SHC Chapter 13

13. Circus Relocation

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When the Ringmaster appeared, the chaos fell into silence.

Even the beasts who never listened to the tamer closed their jaws obediently. The Ringmaster adjusted the strap of his eyepatch and glared at me.

” Explain.”

Until now, no one had actually listened to my explanation. Finally, I had the chance to speak.

” I was feeding Samdu, and the smell was so sweet that…”

” Sweet?”

His brow tightened even more.

” So I tried a little.”

I couldn’t bring myself to say I ate it because I was starving, so I twisted the truth. At my excuse, the Ringmaster fell silent, and instead the surrounding troupe members started murmuring.

” Samdu’s food?”

” Samdu?”

” The dog? The hellhound?”

” Judging by the amount eaten, that wasn’t a taste test.”

” A dog food thief.”

Voices rose from all directions.

The Ringmaster twisted his lips and bit his lower one slightly, as if he realized something.

Meanwhile, the murmuring grew louder.

” Isn’t that puppy formula?”

” Yeah, since he doesn’t have a mother. But he ate that?”

” Even if you’re curious, how could you steal a baby’s meal?”

” Shameful.”

Being called a dog food thief already shredded my dignity, but hearing that I stole a baby’s food crushed me completely.

And the worst part was, it was true. I couldn’t even lift my head, and my face flushed bright red.

” Everyone, return to your areas and pack your things!”

The Ringmaster drove the troupe members out, then locked eyes with Kiss. Kiss raised his eyebrows and shrugged, and the Ringmaster waved his hand sharply to send him out, too.

” Assistant Choi! See you later! Cheer up!”

Kiss was the last to leave, even adding a little encouragement, but it didn’t help my mental state at all.

My heart, shredded while satisfying my hunger, was in ruins.

A dog food thief, a shameless person who stole a baby’s meal…

Lost in despair, I didn’t notice the Ringmaster walking right up to me. Embarrassed to meet his gaze, I turned my lowered head to the side.

He’s going to scold me.

” …Were you hungry?”

But instead of anger, his voice was gentle and careful, which somehow made me feel even worse.

” Well… yeah.”

He placed a hand softly on my shoulder, giving it a light pat as he looked me over and spoke with unexpected mercy.

” You may use the bathroom.”

” Thank you.”

Without looking back, I bolted out of the shack and ran to the Ringmaster’s office container.

Thankfully, the door was open; I rushed through the office and straight into his quarters.

The moment I stepped into the bathroom and saw myself in the mirror, I fully understood why Balbari had screamed that I was the man-eater.

Even I would have screamed.

Red liquid was smeared all over my face, centered around my mouth, with streaks running down my neck. My hands and arms were stained red, too. Anyone would believe I had just torn into a wild animal with my teeth.

” Ah… ughhh.”

Once I was alone, overwhelming shame and humiliation washed over me, and a strangled whimper escaped as I covered my face. This was, without question, going to be one of the worst black marks of my entire life. No future embarrassment could possibly top this.

Stealing dog food, and not even regular dog food, puppy food. And getting publicly humiliated for it. I couldn’t tell anyone even if I wanted to.

The only silver lining was that it happened around monsters and not humans, so at least it wasn’t recorded on someone’s phone.

” Uggh, ughh…”

As I stripped and stepped into the shower, occasional half-suppressed cries slipped out. I couldn’t stay quiet.

” Ngh…”

I was on the verge of tears.

Under the shower stream, I might have actually cried without realizing it. But I didn’t care. I cared about nothing. I just felt like dying from embarrassment.

” And I don’t even have clothes to change into.”

I washed my underwear with soap, feeling even more miserable. Where was I supposed to dry it? What was I supposed to wear in the meantime?

The saddest part was this…

I was still hungry.

Eating a few handfuls wasn’t enough to fill me.

Even now, my stomach growled pitifully. Putting a little something in it only made it demand more.

I dried my hair and body with a towel, then finally picked up the black outfit again.

” …?”

Oddly, it looked clean and dry. Maybe the dark color hid stains, but even then, there wasn’t a trace of moisture. It should’ve been filthy with Samdu’s food, but it looked untouched.

