At this time of year, working in the forest, the most challenging aspect for the Forest Keepers was the heat of midsummer.
“It’s so hot!”
As Sorbi rushed into the break room, she exclaimed.
What a terrible day for the air conditioner to break down!
The forest relies purely on natural mana production, which means it does not have a stable mana supply like a city with a dense mana network, so these situations often occur.
Today, it seems the forest’s mana is fluctuating enough that the air conditioner can’t even be turned on.
Currently, the only savior they have is a towel enchanted with cooling magic.
That, however, was in short supply, so some Forest Keepers were either passing it around or just using wet towels, making today an extremely tough day for them.
For the record, Sorbi was currently using just a wet towel.
The reason was simple: she lost a game of rock-paper-scissors to choose who would get the cooling towel.
“On days like this, I envy the elves.”
She sighed deeply as she thought of Yerna.
They were naturally resistant to both heat and cold.
Moreover, they live long, and their physical abilities surpass the human average.
What an unfair race to exist in this world!
How on earth has such a race not yet conquered the world!
However, because of their blessed physical attributes, they all struggle to come up with new ideas.
So-called, if one is fit, there’s no need to think hard.
Therefore, in communities with only elves, they feel no need to develop civilization…
This is why most elves value tradition and lean towards a conservative nature.
Well, these days there are many progressive elven politicians, so that notion has become somewhat of a stereotype…
“It’s an invasion of elves in our society…”
“What on earth is she babbling about? Has she lost her mind to the heat?”
While Sorbi was huffing and complaining, Kirke pointed in one direction and said.
“Forget that, grab a drink.”
“Oh, the icebox!”
Sorbi’s face lit up with excitement as she dashed to the icebox.
It was a magical tool enchanted with ice magic that maintained its coldness.
An artifact similar to a portable refrigerator that uses mana stones and scrolls.
When she opened the lid, it was filled with cans of drinks, ice-cold.
With a happy expression, Sorbi held up a drink and asked.
“Who brought all this?”
“The elf you were complaining about just now, Yerna.”
“Seriously, when did I complain about her? Hohoho.”
The elves, as the race of harmony, possess a gentle and beautiful nature that is like the light and salt of our society.
Elves, who prioritize integrity and legitimacy, are indeed well-suited for the leadership of society.
Considering how much corruption has decreased in politics since elves began to participate actively, it’s even more so.
They focus their efforts not on material gain but on their intellectual values or the progress of their community…
“Ugh, it’s so noisy. Cut it out.”
Kirke rubbed her ears and stuffed a drink can into Sorbi’s mouth.
“Honestly, that girl…”
The heat really was terrifying.
“Ahh, finally, I can breathe!”
Sorbi took a sip of her drink, her face glowing with happiness as she wiped away her sweat.
While she was enjoying her drink, a small child with blue hair that looked refreshing came bouncing over, her long hair flowing like waves.
With a slight tilt of her head and a curious expression, she asked.
“What are you girls doing?”
It was Luke’s younger sister, Pyris.
She looked just like Luke, yet her actions were unmistakably those of a child.
Luke was cute, but this one was irresistibly adorable, making it hard to resist the urge to ruffle her hair.
Sorbi and Kirke tousled Pyris’s hair and, with raised voices, asked.
“Oh, Pyris. Do you want a drink? It’s super refreshing.”
“Yeah, it must be hot playing outside, right? Have one.”
“…Ice?”
Pyris looked in the direction Kirke was pointing and, following their suggestion, took a drink from the icebox.
She was startled by the icy coldness of the can, yet fascinated, she fiddled with it for a while.
Then Kirke pondered whether Pyris didn’t know how to open the can and took it from her to open it, handing it back to her.
The reason Pyris was so still wasn’t that she didn’t know how to open the can; she simply enjoyed the sensation of the cold can.
Chii—ik.
Then, a refreshing sound of fizzing carbonation escaped as a little foam emerged from the can.
Seeing the foam, Pyris’s eyes lit up as she exclaimed, “Wow!”
“What is this?”
“It’s cola, give it a try.”
“So this is cola!”
Pyris had seen Luke drink cola once before.
Luke, horrified and disgusted, had claimed he couldn’t drink it, yet Pyris was very curious about the taste.
Her tastes rarely matched with Luke’s.
Pyris promptly put her mouth to the opening of the can and took a big gulp.
It was very sweet. Sweetness, after all, was one of Pyris’s favorite tastes.
Besides sweetness, she actually liked most flavors and sensations, but cola stimulated her as a girl not only through its taste.
The fizz danced in her mouth as it slid down her throat.
That feeling was an extraordinary stimulation for Pyris, making her very happy.
After taking a big gulp and letting out a loud burp, Pyris excitedly shouted, “This is su—uper delicious!”
“Right?”
“Then, bring one to Luke. She seemed to be having a rough time.”
“Okay!”
——-
Meanwhile, Luke was sprawled inside a box, sweating profusely.
It was hot.
She had intended to organize her thoughts while doing magical research inside the box, but instead, the heat made her feel a sense of powerlessness where she didn’t want to do anything.
“Ah…”
Sweat poured down like rain, seeping into the cardboard box that had been taped together in various places over a long period and slowly deteriorating, but Luke had no desire to get up.
Laziness.
A sense of sloth she had never felt in her entire life was taking hold of her.
No matter how much she thought about why she felt such an unwillingness to do anything, it was simply due to the heat.
But overcoming that heat was difficult.
“Are living beings truly this weak to changes in their environment?”
It was lamentable.
No matter how much she knew that productivity visibly decreases during midsummer, she couldn’t empathize with it.
Yet now she fully realized.
All the many beings working outside on days like this deserved respect.
How on earth did they manage to do that?
