I Became the Leader of the Monster Circus Troupe

Most of the people who came to see the Monster Circus were already familiar with the face of Wonderstein. His pictures were featured in newspapers and magazines, and Maya’s sign, painted at the entrance of the hall, made it impossible to miss.

Blonde hair, blue eyes, and a sculpted face.

Tall stature with a well-proportioned figure.

A lively smile.

In this era, photographs were blurry, making it difficult to grasp people’s appearances clearly. Portraits were often seen as deceptive due to common retouching tricks.

However, those who had seen him in person unanimously agreed that there was no exaggeration in the rumors about him. Even those who mocked him with his status admitted that he deserved recognition in that aspect.

So, those who came expecting a handsome man were shocked by the unexpected appearance of a grotesque clown. Even other circus performers who had encountered him a few times felt the same way.

During the trial, they had advocated for him, but they didn’t consider him a genuine colleague in the industry.

The Monster Circus was a show scorned in the industry.

Not only did they drag unfortunate people into their performances, but engaging in suspicious magic tricks and captivating women made them appear even more despicable.

The audience, who came to watch the show today, intended to mock and find something to ridicule.

A circus showcasing so-called “monsters” seemed rather mundane. Just exhibit someone peculiar and move on, no need to be surprised.

That’s why what he did to give them a ‘shock’ was hard to believe.

If it was just makeup, it wouldn’t have been so surprising.

He portrayed his character fittingly, a character that was disturbingly similar to the ‘Black Magician Wonderstein’ from the game.

The unsettling gaze, the slightly off laughter, and the gestures that touched the nerves of the viewers—all were devices that subtly revealed his inhumanity and created discomfort.

The laughing man, with a clean face, appeared unexpectedly dishevelled, as if he had just emerged from highly concentrated waste.

No, if it were just makeup, it wouldn’t have been so shocking.

He skillfully portrayed the character that suited him.

“Now, shall we introduce the monster?”

His manner of presentation was ordinary, despite his appearance.

He greeted normally, cracked jokes, and introduced the members in a mundane manner.contemporary romance

However, with just one word or gesture, there was a mysterious power that sent shivers down people’s spines.

He was imitating the movements and lines of dialogue of the ‘Black Magician Wonderstein’ from the game.

The subtly disturbing gaze, the laughter that seemed out of place, and the actions that disturbed the viewers—all created a similar effect here.

The smiling man twisted and contorted, as if covering or revealing his mouth in a bizarre pose.

“Hahaha, gentlemen, you better be careful. This person has a somewhat discerning taste. Let me introduce you. The only woman among the monster members, the spider lady!”

Rustle.

A sound of something crawling echoed from the ceiling.

As people looked upward, all the lights went out simultaneously.

Purple flames flickered. Beyond them, a figure with multiple legs revealed its silhouette.

“Tasty-looking men are plentiful, aren’t they? Oh, of course. I don’t mind women either. Hehehe, sometimes you need something to chew on.”

Yurakne’s voice contained a vibrancy that didn’t match her usual nonchalant demeanour.

It was worthwhile practicing under Ella’s guidance.

Dim lighting illuminated the ceiling.

In a matter of seconds, people screamed at the transformed scene inside the hall.

“What, what is that?”

“T-That’s a spider web….”

“Ugh, I hate this kind of thing…”

White threads crisscrossed, creating intricate patterns between the steel frames of the ceiling. Sticky fluids dripped down the strands.

Throughout the spider webs, patches the size of a person were hanging.

Inside the patches, something wriggled, resembling the movement of something squirming.

“It’s really moving…”

“Don’t worry. It’s, it must be a prop for sure.”

“Yeah, an illusion or something.”

One of the audience members uttered those words when suddenly, with a sharp splitting sound, something poured out from inside, splattering a green, sticky, and bloody fluid.

Everyone entering the Monster Circus had signed up for the ‘Wet Seat’ category.

It was a common occurrence in circuses where the audience could become part of the show or even have the stage extended into the seating area. In other words, they were warned to be prepared for the possibility of getting dirty.

The Monster Circus, uniquely, even included a category for ‘moisture induced by the audience.’ It was a humorous way of cautioning people that it might be scary enough to make them wet themselves.

Despite signing up, the audience had no intention of willingly accepting such an unidentified liquid.

Those close to the stage recoiled with disgusted expressions.

However, soon they had to worry about the moisture they themselves were causing.

Amidst the slimy fluid that had spilled on the stage, something was squirming.

“Uwaaah!”

“Th-there!”

“It’s a person!”

A skeletal figure emerged, wriggling between the broken props. His green, gooey substance mixed with blood formed a sticky mass.

He reached out towards the audience, moaning.

“Help me… This, this isn’t part of the show… That ringmaster is a real devil…”

At that moment, the threads hanging from the ceiling trembled.

People who looked up screamed.

