Chapter 308: The Carousel (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 308: The Carousel (2)
‘Luna Land.’
The United States, Japan, Korea, and so on.
It was a landmark that existed in just about every country classified as developed.
It was the magnum opus and legacy of Luna Elodie, a first-generation American Hunter and a grand mage.
They say that in her later years, as the age of chaos was ending and stability was gradually returning, she poured the last of her spirit into creating this amusement park.
The reason, apparently, was that her childhood memory of visiting an amusement park remained the happiest moment of her life.
“Childhood memories… they’re nice.”
Luna Land was built in our country about ten years ago.
Back when Seo-yeon would still trail behind me, calling, "Appa, Appa!" and when things were still good with Han Ju-hee.
Unable to resist our daughter's pestering to go to Luna Land, my wife and I came here, each of us holding one of her hands.
“That was a really happy time.”
Seo-yeon, crying her eyes out because she was too short to ride the roller coaster.
Seo-yeon, laughing as she excitedly crashed her bumper car into everything.
Seo-yeon, puffing out her cheeks and sulking, "I'm not going to marry you when I grow up!" just because I stole a bite of her ice cream.
Memories of my young daughter are etched into every corner of this amusement park.
“…Coming back here feels strange.”
I never thought I'd be able to come back.
My daughter had grown cold for some reason, and my wife was so busy it was hard to even see her face.
So I thought I'd never have a reason to come here again.
I never imagined I would.
“Have you been waiting long…?”
Especially with my grown-up daughter.
“…No. I just got here myself.”
She shakes her head at my worried question, and I look her up and down.
The kid who usually just wears jeans and a white t-shirt is actually dressed up today.
She's wearing denim pants that show off the line of her legs and an off-the-shoulder blouse that reveals her shoulders and collarbones.
It's the kind of outfit you'd wear on an outing with a guy you're seeing or your boyfriend.
She looks pretty, but… it's a bit much.
“Does… does what I'm wearing look weird?”
Oops.
My staring must have been too obvious.
“That's not it. It's just that your outfit is so different from usual that it caught my eye.”
“Oh, I see.”
“If I made you uncomfortable….”
I was about to say I was sorry.
“Mm-mm, it's okay.”
Seo-yeon shakes her head, a light smile still on her face.
Thankfully, it seems she wasn't offended.
“Shall we go in?”
“Yeah, let's.”
After showing the mobile tickets I'd booked in advance on my smartphone and getting thin bands wrapped around our wrists, we finally step through the magnificent gates, as if entering a fairytale kingdom.
“Whoa….”
Seo-yeon stares in awe, her mouth agape at the scenery unfolding before us.
It's a natural reaction, of course.
Luna Land is no ordinary amusement park.
It's a magical space where the very essence of a grand mage has been infused.
That's why the moment you step through the gates, the surrounding landscape changes in an instant.
An enormous expanse made possible by Space Expansion magic.
Filled with all sorts of rides and attractions.
It truly feels like stepping directly into a fantasy land you've only ever seen in storybooks.
“Hmm.”
Seeing my grown daughter's bright expression, I'm filled with mixed emotions.
Why did this kid use her wish to come to an amusement park with me?
The thought occurred to me again, and I almost asked, but then I stopped myself.
“What should we ride first?”
She looks so happy. It wouldn't be right to ask her right now.
“Well… you pick, Sunbae.”
“In that case, I'll….”
As if she'd been waiting for that answer, she becomes lost in thought, studying the pamphlet they handed out at the entrance.
…Since we're here, it won't be too late to ask after we've had our fun.
Seo-yeon, who had been staring down at the pamphlet, lifts her head.
Her eyes are sparkling.
“I've decided.”
Her slender arm and finger point to a single ride.
“Our first will be that one.”
“……”
Rumble, rumble, rumble
It soars up, as if to pierce the sky.
WHOOOOSH-!
And plummets like a thunderbolt.
KYAAAAAAAAAK!
Not cheers of excitement, but screams filled with terror.
“…The Thunder Express?”
A pretty hardcore start…
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.
.
To a Hunter, amusement park rides are nothing more than toys.
Why?
Because they experience far more thrilling things every day.
They can even run faster than a falling roller coaster if they put their minds to it… so what's the point?
For that reason, amusement parks became the exclusive domain of ordinary people.
…Until Luna Land opened.
[Please double-check your safety belts~]
As I said before, Luna Land is in a league of its own compared to other amusement parks.
She engraved a special magic into every ride—no, into the entire park.
A magic she created herself, one that only affects Hunters with high mana reserves.
[The Thunder Express is now departing!]
Her final original magic, which accelerates the flow of mana within a Hunter's body, making them feel the ride's movements several times more intensely.
