Chapter 081

「Even in The Icefield, My Sister is My Sister」

Translator: Silver

Abel sprinkled a potion on the lizardman golem master.

I was also learning alchemy from her, but we’d only gone over the basics so far.

According to Shorsina, Abel’s medicines were unbelievably valuable; this is the first time I’ve seen why.

Indeed, this lizardman looked beyond saving.

However, his face, full of anguish, immediately became at ease.

The pain may have been alleviated. He was about to resume the conversation.

“Uhh……! T-Th-this is……!?”

“……This is your last chance. Have you made your decision?”

Abel asked.

Then, as if he’d given up, the man began explaining what happened.

The elf girl silently listened to the story of the lizardman called Gwell, but Shereg became downcast.

His body trembled slightly.

This knight must be pretty emotional.

After listening to the story, Abel spoke the truth.

“……The premise is wrong. It will melt if you heat this land, and nothing will remain.”

“――What?!”

“……If you have knowledge of magic, you should know. This land is a lump of ice and can’t become a safe haven.”

“T-That……! Th-Then w-w-what…… did Ragach and I struggle for……!”

From what I heard, this Azi Dahaka woman had a rather vicious personality.

But, Gwell’s explanation gave us a good idea of what was happening here.

The current uproar was artificial.

What did Abel think about the situation?

She once again spoke to the man shedding tears of regret.

“……Do you want something from me? If it’s nothing excessive, that’s fine.”
“S-S-Save them!!!! T-T-That’s what I want……!”

“…… likely, they were already slain by the time you arrived.”

“That……! T-Th-That……! H-Ho-Hostages, always-always have values……th-they’re……alive……they’re alive…….”

“……Um.”

Abel nodded briefly and turned to Shereg.

“……Tell Leada to send the bird.”

“I know.”

Three spirit knights set off towards the garden.

They would transcribe the story we just heard, and the director would send it to a branch of the Shorsina Merchants Association via carrier pigeon-like spirit.

This seemed to be the means of communication between isolated areas and human settlements.

Three knights were sent back to the garden as a procession against other potential enemies.

Even though the lizardmen had been dealt with, now wasn’t the time to lower their guard.

“……A-r-c-h… Elf…… Tha-nk you……”

“……You paid the ‘price’ with information.”

“You don’t have to worry about it.” That is what Abel implied.

The information provided was undoubtedly a grand harvest that couldn’t be replicated through the use of money. However, not only was this case artificial, but some beings possessed a magic sword, nascent cores, and other suspicious items.

I don’t know if the remaining red lizards could be saved.

But Gwell seemed a little relieved.

“Ahh…… Just…… N-No-Not that woman…… I-I-I wi-wish…… met……first…….”

The tone was light as the light disappeared from his eyes.

It seems his final moment was near.

“The kids…… At least they…… Smile……”

With those words, the golem master breathed his last.

Shereg bowed.

“I would like to offer these people a warrior’s burial. Is that alright, Noble one?”

“……Yes.”

There must’ve been a dozen ways the handle the bodies of the perpetrators of the current disaster.

Still, the likes of Shimizu Jirocho and former shogun reviled by the incoming government were buried with honors and dignity. (T/N: Shimizu Jirocho was a yakuza boss, philanthropist, business leader, and patriot from the 1800s that obtained folk hero status in the latter part of his life. Most of the “good” yakuza depictions in media are based on this guy, and temples, in the region he was active in still have memorials dedicated to him.)

I didn’t know much about the view of life and death in this world, but the treatment of corpses was probably important.

Even without the religious connotations, necromancy was an issue.

However, Abel didn’t seem to care and give permission anyway.

And someone was pulling on my sleeve after seeing this situation……

“Nita, Nita…… What about Phe……?”

Apparently, my sister’s “Alto portion” was starting to run out.

Even though I was right next to her the entire time, my state of mind wasn’t correct……

I glanced at Abel.

She was examining the nascent cores and the flaming magic sword.

After this, we’d be entering the ice cave, and I’m sure I’ll be busy again.

Should I take care of my angel now?

My gaze returned to Phe, only to see her waiting with her arms wide open.

Apparently, she wanted to be hugged instead of doing the hugging.

“Look, Phe. Gyu.”

“Gyu!”

My sister happily squealed when I hugged her.

“Phe, Phe, Phe, Nita hugged Phe! Phe is happy! Phe is so happy! Phe loves Nita! Phe really loves Nita!”

“Yes, yes, pats for Phe!”

“Gyaa! Pats! Phe loves Nita! Phe loves Nita! More pats?”

Hmm……

She seemed to have built up a lot of stress from not getting pampered.

The strength behind her hug was greater than usual.

Phe rubbed her cheeks hard against my chest.

She just wanted to be spoiled……

Until this “blank period”, Phe held out on indulging in her urges.

What a good sister.

Bother was on the verge of tears.

“Phe is a good child.”

Here, the kiss reward was activated.

My little angel, utterly focused on the head pats, was caught off guard.

“Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

My little sister trembled in response to the unsuspected kiss.

She broke out into a spontaneous dance when I gently lowered her to the ground.

“Nita, Nita, Nita, Nita, Nita!”

Phe’s body twisted and spun as she rested her hands on both cheeks.

“Phe loves Nita! Phe really loves Nita!”

She wasn’t a salted fish.

“Yah! Yah! Yaah!”

With a red face, Phe danced about.

“Yah, yaya〜〜!”

She danced around with a messy smile on her face.

Even in this icefield, this girl’s behavior didn’t change. If you ask me, that’s fine.

“But, it’s sweltering…….”

It’s not about my sister, as her behavior was a daily occurrence.

I was referring to the temperature in our surroundings.

Phe and I had already taken off our hoods during the previous fight.

The cause was in the ice cave.

The heat created by that “Heart” rose from the cave’s depths.

It was still cold when Shereg had been fighting Ragach, but the cave entrance was already a hot zone.

On the other hand, it was still frigid outside of this area, and it was like being in front of the stove on a winter day.

If we don’t do something about it, the sea level will rise as this place vanishes.

But none of this seemed to be of interest to this girl.

“Nita, Nitaaa! Hehehehe……!”

My sister stopped dancing and jumped at me with a smile.

She wanted to be spoiled more and more. The desire to be pampered was transmitted clearer and more transparent.

I guess she didn’t see anything other than me……

(I’m honored and happy that she cared about me, but surely she grew up saying, “I don’t care about anything but……” or something?)

Especially regarding the lives of others.

Phe is a kind child.

I’m sure it won’t end in despair.

I kept spoiling my angel for a while.

<Previous Chapter   Index    Next Chapter>