The Giant Carrot
Since memories could be devoured by the trauma from endurance training, I only looked at one memory per day. Those who accepted Chae Juyeon’s proposal agreed to meet again tomorrow and parted ways to attend to their own matters. Jeong Yuna returned to the lab, while Han Yeoreum strolled through the park with Saebyeok. A white snowflake-like ice cream cone rested in Saebyeok’s hand.
“Saebyeok, did I buy you ice cream because you’ve been taking good care of your little siblings?”
“Yeah. I take good care of them.”
Saebyeok licked her ice cream and thought to herself. Winter might have been older in years, but when it came to experience in this world, she was the senior. Senior-junior relationships didn’t care about age. In that sense, Winter was her junior—her little sibling.
“Since you’re the oldest sister, you have to look after the little ones, okay?”
“Yeah.”
“Hehe, I’ll buy you more ice cream later.”
Of course she would buy some for Winter and Levinas too, but there was such a thing as personal feelings. Han Yeoreum simply smiled with her eyes and patted Saebyeok’s head. Saebyeok’s expressionless tail swayed gently.
“Later, when I’m the big sister…”
Before Han Yeoreum could finish, a bright light burst from near the tent. It was a warm light without any violence, so she didn’t feel anxious.
“Hm?”
What on earth was that light? Han Yeoreum blinked, then ran toward the source, keeping her pace slow enough for Saebyeok to follow.
“That’s…?”
When she arrived at the tent, she witnessed a scene that was both adorable and bizarre. Two children were perched atop a carrot that had grown taller than an adult man. Levinas clung to it like a cicada, gnawing away with little bites. Winter had tied a rope to the carrot’s stem.
What kind of fairy-tale scene was this?
As Han Yeoreum looked up at the carrot and the children, Saebyeok dropped the ice cream she had been holding. Her usually expressionless eyes sparkled brightly.
“Whoa.”
Letting out a gasp of wonder, Saebyeok dashed toward the carrot. She stomped her feet, begging to be lifted up, so Han Yeoreum picked her up and asked,
“Winter, what is this?”
“A carrot.”
“Yeah, but why did it get so big?”
“I don’t know. It’s probably Levinas’s magic.”
Levinas’s? Han Yeoreum turned her gaze toward the rabbit girl. Levinas was still gnawing at the carrot, but because it was so enormous, only tiny bite marks remained. At that speed, she wouldn’t finish it even if she ate nothing but carrots for a month.
How strange.
What kind of magic had she used to make the carrot grow so huge? Even the seasoned adventurer Han Yeoreum had never seen anything like it.
It doesn’t look dangerous, though.
While Han Yeoreum was lost in thought, Winter diligently continued tying the rope. Once she confirmed it was secure, she climbed down.
“Winter, are you going to pull it out?”
“Yes!”
“Then I’ll help you.”
They would have to get Levinas and Saebyeok down first. Han Yeoreum reached out toward the children. Levinas, still gnawing, offered no resistance as she was lifted down. Her cheeks were puffed out like a hamster’s.
“Is it good?”
“Mmmph!”
Levinas’s eyes were moist at the corners—the look she only got when eating truly delicious carrots. Could something this big really taste good too? Han Yeoreum wondered as she helped Saebyeok down as well.
“I’ll pull it out, so you all step back, okay?”
“Okay~”
Han Yeoreum gave the rope a firm tug, and the massive carrot came free. The part that had been hidden underground was three times larger still.
“Whoa.”
“Mmmph!”
“……!”
The children let out their own exclamations and rushed toward the carrot. Lying on its side, it towered over their heads.
“Winter, what are you going to do with this?”
“Um… donate it to the free cafeteria…?”
“Hmm… I don’t think they’d accept something this big.”
“Really…?”
In that case, they might as well keep it as Levinas’s snack. Winter’s tail swayed as she gazed up at the carrot.
The next afternoon.
After returning from a hunt, I headed back to the tent. I was curious whether Levinas was still eating that giant carrot.
“Levinas.”
I called her name and looked around, but she was nowhere to be seen. Maybe my assumption that the horned rabbit would be with the carrot had been nothing more than prejudice. Just as I turned to head toward the pond, I heard breathing coming from inside the carrot.
