Fleeting
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🕑 Added 2025-03-24 06:20:19 +0000 UTCBear-san Talked to the Ice Dragon Again
The reason why the Ice Dragon remained in this place was simple.
Because there was an egg.
"Ice Dragon was probably wary of people because they might steal it." (Kagali)
"What would you even do with a dragon egg?" (Yuna)
I doubt it could be eaten, right?
"I don't know the details, but I've heard they're sometimes used as elixirs." (Kagali)
Indeed, in games, dragon eggs were also sometimes used as ingredients for creating something.
If you think about it that way, it would make sense why the Ice Dragon would not want any humans near it.
But why did it lay its egg here? I wanted to tell it to lay eggs somewhere where there were no people.
For that reason, many people ended up frozen in ice.
"Leave, human child. Leave." (Ice Dragon)
The Ice Dragon's cold blast got even stronger.
I strengthened the wind barrier to protect everyone.
"I'm not going to do anything to the egg." (Yuna)
First, I needed to calm it down before we could have a conversation.
Ice Dragon was furious that we came here anyway.
"Let me just ask you one thing. When the baby hatches from the egg, will you leave this place?" (Yuna)
"I would do so, when they are born." (Ice Dragon)
Finally, I was able to hear the words I wanted to hear the most.
I was glad that the dragon would not continue staying in this place.
"So, when will the egg hatch?" (Yuna)
"I don't know." (Ice Dragon)
Maybe it had been incubating the egg for more than three years already?
Perhaps it would need a few more years.
"Hmm… It will be born soon." (Kagali)
"Kagali-san, how do you know?" (Yuna)
"I feel like something wants to come out of the egg." (Kagali)
I wondered how Kagali-san could notice this.
Maybe Kagali-san, who could feel magic, could tell.
"Then I guess we just have to wait." (Yuna)
If Kagali-san's words could be believed in, the egg would be hatching soon.
When that happened, the Ice Dragon would soon leave as well. There would be no need to fight the Ice Dragon. If it was going to leave soon, there would be no point in fighting.
In games, one could get dragon materials by fighting a dragon. I would be happy to try and defeat it, but I didn't really need dragon materials at the moment.
We decided to leave so as not to provoke the Ice Dragon anymore.
"Kagali-san, are you sure it's going to be hatching soon?" (Yuna)
I asked Kagali-san, who was riding on Swaying Bear.
"As I said before, I am not 100% sure. However, I could feel a lump of magic power wanting to come out of the egg. I didn't know when it would be. Maybe tomorrow, or could be a month from now." (Kagali)
"Isn't that too broad?" (Yuna)
"I don't know anything about dragons' biology, so it can't be helped." (Kagali)
When I was told so, I couldn't ask anything more.
I didn't know anything about dragons' biology either.
In games, they just appeared and fought.
They might have treasures or materials that could be used to become stronger.
In some games, dragons may give you advice, or they might even become your allies.
I didn't know how long it would take for a baby to hatch from an egg.
"Well, don't worry too much, it will hatch soon." (Kagali)
For now, I should believe in Kagali-san's words.
"If the baby Ice Dragon hatches and the Ice Dragon leaves, Lize-san and the others will have a peace of mind." (Yuna)
Even if the Ice Dragon was defeated, the life of the dead would not come back.
It was also too risky.
"If there is one problem, it will be about how long until the hatchling will be able to fly." (Kagali)
"..." (Yuna)
That's right.
Even if it was born soon, it might not be able to fly right away, right?
When you imagine the dragon as something like a bird, you could imagine a scene where the parents would feed it and raise it until it could fly on its own.
"However, once the child hatched, it might also be possible for the dragon to carry it in its mouth or grab it with its feet. All we can do is hope that the egg will hatch soon and move away." (Kagali)
Right.
"By the way, didn't you say that you were going to ask about the nostalgic magic that the Ice Dragon spoke of." (Kagali)
"I did. But that didn't seem like the kind of question that someone should ask a mother guarding an egg, especially an agitated one." (Yuna)
And how many years ago was that when it detected that nostalgic magic? Even if it were someone related to me by blood over a hundred years ago, we would be nothing more than strangers.
Even if I heard about such a person, I wouldn't think much of it.
At most, I would simply ask where they met.
Anyway, we needed to get back to the mines to tell Lize-san and the others about the Ice Dragon.
***
"... Did you really talk to the Ice Dragon?" (Lize)
"Yeah, it seems like it's guarding the egg and can't move away right now." (Yuna)
"But it said it would leave this place after it hatched." (Kagali)
Lize looked surprised at my and Kagali-san's explanation, but she also looked a little happy.
"That would be a relief if it was true." (Lize)
"I didn't feel like Ice Dragon was lying. In the first place, there's no need for it to lie. But the question is when the baby will be born. Kagali-san said it will be soon." (Yuna)
"That's just how I felt. I'm not counting on it. I don't want to give false hope." (Kagali)
"But I'd rather hope for a bright future than no future at all." (Lize)
Everyone smiled.
They originally thought the Ice Dragon would stay here and this situation would continue forever, but Lize-san and the others seemed happy to know that there was a chance that the Ice Dragon would leave soon.
That night, we decided to have a farewell party.
