I Became the Leader of the Monster Circus Troupe

Chapter 247: Lekachep Circus School Exam – 1

Providing patrons with news from the outside world was considered one of the fundamental virtues of local taverns in this era.

From small-town gossip to major international affairs, enticing topics could reignite a dwindling drinking party, which in turn boosted the tavern’s revenue.

Hence, bartenders honed not only their cocktail-shaking skills but also kept a keen eye on the happenings of the world.

Some taverns even went as far as hiring jesters specifically for storytelling.

These jesters would come down from their rooms when the patrons’ interest waned and enliven the place with their comedy acts.

They sold information to merchants,

“Throwing and splashing tomatoes everywhere? Such a revolutionary idea, fitting for the ‘Iron Mask,’ renowned for her unique perspective. Haha, as someone who performs on stage, I’m a bit scared though. The first ever tomato festival to be held next year! Aren’t you curious about the potential locations? People are speculating about three main places.”

Told risqué jokes to soldiers,

“The duke’s daughter eloped with a mere jester! Could that jester have been handsome enough to captivate a maiden? Or was his tongue skill exceptional? Haha! Hey, don’t stick your tongue out like that! What are you imagining? I meant his eloquence! Show that kind of thing carelessly and our maid Bess won’t sleep a wink tonight… Oh dear, Bess, please don’t throw things!”

“The Crown Prince has proposed a tax reduction policy, but the Senate blocked it. It just shows the limitations of a regent’s authority. Those greedy old men are the death of independent farmers. What is the Senate anyway? Just an old folks’ home doing errands for the great nobles in exchange for pocket money.”

After throwing out such topics, the patrons would continue their lively drinking with these as their discussion material.

Jesters thus always prepared several topics in advance to cater to different types of patrons.

However, in recent times, jesters had little trouble choosing material.

Thanks to the Circus Grand Prix.

Even though the competition had been running for over four months, it provided fresh topics every week.

From news about the preliminary exams to various incidents and accidents as the circus troupes gathered, and the pride battles among the six host countries.

The Grand Prix’s issues spilled over from the cultural scene into society, politics, and economics, ensuring that no day was quiet.

With so much to discuss and enjoy, it didn’t take long for the Circus Grand Prix to become the go-to topic for tavern jesters.

In a small town tavern in Castya, the jester chose the Circus Grand Prix as his comedy theme.

That morning, he had received some hot-off-the-press news via telegraph and had crafted his script on the spot.

The drinkers were just starting to cool down and their lips were parched.

He organized the script in his mind and stood up.

His name was Sikrik.

He was the leader of ‘Le Vaudevillien,’ a troupe known for its all-jester lineup.

Their performances typically involved well-prepared skits and characters on a proper stage.

However, Sikrik often enjoyed performing incognito in small taverns.

The raw interaction with the audience offered a thrill that the big stage couldn’t provide.

Today’s story was about ‘counterfeits.’

Counterfeits had recently become a major social issue.

In the current world, whenever a company poured its heart into developing a new product, imitations flooded the market shortly after.

Even trademarks were frequently copied.

In severe cases, counterfeit goods dominated the market over genuine ones.

This phenomenon arose with the industrial revolution, which allowed anyone with machinery and facilities to manufacture goods.

In the past, the state regulated this through monopolies, but in the era of free trade, markets were generally beyond government control, except for strategic materials like salt and gunpowder.

Some countries even actively promoted the counterfeit industry.

Though scholars in various fields proposed solutions, few were implemented in practice.

Sikrik intended to highlight a recent incident in Yeterinpuurk involving counterfeits.

He grabbed a cold beer and stepped onto the stage.

“In a time when it’s hard to tell real from fake! Quality degradation is a bonus! It’s common for the handle of an expensive beer mug to snap off, and who knows, the beer you’re drinking might just be horse piss mixed with alcohol!”

The patrons burst into laughter, but Sikrik noticed the tavern owner in the back had a look of shock on his face.

He even turned his head away when Sikrik made eye contact.

Sikrik took a sip of beer, but decided against making the planned exaggerated expression of having smelled urine, and instead set the beer aside.

“Folks, counterfeits don’t just come out of factories. Today, I present a counterfeit from a playwright. Ah, now that I think about it, this did come out of a factory. It’s the tale of a Marquis with a confectionery factory in the north…”

He shared the morning’s news from Yeteinpuurk, interspersing it with bold jokes for the patrons.

The vanity of a Marquis who only knew how to collect things by spending money!

Five circus troupes who were humiliated due to their obsession with false glory!

He dismissed Lord Fantastic’s fame as superficial, denounced Silver Veil Arno as an old man lost in fantasy, mocked Minova as a loud-mouthed thug, snickered that Hopps was nothing more than a muscle-bound monkey, and depicted Wonderstein as a barbarian clinging to outdated customs.

He even jested that he couldn’t buy the goods sold by their sponsors because they seemed like fakes.

Two weeks ago, when he heard the news that they were postponing the premiere of ‘Fantasy 13,’ Sikrik felt a mix of inferiority and jealousy towards them.

Perhaps that was why.

