The dragon was made of ice, and if it weren’t attacking us, I might have been captivated by its beauty.
It was covered in a thin, feather-like layer of ice that reflected light in multiple layers. Its clear pale blue body and delicate, almost fragile appearance were truly stunning.
Yeah, I would have been captivated for sure if it wasn’t attacking us.
“Another Unique Monster!?”
But it was indeed attacking us!
The ice dragon, after crashing into the ice wall, shook its head a few times and then flew back towards us.
“Wait, Maito, what do you mean by ‘another’!?”
Hagasaki-kun used the ice wall to create a cage around the approaching ice dragon.
“No, when I went to Katori earlier, there were these strange things that looked like weird plant-like creatures, similar to sea cucumbers.”
“Is everything okay?!”
Kariya quickly generated walls of light to surround the cage.
“He used ‘Beam EX’ and wiped out one Unique-like monster and the entire flower field.”
“What!? Katori took down a Unique on his own!?”
“That’s right!”
We could only contain the dragon within the walls for so long.
With a sharp sound and the shattering of the double walls, the ice dragon roared as it fell to the ground, glistening.
“Now, retreat! Are you all not retreating?”
The ice dragon was heading our way. This was bad, really bad. We needed to retreat quickly!
“We’re not retreating.”
I couldn’t believe my ears, but Hagasaki-kun seemed serious.
“Because Katori could handle it, right? I should be able to do something too.”
“Uh, Hagasaki-kun…”
“What kind of person are you!?”
“There were things I wanted to try.”
“Kariya~”
“Maito-san, come this way. Here, ‘Ark.'”
Oh, so you’re in on it too.
“Well then, I’ll tidy this up quickly.”
“Stop it! Your firepower won’t be enough!”
“You’re so noisy.”
I tried to stop him, but it was futile. I should keep ‘Transfer’ ready just in case.
But with Kariya here, I don’t think it’ll be the worst-case scenario. Yeah, and Hagasaki-kun isn’t the type to do something reckless without a plan… I hope.
However, I couldn’t help but think that Hagasaki-kun might be the worst match against an ice dragon.
I mean, ice against ice? I have a feeling it won’t work that well…
“Lightning!”
Oh, right, you can use that kind of magic too.
Hagasaki-kun dropped lightning as a test, but the ice dragon used its wings to deflect it.
…What’s going on with that?
“Hurricane!”
Oh, now it’s a water-based weather magic.
However, the ice dragon froze the rain and wind and sent them back at Hagasaki-kun, who blocked them with an ice wall.
“Hailstorm!”
Oh, now it’s a hailstorm weather magic.
…Of course, the ice dragon is made of ice, so it can withstand a bit of hail. It must have resistance to cold.
“…I see. I understand now.”
However, Hagasaki-kun had a confident expression.
“Kariya, please provide an explanation.”
“Huh? Um, well, yes. You see, it’s likely that, uh, if it’s ice-based magic, the ice dragon won’t dodge or deflect it, and that’s probably why he has that expression.”
Kariya has a good attitude. Yeah, that’s a good thing.
“But, Kariya, it seems like throwing ice at an ice dragon won’t be very effective.”
“Oh no, I’m sure Hagasaki-kun has a plan. And at the very least, it’s not easy for the opponent’s attacks to affect Hagasaki-kun. It looks like it’s going to be a long battle.”
…A long battle, huh? Is he going to be okay?
I was worried, but it seems like things have taken an unexpected turn.
“Ice Chain!”
Hagasaki-kun held up a staff that seemed frozen solid, and from it, he summoned several icy chains.
Despite their delicate appearance, the chains were surprisingly strong and wrapped around the ice dragon.
I see. This dragon, being made of ice or rather, having a low temperature, is incredibly strong against cold, but perhaps it lacks caution.
However, the dragon made no attempt to break free from the chains and charged toward Hagasaki-kun.
The dragon took a breath and exhaled it.
Of course, it wasn’t just a regular breath. Moisture in the air froze as it was inhaled, and then it was expelled as ice blades.
