Roller coasters are the most popular rides at any amusement park.
Thus, the line to ride it was astonishingly long.
Dayton looked at the long line and asked,
“Are you sure? It seems like it will take quite a while to wait for that.”
“I’m fine, waiting isn’t that hard.”
Luke nodded as if to say “don’t worry.”
For Luke, who had memories spanning over a hundred years, waiting an hour or two was not a long time, and since he had waited for someone, or something, many times, he wasn’t particularly impatient.
Rather, it was Pyris, the one who brought it up, who seemed to be the one worried.
“Pyris, are you okay with this?”
“Yeah! I can wait just fine.”
“Well, I suppose. That makes sense.”
Luke had no choice but to nod at Pyris’s words.
Although she often showed impatience, Pyris was also an ancient spirit who had most likely lived for a very long time.
Waiting was certainly not a difficult task for her as well.
The only issue might be that her sense of time was somewhat distorted, causing her to lose patience when it came to things she could do right away.
However, things were different when it came to something that had to be waited for to obtain.
For example, it might be hard for her to refrain from snacks before meals, but she could wait for the delicious food to be prepared.
This time, he turned to Diana and asked,
“Diana, are you okay?”
“I can wait too!”
“That’s a brave answer.”
If Diana could wait, then the answer was settled.
Luke looked at Dayton and said,
“Looks like everyone is okay. Should be fine, right?”
“Hmm, everyone has a good level of patience.”
Luke nodded at Yerna’s words as if it was obvious.
“Well, I’ve gotten used to waiting. And it doesn’t look like it will take a very long time. Right, Pyris?”
“Yeah!”
Seeing that, Yerna smiled a bit bitterly.
After all, both Luke and Pyris had experienced hardships that made them accustomed to waiting…
Thus, this moment was even more valuable.
“Then, Dayton. Should we go stand in line?”
Dayton then replied with a somewhat awkward smile,
“No, are we really going to ride the roller coaster right from the start? Guys, wouldn’t it be better to wait a bit until the crowd thins out?”
“Hmm, I don’t think there will be a meaningful difference in the number of people waiting just because time passes.”
Looking at the crowd that was still slowly gathering, Luke said this.
Even if they waited for a less crowded time, the line would just shift forward, and waiting time wouldn’t change much.
“Ah, no. But… starting from the beginning feels a bit…”
It sounded somewhat like an excuse.
It seemed he was a little scared.
Scared of what?
It was just a ride that would move along the tracks at a slightly faster speed.
There didn’t seem to be any part where fear could be felt.
Safety seemed sufficiently guaranteed as well.
However, even Luke could read a bit of fear in his words, so how would it have sounded to a spirit who was accustomed to reading emotions?
Luke and Pyris spoke almost simultaneously.
“Are you scared?”
“Are you afraid?”
“……”
To be honest, he was a bit scared.
Wasn’t it a ride that would disturb a human’s sense of balance at high speed?
Humans usually live with their two feet firmly on the ground, how could they not be scared of that?
But, since ancient times, what drives men forward has been a simple phrase:
“Are you scared?”
It was a more effective phrase than long, sound logic.
Dayton couldn’t bear that phrase.
Furthermore, the fact that Yerna was watching only fueled Dayton’s emotions.
“Ha! Who’s scared of something like that! Come on, let’s go! Just you all wait until after riding, and you’ll be crying and whining about how scared you are!”
With that shout, Dayton began to move ahead.
Luke and Pyris looked at Dayton, suddenly raising his voice, but with fear still in that shout, and simply shrugged at each other with puzzled expressions as if to say, “What’s going on with him?”
——–
– The operation of the Magic Coaster has ended! Passengers, after it comes to a complete stop, please slowly raise the safety bar…
“Hum.”
The roller coaster, having made one round trip, gradually slowed down.
Luke sighed as he listened to the voice of the attendant coming from the voice output artifact.
The experience of finally riding the roller coaster after a long wait was fresh in its own way.
