Most of the world's coastlines appeared on maps as the Age of Exploration drew to a close.
With the accumulation of geographic information and advancents in printing technology, the era arrived when anyone could sit at ho and purchase a world map.
This facilitated industrialization by promoting the movent of people and goods.
However, its impact wasn't entirely positive.
Around that ti, there erged a group known as "explorers," who road the inland territories beyond the coastlines.
Despite their romanticized na, they were essentially nothing more than bandits.
Ard with weapons, they ventured into unmapped lands to plunder their inhabitants, technologies, and artifacts.
One of their primary targets was mysterious creatures like fairies and spirits.
They road the waters near Jormungandr, targeting lone fairies and spirits wandering away from their groups.
They would capture them to sell as commodities to wealthy collectors or as exhibits in exhibitions.
Exhibitions were not just about displaying captured creatures.
Depending on how the items were presented and promoted, significant profits could be made.
This led to the ergence of professional organizers specializing in exhibitions.
They employed various thods to attract visitors.
They would train captured creatures to perform tricks or incorporate street perforrs' acrobatics.
The ergence of monster circuses was part of this trend.
While conditions have improved significantly nowadays, back then, many children born to survivors of the cursed plague weren't even registered as citizens.
Despite having parents and hotowns, they were often treated as outcasts.
It was common for them to be denied entry to villages, and during droughts or epidemics, they were often scapegoated and faced lynching.
As a result, most of the cursed ones shied away from human contact and lived in hiding, appearing to be part of human society yet distant from it.
They caught the attention of circus organizers constantly seeking new spectacles.
These organizers understood human desires well.
They realized that people quickly grew tired of admiring extraordinary things and pretending to be refined.
Instead, they sought to stimulate more primal desires.
Providing a target for ridicule, contempt, and condemnation beca their strategy.
With the acceleration of industrialization and urbanization exacerbating the gap between the rich and poor, the discontented masses sought targets for their anger.
Monster shows were born out of these societal tensions.
However, as circuses evolved into comprehensive performing arts, such shows gradually faded away.
Although still occasionally seen in rural areas, they were rare in major cities.
Anyone in the industry pursuing a respectable image avoided ntioning monster shows due to their violence and savagery.
Wonderstein's involvent with monster circuses likely received negative attention due to this historical context.
Ella tried not to recall the stage she had seen at the judicial theatre.
However, even with her eyes closed, she could still hear the mocking laughter ringing in her ears.
Were the personas sitting here people from bygone days?
From an era when there was sha associated with monster circuses?
She glanced at the two individuals with a slight hesitation.
"I hope you won't misunderstand, sir, ma'am. Our circus… The show Wonderstein and I created isn't like that… It's a monster circus, yes… but it's different."
Would they perceive it as an excuse? Would they think she was defending herself with lies?
Fortunately, both seed to understand, nodding in agreent.
"We understand. Miss Elphi wouldn't be like that."
"Trust us."
Ella breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank you. Oh, really, today of all days, I miss the troupe…"
Considering the duration of their training camp, it had been a good two weeks since she had returned to their lodgings.
Cheerful Sven.
Thoughtful Yurakne.
Innocent Womon.
Hot-tempered Triare.
Quiet Bendict.
Timid Jobel.
Hadn't they experienced similar things like inside?
Just hearing about it while passing by was quite sothing.
But thinking about it, seeing it firsthand, felt entirely different.
She stretched herself.
Regardless, she needed to get out of here safely to see her comrades again.
And the person she most wanted to see now… Wonderstein, that person too.
"Alright. Despite being a rather unpleasant show, knowing the other managers are safe is a relief. So, shall we get to the point? What's the plan from here?"
Oz breathed a sigh of relief inwardly at seeing Ella's relaxed expression.
"Firstly, talking. We're gathering Elphi's colleagues scattered within Wonderland."
"How?"
Scarecrow raised his straw hat provocatively with his thumb.
"Think we're going to reveal a riddle here? Hold on."
Ella recalled the information she had gathered about Wonderland.
There were essentially two ways to gather scattered friends:
Either she would find them, or she would make them find her.
The forr didn't seem feasible, but the latter brought an idea to mind.
"Tickets. Right?"
She smiled confidently at him, and he smiled back, nodding.
"Yes. There are thousands of theaters here. Renting one for a performance. The quality of the show doesn't matter; what's needed is a 'tag.' Even if your companions stay here for half a day, they won't be able to ignore the presence of ticketers. And even the dullest person will realize within a day what this can be used for. Is there a common code shared by the people you want to et?"
Lumie swiftly added after his words.
"Sothing that the three captured individuals might rember."
Ella recalled the two weeks they spent together.
Reyna, Maya, Karen, Clara, Ruelle, and her.
The six of them practiced, played, and slept together.
In the process, they naturally had shared keywords.
"It's true. Then, let's try it. The most morable thing from the past two weeks…"
She deliberated, thinking about what would be recognizable yet subtle enough.
"We should use the na of our performance. 'Elysium.'"
"Alright. We'll arrange the details later, but for now, we should leave this place."
Oz nodded, and Ella felt a sense of determination rise within her.
"Here."
"All right. But right now, it's festival season, and there's a crowd of guests coming in from outside. It'll be hard for an unknown acrobat to rent a theatre."
As Ella heard those words, sothing flashed in her mind, and she looked down the stairs.
