The Freak Show Foreman

It had been a month since we started staying here.

The reddish-brown rooftops beyond the terrace, the red lantern lights illuminating the streets at night, and the distant sound of boat oars had all become familiar sights and sounds.

Now, this place felt like home.

No, it was more than that.

I experienced a feeling here that I had never felt even in my real home.

After finishing my shower and putting on a bathrobe, I stepped out onto the terrace, where the morning breeze felt refreshing.

Roaming the streets, feeling the atmosphere of the upcoming festival, was enjoyable.

Returning to the hotel and leaping onto the bed at the end of the day was a fantastic feeling.

When I lay on the bed, there were magazines stacked within arm’s reach for me to read.

I would pick up any magazine and read it, and when I got hungry, I would use Mantula’s blade to slice fruits from the fruit basket and eat them.

The fruit basket was always stocked with a variety of fresh fruits, readily available upon request from the hotel.

Inside the wardrobe, I placed the air freshener that Anais had gifted me recently. It had a lilac scent. After a few days, my clothes started carrying a similar fragrance.

Anais must have noticed it because she suddenly brought her face close to my clothes and sniffed them.

Soon, her face turned bright red as if realizing what she had done.

"Uh, you know, because the ringmaster suddenly came forward…"

"Me?"

"Well, then… Did I do that?"

Anais quickly changed the topic.

I was used to her way of speaking by now, so I just brushed it off.

I couldn’t help it because of the Smiling Man.

I hung the first trophy I obtained in the room on the hat stand by my bedside.

It was the Phantom’s Mask.

When Ella came to consult about the program and saw it, she expressed disgust, asking where I got it. I casually mentioned that I found something similar at the market.

"Why did you even buy that?"

"Well, hunters also hang the heads of the animals they catch."

"…You have a morbid taste."

She recoiled, as if the mere thought of it was horrifying, with her love for animals showing clearly.

On the table, I placed the teapot that Yurakne used daily, filled with the tea I always drank. She would come by once at lunchtime and once in the evening, and we would enjoy tea together.

Our main conversation topics overlapped with the content of the magazines she read and the ones I read. Yesterday, we talked about stars.

"The two twin siblings only meet for a day each year, separated by the Milky Way."

"It’s like the story of Altair and Vega."

"What’s that?"

"It’s a similar story from my hometown."

"Really? I’ve never heard ringmaster talk about his hometown. Where is it?"

"…It’s a very distant place."

"Don’t tell me…"

Her expression became very serious.

I also felt uneasy for no reason.

Did she know something?

"The Infinite Abyss…?"

I was taken aback.

Even she, who could be considered one of the closest among the members, seemed to doubt that Director Wonderstein being born a human. I thought the same, but…

On the dressing table, I placed a towel chicken that I made using a method I learned from YouTube a long time ago.

Ella saw it and got interested, so I taught her how to make it.

Before long, it spread to everyone, and soon you could see members gathering in the hotel lounge, diligently folding towel chickens.

It was my first time experiencing this since I was born.

The experience of walking through my living space with my own feet, tending to it with my own hands, and personally welcoming guests.

Looking back at the space I had created like this, I felt inexplicably proud.

During my time at the orphanage, having my own space was a luxury.

It was the same when I lived alone.

I had to ask others for help even to change the position of a tissue holder.

It wasn’t easy to sit still and ask for favours like "please do this" or "please do that."

I found myself making requests dozens of times a day.

Could you change my posture a bit?

Could you turn on the light?

Could you pour me some water?

Could you wipe my chin?

From that perspective, it wasn’t easy to request minor things that weren’t really necessary.

Whether it was a power cord sticking out behind the desk or an asymmetrical coat hanging with one side sagging.

Now I realize that making such minor changes in life can bring great satisfaction.

Circus performers seemed to have similar feelings about this lifestyle.

However, what really impressed them was not the spacious bathtub, gourmet food prepared by a top chef, or the 24-hour massage service.

It was the kindness of the staff.

From the first day they saw the circus members, the people here treated them as ordinary guests without any hesitation.

Even when they saw Womon, the top circus member who looked scary, they greeted him with a welcoming smile without any change in their expressions. (Ella felt a little hurt by this.)

Were they truly like hotel staff?

The neighborhoods we had passed through so far were not like that.

