“Th-the situation is… it’s like this…”
A group of men with bruised and swollen faces knelt on the ground, the leader Black Wolf even had a bandage wrapped around his head.
They looked utterly miserable, on the verge of tears, facing the three maids in front of them… and an old man who looked a bit absent-minded.
They’d been beaten up for no reason, and honestly, none of them dared to show their anger.
“Eh… is… that so?”
Having learned the men didn’t mean any harm, Holly felt a bit awkward for a moment.
But that feeling was quickly swept away by the joy of finding Veil.
“Little Veil, are you alright?” The Lady of the Holy Sword bent down, looking at the youngest maid among them…
“Huh? I’m fine~”
The Goddess shook her head, then, as if suddenly realizing something, gave Holly a slightly dissatisfied look and straightened her chest again.
“But… you should call me ‘senior’! Veil-senior!”
Pfft~
Seeing Veil like that, Holly couldn’t help but stifle a laugh.
“Alright, alright~ Veil-senior~” The Lady of the Holy Sword smiled as she patted Veil’s head.
Hm…?
The Goddess, being patted on the head, looked a bit confused.
Even though Holly had called her “senior” just as she wanted, why… did it still feel so strange?
“So… are we going to meet up with the Lady next?”
Before Veil could figure it out, Holly stood up and looked at Reliel beside her.
“Mm.”
Reliel nodded, but just as the three of them turned around… the thieves behind them hurriedly scrambled to their feet and followed.
Huff… Yet Reliel obviously didn’t trust them, nor did she want these notorious ruffians tagging along.
“M-maid lady, we really have no other choice… This place is so eerie, we can’t get out on our own… Please, have mercy on us!”
At this moment, the burly Black Wolf wore a pitiful face, looking nothing like the fierce bandit from before.
“Reliel, maybe… we should just let them come with us?”
Seeing the frightened, pitiful look on the group, Holly couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sympathy.
But… upon hearing her, Reliel turned her head to look at Holly.
“You still don’t understand.”
She spoke with that cold, quiet voice.
“Eh? Don’t… don’t understand what?”
“You still don’t understand your position, and you’re not clear about your own identity.”
It was the first time Reliel had said so much to Holly, but she left it at that.
Mm… Holly froze for a second, then immediately understood Reliel’s meaning.
Her current status was as the Lady’s maid, her attendant.
She was no longer the daughter of a rich family—she couldn’t just say or do whatever she wanted anymore.
This was not the “everyone is equal” society of her previous life.
This was a feudal, predatory Kingdom where people were devoured without leaving a bone.
Whether these men could stay, whether they could follow… was not up to her as a maid, but up to their master.
At least, that’s how Holly understood Reliel’s words.
Before… she hadn’t thought much of it.
But now, thinking it over, Holly couldn’t help feeling a little uncomfortable.
Compared to these two, Veil seemed completely unconcerned, calmly taking out a banana from her small backpack and starting to eat.
Only now did Black Wolf notice…
The small backpack that the little maid had been guarding so carefully was filled with all sorts of fruits and snacks.
Remembering what she’d said before… that she wouldn’t share with him…
Black Wolf was instantly covered in dark lines.
But… at least, while the maids claimed they didn’t care about the thieves, they didn’t actually stop them from following behind.
In this silent procession, the group made their way to the Main Tent.
By now, the curtain at the entrance of the Main Tent had been drawn open, indicating that it was already 8:25.
According to what Ileya had said before, if she wasn’t present when the show started… there was no need to wait—just go in and watch.
Maybe the Lady had already gone in by herself…
Thinking this, the group filed in one after another.
The tent was even more spacious inside than it looked from the outside, with rows of tiered seats all around.
Though many people were already seated, there were still plenty of empty spots.
The three of them picked a place with a good view and sat down; as for Arthur… Reliel had arranged for him to sit right beside her.
There were few Zhendu in this area, so it was easy to scan the crowd… and made it convenient to look for the Lady.
As for the bandits, they exchanged looks—originally planning to sit behind the maids, but Black Wolf, ever the sharp one, realized that sitting behind maids who didn’t trust them would only arouse suspicion and displeasure…
So he stopped his brothers and had them all sit in the row in front of the maids instead.
That way, as soon as the maids looked down, they could keep a close eye on these “unstable elements.”
And this move… made Reliel raise an eyebrow.
These shameless things were at least clever.
Of course, this bit of admiration lasted only a second before Reliel looked away… and scanned the surroundings.
She hadn’t paid much attention before, but now, looking closely… Reliel noticed that the Zhendu here all dressed extremely plainly.
Even plainer than the people in the villages they’d passed through.
Most wore clothes in shades of gray and white, with no special patterns.
Even those with many rings on their fingers or who were clearly fat nobles still dressed plainly… not a single one wore the favorite Nuosilu Changpao made in the Zhongbu of the Kingdom, beloved by city nobles.
Or perhaps, rather than “plain,” these people looked like a bunch of antiques… all wearing clothing styles from decades ago.
As for the Lady… there was still no sign of her.
“Honored gentlemen and goddesses! Welcome to the Golden Sun Circus!!”
Just as Reliel was searching for Ileya, a man appeared on stage—top hat on his head, formal suit on his body, a monocle on his face, both hands raised diagonally overhead, then bowed 90° to the audience!
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!!
A ring of flames shot up around the stage, serving as a thrilling appetizer.
“Bravo! Wonderful!”
Clap clap clap clap…
A round of applause rang out.
Then, the host raised his gloved left hand and clenched it into a fist in the air!
The noise all around gradually quieted.
“Now, please enjoy our first act: The Great Aerial Leap!”
As the host deliberately drew out the words, the lights instantly dimmed…
Leaving only a single beam to illuminate the two people on stage.
A man and a woman, both standing tall atop a wooden platform nearly ten meters high, faces hidden behind masks adorned with purple-black feathers.
Before them, hanging from the main beam of the tent, were rows of iron rings.
Stretching all the way from above the stage to the tent’s entrance.
Whoosh! In the next moment, the man leapt forward without hesitation, grabbing the first iron ring…
While the woman jumped right after him!
But… at that distance… she couldn’t possibly reach the next ring!
Just as the audience gasped in alarm… snap!
She grabbed the man’s ankle and struck a graceful pose in mid-air.
The performance… had begun.