Far away, she could see dozens of stages set up in the central square.
Each stage had different sounds and colours.
People on the stages were being replaced at short intervals.
It was clear that so kind of competition was taking place.
"Is that what you're talking about?"
"Haha, you catch on quickly. Yes! Ella is going to compete and achieve good results in the competition! As you know, the talent of soone from the mountain brings a strong resonance here. Any decent acrobat could easily win a prize there."
Ella shivered with excitent.
Standing on Wonderland's stage.
Her mouth, visible under her hat, was smiling, showing her teeth.
"Are you crazy? Mister, that's a plan I really like!"
She seed about to jump down the stairs right away.
But suddenly she stopped in her tracks.
"Um, but Mister, and Sister, are you okay? You helped and… won't you get punished?"
At first, when she first hired the two, she didn't really consider that.
But seeing the punishnt, she couldn't help but worry.
Lumie shrugged as if to say not to worry.
"Those magicians are so wicked that they deserve what they got."
"Think about the patroln who caught Ella. They let her go because she showed her talent, right? This place is much more lenient than you think."
"Really? Is that so? Well then, great! Let's go right away!"
She shouted enthusiastically and hung onto Oz's back.
Lumie did the sa, climbing onto his shoulders.
The scarecrow sighed and shook his head.
"Are you going to keep doing this?"
"I admit it now. You're our transport here."
"Haha, okay, let's go!"
"Hold on tight. It might be a bit fast!"
With that, he didn't give them a chance to argue.
He leaped down the stairs without warning, and they followed, hurtling downwards.
"Woah, hey! You crazy man! What are you doing?"
"Oops? Mister, are you confident?"
"Of course!"
The wind whipped their faces.
With a thud, they landed safely on the staircase.
Oz had beco quite accustod to jumping by now.
He leaped down a dozen or so steps in one go.
He checked that they were both okay and prepared for the next leap.
"Mister, we're still going?"
"Hey, stop it!"
Lumie tried to stop him by grabbing his neck, but it was no use.
He continued leaping down the stairs one after another.
Each ti, Lumie made a gasping sound, and Ella burst into laughter.
In less than 30 seconds, they were able to reach the ground.
With tear-filled eyes—she claid it was because of the wind—Lumie glared at him and swore, while Ella held onto her stomach, laughing.
They crossed the square and looked around at the stages where competitions were in full swing.
From singing to acrobatics to cody, performances in every imaginable field were underway.
"There are so many stages."
"Which one do you think is good?"
"Let's go where Ella wants."
"All right! Should we check the list? I'm trying to make a reservation!"
At Ella's shout, a Ticketer appeared in front of them.
Oz and Lumie, knowing her skill, believed she would do well no matter what performance she chose.
But the problem arose elsewhere.
The Ticketer, upon hearing Ella's request, nervously shook his head.
"I'm sorry, but they're all sold out, ma'am."
The Ticketer explained that everyone performing on the stages today had purchased tickets several days ago.
"When's the next competition?"
"It's in 6 days, ma'am."
At the ntion of 6 days, Ella's face fell.
"This is a big problem."
"During that ti, three more people could be executed."
"Um, that's true, but I'm worried they might not find us outside," Ella fretted nervously.
It had already been two days since they entered this place.
They couldn't know what chaos might be happening in Yeterinpuurk right now.
"Oh, you don't need to worry about that," the Scarecrow said brightly.
"During the festival period, blessing encircles Wonderland like a fortress wall."
"What does that an?"
"In simple terms, ti passes slowly here. Spending 100 days here is only a day outside."
"Wait, so only about 30 minutes have passed outside?"
Oz and Lumie nodded.
That's why the two of them could have been relaxed until now.
"But even six days still feel too long. We don't know what will happen to the three of us. Isn't there any way?"
"How about waiting on-site, Maam? Cancelled tickets keep coming up in real-ti," the Ticketer suggested.
Ella reacted strongly to this suggestion.
"Is that so?"
"Yes. Giving up on a performance isn't common, but it happens occasionally."
"Occasionally? Oh, so it's not easy to get those?"
"Once they're out, yes. The entry passes for the performances don't have instant teleportation. For example, if a ticket is cancelled three minutes early, there's no reason for anyone not on stage to buy it. So, many cancelled tickets go to waste."
Ella looked at the two of them.
The two who t her gaze nodded.
"Alright. Then let's check for cancelled tickets. Anything will do."
So, the three of them spent ti watching nearby stages while waiting for the Ticketer to bring good news.
A few hours passed quickly.
True to the philosophy of 'the show must go on' worshippers, those who cancelled their promise to perform didn't co out so easily.
Oz, halfway through giving up, buried himself on a nearby bench, and Lumie, perhaps tired, used his body as a pillow and fell asleep.
"I wonder if it'll happen by today."
The mont he uttered those words, Ella, who had been watching the stage in the distance, ran towards him frantically.
"Let's hurry! The stage is on the other side!"
"Yes? What do you an?"
"I got tickets!"
Ella shook what she held in her hand.
There was an entry pass.
"It starts in five minutes! Hurry!"
"You go ahead! Lumie hasn't fully woken up yet! We'll follow you!"
Ella shook her head at his words.
"No! I need you! It's a duet singing contest!"
"What?"
The Scarecrow's mouth fell open in surprise.
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