I Became the Leader of the Monster Circus Troupe

Wonderstein looked around the entrance of the theater before getting on the carriage.

People from the circus who had participated in the event were walking out of the 335 theater.

There was no one among them waiting for him.

As the last participating team came out, the theatre doors closed.

In the end, the person he was looking for did not come out.

It seemed that the Satbyeol Circus had left as soon as the event was over.

“Ringmaster?”

Yurakne stuck her head out of the carriage door.

She seemed curious about why he had suddenly stopped in the middle.

The members didn’t know that Ruelle was seriously ill or that he and Minova had made a promise.

Wonderstein smiled at her and nodded.

“No, let’s go.”

He took one last look around the parking lot and then got on the carriage.

On the way from the cabaret to the hotel.

Wonderstein, was silently looking out the window as if thinking about something.

The three people except him discussed the strategy for the exam.

They took turns reading the detailed rules of the exam provided in the guide that was given to them at the cabaret.

*All employees, including chefs and waiters, must be circus members (including hired employees).

*The cost of all products provided to customers will be based on the market price recorded in the Luz Trade Hall.

*Performance will be evaluated based on net profit, calculated by subtracting costs from sales.

The reason for introducing such rules was to prevent the exam from being swayed by the wealth of sponsors.

Otherwise, there would be room for sponsors to invite dozens of top chefs from somewhere, buy rare local products cheaply, or provide expensive drinks and food below cost to inflate sales.

Ella and the other two were most concerned about the employee clause among the rules.

Including the ringmaster, there were a total of 12 people.

If the stone-like Marisa and the Triamere triplets, who were inseparable, were excluded from the count, the active workforce was only nine.

Even if the hired ratmen were added, there were only 20 people in total.

Compared to other large circuses, they were overwhelmingly short of manpower.

The stage for the competition was the 2nd and 3rd halls of the Rose Windmill Cabaret.

The two places were symmetrically cantered around the stage, just like the step stones.

It wasn’t as big as the 1st hall, but it was clearly too crowded for 20 people to operate.

“We have to perform, but what should we do? There are people going up on stage. The number of waiters is decreasing.”

“Just take turns. After all, we planned our circus in an exhibition style. Let’s have one person go up on stage at a time. The rest will work, and when it’s their turn, they can go up on stage.”

“Ha ha, a solo stage. It’ll be tough for those shy ones, won’t it?”

At that moment, Wonderstein, who had been listening quietly, intervened in their conversation.

“How is the practice status of our members?”

Ella furrowed her brows at his words.

“You ask too quickly. Do you know it’s only been a month since the last time?”

“Oh, was it?”

“It shouldn’t be like this. You’re the ringmaster.”

“I trust Ella.”

He nonchalantly brushed it off, and Ella snorted.

In any case, he was all talk and no action.

Talking to him only made her tired.

“Did I mention last time? When you’ve crafted the script 100%, you should have at least 20% done before the competition starts. Thanks to everyone’s hard work for a month, we can say we’ve achieved about 23%.”

“23%… Can we pass the preliminary round with that?”

“I don’t know. This task doesn’t depend solely on our efforts, right? The fate is also influenced by how incompetent the opponent is.”

“Haha, true.”

Wonderstein laughed quietly while looking into the air.

Ella glanced at him suspiciously.

“Are you not having any strange thoughts?”

“What? What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing. Just…”

Ella vaguely replied.

There was no need to offer ideas from her side intentionally.

Because mentioning threats or accidents might make him actually carry them out.

So, what Wonderstein said next was enough to make her heart sink.

“Isn’t the hotel where the Satbyeol Circus stays nearby?”

Ella’s grip tightened.

The paper she was holding crumpled slightly.

A sense of unease hit her.

Unlike the tense Ella, Yurakne and Sven nodded vigorously without any suspicion about his intention.

“Satbyeol Circus? Yes, there it is. I can see the balloon over there.”

A yellow chicken-shaped balloon, several meters long, swayed in the wind on the rooftop of a hotel.

It was released in Luz when the Satbyeol Circus arrived in Luz.

It was more effective than a sign in letting people know about the circus’s presence.

Minova, the rooster, had a voice that was based on lung capacity several tens of times larger than that of an ordinary person.

Inflating a balloon of that size in an instant was one of his proud skills.

Wonderstein looked at the balloon for a moment, lost in memories of experiences from the game, then stopped the carriage.

“You guys go on ahead. I suddenly remembered something I need to do.”

He got off the carriage and, with his black cloak fluttering, disappeared into the dark alley.

