To the sound of a loud drum march and trumpets, a large number of circus performers appeared from the left and right sides of the wide stage in a quick series of backflips.
　Waves of backslapping came from the left and right and crossed in the center. I'm surprised they didn't collide.
　As it was, they were bouncing in the air as if they were bouncing on a trampoline.
　Each circus member was dressed in colorful, fluttering clothes, giving us a colorful look as if a flower had bloomed on stage.

'How can they move so single-mindedly?
He must have been practicing so hard.

　As I was having such an exchange with Lou, who was sitting next to me, in a kind of beauty created by the regular movements, two men appeared on stage.
　One of them threw an apple in his hand up into the air and started juggling. The other seems to be his assistant.
　The juggling man receives additional apples from the man next to him, one after another, and the number of apples increases to four, then five. Eventually, ten apples were flown in the air.
　The crowd applauded his feat. But the juggling man didn't stop there, he took the knife offered by the assistant next to him and replaced it with one apple after another.
　In the blink of an eye, the ten apples turned into ten knives. But the juggling was repeated in the same way as before. Oh, great.
　As I was being impressed, the juggling man's assistant brought out a wooden box with a hatchet in it and held it in his hands, appealing to the audience.
　Oh, now he's going to change it to that one!
　As the crowd buzzed, the juggling man glanced at his assistant's hatchet as he lifted his knife into the air, trying to time it.
　We stopped talking and watched with bated breath. In the next moment, with a swift motion, the knives turn into hatchets, one after the other, as if they were changing apples. The hatchets spun around and flew in the air, though their numbers were reduced due to their weight.
　There was a burst of applause from the audience. We couldn't help but clap our hands.

''Oh, that's........''
Oh, come on. Are you kidding me?

　The assistant stands a small log about thirty centimeters high on the stage and begins to line it up beside him. In front of the juggling man, the same number of logs as the axe are arranged in a horizontal row in front of the juggling man.
　The juggling man stands in front of the farthest end of the logs, trying to find the right moment. The drum roll in the background is really stirring up some tension.
　Dang!　And just as a single axe was swung down on the log, the man moved to the side and drove the axe into the log in rapid succession.
　Eventually, as the last axe was thrust into the log, the juggling man held out his hands as if to say, "What do you think? Then the applause rained down again.

'No, I'm thrilled.'
Yes, I thought you were going to fail.

　As Lou and I were clapping our hands together and exchanging such impressions, the juggling man pulled back to his sleeve, and now a jolly-looking man on a bicycle appeared.
　As the man circled the stage, he waved one hand at the audience, and then he let go of the other hand as well, waving both hands as he drove away from the stage.
　Oh, I used to do that too, I thought, and then he stood on the saddle and began to operate the steering wheel with one foot. I didn't do that one. Can you do it?
　Three more cyclists appeared from the side of the stage. A total of four cyclists rode around the stage, repeatedly crossing the stage. I really don't know how they hit it....
　A stage assistant brought out what looked like a jumping board. Jumping.
　One of the bicycles runs towards the jumping platform. The bike jumped into the air with great force, spun around in the air, and landed beautifully. The other three bicycles followed suit, and the audience applauded as they all landed beautifully.
　It's a bicycle that I brought into this world, but people here already control it as if it were their own limbs. That bike is not an ordinary one either, it looks like a uniquely modified one. There are some suspension-like features. I guess they are to absorb the shock of landing on the ground.
　As the four bicyclists began to spin around the stage again, a pair of guys appeared, this time with long ropes up their sleeves.
　The two men grabbed the end and end of the rope and started spinning it around and around. Haha, I see. Jumping rope.

''What are they doing...?''
I'll know it when I see it.

