The Freak Show Foreman

Her eyelids twitched, and her lips tightened.

It was a subtle change that an ordinary person wouldn’t notice.

But in reality, I was someone who could distinguish a 4K screen pixel by pixel.

Plus, Wonderstein’s body had all senses - sight, taste, hearing, smell, touch - heightened to the limits of human capability.

Detecting her expression changes was an easy task.

’How should I handle this?’

I was momentarily taken aback by her clumsy attempt.

But as I watched her create the illusion, I realized that she didn’t really know how to utilize her abilities.

It was an event two and a half years into the future, but she had developed her own unique illusion magic by then.

I knew that method.

But right now, she was struggling even to create a simple cube.

I could use the knowledge of that method as a bargaining chip to bring her into the circus troupe.

She was always someone who could calmly assess situations.

If she had to enter a place like the Monster Circus Troupe, I didn’t know if she would accept it.

I waited quietly.

To maximize the chances of success.

Until she calmed down a bit more.

As I was pondering when to intervene, a quest notification popped up.

Was it because the Devil’s attempt to invite a hero to the party irritated the system?

The intent of the quest was clear.

Sub-Quest: Magician

The hero must take Maya into ’Silver Veil Circus’.

Success Condition:

Induct Maya into the ’Silver Veil Circus’.

Rewards upon success:

[Memory Disk No.1 containing Wonderstein’s memories]

No penalties for failure.

The silvery ring of success rewards floated in the reward window.

Just like the ’Phantom Mask,’ it could be taken out once the quest was successfully completed.

A memory disk.

This was an item that frequently appeared in the original work.

As the game progressed, there was a need for devices that showed past records and background settings, and the memory disk played that role.

Many people liked how the settings seamlessly blended into the world’s lore.

However, some also viewed it as developer convenience.

It was supposed to be a precious magical item, but memory disks filled with all sorts of miscellaneous knowledge were lying around everywhere.

Among the residents of the Abyss, there was no hunter as cunning as a gnoll.

My favorite story in Christie’s work is not this one...

My dead wife came back to life. I was happy just because of that. But...

From information about the monsters in the game to minor background settings, and the tragic stories of extras who appear as corpses.

There were criticisms of who would put such information on a memory disk just to tell someone.

In the TTT community, the phrase ’a bourgeois world with an MD player in every house’ was used jokingly.

Of course, that was all within the limits of the game.

It wasn’t the case here.

The memory disk was a genuine magical item, quite rare, and not something anyone could use.

But this memory disk contained Wonderstein’s past...

I was curious.

I had delved deep into the Tril Trilo series.

From simple gameplay to hidden stories and settings, I covered it all.

Yet, Wonderstein remained an enigmatic presence.

Throughout the three-part series, a human character who turns out to be the final boss appeared, but very little was revealed about his life. I pondered over the quest window.

Still, it’s a prequel cantered around Wonderstein, so shouldn’t he learn more about him? The hero was welcome, but she wasn’t a significant character at this point in the story. There was no reason to deviate from the official history by sacrificing the reward.

Completion Condition: Induct Maya into the "Silver Veil Circus."

I help her join the Silver Veil Circus.

And I would receive my reward.

That should be enough.

The hero would follow the hero’s path, and the final boss would follow the final boss’s path.

I closed the quest window.

Maya was still glaring at me.

An apology would be the first step, I suppose.

I politely took off my hat and nodded to her.

"My name is Frank Wonderstein. I apologize for the abrupt intrusion. May I inquire about your name, mage?"

Maya was the coldest in temperament among the three heroes.

If she were a knight, she would either brush off insults with indifference or laugh it off as if it were ridiculous.

If she were a rogue, she would either retaliate right then and there or respond with a jest.

And mages would usually ignore it and put up a wall.

Breaking down her wall was my first task.

"My name is Maya," she replied, with a chilly tone.

"Nice to meet you, Maya."

"Why did you keep staring at me? If you want to watch, there are better places for that."

I could sense anger and embarrassment in her tone and expression.

Well, it must have been hard to present that bread-like illusion as an illusion.

I made a reassuring gesture with my hand.

"I just wanted to offer some advice."

"Are you an illusion magician?"

"No, I’m not. But I..."

"It’s fine. I don’t need it. You can watch if you want, but please don’t talk to me. You’re distracting."

Maya dismissed me like that and focused on her training again.

I smiled with an understanding look, spreading my hands as if to say, "I get it."

Not needed?

I didn’t know for sure.

In the original work, she joined the Silver Veil Circus.

That was the correct path.

There was no need for me to step in and do more.

Perhaps just silently watching was the right answer.

***

The next day, Maya saw the man standing in front of the table and came to a stop.

The man who had been constantly talking to her yesterday.

Was his name Frank Wonderstein?

He had been waiting for her since morning.

"Hello?"

He smiled broadly at her as if he were in a great mood.

A man without any self-esteem.

Even though he had been rejected by the young girl, why did he keep coming back?

Maya ignored him and went about her business.

She practiced the basics with cubes and created concrete shapes when people gathered.

She was truly a genius.

In just one day, her skills had improved significantly.

The cat now looked like a furry four-legged creature, the windmill’s wings were confirmed to be spinning, the carriage, while its wheels weren’t rolling, was at least moving, and the swing’s problem was that it couldn’t escape the influence of gravity, but it was clearly a swing.

"Well, that’s impressive. I hope you’ll consider my advice."

"...I told you not to talk to me."

Her voice was cold, but her mood didn’t seem as bad as yesterday.

There’s no one who dislikes compliments, especially when they’re about something you’ve worked hard on.

"What does that have to do with you if I improve my skills?"

Maya turned her head sharply and left the tent.

And Wonderstein was indeed waiting for her in the same spot the next day.

The smile on his lips was still there.

A strange man.

Maya gave up trying to understand him.

She just gave him a wary look and sat down to repeat what she had done yesterday.

And so it went on the next day.

And the day after that.

And the next day.

Wonderstein waited for her in front of her spot every morning and stayed with her until late afternoon.

Wonderstein admired her passion and talent.

Her magic was not from the game, but her skills improved rapidly.

It was a development that was hard to believe, given that she was the same person as just a few days ago.

Maya found herself gradually engaging in conversation with Wonderstein.

She realized that there was no mocking intention in his smile.

And more than anything, she was lonely.

She had come with the expectation that stepping out in front of people would make her skills skyrocket, whether it was due to pressure or something else.

But her expectations were shattered on the first day.

The world was ruthless.

There were no dramatic changes or improvements.

She just had to work harder and climb one step at a time.

In the first few days, her self-esteem eroded.

When had Maya, the top student of the academy, ever experienced such things as ridicule, contemptuous glances, and mockery?

The circus troupe’s leader, who did nothing but goof off, was the only solace for her.

Maya’s goal was indeed to join the Silver Veil Circus.

The reason was different from what he thought.

That place was where her father and mother had met and fallen in love.

She wanted to be selected with her skills held high.

And the next day.

Maya came out with a mask on her face.

Just in case the leader of the circus recognized her face and she didn’t want to be selected for that reason.

Inside the tent was filled with the heat emitted by the fantastic magicians.

Ninety-nine flames flew through the air, a flock of doves gathered, and an iron giant staggered.

Everyone was more focused on the news that the Silver Veil Circus was coming.

And as the entrance of the tent was lifted, one person entered.

A person in a white robe with a silver mask on his face, it was impossible to tell if he was a man or a woman, young or old.

Wonderstein knew who he was.

He was also a character from TT1.

He was the leader of the Silver Veil Circus.