Home/The Ice Age Came? And I Just Got Married?!/ch 16

Chapter 16.

"No. You seem to have a way with animals—that cranky squirrel too."

Hearing that, I realized it was a bit unusual, even to me.

That ill-tempered squirrel, for all his grumpiness, listened to me well and even brought me a Goldstone.

"Come to think of it, it is strange."

Both men looked at me simultaneously—an unreadable gaze.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You and Pipi suit each other."

At Marcus's words, Logan, who had been quietly watching me with his arms crossed, also nodded.

"Like snowflakes—you're alike."

Pipi was perched on my head. His sense of balance was so good he never fell off.

After shaking my head in defeat, I glanced at Marcus.

Marcus averted his gaze from me and looked toward Harry.

He stared at Harry for a long time.

"Feel better?"

At my question, Marcus let out a dry laugh.

"No. It's unpleasant."

I suppose for Marcus, it wasn't really revenge—it was just one-sided hatred from the other side.

"I'll feel better once I see Charles get his due too."

...?

"Why?"

At his question, I burst out laughing.

"Nothing—that's just more like you, Senior Rutland."

At my words, Marcus laughed along and patted my head.

Meanwhile, I glanced at Logan, who was clearing away Harry's body and gathering the unconscious gang members together.

Hmm.

"We got what we wanted, but we didn't find the key."

"That's probably with Charles."

At Marcus's words, I asked with a more serious expression.

"We're not going to end up raiding the ruffians' main base too, are we?"

"The Duke of Wrath could probably do it. I've developed infinite trust in him now."

Marcus placed a hand on Logan's shoulder.

"We even have healing powers now—nothing to worry about."

His hand, after patting Logan's shoulder, pointed at Pipi on my head and then at me.

"And you even have fire."

He meant the power of the Redstone I'd absorbed.

Of course, I had not only the Redstone but also the Goldstone's power.

"What do you bring to the table, Senior?"

"Every team needs a mascot like me."

"Oh dear. An unnecessary mascot is hard to dispose of. Your service is terrible."

"Wow. Your tone is starting to resemble the Duke of Wrath's."

"Thank you for the compliment."

With such idle chatter, we tidied up the shop—which is to say, we loaded up on weapons.

"Hey! Cheshwind, watch your feet!"

"Work on your agility. For someone who served in the military, you're terribly slow."

Arguments between Marcus and Logan broke out here and there, but I was busy packing weapons.

Squeak!

Just then, Pipi spotted something and flew off somewhere.

Pipi hovered around the counter, fluttering his wings.

"Is there something here?"

I looked around the counter but saw nothing.

Finding it frustrating, Pipi pecked my head once with his beak, then landed on the floor and tapped the counter's base.

When I pressed on that spot, it rattled.

"Eve, be careful."

Logan and Marcus had already come to my side and were watching.

I nodded quietly and lifted the floorboard.

There, I found another Winterstone.

A pink mana stone—a Pinkstone.

Was it because it was a type I'd never seen before? Even my perception hadn't detected it—I never expected it to suddenly appear here.

"The weapons shop owner hid something like this under the floor? What exactly was he?"

At Marcus's muttering, I shrugged and pointed beneath the floor.

"Look closely—doesn't it look like a naturally formed mineral?"

Exactly.

Winterstones were minerals that formed naturally in various places around the world, usually underground or in damp areas.

The mineral was fused to the floor, as if it needed to be mined with a pickaxe.

As I took the Pinkstone in my hand, Logan tried to stop me.

"Eve, let me do it..."

Of course, before he could finish, I pulled the Pinkstone loose—more precisely, I broke it off from the base.

The Pinkstone snapped off easily and cleanly.

"How did you do that?"

At Logan's question, I shrugged.

"Probably because I absorbed more Goldstones. I can feel it—I've gotten stronger."

"What kind of properties does this one have?"

Marcus pointed at the Pinkstone and asked.

I recalled the Pinkstone's traits.

"I think it has a healing property—restores stamina. It might also boost immunity. And I think it temporarily suppresses hunger..."

"How do you know all that, Junior?"

"Ah, I have clairvoyance, you see."

"I thought so—wait, what?!"

Whenever I spoke as if I could foresee the future or acted as if I knew a great deal of information, Logan would wear a troubled expression.

He had constantly strived to keep me out of harm's way—if I were him, I'd feel conflicted too.

But my reasons were ultimately the same as Logan's. To find a path where I wouldn't die and he wouldn't fall into darkness.

Logan protected me for my sake, and I moved forward for his.

What a ridiculous couple we were.

Anyway, I left the Pinkstone with Logan and we left the weapons shop.

Unlike Harry Baker, the ones we'd merely knocked unconscious were carefully placed in the attic—so they wouldn't die.

"Will they be angry enough about Harry Baker's death to seek revenge against us?"

At my question, Marcus tilted his head.

"They're people without loyalty—but their thirst for revenge is greater than anyone's. So yes, they might come."

We decided to lure the remaining ruffians to Acorn Village.

After all, it'd be more advantageous to deal with them on our home turf.

Honestly, I had no more business with the gang since I'd get all their Goldstones—but leaving loose ends behind didn't seem wise.

"Senior Rutland, once Charles is dealt with, will the people held by the gang be safe?"

At my question, Senior Rutland nodded.

"Once Charles is dead and the leadership crumbles, the captives will be freed. There's a leader among them who can take charge."

That's a relief. So we really just needed to deal with Charles.

If we were to keep living here, it'd be best to get rid of the troublemakers.

I value peace, after all!

Just a few months into the ice age, Rosebrook would fall under the gang's control and turn into a slum—a dangerously high-crime zone.

We couldn't let that happen.

To survive here long-term, the city needed cleaning up.

So, with the "key" deferred to another day, we returned to Acorn Village.

By the time we arrived, the sun had fully set. It had been an exhausting day.

"That squirrel—he's far too cranky!"

Jack Harper, who greeted us barefoot, launched into a story about how Chippy had thoroughly harassed him in the greenhouse while we were gone.

It seemed Chippy had worked him ruthlessly. That tiny squirrel was quite the taskmaster.

As a result of Jack's hard labor, the greenhouse garden was impeccably tidy.

But there was one unexpected problem: Chippy was wary of Pipi.

Peep! Peep!

Squeak—!

The cranky squirrel hopped around on the floor in a rage, while the round little bird fluttered his wings and provoked him further.

I sat at the greenhouse table with the others, drinking tea and quietly watching the two of them bicker.

Pipi competed with Chippy, Logan competed with Marcus—and if Logan's aide arrived, would he compete with Jack too?

Sip—

I smiled as I sipped my tea.

Peaceful.

"So—there's something I've been meaning to ask."

Marcus broke the silence.

He swept back his blond hair gracefully and sipped his tea with more dignity than I could muster—as if rebelling against his social status complex.

Though his next question wasn't dignified at all.

"How did you two end up getting married?"

"Senior, what do you mean by that? Marriage isn't something that just 'ends up' happening."

To be fair, we did have a reason—just a slightly different one from most couples.

Flustered, I glanced at Logan.

Logan showed no sign of agitation—as if the topic wasn't even worth discussing.

Well, to him, marrying me was probably so obvious it didn't warrant discussion.

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