I Became the Leader of the Monster Circus Troupe

There was no one in the Circus industry who didnt know about Playwright Cristian.

That’s how significant his status was in the industry.

However, there was no one who could say they knew him well.

That’s how much of a mysterious figure he was.

Externally, there was only one pseudonym known as Christian, with no known details such as appearance, gender, or age.

Originally, even the name Christian was something the world randomly assigned.

Over 30 years ago, at that time, carriage companies were distributing pamphlets containing simple maintenance knowledge and maps for carriage travellers.

Among them, a section introducing local attractions was included in a pamphlet by a carriage company that is now defunct, and an anonymous critic active there was the person now known as Christian.

It was a time when popular art was increasingly advancing after the Industrial Revolution, and the position of aristocratic art was becoming precarious.

It manifested as a confrontation between magicians catering to the upper class and acrobats entertaining the lower class.

Magicians often mocked acrobats as mere street performers displaying cheap tricks, while acrobats viewed magicians as pandering to the whims of the nobility with their lackluster skills.

During that time of mutual baseless criticism of each other’s performances, Christian emerged.

He looked at the performances of both groups from the same perspective.

Such attempts had been made before, but most of them simply presented neutral standards and ended up being criticized by both sides.

However, Christian’s critiques deviated from that path.

He focused on the impact of technological advancement and social change on performances and the process of what is added and discarded in that process.

He described where the performances he saw originated, how they branched out through various avenues, and what flowers they bloomed into, while highly evaluating the new possibilities pioneered by the seeds sprouting from there.

His writings were precise and sharp yet brimming with affection for the performances themselves.

Even for those heavily criticized, his writings were enough to evoke admiration.

Thanks to the reputation of his critiques, what was merely an insert in a pamphlet provided for free by a carriage company evolved into an independent performance critique magazine even after the company went bankrupt, with the name remaining unchanged to this day.

It could be said that part of the fame of the critic was at play in the fact that the Christian’s Guide could qualify to award stars at this year’s Circus Grand Prix.

The renowned critic didn’t stop there but went on to write scripts himself.

He released one script to the world every year, with a total of 12 officially released.

However, rumours circulated about the existence of a 13th script that he had written but hadn’t published before his death.

What lay before the acrobats gathered in the reception room of Slagbrot Manor was precisely that rumoured but silent “Fantasy 13th.”

No one could take their eyes off the bundle of papers.

Among those gathered there, Lord Fantastic was the only one who knew about the news in advance.

He had stayed at the Golden Carnival at the manor and had received a hint through the people around the lord last night.

While others were engrossed in the script, he quickly organized his thoughts and stood before the lord.

“I understand why you’ve summoned us. If it’s a work by Christian, it’s only natural for acrobats to perform it.”

The others nodded in agreement with his words.

Christian’s works had been adapted into countless versions after being released to the world.

However, considering it hadn’t been 20 years since his passing, the number of times his original works were staged was significantly less than the adaptations.

This was due to the difficulties inherent in Christian’s originals.

His original works demanded not only acting and singing but also acrobatics from the actors.

For example, scenes like the maid being controlled by the evil sorcerer’s thread in Shadow of Sorcery, or the juggling of freshly baked cookies between Master Baker and Princess in Sweet Delights, were typical.

In other words, Christian demanded actors to embody not just actors or singers but also acrobats.

Naturally, gathering people who could do all of that wasn’t easy.

So, the proliferation of adaptations that altered or even omitted scenes of acrobatics performed by actors was inevitable.

“Perhaps there are only four places in the world where Christian’s works can be perfectly implemented without the guidance of the original creator, with just the script in hand. The Wheel Circus that easily gathers people with abundant talent, the Lekachep 25 with talent from one of the six major theatres, ‘Christian Memorial’ where performers have mastered acting, singing, and acrobatics at a first-class level and the ‘Golden Carnival’ led by me.”

Lord Fantastic emphasized his position as the director.

If he utilized his Inspira, he could make all members perform at a level surpassing Lekachep 25.

He said so and looked at the other acrobats gathered here, twirling his mustache.

“Don’t we have enough of ourselves? Is there a need to include those who fall short of the standard? Especially those two who are severely lacking.”

“What did you say?”

“You’re kidding!”

Minova and Ella both exclaimed, rising from their seats simultaneously.

“Did you forget that I am both a charlatan and a singer? I’ve acted in Christian’s original works since I was a teenager!”

“What are we lacking?”

Lord Fantastic sneered at the two, then quickly stuck out his tongue.

“It’s not a matter of skill.”

He softened his expression and bowed slightly to the Marquis.

