The next day, I woke up with some back pain and the smell of smoked meat.

“Master, Chizze caught breakfast! Come and eat, master,” said Chizze, one of my companions.

I saw my companions devouring a giant wild boar. I noticed that the Dryad only drank water.

I didn't ask any questions and just devoured a boar rib.

I hadn't even finished my meat when I heard music in the distance. “Wait inside the cave. I’ll go check the source of the sound. Chizze, come with me,” I said.

“Wait, Mr. Ester, I think Chizze is still a bit tired. Let me help you this time,” Kharla exclaimed.

I suppose she's right; besides, Kharla never wants to be alone with me.

I guess something happened…

“I’ll take your word for it. Alright, follow me,” I responded.

We left the cave and walked towards the source of the sound.

“Mr. Ester, did you know that Raiza was the missing hero from the war against the demons over 100 years ago?” Kharla asked me.

I suppose this day had to come.

“I didn’t know at first. I helped Raiza without even knowing, and when I realized it, I was part of her crusade to defeat the demon army,” I replied.

“So you and I are the same,” Kharla says, responding to my words.

“We’re not the same, Kharla. Even before meeting Raiza, I had decided to defeat the demon king with my friends. But I separated from them and, in my loneliness, decided to join Raiza. We are different. I had already decided what I would do before meeting Raiza. Now you need to ask yourself what you want for yourself. Even if we part ways after this, you will always be our friend who we kidnapped from the Rusthia royal palace.”

Even though I say these words with a mocking face, Kharla returns the smile. I suppose she’s starting to accept me as a friend.

…

Once we reached a dirt path, the sound was louder.

I heard a man with a guitar singing a cheerful song.

But when I saw that man, he appeared to be a clown in a very elegant outfit, resembling armor, with a Viking helmet.

Behind him, I saw a caravan of about ten wagons and carts. There were more people playing various instruments, accompanying the clown's song as he walked on foot, leading the caravan.

I was very hesitant to approach the clown, but Kharla took my hand and told me to follow her. I decided to trust her instincts and we approached the caravan.

Immediately, the clown saw us, stopped playing the music, and looked at us intently.

The clown began to run towards us.

My instincts told me to run, but Kharla stood still and calm. I decided to trust my companion for now.

“Well, what are two lost kids doing in the forest? Nothing bad happened to you,” said the clown. Up close, he had a terrifying face. Even with the makeup, his sharp eyes and teeth only made me feel fear…

image [https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/078/893/653/large/duval-saul-432444.jpg?1723388544]

“Hello, nice to meet you. I’m Kharla, and the man next to me is Ester, a priest. We suffered an attack from a wild monster, and we, along with our companions, are trapped in the forest,” Kharla explains.

The clown makes an even more terrifying face. Almost instinctively, I want to paralyze him and run away.

“What a sad story, miss. You almost made me cry. But don’t worry, the Jester of Plume will never leave a child in danger,” says the clown.

“Thank you very much, Mr. Jester… Mr. Ester, go get the others. I’ll wait for you here. Don’t take too long; it would be rude to make our hosts wait.”

I can’t believe it, I’ll have to travel with that terrifying clown.

…

Following Kharla’s instructions, I went to get my companions. We gathered the things that Eurisia hadn’t destroyed and went to join that terrifying clown.

When we arrived, Kharla introduced us to the terrifying clown and the circus people accompanying him:

“Mr. Jester and his companions, let me introduce you to my friends. You already know Ester, he is a priest. Victoria, our bodyguard. Diana, a friend who recently joined our group, and Chizze, the pet,” said Kharla.

“Who are you calling a pet, you little shit?” exclaimed Chizze.

I really wonder how those two manage to fight so much.

I also noticed she referred to Diana as the Dryad; I guess it’s better if no one knows who she really is.

The terrifying clown introduces himself in a very theatrical manner.

“Nice to meet you, I am the Jester of Plume from the Plume Circus, the most famous circus in Dredprism. We travel all over the country providing the best circus show at a low cost. Children under 15 pay half price.”

Is he seriously advertising his circus now?

“Master, what is a circus?” asked Chizze.

“A circus is a show that includes acts of magic, performance, music, and everything that entertains children and their families,” I explained simply for Chizze, even though I’ve never been to a circus…

And if there are clowns like this in circuses, I’d rather never go.

The clown looks surprised.

“Little girl, have you never seen a circus in your life? By the Goddess, how terrible. But don’t worry, that will be fixed soon. I’ve already talked with little Kharla and we accepted her request to help you get to the capital, though I will need some help from Mr. Ester.”

Why does it seem like this clown is only interested in me?

With an uncomfortable expression, I say, “I’ll gladly help if you take us to the capital.”

Damn Kharla, I thought we were finally getting along, and now I’m stuck with this terrifying clown.

Please, someone help me.

…

We joined the circus caravan, and since there was still some of the giant boar that Chizze had hunted, we shared it with the circus people.

