Circus Lightitia (2)
Thud— A heavy drumbeat reverberated throughout the entire colosseum. Two identical twins, their only visible difference a single small mole on one’s face.
“Hiya—!”
Whoosh! They had been walking slowly when they suddenly launched into tumbling, flipping through the air in a whirlwind of somersaults that drew every eye in the crowd as they reached the center of the stage. The men beating the large and small drums followed behind, but the twins’ sheer presence had already pushed them into the background.
Thump! Thump-thump! Only the passionate drumming announced that they, too, were part of the performance.
“The bald twins!!!”
“Look at those bodies! They’re like living statues!!”
The twins bellowed back at the audience’s shouts.
“Don’t call us bald or octopuses or any other nonsense! We have names—Jas and Bas!”
Thump-thump-thump!
“Let’s go, little brother!”
“After you, big brother!”
The twins loosened up to the ceaseless rhythm of the drums, then began their real performance.
Pat. Pa-ba-bak! Whoosh— The elder brother executed a backflip and landed on his younger brother’s hand, spinning like a top without losing balance.
“Hah! Cha!”
They separated, sprinted, and the younger brother stepped onto the elder’s head. From there, they performed separate high-difficulty maneuvers while remaining connected.
“Everyone, watch closely!!”
Fwoosh!! Brown flames of mana suddenly ignited in their hands. Spinning rapidly, they created a whirlwind.
“We’re ready—throw them!”
At the twins’ signal, magic circles appeared across the stage and launched boulders the size of torsos toward them. The twins shattered the projectiles mid-air with explosive axe kicks, their bodies wreathed in mana flames.
Tak— Kwaang!! It resembled a modern taekwondo performance where practitioners leaped high to break boards with consecutive kicks. The audience erupted as the twins pulverized every incoming boulder with single legs.
“Bald twins!!! Bald twins!!!”
“Jas and Bas! You’re the best!!”
“Show us more flashy moves!!”
Spurred on, the twins performed increasingly outrageous aerial acrobatics. For their finale, they placed a boulder the size of a house in front of them and pressed their bodies together like a decalcomania, assuming identical stances.
“Hoo.”
“Haa.”
Sssss. Whether through some special technique or not, they compressed the flames covering their bodies into single fists. Exchanging glances, the twins counted aloud in powerful voices.
“Three!”
The quick-witted audience joined in.
“Two!”
Crack—
“One!”
“Uwoooaaah!!!”
With thunderous battle cries, the twins thrust their fists forward in perfect unison.
Kwaaaang——!!! The sound of an exploding bomb shook the arena. Everyone expected the boulder to shatter under that full-powered strike.
But even the spectators were stunned when the rock didn’t merely break—it was crushed into the shape of a giant’s fist, then completely disintegrated into fine powder.
“Waaaaaaaah!!!”
—Clap clap clap clap! Men, women, young and old alike erupted in thunderous applause at the sheer impact of the performance.
“Incredible. I never imagined something that large could vanish without a trace in an instant…”
Even Lumia’s eyes had widened in surprise.
‘I didn’t know her eyes could get this big. She always wears that languid, expressionless face, so of course I wouldn’t have known.’
“Haha! If someone asked me to pick the most memorable scene from today’s performance, I think I’d choose your surprised face, Lumia.”
Of course her usual face was beautiful, but the lively expression now brimming with emotion was equally lovely. Lumia twisted her body in embarrassment.
“Ugh. Stop. I-I’m embarrassed…”
She covered her reddened face with her hands, yet her cat ears fluttered as if begging for more. What a cute girl.
‘Yeah. Little by little, we can overwrite those bad memories with good ones. This is a good sign.’
“That concludes the performance by Lightitia’s martial artist brothers, Jas and Bas! We hope you all enjoyed the show!!”
The twins’ act ended amid a frenzy of excitement, and the audience lingered in the afterglow.
—Murmur murmur.
Flash! But the moment was brief. Suddenly, the glowing orbs floating in the sky dimmed, plunging the arena into pitch-black darkness.
“W-What?! All the lights went out!”
“Is this an accident?”
“What kind of surprise are they showing us now?”
“Kek. I saw it yesterday, so I know! The only show that starts with this kind of staging is Asan’s! It’s the blind swordsman Asan’s turn!!”