Still, if it was clean, that was good enough. I enjoyed the fresh feel of the fabric as I put it on.

Even my shoes were spotless. After running through the forest and wandering everywhere yesterday, they looked almost the same as when I first received them.

Magic, maybe.

I’d already seen a fire-breathing dog and a magic circle, so enchanted clothing wasn’t anything surprising.

Still… impressive.

Kiss had casually mentioned I got high-quality clothes. It seemed he’d been telling the truth.

Feeling much less gross, I opened the bathroom door…

And immediately came face-to-face with the Ringmaster.

” Uh…”

As my eyes darted around helplessly, he spoke first.

” Follow me.”

He walked off somewhere before even hearing my answer, and I followed while awkwardly trying to hide the wet underwear in my hand. Not that hiding helped much, I was just clutching a damp lump in my left hand.

” Um… where are we going?”

A slightly deflated voice slipped out of me.

The Ringmaster glanced back at me. It was the side with the eyepatch, not the blue eye. Realizing this, he corrected himself and turned his head so the visible eye faced me.

” You may use the first floor during the day from now on.”

I was startled by his words.

” The bathroom, the washroom, and…”

The Ringmaster stepped into a certain space with sagging curtains and pulled me along.

” The dining room.”

A dining room appeared, with a long dark wooden table large enough to seat at least ten people, topped with a small chandelier, candlesticks, and decorative flowers.

He dragged me inside, and while I looked around, he tugged my wrist again and led me deeper in. Next to the dining room was a small kitchen and a utility room.

” That’s the fridge. Over here are the dishes and cooking tools. Make your own meals.”

I looked inside cautiously. It was clean, with a surprising variety of tools. The problem was that I barely knew how to use most of them.

Still, I politely asked,

” Would it be alright if I look inside the fridge?”

He opened the door without a word. Inside the double-door refrigerator were plenty of fresh foods. It was strangely well stocked. There were even peaches, my favorite.

While looking at the contents, I hesitated before voicing a question I had been curious about.

” Ringmaster.”

” What?”

” Do you eat?”

I pulled my gaze from the fridge and looked at him.

He stood with arms crossed and said nothing for a moment. Then he answered with a single nod.

” I see.”

So he eats.

So he needs food.

So his body isn’t fake.

” …I see.”

I murmured it again and closed the refrigerator door.

He then explained the rooms on the first floor.

Bathroom, washroom, kitchen, dining room, utility room, laundry room, and…

” A room.”

” A room?”

” …Guest room.”

So an empty room?

” Then… could I use the guest room?”

Rather than sleeping in the circus where a man-eater might be lurking, it sounded better to leave at dawn and sleep here in the living quarters. It would be easier to eat and to use the bathroom too.

” It’s true, this place is close to Samdu’s cage.”

Taking that as agreement, I remained standing in front of the fridge.

” If that’s all, get out.”

” Wait!”

” …?”

He looked at me, clearly wondering if I had yet another question. My face grew hot, but I shamelessly pointed to the refrigerator.

” I’ll eat something before I go.”

The Ringmaster, remembering how I’d stolen Samdu’s food earlier, stepped aside as if to say, Do what you want.

As soon as I was alone, I flung open the fridge and grabbed the white peach I had noticed earlier.

What a jerk, eating something this delicious on his own.

The moment the soft peach flesh melted in my mouth, goosebumps rose from how good it was. It was as sweet as Samdu’s food had been.

Next, I reached for a banana from the basket beside the fridge. Peeling and eating it, I looked over what else was inside.

There were no meats or processed food, mostly natural ingredients, but there were eggs and carrots, so I could probably make at least fried rice.

But there’s no rice.

Should I ask for some?

‘No. That would be way too shameless. Don’t ask.’

Honestly, the conveniences he already granted me were more than generous. I had no reason to take his kindness for granted.

Who was I, anyway?

The Ringmaster was probably just paying extra attention because I was human.

‘I’ll ask later, when things feel more comfortable.’

Although I wasn’t even sure such a time would ever come.

After filling my stomach with fruit, the world suddenly looked beautiful. Considering how mentally and physically battered I’d been, not being able to eat must have made me extremely irritable. If this place wasn’t a circus full of unknown monsters, I might have exploded ages ago.

