The Carrot Boat and a Secret Hope
Winter sank beneath the pond with a gurgle, clinging to Levinas's carrot boat. Just as she considered waiting a moment before surfacing, Han Yeoreum dove straight toward her. Splash! Han Yeoreum's hand caught her and hauled her up to the surface. Her lung capacity must have improved—she wasn't even out of breath. "Winter!" "Yes...?" "Are you okay...?" Her voice was thick with worry. She had clearly mistaken the situation for an accidental drowning. "I'm fine. The water's shallow here. Levinas made a boat, so I just wanted to test it out." "O-oh, I see?" Han Yeoreum glanced at the sunken carrot boat, then lifted Winter onto the pond's surface. Levinas and Saebyeok grabbed her soaked hands and pulled her the rest of the way out. "King, you okay?!" "Yeah. I'm fine." "Thank goodness! Levinas thought King was in big trouble because of Levinas!" Whew. Levinas let out a relieved sigh, then grabbed a fistful of Winter's dripping hair. Even that gentle squeeze sent water streaming down. "King, you gotta shake it off!" "Shake it off?" "Yeah! You need momentum!" Levinas swung her head and upper body side to side like a dog shaking off water. The motion was so fast it looked dizzying. "Hmm..." Was this a beastkin thing? Or just Levinas's own method? Unsure, Winter decided to follow along. "Like this?" Shake-shake-shake! She swung her head and torso left and right. Her tail joined in, flicking along. She hadn't expected much, but the effect was surprisingly strong. Her quick, elastic body sprayed water in every direction, soaking everyone nearby. "S-sorry..." She apologized to the children, tacking on polite speech at the end when she noticed Jeong Yuna. Fortunately, no one seemed angry. "Winter's got quite the energy, huh?" Heh. Jeong Yuna chuckled and waved her staff. The water soaking them gathered into a sphere and dropped back into the pond with a plop. 'Whoa...' Magic never stopped feeling wondrous. While Winter marveled at Jeong Yuna's spell, the woman began casting something even more impressive. Whoosh! The sunken carrot boat rose from the water. Levinas bounced with excitement at the boat's revival. "Levinas's boat!" "Wait a moment, okay? I'll make it safer." Jeong Yuna's mana wrapped around the boat. Winter couldn't tell exactly what was happening, but she could see the carrot boat was improving. "It's a magic boat!" Levinas stretched a foot toward it. Startled by the wobbling, she pulled back and looked up at Jeong Yuna. "Okay. I'll lift you." Jeong Yuna's mana enveloped their bodies. At the same time, Winter and the two children floated into the air. 'Wow.' She never imagined she'd experience levitation magic in her life. Her tail perked up at the fresh shock. Having come from a world without magic, her reaction was stronger than most. The children, for whom magic was everyday life, barely reacted. Saebyeok simply lay down in the empty space and dozed, while Levinas paddled with the carrot oar. "King! There are fish down there!" "Yeah." A school of mackerel swam beneath the carrot boat. Winter was considering catching one when Levinas suddenly raised the oar high. "Gotcha!" She brought the oar down toward the mackerel. The boat's buoyancy kept it from hitting any fish, only striking the water's surface. "Heehee." Levinas seemed delighted even with that, happily smacking the water over and over. She wouldn't catch any mackerel this way, but since she was having fun, Winter let her be. "The mackerel dodge pretty well." "Yeah! But fish are still weaker than horned rabbits! Except for sharks!" Smack! Smack! Levinas struck the pond again and again. Annoyed by her indiscriminate attacks, one of the mackerel leaped from the water. Thwack! It smacked Levinas right on the nose before darting away. Levinas froze in place, oar still raised. "Oh." "......" Levinas slowly turned her head to look at Winter, body still rigid. Fear crept into her eyes, her pupils trembling harder. "You okay?" "R-run away...!" Levinas paddled frantically to escape the mackerel. The angry school circled their boat. "The mackerel must be really mad." Did the fish in this neighborhood attack people too? What a violent world. Levinas's arms began