The Fire of Vengeance
The Funny Show of the Circus (13)
“Aah. This is a fine civilization from Kitai, called ‘arson.’”
──Whoosh!
I smiled with deep satisfaction as I watched the blazing tent of the Creamsauce Circus troupe. The flames, fueled by the dry autumn air, spread with ferocious speed. The direction of the fire was headed straight for the big top where the circus show was taking place!
I guided the flames while observing the circus’s reaction.
“F-Fire!!”
“Goddammit! We finally got praised by the lord and I was looking forward to it, and now this shitstorm?!”
The remaining guests fled toward the exits as soon as the fire broke out. With thick black smoke stinging their eyes, who would want to stay? Everything was unfolding exactly as I had hoped. I grinned.
‘With the guests evacuating and the guards rushing to put out the fire, they won’t be able to keep the barrier up.’
It was painfully obvious. Since they had erected a barrier around the entire circus grounds, the only way to let the guests and guards in and out was to disable it. If a mage joined the firefighting effort, they would immediately notice the barrier’s presence and effects and launch an investigation. Anasiss had no choice but to drop the barrier now.
I made full use of my stealth effect and returned to the tent.
“Kids, come out! Operation ‘Rat Fire Mayhem’ is a go!”
“Senior! Your head is smart but your naming sense is the absolute worst☆!”
Despite receiving a completely unconvincing criticism, we set fire to the tent where we had met Bicorn and Rozanna. Two circus members remained inside, but they weren’t worth sparing. They had already noticed our presence, and burning this tent would buy the circus even more time to figure out what was happening.
“Next stop—the place where the kidnapped children are!”
At my command, the group broke into a run. The shelter for the ‘newly arrived children’ that Rozanna had mentioned was less a tent and more of a warehouse.
──Clang!
When we opened the boxes, the trapped children were revealed to the world.
“Kids, wake up!”
I pulled the children out of the boxes and shook them, but they were in such a deep sleep that they didn’t even twitch. Goddammit. Had they been put to sleep with magic or potions? With no other choice, I carefully tied them to my back with nearby cloth so their necks wouldn’t snap, then hoisted them over my shoulder. It was dangerous, but if I left them behind they would become hostages one hundred percent of the time.
──Tap tap tap!
“You bastards!! So you’re the ones who started the fire!!”
At that moment—perhaps because we had taken too long preparing our escape—a trainer holding a whip appeared, dragging along a ferocious-looking tiger.
“Grrrrrrrr……!”
The tiger snarled as if it had been drugged, completely out of its mind. Rozanna, held in Larilura’s arms, let out a scream.
“N-No……!!”
“Kuhuhu. Rozanna. You ungrateful little hunchback bitch, trying to run away after everything I’ve done for you? I’ll turn you into food for Phelps, just like your friends.”
The trainer laughed obscenely as he looked over Larilura and Franc.
“Go, Phelps!! Don’t kill the women!! Those bitches will make fine gifts for the ringmaster!!”
“Kyaaaaarrr──!!!”
The fierce tiger charged.
──Tap!
I set down the cloth bundle holding the children and dashed forward.
“Larilura!! Cover Rozanna’s eyes!!”
As I shouted, I activated Beast Regression. I didn’t draw my sword. Not because bare hands were enough. The most powerful attack I could unleash wasn’t with a blade.
“Burning Hand. Summon Cloud.”
I rapidly chanted the two spells.
──Leap!!
The tiger sprang into the air. A perfect opportunity for me. The higher it jumped, the more force its attack would carry—but its weakness would also be completely exposed!
──Whoosh!!
──Thud!!
The knife Franc threw struck the tiger’s eye with perfect accuracy. That timely support was exactly what I expected from my lovely girlfriend.
“Grrraaawr!!”
The tiger, mid-jump and trying to swing its paw, twisted violently as the knife embedded itself in its eye. I grabbed its other arm to keep my elbow from bending.
──Whoooosh!!
I charged beneath the tiger’s claws and swung my right arm, which was spewing scorching steam, in a wide arc. Five fingers blazing with fire!! In other words!
“Five Finger Inferno Strike!!”
Five burning fingers combined with the power of Beast Regression smashed into the tiger’s chest, crushing its ribs and exploding its heart.
──Thump!
Pulled down by gravity, the tiger rolled across the ground as a corpse. I offered a silent apology to the dead beast.
“Sorry. I had no grudge against you, but I couldn’t let a man-eating tiger live.”
But damn, my arm hurt like hell. I had spoken with swagger, but the ‘mungae-mungae’ series put way too much strain on my joints. Probably because the pressure output forced my muscles past their limits. Still, this was the price of a reckless technique, so I endured it. If I hadn’t done this, killing a live tiger in one blow would have been nearly impossible.
“P-Phelps!!”
The trainer let out a wail over the corpse of his killer tiger, which had died in a single strike. It was so ridiculous I almost laughed. The guy who made the tiger eat people was crying like that? Irritated, I brought the edge of my hand down on his skull.
