The Freak Show Foreman

To prevent curious children from getting hurt, the entrance to the well was blocked with iron bars.

I took out Mantula’s knife from my back.

With a strong swing, the flimsy iron bars were easily cut through.

I placed the knife against the wall, using Mantula’s leg as support as I descended into the well.

On one side of the well’s bottom, there was a passage leading to an underground waterway.

I inserted the knife and, in an awkward position, crawled through the tunnel into the underground waterway.

Luz was a planned city built near a canal.

So, the sewage and water systems were well-engineered with the latest technology.

The underground waterway was wide enough to float a small boat, and the water flowed smoothly without any obstructions.

I walked along the edge of the waterway, heading towards the ghost’s hideout.

I had no worries about getting lost; I had been here in the game before.

Squeak, squeak.

Chick, who was sitting next to my neck, tickled my neck with her tail.

She was writing something with her tail.

Ella was giving her instructions through a "spirit link."

Long messages couldn’t be sent because they had to be read through touch.

"Arrived."

Already arrived, huh?

In the game, there were monsters living in the waterways, and you had to navigate through collapsed areas, but there was none of that here.

"Where?"

"We’ll arrive shortly."

I gently stroked Chick’s head with my finger and continued walking.

*Sub-Quest: The Ghost of the Cabaret

Objective: Defeat the Ghost Derek.

Success Reward: [Phantom’s Mask]

Failure Penalty: None.

***

The boat that was crossing the dark underground waterway came to a stop.

The ghost lowered the oars and placed them on the edge of the boat.

"We’ve arrived, miss. Were you scared? You kept your eyes closed tightly."

"Oh, um, just a bit."

The masked man extended his hand. Ella took his hand and carefully stepped off the boat.

A ghost that suddenly appeared in her bedroom in the middle of the night.

He introduced himself as the "Guardian Angel" living in this extreme place.

He said he wanted to catch the "monster" responsible for this incident, protect the circus, and free Ella, who was enslaved by the monster.

Ella, despite being a frightened girl, played her part perfectly.

And she pretended to believe his lies as she followed him.

In the middle of the underground waterway, there was an island carved out of stone.

A few dim lights illuminated the place, but it was still dark.

Ella held the ghost’s hand and carefully climbed onto the island.

The space on the island resembled an attic.

In the centre, an oiled torch was burning, and there were beds, bookshelves, musical instruments, and more placed in the corners.

"Is it really safe here?"

"Yes, of course. Even the monster you’re afraid of won’t be able to enter here without hesitation. I’ve set traps in various places along the passage."

Kind and considerate actions.

A voice that resonated like a song.

Although his face was covered by a mask, his words and actions were full of goodwill.

If Ella were an ordinary girl, she might have been charmed by his mysterious aura.

But Ella was now too mature to be captivated by such simple things.

A year ago, she might not have been as cautious, but now, she had developed a sense of wariness towards anyone who smiled without reason.

Thanks to, Wonderstein.

Ella felt a similar sense of disgust towards the man in front of her as she did towards Wonderstein.

Brazen and insincere evil.

If what Wonderstein had told her was true, this man was even more despicable.

A few hours ago.

When the play was interrupted, and the theatre staff gathered in the dressing room, Ella was lost in thought.

Was it really Wonderstein who dropped that light bulb?

Why on earth did it happen?

Was what she saw accurate?

Such doubts deepened when Maroine brought up the ’ghost’ story after returning from the hospital.

The ghost had started its activities a week ago.

It had been since the day they arrived in Luz.

So she decided to question him.

Did he commit this incident?

But he spewed out completely unrelated nonsense.

"Ella, you signed a contract. To be my ’slave’ for life."

Those words triggered something in her mind.

Code word.

Once you stepped onto the stage, even fellow acrobats couldn’t tell if your actions were real or act. Especially since spontaneous dialogue or acting based on the mood of the moment was common, such confusion was even more pronounced.

The problem arose when there was an accident.

It was difficult to tell whether the person was really injured, accidentally caught fire, or was actually being dragged away by a lion, and even colleagues had trouble distinguishing.

So, the code word was essential.

The code word had to be agreed upon among the members for it to work.

What had Wonderstein and Ella promised?

He had promised to set them free if they cooperated for the next two and a half years.

But he suddenly said that she had signed a contract to be a ’slave for life.’

She had thought about that too.

All of this could be a devil’s trick.

Maybe the other party wouldn’t remember about it two and a half years from now? That could be an argument.

