Chapter 70: Test of the Rose Windmill Cabaret (4)
Ella seemed more spirited than usual.
It was evident from her attire.
From the sharp edges of her clothes, sleeves, and even the neatly folded parts of her skirt, to the shine of her shoes and shoulders reflecting light to the point where it could illuminate a persons face, it all indicated an extra effort. Even the feather decoration on her hat seemed to have been completely replaced, radiating a purple shine.
Even the animals she raised were adorned with accessories.
Black bow ties adorned the neck of Pigeon Dub, and a pink ribbon hung from the tail tip of Mouse Chick. Both wore small hats identical to the one Ella had on her head.
Where did she find such accessories?
In response to my question, Ella shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.
This? I bought the materials at the fabric store and personally stitched them.
She tapped the hats of the pigeon and mouse with her fingertips.
Despite all the accessories, Ella handled them well, and the animals emitted a pleasant sound without bothering her.
Ellas versatility knows no bounds, hehe.
Well, whats that supposed to mean, all of a sudden
Ella pouted, avoiding eye contact, lips pursed.
I smiled at her in response.
But why is your drawing skill like that?
Ugh.
Her face contorted when the topic of drawing came up.
Laughter spilled from the mouths of Yurakne and Sven, who had been silent until now.
Everyone remembered what happened the day before yesterday.
Hehe, that thing, right? It was really impressive.
Haha, I dont know what you drew, but it had the right appearance to fit into our circus troupe.
At Svens words, Yurakne poked his side.
That was the ringmasters idea.
Oh, I see! I thought it was some hungry monkey variant with golden fur
Shh, quiet!
Ella shouted loudly.
She pressed the hat down on her face, her face red, and glanced at me.
Wh-why bring up something unnecessary
Im sorry. I wonder how you drew it in the first place
I dont know! I dont remember! Dont worry about it since its burned!
Ella sat down roughly, pressing the hat down as if to cover her eyes.
Maya will handle it well. She said she learned to draw from a young age. If I had learned, I might have been able to do something similar
Ella had gathered the members the day before yesterday and suggested drawing a signboard.
Considering the information obtained from the opening ceremony and the cabaret staff, it seemed that gaining the favour of the city residents would play a significant role in the test.
To achieve that, wouldnt it be helpful to have a large signboard in front of the hotel? A signboard was one of the important promotional tools for a performance.
We had one that was drawn for us by the Aksville Merchant Association in the past.
However, it was makeshift and quite crude compared to what other circus troupes had.
So, we decided to draw a new signboard.
Even in the age of illusionists, using a painter for this kind of work was still more practical.
A signboard had to be displayed outside for several days or weeks, and unless dozens of magicians were involved, maintaining such an illusion consistently was impossible.
Even Maya, touted as a genius, found it challenging to maintain an illusion of the size suitable for a signboard for more than an hour.
So Ella confidently took up the brush to start drawing on the signboard.
Given her outstanding talents in various fields, it was expected that she would do well this time too.
However, the result was dismal.
She seriously considered reattaching the signboard provided by the Aksville Merchant Guild, which the members had broken in half.
It was regrettable not to see it with my own eyes.
Perhaps due to the commotion, the attention of the people around us focused on our group.
Whats going on? Who are they?
Hey, isnt that Wonderstein from the news?
Wow, hes handsome. Feast for eyes for sure!
Whos the guy on the opposite side?
I dont know.
He looks like the ringmaster of a circus or something.
Ugh, its too loud. His voice is so annoyingly loud.
Most eyes were on me due to the trial incident that occurred at the opening ceremony.
However, Ruelle seemed to think the attention was because of her dads loudness, covering her face with her wings and letting out a cute sigh.
I looked at her with a pleased smile and then asked Minova, You have a daughter?
Of course! Im over 40 now, do you think I didnt get married?
His words gave me a solid feeling, as if something firm hit my head.
In TT1, he expressed some concern about missing members, but he never mentioned anything about his family. There was no mention of a daughter in his profile or background.
The reason he became twisted two years later.
The reason he acts unusually friendly towards me.
These two things were connected.
I whispered to him, Is she sick?
Minovas shoulders twitched.
Wow! Cute! So cute!
Ella separated Ruelle from Minova and hugged her. She loved animals and cute things, and Ruelle in her chick pyjamas was something she could jump around with joy about.
Minova looked at the scene with a pleased expression and then whispered to me with a slightly sunken expression, How did you know?
I just felt it.
Of course! You really cured Vergsongs disease, huh?
After saying that, he closed his mouth.
It felt like he wanted to say more but hesitated.
Even a fool could guess what he wanted to say.
Before giving a hasty answer, I used the diagnostic function of the Evolution Research Lab to check her illness.
Fortunately, it was a treatable disease.
The institute quickly provided an estimate. It can be fixed.
There was no need for questions, but I answered, I can do it.
Minova looked surprised for a moment, but soon he hardened his expression.
Sorry. I should have asked first.
Ohoho, dont worry about it.
At that moment, the girl in chick pajamas shouted towards us, Dad, look at this!
There, Ellas rat and dove were showing off their talents for a single audience member.
Chick stood on both legs, did a backflip, and Dub, with folded wings, demonstrated a precarious aerial turn.
Minova, who had a serious expression, laughed heartily as he looked at his daughter smiling widely.
Ruelle, as if she had done something amazing by raising animals, pestered Ella to show her something else.
Minova looked at that scene for a moment, then mumbled with a softened voice, Its a strange thing. Having a child.
Is that so?
He let out a deep sigh.
Even though I look like this now, when I was young, I was quite a scoundrel. I was a wandering acrobat, but in reality, I also did robbery and theft. I did anything for money. I hit people, robbed them, set fires I didnt care about others suffering. I wasted the money I earned on alcohol and women, complaining about the world. I used to despise and envy those who lived harder and better than me.
He clenched his fist and then opened it as he spoke.
He was talking about the past, but it sounded like he was talking about the future to me.
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