The Freak Show Foreman

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It was a demon who rushed at her as if to pounce on her, but when it actually came before her, its actions became cautious.

It had already been teased by her several times.

It wondered if this too might be a trap and remained vigilant.

It sniffed around her fallen body.

It didn't seem like an illusion.

It lightly swiped its claws towards her.

Her black dress and stockings split neatly into three strands.

Bright red blood gushed out.

"Ouch!"

A painful groan escaped from her lips.

Familiar pleasure flowed through its entire body.

The sensation of slicing through soft flesh.

The scent of blood stimulating its nose.

This time, it wasn't a illusion but real.

However, it felt somehow disgusted.

It was because of her attitude.

Usually, prey, when cornered like this, would cry out in fear, begging for mercy.

Watching that was another pleasure for him.

But she, even with it right in front of her, showed no sign of fear whatsoever.

Her breath, her gaze, her scent.

All were devoid of any color or scent.

The demon's pride was hurt.

When it was just attacked by her, it momentarily felt the terror of death.

Being threatened by a mere prey was embarrassing.

But to feel fear as well…?

It wanted to give her more than that.

It revised its plan to kill her in one breath.

Somehow, it wanted to see her scared.

Zakanuba scratched her body a few more times with its claws.

The clothes she was wearing turned into rags, and her fair skin was stained with red blood.

But she didn't shed a single tear and maintained a calm expression until the end.

The frustrated demon stomped on her wrists and ankles, completely ruining them.

Yet she only let out a small whimper, never giving it the reaction it desired.

Maya was relieved to see the demon torturing her.

Thankfully.

It was wasting time.

The longer it wasted time here, the higher the chance the director would survive.

No, maybe this bloodthirsty bastard would just forget about the master and leave.

Her job was to endure as much as possible.

"Grrr…?"

Zakanuba may have seemed less intelligent due to its cruelty, but it was by no means a stupid beast.

It was also very perceptive.

It noticed she was enduring this for something else.

What could she be hoping for?

The dilemma didn't last long.

The answer was already there.

The person she was willing to protect even if it meant sacrificing herself.

The demon turned its head towards the firmly closed tavern door.

The human lying unconscious inside.

That was her weakness.

"Oh, no…"

Maya realized what it was thinking.

Her icy expression cracked for the first time since the torture began.

The demon chuckled satisfactorily.

Finally, her expression showed.

Fear.

"…Please, leave him alone."

"Hehehe!"

Zakanuba enjoyed her trembling expression and voice as it approached the tavern.

It pierced its claws into the door and tore it apart.

There was a bolt inside, but its claws could cut through iron, let alone wood.

"Ah…"

Maya sighed in despair as she watched the demon's back entering the tavern.

Although she had hidden the director as much as possible with her telekinetic power, if it were a demon, it could easily find him through the scent.

She struggled to move her blood-soaked body.

But her body only twitched slightly, refusing to move.

The upper half of her body, barely holding on, collapsed.

At that moment, iron gloves supported her body.

"Are you okay, Miss?"

The owner of the hand was Ivanenko.

He was wearing armor, blood dripping from his forehead, but he was alive.

A knight of his caliber wouldn't just die from being pinned down by a gate and bricks.

Having barely fought his way through the rubble, he approached to ambush the demon, but seeing it vanish into the inn, he rushed to Maya.

She grabbed the arm of the knight trying to inspect her wounds.

"Not me… save… the director…"

At the mention of the director, he briefly cocked his head, then widened his eyes as he glanced around the inn.

"Ah…! So, that's why you went to such lengths? B-but I can't leave you behind…."

Maya shook her head.

"I'm… already too late… please… save the commander…"

Seeing the blood she had shed, it wouldn't be surprising if she closed her eyes any moment now.

The knight nodded.

What he was doing by holding her here wasn't helping her, but rather trampling upon her determination.

"Understood! Trust me alone!"

Ivanenko brandished his sword and rushed into the inn.

Maya saw a red glow on his armor and sword.

The knight could contain his prized spirit in him.

He was a better knight than she had thought.

Under normal circumstances, he might not stand a chance, but with Zakanuba wounded, perhaps defeating him was possible.

Shortly after, a loud crash was heard from the inn.

The sounds of crashing, shattering, and screaming echoed through.

Maya anxiously waited for the outcome of the fight.