“Huh?”
Climbing onto the carrot, I found a small hollow near the top. Curled up inside it, Levinas was taking a nap.
When did she eat this much?
Beastkin didn’t gain weight easily, so it should be fine even if she ate a lot. I gently stroked the sleeping girl’s head.
It’d be fun if she only hollowed out the inside.
If she did that, it would basically become a secret carrot base. Levinas and Saebyeok would probably love it. Deciding to suggest it to her later, I climbed back down so as not to disturb her sleep.
First, I should find the others. At this hour, most of them were probably walking around the park. As I moved to look for them, I soon spotted three familiar backs. Han Yeoreum, Jeong Yuna, and Chae Juyeon. For some reason, all three of them looked weighed down.
What’s going on?
Had something bad happened? The atmosphere felt off, so I hesitated to approach and lingered behind them instead.
“Haa… I got hit again today.”
“…Me too. I even passed out.”
“I was the same.”
Three skilled adventurers had been beaten? One of them was even the master of a famous guild. I could hardly believe my own ears.
Who could have hit them…?
The only person strong enough to do that was our guild master. But he would never swing his fists around recklessly. There had to be someone else.
“Isn’t that actually crazy? Beating someone until they pass out?”
“And only when no one else is around… They’re strangely clever in the weirdest ways…”
Chae Juyeon looked at the two of them as they let out deep sighs.
“I was running away, and Yuna laughed out loud.”
“Ugh.”
“Still, she did end up helping me. But why did you laugh…?”
“Th-that’s because I didn’t know she’d run out of mana…”
Chae Juyeon had needed Jeong Yuna’s help while running away. Just what kind of conversation were the three of them having? Had they gone into a dungeon together? Unable to contain my curiosity, I ran toward them.
“What is it?”
“Uh, yeah?”
“Did someone beat you up?”
The three of them froze on the spot as if on cue. After exchanging glances while stiff as boards, Han Yeoreum spoke first.
“Did your hunt end already?”
“Yes. It finished early today.”
“Um… did you happen to hear our conversation…?”
“Yes…”
Han Yeoreum’s attitude was strange. She looked a little tense.
“From where did you start listening?”
“The part about passing out after getting hit… Ah.”
I realized it too late. For three skilled adventurers, the fact that they had been beaten might itself be embarrassing. I had forgotten that because I got hit so often.
“I’m sorry… I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, but I could hear everything…”
“Uh, yeah. You do have good ears, Winter.”
Han Yeoreum reached out and fiddled with my ears. They twitched at the familiar yet alien sensation.
“Um, can I help you…?”
“With what…?”
Han Yeoreum swallowed. She seemed embarrassed that her weakness had been exposed and wore an awkward smile.
“I’ll teach you how to get hit without it hurting.”
“Huh…?”
“I’ve been hit a lot too.”
Since I had also been hit plenty of times, there was no need to feel ashamed. By sharing that fact, I tried to build a sense of solidarity with them. Yet for some reason, the three women’s expressions only grew worse.
“W-Winter, you see…”
“Yes.”
“We’re…”
Han Yeoreum trailed off and glanced around at the others as if seeking help. Chae Juyeon bent down to my eye level, perhaps to speak in her stead.
“Winter, is there really a way to get hit without it hurting?”
“Yes. You just have to cover the places that hurt when you get hit. Like your solar plexus or your liver…”
“I see?”
“Yes. But if possible, running away is the best. If you get hit wrong, something might break.”
Park Mingyu had been really impressive in that regard. He adjusted his strength so nothing would break. Though sometimes things still did.
Normal people pull their mana back as much as possible when they hit, I think.
I vaguely recalled Park Mingyu bragging about it.
“Winter, thanks for telling us. We were doing endurance training.”
“R-really…? I thought someone was bullying you.”
“Come on, who would bully us?”
Chae Juyeon waved her hand dismissively. It was true that none of the three were in a position to be bullied by anyone.
“That’s a relief.”
“Uh, yeah.”
I felt relieved that they weren’t being hit by someone else. Yet for some reason, their expressions still didn’t look good. It was probably because they had been taking hits all over during their endurance training.