“Your Grace, the performers of the premiere of Fantasy 13 will surely make a name for themselves in the industry. There will be months of buzz. But surely there will be those who envy. They will try to tarnish the value of the premiere you have enjoyed. Since they cannot criticize Christian’s work, the arrows will turn to those who performed it. Those two circus troupes will become the focus. They will become targets of intense scrutiny. They may have been back alley thugs in the past, or terrible slave traders. As Christian’s name is tarnished, wouldn’t it hurt you, who love him?”

The Marquis quietly listened to his words.

It was a decent attack to probe his feelings for Christian.

However, he did not refute the other’s words.

Instead, he called for his secretary.

“Give out copies of Fantasy 13.”

The secretary brought ten stacks of papers and distributed them to them.

The acrobats grabbed them and began reading frantically.

Lord Fantastic, too, got caught up in reading the script, forgetting his attempt to persuade the Marquis.

Only Maya read it with a slightly grim expression.

The title of Christian’s 13th script was ‘The Five Acrobats.’

The plot went like this.

It tells the story of a festival in the capital city, where the daughter of a rural lord, who came to watch, ends up taking on the role of the court jester, which no one else in the palace wanted at the time when the storm was raging outside.

But why is it called ‘The Five Acrobats’? Because it involves five 10-year-old acrobats who are intertwined with her story.

A claimant to the throne who hides his identity to preserve his life.

An assassin who infiltrates the palace on behalf of an enemy nation.

An ambitious person who dreams of climbing the social ladder by forming ties with nobles or royalty.

A disciple who is terrified of standing on stage after his master jokingly gets his throat slit.

And a young caretaker who will do anything to feed his family in the slums.

The story woven by these six unique characters was intriguing in itself.

Anyone reading it could tell it was a story inspired by the six who founded the Lekachep Circus School.

The problem was, to perform this script as it was written, five 10-year-old acrobats who had mastered tightrope walking, ground tricks, taming, strength demonstrations, and archery were needed.

Only then did the five realize why they were invited this time.

Reyna, the tightrope walker.

Karen, the ground trickster.

Ruelle, the strength demonstrator.

Maya, the archer.

And Ella, the tamer.

When questioned by Simon on why Minova’s daughter was in the strength category, she directly bent and twisted the metal cane like a straw and pulled it back to show it.

Wonderstein noticed her hair flicker for a moment.

“They invited her after hearing about her performance in another city.”

Simon rubbed the part of his metal cane that had been folded.

“Even if five of them are here, the most important, the protagonist is missing, isn’t she?”

At Wonderstein’s suggestion, the Marquis nodded.

“That’s right. The role of the protagonist is the most difficult. She starts out as a naive daughter of a rural lord, but grows as she learns skills from the five acrobats. In other words, she must be proficient in all five areas to perform the ‘improving acting’.”

Ella and Reyna glanced at each other for a moment.

There were only two people among the teens gathered here who fit that description.

Although the Marquis couldn’t see, he seemed to have guessed it as he nodded.

“It would be good to have each person specialize in their field. That seems more fitting to me. I personally selected the protagonist. She is a suitable candidate who excels in all five areas.”

As one side of the reception room opened, a woman dressed in Lekachep’s uniform entered.

Wonderstein chuckled upon seeing her.

It was surprising to see her here, especially after she hastily left after only eating breakfast due to being called by the School.

“Miss Clara.”

“Oh, Director! What brings you here?”

She looked surprised to see them.

She had fainted yesterday, so she hadn’t heard that they had received an invitation from the Duke.

There was a brief commotion.

No one had imagined that Clara, who was the Head Student of Lekachep, would join Wonderstein Circus.

Since she hadn’t joined as an acrobat, they wouldn’t know.

“Goodness. The girl who picked on my daughter was ‘that Clara’?”

Minova looked at her with a complicated expression, seeing her picking on someone over ten years younger than herself.

Even as Director, she seemed lacking as an ordinary 18-year-old.

“Eek, you’re that two-faced girl from back then!”

“S-sorry, sis…”

And so, it was concluded with Arno being introduced as the illusion specialist.

In this performance, there were no props, no background, and no costumes used.

Since the only audience was the Marquis, who couldn’t see, the illusions were solely for the immersion of the actors.

In a way, there was no need to call acrobats of their calibre.

But the Marquis didn’t want to concede even that.

Entrusting Christian’s premiere to those with no skill was itself an affront.

He was in a position where he couldn’t fully enjoy the performance anyway.

So, he was satisfied with selecting promising future acrobats worthy of the name ‘The Five Acrobats.’

“Well then, I entrust it to you, my acrobatic troops. Request anything you need from the secretary.”

With a smile filled with anticipation, the Marquis received support from his secretary and left the room.

TL Note: I will be honet….I didnt think he coudnt see? Is that why the Secretary always with him…

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Chapter 209: Wonderland – 12