Their willpower might rival that of a great mage!
Luke folded the notes she had been planning to review and waved it in front of her face like a fan.
Since she couldn’t use her circle, she might as well move her body to create some airflow.
Where in the world could Pyris be right now?
Though she didn’t want to cling to her, at this moment, she desperately longed for the cool breeze that the spirits usually provided.
As Luke was melting away in the box under the scorching heat she had never fully experienced, Pyris finally appeared.
Kneeling beside the box where Luke sat, holding a cool can, Pyris cheerfully exclaimed.
“Luke! Drink this!”
“Ah, Pyris…”
Luke turned her gaze slightly to see the drink Pyris had brought.
Seeing the dew glistening on the outside gave her an idea of how cool its contents could be.
Luke swallowed lightly, yet unfortunately, it was a carbonated beverage.
She shivered at the thought of the carbonation irritating her throat.
No matter how cold it was, she didn’t want to experience that horrific sensation again, as if it were burning her mouth.
To Luke, carbonated drinks brought to mind the texture of “Locust’s fluid,” an insect-type monster from the Demon Realm.
Unless it was beneficial for her health, the thought of wanting to drink it didn’t occur to her at all.
“I’m fine. You drink that. But could you blow a bit of wind my way?”
“Okay.”
Noticing the deep fatigue implied in Luke’s voice, Pyris, using her spirit powers, summoned a gentle breeze for Luke and asked.
“Are you hot, sister?”
Though Pyris didn’t quite grasp how difficult heat could be for living beings, she believed Luke looked as if she was having a tough time.
Luke leaned into the breeze, closed her eyes, and opened her mouth, sounding exhausted.
“Ah, yes. This heat is my first experience, so it’s a bit overwhelming.”
It really was.
It felt as if the world was becoming hotter and hotter.
Although Luke didn’t know how summer was 5000 years ago, she couldn’t quite tell.
“Ah, I wish there were a cool box.”
At Pyris’s sudden exclamation, she jumped up and shouted.
“There’s a cool box!”
“…What?”
——–
“This is the cool box?”
“Yes! It was super cool!”
Pyris had brought Luke to the icebox.
The contents that were originally inside it were likely all consumed by the Forest Keepers, as it was now empty.
“Hmm…”
Luke tilted her chin at the blue box.
Without her magic sight, she couldn’t immediately discern its structure upon sight.
However, upon speculating based on its appearance, it seemed to be a magical tool enchanted with ice magic.
Since she couldn’t use her magic sight, she couldn’t know the precise operational principles, but it resembled the refrigerator she had seen previously, albeit a more portable version.
“Open it!”
“Hmm…”
Luke gently reached inside.
It was definitely cold.
“Really cool…”
“Right?”
Seeing Pyris’s bright smile, Luke ruffled her hair.
“Thank you for showing me this.”
“Hehehe.”
Luke immediately took off her shoes and climbed into the box.
Though the box was a bit small for her to lay down completely, she could still fit to sit.
She began to feel an undeniable sense of stability and coolness that helped her forget the heat, making her drowsy.
It was shaping up to be a perfect environment for an afternoon nap.
Seeing Luke’s comfortable expression as she closed her eyes, Pyris cheerfully asked.
“Are you cool?”
“Ah, yes. It’s really nice and cool…”
Pyris could feel happiness emanating from Luke’s voice.
If Luke was happy, then Pyris would be happy too.
Pyris was very pleased and hoped Luke would be even happier.
“Then I’ll make it even cooler!”
“Hmm… That’s fine.”
Though she was already cool enough, Luke wasn’t really paying attention to Pyris’s words.
Resisting the approaching heat was a bit overwhelming as well.
“…”
Soon, Luke fell into a pleasant nap.
—–
While Luke was napping for a brief moment.
Pyris dipped her hands into the nearby pond’s water and began to stir it.
Then, beautiful ice, hard and transparent like jewels, began to float above the pond.
It was ice created through spirit magic, beautifully frozen.
No matter what anyone said, Pyris’s essence was indeed that of a spirit, and since she had realized her nature quite some time ago, freezing the pond’s water was an incredibly simple task.
Though spirits cannot create water by arranging mana from nothing like mages can, no one surpasses spirits in manipulating nature.
Thus, for Pyris, freezing a bit of pond water amid the heat was not at all a difficult task.
Pyris filled a large cup with the cold ice she had created.
Since Luke liked cool things, she believed Luke would really enjoy this.
After a while of walking back to the lodging, what was originally just filled with ice now had the ice slightly melted and had turned into ice water.
But the ice was still cold, so it should be fine.
Thinking so, Pyris burst through the lodging’s door and exclaimed.
“Sister! Pyris is back!”
However, since the pond was quite far away, when Pyris returned, Luke was still sound asleep in the icebox.
“Sister, are you sleeping?”
Was this also her fault for taking too long?
Though moving in spirit form could have allowed her to zip back in an instant, when she appeared in physical form, she was greatly limited by the powers she could exert over the Material Plane.
“Aw…”
That was disappointing.
She had wanted to see Luke’s happy face with her ice.
Still, Pyris thought Luke would be happier.
Since sister liked cool things, making her cool would surely let her sleep in a better mood, right?
That was truly a thought fitting for a spirit.
Thus, what Pyris decided to do was very simple.
Swoosh.
She poured the ice water directly into Luke’s icebox.
“Gah, what?! W-What is this?! What just happened?!”
Luke almost sprang up as though possessed.
“W-What? What? What just happened?! What was that?!”
Clutching her heart and looking up at Pyris to catch her breath, Pyris, holding the now empty cup, smiled brightly.
“Isn’t it refreshing!”
“I thought my heart would stop!”
If it hadn’t been a Dragon Heart, it might have actually stopped.
