Freak Show of the Circus (18): The Price of Fifteen Copper Was No Decoration
The price of one night at fifteen copper was no mere decoration. “Wow, holy shit, this is incredible,” I muttered in awe as I removed my mask inside the special room I had been led to. I had dismissed it as some backwater rural territory, but the place was genuinely impressive. It looked like it was worth every copper of that nightly rate.
Sinking deep. “Ooh… ohhh.” The moment I lay down on the bed, it enveloped me in unbelievable softness and comfort. Tonight was guaranteed to be an amazing sleep.
Franc took off her coat as well and let out a sigh of wonder. “It’s beautiful. It feels like a mansion.”
“Let’s make a lot of money later and live somewhere like this,” I told her.
“Hehe. Then we’ll both have to work incredibly hard.”
Franc laughed softly and came over to my side. “All right, Nor. Take your clothes off.”
“Huh?”
What did she just say? My eyes widened. Was she suggesting we have a quick round? Hmm. I was pretty tired right now. Even I, with my usually insatiable libido, never imagined I would react this way to Franc’s invitation, but the thought of exerting myself felt genuinely exhausting.
“Franc. Can we do it tomorrow—no, later tonight after we get some rest? I’m so tired I don’t think I can even get hard.”
“Stop talking nonsense and take off your top. I want to look at your wounds.”
“Ah, yes.”
My girlfriend had grown remarkably assertive. No, her tone and eyes still overflowed with love, but it felt like her maternal instincts had leveled up. It was the gaze of a mother watching her once helpless newborn—someone she had simply protected with pure happiness—now all grown up and walking on her own two feet. I could sense a firm resolve to correct any misbehavior strictly.
Oh shit.
I pulled off my top, revealing my pumped-up muscles. Franc gently ran her fingers across my back.
“This will probably leave a scar. Nor, you weren’t poisoned during the fight earlier, were you? Are you really okay?”
“I’m fine now. I drank an antidote potion too.”
“Let’s rest a little and then visit the temple. What if something goes wrong?”
“Yeah, yeah. We’ll go.”
Later, if I ever had to drag Franc to a hospital, I was strictly forbidden from saying things like “I don’t want to” or “I’m fine.” I changed clothes again and headed to the temple with her.
“No abnormalities detected.”
The young priest wrapped up the examination in ten minutes and then hard-sold me a ten-copper antidote. It was a cheap product with slow effects and inexpensive ingredients. Supposedly it broke down paralytic poisons. The taste was so foul and bitter that I genuinely wondered if this was what semen tasted like.
“Bleeegh.”
“Nor, can you still eat?”
“Yeah. I’ll eat anything just to wash this taste out of my mouth…”
While we were at it, we bought some suitable food as well. The only miscalculation about the fifteen-copper inn was that we had to keep wearing Arthur Wayne’s mask, which meant we couldn’t eat in the dining hall.
“Did you hear? They say the kidnappers turned out to be a circus troupe!”
“Of course I heard. Who’d dare go watch a circus after that?”
I overheard the conversation while buying some rather expensive ham at the grocery store. The owner was chatting with a few idle middle-aged men.
“Maybe that’s why, but I heard the Flangunkula Circus Troupe is leaving after today’s show. To celebrate the kidnappers’ capture, they’re making tonight’s performance free!”
“That’s a relief. Good to know they’re leaving while showing some tact.”
“Since it’s come to this, shall we go watch the free circus? We skipped it before because we didn’t want to spend the money, so the last show might be worth it.”
“Heh. I’ll think about it.”
We left the store behind the sound of their chatter. Franc tilted her masked head.
“Did you hear that? Larilura’s circus troupe is giving their final performance tonight. They’re leaving Heisvent tomorrow.”
“Yeah. Unless their next stop is Sargadis, this really will be goodbye.”
It was quite regretful, but the world was nothing but a series of meetings and partings. Holding them back would have been nothing but selfish interference on our part.
“Franc. Should we go say goodbye tonight? We can cleanse our eyes after watching that awful freak show and say our farewells properly.”