That icy breath swept over Hagasaki-kun, cutting through him, and the dragon approached to bite him while he was immobilized by the breath.
…I didn’t move because I saw a smile on Hagasaki-kun’s face.
“Niflheim!”
A pale blue light emanated from Hagasaki-kun’s staff toward the dragon’s mouth, and in the next moment, a blizzard!
…I can’t see anything…
When the blizzard cleared, Hagasaki-kun and the ice dragon were in a rather incomprehensible state. Hagasaki-kun was frozen, and the ice dragon was completely encased in ice.
…Neither of them is moving.
“Hagasaki-kun!”
Kariya released the “Ark” and rushed to Hagasaki-kun. I also ran over with Marbello.
Aaah, aaah, aaah, aaah, aaah! They’re frozen like this!…
Well, at least their hearts seem to be beating… in a way.
In other words, their blood vessels aren’t frozen, I guess… Well, that doesn’t make it any less dangerous.
“It’s more like frostbite or freezing. I’ll fix it!”
And so, Kariya began the treatment.
I also had the maid dolls help me, assisting with “Heal.”
I had Marbello come close to me to serve as both a space heater and a windbreak.
I ended up being a substitute for a hot water bottle. It’s incomprehensible.
After a while, Hagasaki-kun started to thaw considerably.
“Hagasaki-kun, can you hear me?”
“You’re noisy.”
Ah, he’s alive! He’s alive!
I mean, he’s still as cold as ever, but it looks like he’s come back to life. Phew, that was chilling.
“How are you feeling?”
“Well, ‘how’ is… I mean, you…”
Hagasaki-kun seems proud, but what’s there to be proud of!
“I defeated a Unique monster, right?”
“Yeah, well, that’s impressive, it’s really impressive, but I wish you didn’t freeze like that.”
Look at your hand, it’s the color of a corpse, you know?
As expected, when I touched it, it was unbelievably cold.
However, Hagasaki-kun made a displeased face and suddenly used Iron Claw on me!
“Eek!”
Yikes! It hurts!
Is your hand made of ice or something? Stop it! It’s so cold! Cold!
“…Warm.”
Stop, it’s too cold! It’s too cold! My neck! My neck is not okay! Stop it! Enough already!
After about 30 minutes, Kariya, who was out of breath, Hagasaki-kun, who had returned to normal temperature, and me, who had my body heat taken by Hagasaki-kun, were done.
…And now, I’m wrapped in a space heater named Marbello while I’m shaving the ice walls to retrieve the Origin.
“But seriously, why did you have to engage in combat? I feel like simply retreating would have been better.”
“I defeated it, so it’s all good.”
Yeah, it’s really surprising, but…
…To explain it, that thing was apparently a combo move.
“Ice Chain” reduces the opponent’s resistance to ice, in other words, their cold resistance, and “Niflheim” is, as the very name suggests, Hagasaki-kun’s strongest move at the moment, and it has the secondary effect of increasing his resistance to his own ice.
So, he made it so that he could barely endure it while making the opponent barely survive.
“When bees fight against wasps, they surround them, raise their body temperature, and create a temperature where the wasps die without dying themselves. It’s kind of like that.”
Kariya’s analogy is very easy to understand, but… somehow, it’s…
Without time to ponder Kariya’s analogy, I’m diligently “Cleaning” the ice to retrieve the Origin.
This ice is strangely transparent, making it difficult to judge the distance to the Origin.
I’m afraid to accidentally “clean” the Origin along with the ice, so I have to shave it little by little.
After a while, I successfully retrieved the Origin. Yeah, it was quite a hassle.
“Well, I’m heading back. I’ll call you when it’s time for lunch, so be ready for that.”
“Understood!”
“Got it.”
Once I’ve retrieved the Origin, I’ll quickly return and start preparing for lunch.
Hagasaki-kun and Kariya are apparently taking a short break before going to search for the next Origin… They’re energetic!
So, I’m back. Ah, it’s warm here. It was so cold earlier, so relatively speaking, this place is warm!
