read people’s minds!?" (Yuna)
"I can't read it. It's just written on your face." (Kagari)
I silently used the bear puppet to relax my face.
Poker face, poker face.
"But didn't you say he'd be better off dead?" (Yuna)
"That's a human child's idea" (Ice Dragon)
People had different ways of thinking. Maybe there were some people who didn't accept it and chose death based on their beliefs.
I also thought that there were people who entered into subordination contracts out of fear for their lives, and there were also people who entered into subordination contracts out of enduring humiliation in order to protect something.
It changed depending on the situation, position, and thoughts at that time.
"But the Ice Dragon lost to me, right? Did you convince him?" (Yuna)
"The loser has no rights. It’s either death or life" (Ice Dragon)
That's why it chose to live.
"Human child, please melt the ice" (Ice Dragon)
"Just to confirm, it's really okay, right? Once the ice melts, he won't attack us, right?" (Yuna)
"Due to the contract of subordination, he can't go against me." (Ice Dragon)
In other words, did it depend on the heart of the ice dragon of the mountaintop?
However, I couldn't just leave it frozen like this, so I decided to trust the ice dragon of the mountaintop.
I melted the bear ice surrounding the ice dragon.
The bear's ice turned into water and flowed down to the ground.
Freed from the bear's ice, the ice dragon began to move and roared.
The air was shaking.
Above all, it's noisy.
As if thinking the same thing as me, the tail of the ice dragon of the mountaintop moved and slammed into the ice dragon's head.
It got quiet.
The ice dragon that was hit with its tail glared at me for some reason.
I wouldn't have done anything.
"Human child. I caused you trouble" (Ice Dragon)
It's True.
I didn't want to get involved in the ice dragon's troubles.
"But you really don’t attack." (Yuna)
I turned to look at the new ice dragon behind the mountaintop.
"Proof of promise" (Ice Dragon)
When the ice dragon of the mountaintop said that, the horns of the other two ice dragons lit up and fell to the ground with a thud.
"The horns form a contract of subordination. You need a horn to unlock it. It will take many years for the horns to grow back." (Ice Dragon)
In other words, it seemed that the contract of subordination would not be canceled until a new horn grows.
No, even if a new horn grew, it didn't cancel the contract of subordination.
"You can do whatever you like with those four horns" (Ice Dragon)
Does that mean you'll give it to me?
This time's reward was an ice dragon's horn.
I was a little happy.
Dragon materials were rare, right?
The ice dragon of the mountaintop looked at both ice dragons.
"You should leave" (Ice Dragon)
The new ice dragon roared at me, spread its wings, and flew away.
This wasn't the attack they just had, right?
Maybe I was hated?
Don't cancel a subordination contract.
"Human child. Thank you for your help" (Ice Dragon)
The ice dragon of the mountaintop also spreadd its wings and flew away.
There were still things I wanted to talk about, but I would see them when I got to the top of the mountain, so I would leave it here for today.
I was tired and wanted to rest.
"It's finished." (Yuna)
"It is" (Kagari)
We watched the ice dragon flew away.
"So, what should we do with this horn? Do you want it?" (Yuna)
"I don't need it. It would be fine if you have it." (Kagari)
Was it the ice dragon's horn?
I wondered if it could be used for something?
Was it possible to make a weapon stronger than the mithril knife?
But could it be processed like this?
For now, I put the ice dragon's horn, which was bigger than me, in the bear box.
I got the ice dragon horn.
I summoned Kumakyu, rode it, and headed towards Lise-san.
"Kagari-san, are you in good healt?" (Yuna)
I asked Kagari-san on Kumayuru.
"It's okay. It's just that suddenly raising my body temperature to withstand the ice dragon's cold has put a little strain on me." (Kagari)
"There are no after effects left, aren't there?" (Yuna)
"You're also a worrier." (Kagari)
Even I worried about it.
Instead of me, she was surrounded by cold air and put herself in a dangerous situation.
"Thank you for that." (Kagari)
For some reason, she was embarrassed to say thank you again.
"It's the adult's job to protect children." (Kagari)
Even though she looked like a little girl, she's an adult, but she's actually older than an adult.
"But if something happens to Kagari-san, Sakura and the others will be worried, so don't be reckless." (Yuna)
"There was a way to endure it, so it's not unreasonable." (Kagari)
However, when I saw the cold air in front of me, I almost cried.
"It's just, I made you worry. I'm sorry." (Kagari)
"Well, thank you for helping me." (Yuna)
Kumayuru and Kumakyu, carrying me and Kagari-san, returned to the mine.
