City ​​of Witches 458

Chapter 458 – #96_Travel(7)

#457

1.
One more time, Siwoo.
I want to ride one more time, Siwoo.
I think I understand something, Siwoo.
One last time, Siwoo….

A carousel probably isn’t that fun of a ride.
It’s a romantic event for couples, a source of childlike wonder for kids, and a safe attraction for parents to ride with their children.
But Amelia seemed to really like this carousel.

Every time the ride ended, she would scurry back to the end of the line with Siwoo.
Amelia had ridden the carousel five times in a row.

At first, she was timid, hunching her back like a shrimp, but by the last ride, she was sitting up straight like she was riding a horse, showing off her elegant grace as she completed the course.
Then, she dusted off her dress and stood next to Siwoo as if nothing had happened, quite composed.

“It’s nothing special.”

Her tone was nonchalant, as if she was brushing it off.
If it weren’t for her flushed cheeks and the light still in her eyes, I would have been completely fooled… or not.
It was so strange how much she liked it.

“I think I understand why people in the modern world enjoy thrills.”
“It’s been a popular ride for a long time.”
“I think I can overcome other things too.”

Amelia declared confidently, clenching her fist.
I didn’t think there was any need to overcome rides, but she was cute, so let’s let it slide.

“Alright. Shall we go somewhere else then? I’ll escort you.”

Amelia stared at the hand Siwoo offered for a moment before smiling softly.
Like a lady accepting a gentleman’s invitation to dance, Amelia gently placed her hand on his.

“Please do.”

The two of them began to stroll through the amusement park, holding hands affectionately.
And so began Amelia and Siwoo’s chaotic conquest of the rides.
And Amelia would soon realize that the carousel was just the very basics.

A little while later.

“A-are you alright?”
“……”

Amelia, who had set out to conquer all the rides with gusto, was sitting on a bench, pale and dazed.

That was because the second attraction she had chosen was the roller coaster that had been zooming around the indoor space.
Siwoo, sensing something was off, had tried to dissuade her several times, but Amelia had insisted on waiting in line and had to pay the price for her recklessness.

The fact that it wasn’t installed in an open space but rather weaved through a narrow indoor space was what made this roller coaster so popular, but…
It was having a terrible effect on Amelia’s heart.

When Amelia, who had boarded without a moment’s hesitation, finally touched the ground again, she looked so exhausted that everything around her seemed to be in grayscale.
Siwoo, who had gotten a carbonated water from a nearby vending machine, opened it and handed it to her, which she barely managed to drink.

Was it that scary?
Honestly, Siwoo had expected it.

Perhaps it was because of his experience traversing battlefields or because of his abilities that far surpassed human limits, but he had only felt like he was riding a bicycle.
Amelia was a witch and had combat experience, so he thought she would be fine, which is why he had stopped trying to dissuade her.

“Are you feeling very unwell?”

As soon as Siwoo approached, Amelia grabbed his arm and sleeve as if it were a reflex.
She looked like a puppy burrowing into its mother’s arms on a stormy day.

“I-I didn’t know… it would turn there…. Isn’t it not supposed to turn? It’s a piece of metal, isn’t it? It’s dangerous, isn’t it?”

Ah, that part.
Siwoo realized.

The highlight of the roller coaster, the 360-degree loop.
However, this ride had an extra touch, taking advantage of its indoor location.
There was a bridge and passage that went through the center of the 360-degree loop.
Siwoo had also been a little startled at that part, so he understood why Amelia was so horrified.

“Shall we go back now?”

Anyway, the roller coaster vs. Amelia match ended in Amelia’s crushing defeat, and he wondered if it made sense to keep dragging her around in that state.
She looked exhausted, and Amelia wasn’t the type to have an endless supply of energy like twins, to begin with.

Amelia jumped up and shook her head.

“I can still do it.”
“You’re going to ride again?”
“No!”

A vehement denial.
Fortunately, it didn’t seem like she had the Don Quixote-like desire to keep challenging the roller coaster.
Amelia, who had approached hesitantly, took Siwoo’s hand.

“I want to walk around more….”

After saying that, Amelia added, very quietly, almost inaudibly, ‘with Siwoo.’