“This bastard is making me waste mana when I’m already in a hurry!! Taste of bitter terror!!”
──Crack!!
The trainer’s head exploded from the hand chop, and he died on the spot. I canceled the magic on my hands and hoisted the cloth bundle again. Even if there weren’t many trainers left, wasting any more time would let them catch up.
“Run! The wall is right there!”
With the barrier gone, we could run in a straight line. We vaulted over the circus wall and hid in the back alley. We had finally escaped the circus’s territory.
“Phew! That was tough☆!”
Larilura set Rozanna down and breathed a sigh of relief. I took off my mask and wiped away the sweat that had built up.
“Good work. They won’t be able to chase us now. The guards will go inside, hear the situation, and start investigating the scene.”
“Ahaha♥ Now those guys are going to be running around like headless chickens, right? Not enough people, cleaning up evidence of a crime, trying to figure out what happened—they’re going to lose their minds☆!”
Larilura’s tension was sky-high, probably because she was happy we had landed a solid blow. Franc also stroked her chest in relief.
“Yeah. I’m glad everything worked out. Let’s catch our breath and evacuate the children. Nor, you said you’d wait here, right?”
“Yeah. Someone has to keep an eye on how things develop.”
I was the best person for the job of watching those bastards’ movements and responding quickly. I could hide, I was fast, I was strong, and even if I got hurt it wasn’t a big deal. It was something only I could do.
“Anyway, Larilura. You worked hard too. Thanks for helping. I survived because of you.”
I expressed my genuine gratitude. Thanks to Larilura, we had found clues and acted quickly.
“Now take the kids back to the inn where your circus troupe is staying and hide. In return, if we fail, can you tell the guards what these children went through?”
“Huh?”
When I said that, Larilura frowned as if she didn’t like it at all.
“Excuse me? What’s with that refreshing farewell line? Are you seriously telling me to go back to the inn, listen to what these kids went through, and then just sit there trembling quietly?”
“No, dummy. I know you’re angry, but your situation is different from ours.”
Franc and I had decided from the beginning that we couldn’t ignore the kidnapping and had moved actively. But Larilura was different. She had come to the Creamsauce Circus with a light heart and gotten caught up in the incident. She had a conscience; how could I ask for any more help with a straight face?
“And more importantly, I didn’t want to say it because it’s disgusting, but──”
“It’s because those humans were targeting me, right?”
Larilura cut in as if reading my mind. I shut my mouth.
“……You noticed too?”
“Of course★! Don’t underestimate the wise woman Larilura, whose hobby is reading? My head doesn’t spin as fast as Senior’s~ but I’m not stupid enough to miss humans trying to put a collar around my neck♡!”
Her tone was playful, but the content was chilling. To think she could speak so brightly even after knowing the kidnapper had marked her body. It seemed the profession of first-rate clown required acting talent as well.
“So you’re saying you’ll join us in beating those bastards down?”
“Yes! Whether they wanted to smash my face, rip out my vocal cords, or turn me into a convenient circus slave♡? I’m not the kind of spineless girl who would just let something that annoying slide☆!”
Baring her teeth, Larilura glared in the direction of the circus. In her eyes, I sensed a rage on the same level as my own.
“Sigh, fine. It doesn’t look like you’ll listen even if I say more. I’ll wait here, so leave the kids with me and come back.”
“Hehe. Don’t worry! I may not be able to kill a house-sized tiger in one blow like someone, but I can fight well enough☆? I’ll come back with my secret weapon!”
Larilura revealed her fighting spirit. A secret weapon, huh. Was she going to bring some kind of marionette golem?
“Nor. Use this. Your arm is injured, right?”
At that moment, Franc, who had been checking on the collapsed children, handed me a potion. She must have noticed me flinching. I felt a little embarrassed.
“You two are reading my mind so perfectly. I’m dying of shame.”
“Stop talking nonsense and heal already.”
“Yes ma’am.”
For some reason, Franc’s tone had been getting harsher lately. Maybe because she was watching me push my body without caring for it in real time? If our positions were reversed, I’d probably get angry too. It looked like I was destined to be kept on a tight leash by this adorable wife of mine.
──Splash.
I took the potion I had entrusted to Franc and applied the wound-recovery potion to my upper arm. The two of them stood up, carrying the children.
“We’ll be back soon. You be careful too, Nor.”
“You too. Those guys probably won’t chase you, but stay on guard so nothing happens, okay?”
“Hehe, trust me. We’ll be back in no time.”
With that, Franc and Larilura left to evacuate the children. I left the pony behind because its appearance was way too noticeable. I planned to release it when the three of us launched our next assault.
“Fire!! Bring Lord Dirgori and the others!!”
“Hurry and evacuate the citizens!! The flames aren’t that bad, so don’t panic!!”
The guards seemed to be organizing the situation at the circus grounds. The fire was quickly suppressed, and a young trainer came out to give a statement.
Bicorn: My dear, are those not the humans’ peace-keeping forces? Will you not ask them for assistance?