…And while I was enjoying the warmth, I received another “communication.”
“Hello?”
[I found it, Maito. Please retrieve it.]
“Is there a unique monster? Like a sea cucumber or an ice dragon?”
[Huh? Unique? Sea cucumber? Ice dragon…? No, there’s none…]
I see, that’s good then.
Suzumoto, who had gone on Glida, contacted me, so I decided to head over there.
No rest for the maids! Lunch is getting farther away! Dammit!
So, I used “Transfer.” I flew. And then, I glided and landed!
And it was salty!
Oh no! Water got into my nose! Aaaah!
What is this! What is this! Abababababa!
“…This is bad.”
I was in the sea.
“…Sorry.”
I was retrieved by Suzumoto and successfully mounted Glida.
But I was soaking wet, my nose hurt, and seawater had entered my windpipe!
…Glida is huge.
And it has long legs.
So, in a shallow sea, the legs can touch the ocean floor, allowing it to move forward like that.
Suzumoto and Hariu were on top of it, and they called me over, but I ended up at the edge of Suzumoto’s field of vision. Moreover, it was a glass curve wet with seawater… I slipped and dived into the seawater.
“You know, if you had stayed closer to the center rather than at the edge, I wouldn’t have ended up soaking wet.”
“My apologies for that. Anyway…”
…While I was being carried away by the waves, I looked in the direction Suzumoto was pointing, and there it was—the Origin, just floating there.
Simply floating.
…What the heck! Is it okay for the Origin, or rather, the ‘Void Orb,’ to just float there so defenselessly like that? What if it gets eroded by the waves?
“…Well, I’ll go pick it up, so get a little closer.”
“No way! I lose my strength when I get close to that thing.”
…Ah, I see. Yeah, it might be because Glida… is powered by my magic, so maybe that’s why? Yeah.
“Maito, are you good at swimming?”
“I’m terrible at it, you damn—!”
Why does everyone think so little of meeee!
…Maid or not.
The dragon was made of ice, and if it weren’t attacking us, I might have been captivated by its beauty.
It was covered in a thin, feather-like layer of ice that reflected light in multiple layers. Its clear pale blue body and delicate, almost fragile appearance were truly stunning.
Yeah, I would have been captivated for sure if it wasn’t attacking us.
“Another Unique Monster!?”
But it was indeed attacking us!
The ice dragon, after crashing into the ice wall, shook its head a few times and then flew back towards us.
“Wait, Maito, what do you mean by ‘another’!?”
Hagasaki-kun used the ice wall to create a cage around the approaching ice dragon.
“No, when I went to Katori earlier, there were these strange things that looked like weird plant-like creatures, similar to sea cucumbers.”
“Is everything okay?!”
Kariya quickly generated walls of light to surround the cage.
“He used ‘Beam EX’ and wiped out one Unique-like monster and the entire flower field.”
“What!? Katori took down a Unique on his own!?”
“That’s right!”
We could only contain the dragon within the walls for so long.
With a sharp sound and the shattering of the double walls, the ice dragon roared as it fell to the ground, glistening.
“Now, retreat! Are you all not retreating?”
The ice dragon was heading our way. This was bad, really bad. We needed to retreat quickly!
“We’re not retreating.”
I couldn’t believe my ears, but Hagasaki-kun seemed serious.
“Because Katori could handle it, right? I should be able to do something too.”
“Uh, Hagasaki-kun…”
“What kind of person are you!?”
“There were things I wanted to try.”
“Kariya~”
“Maito-san, come this way. Here, ‘Ark.'”
Oh, so you’re in on it too.
“Well then, I’ll tidy this up quickly.”
“Stop it! Your firepower won’t be enough!”
“You’re so noisy.”
I tried to stop him, but it was futile. I should keep ‘Transfer’ ready just in case.
But with Kariya here, I don’t think it’ll be the worst-case scenario. Yeah, and Hagasaki-kun isn’t the type to do something reckless without a plan… I hope.
