Home/The Ice Age Came? And I Just Got Married?!/ch 71

Chapter 71.

"I saw—it looks like a child."

Logan had already noticed and remained calm.

I also realized the child looked strangely familiar.

Logan and I carefully emerged from the tent. Hearing the rustling, the reindeer herd stopped abruptly.

Then they all turned and looked at us—our eyes met.

A brief standoff followed.

We couldn't move easily, and they stood still, watching us.

Just then, the boy lying on the largest reindeer sat up.

It was the boy from the family we'd met in front of the tidal wave at Rosebrook Harbor—Annie's older brother, about ten years old.

The boy spotted us and looked startled.

Then the reindeer sat down, and as the ground came closer, the boy quickly climbed down.

Only then did the reindeer begin to move—leaving the boy behind and heading on their way.

The boy watched the herd disappear into the distance, then walked over to us.

He was bundled in a thick fur coat he hadn't had before—enough to survive this cold.

I wasn't sure what was happening, but we went to meet him.

Together with Logan, we stepped out of the tent, welcomed the boy, and brought him inside.

As soon as he entered the warm tent, he looked up at us with teary eyes.

I asked him,

"Do you remember us?"

"Yes—you're the lady who traded with Annie."

"Call me 'ma'am'—I'm not that young."

"Yes, ma'am-lady."

He was a stubborn boy. I didn't bother correcting him again.

"What about your family?"

"I don't know—I lost them. I was following the northern forest path from Rosebrook and found a cave. I slept there, and when I woke up, everyone was gone."

The boy had black hair and golden eyes—with a pitiful look when he frowned.

"I wandered through the forest, and the big deer let me ride on their backs."

Then he pulled something from his pocket.

"...Huh?"

It was a yellow mineral. It looked like a Goldstone at first glance, but yellow and gold were distinctly different.

"The big deer gave me this too."

Yellowstone had the property of emitting light.

The boy asked me,

"Would you like to trade with me?"

"What do you want to trade for?"

"Please take me in. I can do anything—I'm good at everything."

I was speechless.

The boy cautiously grabbed the hem of my coat. Logan watched with his arms crossed—ready to follow my decision.

Looking at the boy's pitiful gaze, I spoke calmly,

"Bartering is trading one thing for another—not people."

Still, I wouldn't turn down the Yellowstone.

"I'll give you something in exchange for this—whatever you want."

The boy blinked.

"Is that okay? You're already saving me—can I still trade?"

"Adults don't need payment to help a child. So let's just trade fairly."

"But..."

"We'll take you to our village. Any objections?"

The boy shook his head vigorously.

"Then think about what you want once we get to the village."

Soon, the boy's eyes filled with tears, and he broke down sobbing.

I didn't know what he'd been through, but seeing a familiar child like this made me uneasy—more than that, I felt guilty.

If I hadn't gone to the sea because of the tidal wave, could I have helped his family?

I knew that wasn't the case.

But I couldn't help feeling indebted to the boy, remembering how I'd traded for Annie's Silverstone just before moving the wave.

Even if I can't repay what I owe Annie, I can protect this child.

I held the boy's hand tightly.

The boy's name was Luca Miller.

In the morning, Luca joined us—we packed up the tent and went fishing.

We extinguished the fire completely by covering it with snow.

We folded the tarp and tied it back onto the cargo sled, scattered the fir branches, and the spot where we'd stayed returned to its original, undisturbed state.

We put our skis back on, Logan carried Luca on his back, and we glided down toward the sea.

As the morning sun rose, the frozen coast sparkled silver.

The near sea was covered in thick ice, but far off, dark blue water could be seen moving slowly.

Logan walked along the shoreline, inspecting the ice for a long time.

He tapped it with the axe, listened to the sound, tested its strength with his weight—only then did he stop.

"This spot looks good."

We set the cargo sled sideways as a windbreak and unloaded our gear.

Luca watched us move in perfect coordination with a bewildered expression.

Logan raised the axe high.

THUD—

With a heavy sound, the ice cracked—typical of a man with monster-like strength.

Luca's eyes sparkled as he watched.

THUD— CRASH—!

After a few more strikes, a hole big enough for a head was opened.

Dark blue water slowly appeared beneath—cold and deep.

I threaded bait onto the fishing line and lowered it slowly into the water. The bait was shellfish that Brian had treasured.

The cold weather kept it frozen, so at least spoilage wasn't a problem.

The sea was as deep as expected. The weighted line went down for a long time before I felt it touch the bottom.

"Don't move the line too much."

Logan said quietly.

"Winter fish are wary."

I nodded. When it came to fishing, Logan seemed more knowledgeable than me.

We set up three portable stools, sat down, and braved the cold while clutching Redstones.

The wind had died down, but time on the ice passed painfully slowly.

Luca crouched beside me, barely breathing, and stared into the water.

"My mom doesn't know how to fish—but you seem good at everything, ma'am-lady."

"I doubt that—your mother must have had other talents."

"Ah—she was a great cook!"

I smiled.

"See—I can't cook at all."

I'd gotten better at knitting, though—needlework was a basic skill for noble ladies.

Luca seemed to understand something and smiled. Then he lifted the corners of his mouth, which were about to fade, and said bravely,

"I hope my mom, dad, and Annie are all alive."

"They will be."

Your family—and mine. All of them.

I gently stroked the boy's black hair.

Come to think of it, it matched Logan's hair color. Though their faces weren't alike, Luca was already strikingly handsome—at a glance, he could almost pass for Logan's son.

Just then—

Tug—

A faint vibration reached my fingertips.

"Eve—wait."

Logan placed his hand over mine.

He didn't pull the line right away.

Then—again.

Tug—

This time, it felt heavier.

I pulled the rod up with all my might.

A cod, much bigger than my palm, thrashed in the air.

"Got it."

Luca's face lit up.

"Wow...!"

I cheered too. As the fish flopped onto the ice, I jumped with excitement.

"Wow—that's amazing!"

Of course, exposed to the cold air, it froze solid in no time.

Logan looked at me and Luca and smirked. Then he returned to his spot and pulled up his line.

A moment later—his hole produced a cod twice as thick as mine.

"..."

"..."

Luca and I fell silent and stared at my catch.

Ignoring us, Logan tossed the fish onto the cargo sled as if it were nothing and said,

"Easy."

And as he said, we continued catching big ones after that.

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