It was difficult to even enter the town, let alone the accommodation.

Even when they were allowed to enter, the circus members had to stay inside the carriage or behind bars.

The security officer’s instruction not to reveal their appearance was meaningless, and the townspeople gathered to watch us.

It was common for them to lift the cloth covering the bars or stick to the carriage window to peek inside.

Even when we deliberately performed as monsters, they still looked at us with a gaze as if we were trapped beasts.

I could understand their feelings.

Even in the other world, when I occasionally went out, I received similar looks.

Oh, how can you live like that?

You were in the news, that incident. They said he received billions.

Why bother being so rich if you look like that? Health is the most important.

He received money as compensation for giving up his health?

People who talk like that annoyed me.

The circus members must have felt the same way.

Even though they were used to such treatment, I wondered if they could still smile when they saw the chaos in the garden.

The land within a few meters radius of the explosion had been overturned.

The burnt ground emitted a smoky smell.

Earth, grass, and flowers were all mixed up in a disorderly manner.

The circus members were scattered around the area that had become a mess.

They had all fallen back due to the shock of the explosion.

The muddy dust that had risen up settled down.

I looked around to check the condition of the circus members.

Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be anyone seriously injured.

Unless Sven, whose skull had rolled away, was not treated as a serious injury.

Ella, who was closest to me, had been pulled back by Yurakne using the "magic noose," and then Yurakne had pulled herself into my arms to protect herself.

My tissue resilience was 3.0, equivalent to "chainmail," so I could endure the pain from the rocks and debris hitting me, but it still hurt.

Could it be that I had to continue like this in the future?

Smile while getting hit?

No injury. Keep smiling.

I would look intimidating to the person hitting me, right?

I looked at the rope in Yurakne’s hand.

She was the one in our circus who was currently undergoing intensive training in tightrope acrobatics.

So, I had given her the "magic noose" that I had taken from the ghost.

It wasn’t something that would go in my pocket, and it seemed better for her to use it than me.

The "magic noose" could freely manipulate the rope once something was tied to it, just like dragging and dropping with a mouse.

It was also possible to move the rope from the side that was holding it.

Of course, it required a lot of practice.

The object tied to the noose had to have a solid support, and it required an understanding of XYZ-axis inversion, as it was a structure where the person holding the rope moved in response to the movement of the tied object.

Although Yurakne still found it difficult to move the rope, she had become quite proficient in pulling out objects tied to the noose.

Just now, when flames were about to erupt, Yurakne threw the noose and caught Ella’s ankle, pulling her out of the explosion. If Yurakne hadn’t reacted quickly, I would have had to give Ella the ghost’s mask hanging in the bedroom.

"Eek."

Ella stood up from the bushes.

I removed the dusk from my coat, there seemed to be no injuries.

*Unit Quest – Handle with Care!

: Ella wants to conduct an experiment with gunpowder. / The members think the vice-ringmaster’s experiment looks dangerous.

Conditions for success:

: Complete Ella’s experiment. / None of the members get burned.

Reward for success:

: [Debulroots x5］/[Debulroots x10］

Penalty for failure:

: None.

[Completed ’Unit Quest – Handle with Care!’]

The first quest created from a ’conflict’ of opinions among the members.

Fortunately, both conditions were met and it was completed.

What on earth happened?

Illusion magician, Maya Rendelin.

When she came to the circus troupe, Ella struggled to contain her excitement.

She was also aware of the commotion that had occurred in the square, the field of wildflowers.

Having a magician with that level of skill join the circus troupe was a great gain.

And Ella, who had been running around making props, costumes, backgrounds, and the like for the past two weeks, was even more delighted by her arrival.

However, the delight didn’t last long.

Maya and Ella.

Their compatibility was terrible.

In terms of emotional expression, in human relationships, in their attitude towards work, they were polar opposites in every way.

Ella was open about her joys and anger, while Maya hardly ever changed her expression no matter how harsh the words were.

Ella made an effort to get along with everyone, but Maya behaved as if there were no other people around her.

When Ella emphasized passion and spontaneity during practice, Maya prioritized logic and design.

It had only been three days since they met, but they clashed in every way.

Most of the members didn’t bother to interfere when the two of them fought.

After all, both of them were just teenagers.

It was a fight between peers.

The incident that happened today also began with their argument.