Chapter 23: Assistant Ringmaster Ella (4)
Ella opened her eyes.
A luxurious single room.
Though she had only stayed here for a few days, the view inside the room had become quite familiar to her.
Honestly, she felt more at home here than in the carriage she had been traveling in for the past six months.
It was a cozy, soft, and warm space.
She couldn't help but feel regret that she would be leaving here tomorrow.
Chick would find its way here on its own.
It was a clever one.
She took off her hat.
She intended to continue practicing Inspira.
This time, it was Dub's turn.
Inside her hat, a white dove lay nestled, sound asleep.
"Dub, wake up. Let's fly."
It blinked its eyes and then lightly pecked at her hand a few times, a signal that it found it bothersome to be awakened from his sleep.
But it didn't refuse the walk.
Dub managed to get up from the hat, hopped out, spread its wings, and flew out of the window.
The dove quickly disappeared as if it had been released from a cage.
The ship continued on its course, whether or not passengers were still on it or not.
Ella waited calmly.
Before long, she saw something bright approaching from the sky.
Although it was night-time, the area around the ship was brightly lit by navigation lights, so Dub's flight was clearly visible.
What would the view from the sky be like?
Ella closed her eyes and silently called Dub's name three times.
Inspira was activated.
Her vision brightened significantly.
She could see what the dove saw and hear what the dove heard.
Ah!
At the sudden exclamation in its mind, Dub was taken aback and wobbled in mid-air a few times.
Despite experiencing this several times in the past few days, it seemed that hearing her voice in its mind was still unsettling for it.
Ella reassured it and then enjoyed the night sky from above.
The dark sky adorned with the bright moon and stars.
The ship's lights illuminated the surroundings, making it easy to see, even at night.
She couldn't distinguish where the sky ended and where the ship began.
Even if she was there directly, she probably wouldn't notice any difference.
It's getting better now.
She wasn't hearing the loud engine noises from the engine room.
Although she could only share visual and auditory senses, it was enough.
Her once stifling chest felt like it had been pierced.
Then, a glimmering golden strand caught her eye in the corner of her vision.
Dub seemed to have seen it too as he turned its head.
Oh, damn.
Ella recognized the object of her admiration and swallowed the scream she was about to let out.
Because Dub could be surprised again.
The object of her admiration was a strand of hair from the person she hated most in the world.
Frank Wonderstein.
He was leaning against the window, drinking tea.
His blond hair fluttered in the wind.
Ella tried to calm herself.
She knew from the past few days' experiences.
If she got lost in hatred, Inspira would leave her.
She had just enjoyed the feeling of clarity while looking at the night sky, and she didn't want to return to the corner of the room and sigh in defeat.
Stay calm.
Stay calm...
But despite repeating it in her mind, her heart boiled even more.
Is this okay?
To suppress the hatred for that devil just to keep this meagre talent?
Regret and self-blame grew.
Suddenly, her vision turned black and then returned to the sky.
The connection with Inspira had been severed, even if only briefly.
Yeah. Let's just look away. There's no need to dirty my mind by looking at something disgusting, right?
"Dub, get closer so he can't see you."
Dub?
However, Dub only hesitated with its head and stayed in place.
Her vision turned black again and then returned.
Inspira was weakening.
"Fly forward! It's an order!"
Dub whimpered.
If Ella had been a bit calmer, she might have realized the warning in its cry.
But due to her anxiety about when Inspira might disappear again, she acted hastily and didn't hear what Dub was trying to say.
Whooosh...
Ella suddenly encountered a strong gust of wind as she followed the directions.
It was an instinctual reaction for the winged creature to perceive and avoid.
The headwind created as the ship moved forward.
She collided head-on with it.
"Ouch!"
Ella instinctively leaped forward.
She felt herself being pushed backward, a natural reflex like response.
The problem was...
At that moment, her connection with Inspira was cut off...
Ella's original body was in front of the window.
Ella was thrown out of the window.
"Ah."
Her body was plummeting towards the river.
She had to scream.
But Ella couldn't make a sound; her throat was blocked.
The black river filled her vision.
Splash.
A fairly loud sound of water as a person fell.
Normally, the deck crew should have heard the sound, but unfortunately...
Because of another ship approaching from the other side, they were signalling with a loud noise, and Ella's fall went unnoticed.
No one on the ship knew she had fallen.
Except for one person.
["Party Quest - Save Me!" has been activated.]
Wonderstein read the quest notification in shock.
Ella had fallen into the river?
What on earth...
An unexpected rescue message.
Wonderstein immediately requested what was needed from the Evolution Research Institute.
It happened to be past midnight, and he had accumulated a significant number of debulroots based on his average likability and reputation.
Thirty or so debulroots disappeared in an instant.
Membranes grew between his fingers and toes, and gills opened by his neck.
This form of Wonderstein.
He had seen it once in the game.
He took off his shoes and jumped out of the window.
His body submerged into the cold, dark water.
Bo- Boong-
Fortunately, the ship they were on had slowed down due to the approaching ship.
Ella was not far away.
He saw a white dove circling a certain point, crying out pitifully.
Damn it. I don't know how to swim.
Should I just paddle my arms and legs?
But it was fortunate that he could breathe through the gills.
The problem was that Ella didn't have such abilities.
Wonderstein swam towards her in haste.
***
A small town near the Nevada desert, Alamo.
Originally, it was just an ordinary town with nothing special, where merchants passing through the desert briefly rested.
But fifteen years ago, an retired old acrobat established a circus school, and the town became quite lively.
The school's operator, known as 'Master,' always wore a mask due to his face being badly disfigured in an accident.
