I Became the Leader of the Monster Circus Troupe

It was said that even after a person died, they didn’t immediately disappear.

Even after the flame of life extinguished, there remained residual thoughts containing the spiritual information of the person such as memories, emotions, and will.

They clustered together like iron filings drawn to a magnet, forming a powder-like substance.

However, no matter how well these thoughts were gathered, without the framework of a ‘body,’ they tended to crumble like a sandcastle.

Memories, emotions, and will, they all grew fainter over time.

That was why the souls in Wonderland sought the audience’s reactions.

By showcasing their talents on stage and receiving applause and cheers, they could affirm themselves and maintain their identities.

It was said that it usually took about 20 years for a soul entering here to forget their name.

But through performances, that period could be extended to 50, even 100 years.

It only delayed the inevitable, not prevented it.

Eventually, the iron filings would fall away, leaving only the magnet.

And so, the empty husk of a soul, its essence extinguished, departed to embrace a new life.

That was what the magicians referred to as the cycle of souls.

“So, how many years have you been here?”

At Ella’s question, I provided a suitable number.

“About 17, 18 years, I suppose?”

Enough to be able to casually brush off questions about memories from my past life, if she were to ask.

She listened and then made a rueful expression.

“Well, then, you don’t have much time left. But can you afford to be so lazy? If you want to maintain yourself, you need to work hard in the performances.”

“I’ve said it before. You can delay it, but you can’t stop it. Is there really a need to make an effort to extend a few more years?”

My response seemed to displease her, judging by the look on her face.

“Do you have no family or anything?”

At her question, I thought of my deceased parents.

They were the ones who had fallen for the scam of a cult promising to heal their son’s body, working themselves to the bone only to end up passing away.

Logically, there was no way a cult could miraculously heal limbs, but…

But parents of severely disabled children often found themselves emotionally vulnerable, clinging to false hopes like that.

And the cults knew exactly how to exploit those vulnerabilities.

“Sir?”

“Ah, I’m sorry. I spaced out for a moment there. Family… Well, currently, I don’t have any.”

She glanced at me for a moment, then averted her gaze to the floor.

“…Sorry. I asked something unnecessary.”

“Haha, no need to apologize. This is the afterlife, after all. Death is the number one topic for clowns when they have nothing else to talk about.”

My words elicited a chuckle from her.

“Oh, really? That might actually be true… Oh, look, Lumie is coming.”

A fairy without wings entered the theatre’s entrance, carrying fruit juice in both hands.

I didn’t mind, but the two people with physical bodies needed to consume nutrients.

Fortunately, this place was a theatre that provided free drinks.

“What were you talking about?”

“We were talking about the extinction of souls.”

My answer seemed to irk Lumie.

“Idiot. You’re supposed to make the customers happy. Why talk about such gloomy stuff?”

“She was curious after seeing that.”

I gestured to the banners hung up in the theatre.

There, it stated that a puppeteer with 70 years of experience in Wonderland had written and directed today’s play.

Puppeteers tended to stay in Wonderland longer than other acrobats.

Perhaps because their true persona was not the ethereal bodies but the puppets themselves.

“Ah.”

Lumie’s expression changed slightly as she read the panel below.

It listed the script and the name of the writer responsible for it.

I looked at her, sensing something in her reaction.

“Do you know them?”

“Huh? Oh, well, it was just a casual acquaintance, that’s all.”

She quickly regained her composure and sipped her fruit juice through a straw.

“Has it been long since they passed away?”

“17 years.”

In her words, I detected a deeper meaning, and I turned to look at her.

She nodded, confirming my suspicion.

“Yeah. They died in the accident at the 2nd Circus Grand Prix.”

“…Come to think of it, there must be quite a few people here who passed away then.”

I thought it would be best not to mention the name ‘Wonderstein.’

As we continued talking, the performance began shortly after.

The puppet show was as recommended by the Ticketer, a short and cheerful story that was easy to enjoy.

We watched the play without any intention of role-playing, naturally laughing and cheering along.

“48%!”

As we exited the theater, Ella exclaimed excitedly.

It seemed to be a rating for the performance we just saw.

It was a rare sight to hear her measuring performance levels like that.

So, I almost blurted out, “That’s a pretty good score,” as if I knew what it meant. Just like someone who knows what it means.

Fortunately, Lumie questioned what that meant, preventing my mistake.

She looked surprised after hearing Ella’s explanation.

“100%? That’s the score of your script? Wait, does that mean the puppet show we just watched wasn’t even half-decent? Is your director’s script that amazing?”

“That’s right. Didn’t I say? I respect that person.”

Respect, huh…

It was hard to suppress a smile. The corners of my lips twitched.

Lumie glanced at me for a moment, then chuckled.

“Respect, huh? You must really admire him.”

“That’s supposed to be an amazing script? I’m curious. What level is it at? Wait, by any chance… when you were back in the World, have you ever seen a show by Veil Arno?”

“The ‘Kinema’ by Silver Veil Circus? I’ve seen it a few times.”

“What was the score for that?”

Tension crept into Lumie’s face.

Perhaps because she was always hiding behind illusions, she wasn’t skilled at concealing her expressions.

Fortunately, Ella, oblivious to the change in her mood, casually replied, “Around mid 70% or so?”

“What?”

Lumie straightened up, her gaze sharpening.

“Are you sure you saw it properly?”

“Of course. But is that such a surprising thing?”

Ella looked at her with a puzzled expression.

I urged Lumie to calm down, trying not to smile.