His jokes were sharper than usual.

However, no one felt uncomfortable with this.

Clowns and acrobats were figures anyone, from emperors to commoners, could look down on.

The fact that the Grand Prix of the Circus was freely consumed as a subject of humour in taverns was partly due to this social backdrop.

Watching the customers who agreed with his comedy, Sikrik realized why he wanted to be on the tavern stage today.

He wanted to mock them thoroughly.

It was too burdensome to openly denigrate industry peers in an official setting, so he took this opportunity.

He felt immense satisfaction.

After giving his tips to the owner and shouting for a round of beer for everyone, he left the tavern to applause.

Everyone was joyfully downing their beers while talking about the “blind marquis and five idiots” that Sikrik had mentioned, but there was one table where the atmosphere was particularly tense.

They were merchants who had come to the city for an important deal.

Among them sat a man with a fierce demeanour, the head of the merchant group.

He had come here to finalize a contract to supply 200 commercial freezers, a deal that could be described as the largest in the history of their trading company.

He had barely slept for weeks preparing for this deal.

He conducted thorough market analysis and kept a close eye on competitors’ activities.

Until the last moment, he meticulously researched his trading partner, even finding out their favourite tavern to arrange a hospitality session.

He drank over ten pints of the pungent beer favored by his partner.

He even personally performed the demonstration of getting into and out of the freezer set up in his lodgings.

Because of all the hard work, the deal seemed to be progressing satisfactorily.

The merchant leader brought out fruits frozen in the freezer instead of champagne.

These were rare items he had recently acquired, which he used to celebrate significant deals by cutting them into eighths.

“Oh, these are said to be priceless… How did you obtain them?”

“I sponsor a circus troupe. Ah, they also participated in the Grand Prix. Thanks to them, I formed a connection with Vergsong Merchant Union…”

“Vergsong! That shows the calibre of your trading company.”

What seemed to be going smoothly suddenly went awry when the clown took the stage.

“Morning Star Trading.? I wouldn’t buy anything from them! They sponsor a fraud who seeks fake fame with counterfeit scripts. Their goods are undoubtedly fakes too!”

The previously jovial atmosphere quickly turned icy.

The merchant leader felt like he was back in the freezer he had entered earlier.

Moments later, the business partners received a note and stood up, citing urgent matters.

“We were very impressed with your company’s products. We’re eager to sign the contract, but such a significant deal requires further internal discussion. Unfortunately, we’ll need to contact you again later. We’re sure there will be good news.”

The merchant leader had nearly two decades of experience.

He wasn’t foolish enough to wait for a positive response from his partner.

He took the golden tomato pieces he had brought out and put them back in the freezer.

He spent some time cooling off from the chill of the freezer.

But that only delayed his explosion, not prevented it.

Soon, a thundering roar shook the inn room.

***

“I heard the Head is very angry?”

The woman neither raised her voice nor furrowed her brow.

She merely turned over the documents in her hand with a serious expression.

That alone made Minova feel like he was suffocating.

The woman tossed the pile of documents she had been reading in front of him.

“My reputation is also in ruins.”

These were telegrams from merchants belonging to the Morning Star Trading sent from various parts of the continent.

They contained stories about deals falling through or becoming a laughingstock in social gatherings because of what happened in Yeterinpuurk.

“Uh, is it really that serious…?”

Minova, feeling embarrassed, smacked his lips as he flipped through the documents she handed him.

The woman let out a small, regretful sigh.

“A person of the Marquis’ stature would naturally have many rivals. With five sponsors involved, people who wanted to tear him down have spread the news and taken jabs at him. It didn’t help that we publicized the ‘Fantasy Number 13’ so widely ourselves.”

“What did the Head… say?”

At his question, the woman’s expression hardened.

She was the one responsible for pushing the sponsorship of this Grand Prix on behalf of the Morning Star.

Being a fan of circuses, she had taken on the task.

She found it quite fulfilling to build connections through promotional performances, adjust sponsored items, and broaden her insights into the local market.

She thought her standing within the trading company would rise.

That was until she received a barrage of profanities from the Head yesterday.

But she had enough self-control not to relay that to the person in front of her.

“I’ll handle the internal affairs of the guild. So, Director, please focus on the competition. You absolutely must win a star at the November exam.”

“What if I don’t?”

“The circus might be disbanded. Or you might be replaced.”

The Satbyeol was a project-based circus formed by a sponsor.

Disbanding the circus itself wouldn’t be easy due to the contracts with the organizers, but replacing the director would be simple.

Having finished discussing business, the woman relaxed her stern demeanor a little and looked sympathetically at Minova, whose shoulders were slumped—though they still stood out more than most people’s.

“Where did Ruelle go?”

“She went to see the Halloween festivities with Dosville.”

At his words, the woman raised her eyebrows.

“You left the child with that man?”

“It’ll… it’ll be fine. Ruelle is strong… and, well… there are other kids too.”

The woman could guess who he meant by ‘other kids.’

Perhaps the ones having the hardest time weren’t the adults, but them.

With a complex expression, she gazed out the window.

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Chapter 246: Wonderland (End)