Chapter 60: King Circus

――Come one, come all! Gather around, ladies and gentlemen. Let us begin the greatest show of all!

"Hey, Circus. I think the theme for your next performance should be ‘Change’ and ‘Stagnation.’"

"Oh, really? How very, very interesting. And what, pray tell, do you mean by that? I would be most grateful if you could enlighten even an ignorant soul such as myself."

"Sure. I'll explain. You see—"

Change and stagnation. Tomorrow and today. His Majesty had ordered me to make these forces collide and create the greatest performance imaginable, one that would set hearts racing.

That's right. This entire conflict between the Great Forest and the Machine City had been orchestrated by me at the request of His Majesty, the Wicked King... Lord Malice.

I stole the elves' sacred treasure, the magical crystal, and simultaneously sent the Machine City data concerning the underground of the Great Forest.

The objective was simple and clear: to make the Machine City and the Great Forest fight each other.

The reason? His Majesty had said it would be fun.

Yes, yes! That's exactly how it should be!

His Majesty often speaks in a voice as melodious as a song.

"――A more enjoyable war. A more enjoyable slaughter. A more enjoyable act of subjugation."

Ahh, ahh. Such wickedness! Such evil!

That is precisely what makes him our master. That is the very essence of His Majesty, the Wicked King.

And such a magnificent person had entrusted me with the entirety of this grand production.

What an honor! What a delight!

With the world as my stage, lives as my sacrifices, peace trampled underfoot, and chaos gulped down whole...

Only then could I complete the greatest circus of all.

Originally, there was no need for either the Great Forest or the Machine City to be destroyed as part of this plan.

The first priority was simply to present His Majesty with the spectacle of "a battle between two opposing worlds" and satisfy his heart's desires.

Second, I was to obtain the blueprints for the "W.R.A.," supposedly used by the Machine City long ago to escape the destruction of the world.

And finally, I was to investigate the abilities and personalities of "Kizuna Harukawa" and his companions, who marched forward under the banner of salvation. Naturally, this also included assessing "Rene's" progress and examining "Tierra As."

That was precisely why I went out of my way to use the Machine City's technology to manufacture the "Composite Magical Beast Weapon Mengun Aljie" and send it to attack a nomadic settlement.

As a result, just as I had anticipated, they came along and were now desperately struggling to stop the war between the two worlds.

I had known all along that they might put an end to the war I had spent years preparing to ignite. The plan had always been to turn the entire process leading up to that outcome into a show.

In other words, every original objective had been achieved. My circus had been perfect――

――except for one little thing: the performance had fallen flat.

According to my expectations, there should have been a confrontation between the elven elders and Kizuna's group. I had intended to stage a tragedy in which both sides were forced to fight despite neither having done anything wrong.

But that had been prevented before it could happen, thanks to the actions of a spirit named "Tierra As."

I had noticed "Tierra As's" unusual nature from the very beginning. His Majesty, the Wicked King, had taken an interest in her as an existence responsible for creating small "deviations" throughout the various regions of Chaos.

For the time being, His Majesty the Wicked King had deliberately chosen to leave her alone.

There was only one reason.

Because she seemed interesting. That was all.

Yes, yes. I agree with His Majesty's judgment. How could I possibly disagree?

And yet, that was a separate matter. She had ruined my performance plan, my meticulously calculated, flawless circus.

Yes, yes. Of course she had.

That sort of thing is simply unforgivable, isn't it?

And so, I have no intention of leaving her alone.

The possibility that she might become an obstacle to His Majesty, the Wicked King, in the future.

The fact that she is one of His Majesty's favorites.

The danger that my own actions might go against His Majesty's wishes.

After taking everything into account and giving it the deepest consideration, I reached my conclusion――

――If I simply made her mine, everything would be resolved.

Yes, yes. That's right. Exactly!

All I need to do is kidnap her and teach her proper discipline.

Just like a wild beast being trained to leap through a ring of fire.

I shall train her from the ground up to become one of my circus performers, another piece of stage equipment in my magnificent production.

That would soothe my frustration without displeasing His Majesty, the Wicked King. It would also eliminate the possibility of her becoming an unexpected variable in the future.

Ahh, ahh!

What an idea! What a truly magnificent performance!

A circus so wonderful that I, myself, would be worthy of taking on the role of the clown!

Having reached that conclusion, I secretly crept up beside "Tierra As" and then――

"Well, well! I see, I see? What a dangerous strike you have there! To think you would force me to reveal myself."

――I became aware of the lethal arrow aimed straight at my chest.

Goodness, goodness. What a troublesome situation.

The other side of a closed curtain is a black box, forever hidden from the audience. And yet, some terribly ill-mannered guest had forced it open through sheer brute force!

Now I would have to bring the showtime forward and reveal myself before the proper moment.

Well, that said...

"The circus is the ultimate spectacle. It excites men, makes women's hearts flutter, and fills children's eyes with wonder. Entertainment that surpasses every form of amusement in every world. And therefore, therefore――"

Once I have revealed myself...

Once I have begun the performance...

"――Bloodshed in a circus is strictly forbidden!"

I am, for all intents and purposes, invincible, you see.