Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear

305 Bear-san, Listens to the Tales of the Labyrinth.

The woman who entered the room had her stomach swelling and I immediately understood that she was pregnant.

[Mother!] Karina

Karina called out at the pregnant woman and ran up to her worriedly.

Her Mother who came into the room, really looks like Karina.

Young… She looks about 25 years old.

Maybe this world is slow in aging.

So I may look young despite my age.

That must be it, yeah.

And the pregnant woman looks over the room and her gaze stops at me.

[Oh, there really is a bear.] Mother

Despite Karina’s concerns, she looks relaxed.

[Ristil, why are you here? You have to take a rest.] Balima

[Fufu, it’s all right. If I locked myself in a room, it’ll bad for my health. Besides it’s the third one already, I completely understand my physical condition.] Ristil

[If it’s fine then.] Balima

[Also Rasa told me that Karina brought a cute girl dressed as a bear, I really wanted to see her for myself.] Ristil

I am not an animal Bear.

I am not a part of some show.

[But she’s really cute.] Ristil

[Mother, please sit down.] Karina

[Oh my, you’re worried about me.] Ristil

The woman, who was called Ristil, sat on a nearby chair with the help of Karina.

[Thank you.] Ristil

With the appearance of Karina’s mother, the serious atmosphere of the room becomes brighter.

[So, are you Karina’s friend?] Ristil

I can’t say I didn’t have younger friends.

There’s Fina and Noa for example.

[I don’t have any friends dressed as a bear.] Karina (TN: ouch!)

I have thought about it before…

But now when someone told me, there’s like something piercing my heart.

We’ve just met, so it’s correct to say that we’re not friends, but my heart still hurts.

[I’m Yuna, an Adventurer. I came today under the order of His Highness, the King of El Fanica Kingdom.] Yuna

[The King?] Ristil

[Yuna-san brought us such a huge water magic stone.] Karina

Karina spreads her hands to express the size of the magic stone.

[Is that true?] Ristil

[Ah, yes. it’s true, it’s also quite large. This would be a good replacement for the broken magic stone.] Balima

Balima-san distorts his face as he tried to stand up to show the magic stone.

[Father!] Karina

[I’m alright. It just hurts a little.] Balima

Nevertheless, he went to the woman to show the magic stone.

He then place the Kraken’s magic stone on the table in front of her.

As expected, he’s been injured somewhere.

[Are you okay?] Ristil

[Ah, don’t worry about it.] Balima

Balima-san sat in a chair next to the woman.

Even while sitting down, his face is slightly distorted and it looks painful.

[She brought it from the kingdom of Elfancia all by herself.] Balima

[Bear-san did?…] Ristil

She’s looking at me astoundingly.

If you think about it normally, it’s an impossible distance for a girl dressed as a bear, even traversing the desert, all alone.

I wouldn’t also believe it if Fina appeared in front of me, saying she had come here alone.

Who are you with?

I shall ask her about it…..

[She is an adventurer whom Follout-sama trusts. She’s a top-notch adventurer, contrary to her looks.] Balima

Contrary to what she looks he said…

But I’m a Bear so I can’t refute it.

[Is that true?] Ristil

[I saw the letter from Follout-sama, as well as her guild card, she’s definitely a first class adventurer. She doesn’t look the part though, but Follout-sama’s letters and the guild card proved it. Perhaps Follout-sama may already knew the current situation, so that must be the reason why he sent her.] Balima

So, what does that mean?

[That’s why I’m going to tell her everything.] Balima

The woman was immediately surprised at Balima-san’s words, but quickly regained her composure.

[Fufu, I understand. I hope you’re decided.] Ristil

[Thank you.] Balima

The two hug lightly.

Somehow it’s nice to see that the couple had a trusting relationship.

But its bad for Karina and me.

[And so…] Yuna

I called out to them, I’m not going to let you flirt in front of me forever.

[Yuna-san I am very sorry… Please have a seat… Karina ask Rasa for tea, then after you told Rasa, Karina stay in your room.] Balima

[Father!] Karina

[Karina!] Balima

[I… I understand.] Karina

Karina steps out of the room with her shoulders down.

Then I sit on the chair in front of Balima-san.

[I’m Ristil, the wife of Balima. Um, can I call you Yuna-chan?] Ristil

[Yes, no problem.] Yuna

[Tell me if I’m not mistaken, Yuna-chan, you’re not used to that way of talking right?] Ristil

[Yes, I’m not.] Yuna

That seems to be the case.