They seemed nicer than the clown; they were a group of people from different ethnicities and colors. I also noticed that there were beastmen from the reptilian family with their emerald scales, dwarves who didn’t seem to be rune smiths, and men and women who looked like they came from the country of Amster. There were people from Dredprism, but the foreign presence was greater.

Once we reached the nearest village, it was already night.

On the outskirts of the village, near its entrance, all the circus members began to set up tarps and drive in wooden stakes.

The work they were doing looked heavy, so much that we offered to help, but they told us that all positions were occupied and to wait seated.

I guess more help is better than none…

We also noticed that some people were setting up their personal tents. We had planned to go to an inn to sleep, but at this hour, I doubt it would be open, so we decided to set up our own tent.

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We had two camping tents, but Eurisia destroyed one along with the wagon, so we’ll have to share one tent among the five members of our team…

A man says from behind my back:

"Ester, my friend, I was looking for you. Follow me, we need your help…

Hey, I also notice that tent is very small for five people.

You know what?

Ester, spend the night with us."

Damn, it was that clown again!

I didn’t want to follow him, but Kharla told me to listen to him for now. So, reluctantly, I agreed to follow the clown.

He took me to a larger tent that he shared with other circus people, and in the middle of it was a large white lion.

I had seen lions before in my master’s books, but seeing one in person was very impressive. It even made me forget about the terrifying clown behind me.

I approached the lion, which was in a sorry state.

I used healing magic to stop the damage to its body.

The clown, with a nervous expression, says:

“Before you say anything, Ester, at the Plume Circus, we don’t use wild animals in our show. We prefer to perform the show ourselves, but my predecessor thought otherwise and had several wild animals in the show.

When I took over the circus, everything changed, but I couldn’t get rid of little Simbad. Even since he was young, he’s always had poor health, and leaving him to fend for himself was a certain death, so we decided to care for him as a pet.

Sometimes he joins us on stage, but we don’t force him to perform tricks; at most, we let the kids see him up close… But no matter how much we try to improve his health, it has been impossible.”

I listened to the clown’s story while analyzing Simbad’s body with my magic.

“I’ve healed his body a bit, but the lion has a weak body due to poor nutrition and lack of exercise. I can prepare a medicine to complement his food and a workout routine to help the lion regain its vitality. I’ll need some ingredients, but it’s already very late. Let’s let Simbad rest for today.”

“Was it really the diet? We always give him plenty of meat from the monsters that try to attack us during our travels, but I guess we haven’t balanced his diet. Anyway, it’s very late, and we’ve finished preparing for the circus. Now we need to rest and get ready for tomorrow’s show.”

Everyone in the tent applauds the clown’s words and points out the place that will be my bed: a hammock located among several other hammocks.

At least they are situated far from the clown.

Without wasting time, I lie down in my hammock and try to fall asleep.

…

I wake up early due to the noise of many people walking back and forth.

I leave the tent and notice that all the circus members are preparing the area where we set up to ensure the circus runs smoothly, while other members of the circus prepare soup for breakfast.

image [https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/078/893/654/large/duval-saul-qweeweweqw.jpg?1723388548]

"Priest, have some soup. If you can, call your friends so they can have breakfast too," says one of the dwarves working at the circus as he hands me the soup. It was delicious. I think Chizze would like to try it.

I went to our tent and saw that my companions were still asleep. I guess they were far enough from the noise. “Girls, breakfast is ready,” I say. Raiza responds immediately, “Ester, didn’t you notice anything strange about the circus people?” I think Raiza wasn’t completely asleep, in case any circus member tried to attack them.

“They just asked me to heal a lion. I was planning to go to the nearby village for medicinal herbs,” I reply.

“Well, if that’s all, I can help you,” says Raiza, while giving the Dryad a light smack on the head.

“Ouch! What’s going on? Are we being attacked again?”

“No, Ester needs medicinal herbs. Help him,” Raiza tells the Dryad.

“Dim-witted elf, don’t you know how to ask for a favor politely? For the love of the Goddess… What herbs do you need, Ester?”

I take out a book on medicinal herbs and point to the plants I’ll need for the lion’s treatment.

“Alright, that will be easy,” says the Dryad. She gets up from the tent and walks over to a tree, making all the herbs I requested grow. “There, don’t thank me. Just don’t leave me behind before we reach the capital.”

I’m amazed by the Dryad’s powers; she literally just created life. I thank her, take the medicinal herbs, and finish waking up the rest of my companions for breakfast while I prepare the medicine for the lion.

…

Once I finish the tonic, I put it in a bottle and look for the terrifying clown.

“Mr. Buffoon, I need you to come with me to administer the medicine to Simbad.”

“Oh wow, that was quick, Mr. Ester. Wait a moment; we were preparing to go to the town square to put on a promotional show to get the townspeople to come to the circus tonight.”

