I unfolded the notes I had received from Ella.
Her notes contained all the necessary information for the performance.
From the arrangent of the stage props to the movents of each mber, light jokes to be thrown in between acts, effective gestures, and the angles and brightness of the lighting depending on the situation, and so on.
It was an extensive volu to the point where the reader might feel fatigued.
However, I ticulously read through each page, not skipping a single detail.
As I read, I paused for a mont at a certain passage in the middle.
It was about the role of subduing Womon's rampage.
The word 'Wonderstein?' was written and crudely erased with a pen, leaving traces behind.
He could have easily granted such a request…
I sighed bitterly and moved past that section.
Wonderstein's na continued to appear later, but each ti it was crossed out.
I couldn't know the emotions behind why she repeatedly wrote and erased this na.
By the ti I finished reading the last page of the notes, it was already around lunchti.
I sighed deeply as I closed the notes.
Her blood, sweat, and tears were poured into these notes.
I recalled her lying on the bed, shedding cold sweat, blaming herself.
Did she deliberately go through unnecessary hardships?
All her efforts were elevating the perfection of every detail in the performance.
If Ella collapsed because Kirku considered her efforts useless and cursed her, then he didn't deserve to be called the God of the Circus.
Thanks to her notes, we knew how to prepare the stage.
I directed the cabaret workers according to the contents of the notes.
Naturally, it was less efficient than having the owner of the notes give direct orders.
Ella said she would finish the work in the morning and start rehearsing in the afternoon, but we still hadn't completed our preparations.
The mbers had diligently practiced their acting and talents, but they had no knowledge of handling stage equipnt or installing devices.
The only reason we were able to progress smoothly so far was thanks to the rats.
"Lighting! Tighten the screws on the upper part! Use the left-handed screws for the lower part!"
"Pole! Connect with a triple knot!"
Ella took the ti to consistently teach them, and it was worthwhile.
The rats were quick-witted, had bad habits, and were notorious for their cunning.
Conversely, they were also quick on the uptake, skilled with their hands, and had good work habits.
It wasn't for nothing that the saying goes half of the world's pickpockets are rats.
Their skill in swiftly handling complex fra assemblies was truly astonishing.
Even the employees who had worked at the Rose Windmill for a long ti couldn't hide their amazent at their work.
"Did rats always handle things so well?"
"Are they better than our new mbers?"
The skill with which they handled complicated fra assemblies was truly impressive.
Even Mare, an experienced choreographer who had worked in the industry for over 20 years, couldn't help but admire them.
"Amazing. Riggers are not easy to handle. I also tried to teach dance a long ti ago but gave up. How did you do it?"
I couldn't help but let laughter escape my lips.
"It's thanks to our assistant ringmaster."
"Oh, Miss Ella! Impressive. How did she develop such skills at that age?"
Choreographer Mare continued to praise Ella.
Her acting, singing skills, sociability, and more.
I sensed that Mare had sothing else to say.
Sure enough, she soon got to the point.
"I also wanted recognition from Director Maroine in the past, so I went crazy, not caring about anything and throwing myself into everything."
Choreographer Mare.
I recalled her background.
She was the abandoned daughter of Yug Maroine, who had gone mad for theatre and road the world.
As if it were a twist of fate, they encountered each other on the sa theatre stage.
A father who forcefully pushed away his daughter, fearing contempt once her true identity was revealed.
A daughter who wanted to be acknowledged with skill rather than blood ties in front of a father she pushed away.
They knew each other's identities, but until the mont of death, they never realized that the other had figured it out.
"That child also seeks your recognition, Lord. Please don't make it too hard for her."
I had no intention of correcting her misunderstanding that deluded our relationship. How would she react if she knew that I had massacred Ella's friends and Neighbours, dragging her around as bait for a contract?
As she left and I sat there blankly, a sudden rooster crow was heard from behind.
"Cock-a-doodle-doo."
Without even turning around, I recognized who made that sound.
"Are you here for reconnaissance, Mr. Minova?"
"It's been a while."
Approaching, he stood beside .
Surveying the hall for a mont, he spoke in a sympathetic voice.
"Tsk tsk, it seems the preparations for the stage aren't complete yet. Will there be ti for rehearsal?"
"We'll manage."
A mont of silence passed between us.
I glanced at his sowhat uneasy expression and couldn't help but smirk.
"How is your daughter?"
"She's getting better. Much better."
"Are you sleeping well?"
"Of course. It's been a long ti since I welcod such a peaceful night…"
Minova spoke with a much more relaxed expression than before.
"Your matter, I heard about it. Is her body alright?"
"She overexerted a bit, that's all. The doctor said a week of rest should do."
"Can't your healing magic handle it?"
"My magic requires so special conditions."
He nodded in understanding.