Rumble, rumble, rumble…!
What does that mean?
WHOOOOSH-!
“KYAAAAAAAAAK-!”
It's scary for me too!!
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.
.
The Thunder Express.
They said it was the world's fastest roller coaster, listed in the Guinness Book of World Records, but I never imagined it would be like this.
“Hah, hah….”
As I sat on a bench, gasping for breath and trying to calm my churning mana.
“Here.”
Seo-yeon hands me a bottle of water she bought from a convenience store.
“Thank… you.”
I hastily twist open the cap and gulp down the water.
I can finally breathe.
“Phew.”
I let out a small sigh and lean back against the bench, and through my half-open eyes, I can see Seo-yeon giggling.
Is she laughing while a man is dying here?
“…What are you laughing at?”
When I ask in a disgruntled voice, she doesn't stop laughing… she just covers her mouth.
“S-Sorry. It's just, I thought you were good at everything… I guess you have weaknesses too.”
What the.
So that's why she was laughing?
My disgruntled expression softens, and I lean back comfortably against the bench as I reply.
“Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses.”
“Yeah… you're right.”
She nods in agreement.
But her expression is a little strange.
There's a hint of wistfulness, as if she's reminiscing about something.
In that time, I've fully recovered. I get up, brushing myself off, and declare energetically.
“Alright, let's go to the next ride.”
“Are you okay to ride again already?”
“This is nothing.”
Riding it is the hard part; recovering isn't.
The other rides will be scary too, but… what can I do?
I'll just have to tough it out.
“This time, then….”
Led by the hand by a sparkling-eyed Seo-yeon, we wander through every corner of the vast amusement park.
“Wahoo!”
We rode the Viking ship, which was at least fun.
Groooowl…!
We were even chased by incredible Halloween creatures, brought to life by illusion magic so advanced it was hard to tell if they were real or fake.
How realistic was it?
“Ah…!”
Startled in the darkness, Seo-yeon flinched and grabbed my hand tightly.
“Oh, sorry!”
Surprised by her own actions, she quickly pulled her hand away.
It felt strange.
Right now, my mind is her father's, but my body is completely that of a stranger.
On this impossibly ambiguous boundary, a fond, tender feeling begins to bloom.
“I-It was scarier than I thought. Right…?”
“It was.”
“L-Let's go to the next one!”
She walks ahead, rambling with a flushed face.
We ate at a family restaurant, rode a ride where a bunch of young people were making a fuss about getting soaked while dancing and singing excitedly, and rode the spinning teacups.
Wait in line, ride.
Wait in line again, ride again.
As we repeated this process over and over, before we knew it…
“It's already gotten dark.”
“So it has.”
Night had fallen.
Of course, it wasn't time to go home.
Because nighttime at Luna Land is a place where a whole different kind of charm unfolds.
A pale violet Milky Way flowing leisurely across the night sky.
The rides, emitting a soft glow.
If the day, with its mysterious and cheerful atmosphere, is for children, the night becomes mysterious and dreamlike, feeling more focused on adults.
Beneath it all, Seo-yeon is smiling.
Much more naturally and brightly than before.
She even looks as if she's returned to her younger self.
Her gaze, which had been fixed on the sky, suddenly turns to me.
“Should we walk for a bit?”
Walk?
“All of a sudden?”
“Yeah. Looking at the sky made me want to walk.”
“Well… sure.”
It's not like walking is hard.
She used a wish for this day, so I should do my best to grant her requests.
We stroll slowly among magical objects that fly around, their tails glowing like fireflies.
As we walk, we see people all around us.
“No~! I wanna play a little longer~! Waaaaah!”
There's a couple struggling to soothe their child, who's throwing a tantrum about going home.
“I like you.”
A fresh-faced couple, just starting out…
“Sorry… I don't think of you as a man.”
“…Then why did you come to Luna Land with me?”
“I just thought we were hanging out as friends!”
“But…!”
Uh… never mind.
Anyway.
We walk step by step through these various human dramas unfolding around us, until we reach an area with more flowers and trees than people.
“Why don't you ask?”
Seo-yeon suddenly asks me.
Asking me out of the blue why I haven't asked.
What on earth did she want me to ask?
As I look at her with that question in my eyes, she continues.
“I thought you'd ask why I wanted to come to an amusement park for my wish… Aren't you curious?”
“……”
Seeing her bring it up first, it seems she was aware that her wish might seem very strange to me.
Alright.
Since she brought it up, I might as well ask and get a clear answer.
“Why did you want to come to an amusement park for your wish?”
The question I'd been holding in my heart ever since I heard her wish.
To this question, she answered.
“Because I wanted to remember the old days.”
…So she said.