But just one week after making this promise, he brought up such a thing at an irrelevant time, which was strange.

His subsequent remarks were even more baffling.

"After all, Ella, you don’t really have any ’work’ in the circus."

She doesn’t have any work?

Just an hour or two ago, both she and he had acknowledged that she had too much work?

So Ella was convinced.

This was some kind of signal.

A signal only understood by those who knew the circumstances.

But why did he suddenly use this communication method?

Ella pondered for a moment, then remembered the words he had just uttered.

"The culprit seems to be someone originally from the troupe."

That’s right.

Even now, the chief technician was examining fingerprints and searching for someone similar.

The culprit was someone inside the troupe.

Though the fingerprint seemed to be left by Wonderstein, it could be a deception...

Regardless, it was clear that he was using this secretive form of communication because the culprit was nearby.

After some small talk, he got to the point.

"I will take one of the animals Ella is raising."

Ella understood his intentions immediately.

Her Inspira.

Spirit Link.

She could share the vision and hearing of the animal she raised.

His implication was that they would talk about the details through that ability.

Wonderstein accepted the pet Ella had brought and left the theatre.

Ella told the troupe members that she would go to her room to rest for a while.

Since they had just witnessed someone dying in front of their eyes, they all agreed.

Anyway, the night-time stage rehearsal was coming up, and she didn’t need to stay there.

When she activated the Spirit Link, Wonderstein had already prepared an inkwell in front of him.

Ella ordered the pet to dip the finger in ink and write on the palm.

It was much more skillful than before, as she had done it once.

Wonderstein explained the existence of the ’ghost’ who committed the crime in detail.

Since they didn’t know where he might be hiding on the floor or wall, he had no choice but to use the code word.

But there was one thing Ella didn’t understand.

Why did he unnecessarily provoke hostility along the way?

Especially when he said he would take her pet and transform her into a monster, it made her genuinely tearful.

Wonderstein answered with a smile.

"I thought Ella might be in danger."

"What?"

"He uses a power of material permeation. It’s not easy to catch him. I wouldn’t be able to do it without thorough preparation. If he were to take a combat approach against someone nearby, I wouldn’t be able to stop him either. So, I had to show it to the people there. That Ella and I have the worst relationship."

"Ah."

"That way, he wouldn’t dare lay a hand on Ella, right?"

"So, you did it for my sake?"

"For my sake. Without Ella, who will handle the circus work?"

"Well, then, I could have left with you."

"Then he would have chased us to the hotel. He’s the kind of person who won’t be at ease unless he observes people closely. So, there had to be someone there."

"Poor Shaila..."

"I have a way to catch that guy."

Wonderstein described the ghost’s personality, appearance, and his actions in detail.

Even listening to it gave her chills.

"He approaches a vulnerable girl and constantly bestows ’favour’ to create ’psychological debt,’ and later demands ’love’ in return."

"A ’psychological debt,’ huh? You shamelessly say that."

"Oh, did I? I misspoke."

"No, it’s not that. But I have one advantage over Shaila.’"

"What’s that?"

"In two and a half years, I will leave on my own."

"...That’s right."

"Then, if anything happens, I’ll contact you. Oh, and the sunflower seeds for Chick are on my desk in my room. Don’t give too many at once! Give them one by one."

"All right."

The Ghost offered to help Ella with the rehearsal for the play that would take place tomorrow.

Wonderstein had not arrived yet.

Ella accepted his offer without hesitation.

Ella didn’t have high expectations for Ghost’s acting abilities.

But as she watched him perform, she couldn’t help but be amazed.

Even though his face was concealed by a mask, his movements, his vocalization, everything was on par with the professionals.

Today, the Ghost’s skill surpassed even the deceased actor in the eyes of Ella.

She finally understood why that child Shaila had fallen for this man.

With such talent, it must have been hard to resist doing anything for him.

But Ella knew better.

Skill didn’t guarantee character, as Wonderstein was a prime example.

No matter what talents he possessed, he was a madman who would manipulate and demand love from a child and wouldn’t hesitate to resort to kidnapping and murder if crossed.

The play had now reached the middle of Act II.

Ghost, looking at Ella, shouted the part that had been interrupted twice today.

"Can you prove it? Can you prove your love?"

Ghost approached her.

Confidence in his eyes and unwavering steps.

A perfect nobleman.

But it didn’t matter.

Ella was not the maid who loved the nobleman.