I only stayed quiet and obedient because I needed to survive, but the stress must have been immense.

” Thank you.”

I bowed and thanked him as I stepped out from eating, and the Ringmaster, sitting in his office chair, called out to me.

” Do you need anything else?”

” …”

I wasn’t expecting such a friendly question.

Still fiddling with the underwear I was holding, I spoke awkwardly.

” Underwear…”

The Ringmaster froze for a moment as if he’d heard something completely unexpected, then went back into his living quarters.

When he returned, he had several gray pairs of underwear in different sizes.

” Choose.”

” Uh… this one.”

Then, watching his mood, I slipped back into the quarters. I went to the laundry room, hung up the underwear I had washed earlier, and put on the new one. I finally felt stable again.

” Thank you so much.”

I bowed deeply, and the Ringmaster let out a soft sigh.

” You’re a lot of work.”

” …”

That comment embarrassed me, and I rubbed the back of my neck for no reason.

” I’ll head out now. Thank you for everything.”

” Wait. Do you know what day it is today?”

” Huh?”

I couldn’t check my phone anymore, but I at least knew the day of the week. Since it hadn’t passed midnight yet, it was still Sunday.

” Sunday.”

” In two hours and forty-eight minutes, it will be Monday.”

” Yes.”

He said it without even glancing at a clock.

” Monday is packing day.”

Packing?

” And we relocate during the day.”

Relocate?

” Tuesday, the day we settle into a new location, is the circus’s rest day.”

Ah. He was explaining the circus schedule to me.

” So, what should you do?”

” Um… help pack?”

” And after that?”

” Huh?”

He tilted his head slightly. Seeing my completely clueless face, he kindly gave me the answer.

” Tonight, after finishing work, don’t sleep in the circus tent. Come to me instead.”

Ah, so he intended to let me stay in the guest room starting today.

Yes… he had looked scary at first, but he was actually a very good person. No… not person… what was he again?

…What is the Ringmaster?

” And one more thing.”

Whatever that thought was, it vanished at the sound of his voice. It didn’t matter anyway. He was helping me so much.

But the next thing he said was unexpected.

” You and I will move the circus together.”

” What?”

I yelled louder than intended at the sudden mention of heavy labor.

” We’ll move the circus during the day.”

” How?”

” Seeing is better than hearing. I’ll show you later.”

Seeing what exactly… how was that supposed to help?

I couldn’t understand how the two of us were supposed to move this enormous circus. But since he told me to leave, I headed outside.

Shaking the remaining water from my hair, I made my way toward the circus.

But when I saw the lively interior, I didn’t feel like going in. I worried about the looks I’d get after causing the commotion earlier.

” Assistant.”

Someone called me from behind.

I turned… and there stood snow-white Kiss.

” You were hilarious earlier.”

He approached with a snicker. Instead of his flashy outfit, he was wearing an ordinary short-sleeved shirt and knee-length shorts.

He looked surprisingly normal.

” Why’d you eat puppy formula?”

” …Formula?”

Great. Why not just say dog food? Puppy formula was worse.

” Samdu’s only a month old.”

Samdu wasn’t even one year old; he was literally a one-month-old puppy.

Hearing his age only deepened my despair.

” Um… what did the other troupe members say?”

” Nothing much. They just cursed a bit and moved on.”

I clutched my head at Kiss’s blunt honesty. Yes. I was the sinner here.

” But I didn’t curse”

” Yeah. Thanks.”

I let out a long sigh and sat against the circus entrance, pulling my knees up and resting my arms on them.

” Not going in? Skipping work?”

” I just need a moment to collect myself.”

Kiss sat beside me.

” Why aren’t you going in?”

” They probably don’t even notice if I’m there or not.”

Without his flashy makeup, Kiss looked like a model from some foreign magazine…. tall, long-limbed, and somehow glowing even under nothing but the dim night lights.

He had an unbelievably pale appearance.

Skin so bloodless it looked like a sheet of white paper, hair and eyelashes that were pure white, and only his eyes were yellow. If his irises had been red, I might have assumed he was an albino.

” But how did you find Samdu’s food?”

” Huh?”

Kiss’s eyes flashed yellow for a moment before dimming.

