Chapter 834

Chapter 834

Ha Leeha fiddled with the Black Bass.

Click!

As the metallic sound echoed, the eyes of the surrounding Miyaw, who had been stiff, quickly darted around.

Rather than observing etiquette, it felt like an intimidation through the pressure of power, but Middle Earth was originally that kind of game.

“Petyr-ssi is the vice-captain of the Midnight Circus. Surely, you have the authority to let us meet the captain, right?”

Petyr’s eye wrinkles deepened further, but the Miyaw soon regained a smiling expression.

“Buihi! Fine. I’ll guide you. But no dragons.”

“Ha Leeha-nim! Without me—”

“It’s okay. Let’s go.”

—Are you sure about this?

Blaugrunn immediately whispered to Ha Leeha. Ha Leeha looked at him for a moment and nodded.

—They can’t kill me. Wait here.

—Understood.

Ha Leeha was confident.

Petyr still gave a brief glance at the Miyaw assassins who were in an abnormal status.

No special conversation took place, but Ha Leeha could tell that they were whispering something to each other.

“Buphit! Shall we go? Going? Gonna go?”

“Hmm, talking to you gives me a headache.”

Ha Leeha followed Petyr who walked ahead.

Whether it was a concept or an actual mental illness, Petyr’s way of speaking was something Ha Leeha could never get used to.

* * *

Walking a bit further through what he thought was a forest, Ha Leeha encountered a clearing.

The large mobile tent spread out there was enough to make Ha Leeha’s heart race.

‘It really looks like a circus tent you see in movies. Come to think of it, there is a circus troupe in Daebudo too... Maybe I’ll visit there next time—’

Scree...!

Pssshhhhh──────

“Whoa!”

It was then that he heard the mechanical sound that blew away all distractions.

In addition to the sound of gas escaping from something, there was the noise of metal joints that seemed to need lubrication.

Of course, it wasn’t just the sound that was surprising.

“... Wow...”

“Bupihit, surpriiiiiise!”

Petyr struck a pose proudly, pointing at the mobile tent. The noise became louder, creating a complex harmony.

The reason for all this was simple: the mobile tent was ‘moving on its own.’

“The reason you can’t find the Midnight Circus tent... right? It’s a show for the audience, but no audience can come here... Because if even one outsider is detected, the tent moves.”

“Bingo, bingo, b, I, n, G, o!”

Petyr jumped and clapped his feet in excitement.

Ha Leeha also knew information about the Midnight Circus.

However, he was quite surprised as he had never imagined it would move in such a steampunk manner.

‘Even Madam Ju couldn’t pinpoint the exact location because of this. All she could do was track the movements of the Midnight Circus’s assassins and make educated guesses based on overlapping paths.’

After enjoying the look of surprise on Ha Leeha’s face, Petyr finally shouted at the moving tent.

The tent, which had been moving by itself, slowed down and stopped, and Petyr clapped twice into the air.

Clap, clap—!

As soon as that artificial sound came out, the entrance of the tent lifted. Inside, it was infinitely dark, and nothing could be seen.

“Bupihit, even Chiyou has never entered our stage.”

“I’m excited. I guess this makes me the first audience?”

“That’s right! Buphit, the first audience!”

Petyr, seemingly pleased with Ha Leeha’s phrasing, looked thrilled.

As Ha Leeha stepped into the dark mobile tent, the lights came on.

Wel─────Come──!

Judging by his appearance alone, he exuded an aura sharper and more overwhelming than any leader Ha Leeha had ever encountered.

“But—”

Pop—!

“Jellypong! Block it—”

『Myaaaaang!』

His backflip was faster than Jellypong’s thrust.

Since he must not kill, Jellypong targeted non-vital parts as instructed by Ha Leeha, yet it couldn’t even pierce those areas.

‘Quick. As expected of the assassination hero. Even when aiming for non-vital areas, to avoid focusing on defense—’

Even the relatively less defended areas were perfectly evaded by him. Should Ha Leeha employ another attack method to subdue him?

The moment Ha Leeha tried to lift the Black Bass, he leaped and grabbed the grip of the aerial trapeze hanging from the ceiling.

With an immensely relaxed expression, the Ringmaster looked down at Ha Leeha, who immediately aimed at him.

‘Dodging in midair should be harder, this time for sure—’

“You can’t evade this time! If this is a test, it’s over!”

He couldn’t dodge Ha Leeha’s firing midair!

At that very moment, Ha Leeha’s only concern was, ‘What if the Ringmaster dies from my bullet?’ which demonstrated the perfect timing of his aim.

Perhaps the Ringmaster also realized this.

Still with a serious face and in a low voice, he spoke to Ha Leeha.

“You’ve grown much. Surprise... passed.”

“...What? Grown?”

The fact that a sound similar to Petyr’s came from him was unfortunate to Ha Leeha.

The information from the Holy Grill wasn’t wrong.

It just lacked a bit.

The Ringmaster of the Midnight Circus wasn’t testing if Ha Leeha could evade or perfectly counterattack him.

“I want that pudding.”

The test subject was, as per their motto, ‘surprising the Ringmaster’.

* * *

He released the grip of the aerial trapeze and landed.

The grip had to consider the grandeur of the person on the trapeze, so it was at quite a height even in this large tent.

‘To end with a backflip and leap up there was amazing, but the landing—’

The landing made no sound at all.

‘—is even more astonishing.’

Even if he had fallen onto a cushion or safety net, the landing wouldn’t have been as silent as his current one.

He slowly walked towards Ha Leeha, nodding his head.

“A prey running into my mouth is refreshing, and this kind of defense is impressive. Fun.”

It was an expression not enjoyable at all, with a voice that made it unclear if there was any sincerity.

Was this also a joke?

Hearing his baritone voice making his character even more perplexing, Ha Leeha momentarily hesitated but soon collected himself and greeted him.

“Ahem, nice to meet you.”

“This is not our first time, is it? Haven’t you killed countless of our members, Ha Leeha?”

Ha Leeha tensed up.

He came alone this far as he was confident the Ringmaster would listen to his proposal.

‘But in this combat mode, it looks like I’ll have to engage once more to make him listen.’

He wouldn’t be easily struck down by Jellypong’s counterattack now that his attack patterns were revealed.

Resolving to show his strength even if it meant using 〈combat mode〉, Ha Leeha answered him.

“...They were targeting my life. And my life is more precious than theirs.”

As soon as Ha Leeha finished his sentence, he extended his hand. Ha Leeha was about to command Jellypong.

“Fair point. I am Ringmaster Quidam.”

“Jelly— What?”

But it was merely an offer for a handshake. Hastily holding back Jellypong, Ha Leeha looked bewildered.