[Fufu, I’ll be casual with my words then, so Yuna-chan can be as usual.] Ristil

[Well then, don’t mind if I do.] Yuna

Thankfully…

Respectful and formal language is something I’m weak at apparently.

So, I’m thankful that Ristil-san’s words will be more relaxed.

[So that’s how Yuna-chan normally talks. That way of talking has a nice tone, it was a bit weird because of the way I saw her a while ago, it didn’t match up.] Ristil

[Ristil, that’s what a messenger should be.] Balima

[Dear, you are too stiff.] Ristil

[You’re just too lax.] Balima

[Umm, Balima-san, I would be grateful if she continues to speak casually.] Yuna

[…I, I understand. Me as well, I couldn’t relax at all, because I was speaking in formal language to a girl who’s dressed as a cute bear.] Balima

I guess so~.

You’ve been talking politely to a girl dressed as a bear in the first meeting.

Normally, you would call me <young lady>, normally.

Well, that’s probably because of the King’s letter, it had a great influence.

Looking at these kinds of places, I feel that the King is extraordinary.

I usually only see the old man coming to eat my food.

And when I was about to start talking, there was a knock on the door and Karina came in.

[Father, I brought the tea.] Karina

[What happened to Rasa?] Balima

[I was given the role of carrying the tea. Father, please let me participate in the conversation too.] Karina

She asks Balima-san with serious eyes.

[Father, please.] Karina

She’s looking at Balima-san with serious eyes.

[…Ha~h, okay then. Have a seat.] Balima

[Thank you.] Karina

Karina gladly placed tea in front of us and sat next to me.

I thank Karina for her tea.

It’s cold and delicious.

[Now then, how much does Yuna-san know about the current state of the city?] Balima

[The big water magic stone was broken and people were may not be able to live in this city. So, I was told to take this water magic stone immediately.] Yuna

[Is that so… That’s not completely wrong… Without the distribution of water by the magic stones, the city would become uninhabitable.] Balima

[But if you have that water magic stone, you’ll be fine, right?] Yuna

He said that the size was enough.

[But before explaining any further, let’s talk about this city.] Balima

Umm~ we’re starting from there?

Well, I am kinda concerned about the connection between the desert oasis and the water magic stones, so I’ll just listen obediently.

[This city was created hundreds of years ago by an adventurer party. Have you seen the pyramid?] Balima

[When I came here, I saw it from a distance.] Yuna

[The pyramid was divided into lower layer and upper layer. The upper layer is a labyrinth… The labyrinth is a complex maze, with many traps. But hundreds of years ago, an adventurer party reached the deepest part of the labyrinth of the pyramid. And at the deepest part, they found a water magic stone and a magic circle. The magic circle amplifies the water and when the magic circle is activated, the water came out of the magic stone and so a lake was created in the desert.] Balima

[Is that the lake in the center of this city?] Yuna

[Yes, it is. The lake became a place for people to take a break, it gradually gathers people and eventually a city was created.] Balima

It’s a mysterious story.

It’s a story that is likely to appear in some fantasy world.

Even if it was a magic stone or a magic circle, it was a reward for clearing the labyrinth of the pyramid.

Was it a relic made a long time ago?

Or was it made by God?

[But the broken water magic stone has reduced the lake’s water.] Balima

As expected, the state of that lake was caused by the magic stones.

[But if the water magic stone was the only thing that’s broken, wasn’t it okay to just simply replace it?] Yuna

I brought the Kraken’s water magic stone for that after all.

[Yes, it should be fine… We just can’t go to the deepest part of the labyrinth, though.] Balima

[So, in other words, you have to clear the labyrinth first, that’s why you can’t replace it?] Yuna

But then, it doesn’t match with Karina’s actions.

The labyrinth is in the upper part.

But Karina says, she wants to go to the bottom.

It seems to be a totally different matter from clearing the labyrinth and replacing the water magic stone.

[Yes, it’s different.] Karina

[…………?] Yuna

I don’t need the suspense effect, hurry up and give me the answer.

[I…] Karina

Karina is facing down and biting her lip.

[In the deepest part of the labyrinth, there was another thing besides the water magic stone… That is the labyrinth map.] Balima

[The labyrinth map?] Yuna

[Yes, there was a map that showed the deepest part of the labyrinth. That map allows you to go to the same place over and over again.] Balima

Somehow, I’m starting to understand the story.

