I Became the Leader of the Monster Circus Troupe

With a thunderous roar, applause poured onto the stage.

Thanks to that, the scarecrow could regain his composure and look around.

It hadn’t even been 10 minutes since she started singing, but suddenly the audience had increased by at least five times compared to the beginning.

It seemed like everyone nearby had gathered.

“Elphi! Elphi! Elphi!”

“One more song! One more song!”

They shouted enthusiastically, chanting Ella’s name.

She dashed to the front of the stage, waving to the audience and responding to their cheers.

What’s going on?

Her lively movements as she dashed around didn’t resemble someone who had been crying just moments ago.

The scarecrow approached her with hesitant steps.

The last verse she sang reminded him of a confession she had made to him a few weeks ago.

“It’s such a boring and dull village. I can’t believe you’re from there. You’re such an interesting person. Actually, there’s something I didn’t tell you. The wine I served you last time, I accidentally grabbed the wrong one. Later, I heard what my family said. It was ‘Mama’s brew.’ It’s fake alcohol made by mixing pig’s blood when there’s an epidemic. You drank it so happily. Anyone else would have spat it out in disgust. But you kept quiet. You pretended not to know. You’re trying so hard to hide it, which is so cute. I like you just the way you are.”

“Elphi?”

When he quietly called her name, the presenter was just stepping forward to calm the audience. The spotlight illuminated the presenter as she stepped back, barely able to catch her breath.

“Phew, this is incredible. Indeed, it’s Wonderland. Oh, sir! Well done! See, you don’t need to worry, right? You did great!”

Each time she spoke, it seemed like blue flames flickered on her skin.

It was Lumie’s illusion to disguise the fact that she was alive. Beyond that translucent blue light, her expression was full of vitality.

“But why did you miss the last verse? Did you forget the lyrics?”

She replied with a tone of ignorance.

“What?”

Her expression twisted as she looked at him.

A moment later, she puffed up her cheeks and burst into laughter.

“Hahaha, no, did this gentleman really get into the role in just a few minutes? Why would I suddenly cry? That emotional range doesn’t fit this song. Maybe you misperceived it because of the illusion?”

“Is, is that so?”

Suddenly, embarrassment surged within him.

It felt like becoming someone who mistakenly thought a casual remark from a friend meant they had feelings for them.

Then, the presenter called them. It seemed like the judges had finished their evaluation.

The two of them stepped forward onto the stage.

The audience continuously cheered for Ella.

There were several personas sitting on the judging panel. They exchanged glances and nodded at each other before looking at the two.

“It was an impressive performance.”

“Especially Elphi’s voice. It resonated with the soul like the sound of a mountain spirit.”

“We’d like to give Elphi full marks just for the heart she put into it.”

“But judging must be fair. In this singing contest, 50 points are allocated to both male and female sides. While Elhpi receives a perfect score, Oz made a mistake by omitting the lyrics at the end.”

Ella’s complexion stiffened momentarily at those words.

To say that…

The scarecrow felt like sinking into a mouse hole, reminded of his mistake.

He shouldn’t have let emotions get the best of him.

“So that part will be marked down… We’ll give you 99 points!”

People cheered and shouted.

Ella looked at Oz, her expression showing disbelief.

“Did you hear that? 99 points! That should be enough to advance to the next round, right?”

“It seems so. Considering the two couples before us scored in the 70s and 80s… It’s more than enough, no, it’s practically confirmed!”

But their moment of joy was short-lived.

The staff informed them that the passing score for the qualifiers was 100 points.

Moreover, quite a few couples ahead of them had made it to the next round.

The two of them felt like they’d been hit with a hammer.

“What about those who scored in the 70s and 80s before us?”

“Haha, were those people unusually low-rated?”

“Laughing? This is all because you missed one point!”

Ella gestured as if she was about to punch him, clenching her fist and grumbling.

***

“Hey, could you put me down now?”

Lumie, who had suddenly woken up, was now looking at the two of them.

She yawned and stretched.

“Sis, what’s up? When did you wake up?”

“Just now. When you guys were talking about the scores.”

Ella stuck out her tongue as if she was amazed.

“We were jumping around singing, and you didn’t wake up in the middle? That’s what worries me the most. Isn’t it dangerous to be dragged away by a bad person when you’re alone?”

At her words, Lumie rolled her eyes and pursed her lips.

“Our fairies find it hard to wake up once they fall asleep. But it’s not like we sleep anywhere. We only sleep where we feel really comfortable…”

Lumie stopped herself abruptly.

Ella smirked at her.

“Oh, so the scarecrow’s embrace is that kind of place?”

“F, foolish talk! That bench was comfortable!”

Lumie shouted, her ears turning bright red.

“We’ve been out of there for quite some time….”

“Shh, it’s too loud! Just tell me already! What happened while I was asleep?”

“Oh, we did a duet….”

“A duet?”

Lumie realized she had misspoken.

She had responded too sharply to something that didn’t warrant such a strong reaction.

Ella, not missing the hint, smirked mischievously.

“Hehe, what do I do? Sorry about that. While you were sleeping, the black-haired troublemaker girl beside you tried to steal your man…”

“Is this for real?”

As Lumie reached out, heat surged from the blue flames flowing over Ella’s body.

“Ack! It’s too hot!”

“Explain properly before I turn you into ash!”

