The Freak Show Foreman

Ella unfolded a page of the magazine.

There was a special feature on circus troupes that received three stars, featuring colorful photos. The quality of the paper was much fancier than our page, and the images of the performers seemed vivid, as if they had been retouched with paint through the artist's brush.

She summarized the contents of the article for us. The first was a place called the 'Golden Carnival.' It was the only planned circus troupe among those that received three stars. Unlike the casual image associated with planned circuses due to Satbyeol Circus, this place excelled in scale and support.

Managed by a professional executive with extensive experience in operating large theatres, they owned an airship for inter-city travel, and even had a specialized medical team for the health and safety of the members. The performers were renowned acrobats, standing out compared to other circus leaders.

I looked at the pictures in the magazine. A middle-aged man with oval glasses and a stylish mustache was standing tall. The man at the pinnacle of the current circus industry, the magician 'Lord Fantastic.'

He held an impressive four Inspiras, something that was considered nearly impossible for anyone else to achieve in a single lifetime.

The pinnacle… I felt an inexplicable sense of competition.

The second three-star circus was 'Lekachep 25.' It consisted of graduates from the prestigious 'Lekachep Circus School.' Only one person could join each year, and that person was the top graduate of the year. Therefore, Lekachep 25 consisted of acrobats from the 1st to the 25th graduating class.

"However, the student known as the 26th top graduate this year reportedly declined the offer and returned to his hometown…"

Ella's expression turned pale as she read the article. She was a graduate of a circus school from a small rural town. Being in a circus troupe composed entirely of top graduates from a prestigious school must have made her feel somewhat inferior.

The last of the three-star circuses was 'Wheel Circus.' It was the world's oldest circus troupe, comprised of 4,000 members from the gypsy people, making it the largest in the world.

As Ella explained, some of them had appeared as supporters or enemies in TT1. However, learning about the history of the circus troupe they belonged to was a first for us.

The Golden Carnival, organized around the industry's leader.

Lekachep 25, an elite group of graduates from a prestigious school.

Wheel Circus, the largest and oldest circus with gypsy members.

None of them seemed easy to deal with.

If we had faced them in a Cabaret Showdown, could we have won against them? Even against Satbyeol, we had a close match. Winning against them would have been nearly impossible.

I looked at Ella and forced a wry smile.

Three months ago, she confidently claimed that if she could fully digest the script I wrote, victory was possible.

"Can we win against those three?"

After reading the article and standing still in a daze, she glanced at me, corrected her expression seriously, and nodded.

"…Of course."

She frowned for a moment in response to my question, then looked into the distance as if searching for memories.

"A few years ago, I saw a performance of Lekachep 25. Of course, back then, it was called Lekachep 22."

"I see,"

"If I were to rate it based on that time… well, around 88%?"

88%.

It was the highest score she had ever given.

"Considering 22 members scored 88%, that's about 4% per member. Now with 25 members, it would be 100%, right?"

In response to my words, Ella mumbled in a voice barely audible.

"Nonsense… where did you get that calculation?"

"Haha, well, with three more members, it must have progressed more than back then, right?"

"Well, maybe. Perhaps it's even over 90% now… If the 26th member joined, it might have actually reached 100%…"

"What?"

Surprised, Ella tilted her head with a puzzled expression.

"Oh, no. It's nothing… Anyway, the preliminary rounds end on May 31st, two years from now. We have to work harder."

I nodded in response to her words.

Although the endpoint of the main quest seemed near, there was still a long way to go.

After finishing our lunch, we got back on the carriage.

The mountainous path stretched ahead, and the sun was setting faster than usual.

If we didn't want to spend the night in the forest, we had to hurry along the road.

"Ringmaster!"

Just as the carriage was about to depart, Yurakne ran towards me, holding a familiar thermos in her arms.

The moment I saw it, I almost sighed.

That thermos was an item I had used frequently in the past three months.

And it was also an item I didn't want to see again.

"I took the time to brew some tea earlier."

She extended the thermos with a wide smile.

I couldn't refuse.

"Why don't you take a break…"

I said with genuine sympathy.

She looked at me with a knowing expression.

"You didn't look for the carriage after we started the journey. Hehe, I know you did it for my sake."

'No, not really… I just really didn't want to drink it again…'

The reason I no longer drank the tea was because I had completed the 'Yurakne's Sincerity' quest, which rewarded me with a favorability of 15.

*Sub Quest – Yurakne's Sincerity

: Yurakne becomes more earnest as you drink tea, gradually expressing deeper sincerity.

