When I heard of Rikka’s age, I wondered if I should change the way I called her. It was indeed awkward to call someone older than me without honorifics (except for Cliff and Toya), so I decided to call her Rikka-san. I’m glad I didn’t call her Rikka-chan.
After buying some souvenirs, we had a little late lunch. Of course, we were the center of attention when we entered the cafeteria.
[Thank you very much, Rikka-san. I was able to buy something nice for my brother.] Ruimin
Ruimin looks happy, but I wonder if her brother Lucca would really be happy with a bear figurine as a souvenir. However, I don’t think a knight figurine would suit an elf boy. Though, what would make an elf child happy?
[I’m glad you’re happy with it. Where would you like to go next after we finish eating? I’ll take you anywhere you want to go.] Rikka
There are a few I’d like to visit and I haven’t been to all of them yet.
[I’ve heard about the gate of trials in this city, where is it? I’d like to take a look.] Yuna
[The gate of trials? Could it be, Yuna-chan? You’re going to participate?] Rikka
[No, I’m not going to participate.] Yuna
In the first place, there are no weaponsmiths that will ask a bear.
[An adventurer I know is going to be participating, so I was a little curious.] Yuna
I’m interested, not just a little. It looks like a fascinating event. I’d love to participate, but since I can’t, I’m going to be there to support Jade-san instead. I don’t mind going with Jade-san and the others on the day. But before that, I’d like to take a peek at the gate of trials site.
[Is that so? Gordo, Ghazal, and dad all praised Yuna-chan’s abilities, but it’s a waste. If dad could make a sword, he would ask Yuna-chan to use it.] Rikka
[Rojina-san isn’t making swords anymore, isn’t he?] Yuna
[U~n, I don’t know. He doesn’t seem to be motivated for a while now. But when he saw Gordo and Ghazal’s knives earlier, I saw dad’s serious face for the first time in a long time. Maybe he’ll start making one again.] Rikka
It would be nice if that happened. It was worth it for me and Fina to come. Without her, she wouldn’t have been able to show him Gordo-san’s knife. If I hadn’t come, I wouldn’t have been able to show him Ghazal-san’s knife.
It was nice to be able to show them the knives they had both made. Both Gordo-san and Ghazal-san might be sad if they find out that their master, Rojina-san, has not made a sword for some time now. That’s why I’m a little troubled about how to report it when I return to the royal capital and Crimonia. Will I tell them the truth or deceive them? But if he is going to make me a weapon, then I won’t have to tell a lie.
After having our lunch, we headed for the test gate event site.
[It’s going to be a long walk from here, so is everyone still okay?] Rikka
Rikka-san said that the test gate event site is on the outskirts of the city, so it’s quite far.
Well, it doesn’t matter how far away it is, I have my bear gear so I’ll be fine, but…
[I’d like to see it too, so I’ll go with you.] Fina
[I’ll come with you too.] Ruimin
Both of them replied energetically. It seems my worries are unnecessary.
And so, we arrived near the test gate site.
Rikka-san was right, it was in a remote location. Rather than saying it was somewhere around here, it might be more correct to say it was WAY beyond there.
[What’s this?] Yuna
In front of me were stairs leading all the way up to the mountain.
[Could it be, it’s up these stairs?] Fina
[It’s up there?] Ruimin
I look up. Just looking at it seems to hurt my thighs.
[How many steps are there?] Yuna
[I don’t know, I’ve never counted it.] Rikka
It’s more than a thousand steps.* As a recluse, I’ve never climbed or even seen such a long staircase before, so I can’t imagine the actual number of steps just by looking at it. But it’s definitely an incredibly long staircase.
Well, there are no stairs I can’t climb, no matter how many steps it has, I’ll be fine as long as I have my bear shoes. But that’s not the case with Fina and the others.
[Well, what about you two? Do you want to stay here and wait for us?] Rikka
[I’ve been running around in the forest for a long time, so I should be fine.] Ruimin
[I don’t know if I can climb, but I’ll do my best.] Fina
If no one is around, I’ll summon Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear. But that’s not the case this time. Looking up the stairs, I can see a few people climbing up and down.
[If you get tired, I’ll give you a piggyback ride.] Yuna
It’s easy enough to carry Fina up the stairs on my back since I’m using the bear cheat.
[I’ll do my best.] Fina
Fina looked up and slowly walked up the stairs. Ruimin lightly runs up the stairs, skipping a few steps. Rikka-san mumbled in a small voice, <Can I sill climb it?> and started climbing the stairs.
I followed the three of them up the mountain.
[U~u, Ruimin-san. You’re too fast.] Fina
Ruimin is waving her hand from way up ahead. As expected of an elf who grew up in the forest. For Ruimin, this kind of stairs is just like running up a mountain.
Fina tried to chase after Ruimin but lost her breath in the process.
Halfway up, I started to climb at my own pace. But now, I’m matching Fina’s pace.
[Tell me when you’re tired.] Yuna
[Yeah.] Fina
We climbed the stairs with Ruimin in the lead. Rikka-san, Fina, and I followed. About halfway up the stairs, Fina’s foot stops.
[Fina. Let’s take a break.] Yuna
I took out some cold water from the bear box and gave it to Fina. Fina received the glass of water and drank it in one gulp.