“Ugh, jealous, are we? Is that what’s happening?”

“Hey!”

The flames rose higher.

At that moment, a guard who had been watching from afar shouted.

“Miss Fairy! You can’t use illusions in public places!”

But the two seemed not to hear and continued their squabble.

Seeing the guard approaching, Oz quickly intervened.

“I’ll explain. Please calm down.”

Oz moved them away from the guard’s sight and recounted what had happened.

After hearing the story, Lumie nodded.

“So, we failed.”

“Uh, sorry, sis. Can you lower the temperature a bit?”

Ella whimpered from the side.

Lumi had been keeping the illusion flames around her body at summer temperatures.

“Just one more burst.”

“I won’t do it. I won’t.”

Lumi cooled the illusion attached to her body.

Drenched in sweat, Ella slumped like wet kimchi.

Unable to retort to Oz’s chiding, Lumi averted her gaze.

She knew she shouldn’t be this angry.

But Ella’s joke about ‘doing things while she slept’ had triggered her trauma and made her unnecessarily agitated.

Lumie tried hard not to dwell on past events.

“Anyway, the plan worked, right?”

At Ella’s statement, Lumie chuckled.

“Huh? What’s she talking about? That wasn’t the goal, was it?”

“Right. Oh, they’re coming.”

Following Oz’s indication, Ella turned her head.

A group was approaching them.

They waved enthusiastically upon seeing Ella.

“There she is!”

“Are you Elphi? We just saw your performance! Please come to our theatre!”

“Hey, line up! Excuse me! I’ve written a new script, would you take a look?”

“Join our team! We’ll cast you as the lead in our upcoming production!”

Only then did Ella remember their original goal.

The three of them accepted the admission tickets handed to them and sat down in a quiet alley.

They received proposals from roughly thirty theaters.

“Not bad considering the response. What percentage of those who watched our performance might spread the word across Wonderland?”

They examined the admission tickets, which detailed the size of the theater, stage format, location, facilities, equipment, etc.

However, none of them met their desired conditions.

“Most require over two weeks to open up for a performance. The schedules are packed.”

“Can’t be helped. The theaters bustling with activity, handing out admission tickets fervently, are likely the ones actively operating. How many theaters do you think leave their stages empty during festival periods?”

Then, someone brushed past Scarecrow’s mind.

It was the patrol leader they had first met here.

He was also a theater owner, but he said his theater was closing down soon.

-In two days, I’m inviting friends to the theatre for a small farewell party. It’ll be my last acrobatic feat. If you have time, come and see.

Perhaps there…?

“Maybe word will spread tomorrow, and we’ll receive more invitations? How about taking it easy today?”

“Come to think of it, I’m quite sleepy.”

At their words, Oz shook off his thoughts and stood up.

Unlike him, who had no physical form, the two felt fatigue.

They decided to book accommodation regardless of what might happen later.

They moved away from the central square towards the inn street.

Unlike other streets in Card Sun, there were more fairies and imps than personas.

“Hello. How about staying at our inn?”

“Come to our inn! We’ll even give you a welcome drink!”

The street was bustling with street performers.

There were personas as well as sporadic fairies.

“Oh, look, there’s a fairy! Come to our inn! We offer a banquet with music for fairies and honey-based dishes!”

Blocking the path of the three was a fairy with butterfly wings.

At first glance, she looked similar to a fairy, but she had a slightly plumper impression.

“She’s a sprite. If fairies specialize in illusions, those over there specialize in hypnosis.”

“Hypnosis?”

Ella adopted a defensive posture as she glared at the fairy.

Lumie chuckled at her.

“Don’t worry. Generally, they mean no harm. They might play pranks though. Oh, but these ones can be a bit nasty.”

Lumie whispered to Sprite’s ear so she couldn’t hear.

“Nasty?”

“Meaning mischievous. But it’s okay. Like I said, this is Kirku’s paradise. If someone not a devotee of Kirku, their power is weakened. You won’t fall for hypnosis.”

“There’s one male and two females! Our room has a separate bedroom cantered around a living room, so it’s comfortable for mixed-gender stays! There are even two separate bathtubs!”

Sprite’s enthusiasm was remarkable. She continued to tout the advantages of the inn as they walked alongside them.

When the three stopped to discuss the room’s layout, Sprite stopped too.

It seemed they didn’t like the idea of using separate rooms, probably because they were tired of wandering around, so the convenience of mixed-gender stay was a big plus.

Since they were already tired of walking around, they decided to follow Sprite.

“You’ve made an excellent choice, madam! Since it’s difficult for you to walk, I’ll arrange a mount for you!”

“Oh? I’m fine, but if I ride on her shoulders…”

“Oh dear, I can’t let you do that! Hey, is the mount available there? Come over here!”

On the opposite side of the street, gnomes were descending from some kind of mount.

And on top of the mount’s head, there was a sprite holding the reins.

Oz, Lumie, and Ella’s expressions stiffened as they saw the approaching mount.

“Come on, let’s go quickly. The guests are waiting.”

It wasn’t a horse or a spirit, nor an animal persona.

“Ugh, I can’t do it. It’s too hard.”

The mount made a groaning sound.

Then, the fairy sitting on its head raised the whip in her hand.

“Hey! Do you want another hit?”

“Eek, please don’t hit me!”

There was Clara, walking on all fours.

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Chapter 225: Wonderland – 28