I Became the Leader of the Monster Circus Troupe

Finally, the last day of the training camp had arrived.

I woke up a bit earlier than the others and prepared breakfast. Since the building was off-limits to anyone other than us, I had to take charge of cooking.

I didn’t need to worry about the skills. With the power of the skill book, I could show off cooking skills that rivaled those of a top chef.

The problem was the recipes.

The skill book only enhanced my cooking skills; it didn’t increase my knowledge. I had never even grilled a piece of spam in my life. No matter how skilled I appeared to be with my knife and wok, I couldn’t produce a proper dish.

So, I enlisted the help of Yurakne through the sound room.

“Is the sauce turning lumpy and brown?”

“Then turn off the heat and cut the meat you put on the iron plate edges earlier.”

“Fry the asparagus and onions in the remaining oil…”

She would give instructions remotely, and I would follow them.

Since we could order any ingredients we needed, there was no shortage. Thanks to that, everyone could enjoy a meal that was no less than eating out.

Even Lord Fantastic, who was picky and meticulous about everything, didn’t complain about my cooking.

For the last breakfast, I made each of them their favorite dishes as requested yesterday. The kitchen was quite large, probably because there used to be a bakery in the building. Even making several dishes at once, there was plenty of space.

While the foods that needed to simmer were on the stove, giving me a moment to catch my breath, Yurakne approached me with a voice full of embarrassment.

“Di, Director…?”

“Yes?”

“I have something to ask. It’s, um, about the temporary treatment… How many more times… can you do it?”

I mentally counted the remaining amount of starlight and replied.

“From my estimate of the remaining amount, about 15 hours. But why the sudden…?”

“Ah, haha… 15 hours should be enough. It’s been almost two weeks since you left… So, you didn’t want to see me?”

Only then did I realize what she wanted. I burst into laughter and shook my head.

“Of course, I wanted to see you a lot.”

“R, Really? Hehe, then when you come back… Shall I prepare your favorite late-night snack?”

Her voice, full of shyness, suddenly transformed into that of a seductive woman. Her image of sticking out her tongue and looking at me flashed before my eyes. Her transformation like this was surprising no matter how many times I saw it.

I pondered for a moment.

After finishing this experiment of turning red, there was no other experiment worth doing. I thought I could use the remaining amount to share physical pleasure with her.

But the timing wasn’t right.

“In 10 days, we have our exam.”

“Ah…”

“We need to preserve our stamina.”

“R, Right… Uhm…”

She puffed up her cheeks and then let out a sigh.

I chuckled at her cuteness.

“Yurakne, I saw that tall building in the square when I went out. The one with the elevator that moves with electricity.”

“That one? What was it… Oh!”

She remembered the building, the only one in the city with an elevator powered by electricity, and exclaimed in admiration.

“After this exam, how about going there?”

“Talking about the hotel? I, I’m fine! I definitely want to go!”

That way, I was able to finish preparing the meal on time.

The faces of those who ate the food were filled with satisfaction.

The final rehearsal held in the morning went smoothly without any problems.

At lunch, we prepared a Kievan-style memorial feast, and all the actors went on stage and paid their respects before it.

It was said to be a ritual performed before the premiere to comfort the spirits so that the performance wouldn’t fail.

The Marquis arrived at our location late in the afternoon. He was accompanied by a group of scholars who were experts in imperial university manuscripts and artifacts.

“While I watch the performance, they will verify the authenticity of the originals outside. They’ve been holding back from leaking the contents of the script to the outside world.”

“I hope it’s not proven to be fake after all the practice.”

Ella murmured to me.

Although the Marquis couldn’t see, he was sensitive to sounds. He smiled at her and nodded.

“I’m sure it’s real, Ella. If you’re as good as an acrobat, you must have felt it during practice, the deep shadows of Christian.”

“Oh, of course. His distinctive features were evident in many places, especially in the opening…”

“Is that so? Haha, I thought the same. And the part where acrobatics and singing are performed simultaneously…”

“Yes! Especially in that part…”

They, the Christian maniacs, excitedly discussed their impressions of the script.

Clara, holding the original of Fantasy 13, looked at the scholars leaving and whispered anxiously.

“D, Director, what happens if it’s proven to be fake?”

Hopps, who answered her question, said, “What will happen? The Marquis, as well as the 11 people here, will all be embarrassed. Everyone will say, ‘Didn’t you feel that it was fake after practicing for two weeks?’ People will point fingers at us even if we pass by. We might even be driven out of the industry.”

“Ugh…”

Clara’s face turned pale, and she looked at me, seeking approval for her actions.

I sighed inwardly, looking at Hopps, who was chuckling.

Because of her immature behavior, she often became a subject of ridicule here as well.

But I knew her circumstances, so I couldn’t just laugh along with them.

Due to her illness, she couldn’t survive without regular treatment. She was a friend who had even considered suicide because of her illness.

She used to puff up with pride when praised, and looked embarrassed and didn’t know what to do when teased. But I knew. All her foolish behavior was just her way of healing her own anxiety.

So, even though I could play other pranks on her, I couldn’t just sit back and watch her get upset by jokes. I quickly put on a smile to reassure her.

