The Legendary Carrot Badge
After finishing the subway promotion ceremony, we returned straight to the park. Levinas seemed especially proud of the carrot badge she had received, deliberately circling through areas crowded with people. "Ahem." She puffed out her chest toward the passersby. The carrot badge gleamed in the sunlight against her chest. She clearly wanted to show off the badge she had gotten from the guild. I chuckled to myself at the adorable sight, but the reactions from the people around us were disappointingly lukewarm. "……?" Levinas looked puzzled, unsure why they were not reacting more enthusiastically. I figured I should explain.
"Levinas, that badge looks really cool."
"Yeah! It's the coolest badge in the whole world!" I gazed at her badge with an envious expression. Only then did the people catch on and begin their clumsy acting. "W-whoa, look at that carrot badge!" "Gasp! That's the legendary carrot badge that only the very best kids can receive…!"
At the mention of the legendary carrot badge, Levinas's white ears perked straight up. "Wow, King, did you hear that?! It's the legendary carrot badge…!" "Yeah. Amazing. They say only good kids can get it." "Yeah!" Levinas giggled, then suddenly clamped her own mouth shut. She glanced back and forth between Han Yeoreum and Saebyeok with a guilty look, as if she felt bad.
"What's wrong?" "I-it's just… it feels like only Levinas got a good badge…" She seemed sorry for receiving something better than the others. Just as I was about to reassure her, the people who had been watching us pointed at our badges and feigned surprise. "W-whoa! That's the legendary one-line sun badge!" "Gasp! The one-line sun badge that's only given to kids as good as the owner of the legendary carrot badge?!"
The acting was painfully awkward, yet I felt grateful. They were doing it to comfort Levinas. "King! Did you hear that?! King's badge is just as amazing as the carrot badge!" "Yeah. Seems like they're similar." "Hehe!" Levinas smiled and clutched the badge on her chest tightly. Seeing how happy she looked, the people around us smiled warmly.
"Look at those kids relaxing." "Her wagging tail is seriously cute." Their voices were too quiet for most to hear, but they reached my ears clearly. For some reason, their fond gazes were directed at me. "What the…" It felt like they were trying to comfort me instead of Levinas. Had they thought I was jealous of Levinas's badge? That was completely unfair. Just as I was about to correct them, Levinas grabbed Han Yeoreum's and Saebyeok's hands and pulled them along. "Let's go over there too!" "U-uh… okay."
Levinas wandered confidently around the park. After a long while, she sat down in a bush with a satisfied expression. "Hehe, Levinas is invincible with the carrot badge!" "Yeah, Levinas seems even more amazing now." "Yeah!" Her outstretched legs swung side to side. She basked in her good mood for a while before pulling a book out of her bag. "What's that?" "Shark bought it so Levinas would study hard!" "…A Korean textbook?" It looked like something for kindergarteners or early elementary students. The cute cover piqued my curiosity.
Levinas flipped through the pages, revealing adorable illustrations. Under the heading "Our Vehicles," various modes of transportation were drawn. Next to an airplane picture were the consonants , and beside a bus picture were . It was a section for guessing words from pictures and consonants, but Levinas was clearly struggling. "Umm…" Tap tap tap—she drummed her pencil against her lips. The problems seemed difficult for someone unfamiliar with modern society. "Levinas, is it really hard?" "Yeah. It's a little hard for Levinas." "Then should I help you?" "Yeah! Let's study together!"