However, I couldn’t help but think that Hagasaki-kun might be the worst match against an ice dragon.
I mean, ice against ice? I have a feeling it won’t work that well…
“Lightning!”
Oh, right, you can use that kind of magic too.
Hagasaki-kun dropped lightning as a test, but the ice dragon used its wings to deflect it.
…What’s going on with that?
“Hurricane!”
Oh, now it’s a water-based weather magic.
However, the ice dragon froze the rain and wind and sent them back at Hagasaki-kun, who blocked them with an ice wall.
“Hailstorm!”
Oh, now it’s a hailstorm weather magic.
…Of course, the ice dragon is made of ice, so it can withstand a bit of hail. It must have resistance to cold.
“…I see. I understand now.”
However, Hagasaki-kun had a confident expression.
“Kariya, please provide an explanation.”
“Huh? Um, well, yes. You see, it’s likely that, uh, if it’s ice-based magic, the ice dragon won’t dodge or deflect it, and that’s probably why he has that expression.”
Kariya has a good attitude. Yeah, that’s a good thing.
“But, Kariya, it seems like throwing ice at an ice dragon won’t be very effective.”
“Oh no, I’m sure Hagasaki-kun has a plan. And at the very least, it’s not easy for the opponent’s attacks to affect Hagasaki-kun. It looks like it’s going to be a long battle.”
…A long battle, huh? Is he going to be okay?
I was worried, but it seems like things have taken an unexpected turn.
“Ice Chain!”
Hagasaki-kun held up a staff that seemed frozen solid, and from it, he summoned several icy chains.
Despite their delicate appearance, the chains were surprisingly strong and wrapped around the ice dragon.
I see. This dragon, being made of ice or rather, having a low temperature, is incredibly strong against cold, but perhaps it lacks caution.
However, the dragon made no attempt to break free from the chains and charged toward Hagasaki-kun.
The dragon took a breath and exhaled it.
Of course, it wasn’t just a regular breath. Moisture in the air froze as it was inhaled, and then it was expelled as ice blades.
That icy breath swept over Hagasaki-kun, cutting through him, and the dragon approached to bite him while he was immobilized by the breath.
…I didn’t move because I saw a smile on Hagasaki-kun’s face.
“Niflheim!”
A pale blue light emanated from Hagasaki-kun’s staff toward the dragon’s mouth, and in the next moment, a blizzard!
…I can’t see anything…
When the blizzard cleared, Hagasaki-kun and the ice dragon were in a rather incomprehensible state. Hagasaki-kun was frozen, and the ice dragon was completely encased in ice.
…Neither of them is moving.
“Hagasaki-kun!”
Kariya released the “Ark” and rushed to Hagasaki-kun. I also ran over with Marbello.
Aaah, aaah, aaah, aaah, aaah! They’re frozen like this!…
Well, at least their hearts seem to be beating… in a way.
In other words, their blood vessels aren’t frozen, I guess… Well, that doesn’t make it any less dangerous.
“It’s more like frostbite or freezing. I’ll fix it!”
And so, Kariya began the treatment.
I also had the maid dolls help me, assisting with “Heal.”
I had Marbello come close to me to serve as both a space heater and a windbreak.
I ended up being a substitute for a hot water bottle. It’s incomprehensible.
After a while, Hagasaki-kun started to thaw considerably.
“Hagasaki-kun, can you hear me?”
“You’re noisy.”
Ah, he’s alive! He’s alive!
I mean, he’s still as cold as ever, but it looks like he’s come back to life. Phew, that was chilling.
“How are you feeling?”
“Well, ‘how’ is… I mean, you…”
Hagasaki-kun seems proud, but what’s there to be proud of!
“I defeated a Unique monster, right?”
“Yeah, well, that’s impressive, it’s really impressive, but I wish you didn’t freeze like that.”
Look at your hand, it’s the color of a corpse, you know?
As expected, when I touched it, it was unbelievably cold.
However, Hagasaki-kun made a displeased face and suddenly used Iron Claw on me!
