The Sword of the Hero

Queen Lan had granted me special permission to call her ‘Xiao Lan’ today.

However, I suspected the primary reason was the large ice cream I’d bought her, not to mention the smaller one I’d already taken a lick from.

Joking aside, her words had indeed carried the distinct flavor of a shoujo romance manga.

Unfortunately, the “art style” of my immediate surroundings was utterly incompatible with romance; only perverts and gluttons could truly thrive here, and Queen Lan’s current demeanor was undeniably that of the latter.

‘Wait, what did that make my image?’

Queen Lan soon hurried back from the restroom.

Her pretty face was flushed crimson, still adorned with a few lingering water droplets, suggesting she had thoroughly splashed her entire face.

“Li Qingchen! I just spotted a truly fascinating ride! Let’s go experience it together!”

She declared this with an irrepressible enthusiasm the moment she returned.

“Hold on, this isn’t the time for games. I still have questions I need to ask you.”

I replied.

“It’s not urgent, is it? Since we’re already here, why wouldn’t we go play? I’ve never tried that one!”

Queen Lan retorted with a hint of dissatisfaction.

‘Good heavens, Your Majesty, how old are you to still be interested in such diversions? As a young lady, you must surely be eyeing attractions like the Little Yellow Duck Park or the Crystal Kingdom. Truly, girls these days are so delightfully childish!’

“Alright, alright, I’ll accompany you, fine?”

There was no other option; I had to humor Queen Lan for now. If she became unwilling to answer my questions, I’d be utterly doomed.

‘Still, once I saw the Little Yellow Duck Park, I would certainly have my fill of teasing her!’

Just a few minutes later, I found myself standing dumbfounded, rooted to the spot, my face utterly pale.

Above my head, colossal yellow-painted tracks crisscrossed, weaving an erratic path of ascents and descents.

The lowest sections hovered mere tens of meters from the ground, while the highest soared several hundred meters into the sky.

One elongated train, laden with over a dozen tourists, rattled along the tracks, plunging and soaring.

Each time it rounded a bend and plummeted with force, the passengers’ screams erupted in unison with the tracks’ ‘gululu-gululu’ roar, as if their very souls were being ripped from their bodies.

This was Rainbow Park’s most renowned attraction: the roller coaster known as “Sword of the Brave.”

At this very moment, Queen Lan was already gazing at the “Sword of the Brave,” both arms flung skyward, shouting in an unmistakable display of sheer exhilaration.

I stiffly turned my head, my hand trembling as I pointed at the sight before me—a roller coaster that threatened to rip one’s heart from their chest. “Your Majesty,” I asked, my voice laced with disbelief, “are you certain this is what you wish to ride?”

“Yes, absolutely! Let’s hurry and get in line for tickets!”

Queen Lan chirped, her words tumbling out.

“Oh, that’s right, Li Qingchen. Didn’t I tell you that you could call me ‘Xiao Lan’ today? If you don’t use it today, the opportunity will be gone after this!”

‘How could I possibly be in the mood to call you that? If I ride this with you, I might not even survive the day! What happened to the promised Little Yellow Duck Park? Your Majesty, I admit I was wrong; I won’t mock you for enjoying childish attractions anymore. Let’s just obediently head to the Little Yellow Duck Park, or even the Crystal Kingdom if you prefer!’

‘This monstrosity was called “Sword of the Brave,” and I presumed the name intended to imply riders would sit astride a brave warrior, piercing a demon’s heart. Yet, to me, “Sword of the Brave” sounded more like a rapidly flying blade piercing the riders’ hearts! This was clearly the designer’s twisted sense of humor! The designer was the true demon here!’

“Um… Your Majesty, could we perhaps skip this one? Look, you’re a young lady; isn’t it terribly dangerous for you to ride something like this?”

Cold sweat trickled down my back as I attempted to reason with Queen Lan.

“I’ll be fine,”

Queen Lan declared, puffing out her chest, then suddenly fixed me with a mischievous, knowing gaze.

“Li Qingchen, you’re not afraid, are you?”

I flinched, quickly retorting, “W-what nonsense! I wouldn’t be afraid of this even if the Class Monitor were!”

‘Wait, was that even an appropriate comparison to make?’

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s hurry and join the queue!”

With those words, Queen Lan seized my hand and began pulling me forcefully towards the ticket booth.

“No, wait—I can walk on my own!”

There was no recourse; I could only follow Queen Lan to the ticket booth and join the queue.

All the while, I prayed fervently for the line to be impossibly long, ideally never-ending.

Alas, whether it was due to the sparse weekday crowd or my own abysmal luck, the “Sword of the Brave” only completed two cycles before it was Queen Lan’s turn and mine.

‘Seriously, lines for food or shopping never move this quickly! Why did the queue for a roller coaster have to be an exception? And those few onlookers, if you’re so eager to ride, don’t just stand there gawking! The tickets aren’t even expensive; I’d even let you cut in front of us for free!’

“Li Qingchen, hurry up and get in!”

Queen Lan had already bounded into the “Sword of the Brave” carriage in a single fluid motion, waving enthusiastically at me.

‘Oh, hell. It seems I’ll have to brave this with my very otaku soul.’

I gritted my teeth, steeling myself, and climbed into the carriage.

The tourists behind me followed suit, one by one.

Once everyone was securely seated and their safety belts fastened, a heavy restraint bar descended, locking across our chests and binding us tightly to our seats.

A staff member emerged, meticulously checking each restraint bar for stability.

Casually, they reminded everyone, “Please relax your bodies throughout the ride, and absolutely refrain from vomiting…”

‘Excuse me, Mr. Staff Member, I already feel like throwing up right now. Can I please get off? What? No? Well, if I start puking and it splashes onto the tourists behind me, I won’t be held responsible!’

‘At least give me a bag!’

Alas, no matter how wild my fantasies, I was already strapped into the carriage, and there was no turning back.

With a soft ding~ of a bell, the staff member withdrew to their station, and the train slowly began to inch out of the entrance.

‘Now, neither the Little Yellow Duck Park nor the Crystal Kingdom could save me!’

The tracks groaned with a ‘gululu-gululu’ sound. Feeling the rush of wind against my face, I let out a loud scream.

“Li… Li Qingchen?”

Queen Lan suddenly looked my way and spoke.

‘Hmm, had this woman finally grown scared and was now seeking my help? It was fine, perfectly fine; we could still turn back and enjoy the Little Yellow Duck Park.’

I turned my head to face Queen Lan.

Queen Lan looked at me with an expression of mild embarrassment, then gently reminded me.

“Li Qingchen,” she whispered, “the train hasn’t even begun to accelerate yet.”

“Eh? Ah, um, it hasn’t?”