795 Bear, goes home - Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear

We parted ways with Liese and her group, leaving the estate, and started walking through the town. "Is Liese going to be alright?" "You saw her face, didn't you? There's a big difference between being prepared and not. Even if there are challenges ahead, she'll be fine as long as she has her family. She's not alone." Family. Indeed, she's not alone. She has kind parents and a younger sister. And then there's Bende and the others who've been working hard alongside her. "Worrying about this won't do us any good. It's Liese's issue, and the ones who will support her are those around her." There’s nothing more we can do as we leave this place behind. "If you're that concerned, you can always come visit. You promised to come see her, didn’t you? You can ask how she’s doing then. Worrying now won’t help anything." "You're right." We'll just have to keep Liese in mind for when we see her next time. For now, all we can do is trust her. As we parted ways with Liese and her family, we walked through the town, checking out its current state. People occasionally glanced at me, and now and then I’d hear someone say "Bear," but no one spoke to me directly. The quiet, frozen-over town had thawed, and people were bustling about. Truly, they were all alive. Even places I’d walked by several times looked completely different from when they were frozen over. We arrived at the spot where the ice dragon had appeared near a fountain. Broken buildings were roped off as unsafe, flowers were placed nearby, and some were crying. "It seems there were some casualties." It wasn’t entirely without damage. Considering the ice dragon’s appearance, perhaps we should be thankful for the extent of the damage being this limited. Had that massive creature rampaged through the town, the toll would have been far greater. Yet, I can’t tell grieving people that they were lucky the damage was minor. "There are lives you can save and others you cannot. It's not something for you to dwell on." "I'm not really dwelling on it." I never thought I could save everyone. The appearance of the ice dragon was a disaster that happened before I arrived. There’s nothing I could have done. Besides, three years ago, I wasn't even in this world. We passed by the buildings destroyed by the ice dragon and moved on. Just as Bollard mentioned, the residents seemed unaware they had been frozen by the ice dragon, continuing to work as usual. Children ran around energetically. "Do they not realize they've been frozen for three years?" "Seeing Liese's mother and the household staff, they probably have no idea." If they did know, there'd have been an uproar. No one is aware of everything Liese and her family went through. "It's kind of sad for Liese and her family." For three years, Liese and her family watched over the town while an ice dragon was present. Six people on a deserted island, with no help coming, sharing space with the most powerful creature—a dragon. Just the thought of it is terrifying. Without my bear gear, I wouldn't have been able to do anything and would probably have died. Those six people survived by helping each other. When I think about that, it stirs indescribable feelings. "Calling it sad? There are people far less fortunate in this world. Some houses are wealthy, others poor. Some have parents, others do not. Some have healthy bodies, others are sick. Some can use magic, others cannot. No two people are the same. Everyone is born into different circumstances—that’s fate." "…Fate." "That's why people strive to move toward a better future." Some practice swordsmanship to become swordsmen or adventurers. Others study to become merchants. Even among the children in the orphanage, there are those who dream of becoming bakers. "Of course, I don’t believe everyone can be happy just by trying. But those who do nothing won’t even have the chance." Happiness won't come to those who sit idly by. Only those who move forward and strive will have the chance to seize it. "Thus, whether one feels fortunate or not, it depends on the individual." Kagari is truly mature, despite appearances. "By the way, what’s your plan for the bear?" "The bear?" "The big bear you summoned to block the ice dragon’s breath." "…I forgot." I meant to tidy it up. But with Liese's family alive and the town's residents safe, amidst all that, I forgot. If Kagari hadn't reminded me, I might have left without doing anything. As we headed toward the giant bear made from earth magic, we saw it peek out from behind a building. People gathered around the bear statue. "What’s this bear?" "It was here when I woke up yesterday." "What about these marks on the ground?" "Something big must have passed over the ground." The ground bore marks from the ice dragon's blizzard. "It really looks as if this bear protected us from something." It did protect us from the ice dragon's blizzard. As we watched, more people gathered around. "This makes it impossible to retrieve." Removing it suddenly would draw unnecessary attention. "We should report this to the lord." "Yes, and maybe to the guild too." The situation was escalating quickly. As I pondered what to do, a man noticed me. "Bear?" He looked from the stone bear to me and muttered, "Bear?" His murmur spread among the crowd, drawing their gazes to me. "It seems we’ll have to leave it." So, we’re just leaving the bear statue here? "Removing it suddenly would cause a commotion. It might become a hassle next time you visit." Kagari was right. Taking it away without a word might lead to a ruckus about a bear disappearing a bear. Ugh, I wish I'd removed it yesterday. "Do you know anything about this bear?" "Nope, I don’t know anything." I instinctively feigned ignorance. "I see." The man examined me suspiciously. "Yeah, there's no way a girl like you could make such a bear overnight." With more people likely to gather, Kagari and I decided to leave promptly. "With so many people, we can't retrieve it." Forcing it and then fleeing might be an option, but considering future visits, I didn’t want to cause a scene. If I weren't dressed in this distinct bear attire, maybe I could've retrieved it unnoticed. But my outfit stands out. Changing my clothes might help, but the curse of this bear gear won't let me. Leaving the giant bear statue and the town, we moved away from its outskirts. The town isn't enclosed by walls, so we could leave from anywhere. Out of view of the town, I summoned Kumayuru and Kumakyu. "So, where do you plan on putting that thing?" Riding on Kumayuru, Kagari asked me about our next steps. Yesterday, I had planned to place the bear’s teleportation gate a bit away from the town, in a spot where Liese and her group wouldn't go. However, now I had to consider more than just Liese and her group; I had to find a location where none of the townspeople would notice it. "What should we do?" I pondered this, sharing my thoughts with Kagari. "True enough. Hiding it from six individuals is one thing, but hiding it from all the townspeople is another matter entirely," Kagari mused, thinking for a moment. "I might have a suggestion," she said. As we had traveled from Talgui to this place, she had noticed a small island. "A small island would be ideal. Only those with boats would go there; even then, they’d have no reason to visit without specific purpose," she continued. Exactly. Fishermen would only be interested in catching seafood, with no reason to visit the island. Larger ships travel between towns and wouldn't bother with a small island. If there's nothing there, no one would land on it. "These creatures can run over the sea, so we shouldn’t have much trouble," Kagari added. I decided to follow Kagari’s suggestion. With Kagari and me on their backs, Kumayuru and Kumakyu dashed into the sea, heading toward a small island visible from the shore. There were three such islands, and we landed on the one with a small sandy beach. Venturing a bit further inland, we saw thick trees with no signs of human presence. Using wind magic, I cut away the dense grass to create a path, which I then solidified into a stone-paved road with earth magic. "You’re diligent, aren't you?" "It’d be bothersome if it got overgrown again by the time we come back." Having lived in an apartment, I was unfamiliar with such tasks. Since coming to this world, though, I’ve done this kind of maintenance many times. Even at my bear house, weeds would grow. When I left it unattended out of laziness, Fina and Shuri took care of it for me. When I tried using magic, they scolded me, "If you don’t pull them out from the root, they’ll just grow back." But pulling them out is a hassle, so this time I'm paving with stone. That should prevent the weeds from growing. I set up the bear’s teleportation gate in the center of the island. From this position, the gate isn't visible from outside. Opening the door of the bear’s teleportation gate, I saw the familiar tatami of the Japanese-style country awaiting me. I’m finally back. The only regret is not being able to retrieve the bear statue. Perhaps I’ll come back at night sometime to collect it.