The Freak Show Foreman

They put in sweat and effort, but all they received were disdainful looks.

Providing people with a target for their contempt, anger, and humiliation— that was the essence of the Monster Circus.

That’s why occasions like this were especially significant to the troupe members.

Even though it was just a post-show gathering, it meant a lot to them.

There wasn’t much to the celebration.

They simply congratulated each other on their hard work.

"Everyone did an amazing job. People were truly fooled by your performances!"

The assistant ringmaster, Ella, went from one member to another, highlighting what surprised people and what was remarkable about each of them.

The troupe members had spent four hours locked inside their booths, performing all sorts of messy acts.

Their struggles extended far beyond just performing. Acting aside, baring one’s flaws and becoming a subject of ridicule was not something one could easily do with mental strength alone.

Even a simple compliment or word of encouragement provided great solace.

"You did great."

"You, especially."

"Haha, it was tough for everyone."

"Ugh, my shoulders are killing me."

Many of the troupe members had sore arms and legs from being cooped up in a cramped space.

Especially Womon, the biggest member, was groaning as he massaged his shoulders.

Standing at over 2 meters tall, with rough, reddish skin resembling alligator hide, horns on his head, and fangs protruding from his mouth, he looked intimidating. However, he was just a boy who had recently turned ten.

As the youngest member of the circus, he laughed while his older siblings gave him massages.

"Hehehe, it tickles!"

"We’re giving it all we’ve got here!"

"This leather is way too tough."

"Ouch! I got pricked by that sharp part!"

"Haha! Be careful. Remember when I almost got my neck sliced off playing with this guy last time?"

"It wasn’t that bad!"

"Yeah, yeah."

The monster acts took a toll on both the body and mind.

In a way, it was a show that stimulated their traumas.

But there wasn’t a single member who regretted joining the Monster Circus.

Most of them thought that they had finally found true friends here.

They understood each other’s pain because they had all been discriminated against in society due to their appearances.

Just being together provided a sense of healing.

"Alright, dinner is ready!"

Six arms appeared, each carrying trays filled with food.

The owner of these arms was a mature woman with purple hair tied up with hairpins.

As she walked towards them, carrying the trays, her steps seemed alluring, perhaps due to her precarious balance.

Her cheeks were flushed from the heat of the stove, and sweat beads adorned her forehead.

The Spider Lady, Yurakne.

She had exceptional cooking skills and was in charge of the circus troupe’s meals.

Ella finally realized and stood up from her seat when she saw Yurakne coming out of the kitchen.

"Sister, did you do everything by yourself again? You should have called me. I offered to help."

"Hehe, it’s fine. I’ll just take your feelings. I can’t ask the assistant ringmaster to do such work."

Yurakne smiled warmly, and Ella scratched her head sheepishly.

Despite being the oldest, Ella used informal language even with Skeleton Sven. However, for some reason, she used honorifics when speaking to Yurakne. Unlike the often-grumbling Sven, Yurakne exuded an aura of dignity as an elder, which made Ella naturally use polite language with her.

"I’ll help with breakfast tomorrow morning."

"It’s okay. I can handle it on my own."

"You don’t need to feel burdened."

"No, really, it’s fine..."

Yurakne seemed increasingly anxious.

"You don’t have to go out of your way to consider me."

"No, it’s not that..."

In truth, Yurakne decision not to let Ella help in the kitchen wasn’t solely due to her consideration for others. There was another reason, and everyone except her knew it.

Some of the less talented members were now protesting against Ella.

"Assistant Ringmaster! please...!!"

"Why can’t you understand what we’re saying?"

"Ella’s dishes are... well..."

At that moment, Womon, who had been quiet until then, spoke up seriously.

"Ella’s food is torture!"

"Well said, Womon! Ella, do you remember the day we all got food poisoning?"

"Squeak! Human! Stay out of the kitchen! Period!"

Even the timid rat men who usually stayed in the corner joined the commotion. Ella’s face turned bright red at the members’ complaints.

"Enough! How can you bring up that incident again? Besides, it was because the ingredients were bad! I can cook just fine now! And you rat men! What right do you have to complain about leftovers?"

"Squeak! There’s still dignity in leftovers!"

"That’s right!"

It was the first time Ella had seen her usually timid rat members speak up so strongly and share their opinions. Ella felt embarrassed and shouted at them.

"Ugh! Fine, then you guys can help!"

Everyone shrugged in response to Ella’s words.

There was Sven, who would drop his arms at the slightest provocation, the triplets who constantly fought for control of their bodies, Benedict, who worried about his scales and pus getting into the food, and many other members who were unsuitable for cooking due to their inherent conditions. The rat men, who had poor hygiene, were a whole different story.

That’s why Yurakne had to prepare the meals alone.

"Ella, I really am okay," Yurakne reassured her.

"But the amount of cooking has increased a lot recently. We used to get by with just a bowl of soup, but now we have proper meals twice a day..."

