792 Bear, talks to Lince - Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear

Liese sat flanked by Lince and her sister Lua, while Kagari and I sat opposite them. Lince turned her gaze toward Liese beside her. "It's really been three years, hasn't it?" "Yeah, I thought everyone was frozen to death." "Ugh, Liese, you’ve grown taller. I used to be taller..." The three years during which Liese continued to grow, contrasted with the three stagnant years for Lua caused a role reversal. "You’re smaller and cuter, big sister." Liese hugged her elder sister, Lua, tightly. "Now, introduce us to these two." Interrupting the hug, Lince shifted her attention towards us. "Um, the one in the bear costume is Yuna, and the small one is Kagari. They’re the ones who saved us," Lince explained. "I see." "How did you two make it here?" "They’re adventurers." "Adventurers?" With one dressed in a bear suit and the other appearing as a young girl, they hardly looked like adventurers. Following Bollard’s explanation, Liese filled in with the story of the past three years. She told of the six that survived and how they managed to continue living through those years. Listening to Liese’s account brought tears to Lince's eyes. "I’m so sorry. While you were struggling, I was frozen, oblivious, for three years." "It’s not Mother’s fault." Lince wasn’t at fault. No one could have done anything. If there is blame to be placed, it would be on the ice dragon. "Liese, show me your hands." Since earlier, Lince had been eyeing Liese's hands. When Liese looked at her hands, she hid them behind her back. "My hands are dirty." "Show them to me." With a gentle yet unwavering voice, Lince met Liese’s gaze, her eyes firm and compassionate. "…" "…" Giving in, Liese extended her hands toward Lince. "See, they're dirty, so…" To survive and not be a burden, Liese had worked alongside adults. Without access to baths or the luxury of hot water, she had used cold water, and there was likely no cream or ointment for hand care. All the hardship she had endured was evident in her hands. As Liese tried to withdraw her hands, Lince held onto them. "They are not dirty. They’re the hands of someone who has fought to survive." Lince gently touched Liese’s hands. "Mother…" "If anyone dares call these hands dirty, tell me. I won’t let them say that to my cherished daughter again." "Me too. Tell me if anyone says anything," Lua chimed in, gripping Liese's hands as well. "Sis…" "Protecting my dear little sister is an elder sister’s duty." Tears welled up in Liese’s eyes. Although it should be a moving scene, my presence in a bear costume was a mismatch. "Still, it feels like the ice dragon appeared only yesterday." "The city froze, Father and Liese didn't return, and it was so cold inside the house." "Yes, we were huddling together for warmth." When we first saw them, the entire mansion was frozen, and both of them were as well. It must have felt as cold as being inside a freezer. "When I awoke, the room and my clothes were wet, Father looked worn-out, and Liese had gotten taller." To them, it might have all seemed like a dream. "Even when we tried to return, the blizzard was too severe to make our way back. Once the blizzard ceased, and we managed to return to the city, it was frozen, and so were the people. We couldn’t do anything. At that time, we resigned ourselves to living like this forever. Then one day, the two of you appeared." Liese turned her gaze toward Kagari and me. "We were astonished when we saw a light in the city at night. We realized there were people. So Father and I went to see, and there you both were. You listened to our story and provided food and a bath for us. It was the first bath in three years, and it felt fantastic." "You hadn’t had a bath in three years?" "Heating water was a significant task. We had to use timber and firestones sparingly. Asking for a bath was a luxury. Yet, we wiped our bodies with wet towels." "…" "…" Hearing Liese’s tale left both of them speechless. "At first, I cried every day because I couldn’t see Mother or Big Sister. It was freezing, and all we had were mining clothes. The food was monotonous, and I troubled Father by asking for other foods and sweets." Liese spoke with a chuckle. She was about twelve then. As the daughter of a noble, she had led a privileged life, making the experience all the more challenging. Who wouldn’t want sweets? But many children in the world face more severe hardships, even lacking food when they need it. Children at the orphanage have experienced abandonment or lost their parents, enduring severe hardships. Liese wasn’t the only unfortunate one. Having a caring father was at least a small consolation. While it's hard for everyone in the world to be happy, I hoped for fewer children to suffer misfortunes. "It was harsher than I imagined. But the bath, did you manage to heat the water?" "You made the bear bath for us at the mines." "The bear bath?" Oh, right, I had left the bear bath untouched, thinking they’d continue living at the mines. "No longer needed, I’ll clear it before leaving." "No, please leave it as it is. If people like Mother and Big Sister survived, more might work in the mine. It would be beneficial to have the bath available. Father would agree." With Liese's request, I couldn’t bring myself to demolish it. Continuing, Liese recounted the events following our arrival, including learning that the ice dragon could communicate and our ascent to meet the dragon atop the mountain. "The ice dragon spoke?" "Yes, Yuna and Kagari went to see the ice dragon atop the mountain to talk to it." "Unbelievable that the ice dragon spoke, but you climbed that mountain?" "Aside from the two of them, there are adorable bears, and we rode one to the peak." "Bears?" Mention of bears drew Lince and Lua’s gaze toward me. Though I’m a bear, that’s not it. "There are two bears, Kumayuru and Kumakyu, black and white." With permission, I summoned Kumayuru and Kumakyu in their usual sizes. Lua rose from her seat to hide behind Liese. At this point, it was hard to tell who the elder sister was. "They’re gentle, Sis. Kumayuru and Kumakyu won't harm you." "Really?" Liese approached Kumayuru and softly stroked it. "They’re adorable." "Are you sure they’re safe?" Lua looked slightly anxious, but seeing Liese’s calm demeanor, she slowly extended her hand toward Kumayuru. "So soft." Realizing that Kumayuru posed no threat, she then reached out to touch Kumakyu as well. Following this, Liese recounted our journey to the mountain peak. She talked about the appearance of another ice dragon and how Kagari and I had fought it and driven it away. "…" "…" I had forgotten to ask them not to mention the battle with the ice dragon. Moreover, there wasn’t any time to even make such a request. "You fought an ice dragon? You drove it away?" "These two…?" "I can’t believe it." Lince and Lua turned their eyes toward Kagari and me, disbelief clear in their expressions. "Even I find it hard to believe. But there are signs of the battle outside the city. You can see them for yourself. Plus, the dragon’s horn and scales are on the ground floor." Still, the two appeared unconvinced. "Whether you believe it or not, please don’t speak of it to anyone," I requested. "Indeed. It’d be troublesome if it gets complicated," Kagari added. There’s a possibility that similar occurrences could happen again. It would be troublesome if a disturbance arose each time. Also, I explained how an ice dragon's egg hatched, the dragon left this morning, and as we tidied the house, Lince and the others awakened. "Is that so?" "Even hearing it all, I can’t believe it." It’s understandable. "If you still don’t believe us, you can ask Father or the others." The conversation wrapped up with them inspecting the ice dragon’s horn and scales on the floor. Until Bollard returned, Kagari, Liese, and I helped with cleaning the house. I imitated Kagari’s water-gathering magic for water cleanup. Yes, how handy.