"It seed like extraordinary skills from the beginning. Curing an incurable disease with just a touch. Sothing like that probably requires a price."
He spoke as if acknowledging Ella's improvent and then stood up.
"I made a promise to Kirku. There won't be any leniency for your circumstances."
"That's how it should be. Soone who places their daughter on the position of Assistant Ringmaster just because she's his daughter deserves no leniency."
"Well, Ruelle earned that position with her skills!"
"Haha, I suppose so."
Minova's face contorted suddenly.
"Will it really end up like that? Don't forget the promise you made. The winner acknowledges the superiority of the other's Assistant Ringmaster!"
"Of course."
Minova left. Chapter Read:
In the late afternoon, the work was almost finished.
The mbers went on stage for rehearsal.
They demonstrated excellent acting, just like they practiced.
The employees of the Rose Windmill played the role of the audience.
All the staff, including those with connections to Ella, gathered.
Among them was Director Yug Maroine.
He watched the actors' performance and nodded with a satisfied expression.
"Creating a performance of this level with the Monster Circus. The future of that girl is frightening."
"I'll convey your praise to Ella. She'll be pleased with the director's complint."
"Don't be too modest. Did you write the script?"
"Did Ella tell you that?"
"She did. Every ti. It was cute how she tried to hide the desire to brag."
"Is that so."
After finishing rehearsal, the mbers went to the restaurant for a belated dinner.
I stayed alone on the stage and opened the script.
The stage and the acting were all set.
The only remaining issue was one.
Could I handle the role of the master of ceremonies well?
morizing the script was not a problem. I had already morized it in the morning, considering Ella's constant revisions.
Facing the audience didn't make nervous either. The smiling man always masked his composure.
Right. That was the problem.
That smiling man.
Ella knew how to control the atmosphere of the stage.
She knew how to bring out emotions from people with appropriate acting and voice in tense or chilling scenes.
But I could only smile. Nothing else.
Even when delivering tense lines, all I could do was smirk.
The effectiveness of the actors' performances was diminished.
No matter how hard I tried to suppress my smile, my lips wouldn't budge.
In fact, it was easy to make it look chilling.
Just pull out a few ntula blades from behind, let a bunch of tentacles sprout from your arms, and replace eyes with tooth-filled mouths.
But it couldn't be helped.
It was because my image was damaged.
The Black Magician.
17 years ago, I didn't know how much of himself Wonderstein had revealed.
At least, his human form wasn't disclosed.
If people could associate him with a form, it was better not to resemble it.
One could freely mold and distort their own body, how many could there be?
In the end, rather than modifying my body, I had to make people scared with just makeup.
Was that possible?
Even I, a man, couldn't help but think Wonderstein's appearance and smile were 'cool.'
How could I disguise this smile and not undermine the terrifying image of the mbers?
I tried to recall the appearance of the mbers.
Except for the unique appearances, they were not much different from ordinary humans.
Why were they called monsters by people?
I realized it was because they deviated from the average.
If Dwarf Jobel grows taller, he might not be treated as a monster, but if he exceeds 10 ters, he would still be treated as a monster.
The Triare triplets, if they reduce their heads, might not be treated as monsters, but if they have zero heads, they would be seen as monsters.
In the end, the important thing was not to deviate too much.
Thinking the other way around, to appear as a monster, one just needed to deviate from the norm.
I had been trying to suppress or hide this smile with makeup.
But did I really need to do that?
An idea flashed in my mind.
The last Monday of June.
Week 3 of the competition.
The audience in Cabaret was divided into two main groups as they entered Hall 3.
Those who ca purely to watch the circus and those who ca to see the ringmaster Wonderstein.
Their numbers were similar, but the latter seed to be slightly more.
The incident at the opening ceremony was a big spectacle.
Many won cast admiring glances at the stage, to a man rumored to be so handso that even president Vergsong got involved in a scandal.
It was said that his dazzling smile could lt anyone.
There were people swearing to ignore the monsters and only focus on Wonderstein's appearance.
The door of the hall closed, and all the lights dimd.
Only one spotlight illuminated the stage.
After a mont, footsteps could be heard.
Thud, thud.
Soone was walking onto the stage.
The spotlight started from his shoes and slowly revealed his lower body, upper body, and head.
The more his figure was revealed, the more fear spread across the faces of the people.
An orange shirt, purple tailcoat, flas like red roses on the chest.
ssy green hair.
A face as white as a blank sheet, with bright red lips that reached to the ears.
As people realized that his white face and red lips were just makeup, the eerie feeling they felt when they looked at him didn't fade away.
People learned for the first ti today that clown makeup could look so scary.
"Welco to the Monster Circus. I am the ringmaster, Frank Wonderstein."
He looked at the audience with a stern expression, then gave them a chilling smile.
"Why are you all so serious?"
The laughing man stood on the stage.
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