However, even the townsfolk who had never seen a proper circus in their lives could feel that his skills were extraordinary.
He took in orphaned children and taught them various talents.
"Our trio of strongmen will show off their strength in 5 minutes!"
"First, I'll give you a simple demonstration! Here we go!"
A boy with a crew cut took a sturdy-looking rock in his hand and smashed it against his forehead.
The onlookers gasped, but when they saw the rock split neatly in half, they exclaimed in amazement.
The boy raised the broken rock, showing it off with both arms.
"Come see our show!"
"You won't regret it!"
"We'll even throw a mountain for you!"
These kids had a surprising amount of charisma.
The merchants were impressed by their showmanship and applauded.
"These kids are pretty good for their age."
"They're not bad at all! Should we go watch this after all?"
"I saw them in the morning, and those tightrope-walking kids were amazing."
"I'm going to watch the kids rolling barrels."
The students of the circus school performed for travellers passing through the town.
The school provided them with a place to sleep, two meals a day (breakfast and dinner), and a practice space.
The rest had to be earned with their respective talents.
Thanks to the Master's versatility, the students could choose talents that suited them and earn pocket money.
Strength performances.
Juggling.
Tightrope walking.
Animal taming.
Archery.
The five basic acrobatics commonly referred to as the "traditional five" in the circus.
He was a master who excelled in everything, but there was something he couldn't teach here due to circumstances.
That something was animal training.
While it was easy for him to personally create training tools by hammering and nailing for other skills, he couldn't do that for animal training.
Elephants, lions, horses, and more.
The large animals often used in the circus required a huge amount of money just for their food.
In a situation where even the funds for the children were tight, there was no money to feed the animals.
So, there was no one here who specialized in animal training.
Except for one person...
"Three minutes until the start of Ella's animal show!"
The energetic voice of the girl turned the heads of passing travellers.
However, after confirming the two animals in front of her, they wore disappointed expressions and continued on their way.
Pigeon and mice...
At the very least, they should have eagles...
There were occasional inquiries about other animals, but every time, the girl would answer that these two were all she had.
"Ella. It looks like you're disappointed again today."
"Are you skipping lunch again? Hehe."
"Well, she's not that tall, little Ella."
Friends passing by teased her like that.
Ella glared at them with a resentful expression.
"If you're not going to help, then get lost."
"Tsk, why does the kid who's good at other tricks keep insisting on animal training?"
The children left, clicking their tongues.
Ella sat down on the ground with a sulky expression.
She was not someone who didn't know the reality.
Even if it was her, she wouldn't watch an animal show with just pigeon and mice, leaving other circuses behind.
Should she really switch to a different skill?
But I really want to do animal training.
If only she could get an offer from a wealthy circus.
She sighed deeply while looking at the ground with a vacant expression.
At that moment, a voice addressed her.
"Three minutes have passed."
Huh?
Ella raised her head.
In front of her stood a tall man.
His black suit was out of place in the midsummer Nevada.
With a handsome face and fair skin, he had dazzling blond hair.
Naturally, his presence was striking.
He smiled at Ella and said, "The animal show. Are you not doing it?"
"Uh... well, I was just about to..."
Ella got up from her seat and straightened her dishevelled clothes.
After greeting him, she began her prepared show.
What she presented were various tricks that made good use of the characteristics of pigeons and mice.
There was no grandeur, but thanks to the right timing and pacing, once you started watching, it didn't get boring, and you could immerse yourself in it.
She had worked all night to revise the script and had practiced with the children countless times to prepare.
Expectation, satisfaction, surprise.
She incorporated all three elements of a good performance.
"And that's the end of the performance!"
Ella, Dub, and Chick bowed in unison to the audience.
The man applauded enthusiastically, mixed with expressions of admiration.
"Really impressive, isn't it? Did you prepare all of this by yourself?"
"Well, yes... hehe."
It was the first time Ella had received such praise from an audience.
Her master and friends who understood scripts, acting, and composition could recognize her efforts, but the audience, who only enjoyed the spectacle, often dismissed her show as mundane.
But today, a man she had never seen before acknowledged her show.
He was undoubtedly someone with an eye for the circus.
"Are you also affiliated with the circus?" Ella asked.
The man, with a smile as generous as his words, replied, "Hoho, I'm a magician preparing to establish a circus."
"A magician..."
Indeed, it made sense that someone in this field would be here.
"What's your name?"
"I'm Frank Wonderstein. Oh, you don't have to strain yourself trying to remember. I don't have much of a reputation."
Ella nodded.
At this point, she had more or less made up her mind.
Or maybe she wouldn't have followed him around until late afternoon.
Frank Wonderstein.
Kind, trustworthy, and someone with a knack for the circus.
He was reliable.
"But my master might object. He always tries to place us in a circus at least two ranks higher. He might oppose it if it's a fledgling circus..."
At her words, Frank Wonderstein's eyes sharpened like a sudden glint in the sunset.
Was it a trick of the twilight?
He smiled as steadily as ever and said, "Don't worry. I have confidence in convincing him. Perhaps, if the two of us have a conversation... he'll understand."
Wonderstein extended his hand for a handshake.
Ella shook his hand firmly with both of her hands.
"Well then, I'll take care of the business. Let's meet again in a few weeks, Ella."
"Yes. Mr. Wonderstein... I mean, Ringmaster! Please come take a look! You must come! Definitely!"
Ella waved him off with a bright smile.
Wonderstein kept his promise.
A few weeks later, he returned to Alamo, having resolved the issue of convincing her master.
In a rather terrible way.
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