” The Ringmaster is the one who’s supposed to manage that.”

His pupils stretched horizontally.

Ah.

I instinctively realized I had to answer this well.

So I replied with a deliberately annoyed tone, trying to sound casual.

” The Ringmaster told me to feed Samdu at midnight. Being an assistant basically means being a general laborer, I guess.”

Should I not have added that part? Feeling uneasy, I rambled on.

” And I didn’t even know the beast tamer’s mon… I mean, beasts were in there. I just wanted to feed him, but then there was something red…”

” Something red?”

” I was just a little curious.”

I stopped there and studied Kiss’s reaction. His expression was hard to read as he stared at me.

His horizontally stretched pupils stayed perfectly level with the ground, even when he tilted his head. It was a very strange sight.

” You like red liquid?”

I closed my mouth.

” Did you… kill someone?”

” Wh-what?!”

I jumped up in shock, then sat back down, looking exactly like a guilty person caught red-handed. But no… kill someone? What kind of misunderstanding was this?

Today alone, I’d been called a man-eater, a dog food thief, and now possibly even a murderer.

Oh, and a shameless person, too.

” No, no!”

” Strong denial means strong affirmation, they say.”

” I said it’s not true!”

I snapped back, exasperated.

” Then why are you asking stuff like that?”

” Because it takes time to wash away my instincts.”

Kiss answered easily. But the meaning was harder for me to grasp.

” It takes a long time to wash away your instincts?”

” Yeah. And you haven’t been here that long either. Oh…. if it’s not murder, is it cannibalism?”

” Canni… what? Is that a festival or something?”

” Pffft.”

He suddenly burst into laughter and leaned his head against my shoulder. The vibration of his laughter traveled through me.

Under the night sky, leaning on each other and laughing might have been romantic, but not with Kiss. Not at all.

” Get off.”

” Awwhyy.”

Drawing out the end of his words, he clung playfully, then suddenly buried his face into my neck, between my shoulder and collarbone, and started sniffing intensely.

A chill shot up my spine from my lower back.

” What are you doing?!”

With a sharp smack, I shoved him away. When he pulled back, his eyes were completely unfocused, and his pupils were stretched wide and horizontal.

” Hey, Assistant Choi.”

” What?”

I rubbed the spot on my neck where his nose had been, feeling irritated.

But Kiss ignored all of that and leaned forward again.

” Your flesh smells good. Sweet.”

” …Are you the man-eater?”

” Then you’re human?”

At his giggling, teasing question, I froze and turned my head away without answering.

” It’s because I just showered.”

” Shower? Don’t tell me… in the Ringmaster’s quarters?”

” Yeah.”

At my words, Kiss moved a little away from me.

” But it’s a different smell from that.”

” But aside from that, the only scent on me would’ve been…”

I had spilled Samdu’s food all over myself before washing, was it that?

I lifted my hand and sniffed it. As expected, all I smelled was the fresh scent of body wash.

” No. Not that artificial scent.”

Kiss leaned in again. He had no sense of personal space whatsoever; our arms were touching, and his face was right in front of mine.

When I tried to turn my head away, he held my face and pressed his forehead to mine.

Even if the Ringmaster had given me some immunity to kissing men, Kiss was a completely different story.

With a face like a porcelain doll, only his eyes rolled.

” Your natural scent.”

As he said that, Kiss brushed his cheek lightly against mine, then pulled away.

His face felt as soft and smooth as it looked, and it left me feeling strangely unsettled.

” Why are you rubbing your cheek on me…”

I scrubbed the right side of my face where he’d touched, and Kiss whined that I was too much, trying to lean into my arms. I stopped him and stood up.

” Come on, we need to work.”

” Why? Stay with me a bit more.”

” No, I have to work.”

The moment he mentioned my “natural scent,” the Ringmaster’s warning came back to me, to keep my distance from troupe members who could possibly be the man-eater.

And if I remembered correctly, Kiss was also one of the candidates.

” Let’s go together.”

I walked into the circus tent first, ignoring the glances thrown my way, and approached Balbari.

” Hey, were you really scared back there?”

” You think I wasn’t? But don’t worry! I’m fearless. Hahaha!”