2.
Having had a taste of the heat, Amelia didn’t even glance at the attractions and wandered around the amusement park.

“It’s like cotton.”
“That’s why it’s called cotton candy.”
“Hmm…. It tastes like sugar.”
“It’s made with only sugar.”
“It’s amazing…. My hands are sticky.”
“That’s the downside.”

He showed her the (from Amelia’s perspective) revolutionary dessert called cotton candy.
Normally, she wouldn’t even look at it, it wasn’t particularly delicious, and as Amelia said, her hands became sticky.
But strangely, there was a reason why couples carried it around at amusement parks and zoos.

Siwoo had bought it as if he were bewitched.
Was this cultural brainwashing?

“This is….”
“It’s a sticker photo booth. You can take pictures and edit and decorate them on the spot.”
“Siwoo’s eyes got bigger.”
“Hmm…. The editing is a bit excessive.”

They went into a sticker photo booth and took a couple shot together.
Actually, it was the first time he had ever taken one, but the editing was so intense that Amelia’s already large eyes looked almost like a doll’s.

“Isn’t this something that kids do?”
“Look, everyone’s doing it.”
“Still….”
“Come on, don’t be like that. It’ll suit you, so try it on.”
“Just for today….”

They also bought cheap plastic headbands at the souvenir shops.
For the record, Siwoo got one with a bear doll on top, and Amelia got one with two hearts sticking out like ears.
At first, Amelia was shy and declined, but she couldn’t resist Siwoo’s urging and awkwardly put on the headband.

I think it was a slightly regrettable choice of order.
We should have bought this first and then taken the sticker photos.
It suited Amelia so well, even though she would never wear something like this normally.

As they wandered around aimlessly, the closing time was approaching.
Siwoo pointed to a ride that was wrapped in lights and moving around the ceiling.

“Amelia, how about that one?”

Amelia, who was enjoying the moment, looking around with a headband on her head and holding Siwoo’s hand tightly, suddenly stiffened.

“I think I want to stop… exploring the thrills of modern people now.”

It seemed that the roller coaster had given her quite a big trauma regarding rides.
Knowing that, the attraction that Siwoo was trying to ride with Amelia was not the kind that was about speed and thrills.

“It’s alright. It’s not scary.”
“…Really?”

Amelia asked, squeezing the hand she was already holding even tighter.
She looked like a child trusting their parents.
In fact, Amelia’s tender heart was not much different from that of a young girl.

“Of course.”
“Then I’ll ride it.”
“You can look forward to it.”

The last course they decided on was the hot air balloon that floated on the dome ceiling.
It was called a hot air balloon, but it was actually a cable car, with steel wires connecting the ceiling track and the hot air balloon model.
Would it be easier to understand if I called it a horizontal Ferris wheel?

It was the best ride to leisurely look down at the entire indoor space of this vast amusement park.
Siwoo and Amelia, who were the only ones riding because there was no one waiting.

With a slight clunk, the crane pulled the hot air balloon.
Siwoo naturally wrapped his arm around her shoulder as she flinched at the vibration and shaking of the ride.

“Ah….”

When the hot air balloon was suspended high in the air, away from the ground.
Amelia, who had been confident that she wouldn’t be surprised by anything anymore, let out a soft gasp of admiration.

Siwoo was also surprised.
He had only thought that the amusement park would look pretty from above, just like how the night view looks prettier from a high place.
He had never imagined it would be this spectacular.

The amusement park, where the sun had completely set, lit up its lights as if changing seasons, showing off its splendor.
The dreamy neon signs lit up along the roller coaster tracks.
The carousel that Amelia had enjoyed the most sparkled like a music box made of jewels, and the small lights on the Christmas tree that had not yet been taken down shone in various colors.

The ice rink visible through the open central space and the people inside seemed to be having fun.

The theme of this amusement park was a fantasy world.

For Amelia, who was an actual resident of the fantasy world Gehenna, this theming would not be perfect.
The cliffs that decorated the opposite wall were just styrofoam sprayed with paint, and the castles and houses with pointed roofs looked awkward if you looked at them closely.

However, Amelia didn’t even blink, and she looked down as if she was trying to engrave all the scenery in her mind, holding her breath.

The light reflected off her profile, which was sparkling as if she was dreaming.
She gripped Siwoo’s hand tighter and tighter, as if saying that she would remember this moment until the day she died.
Without saying a word for a long time.