“Let’s do that. Larilura would probably come say goodbye before leaving anyway, but it would be faster if we went to her.”
And so we decided to attend the circus one last time that night. It would leave a terrible aftertaste if the final circus we saw was that nightmarish abuse show. Besides, I didn’t want to make Larilura come looking for us early in the morning.
Chomp chomp. We returned to the inn and ate. Come to think of it, we hadn’t eaten anything all day, so nearly a full day’s worth of food disappeared into our stomachs. Franc devoured two loaves of bread and a mountain of smoked ham before flopping over.
“Nor. This is the first time I’ve ever eaten this much in one sitting.”
“Same here. It’s a new record.”
All the groceries we had bought in bulk vanished, but it made sense. We had spent the entire day fighting, running, and enduring soul-draining tension while starving.
After our belated meal, while organizing our belongings, something suddenly occurred to me. I told Franc where I was going and headed alone to the former site of the Creamsauce Circus.
“──Ah.”
Where the cats’ bodies had lain, someone had already built a grave. The Germania-style tomb was so crudely made that it clearly hadn’t been crafted by an adult. I could guess who was responsible.
Must have been Bicorn.
I wondered if that pony had managed to escape the city properly. No matter how freely she could fire off rune magic, getting over the walls or past the guards couldn’t have been easy.
Thinking that, I knelt on one knee before the grave.
“…I’m sorry. It’s not much, but please accept this as compensation.”
Plop. I placed fish in front of the two cats’ graves—three for each. They were the most expensive and delicious fish I could find in the city.
“Still, I got revenge for you two.”
The captured Roman and Anasis were scheduled to be executed after their interrogation. Even though they were foreigners, they had committed far too many crimes within the country. An executor would apparently come from Romania to carry out the sentence.
An executor is basically a downgraded version of a heresy inquisitor, so they have no chance of survival.
Even nobles ended up ruined or beheaded when an executor got involved. For a former circus master and clown whose assets had been seized, there would be no escape even if the sky itself collapsed.
I clasped my hands and prayed for the cats’ souls. Just like on Earth, cats were beloved creatures in this world too. In myths they even held luxurious positions such as pulling a goddess’s chariot. So if an afterlife existed, I hoped they would meet good owners there. I was non-religious, but I figured I at least had the right to wish for that much.
After visiting the cats’ graves and returning, it was soon time for the circus to begin.
“It’s not even seven yet.”
“If we arrive late and there are no seats left, it’ll all be for nothing.”
To secure good seats, Franc and I headed to the colosseum a little earlier than the performance time. We wore our masks and robes as well.
“Ah! Could you two be the gentleman and lady couple over there?!”
At the entrance, the circus member guiding guests spotted us and spread both arms wide.
“Excuse me! Are you Mr. Wayne and his companions?!”
“Yes, that’s us. Is something wrong?”
I asked with slight tension. We had requested anonymity after resolving the kidnapping case. If word had leaked from the guards, someone might recognize us. After all, rumors had a way of traveling far.
Fortunately, what the circus member said next was something else entirely.
“No, it’s just—the director left instructions that if you arrived, we were to escort you to the special room! She rented out an entire special box in the colosseum just to express her gratitude!”
“I see.”
It seemed this member was simply following Alexandra’s orders. Still, renting out a special room when she didn’t even know if we would show up felt a bit burdensome. Nevertheless, I followed obediently. There didn’t appear to be any empty seats anyway. Even though we had arrived quite early, the words “free performance” had drawn a surprisingly large crowd.
Slide. We were led by the staff member to the place called the special room.
But waiting for us there were people we had never expected to see. The giant Siamese twin, the one-armed man and woman, the man without lower limbs, and the man without both arms—they were none other than the performers from the freak show.
“Oh! You’ve come!”
They looked delighted when Franc and I appeared. However, their bodies remained stiff and they didn’t approach us. I could roughly guess why. Having lived as disabled people, they were probably afraid of receiving disgust or fear from us.