The blind swordsman Asan? Right. I remembered hearing voices shouting about “Asan oppa” mixed in with the crowd’s cheers when the circus began.
Pat! Paat—!
“Ooooh!!”
“Oppa!!!”
The orbs that had gone dark flared back to life, illuminating the surroundings. Most of the light converged on the center of the stage.
I turned my gaze toward the single point of concentrated light. There stood a man with shaggy hair, wearing a black dobok unlike anything sold in ordinary clothing stores, an eyepatch tightly bound over his eyes, and a sword held calmly at his side. He looked to be just past thirty.
“Wow, he’s handsome in a really atmospheric way. Now I understand why the women go crazy for him.”
“In my eyes—no, objectively speaking, Aren is better.”
“…Huh?”
The casual compliment caught me off guard, leaving me flustered and strangely pleased. As I turned my head, Lumia was already leaning forward, looking at me with an expectant expression. I immediately reached out and stroked her head and ears.
“Hehe.”
Her eyes slowly closed and the corners of her mouth lifted slightly.
“Hah!”
At that moment, Asan let out a battle cry from the center of the stage.
‘Oh. It’s finally starting.’
Click. Asan’s show began with a powerful draw of his sword from its sheath.
Shwaak!
“Cha-at!”
The blade traced a graceful arc through the air. Reflected in the concentrated light, the gleaming sword radiated a sharp aura that promised to cut through anything.
Asan swung his sword lightly and fluidly with his right hand, then shifted into steady, deliberate footwork. A low hum resonated.
“That’s sword aura! Uwaaaah!!!”
“Even though he’s blind, he’s reached that level… It’s obvious how much effort he’s put in!”
Sword aura, huh. ‘There’s definitely a clear difference from simply imbuing the blade with mana. Is that the next step I need to take as a swordsman?’
I had once scoffed at the men at the next table talking about “enlightenment” or whatever, thinking such grand things couldn’t possibly happen while simply enjoying entertainment. That had been a mistaken thought born of ignorance.
The honest downward slash, cloaked in a clear sky-blue sword aura, carried the traces of honest, dedicated training.
Whoosh. Shwaaak—! Advance and retreat. Sometimes twisting his body, sometimes turning, the sword dance combined light footwork with heavy, grounded steps. In that display, I could glimpse the years he had spent pushing himself relentlessly despite his blindness.
“Uwooo!!!”
“Hup!”
The sword dance wasn’t the end. Shadowy figures clad in black clothing and masks burst from various points on the stage, weapons drawn, attacking Asan.
“Kyaaak!! Aren’t those monsters?!”
“Calm down! This is all part of the scripted performance! Look, Asan isn’t panicking at all—he’s swinging his sword just fine!”
They were right. It was an extension of the sword dance he had shown earlier. A breathtaking sequence of exchanges, as if in real combat, made the flashing sword in Asan’s hand stand out even more.
I could see it. The countless trajectories of sword paths flowing from each of his subtle movements. The unwavering tip of his blade and the solid foundation of his footwork supporting everything!
Swordsmanship comprehension has increased dramatically.
Throb! “Kugh!”
“Huh? Aren!”
Chaos says you should close your eyes now. If you keep overusing Chaos Eyes to chase after achievements beyond your current level, the pain will only grow worse.
I had been staring wide-eyed, trying to absorb every detail of Asan’s sword dance, when blood vessels burst in my eyes and a stabbing pain, as if someone were driving an awl into them, assaulted me. I had unconsciously overreached for things still beyond my level.
‘Still, it hurts like hell… but thanks to it, I think I’ve grasped something.’
[Chaos says that since you’re always worrying it, you should take better care of your body too.]
Coming to see the circus was definitely the right choice.
***
“Aaaah. I think I overdid it as the opening act. I’m exhausted, so exhausted.”
Shurika slumped her shoulders and let out a drained complaint.
“But it was worth it since everyone loved it. Hehe, whether it’s the Labyrinth or whatever, getting attention from people is the best, right? It’s always thrilling! So much fun!”
Shurika stood with her hand over her mouth, giggling. They had rented the colosseum for several days with the circus troupe’s shared funds to put on a big joint performance.
‘The results are more than satisfying. Even though it cost a fortune, with our level we won’t be struggling for money. Well, the minor details are the director’s problem!’