For someone claiming that, he sure barked like a panicked dog earlier.

Still, I laughed back and asked,

” What do I do now?”

” Just pack up the miscellaneous stuff over there and put them inside those boxes.”

Balbari pointed with his front paw toward a huge pile of boxes.

” In there?”

” Yeah. Everyone’s packing their own personal things, so you just handle the shared stuff!”

Then he added,

” What did the puppy formula taste like?”

” If you’re curious, eat it yourself.”

The work finished faster than expected. It seemed like everyone was mostly done packing, so I checked the time. It was exactly midnight, time to feed Samdu. I slipped out and headed to the small shack.

The beast tamer must have taken care of the other beasts already, because only Samdu’s cage and some empty cages remained inside.

” You doing okay?”

We’d only been apart for about three hours, yet I awkwardly greeted him.

Honestly, I felt a little uneasy.

The usually friendly Red and Blue were giving me suspicious looks.

Their eyes said, He better not be trying to steal our food again.

At least their tails were still swinging.

” Sorry about earlier.”

They didn’t understand me, of course, but I apologized sincerely anyway.

Still, there was no escaping Yellow’s flames, which were fiercer than ever.

” Wow, damn.”

So that had been him holding back before. Now his firepower was much stronger.

The tip of my finger got burned badly enough that I had to clutch it for a while.

While I groaned and suffered, Yellow stared at me. I couldn’t guess what he was thinking, so I apologized again.

” I said I’m sorry.”

Feeling utterly defeated, I scooped the formula into their bowls.

As I watched the thick, pudding-like red mush fall with a splat, a sigh slipped out. The reason it was so mushy was because it was for a baby.

” Here… ah! Yellow, don’t open your mouth!”

When Yellow suddenly opened wide, I panicked and set the bowl down, scrambling out of the way.

But the flame didn’t come.

” That scared me.”

Yellow turned his head away with a huffy expression, and I took the chance to push the bowl inside.

” Eat up. If you want more, I’ll give you more. Today I can give you a lot.”

Muttering, I watched Samdu shove his faces into the bowl.

Now that I’d seen him a few times, the three heads actually looked kind of cute.

Except Yellow, who still growled whenever I watched him eat. That was still scary.

After they licked their bowls clean, I immediately refilled them.

” Eat a lot and grow strong.”

So that Yellow could maybe be stopped by Blue and Red if he breathed fire at me again.

I refilled once more, then left after showing them the empty container.

I returned to the circus tent, thinking the cleanup would be done by now, but instead…

” ?”

Why hadn’t they taken down the partitions yet?

” Aren’t you taking those down?”

” Why take them down?”

” Huh?”

I grabbed the nearest person, but he answered curtly and walked off. He was a man wearing sunglasses with snakes instead of hair.

I didn’t dare ask more, if he got annoyed and took off those sunglasses, I had a feeling I might turn to stone.

So I looked for a different troupe member. Hopefully a normal, not-scary one.

” Magician!”

I spotted the beautiful magician I was at least a bit familiar with.

” Assistant. You were impressive earlier. Want to perform on stage later with some fresh blood?”

I couldn’t tell if she was praising me or teasing me, so I just scratched my head and asked,

” I thought we were packing today, aren’t you taking down the partitions?”

” Nope. There’s no show tomorrow anyway…”

She looked around, then smiled brightly.

” It’s a hassle to put them up and take them down. We’ll just leave them as-is and go to sleep when the sun comes up.”

Then how exactly was the Ringmaster planning to move the entire circus while everyone was asleep?

But this was a place where my common sense didn’t apply.

” By the way, even though you’re new…”

The beautiful magician suddenly tapped my cheek.

” You’re so gentle and diligent. It’s the first time in 370 years I’ve seen a newcomer like you.”

Three hundred seventy years?

She ruffled my hair lightly, then went into her room with a refreshing smile.

‘Three hundred seventy years…’

The compliment was nice, but the number had far more impact.

Well, their lifespan might not be the same as humans’.

Realizing that now, I suddenly began guessing the Ringmaster’s age too.

‘If a member has been here 370 years, then how old is the Ringmaster?’

A straight-up grandpa. No…. an ancestor.