As he came closer and grabbed her wrist, a dagger pierced Ghost’s wrist.

"Ahh!"

Ghost screamed and hastily retreated.

It was an attack.

’Someone is attacking me.

I needs to escape.’

He tried to transform into his intangible state quickly.

But his power didn’t work.

His arm felt heavy.

Blood stained the floor.

The dagger was deeply embedded in his forearm.

’Why?

I’m supposed to be invincible.

Nothing should be able to...’

"You cannot transform into the intangible state while in contact with other living beings," Ella said, taking out another dagger from her robe and pointing it at him. "And if a certain amount of mass is embedded in your body, you cannot transform either."

Everything she was saying had been taught to her by Wonderstein.

"It’s best not to do anything unnecessary. If I decide to throw this dagger, I can easily pierce through your body like a piece of wood."

Ghost looked at her in betrayal.

’Damned woman.’

He was deceived again.

Just like that woman who promised love and then ran away.

Just like that woman who embraced another man while promising to live only for him.

"Why, why! Weren’t you trying to escape from that monster too?"

"Yeah, that’s right," Ella said, raising the dagger and glaring at him. "But no matter how hard I try, I can’t hold hands with you. The devil didn’t seem interested in the likes of you from the beginning. Oh, and there’s one thing that man is better at than you."

"W-What...?"

"He talks," Ella said. "He helped me find my precious belongings and even made a deal. He saved my life and put a contract on it. And he did something similar today too. Because he needed to. That’s something I truly appreciate."

Doubt filled Ghost’s eyes.

Why would she appreciate that?

It would be better if he whispered more affectionately, more lovingly...

"Thanks to that, I can hate that man as much as I want."

"W-Why...?"

"Derek. How have you treated the ’girls’ who have passed through your hands?"

At the mention of ’girls,’ Ghost shuddered.

How does she know...?

"When the teacher acts for the sake of the student’s favour, problems arise."

Ella quoted something she had said to Wonderstein yesterday.

It had two meanings.

First, strict discipline was necessary for teaching.

Second...

"Affection generated in relationships with clear hierarchies can be oppressive."

Ella recited each word to Derek.

Yes, Wonderstein never demanded respect or love from them.

Even if they scolded him or cursed at him, he remained impassive.

If he felt he was needed, he stepped in to help.

That was it.

Ella was grateful to him for giving her the freedom to hate him.

’But when is this person coming?’

The person who said he would arrive soon still hadn’t shown up.

And to make matters worse, Derek was acting strangely.

He was looking at her and chuckling.

"What’s wrong?"

"Hehe, it’s me. I have the magic noose, you see."

"What? Uh, uhuh!"

With a swift sound, something caught Ella’s throat.

It was a rope.

A rope had flown through the air and wrapped around her neck.

"Uh, ugh!"

Ella desperately struggled to grab and loosen the rope, but it wouldn’t budge.

It seemed like some kind of magical force was at play.

While it wasn’t about to strangle her or anything, her breathing was gradually being restricted.

Derek stood up from his seat and approached her, suspended in the air.

Without being pierced by a dagger, he swung his intact arm toward Ella’s abdomen.

Thwack.

"Ugh!"

"Have you finished talking, you wretch? So, what is it that you want to say, Giggity!"

Thwack.

"Ugh!"

"After accepting all my help, are you rejecting me like those harlots for that monster? Huh?"

Thwack.

"Ugh!"

"Haha, die! Die! I will throw your corpse in front of that monster...."

Then, a silver streak flashed.

The rope was abruptly cut.

Derek gasped and recoiled in fear.

A blade attached to the end of a long spider leg.

It was the one she had seen during the day.

It had cut the rope.

The other leg of the monster gently embraced Ella as she fell from the sky.

She gasped for breath, her life nearly extinguished.

"How...how did..from that place...my trap..?"

A dark-haired man appeared in the darkness.

He had clearly emerged from the "impassable path."

He approached step by step.

His bright smile gleamed in the torchlight.

"Oh, the traps were easily dismantled. Four pressure traps, two wire traps, three spike traps, and... a sewer ratman nest."

Wonderstein extended the two blades protruding from his back.

They were covered in thick, clotted blood.

"The sewer ratmen didn’t know any better. There were none of these when I came last time."

He stared directly at the ghost.

His mouth was smiling, but Derek could see it.

The spark in his eyes.

"I’ve come to reclaim my assistant."

And then, he continued, not by emotion, but with composed words.

"You, you piece of garbage."