So I offered a handshake first. I wasn’t some fucking racist who judged people by their appearance.
“Yes. I’m glad to see you all looking well. I’m Arthur Wayne.”
“I-I’m Spike Oldsryan. The left head is my younger brother Bravo, and I’m Spike, the one speaking right now.”
“Nice to meet you, Spike. And Bravo.”
They awkwardly shook hands with Franc and me. With the man who had no arms at all, we exchanged bows.
“Ah, hello.”
“Hello.”
Franc, who had once been frightened by their appearances, now spoke to them with surprising gentleness, as if that fear had been a lie. Indeed, the dark tent that had created such a horrifying atmosphere and this bright special room felt completely different.
After finishing our greetings, I asked carefully, “So what brings you here today?”
“We… wanted to thank you,” Spike, the Siamese twin, seemed to be the representative. He bowed deeply to both Franc and me. “Thank you for helping us. We managed to thank Miss Larilura, but we never got the chance to properly meet the two of you…”
“Please don’t worry about that. It’s embarrassing to admit, but honestly, I didn’t have the confidence to take responsibility for your future treatment as well.”
I deliberately spoke the truth. Their gratitude felt burdensome. Neither Franc nor I had thought about how these disabled performers would survive after losing their positions in the freak show.
“We simply couldn’t overlook what Roman and Anasis were doing. It would be fair to say that receiving thanks from you is somewhat misplaced.”
“Even so,” Spike said, lowering his gaze. His brother Bravo, sharing the same body, continued.
“We lived pretending not to see the children’s deaths and suffering.”
“I know.”
“…Yes. We tried desperately to ignore our guilt and mistook the circus bastards’ violence as some kind of punishment handed down to us. Even though our own pain offered no comfort to those children whatsoever. That’s why—”
“You have already done your part simply by exposing the circus troupe’s corruption.”
I chose not to listen to the end. Without my translation ability, if I had been dragged to a battlefield as an arrow-shield slave, I might have done things no better than them. It was wrong to pin blame on fellow victims who had endured the same pain.
“At least, that’s what I believe.”
“…Thank you.”
The group of disabled performers bowed their heads once more. I simply told them what I thought was right.
“If I may overstep, the apology you just made should be directed to the kidnapped children.”
“We have apologized to the children many times. They are either returning to their hometowns or being placed in the orphanage here. Since they are still young, the healers say that with proper treatment and posture correction they can return to normal.”
“Really?” Franc unconsciously placed a hand over her chest in relief. I felt the same way.
“That’s good news.”
Then perhaps Rozanna’s hunched back could be healed as well? Just hearing that made me feel that meeting these people again had been meaningful.
The one-armed dwarf woman who introduced herself as Niwera spoke. “We were also invited by Miss Alexandra to join this circus troupe. She said that if we can prove our abilities, she will continue to employ us.”
“I’m sure you’ll all manage just fine.”
“Haha. We’ll do our best. As for the animals… it’s a little unfortunate, but they’ve apparently found new owners. I heard they cannot simply be released into the wild.”
“I see.”
I had no response to that. Since those animals had joined me in the fight for freedom, I wanted to look after them, but releasing them only for them to harm people would be bitterly ironic. The struggle for survival in the wild or the comfort of captivity—which was better depended entirely on time and place.
“An animal merchant is coming from Germania, so we’ll remain in this city until then.”
“I sincerely hope a good future awaits all of you.”
I spoke from the heart. Of course such words alone held little meaning, yet Spike and the others nodded as if deeply moved.
“That is all we wanted to say. Our skills are still lacking, so we will not be appearing in the show, but please enjoy the circus.”
“Yes. Have a safe journey.”
So the former freak show performers left after expressing their gratitude.
In the now-empty spacious special room, Franc sighed as the cold night air brushed against her. “I feel strangely unsettled.”
“Me too. I hope everything works out well for all of them.”
It was irresponsible, but there was nothing more we could do than pray for their happiness. After all, we had no intention of playing the role of saints by shouldering responsibility for other people’s lives.