"Thank you Yuna-san and Kagali-chan." (Lize)
"Thank you for all the food." (Bollard)
"Lize-san has decided to stay, right?" (Yuna)
"Yes, if the Ice Dragon leaves, I will stay. I also want to build a grave for my mother and sister." (Lize)
"Kagali-san, if the Ice Dragon leaves, the ice in the town will melt, right?" (Yuna)
"It's not like normal ice. It's ice that contains magic power. It may not melt easily, but it will melt gradually if the supply of magic runs out." (Kagali)
That was good to know.
"After the Ice Dragon leaves, we'll have to go to the neighboring towns to ask for help." (Bollard)
"I'll go at that time." (Baran)
Fisherman Baran-san offered.
"In the end, I still don't know where you two came from or how you got here." (Lize)
"Sorry, we can't disclose that." (Yuna)
It was a lot of trouble to explain things like the moving island, Targui, how Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear could run on the sea, and how we could use the Bear Transfer Gate to return home.
"I know you two are a weird pair of girls. You came to a place like this alone, with the strange bears and outstanding magic. I realized that there is a lot I don't know about the world." (Lize)
"Well, I'm sure I was saved thanks to you girls. I'm grateful." (Old man)
The Old Man drank the sake Kagali-san offered him with relish.
By the way, Kagali-san also tried to drink, but I stopped her.
I couldn't let a little girl drink alcohol in front of other people.
"We only went to talk to the Ice Dragon." (Yuna)
"We can't even go to the top of the mountain or even get close." (Lize)
"Furthermore, we are too scared to go and see the Ice Dragon." (Bollard)
That would be normal, right?
Even I wouldn't go to see the dragon if not for my Bear Gear.
It would be suicide to do so.
"It'll be lonely when you two are gone." (Lize)
"I'll come to visit again if I have the time." (Yuna)
"Really?" (Lize)
"I'm curious about what will happen when the Ice Dragon leaves." (Yuna)
"I'll be waiting for you." (Lize)
If I could set up a Bear Transfer Gate somewhere, I could come here anytime.
In the first place, I could not go back from here unless I set up a Bear Transfer Gate somewhere, so I would have a connection with this place.
And so, the farewell party went on until late.
The next day, it was sunny.
As Kagali-san and I were getting ready to go home, everyone came to see us off.
"Thank you so much, Yuna-san and Kagali-chan." (Lize)
"We'll be waiting for your return." (Bollard)
"You're always welcome." (Old man)
"I won't ask how you will go home, but be careful on your way home." (Baran)
Kagali-san and I got on Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear and left the place.
Lize-san was waving when I looked back.
"I'm a little sorry about leaving them." (Yuna)
"It can't be helped. We can't stay forever." (Kagali)
"That's right." (Yuna)
I was hoping that we could stay until the Ice Dragon left.
But we couldn't just stay here without a definite timeline on when the Ice Dragon would leave.
"I wonder if Lize-san and the others will be okay." (Yuna)
"They were the ones who decided to stay. And once the Ice Dragon leaves, there will be a lot of work to do." (Kagali)
When the Ice Dragon was gone, the ships would probably return, and if the ice in the town melted, a sad work would be waiting for them.
It was safe to say that the Ice Dragon killed all the townsfolk albeit indirectly.
But none of them asked me to defeat the Ice Dragon.
"Do you think they don't resent it?" (Yuna)
"Are you talking about Lize-san?" (Kagali)
Kagali-san responded to my monologue.
It couldn't be helped since she guessed it.
I then said what I was thinking.
"I thought that if the Ice Dragon froze my family and forced me to live in the mines for three years, I would hate the Ice Dragon." (Yuna)
"You probably would hate it at first, but sometimes you will have to give up if you are dealing with something unreasonable. You can't do anything. It's impossible to deal with it. People learn to give up." (Kagali)
"Is that so?" (Yuna)
If someone you cared about was killed by someone, you would resent them. Especially if it was your precious family that was affected.
"That's because you think that Ice Dragon is someone you can defeat." (Kagali)
"..." (Yuna)
I agree, though I would not know if I could beat it unless we ended up fighting.
Even if I couldn't win, I have no intention of losing.
"Let's say that someone important to you is a sailor. The weather suddenly changes, a storm occurs, the sea gets rough, the ship sinks, and the sailor dies. Would you try to defeat the sea and the weather?" (Kagali)
"No, because that's a natural disaster." (Yuna)
"To those who have no power, I think the Ice Dragon is the same as a natural disaster. It comes suddenly, does nothing directly, but ends up freezing the town, and kills your family. It's kind of like a natural disaster." (Kagali)
I understood what she was trying to say.
But I still felt that it was not the same thing.
"The Ice Dragon is a living thing, and disasters are not living things." (Yuna)
"What would you do if it was a God who caused the disaster?" (Kagali)
"..." (Yuna)
"If he could freely control the weather, and control it from a place beyond human reach, you wouldn't be able to do anything either." (Kagali)
"I don't think God would do something like that." (Yuna)
"If there are good gods, there would also be so called evil gods." (Kagali)
When she said so, I couldn't say anything back.
"What I want to say is, just because you can do it, don't assume others can do it too. Everyone has their own standards. Don't measure others by your own standards." (Kagali)
Just as I never thought about defeating nature, Lize-san and the others might not have thought about defeating the Ice Dragon.
If it weren't for Bear Gear, I would have also never thought about fighting the Ice Dragon, and I might have given up as well and lived a quiet life like Lize-san and the others.
Comments
James Edmund Luchs
An edit/repost?