Conditions for completion

: Drink 1000 cups of tea brewed by Yurakne (with intervals of at least 1 hour).

Reward upon success

: [Yurakne's Sincerity] increases by 0.1% per cup.

No penalty for failure

This was the quest that was added after reaching her favorability of 15.

Thanks to diligently drinking tea for three months, I was able to fulfill the 1000 cups requirement. As a result, I could raise the 'Yurakne's Sincerity' trait to its maximum level.

Trait: Yurakne's Sincerity

Applicable to: Tea brewed by Yurakne

Effect: When you drink the tea, the three basic attributes of Wonderstein increase by 100% for one hour.

Requirements: Yurakne's favorability of 15

A doubling of the three basic attributes for an hour.

At first, I thought it was a great trait.

However, when I actually got into the preparations for the performance, the increased combat power was of no use.

What's the point of becoming stronger and tougher?

My goal was to participate in the Circus Grand Prix, not world domination.

Driven by the gamer's instinct to clear quests in front of me, I endured the agony of drinking tea, even though it was unbearable.

Looking at the completed quest window, I felt proud that I no longer needed to drink tea.

However, it seemed that Yurakne thought I was refraining from drinking tea, so she secretly prepared tea for me.

Unable to refuse her offer, I accepted the thermos she handed me, thinking about the 1000 cups of tea she had brewed for me. Smiling brightly, she assured me that she wouldn't bother me with tea during our travels anymore.

With her cheerful voice still in my ears, I watched Yurakne walk away. I carefully placed the tea-filled bottle into my cloak pocket.

We rode along a winding hillside road with the sea on the right and mountains on the left.

***

When Maya opened her eyes, the sun had already completely disappeared beyond the mountains. The inside of the carriage was pitch dark, with only faint outlines of people discernible.

She heard the rhythmic breathing from across the seat—six stretched-out arms. It was Yurakne. Maya, feeling a queasy sensation in her chest, stood up.

Using her brief memory, she could vividly recreate a perfect three-dimensional space in her mind. Closing her eyes, however, didn't help with motion sickness.

The swaying had stopped, but the queasiness remained. She opened the carriage door and stepped outside. It was dim, and the light from the carriage lantern barely illuminated the path.

Carefully avoiding the snoring horses, Maya walked towards the front. Wonderstein stood there, having just received torches and bundles from Sven and Benedict.

"Ah, Maya, are you awake?" Wonderstein smiled at her.

Maya returned a faint smile. To others, she might have looked less awake, her chubby face seemingly still drowsy, but…

While gazing at Wonderstein, she asked, "Where are you going?"

"To the village. I want to ask if we can use the clearing inside the village as a campsite."

It wasn't easy for members of the Monster Circus to enter villages. Especially in smaller villages and rural areas, outsiders were often treated with suspicion. Nomads like them were never allowed to enter, for fear they might turn into marauders at any moment.

The probability of Monster Circus members entering a village was even lower. The world was connected to the Abyss, the habitat of demons, and nobody knew when and where the dimensional barriers might be torn open, allowing demons to emerge.

The places where strong spiritual traces of humans lingered were less likely to be invaded. And the weaker and less spiritual a place was, the higher the chances of encountering demons.

The Night Forest was such a place.

Of course, it was all relative. Even in places with a high probability, the actual risk of encountering demons was very low. Most of the encounters were with creatures like wildcats, driven away by the mere presence of the Abyss.

The main reason for seeking a place near a village to sleep was to avoid bugs and dew, rather than fear of demons.

Maya had been constantly suffering from motion sickness during their travels. She hadn't known that Wonderstein had been going through all this trouble every day to find a place to sleep.

Wonderstein had been going alone, probably because he wanted to avoid drawing attention. In Luz, she never got the impression that the members of the circus were shunned.

"Did you always go alone, Director?"

"Haha, Ella used to come with me, but today, for some reason, she didn't even take a nap and collapsed just now. So, I had to go alone. Actually, I didn't expect the sun to set so quickly. I underestimated the mountains."

As he finished speaking, Maya said, "I'll go with you."

Wonderstein looked at her and smiled gently.

"You can rest inside the carriage."

"No, I've slept enough. And… I don't like carriages."

"Well, I don't mind, it keeps me from getting bored."

Maya put on a thin coat and stepped out of the carriage. It was July, but being in the north and close to the mountains made the nights chilly. Together, Wonderstein and Maya walked towards the place where the light flickered, and smoke rose.