Two people emerged from the room as if they had arranged to meet, ascending the stairs side by side.
They were making their way to a spacious, empty place with an open view.
It was the rooftop of the factory.
Lord Fantastic stood in front of the chimney on the left side of the rooftop entrance.
“Wanna see a trick?”
He began to climb the chimney, not even holding onto it with his arms. He ascended the vertical ladder as if climbing stairs.
Wonderstein, upon seeing this, headed towards the chimney on the right side of the entrance. He also climbed using only his legs, relying on his muscle strength of 6.0 and the “tightrope walking” skill swiftly inserted into his skill book.
The two reached the top of the chimney.
Below them was the railing beneath which smoke emerged.
“Do we really have to talk in a place like this?”
The gap between the two chimneys was roughly 3 meters.
Their cloaks fluttered.
The wind was so strong that without holding onto their hats, they would have flown away.
Wonderstein looked down at the scenery below the chimney, feeling tense inside.
It was a dizzying height.
The entire Tettromino Plaza was visible at a glance.
“Should I prepare wings just in case?”
He didn’t know how the opponent would act.
Suddenly testing acrobatic skills by throwing a dagger wouldn’t be strange.
Although Lord Fantastic’s expression remained as cold as ever, inwardly he admired his opponent.
It wasn’t just bravery and skill.
Nonchalantly following him up the chimney, and even standing at this height with a smile on his face, without a trace of fear.
As if enjoying the dangerous situation itself.
“He’s even more formidable than I thought.”
Simon heightened his guard against his opponent.
“Your skills are quite impressive.”
“It’s just basic. To lead a circus troupe, one must excel.”
“I agree with that.”
They both chuckled simultaneously.
It was absurd.
If their skills were basic, there wouldn’t be many people capable of running a circus.
“Enough with the pleasantries. Let’s get to the point. We can’t keep His Excellency waiting too long.”
“Haha, indeed.”
Simon took a moment to catch his breath.
Recalling the scene he had just witnessed made him extremely uncomfortable.
“You seemed to be manipulating my daughter quite skilfully. I’ve never seen her smile like that before.”
“It seems she enjoys being in our circus more than under your authority.”
“That’s not her usual demeanor.”
“Yes, I understand. After enduring so much abuse under your care, it’s only natural for her to harden her heart.”
Simon spat out these words with disdain.
“What did you do to her? Brainwashing? Drugs? Magic?”
“How do you view people?”
“Tell me honestly.”
“I haven’t done anything like that.”
“Is that so? You’re denying it till the end. Fine. Then… your Assistant Director?”
Ella?
Wonderstein remained silent.
Simon finally realized he had struck a nerve and burst into laughter.
“Hahaha, I knew it.”
“…What do you mean?”
Simon put his hand in and out of his pocket.
Wonderstein’s gaze was drawn to his right hand, as if he was about to throw something. But nothing flew out.
When he looked back, Simon was holding a rose in his left hand.
“A skilled magician knows how to use misdirection skillfully.”
He swiftly tossed the rose.
It flew far on the wind.
At that moment, his right hand moved like lightning again.
Wonderstein followed his movement but nothing came flying.
There was no rose in his left hand either.
Instead, he pointed to Wonderstein’s chest.
Bowing his head, Wonderstein discovered a rose had been stuck in his chest.
He threw the rose again.
This time, Wonderstein didn’t take his eyes off him.
Although his right hand moved again, nothing came flying.
Nor was there anything in his left hand.
Instead, he showed Wonderstein his chest.
Bowing his head, he found another rose had been stuck in his chest.
“But if you stray down the wrong path, you might start to believe you can control people’s thoughts at will.”
In Simon’s hand was now a third rose.
“Let me be honest. I’m to blame. Ella has been tempted. I thought it was a waste for her incredible talent to be used in places like the Monster Circus. So, I dropped hints to her. Subtle suggestions to trigger memories. To evoke negative feelings about you.”
Wonderstein now understood what he was getting at.
“But every time, I encountered a remarkable phenomenon. You see? It’s as if her memory gets blocked by something, she falls into a trance state. Just for a few seconds. And she couldn’t even remember what she was trying to recall.”
He pointed to his chest again.
Wonderstein looked down.
The rose that had been pinned to his chest was now gone.
Raising his head again, he exclaimed in awe.
Hundreds of roses, seemingly from nowhere, danced in the air, carried by the wind.
Red, pink, purple, yellow roses floated around the two men.
“The concoctions the alchemist kept brewing. Did anyone among us think to see through their purpose? A colleague skilled in pharmacology told me. They are ingredients that exert powerful influences on memory. Through drugs, manipulating her memories, leaving only positive feelings about you. You’ve been ‘nurturing’ her like that. Am I wrong?”
My goodness.
It all connected like this.
Wonderstein lowered his head.
“Lord Fantastic, you misunderstood.”
“What did you plant in my daughter? Hm? What drugs did you use?”
“I said there was a misunderstanding, didn’t I?”
At that moment, amidst the scattered roses in the air, the sound of wings fluttering was heard.
Confirming it, Simon wore a triumphant expression.
“Oh, dear, dear. I didn’t mean to shock you.”
Wonderstein followed his gaze.
A bundle of white feathers was fluttering below the chimney.
That was…
“A Pigeon…?”
“It’s one of the animals Ella raises. Her pet. Don’t you know?”
Wonderstein watched the pigeon enter the factory ventilation shaft.
Was she eavesdropping?
“Since when…?”
“Since I picked the first rose.”