The spider woman revealed herself. She had makeup that truly resembled a spider. The eerie light emanating from her makeup was fitting for the image of a sinister spider queen.

Using her six arms on two legs, she crawled through a complex web. With eight legs in total, she moved just like a real spider.

Wonderstein was anxious watching her, fearing she might accidentally grab a fake spiderweb without a rope.

Most of the spiderwebs hanging from the ceiling were not real; they were illusions created by Maya, with real ropes hidden in between for tightrope walking.

Yurakne was worried that, due to nervousness, the spider woman might grab a fake spiderweb without a rope.

Luckily, she flawlessly maneuvered through the spiderweb, using the magic “Ghost’s Ensnarement” provided to her.

Thunk.

From between her palms, a spiderweb shot out and attached to the ceiling.

While it might have seemed like the spider stuck to the wall like a real spider, she had actually grabbed the hidden rope between the fake spiderwebs.

She held onto it and crawled down using her eight legs.

To the spectators, it looked like she stuck to the wall like a spider, but in reality, she was holding onto the hidden rope between the fake spiderwebs.

She crawled down, still wriggling, towards the skeleton man on the ground.

“Ugh, please, save me… This isn’t a show… That ringmaster is a real monster…”

“Enough of your useless babbling.”

The spider woman grabbed the limbs of the skeleton man with her back and waist arms.

Then, using her remaining two arms, she gripped his neck, squeezing.

Crunch.

“Kuuuuh…”

Flesh splattered around.

The skull rolled on the floor.

The sound echoing through the silent hall was undoubtedly real.

People swallowed nervously.

The spider woman looked around the audience, her tongue flickering.

“Oh my, hoho. I showed you something quite gruesome. Nice to meet you, delicious humans.”

Whispers and sighs echoed from all directions.

“Is, is it really safe here?”

“I told you. The monsters follow the ringmaster’s control well…”

“Where did they bring such horrifying things from?”

Wonderstein glanced briefly at the skull on the floor, smiling.

The jaw joint of the skull made a rattling sound.

He was also laughing.

The show began to peak thanks to the spider lady, and Wonderstein once again gained momentum when he resurrected the skeleton of the deceased with the shell of a human. The performance reached its climax as it passed the triplets, the cursed fairy, and the appearance of the vampire.

Many people learned the reason for the entry of the category ‘moisture caused by the audience’ in wet places.

Intermission.

Stagehands sniffled through the audience, changing seats and wiping some areas with rags.

***

Ella could leave the hotel on Monday afternoon.

To convince the doctor that she needed at least a week of rest, she even demonstrated her skills in front of him.

“It’s really okay. Look.”

“Oh, no! Uh, this is…!”

Her body bounced like a spring and spun in mid-air.

She demonstrated difficult acrobatics in succession.

One-armed handstand, lightning somersault, backward flip…

She skillfully avoided people and furniture by twisting her body through the narrow spaces.

“Alright, that’s enough.”

Finally, the doctor reluctantly allowed her to go out. However, even as he gave permission, he still had an unpleasant expression.

He allowed her to go out not because he believed she had recovered, but as part of the process to prevent her from demonstrating a free fall from the second floor, almost like a threat to the doctor.

“Absolutely, do not go on stage.”

“Yes, yes. I understand!”

Ella shouted energetically.

The doctor sighed, nodded, and left the room with the hotel staff.

Once she confirmed that everyone had left, Ella gasped and sat on the floor.

Cold sweat ran down the back of her neck.

Sweat clung to her back as well.

In her weakened state due to the flu, moving her body hastily had drained her energy in an instant.

What she did on the second floor, preparing to perform a mid-air fall, was almost a threat to the doctor.

If she had really jumped, she would have lost balance and suffered a serious injury.

Ella threw her sweat-soaked pyjamas away and entered the shower.

She turned on the shower and leaned her forehead against the wall.

Her body felt like a boiling pot.

“He really didn’t treat me.”

It was unexpected.

She thought he would at least touch her body.

Ella knew.

His kindness was only for a specific purpose.

It wasn’t because he genuinely cared about her health.

She was aware that his kindness was driven by necessity.

“He must have started the last performance of the day by now.”

Ella sat on the shower room wall, leaning her back against it.

The warm water warmed her body.

The doctor’s words, saying it would take a week to recover from fatigue, seemed true.

She wanted to faint and fall asleep just like this.

It was even more difficult to control her body due to the strain just now.

But she couldn’t do that.

She had to check if the members were doing well as they practiced and if that guy was doing well as the host.

Helping him fulfil his role as the ringmaster was her role as the assistant-ringmaster.

That was the contract.

Ella got up from her seat.

The moment she turned off the shower, a chill struck her. Her body shivered.

She wanted to turn on the warm water again and lie down on the floor.

But she gritted her teeth and left the shower room.

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