Thanks to the increased budget, the dining table had become more abundant, but that also meant more work for the person preparing the meals. And starting today, they were also performing on stage.

Ella was worried that Yurakne might be pushing herself too hard.

"Hehe, don’t worry. I can handle it on my own. We’re not a big family, and besides, I have six arms," Yurakne said shyly, gathering the two arms behind her shoulders and the other two on her waist.

"If I didn’t have these extra four arms, I might have been considered quite a beauty," she continued, her skin surprisingly fair for someone from the countryside. Despite the hard work she did every day, there wasn’t a single blister on her hands. Her waist was slender, and she had a well-defined figure.

’If only she didn’t have those four extra arms...’ Ella thought for a moment.

’My goodness, what am I thinking? This kind of thinking is disrespectful to her. She’s still beautiful and a wonderful person. Just because she looks a bit different from others doesn’t make it a problem. There’s a perfect example of the opposite right there.’

Ella glanced briefly at the head chef’s carriage.

Frank Wonderstein.

He was undeniably handsome, to a fault. His smile was equally charming.

Even Ella had to admit that much, though she disliked him.

But beneath it all was a cunning devil who could only mimic humans.

To him, appearances were as meaningless as shells.

For the past few weeks, he had been behaving so quietly but Ella couldn’t be fooled.

She knew he could turn around at any moment and become ruthless.

"Today’s MVP of the performance is Ms. Yurakne!"

"Woo-hoo! Oh, right! Yurakne, you’re the best!"

"Agreed! One hundred percent agreed!"

The members were suddenly discussing and critiquing today’s performance amongst themselves.

Among the most mentioned individuals were Womon and Yurakne.

Womon’s overwhelming presence needed no mention, but Yurakne, who had relatively subtle makeup, was also frequently mentioned.

Because her acting today was so different from her usual image.

Hehehe! If only I didn’t have this cage! I would eat you humans again! Come here! Come here! Kehehe!

Shy and considerate Yurakne performed the role of a man-eating ogre with a terrifying makeup.

The audience was scared, but the other members watching her act had to hold back their laughter.

"Oh, come here! Come here!"

"Kehehe! Kehehe!"

Skeleton Sven and dwarf Jobel, who never missed a chance to make fun of others, imitated the "Spider Woman" act, pretending to be her clumsily but capturing the essence well enough to bring the character to mind.

All the members watching burst into laughter.

Ella couldn’t help but giggle too.

Yurakne’s face turned as red as a ripe persimmon.

"Woo! Both of you will get no desserts!"

"Oh, Yurakne! Don’t you know? I don’t eat anyway. Don’t eat? Don’t eat?"

The skeleton shrugged his shoulders and danced.

The other members clapped their hands, getting into the spirit.

Yurakne understood how the poor beach worker she had performed with earlier must have felt.

She wanted to blow his head off.

"Really..."

Yurakne pouted and glanced at him.

"Sorry~ Sorry~ Hehe! Sorry~"

"Ah, I should stop talking. Well, let’s all enjoy our meals."

The meal that used to be distributed according to rank had now become a buffet.

When the circus was poor, there was no choice, but with generous sponsorship, everyone could now enjoy the same quality of food.

"Oh, right! I forgot to mention that the merchants’ guild sent gifts saying they were satisfied with today’s performance. It’s roast pig! It’s almost done cooking now, so I’ll bring it out!"

Yurakne was about to head back to the kitchen.

At that moment, Ella signaled to Womon.

Despite his seemingly dull appearance, Womon was a smart 10-year-old.

He stood up abruptly.

"Sister Yurakne, please stay seated. You’ve been working all this time. Ella and I will go get it."

"You rest. This isn’t cooking. Just the two of us will be enough."

"Um... alright! Okay then. Please do."

Yurakne watched Ella and Womon walk side by side, thinking.

Ella, the only ordinary human in the circus.

She was thankful to Ella, who always said she was grateful.

Grateful for playing the role of the emotional support for the members, even though she was still so young.

But did Ella know?

That the gratitude she received from Yurakne was nothing compared to what Yurakne felt.

Ella gave hope to them all.

Hope that they could also live normally among humans.

If she approached like this without fear and realized they were not so different from them.

Why did other people fear them?

At that moment, a thought flashed through Yurakne’s mind.

A circus where everyone lived like a family.

But even within that family, there was someone who received treatment similar to what they faced in society.

Ringmaster Wonderstein.

Did they also consider him a monster and fear him, avoiding him?

"Does the ringmaster feel the same way?"

The director who always made people laugh.

He had never been seen getting angry or raising his voice.

There had never been a hint of fear or disdain in his eyes towards them.

Could he be lonely too?

Yurakne soon realized that she was extending her empathy even to the unreasonable areas.

If the other members had known, they would have told her not to talk nonsense.

The ringmaster being treated like a devil was not because of his appearance.