Me: Peace-keeping forces? You know some difficult words.
The pony lay down in the back alley and asked. I let out a small laugh.
Me: I’d like to, but it’s difficult. There’s a very high chance that bribes have flowed to their superiors.
Bicorn: If the lord accepted bribes and put up a blood shield, it will be hard to properly punish the circus. They are also foreigners, so they have plenty of excuses.
Me: I could report their evil deeds. But if it were me, I would cut off a few of the trainers I used as subordinates like a lizard’s tail and escape. Then I would prepare to kill those who ruined my business.
Bicorn: You would push the violence committed against Rozanna and the others onto your subordinates and run? The ecology of humans is truly ugly.
Me: Hehe. I’ll admit that. Why? Are you any different?
Bicorn: Not particularly. Those of us abandoned by fate, like we bicorns, have no means of survival other than tearing at our own kind until we perish, or joining forces to live on. We chose the latter and thus survived.
Me: That doesn’t sound like something to be proud of?
Bicorn: Hehe. I completely agree with that.
Even while having that conversation, I didn’t let my guard down and continued monitoring the circus’s movements. I watched for nearly thirty minutes, but no one left and no one entered. That was when it happened.
“Meow……”
──Flinch.
A cat’s cry? I looked down at my feet. A blood-soaked cat had come and stopped in front of me. My mind instantly understood what had happened, but accepting it as reality was incredibly difficult.
──Thud!
The cat collapsed as if it had run out of strength. Startled, I pulled it into my arms.
“Hey, you idiot! What the hell happened to you?!”
Bicorn: My dear, do you know this cat?
Me: It’s injured. But not critically. The blood… belongs to the other children.
Other children?
“Ah, fuck.”
Come to think of it, the other two weren’t there. Had only this one survived and returned? My mind fell into chaos.
‘Did they really target Erika? When the hell did they—?’
I had imagined they might target Erika. Anasiss had been aiming for Larilura from the start. And Erika had become close to her after meeting her. If Anasiss knew that, it was only natural he would have done something to the girl as well. But even knowing that, I hadn’t been too wary. I thought there was no way they could kidnap Erika in broad daylight while the guards were patrolling.
‘Did the fire make the guards stop patrolling?’
I thought that, but the probability was low. The guards must have also been wary of the kidnappers’ diversion tactics; they had only deployed the minimum necessary personnel to the fire. The rest should still be guarding the surrounding streets.
Bicorn: My dear, is there no way to restore my mana? If I treat this child and hear the situation, it should be fine.
The pony spoke to me as I stood there in confusion. Could this guy even heal?
Me: Mana recovery? Damn, I only have potions. Will this even work on you?
Bicorn: Potion. That mysterious liquid humans make. It doesn’t matter. Let me drink it.
Me: Here. Open wide.
I took out a mana potion from my pouch and made the pony drink it. I tilted the bottle so it poured straight into its mouth. The pony drank nearly half the bottle.
Bicorn: Enough. Any more mana recovery would be useless since my stamina is depleted and I wouldn’t be able to use it properly.
“Is that enough? Then can you cast that telepathy magic on this one too?”
Bicorn: ……You want me to speak with a cat as well? Very well. I shall do so.
The pony nodded and chanted runes in succession.
“ᚢ (Uruz). ᚴ (Kaunan).”
The pony somehow managed to produce human pronunciation with its horse vocal cords. Before I could even be amazed by that fact, the cat’s wounds began healing rapidly.
Bicorn: I have closed the wounds, but its stamina has not returned. I have connected its mind with the ᚴ (Kaunan) rune, so speak with your heart.
“Thank you.”
I thanked the pony and asked the cat. Even without hearing the story, I could guess, but I was grasping at straws.
Me: How did you get these wounds? Who did this to you?
Cat: ……A human woman… in black clothes….
Cat: And the young human you asked us to watch… walked into that place on her own….
Me: ──What?
Cat: We followed her inside… but a weapon used by humans flew at us…. My friends… were hit and died….
My heart sank at the word “died.” It meant those cats had lost their lives because of the favor I had asked of them. In this other world where even humans died like flies, stray cats were creatures that lived day to day. I knew that well, but hearing they died because of me felt completely different.
Cat: The human woman… threw me outside.
Cat: I was lying collapsed over there… then I caught your scent and came…. Please… avenge… my friends….
──Thud!
The cat, while speaking, lost consciousness and collapsed. I hurriedly checked its pulse. Its heart was beating. It had only fainted.
Bicorn: What did the child say? I cannot understand a cat’s words.
Me: ……The kid I was trying to protect walked into the circus we just escaped from on her own.
Bicorn: I see. Then it is one of two things. Either a traitor, or she was being controlled.
The pony pointed it out coldly. At those words, I felt as if I had been hit in the back of the head; my vision went blank. Controlled?
“──Ah.”
Without any exaggeration or metaphor, that was exactly the answer.
“……Puppetry.”
The Puppetry magic that connected threads of mana to control objects. That was the magic Anasiss used on his targets.