"Yuna-san, Kagari-chan!" (Lise)
Lise-san and the town's people, who were watching from the entrance of the mine, ran towards us when they saw us.
"We're back" (Yuna)
"Are you hurt? Kagari-chan, isn't your face red?" (Lise)
Lise-san put her hand on Kagari-san's forehead.
"Ah, it's hot. It's really hot." (Lise)
"It's okay." (Kagari)
"It's not okay. It's so hot." (Lise)
It's hot, but it seemed like it's safe to touch right now.
She might have been even more surprised if she had seen the heat emitted from its body that melted the surrounding ice and snow.
"I just made my body hot with mana. It'll heal eventually, so don't worry." (Kagari)
Kagari-san gently grabbed Lise-san's hand and smiled reassuringly.
As expected, it was an adult response.
She looked like a little girl though.
"So, what happened? I saw the ice dragon flying towards me. After that, the lady told me to watch it at the entrance of the mine."
"I just hear a huge noise, but I don't know what's going on."
I gave a brief explanation.
A new ice dragon brought along its friend. Kagari-san and I were to deal with each other. The ice dragon on the mountaintop and us won.
"Did you really win?"
I took out the ice dragon's horn to prove it.
Lise-san and the others let out a cry of surprise.
"They won't attack people anymore. It's proof that they won't go against the ice dragon on the mountaintop." (Yuna)
"...Horn of the Ice Dragon"
"I think it's best if you leave it as is and don't touch it." (Kagari)
Kagari-san stopped the old man who tried to touch it without gloves.
It certainly looked like it's emitting something cold.
"Maybe it will stay like this forever." (Yuna)
"It'll calm down eventually." (Kagari)
In that case it's fine.
"Now, if the baby of the ice dragon on the mountaintop is born, the ice dragon will disappear." (Yuna)
"I see"
Everyone's expressions brighten.
Anyway, the sun had set today, it's late at night, and I was tired from fighting the ice dragon, so I decided to rest.
Bear house?
I brought out some spares.
I left the bear house on the mountaintop after the battle with the ice dragon had started, so I had to go and retrieve it tomorrow.
"Kagari-san, thank you for this time." (Yuna)
I expressed my gratitude while getting ready for bed.
"What, all of a sudden?" (Kagari)
"It's a lot of things. You accompanied me to explore the city, accompanied me to meet the ice dragon, and even though it was dangerous, you fought with me against the ice dragon." (Yuna)
"Is that so? Don't worry about it. I went because I was curious about what was going on in this land. I found out that the Ice Dragon could talk, so I went out with you out of curiosity. The reason I fought the Ice Dragon was... There's no way an adult me would let you fight the Ice Dragon by yourself. Well, I wasn't much help." (Kagari)
"That's not true. It was reassuring to have you fighting alongside me." (Yuna)
Despite the danger, Kagari-san had saved me many times by getting my attention in front of the ice dragon.
"...And you helped me regardless of the danger. But you don't have to risk your life to protect me." (Yuna)
At that moment, I thought Kagari-san had really died, and my heart tightened.
I felt an indescribable feeling.
Even if my parents died, I didn't think I would feel this way.
"I've said it many times, but I didn't risk my life. I had a chance to survive." (Kagari)
"Is that why you heat your body?" (Yuna)
"That's right. However, the ice dragon's cold air was stronger than I expected, so I turned into a fox and amplified my mana. I might not have been able to withstand the heat in this form." (Kagari)
Oh, I see.
"Anyway, it seems like you also had a good idea of freezing the ice dragon." (Kagari)
"For some reason, I feel like the ice dragon hates water." (Yuna)
I talked about the heat Kagari-san gave off and how I used fire magic to avoid the melting water around me.
Kagari-san thought a little about my explanation.
"Indeed, now that I think about it, there was a hint of that. Even so, it must have been very small." (Kagari)
"Yes, that's why I decided to give it a try. Then, the ice dragon's own coldness froze the water and began to hinder their movement." (Yuna)
The wings seemed to be frozen, making it difficult to move.
"Even the Ice Dragon would be stupid to let himself be frozen by their own cold air." (Kagari)
"But with this, even if I have to fight the ice dragon again, I can defeat it." (Yuna)
"You, are you planning to fight again?" (Kagari)
"If they pick a fight." (Yuna)
Kagari-san looked shocked at my words.
"In that case, I won't go with you." (Kagari)
Kagari-san said that, but I felt like she would help me.
"What are you laughing at?" (Kagari)
"It’s nothing." (Yuna)
I was tired, but it's been a long day.
Author's Note
The battle of the Ice Dragon is also over.
...
*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.