…

Once the clown finishes his work, he accompanies me to the tent with Simbad.

“Mr. Ester, Simbad is much better today.”

“Yes, my healing magic has already taken effect, but if we don’t address what made him sick in the first place, it’s only a matter of time before the symptoms return,” I reply to the clown while showing him how to use the tonic.

I take the piece of meat that Simbad was going to have for breakfast, cut it into pieces, mix the tonic with the meat, and serve it to Simbad.

At first, the lion hesitates to eat his food, but the clown strokes his mane, and the lion finally gains the confidence to eat the meat.

I hand over a paper with the tonic preparation, the amount of medicine to give the lion, and the instructions for the exercises he should do to maintain his health.

“Thank you very much, Mr. Ester,” says the clown as he hugs me. I understand he’s not a bad person, but having this terrifying guy hug me gives me the creeps.

…

Once we finished the work, Kharla and I went to the nearby village to buy a cart to continue our journey…

I know that clown promised to take us to the capital, but I don’t think I can stand much longer in that circus with my phobia of that clown.

Still, my patient is better now, so I can leave without feeling guilty about the lion.

But…

I notice that Kharla is spending more time with me. I guess she’s still somewhat surprised that Raiza is the hero, but since she’s still with us, it’s only a matter of time before she accepts it.

We went to the local market and inquired about carts or carriages for sale.

We were directed to a merchant who was in a bad financial situation.

"Boy, I can sell you my cart and my two horses if you agree to buy my cargo. I foolishly invested in armor and black wolf pelts thinking it would be a good business, and it wasn’t. Prices crashed the following week and I’m stuck in this town.”

That man was the only merchant willing to sell me his cart. I saw other carts for sale, but they were too small, old, and I doubted they would survive such a long journey.

In contrast, this man’s commercial cart was perfect. The selling price was 20 gold coins, which seemed a bit expensive to me, but my desire to leave that circus was stronger.

“I offer you 15 gold coins,” says Kharla, trying to haggle with the merchant. It seems odd that a woman with several platinum coins is fighting over 5 gold coins.

“17 gold coins is the minimum I would accept now,” replies the merchant.

“Deal. Mr. Ester, pay the man. Now we need to buy supplies for the trip,” Kharla tells me.

I gave him 17 coins, and he handed over the cart’s documents and products.

Once the deal was closed, I made sure the horses were in good health. They were somewhat malnourished and hadn’t eaten well. I used my healing magic on them and fed them, mixing some of Simbad’s lion medicine into their food to help them recover faster.

…

When the cart was loaded and the horses fed, we passed through the center of the village, where I saw the face of my nightmares again…

“Ladies and gentlemen, I am the Buffoon of Plume from the Circus of Plume. We are located near the entrance of the village, but we want to put on a show for those present. So, I hope you enjoy this brief performance.”

The clown and his companions played some music while the clown juggled knives, accompanied by a bit of magic that filled the air with beautiful colored lights.

I noticed that the clown used illusion magic and was very skilled at it; not only did he use the magic without incantations, but he did it at a good speed.

I have been surrounded by talented people all my life, and that guy had talent, but it disturbs me that no one else seems to be afraid of him.

Even the smallest children approached the clown to watch his show and greet him.

I don’t know who is mistaken: those children or me.

…

“What, are you planning to leave, Mr. Ester?”

Once we arrived at the circus camp, I told the clown that we would need to leave today.

“Problems came up and we needed to continue our journey as soon as possible,” which is partly true, but I no longer want to stay with that clown.

“I understand, Mr. Ester. I would have liked to return the favor for helping my friend Simbad… I could ask if you and your companions would join us tonight to see our show. I noticed you’ve never been to a circus before and it would be an honor to show you the magic of the circus in a figurative sense.”

I saw their show in the afternoon and it was impressive. I suppose it could be a nice memory before we end up in the middle of a fight again.

“I gladly accept, but once the show is over, we will travel tonight, as we are in a hurry to reach the capital.”

…

When night fell, we went to the circus and it was a pleasant evening.

The clown and his people decorated the place very elegantly, fit for noble eyes, and it was quite impressive for entertaining this small town.

The whole place smelled of popcorn and caramel apples.

The tent was full of people; I’m sure nearly the entire town must have come. The clown reserved seats for us at the front.

We were all ready for the show.

Once the show started, a somewhat plump but very beautiful woman came out to sing solo, and then was joined by a full band that complemented the melody.

When she finished, there was a comedy act. They made a joke about the clown Pagliacci, which made me laugh very hard, as ironic as it sounds.

After that, we had an artistic dance performance, which delighted my friends, but I just kept laughing silently at the joke about the clown Pagliacci.

To end the show, the Buffoon of Plume came out to perform his illusion magic act.

Both children and adults enjoyed the clown’s performance.

I admit that I also enjoyed his talent for illusion magic, though I also thought that power, used in a fight, could be a very dangerous weapon.