“Relax. It’s just personal impressions, isn’t it? Don’t take it too seriously, Lumie. Perhaps our Fairy here is just proud of illusions.”

“Oh, really? By the way, weren’t all the Silver Veil people hiding their true selves? Maybe there’s a real fairy among them.”

“Haha, still, compared to a circus with Elphi, it’s only about 70%, right?”

At my words, Lumie, who had just calmed down, once again displayed a furious expression.

However, it was problematic to argue while using the persona of the ‘Torch Dancer.’

“Even if it’s a hastily sewn mouth, you should speak properly! Didn’t you hear what this kid just said? This kid’s circus troupe has only just managed about 60%!”

“But there’s a goal of 100%, right? Veil Arno’s show is probably going to stay in the mid-70s forever, isn’t it?”

“What? Forever? Is this… ugh… unbearable?”

“Hahaha, I was just about to say, ‘Do you want to fight?'”

“Is this for real?”

“Ugh!”

The illusion rope rose again and twisted my arms and legs.

I could only roll on the floor mercilessly.

“Ehyo.”

Even though it hadn’t been long since I met Ella, she seemed tired of seeing us quarrel like this and shook her head as if she were tired of it.

“Can you stop fighting like a married couple and come on?”

“W-what? M-m-married? W-with this kid?”

Lumie turned red to her ears and waved her arms around.

Thanks to her, the illlusion weakened, and I managed to free myself from the rope.

“Yeah, that’s how it looks like we are, huh?”

Lumie protested again, but Ella pretended not to hear and turned away.

“Oh, right. I have to write a review. Then they’ll give us more RP, right?”

“Hey! Answer me!”

“I’ll wait for you at the entrance!”

Ella left us and headed towards where they wrote down the visitor’s book.

Once she was gone, silence fell between us.

As I stood up, straightening my bent arms and legs, our eyes met.

She blushed and yelled at me.

“W-what are you looking at!”

Not long after, Ella came out of the theatre.

She checked her watch and muttered.

“Still about two hours left.”

“Do you want to watch more of the performance?”

“Well, I do… but… wouldn’t it be late if we don’t leave now?”

I shook my head as if to say not to worry about it.

“Anyway, if we use the paid ticket, we’ll be moved right in front of the theatre.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes. Of course. There’s still plenty of time left, so let’s watch a little more and then go.”

“Okay. I want to reserve tickets!”

At her shout, the Ticketer appeared in the air.

He was dressed the same as before, but he looked like a different middle-aged man.

“According to the algorithm, may I recommend something similar to what you just watched?”

“No, I’ll tag it myself.”

I interjected, inserting my head between the two.

“Are you going to see Taming after all?”

“No, I’ll search for ‘Monster Circus’!”

She said so and flashed us an embarrassed smile.

“I want to see Wonderland’s performance too. After all, I’m the deputy Director of the Monster Circus. I want to help the members… and the head.”

Her noble words left me speechless.

“You really have to be nice to this one.”

Lumie whispered in my ear.

I nodded.

Monster Circus.

As the head of the group, I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of that.

If I watched the show here, I might find something helpful.

But the Ticketer, after finishing the search, shook her head slightly with a gloomy expression.

“Sorry, there are no performances registered with that tag.”

“Why?”

She asked, pressing further.

Indeed, it was strange.

The Monster Circus was an essential part of circus history.

It was the beginning of modern circuses to carry bizarre creatures in mobile wagons as attractions.

Magicians who performed at banquets, acrobats who showed off their skills on the streets, actors who acted in theatres, and jesters who entertained in palaces all joined later.

Of course, there were several reasons why there might not be a Monster Circus here.

“Maybe everyone here is indifferent to appearances after leaving their bodies?”

“Besides, this place is frequented by fairies and demons. Even if they look scary, wouldn’t it be difficult to gather an audience as Monster Circus?”

“Oh, then if our members come here, will they become unemployed?”

Ella shrugged helplessly.

“Can’t help it. Let’s watch something else. Since I chose last time, let’s let the old man and sister choose now. What do you want to watch?”

“I prefer something action-packed.”

“I prefer something with lots of singing!”

I chose ‘The Enemy Meets on a Suspension Bridge.’

It was a performance that coincidentally depicted a brawl between people with grudges meeting on a suspension bridge.

Starting with just two people, the story later involved acquaintances and passers-by, with over 20 acrobats holding each other and tumbling on the suspension bridge.

In the end, amusingly, they all fell into the river and were rescued by a passing fisherman.

“53%!”

Lumie chose ‘The Madness Kitchen,’ a play about chefs preparing a banquet in the kitchen, full of chaos, using cooking utensils and food in a unique way.

With every swing of the knife, colourful ingredients flew into the air, and pizza dough, which seemed to be several meters long, flew across the stage like a disk.

Every time flames rose from the pan, cheers and applause erupted.

“67%!”

Leaving the theatre, Lumie looked at me with a triumphant expression.

“Hah, I chose the higher one. Seems like you have no eye for viewing compared to your scriptwriting skills.”

I said with a slightly annoyed voice.

“What you chose, Lumie, was a paid performance.”

“Oh, then let’s make a bet later. Who chooses the higher one.”

“Okay, let’s do it.”

When we came out after watching the third performance, there was now less than five minutes until the execution time.

We purchased tickets from the Tickter and tore them along the dotted line, not surprised that the scenery around us suddenly distorted since we had used it once before.

Our bodies moved to the judicial theatre in the central square.

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Chapter 221: Wonderland – 24