“Don’t worry. Director Hopps exaggerated.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Of course. It might become a bit of a sensation, but it won’t affect our work.”

She breathed a sigh of relief at my words.

“Then, that’s a relief.”

After the greetings, we went into full preparation for the performance.

The actors changed into their costumes, and the directors each took their places.

The Marquis, supported by his secretary, came in and sat down. I checked the bottle containing the starlight powder hidden under the audience seats and then came down from the stage.

The secretary closed the hall door and left.

Lord Fantastic gathered the actors and spoke.

“Is everyone ready?”

They nodded in agreement to his question.

“Alright. Let’s begin.”

Six of them stepped onto the stage one by one.

The scene started with the two leads appearing on stage together. The story progressed with the protagonist reminiscing.

I went backstage and operated the lighting equipment to turn off all the lights in the hall.

As the hall plunged into complete darkness, the sound of a drum began softly, slowly increasing in speed and volume.

I gradually illuminated the stage lights to match it.

The opening was followed by the story of the protagonist leaving home.

Her father, a rural lord, lived in a modest two-story cabin turned manor. It would be nice to say he was a modest noble, but in reality, he had lost everything to gambling, even putting the house on the line.

The protagonist was the youngest daughter of such a family, with three older sisters and one brother.

The story began with the family gathering in the living room on a stormy day, discussing various topics.

Minova’s drumming recreated the atmosphere of the cabin shaking in the storm.

Thud.

The stage shook.

It seemed to shake more forcefully than during rehearsals.

“Oh my, could the house be blown away by the storm, Father?”

Clara’s voice, full of playful banter, was heard.

Of course, there was no reply from the other character. This was a one-person play.

She seemed really scared.

The stage didn’t shake as violently during rehearsals.

“Don’t imagine silly things. But look at this, it’s really…sh-shaking.”

Thud thud.

The stage shook again.

The equipment in front of me swayed enough to be noticeable.

I heard the whining sound of Ruelle in the dressing room and the anxious voices of Ella and Reyna conversing.

They seemed to find this situation strange too.

I held onto the equipment tightly to prevent it from falling.

Wasn’t this shaking too violent?

I turned my head to the side to look at the outside situation.

Then, darkness covered my vision. All the lights on the stage disappeared in an instant.

Boom!

A deafening sound, as if the world was tearing apart, engulfed us.

Screams echoed from all directions.

“Woah!”

“What is this?”

A momentary flash of red light flashed before my eyes.

A dizzying sensation of falling engulfed my entire body.

My consciousness fell along with my body.

***

“What is this?”

A momentary flash of red light flashed before my eyes.

A dizzying sensation of falling engulfed my entire body.

My consciousness fell along with my body.

***

Wonderstein couldn’t tell how long it had been since he opened his eyes. It felt like he had closed them and opened them right away, but it also felt like it had been days.

He looked around.

It was still pitch black, and he couldn’t see anything.

“Is everyone okay?”

But no one answered his question.

Perhaps everyone was seriously injured.

He tried to get up quickly. But his attempt was quickly thwarted.

His hand slipped, and he fell to the ground with a thud. It was strange. His arms and legs felt stiff and wouldn’t straighten out properly.

Wonderstein was suddenly frightened.

If he, who was so sturdy, was this injured, what about the others…? Maybe they were… dead.

Earthquakes, building collapses, gas explosions.

All sorts of terrible scenarios ran through his mind.

He reached out his arm and grabbed whatever was around him and managed to lift himself up.

As he did, the surroundings came into focus more clearly than before.

The faint light coming in through the crack in the door helped illuminate his surroundings.

“Hello?”

He thought his voice sounded strange.

It sounded like his, but it also didn’t.

Was it because his body hadn’t fully recovered yet?

He cautiously took a few steps toward the light.

His legs didn’t bend, but by stretching carefully, he was able to move forward.

He arrived at the door.

He noticed that the colour of the light coming in from outside was not constant.

Red, yellow, and orange lights were mixed up, swirling around in a confusing pattern.

He carefully reached out and opened the door.

At that moment, a noise he had never imagined rushed in.

He was stunned by the sight before him.

Against the dark evening sky, fireworks of various colours were burning in the air.

Hundreds of fireworks were shooting up simultaneously. And continuously.

Underneath those fireworks was a huge castle. It looked hundreds of meters high.

But what was more surprising than its size was its shape. It was not an ordinary castle made of stone and wood.

“Haha….”

A forced laugh escaped his lips.

It was one large circus tent. More precisely, thousands or tens of thousands of buildings stacked up to form the shape of a circus tent.

“This can’t be real….”

He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

It wasn’t surprising that he was astonished by the surreal atmosphere of the place.

It was just that he couldn’t believe he was here.

He knew where this was.

This was the place where the Wonderstein who killed Saint Valentina used Kirku’s Eye to open a dimensional portal and lead an invasion of monsters.

The final stage of TT3.

This place was ‘Wonderland,’ the domain of the God of Festivals, Performances, Acrobats and of the Circus itself, the mad Kirku.

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Chapter 213: Wonderland – 16