Levinas set the book on the ground. We naturally lay down on the grass. "King, what's this?" "This is…" She pointed to an oval, egg-shaped drawing. Beside it were the consonants . "What the…" The topic was vehicles, so why an egg? I tilted my head in confusion at the inexplicable picture. "King, do you know what this is?" "I… I don't really know either…" What on earth was it? Feeling frustrated, I glanced around just as Saebyeok, who had been quiet until now, spoke up. "That's a magic disc." "A magic disc…?" Levinas and I both voiced our confusion at the same time. I realized how lacking my common sense was when it came to vehicles I had never heard of. "You ride it like a skateboard, but it floats in the air with magic." "Oh…"
Because this was a world with magic, it had its own unique vehicles. I could only scratch my cheek in embarrassment. "King, the world is really complicated, isn't it?" "Y-yeah…" "I don't know how kids are supposed to live." Levinas sighed and moved her pencil to the next picture. It was clearly a subway. While scribbling "subway" in crooked letters, she looked back and forth between Han Yeoreum and Saebyeok. She seemed to have something she wanted to say. "What is it?" "Have King and Shadow King ever ridden the subway? It looks like a worm." "I've never ridden one…" "Me neither." The only vehicles we had ridden since coming to this world were the guild members' cars. We had to save on transportation costs. "Levinas's dream is to ride the subway someday." "R-really?" "Yeah. Doesn't riding underground like a worm sound like a dream?" "U-uh, yeah… it would feel like a dream…"
I had no idea Levinas had such a wish. I should have told her earlier. Since things had turned out this way, it would not be a bad idea to let her experience the subway. "Levinas, how about we ride the subway today?" "Huh…?!" Levinas's eyes widened. She even rolled her pupils left and right as if checking whether she had heard correctly. "I wanted to ride the subway too." "R-really?! You were the same as Levinas?!" "Yeah." I had not expected her to be this happy. Instead of going to the hunting grounds today, we decided to experience the subway together with everyone.
** Lunchtime. Sofia, who had returned home, sat in the massage chair to rest. Though her small body was relaxing, her mind was racing nonstop. 'It's twisted… far too twisted.' Thump thump thump— As she felt the massage chair working on her back, she recalled what Jeong Yuna had told her. That Winter treated a broken arm like a minor injury. Even beastkin, who possessed strong minds and bodies, would groan when their arm broke. Yet an eight-year-old child considered a broken bone to be nothing. It was heartbreaking that Winter's statement had not been bravado. 'The more I learn, the more horrifying her past becomes.' I thought I knew about Winter's past, but the deeper I dug, the more miserable details surfaced. The depth of that abyss was now beyond measure. "Haa…"
Well, at least she was happy now. Sofia tried to rationalize it indirectly. Of course, she knew it was rationalization for her own comfort. She decided to rest a little longer and think about it properly later. 'I wonder what the kids are doing.' Winter and Saebyeok had probably gone hunting. Levinas… had she tagged along? Just as Sofia was worrying about the children, the front door opened and the sound of three pairs of tiny footsteps echoed inside. "Get ready!" At Levinas's shout, the three children ran into the room. Sofia opened her eyes at the noisy commotion. "You're not going to the dungeon today?" "No. We're going to ride the subway." "The subway?" "Yes." Winter's tail swayed gently. Were they planning to go somewhere nice on the subway? Sofia's curiosity grew. "Where were you thinking of going on the subway?" "Nowhere. We've never ridden one before, so we just want to try the experience." "…I see." The subway was a mode of transportation anyone could use. For these children, it was apparently special enough to be called an "experience." Sofia felt an inexplicable pang of pity for them.
"Shadow King, what do we need to bring to ride the subway?" "…Gloves?" "You little rascal." Thwack. Sofia tapped Saebyeok's head with her staff. Adventurers were legally allowed to carry weapons, but to think of weapons first no matter what… Her thinking was completely wrong. "We don't need weapons?" "No need to bring anything extra. We can just go as we are." Sofia could only feel frustrated, knowing how twisted the children's common sense had become from their past. "Shark, have you ever ridden the subway?" "…I know the theory." "What does knowing the theory mean?" "…It means I've never ridden one." "Then Shark should come with us too! Let's all become worms together!" Levinas tugged on Sofia's hand. Unable to send the children alone, Sofia reluctantly agreed to join. "But you must listen well and not make a fuss." "We can't say even one word?!" "One word is allowed." "Got it!" Thud. Levinas covered her own mouth. She was determined to say only one word while riding the subway.