However, for Luke, it fell far short in terms of stimulation.
The sensations that shook his insides and disrupted his sense of balance through acceleration and centrifugal force were far inferior to the sensory disturbances he had felt countless times in the Demon Realm.
Moreover, the speed was absurdly slow compared to his past overlapping haests.
And from Luke’s perspective, who had experienced true life-and-death battles in the battlefield, there was no reason to get excited over something like this.
For Luke, riding a unicorn or sitting in the front seat of a roller coaster made little difference.
In fact, in terms of being able to see clearly where it was going, the roller coaster was an easier ride than a unicorn.
As he thought that and lifted the safety bar, Pyris met his gaze and responded with a bright smile.
“It was fun!”
“Really?”
“Yeah, everyone seemed to enjoy it! Except for Dayton.”
“Haha.”
Spirits also possess a completely different perception of space and time than humans.
Therefore, that rapid speed likely seemed trivial to Pyris.
However, the sensations felt due to having a physical body seemed quite fresh to her.
After all, how often does one get to experience their insides shifting and their body flipping?
But Dayton, with trembling legs, along with Diana, barely managed to get off the roller coaster, looking utterly drained.
“I thought I was going to die…”
“The roller coaster is scary…”
“Hahaha.”
Seeing that scene, Luke chuckled lightly.
Looking at them, they really resembled each other, didn’t they?
No matter what anyone said, that appearance was undoubtedly a brother-sister resemblance.
Come to think of it, didn’t Diana mention that this was her first time riding because she just hit the right height?
It was understandable that it would be scary for a first-timer.
But it was surprising that Dayton was scared.
As Luke walked out to the exit, he asked Yerna,
“Yerna, how was it for you? Were you okay?”
“Hmm, it was fine. It was fun.”
Yerna recalled her training at the unit before arriving at Luke Forest.
Although it wasn’t like a roller coaster, she had often practiced falling from high places with falling spells.
So she was somewhat accustomed to the queasy sensation, and having ridden roller coasters before, it wasn’t difficult for her to enjoy.
“I thought so, because from midway, I could hear your laughter.”
“Really? Ah, that’s just… While I was watching from behind, Dayton was so funny.”
“Oh, was that it… Hmm, I see. That was quite a funny sight.”
Luke nodded as he recalled the situation at that time.
——-
Luke was watching as Pyris and he occupied the front seats of the roller coaster, ready to depart.
At first, it seemed to be moving slowly, but soon it picked up speed, and he was reminded of the adventures he had in the old Demon Realm.
Moreover, the tracks rose quite high, making it possible to see the whole amusement park in one glance, which he thought was nice.
“The wind feels nice.”
“Yeah! Look, sister! Should we go there next?”
“Sure, it would be good to check it out.”
Pyris also had a surprisingly calm expression akin to Luke.
She looked happy, seemingly uplifted by the joyful screams of the people around.
As they peacefully observed the scenery, suddenly, from behind, screams filled with terror began to rise.
It was a course that gained speed on a downhill, spiraling and climbing up.
“AAAAH! UURRGHH-! AAAAH!!”
‘That voice… could it be Dayton?’
When he heard the familiar resonance, Luke turned slightly back.
Dayton was almost in a panic, screaming, while Diana looked white and simply bowed her head.
Dayton’s voice was quite loud even inside the roller coaster, as if he was trying to push his throat to scream several people’s worth.
In contrast, Diana was murmuring with regret like, “I shouldn’t have gotten on…”
Seeing that, Luke happened to lock eyes with Yerna and waved his hand, to which Yerna smiled and waved back.
It seemed Yerna found this ride quite comfortable too.
Did she have a lot of such experiences?
Well, as long as everyone was enjoying themselves, that was what mattered.
However, Dayton’s screams showed no sign of stopping.
‘It seems Dayton was indeed the most scared.’
Who exactly was he worried about?
Perhaps it was himself he was worrying about.