In other words, Karina lost that map didn’t she?

I turned my gaze to Karina and her head was down.

[We used the map to regularly check for magic stones and when I checked it again, I noticed that the magic stone was broken. So I asked the kingdoms of Elfanica and Triform for magic stones. However, the water in the lake was being exhausted with each passing day. I wanted to save some time, so I collected the little water magic stones and went to the pyramid again. Then I fell into a trap and dropped the map into a pitfall.] Balima

[Wrong! Father, please don’t lie. I was the one who dropped it. When I fell on the trap…] Karina

[Karina….] Balima

Karina speaks her words as if she is squeezing her voice.

So, that’s why you want to go to the bottom of the pyramid.

[But, don’t you have a copy of that map?] Yuna

If you copy it, it will be safe, whether you lost it, burned, or stolen.

Well, if its stolen, the meaning of crime prevention will be lost.

But Balima-san shakes his head in response to my question.

[The labyrinth of the pyramid changes every day. It is a map that can make you proceed without getting lost, it can’t be copied.] Balima

…So it changes every day?

…So as the map?

Another mystery trick came out.

[I don’t think any map can be used if it changes every day.] Yuna

[This map is very different from any ordinary maps. It is a crystal plate and when you apply magic to it, you will see a map of the current labyrinth.] Balima

Oh, so there is such a special function.

The crystal plate is thin and the map comes out of it.

Is it like a tablet map?

(TN: Probably not Apple, because it’s accurate.)

[So we can’t go to the deepest part of the labyrinth, even if we have the water magic stones.] Balima

[I’m sorry, but why did you gave her such an important thing?] Yuna

I don’t think it’s something that you would make a 10-year-old girl, carry such an important thing.

[That is……] Balima

[Dear…] Ristil

Ristil-san nodded a little.

[I’ll take it from here.] Ristil

[Are you sure?] Balima

[You’ve already explained so much, you can leave the rest to me. Yuna-chan, it may be difficult to accept, but it will be helpful if you do not talk about it outside this room.] Ristil

[Is that okay?] Yuna

[Just like Balima says, If we’re going to ask Yuna-chan’s help, we’d better tell you everything.] Ristil

[I understand, I won’t tell anyone.] Yuna

I made a promise.

I’m not going to talk to the King about it, even if he ask me.

[Thank you.] Ristil

Ristil-san gave her thanks, then she began to talk.

[The crystal plate we found in the deepest part of the labyrinth had a special function. It was my ancestor that discovered the crystal plate, one of the adventurers who created this city. The crystal plate could only be used by the person who poured magic to it for the first time, so no matter how much other people pour their magic, the map won’t show. So the adventurer magician, who decided to stay here and became the first lord of the city… That would be my ancestor.] Ristil

[Then that means, you can use the crystal plate.] Yuna

[Yes, I am a direct bloodline. So now, only me, Karina, my three-year-old son and the child in this stomach are the only ones who can use the crystal plate.] Ristil

[How about Balima-san?] Yuna

[I can’t use it because I’m the son-in-law.] Balima

[So, because I’m in this situation, I left it to Karina this time.] Ristil

Ristil-san touches her stomach.

[I was so happy about my first role that I didn’t looked at the map properly. So I got caught in a trap and father protected me, but he got hurt and I dropped the crystal plate into the trap.] Karina

Indeed, now I understand the reason why Balima-san was injured and why there was no crystal plate.

[Umm, Ristil-san you’re still so young, aren’t you? Ristil-san don’t you have any of your parents left?] Yuna

[That’s……] Ristil

They look down, it seems to be a heavy topic.

[I’m sorry, I didn’t think they were dead.] Yuna

[Ah, I’m very sorry. You seem to have made a mistake. My parents are still alive.] Ristil

So what did you looked down and fell silent for?

[They cannot leave this place for too long, they have to watch over the pyramids and the city. So my parents left the job to me and went on a journey to see the world… Where are they now, I wonder….] Ristil

So it seems to be a heavy topic.

Author’s Note

With such a reason, where Karina dropped the map into the pitfall, so that’s why.

There is no excuse, because I’m a little busy, the response to your comments will probably be completed or maybe not for a while.

I’m sorry if I couldn’t post next time.