In the corridor outside the observation car, Leonard led Claudia and Fleur by the hand toward the other carriages. Coming the other way were wizards in matching uniforms, rushing toward the observation car with their wands out alongside the train staff.
They were probably going to reinforce the carriage. The observation cars were expensive, and several ordinary carriages were attached behind them. If the observation car went down, the rest behind it would be finished too.
Leonard only watched. He had no intention of stepping in yet.
What a joke. He was a paying customer. Since when was a customer supposed to handle danger personally while in the middle of a paid trip?
Still, Leonard was quite interested in that creature. Once the staff killed it, he would consider collecting some material from it for study.
Or if the staff really could not handle it, it would not be too late for him to step in then.
Though, with that many staff members, dealing with one weird fish should not be a problem, right?
It should not...
Crack.
A crisp shattering sound rang out. Leonard glanced back, then raised a hand. A huge mouth appeared out of nowhere and swallowed Claudia and Fleur whole.
It was a miniature man-eating flower that had evolved many times over. Under the World Tree's stimulation, it had essentially become a miniature world, with both its internal space and environment greatly strengthened.
"Don't be scared. I'm moving you somewhere safe," Leonard whispered.
After securing Claudia and Fleur, Leonard remained standing at the junction between the two carriages and looked back.
The panoramic carriage was already collapsing at the structural level. Dense cracks spread across the entire carriage in an instant.
Even though the staff kept casting Repairing Charms and other reinforcement magic on the outer wall, they could no longer stop the carriage from being destroyed.
Seawater seeped in through the cracks, while the weird fish kept slamming into the outer wall, widening the damage.
"This is bad. Run!" a staff member shouted, urging the passengers who had stayed to help to flee.
"The carriage is about to break apart. Passengers, move to the front carriages immediately!"
"There's no time. Use the Portkeys and get out!"
Amid the cries of alarm, several staff members rushed past Leonard with some of the passengers. A few others who had failed to get away in time were grabbed by train staff holding emergency Portkeys and whisked out at once.
Then the carriage finally gave way. It burst apart and seawater came surging in.
The torrent rushed in from both sides. One passenger stumbled and was about to fall. Leonard caught him by the arm and flung him behind himself, then stepped back and tossed a seed into the gap between the carriages.
The seed went wild with growth. Tough vines instantly sealed the opening between the carriages shut. The raging seawater slammed against the vines, but they held fast, not even a single drop leaking through.
"Th-thank you..." the passenger gasped in French.
Leonard had never learned French, but he guessed from the tone that the man was thanking him, so he answered with a simple "You're welcome."
Another staff member took the passenger to the infirmary. At the same time, a bearded middle-aged man in a uniform slightly different from the other attendants came over.
"Hello, I'm the train conductor. Thank you very much for your help," the bearded conductor said gratefully, looking at Leonard with obvious enthusiasm.
So young, yet completely calm. He had handled a crisis they could not solve as though it were nothing. And anyone who could afford this train was clearly from a major wizarding family.
Definitely someone worth winning over.
"No need for thanks. Save that for later and give me something practical instead. I'm here on holiday, not to save the world," Leonard said flatly, glancing at him.
"Of course. We'll take responsibility for this incident," the conductor said, wiping the nervous sweat from his forehead. "Um... sir, is the danger under control now?"
What he really wanted to ask was how much longer that vine wall could hold, but saying it that way would have sounded far too shaky, so he could only phrase it indirectly.
"Under control? Not even close. As long as that weird fish is still alive, this crisis isn't over," Leonard said.
Before the words had fully fallen, the vines began to tremble. A bulge pushed out from the wall, and the swollen section rapidly blackened, already showing signs of corrosion.
The conductor jumped. Staring at the rotting vines, he asked hurriedly, "Sir, your vines are about to break."
"I can see that." Leonard rubbed his chin. "How long until the train surfaces?"
"It's already in the process of surfacing. About ten more seconds," the conductor said.
"Then wait a little longer. We'll surface after I catch that fish," Leonard said.
"Catch that weird fish?" The conductor started wondering if this kid had lost his mind. The thing was still in the water, so how exactly was he supposed to catch it? "No. We have to surface immediately, or we won't be able to avoid another attack from that monster."
A wizard's magic was badly weakened underwater. The conductor did not think Leonard could defeat that fish, let alone capture it.
Only then did he notice that although Leonard had an adult's height, his face still carried traces of youth. He was obviously still just a boy.
Leonard ignored the conductor's doubt. He looked at him, a faint silver light flashing in his eyes.
"Don't surface yet. Understood?" His voice carried an authority that could not be refused.
The conductor froze. It took him a moment to stammer out, "...Yes."
That feeling... somehow made him seem really reliable. Maybe he really did have a way to catch that fish?
Then he watched Leonard casually wave his hand, and the decaying part of the vine wall quietly parted.
The conductor went numb.
This damned kid was totally unreliable. If you opened it now, wouldn't the seawater just come pouring in?
Couldn't you leave the repairs to me if you couldn't handle it?
Damn it, how had he just convinced himself this boy was dependable?
The conductor was having an internal breakdown, but to his shock, when the vines parted, the seawater did not surge in. Instead, it was blocked by a transparent barrier.
It was a very interesting spell. The Bubble-Head Charm. Normally it formed a bubble around a person's head, letting them breathe underwater.
Leonard had altered its shape, using it to form a double-layered square bubble in the opening between the parted vines, successfully blocking the seawater from pouring in.
That made it possible to see the scene beyond the vine wall.
Through the transparent barrier, they could see the weird fish glaring at the vine wall.
The transparency worked both ways. Leonard and the conductor could see outside, and the fish could see them.
The creature seemed to hold an intense hatred for humans. The moment it spotted the two of them, it churned the seawater and lunged straight for the opening without any hesitation.
The water shook violently as the weird fish shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.