Yurakne raised her eyebrows, and Sven shrugged beside her.

Ella looked at his retreating figure with trembling eyes.

She had let her guard down.

Being too obedient for a while had made her less vigilant.

He was a person who could become ruthless for his goals.

Wasn’t he the man who destroyed an entire village just to take her with him?

Although he seemed indifferent to everything, he was unusually obsessed with the Circus Grand Prix.

It wouldn’t be strange if he did something drastic to the opponent to pass the preliminary round.

The image of Ruelle, who smiled innocently at her, came to her mind.

Overlapping with the faces of her dead friends from school.

Wonderstein didn’t show any mercy because of young age.

He ruthlessly broke the necks of young children, pierced their stomachs, tore apart their chests, and blew off their heads.

Ella covered her mouth with her hand.

A sob rose from within.

Hee-ang.

Along with the cry of the horse, the carriage started moving again.

She couldn’t take her eyes off his disappearing figure.

She had to stop him.

But what could she do in front of him?

If the devil decided to act, there was nothing she could do.

The contract she made with him had two conditions.

The first was that he would not harm her and the remaining friends in exchange for helping him with his work.

The second was that if she made it to the main stage of the Circus Grand Prix, she would free the performers and never appear in front of them again.

The lives of others were not included in the protection clause.

Initially, she didn’t even consider proposing conditions, as he wouldn’t have accepted them.

Is there nothing to do but watch quietly?

Then, a voice whispered in her heart.

It was her own voice.

The promise is not the only thing, right?

“Sister, will you show your taming skills later?”

“Yeah, the kids seem to like it.”

Alright. She promised to show more than just taming skills.

She made a promise related to the performance.

The show must go on.

She thought about the weight of those words.

Thunk.

She opened the door of the running carriage.

“Hey, miss?”

Ignoring the surprised voice of the driver, she jumped out of the carriage.

It was a dangerous move for an ordinary person, but for an exceptional acrobat like her, it was easy.

“Hey, where are you going, Ella?”

“Hehe, it seemed like she was about to vomit earlier. Don’t you think she can’t get motion sickness?”

“Yeah! I don’t feel well! I’ll take a short walk and be back!”

Having landed on the ground, she waved lightly to the people inside the carriage with a worried look.

She had to let them not worry about her for even a moment.

Then, a few minutes later, she returned to the path the carriage had taken.

The sky that was bright when she left the cabaret had darkened, and the gas lamps on the street were lit.

Soon, she could reach the place where Wonderstein had descended.

She threw the pigeon sleeping in her hat into the sky.

The pigeon shot up in the air, maintaining the sleeping posture, and then fell back into the hat.

Ella’s face twisted slightly.

“Hey, lazy.”

Ella shook her hat, but the pigeon, with closed eyes, did not move at all.

It just repeated a whimpering sound similar to sleep talking and tossed its body a bit.

This kid…

When it fell just now, she clearly saw it twist its body slightly to adjust the landing point.

It was being lazy.

Ehyo.

Must be very tired.

She gave up on the pigeon and took out the mouse from her pocket instead.

Chick, the mouse, wagged its tail and waited for her to let it down to the ground.

“Understand? Watch out for Wonderstein, that guy.”

The mouse, at a rapid pace, ran into the darkness and disappeared.

Inspira Spirit Link.

The grace she received from Kirku.

She could share the vision and hearing of the animals she tamed.

She sat in a nearby cafe, waiting for Chick to reach his destination.

After a few minutes, calling Chick’s name three times and closing her eyes, the sight she was now seeing entered her eyes.

‘Ugh!’

Ella internally screamed at the scene right in front of her.

Wonderstein, his face was right there.

Fortunately, he seemed not to have noticed Chick hiding between the bookshelves.

“I’m sorry for going back earlier even after you promised to cure my daughter’s illness?”

Ella shuddered.

Illness?

She recalled Ruelle’s scattered hair.

If it was a trivial illness, she wouldn’t have come out like that.

“So, as if I had already fought a duel, I made a fuss and came back to the dormitory first. I loudly declared that I would defeat you and get the cure in front of my daughter. I wanted to be a cool father in front of my daughter.”

His eyes burned with intensity.

“But curing my daughter’s illness is more important than my pride. Damn it! My pride means nothing! I’m prepared to do anything! So… please cure my daughter’s illness!”

Minova bowed deeply.

It would have surprised anyone who knew him.

Through rumors and brief encounters, Ella knew that as well.

How much parents feel for their children.

Ella now understood Wonderstein’s intentions.