As I went to find the ancestor-level Ringmaster, a strange, heavy feeling followed me. I didn’t know what emotion it was, just that it felt complicated.

Early dawn. I looked around nervously, half afraid someone might chase me, and went to the Ringmaster’s office.

Knock knock knock.

I knocked, and a voice inside allowed me in.

” I’m here.”

” Then go inside and rest until morning.”

He really meant to let me use the guest room.

” Really?”

He gave me a look that said, Do I look like I’m lying?

Before he could change his mind, I hurriedly swung open the door to the living quarters.

” Thank you!”

He exhaled sharply, almost like a scoff… as I rushed inside.

The guest room was simple and spotless. A bed, a table, a sofa. Still, it was more than enough, and I opened the wardrobe. There was space to hang clothes.

” There’s even a bathrobe.”

Perfect. After showering, I could change into that.

Even if my clothes stayed magically clean, it still felt a bit wrong to put them on again right after showering.

Then I remembered the underwear I had washed, so I headed to the laundry room.

Even wandering around the Ringmaster’s quarters didn’t bother me, he said I could use the entire first floor freely anyway.

” It dried nicely.”

I folded the dry underwear neatly and put it in the wardrobe. Then I placed my phone in the small drawer attached to the table.

‘Are they worrying about me?’

My family and friends came to mind. Then I erased the friends and thought only of my parents.

My mom would definitely be worried.

But what could I do?

I’d just have to see them after a month.

‘I miss Mom.’

I didn’t usually feel that way this much.

” The bed is so soft.”

The tender emotions evaporated the moment I sat on the bed.

” This is amazing.”

I rolled around, enjoying the soft bedding. The comforter was thick, and the bed was wide, probably a double.

” Wow…”

How many days had it been since I’d had a pillow and a blanket?

I let myself fall onto the bed. Earlier, I’d had to nap on the hard ground while starving, now sleep hit instantly.

My whole body relaxed.

And so, for the first time in a while, I fell asleep in a warm, comfortable bed.

Tok.

…Huh?

Tok.

What was that? Someone was poking me.

Tok.

” Wake up.”

Who?

” Mm, just five more minutes…”

” …”

I turned over and pulled the blanket up, wanting just a little more sleep.

The person trying to wake me didn’t speak for a moment… then ripped the blanket away with frightening strength.

” !”

Startled, I opened my eyes and saw a tall, dark figure standing there.

” Wh-who are you?”

As my blurry vision cleared, I realized who it was. The owner of this place.

” Ah… Master. No… Ringmaster.”

” Looks like you’re still half-asleep.”

Calling him “Master” must have shocked me awake like a bucket of cold water.

Today again, he was wearing his immaculate circus uniform. Couldn’t he wear something comfortable on off-days? Just watching him made me feel suffocated.

” Get up. It’s time to move the circus.”

I checked the clock, it was past 7:30 in the morning.

” Okay…”

I dragged myself out of bed, and the Ringmaster immediately scolded me.

” Make the bed.”

” Okay…”

I obediently stretched the blanket straight and fixed the pillow.

” Let’s go.”

” Wait, I need the bathroom.”

” …Go.”

His displeasure was obvious as he tapped impatiently with his index finger, arms crossed, while watching me wash my face.

” We were supposed to leave at 7.”

” Really?”

Still groggy, I answered halfheartedly.

” Because of your oversleeping, we’re delayed forty minutes.”

Then wake me earlier.

I pouted slightly, slipped on my shoes, and headed toward the office.

” Why do you keep taking your shoes off?”

” Huh?”

Well, because at home you take off your shoes, what else?

Then I remembered, the Ringmaster only spoke Korean well. He wasn’t actually Korean. Just looking at his sharp features, he clearly had some foreign blood…

No. What did blood matter? He wasn’t even human.

” I take my shoes off when I go inside the house.”

” I see.”

I had prepared several explanations in case he questioned it, but the Ringmaster accepted it easily.

Maybe because the circus traveled everywhere, he respected all kinds of cultures.

Probably.

” Wow.”

When we stepped outside, the giant circus tent was still standing, the container building I’d just walked out of was still there, and the promotional props that attracted the audience were left untouched as well.

” How do we move all of this?”

