776 Bear encounters an ice dragon - Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear

"Is this the end of it?" "They don't seem to be around here." Within our detection range, there are creatures, but they seem uninterested in approaching us, so this concludes our current task. If they do come close, Kumayuru and Kumakyuu will alert us. "Kagari-chan! That was amazing." As Kagari-san and I return to the Kuma Bus, Liese-san throws her arms around Kagari-san. "Are you hurt?" "I'm fine." "You both were incredible. To think you'd take down that kind of monster." "I now understand why you two came to this town by yourselves." "And what about the horse?" Baran-san, the fisherman, seems ready to dash off, so we hold him back and move the Kuma Bus in front of the shed where the horse is housed. "The shed looks intact." It seems we made it in time, as the shed shows no signs of damage. Once the Kuma Bus stops, Baran-san jumps off and rushes to the shed, opening the door eagerly. I follow him inside. The horse is there, safe. Baran-san, relieved, approaches the horse and gently strokes its neck. "Luga, I'm so glad you're safe." So the horse's name is Luga. "Alright, Luga. We need to move from here, it's dangerous." As he attempts to lead the horse outside, the horse resists. "Luga, there might be more monsters. Please, come with us." The horse remains reluctant. "It seems it doesn't want to go out into the blizzard." Kagari-san observes the horse’s reaction and comments. Could it be—does she understand the horse because she's a fox? I've seen her conversing with Kumayuru and Kumakyuu occasionally, so it makes me wonder if she can communicate with horses too. "In that case, let’s create a tunnel to the mine entrance." Moving to the entrance of the shed, I channel my magic into the ground. The earth rises beneath the snow, forming a tunnel all the way to the mine's mouth. "Now the horse should be fine." As Baran-san tugs the reins, the horse obediently starts walking, making its way through the tunnel. Maybe Kagari-san really can converse with animals? The tunnel, though dark, is lit at intervals with light magic for visibility. The rest of the group also makes their way through the tunnel toward the mine’s entrance. Meanwhile, I pack away the Kuma Bus and walk alongside Kumayuru and Kumakyuu. Kagari-san has comfortably perched herself on Kumayuru’s back. "Thank you, Yuna-san, Kagari-chan. We made it back safely." "Thanks to you, the horse is safe too." Baran-san offers water to the horse. Already, the water source Kagari-san and I prepared is being put to use. As we return to the room inside the mine that houses beds, everyone sits down with a palpable sense of relief. "Do they appear often, like that?" "Monsters do, though we can't keep track of their numbers." "We always hide in this mine room whenever a blizzard occurs." Indeed. Encountering even one monster is reason enough to flee. Back in the real world, if I stumbled upon wolves or bears, counting their numbers wouldn't be the priority. It’s best to just leave. Confirming the threat falls to adventurers, yet none are around. "Don't they ever come in here?" "Not so far." "They might avoid areas without snow." Being ice monsters, it's likely they only show up during blizzards. For now, waiting for the storm to subside seems like our only option. "Does the blizzard always hit without warning?" "It does, unexpectedly, bringing danger with it. Particularly when Baran-san was at sea catching fish – those times were dire." "Amid such risks, he’s out there catching fish." "It's my job, don’t worry about it." "It’d be great if we could grow crops, but with these blizzards, it’s impossible to nurture them to harvest." Certainly, regardless of efforts, a blizzard could ruin an entire crop cycle. "You’ve had it rough, it seems." The atmosphere settles, and as Kagari-san takes a seat on the chair in the room, Kumayuru and Kumakyuu let out a surprisingly loud "Kuu~n!!" "What is it?!" Kagari-san almost falls from the chair at their sheer volume. Feeling uneasy, I use my detection skill. There are signs of a monster, but the display reads ‘no data.’ I've never seen this before. Yet, what comes to mind is the ice dragon. "Yuna-san, what’s wrong with Kumayuru and Kumakyuu?" "Something is outside. I’ll go check. Please, everyone, stay here." "I'll join you." "Be careful, Yuna-san, Kagari-chan." Leaving everyone to Kumayuru and Kumakyuu’s protection, we head out of the mine. "This doesn't feel good. My tail's poking out." Until now, I hadn’t seen her tail or ears. But now, something is bulging from under her clothes that resembles a tail. "So, what’s out there? Although, I can guess already." "Let's hope you're wrong." "I agree, but this trembling in my tail won't stop." "I’ll go check alone." "No way, sending a young girl out alone isn’t right. It's an elder's duty." Currently, she looks younger than me, but having her along is reassuring. Kagari-san and I tread heavily to the mine's exit. "This isn’t like with the giant snake; it's a more cloying kind of magic." I feel nothing. Not even touching the snow reveals anything. Kagari-san seems sensitive to these things—being a fox, perhaps? But then again, I'm supposed to be a bear. "I don’t see anything." Yet the response is there—moving. As we exit the mine and scan the surroundings, Kagari-san suddenly shouts, "Up there!" Looking up, an enormous form descends, causing the ground to shake. “...Ice Dragon.” Before us stretches a beautiful white dragon, its scales glinting. A horn crowns its head, and talons gouge the earth while its vast wings unfurl. Its massive tail swings lethally, toppling the horse shed in one swipe. The ice dragon fixes its gaze on us, eyes sharp and menacing, exuding an aura of power fitting for the strongest creature alive. "This is bad… My body's trembling more than with the giant snake." Magic-sensitive Kagari-san hugs herself tightly. I, too, feel this is a creature beyond the giant snake. "Let’s not provoke it first." I nod. We’d rather avoid fighting such a formidable foe. In a game, you might hunt a dragon for materials, but this is real life, with Kagari-san here and Liese-san's group in the mine. If they get trapped inside, it spells disaster. Moreover, I have no idea of the dragon’s strength. Sure, my bear gear is sturdy, but against a dragon’s attack…? 'Felt a nostalgic magic and thought to check it out, but here are just two humans.' As I stare at the dragon, a voice resounds in my mind. "Is the ice dragon speaking to us?" Kagari-san clutches her head as she speaks. The ice dragon… is communicating? "Yuna, whatever you do, don't engage." Even without Kagari-san's warning, I have no intention of making the first move. Cold air visibly escapes from the mouth of the ice dragon. 'Child in black who bears nostalgic magic.' A child in black. Kagari-san is wearing a pale kimono. I'm in a black bear costume. So it's talking about me. But what's this nostalgic magic it's referring to? I've never met this ice dragon before. "What do you mean?" 'Are you the descendant of that person?' The descendant of someone? I have no idea what it's talking about. My parents couldn't be in this world, nor could any relatives. Could there be other people from another world besides me in this world? "I don't know who you mean by 'that person.'" I respond politely, trying not to provoke it. 'You don't intend to answer?' It's not that I won't, it's just that I don't know. Who is this 'that person'? I want to ask, but now the ice dragon turns its attention to Kagari-san. 'Why is the white child with unusual magic here?' If I’m the child in black, then the white child means Kagari-san. "I am here merely because I followed this person." Kagari-san responds, glancing at me. "May I ask you something? Do you know about me?" 'I only know of magic similar to yours from long ago.' Knows someone from long ago with the same kind of magic as Kagari-san? Her family? Some relation? Are there other mystical foxes? "Can I ask a question too?" 'What is it?' "Whose magic resembles mine?" 'I cannot answer that.' "Why not?" 'It's a promise.' As it finishes, the ice dragon beats its wings and takes to the sky. "Wait!" Ignoring my plea, the ice dragon flies away. "You should not have tried to stop it." I mean, wouldn't you be curious too? Just leaving us with such cryptic words and flying off. "I get how you're feeling, but think about the time and place." "Yeah, sorry." If it had gotten angry and attacked, Kagari-san might not have survived. The mine could have collapsed, burying Liese-san and the others. Above all, Kagari-san must have had things she wanted to ask too. "Still, I never expected the ice dragon to speak to us." "Can dragons actually talk?" "I’ve never heard they could hold a conversation. Perhaps others haven’t encountered one who spoke, or if they did, they didn't survive to tell." "But we survived, didn’t we?" "Our survival might just be due to its whim. Only the ice dragon knows." It came at will, said what it wanted, and left. Like Kagari-san said, there's no understanding the ice dragon's motives.