“Eek!”
Yikes! It hurts!
Is your hand made of ice or something? Stop it! It’s so cold! Cold!
“…Warm.”
Stop, it’s too cold! It’s too cold! My neck! My neck is not okay! Stop it! Enough already!
After about 30 minutes, Kariya, who was out of breath, Hagasaki-kun, who had returned to normal temperature, and me, who had my body heat taken by Hagasaki-kun, were done.
…And now, I’m wrapped in a space heater named Marbello while I’m shaving the ice walls to retrieve the Origin.
“But seriously, why did you have to engage in combat? I feel like simply retreating would have been better.”
“I defeated it, so it’s all good.”
Yeah, it’s really surprising, but…
…To explain it, that thing was apparently a combo move.
“Ice Chain” reduces the opponent’s resistance to ice, in other words, their cold resistance, and “Niflheim” is, as the very name suggests, Hagasaki-kun’s strongest move at the moment, and it has the secondary effect of increasing his resistance to his own ice.
So, he made it so that he could barely endure it while making the opponent barely survive.
“When bees fight against wasps, they surround them, raise their body temperature, and create a temperature where the wasps die without dying themselves. It’s kind of like that.”
Kariya’s analogy is very easy to understand, but… somehow, it’s…
Without time to ponder Kariya’s analogy, I’m diligently “Cleaning” the ice to retrieve the Origin.
This ice is strangely transparent, making it difficult to judge the distance to the Origin.
I’m afraid to accidentally “clean” the Origin along with the ice, so I have to shave it little by little.
After a while, I successfully retrieved the Origin. Yeah, it was quite a hassle.
“Well, I’m heading back. I’ll call you when it’s time for lunch, so be ready for that.”
“Understood!”
“Got it.”
Once I’ve retrieved the Origin, I’ll quickly return and start preparing for lunch.
Hagasaki-kun and Kariya are apparently taking a short break before going to search for the next Origin… They’re energetic!
So, I’m back. Ah, it’s warm here. It was so cold earlier, so relatively speaking, this place is warm!
…And while I was enjoying the warmth, I received another “communication.”
“Hello?”
[I found it, Maito. Please retrieve it.]
“Is there a unique monster? Like a sea cucumber or an ice dragon?”
[Huh? Unique? Sea cucumber? Ice dragon…? No, there’s none…]
I see, that’s good then.
Suzumoto, who had gone on Glida, contacted me, so I decided to head over there.
No rest for the maids! Lunch is getting farther away! Dammit!
So, I used “Transfer.” I flew. And then, I glided and landed!
And it was salty!
Oh no! Water got into my nose! Aaaah!
What is this! What is this! Abababababa!
“…This is bad.”
I was in the sea.
“…Sorry.”
I was retrieved by Suzumoto and successfully mounted Glida.
But I was soaking wet, my nose hurt, and seawater had entered my windpipe!
…Glida is huge.
And it has long legs.
So, in a shallow sea, the legs can touch the ocean floor, allowing it to move forward like that.
Suzumoto and Hariu were on top of it, and they called me over, but I ended up at the edge of Suzumoto’s field of vision. Moreover, it was a glass curve wet with seawater… I slipped and dived into the seawater.
“You know, if you had stayed closer to the center rather than at the edge, I wouldn’t have ended up soaking wet.”
“My apologies for that. Anyway…”
…While I was being carried away by the waves, I looked in the direction Suzumoto was pointing, and there it was—the Origin, just floating there.
Simply floating.
…What the heck! Is it okay for the Origin, or rather, the ‘Void Orb,’ to just float there so defenselessly like that? What if it gets eroded by the waves?
“…Well, I’ll go pick it up, so get a little closer.”
“No way! I lose my strength when I get close to that thing.”
…Ah, I see. Yeah, it might be because Glida… is powered by my magic, so maybe that’s why? Yeah.
“Maito, are you good at swimming?”
“I’m terrible at it, you damn—!”
Why does everyone think so little of meeee!
…Maid or not.