They said the circular theater in the 5th district was famous enough that anyone who had spent time in Labyrinth City would know it. As expected, hundreds of spectators had gathered today.
‘Of course, Lightitia’s fame played a part too. Yawn… I need to rest until my mana recovers, so I’ll go take a nap.’
After glancing at the still-bustling performance venue, Shurika headed toward the inn they had rented along with the colosseum.
Bang! “I’m back! …Oh right, everyone’s outside waiting, aren’t they? Come to think of it, I haven’t seen Medeia. Is something wrong?”
Shurika, having swept her short hair back, called out loudly for Medeia and headed toward her room.
“Medeia— are you in your room? Are you feeling sick?”
Click.
“The door’s unlocked? Maybe our paths just crossed. Yeah, that must be it. I’ll just go lie down then, okay?”
She felt a presence behind her and turned around. There stood Medeia—the beautiful woman with shimmering water-blue hair and a distinct teardrop mole—silently watching her.
‘Something’s off about her. What is it? She doesn’t feel like the Medeia I know.’
“Medeia! I couldn’t find you anywhere and thought you’d gone out, but you were inside the building? Are you hurt?”
“…No. Hurt? I just went back because I forgot something. I should hurry back out before my turn comes.”
“Really? I was worried something had happened! I’m glad it’s nothing. But…”
Bang!!! ‘Tch. Missed! What now? I used too much power earlier—my mana’s completely drained!’
The moment she heard the answer, Shurika sensed something was wrong and swung her whip, but Medeia reacted instantly and leaped backward. The decisive follow-up strike cut through empty air.
“What the hell are you doing?!”
“Don’t make me laugh! You’re not Medeia. She never speaks informally to people. Medeia’s the crazy woman who always uses honorifics with everyone, regardless of age or gender, because she finds it more comfortable.”
Bang! Bang!!
“And even though I’m exhausted right now, her physical stats are pathetic. If you were the real Medeia, there’s no way you’d miss attacks this badly.”
‘At this rate, I’ll be caught soon if I keep this up. I need to pretend I’m pressing the attack while escaping.’
Flames erupted from Shurika’s whip.
“Whatever your identity is, I need to find out what happened to Medeia. So—”
Fwoosh!
“I’ll just have to beat you until you’re on the brink of death!”
Bang! Bang!! Shwaaak!!! “Ugh!”
She squeezed out her remaining mana and launched a fierce assault. The tip of her whip, wreathed in crimson flames, moved threateningly and briefly broke the sound barrier with a sharp crack.
“Aaaagh!!”
After a few misses, she managed to strike the arm of Medeia—or rather, whatever was wearing Medeia’s skin.
‘Now!’
Just as Shurika prepared to flee the inn to call for help, blood dripping from the torn flesh on its arm, the creature spoke.
“…Tehelum Sephintes.”
Crack—! The creature lowered its head, extended its arm, and chanted a short incantation. Thin, dark-purple tentacles shot out. Before Shurika could react, she was bound.
“Ugh!”
She struggled and gritted her teeth, but having pushed her mana to the limit, there was no way she could easily break free.
“Curious who I am?”
“L-Let me go right now! You think you can kill me and get away with it? Let go!!”
“Shut up and listen.”
The creature whispered into Shurika’s ear.
“I am Irmela, servant and corrupter of the great Lord Tehelum. Hehe, don’t worry. I won’t kill you.”
At those words, Shurika’s body trembled.
“Y-You… You’re a minion of an evil god! These disgusting bastards! You were quiet for a few years, so I thought you’d given up, but you found another hole to crawl through, huh? You think we’ll just leave filthy trash like you alone in the city?!”
Crack. The tentacles tightened around Shurika’s neck, as if her words had struck a nerve.
“Watch your mouth. I might change my mind about not killing you.”
“Kgh. Krrk.”
Slither.
“Puha! Keck. Keluk. Cough.”
“Well, you’re going to die soon anyway.”
Irmela smiled creepily, baring her teeth.
“Ha, to think I’d be exposed less than a day after taking over this body.”
Snap! The moment she flicked her fingers, the tentacles moved again and constricted Shurika’s neck.
“Since the plan’s already ruined, instead of keeping you alive… Fine! I’ll make use of your cute spirits.”
“You son of a bitch!!! I won’t let you get away with this—”
Thud.