“What are you running for!”
The Fake Lord was pacing anxiously, but had no choice but to follow Qigai Nühai’s steps.
“Didn’t you see how all those circus people are staring at us! It’s all because you decided to run on your own!”
“And you still have the nerve to blame me? If you hadn’t been a jerk and shouted for refusal during the exchange, would we have ended up in this terrifying place?”
Qigai Nühai’s face was red with anger, as if she wished she could turn around and slap the Fake Lord.
“Then… how was I supposed to know we’d end up somewhere like this!”
Caught by Qigai Nühai’s accusation, the Fake Lord’s face also flushed.
“Besides, I did make a mistake, but is it really a sensible move to run around with all these creepy clowns staring at us?”
“And staying here to be at their mercy—is that a smart choice?”
Seeing that the atmosphere between Qigai Nühai and the Fake Lord in the distance was growing heated, Moya quickly called out to them.
“Stop arguing! I can hear you arguing even from far away!”
Hearing the familiar voice, Qigai Nühai looked in Moya’s direction, her eyes instantly lighting up.
“Lady Angel!”
Qigai Nühai excitedly grabbed the Fake Lord’s hand and pulled him toward Moya and Aide.
Unlike Qigai Nühai’s excitement, the Fake Lord’s eyes also lit up with hope upon seeing Moya and Aide, but then dimmed into a flustered expression, unsure how to face them.
Under the eerie gazes of the circus performers, Qigai Nühai and the Fake Lord wove between the colorful tents, running toward Moya and Aide.
But just as they were about to reach Moya, all the circus members moved in perfect unison, surrounding the four of them, all wearing identical smiles—
The kind of smiling face often seen on carnival posters:
Cheerful, joyful, yet sending an inexplicable chill down one’s spine.
“Are the guests leaving?”
The clowns spoke in unison, their voices overlapping from all directions, forming a discordant chorus, yet each one seemed genuinely joyful.
“The show isn’t over yet.”
Although the words seemed to be a request for them to stay, Moya and the others could still feel the unfaltering happiness in the clowns’ tone.
“I just want to punch each of them and see if they can still smile so happily.”
Moya’s feathered ears drooped slightly, clearly displeased by the scene.
“Be careful, we’re surrounded.”
Aide’s right hand was already on the hilt of his sword, ready to draw at a moment’s notice.
The tamer released the chains in his hands, and the beast beside him slowly turned, its amber eyes gleaming coldly in the firelight.
The acrobats stopped tumbling, hanging in midair with their heads tilting at unnatural angles, staring down at the four below.
The musicians’ performance abruptly ceased, replaced by the dull thud of knuckles striking wood—
Thump, thump, like some kind of countdown.
More and more circus members closed in, splitting Aide and Moya from the approaching Qigai Nühai and the Fake Lord.
“Lady Angel!”
Seeing themselves surrounded by the circus members, Qigai Nühai’s voice grew increasingly panicked.
“Don’t panic, let’s see what they do first.”
Like Aide, who was poised to strike, Moya had already secretly gathered divine energy in her palm, holy light ready to protect Qigai Nühai and the Fake Lord.
But the circus people only formed a tight circle around them, making no further moves.
What was going on?
Soon, the circus members surrounding them parted, creating a path.
Another path leading deeper into the circus.
Taking advantage of the opening, Qigai Nühai and the Fake Lord quickly ran to Moya’s side, seeking safety.
“It seems the owner of this circus wants to see us.”
Seeing that the other circus members made no further moves, Aide shrugged.
“Can’t we just leave?”
Qigai Nühai, who deeply despised this place, clearly had no desire to go deeper.
“Probably not. These circus members have formed a human wall blocking the other directions. Are they letting us go? What if I try to activate a divine spell array to teleport us, and they interfere?”
Moya rolled her eyes.
Although Aide’s strength was likely reliable enough to protect them from the crowd of circus members, Qigai Nühai and the Fake Lord’s combat abilities would probably be a major burden to her and Aide.
“Let’s go. Don’t be too scared. In a spirit world like this, made of collective subconscious, the more afraid you are, the more likely something messed up will manifest.”
Moya said no more and led the Fake Lord and Qigai Nühai down the path the circus members had opened.
“Tell me, why did you refuse during the exchange ceremony?”
As they followed the path deeper into the circus, Moya continued walking at the front, but she could always feel the weird atmosphere behind her.
She spoke up to ease the tension.
Actually, if she’d had the chance, Moya had always wanted to have a proper talk with the Fake Lord.
But for various reasons, that idea never materialized—
Until this incident happened.
Of course, the main reason was that she was lazy, and during her sleepwalking phase, she never had the opportunity to interact with the Fake Lord.
“…I just didn’t want to go back to my original body. Is there something wrong with that kind of thinking?”
Enduring Qigai Nühai’s resentful glare, the Fake Lord bit his lip and replied unwillingly.
“I was already unhappy about it, and then during the body swap, the Crystal Ball suddenly transmitted a voice to me—a voice only I could hear.”
“It told me that as long as I was unwilling, I just needed to say it out loud.”
“So I thought, since agreeing to it in front of the Crystal Ball in the dream caused such a miracle, maybe if I refused in front of the Crystal Ball, it would also have a special effect?”
The Fake Lord’s tone was somewhat aggrieved.
From the looks of it, the effect did happen—
It just brought him and Qigai Nühai to this creepy circus.
“I just don’t get it. Why are you so obsessed with my body!”
Following Moya’s lead, Qigai Nühai crossed her arms and snorted coldly.
“Wasn’t the compensation from the Royal Capital enough for you? You’re just a greedy beggar at heart.”
“What do you know?”
Hearing Qigai Nühai’s snort, the Fake Lord’s tone suddenly rose, carrying a bitter anger.
“Compensation, compensation—easy to say. What use is a lot of compensation from the Royal Capital? Without status, no matter how much compensation you get, it’s just a pile of worthless paper!”
“You people hand out big wads of money as charity to us beggars, smugly thinking that this way we’ll live a good life and be grateful for your compensation.”
“But has any of you ever thought about it? How can a mere beggar, a child, possibly hold onto so much money? Has a single one of you ever considered that problem!”
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