Only then did Wonderstein realize Simon’s intentions.
He hadn’t expected to receive proper answers from himself from the beginning.
What he aimed for was to make her hear the words that her memories had been manipulated from his mouth.
His magic wasn’t merely explaining ‘false suggestions’.
His magic itself was a false suggestion.
To prevent him from noticing the presence of the pigeon.
“I suppose negotiations on the trade are sufficient with this.”
The roses floating in the air were all gone now.
“I wonder which circus Ella will choose?”
Simon’s lips curled into a cruel smile.
“Look forward to next Tuesday.”
He descended the ladder as if slipping down.
Alone remaining atop the chimney, Wonderstein was seized by a bleak mood.
Ella didn’t know her current state.
She didn’t know she had lost memories, that manipulated memories existed, that she hated Wonderstein.
Even the treatment from the Gascon she only knew as a means to soothe her mind.
She would eventually regain all memories.
But finding memories this way was impossible.
If simply telling her the truth, “Your memories are wrong,” could bring them back, the names “Magician’s Authority” and “Reaper’s Scythe” would be waste.
Even if she recognized the truth now, all she would gain were feelings of betrayal and hurt toward him and the members, distrust and confusion about herself.
It was something he expected would happen someday.
Her realizing that she had been deceived by him and the members.
“Ella.”
Wonderstein, entering the building, spotted Ella leaning against the window. It seemed she was waiting for him to come down from the rooftop.
She looked at him with a fresh gaze.
Fortunately, she didn’t seem to be in shock.
She didn’t show any hostility towards him either.
Was it because of the strong wind on the chimney? No, perhaps the pigeon wasn’t a messenger pigeon, just a passing pigeon? Was it all just a show of Rod Fantastic’s arrogance?
Then, she suddenly blurted out.
“Snacks.”
“What?”
Leaning her arm against the window, she murmured.
“You returned the snacks I sent….”
“Ah.”
Wonderstein remembered what had happened during their tour earlier.
Ella said in a resentful tone.
“I thought you were at the villa. I felt sorry for enjoying the delicious snacks alone, so I sent them to you. But you just returned them. Hmph, if I knew you and Reyna were having such a good time, I wouldn’t have sent them. Did I interrupt your intimate time? Did you laugh at me? Did you check the snacks I crammed into my hat?”
She wiped her wet eyes with her sleeve.
Wonderstein approached her quietly with a smile.
“Ella.”
“If it’s consolation, it’s fine. If that’s your true intention….”
“Look at this.”
“What… huh?”
Wonderstein took off his hat and showed it to her.
Ella’s eyes widened as she looked inside.
The black silk hat was filled with snacks.
“What is this…?”
“We were treated to snacks while waiting outside the factory. They said it’s a new product scheduled for release.”
She exclaimed in admiration.
Now she realized how the situation had turned around.
“I also secretly put snacks in my hat. I wanted to show Ella, who was alone at the villa, a little taste.”
A disappointed smile spread across Ella’s lips.
“What, so our Inspira worked on each other simultaneously… We sent snacks to each other?”
“Haha, it seems so.”
She snatched the hat from his hand and pressed it against her face.
Certainly, warmth was emanating from it.
Because the items were transmitted through a magical space, they maintained their condition when sent.
This snack preserved the warmth and aroma from when she crammed it in.
It was definitely the snack she had sent.
The smell of butter, sugar, and baked flour tickled her nostrils vividly.
But there was a smell that stimulated her more than that.
It was the scent she had smelled when she buried her head in his shoulders and back a few times.
Sour yet sweet, it strangely made her keep smelling it…
His golden hair scent.
Ella’s face turned red as she held out the hat to him again.
“Let’s stop sending snacks through the hat now! It’s embarrassing with the smell!”
“Hmm, should we?”
She pushed her flushed face down, hiding it under the hat, and turned her head back to the window.
“But didn’t you know? The place where the Golden Carnival stays is the Marquis’s villa. We were provided with snacks every day. There was no need for you to bring any….”
“Well, I just thought it would be nice if you had some delicious food too.”
Same as me.
Ella’s face grew even redder, but a smile appeared on her lips.
She lowered her head even further.
“You are pretending! Actually, you didn’t really miss me, did you? You found someone else suitable for the Assistant Director Position.”
“Miss Reyna? Well, I’ve never considered anyone but you for that position.”
“Me, better than her?”
“Why?”
“That, well….”
Ella took a moment to catch her breath.
And then she said in a slightly softer voice.
“If I remember, I’ll hate you. It’s better this way.”
Silence fell.
Ella fought back tears.
She didn’t want sympathy.
She wanted to hear his sincerity.
So the two of them stood in the hallway without saying a word.
It was Ella who spoke first.
“I heard you earlier.”
A “coo” sound came from her hat.
It’s the pigeon.
Since the creature hadn’t been transmitted through her Inspira, he still considered that place his home.
Wonderstein didn’t know what to say to justify himself.
In fact, there was no justification.
He had deceived her.
“I see.”
He organized his thoughts for a moment.
Thinking about how to minimize her hurt.
Finally, he spoke up.
“Miss Ella, I’m sorry for deceiving you all this time. Your memory is actually….”
“No.”
Ella raised her hand, interrupting him.
Wonderstein lowered his head.
“No. I want to apologize. Anyway, the fact that we deceived you….”
“That’s not true.”
She looked him straight in the eye, offering a sad smile.
The next words that came out of her mouth were something he never expected.
“I actually… knew.”
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