She struggled to keep her eyes from closing.

Even if she died, she wanted to confirm that the director was unharmed.

Not long after they started fighting, a loud thud was heard, and a section of the inn's wall collapsed.

It was Ivanenko.

He pushed aside the rubble, stood up, and roughly removed his shattered helmet.

Then he picked up his fallen sword.

Maya thought he would go back inside the building.

However, he sheathed his sword and limped towards her.

"Monster… what… what kind of monster…"

He looked around the inn with fearful eyes as if his soul had left him.

He seemed terrified after facing Zakanuba once and now appeared to be paralyzed with fear.

How long had it been since he asked her to trust only him?

Maya wanted to curse at him.

She wanted to throw at him, "Are you even a knight?"

But she couldn't muster the energy, and her voice didn't come out.

Inside the inn, the sounds of something crashing and breaking continued.

Maya realized what the demon was doing.

It was destroying the director to the point of despair.

So she could despair enough.

Tears filled Maya's eyes.

No.

She had thought wrong.

A corpse was just decaying organic matter left after death.

Regardless of what happened, she felt nothing about it.

That's how it was supposed to be…

I was that kind of person…

Tears welled up in her eyes.

She didn't want to see it.

The director's corpse.

His broken figure.

Then, the noise that shook the building ceased.

Ah, it's over.

She heard the sound of what had been supporting her heart crumbling.

He was dead.

Or perhaps it would be better if he died.

Something popped out of the entrance of the inn.

It flew towards Maya, splattering blood around as it landed in front of her.

Maya looked at it with tearful eyes.

As the silhouette formed in the darkness, her pupils dilated.

It wasn't what she had expected.

It wasn't what she had anticipated.

The large rabbit head with a broken horn.

The severed head of Zakanuba was rolling with its tongue hanging out.

it was dead.

Before she could contemplate what had happened, someone walked into the hall.

The sound of those footsteps was familiar.

She barely managed to move her head to wipe away tears with the back of her hand.

Is this a dream?

Is she hallucinating before she dies?

She watched as he descended the stairs.

In a black suit, a black hat, and a flowing black cloak.

A man with an appearance carved out of marble, with dark hair cascading to his shoulders.

Her mentor smiled at her.

"I'm sorry, Maya Rendelin. A lot happened while I was unconscious."

No. Don't apologize.

I didn't want to hear that.

"Thank you. I owe my life to you."

… That's nice to hear.

And I'm truly grateful.

Wonderstein bypassed the knight who was guarding him and knelt in front of her.

"I will briefly attend to your injuries. Please do not resist."

Resist? No.

Your touch.

I welcome it.

If Maya's mind were clear, she could never have made such embarrassing sounds, but she closed her eyes and mumbled silently.

A warm energy spread wherever his hands touched.

Confirming her recovery, Wonderstein rose from his seat.

He turned to Ivanenko and said, "Would you take care of Maya for a moment?"

The knight, startled by his smile, hesitated for a moment before asking, "Where are you going?"

"Somewhere I am needed."

With that, he swished his cloak and strode off into the darkness.

Ivanenko glanced in the direction he disappeared for a moment before picking up the fallen Maya and carrying her into the village hall.

***

The members of the Monster Circus faced off against two Zakanubas.

Not even one was easy, and now two demons appeared!

And with Womon, their main force, injured!

They thought they were done for.

Just as the two demons were about to rush at them, a man intervened.

Wearing a worn-out suit, coat, hat, and shoes.

Unshaven and with hair that seemed untouched for a week, he truly embodied the word "worn-out."

He looked like someone who would be denied entry even to the poorest gentleman's club for being too shabby.

In stark contrast to the leader who always wore a neatly tailored suit wherever he went.

He looked at the demons in front of him and clicked his tongue.

"The fool must have gotten lost again and ended up in some strange trouble."

The Zakanubas, enraged, bared their teeth and lunged at him.

"Keiit!"

"Who do you bark at, you demons?"

The man extended his palm towards them.

"By the command of the Apostle of Abyssal Chiral."

He spat out the cigarette he was chewing.

"Earth's force that pulls everything… flip."

Abyssal Chiral.

The demon of coins and mirrors who loves duality and reversals.

His most powerful ability was activated.

The power of reversal.

"Kieek!"

"Kirk?"

The two demons fell towards the sky.