[Thank you, Yuna-oneesan.] Fina
[Yuna-chan. I need water too.] Rikka
I gave Rikka-san the same cold water.
[It’s cold and delicious.] Rikka
[Yuna-san, I’ll have some too.] Ruimin
Ruimin, who was supposed to be way up the stairs, was nearby. How nice of you to come all the way back. I can’t believe she’s the same person who was lying in front of my house. Well, that’s because she hadn’t eaten anything for a few days.
I handed Ruimin a glass of water, which she also drank in one gulp.
And after drinking my glass of water, we resumed our ascent.
[Come on, Fina, hang in there. If you’re tired, I can let you ride on my back, you know? Or would you prefer to be carried like a princess?] Yuna
I wish I could summon Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear, but there’s no way I can in this place, so I’ll offer my back or arms instead.
[U~u, I’m not a little child anymore, I’ll be fine.] Fina
Fina puffed out her cheeks a little and declined the piggyback ride and the princess carry. It wasn’t that I think she was a child or anything, it was just that I thought she might be tired.
[Aren’t you tired yourself, Yuna-oneesan? When we were at the beach, you collapsed back then.] Fina
[I didn’t have the bear’s blessing back then. Now I have the bear’s blessing, so I’m fine.] Yuna
[Wha, what’s a bear’s blessing?] Rikka
An out-of-breath Rikka-san asks.
[It’s a blessing from the bear god and I’m receiving that power through the bear gear. Well, in reality, I’m just strengthening my body with magical power.] Yuna
I answer with a mixture of bear blessing and magic enhancement.
The stairs went on and on and I am too weak to climb them without my bear gear. That’s why I couldn’t take off my bear gear.
While I’m climbing the stairs while wearing such cheat armor, Fina is climbing with sweat dripping from her forehead.
U~u, I feel so guilty.
[Fina, my back and arms are always free.] Yuna
I showed my back and arms to Fina.
Fina smiled a little and replied, [It’s okay].
We finally finished climbing the long stairs and looked down. The long stairs continued far down. How did we get up from there? If I didn’t have my bear gear, I’d never want to climb it. But the other three who didn’t have the cheat gear made it up on their own.
[I’m tired, but it feels good.] Fina
Fina, out of breath, is looking at the city below. A panoramic view of the city unfolds. This alone was worth the climb.
[Does everyone who attends the gate of trials event have to climb up here?] Yuna
[It’s only once a year. Besides, the blacksmiths will be there to keep them company, and it’s the adventurers who will take on the trials, so it should be fine.] Rikka
Well, the adventurers are always carrying weapons with them. Also, they are always walking in the mountains and places with bad footholds. They should be able to climb those stairs easily. The way they train is different from normal people. If it weren’t for the bear cheat, I would never have been able to become an adventurer.
After looking at the view below, I looked towards the mountainside. There is a square platform at the top of the stairs, and a building can be seen on the mountainside at the back. Around the building, some people have climbed the stairs, gathered. They looked like adventurers and blacksmiths. I wonder if they’re here to check out the place like we are.
The adventurers who had come for a preliminary inspection were surprised to see my bear gear, but I ignored them as usual and walked up to the building. The building is white and looks like a temple. In front of the temple-like building, there is a large door that looks like a gate.
[Is this the gate of trials?] Yuna
[No, the gate of trials is within that gate.] Rikka
[Can’t we go inside?] Yuna
I pounded on the door with my bear puppet.
[The Guildmaster of the Blacksmith’s Guild will open the door when the gate of trials opens. Until then, no one will be allowed inside.] Rikka
[So, when will they open? They were saying something about it opening soon.] Yuna
Toya’s test will last until the gate of trials closes. I’m curious about that too, so I asked her.
[No one knows for sure. We just know that every year, at around this time, the gate of trials will open.] Rikka
[The way you put it, Rikka-san, it sounds like the gate will open by itself.] Yuna
[Yes. The gate of trials opens and closes on its own. That’s why we don’t know the exact date when the gate opens. It seems that some people tried to force the gate open a long time ago and they had to build a building in front of the gate. Nowadays, no one tries to break down the building to get inside the gate.] Rikka
It looks like some people couldn’t wait and tried to break down the gate to get in, but it seems that there are idiots everywhere who cause trouble.
But there is no set date for the opening of the gate of trials. I hope it will open soon.
Author’s Note:
Finally, we’re at episode 399. The next episode will be 400. It goes by fast, doesn’t it?
※Volume 7 will be released on July 28th. There are some changes to the story in this volume. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you.
※I’ve posted images of the Korean and Taiwanese versions of Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear on Twitter. If you’re interested, please take a look. The Bear is expanding overseas.
※The next post may be an SS post. If there is no post in three days, I might be taking a break and I may be posting it in six days. Thank you for your understanding.
Translator’s Note:
*Ah, the infamous 7000 steps to High Hrothgar (Which is not really 7000 in the vanilla game, not even 1000). I knew we’re in Tamriel.
“I envy you, you know. To climb the 7,000 Steps again… I made the pilgrimage once, did you know that? High Hrothgar is a very peaceful place. Very… disconnected from the troubles of this world..”
-Jarl Balgruuf the Greater
“M’aiq once walked to High Hrothgar. So many steps, he lost count.”
-M’aiq the Liar