The Ringmaster glanced at me, then spread his hand wide and extended his arm toward the circus tent.

What was he doing…

Suddenly, a magic circle began to glow and form from the center of his palm, wooong, rising into the air.

” …”

The magic circle expanded larger and larger until it swallowed the entire circus tent… then shrank again. At the same time, the tent itself shrank down drastically… to the size of a cake box.

The Ringmaster picked up the miniaturized circus tent with one hand, walked back, and handed it to me.

” Like this.”

Holding the tiny tent with both hands, I was sure my pupils were trembling uncontrollably.

” Th-this is…”

Ignoring my stammering, he walked over to the miniature carousel. The carousel had eight white horses, and he tapped the one with a horn on its head.

The horse, which had certainly been a mere carousel figure, snorted and shook its muzzle like a real horse.

As it stepped down, it grew larger, expanding into a magnificent beast anyone would call a fine horse.

” Wow…”

Still holding the tiny tent, I stared blankly. The pure white horse with a horn was unmistakably a unicorn.

In legends, didn’t they say only pure maidens could ride it… huh?

The Ringmaster climbed onto the unicorn.

” …”

I suddenly felt faint.

‘Does that mean… the Ringmaster is…’

No way… Probably not…

But still… that was a unicorn.

Sitting atop the unicorn, the Ringmaster reached behind me. Another magic circle blossomed in the same shape as before, expanding outward, and when he turned around, the container building began shrinking as well.

” Put it in the bags behind the horse.”

I checked and saw two saddle baskets by the unicorn’s hindquarters.

Holding one miniature building in each hand, I placed the circus tent in the right basket and the Ringmaster’s office-living quarters in the left.

After neatly closing the lids, I hesitantly called out to him.

” Um, Ringmaster.”

He looked down at me from above.

Since he was on a unicorn, I asked one of the things I’d been wondering.

” Are you… a woman?”

In an instant, his face hardened. He clamped his mouth shut and glared at me. His blue eye flashed sharply.

” I’m a man.”

I nodded.

” I see.”

” …”

” …”

We both fell silent. Then the Ringmaster broke it first.

” You asked that because you thought this was a unicorn, didn’t you?”

” Huh? Yes.”

The Ringmaster lowered his head.

Was he… angry?

He turned his face away from me, hiding it.

‘He’s really angry, isn’t he…?’

He stayed like that for a while before taking a deep breath.

” A unicorn…”

He stopped there and turned his face away again. I could see him taking another slow breath.

” Ringmaster?”

When I called him, he slowly faced my direction, but his gaze wasn’t quite on me.

Why wasn’t he looking directly at me?

While I wondered about it, he finally spoke.

” A unicorn has one straight horn. This one has two. And they’re curved.”

” Oh… so it’s not a unicorn?”

He nodded, his mouth twisting slightly in an awkward shape.

” Never.”

Then he lifted both hands, gathering all the remaining structures with magic, including the shack where Samdu lived.

” Here.”

Everything the Ringmaster shrank transformed into one bundled package.

I took it, but judging by the size, it didn’t look like it would fit in the baskets.

” If I put this in too, the lids won’t close.”

” You’re carrying that one by hand.”

” Huh?”

” Fortunately, there’s a shortcut this time. We’ll arrive in about two hours.”

Grasping the unicorn’s reins, he began moving forward at a slow pace.

” Ah… wait…”

I hurried after him, and he stopped the horse.

” Don’t approach a horse from behind. It’s dangerous. Walk beside me.”

Beside him, which really meant beside the horse.

Walking next to it, I couldn’t help drowning in questions.

‘Why am I walking? Why won’t he give me a horse? Not that I know how to ride… Still, if he’s doing everything himself, why bring me along? Is it for this bundle? But couldn’t he just tie it on the horse?’

I glanced at the Ringmaster.

‘There’s plenty of space back there.’

For the bundle, and for me.

‘He could just let me ride behind him.’

While sitting atop the horse with his arms folded, the Ringmaster answered kindly.

“You’d get distracted by food and wander off.”

The reins weren’t to control the horse; they were to restrain me.

Realizing that, I let out a long, bitter laugh.

After that, neither of us spoke much, and before long, we reached our new base camp.