　I answer that to Arthia, who is looking at the rope they are spinning curiously.
　Eventually, the man who was holding the rope murmurs some kind of incantation, and the rope they were spinning was lit in the blink of an eye. Huh, that's not quite what I was expecting....
　The bicyclist jumped into the flaming rope and started jumping rope with a small jump. Yeah, I didn't think he'd even set it on fire, but it was the one I was thinking of.
　I mean, how can you hold a flammable rope? I looked carefully and saw that he was wearing what looked like thick gloves. Are they non-combustible gloves?　Perhaps the rope wasn't just a rope either.
　All four bicyclists entered the flaming rope and performed rhythmic, side-by-side jumps that looked like they were breathing together. After a few dozen jumps on the rope, they escaped in a series of swooshes.
　After that, the bike squad left the stage while performing acrobatic moves.

''Well, folks!　Next, enjoy the amazing show of strength by the mighty Warriors, Full Power!''

　As the leader of the silk hat dancer introduced him with a loudspeaker in his hand, the curtain in the center of the stage opened, revealing the rigid God of Power standing in a pose that emphasized every muscle in his body. There it is, the God of Power.
　A woman who looked like an assistant with rabbit ears was standing on either side. .........No, is that a rabbit beastman? Or rather, the woman's outfit is exactly the same as a bunny girl. Although it wasn't high-legged net tights, it was a skirt type.
　I remember seeing that in the fashion image of the Earth shown to Mr. Zanuck in "Fashion King Zanuck". He must have made it.........

Hmph!

　The old man of power crouched down and stood up lightly with the women on either side of him in his hands.
　A groan came from the audience. It wasn't his arm. He placed them on his palms. It took a lot of skill to lift one woman with one hand, but it also took a lot of skill for Bunny to keep her balance and keep riding with a smile.

'Hmph!'

　That wasn't enough, the old man of power moved his hands to just above his head. The two bunnies were smiling and appealing to the audience on top of the hands held above the old man of power's head.

''Awesome!''
It's funny!

　Lynne and Frey are watching the scene with excitement.
　If you use 【Power Rise】 and 【Boost】, it's not impossible for your father to do that. .........What am I competing with you for, I......
　Bunny, who was lowered to the stage, had borne a large shield on his sleeve and brought something with two people. It's a large, sturdy-looking metal kite shield.
　The old man of power receives the kite shield from Bunny.

''Nun!''

　Wink!　The old man of power easily bent the kite shield in half with a sound of "Nunu!

''Nun!''

　The old man of power bent that two-folded kite shield into two more folds and folded it into four.
　The old man of power's power (complicated) got the audience excited. The Old Man of Power responded by holding up his quartered shield.
　Behind the old man of power, who posed for the audience and showed his muscles, a large carriage cart was pulled by dozens of members this time with a rattle.
　Only the cart. There are no horses. It's a large truck-sized one that can accommodate dozens of people if it's forced.
　The members who have pulled the cart are getting on the cart one after another. It's a good idea to be able to have a look at it, but there are probably no more than 20 of them.

"Hey, no way!

　Such a voice leaked out from the audience. I also thought 'no way' for a moment, but I soon mastered the idea of 'but I guess I can do it'.
　Just as we expected, the old man of power put his hand on the cart that more than 20 people are riding on.

''Hunnu!''

　Yippee!　And lifting it up with both hands, the old man put his hands back under the cargo bed. All the weight should be on the old man's shoulders, head, and both arms of the power, which is directly underneath him.
　A drum roll plays after a brief silence. Dang!　The old man of power lifted the back of the truck on which the members of the group were riding high above their heads as if he were doing weightlifting to the sound of "Wow!

'Wow!'
No!
What power!

　A thunderous applause erupted with a shout of surprise. My kids were clapping happily too.
　Even if each of them weighs an average of fifty kilos, it's roughly a ton of weight for twenty people. I've never seen one ton of weightlifting before.
　And it looks like there is still room for more. Perhaps it is possible to do more than that. However, I saw that he was saving his strength to stay within the bounds of the circus show.

''Otosan, she's amazing!
''Mm, even I don't know if I can do it with [Power Rise].

　When Linne, who was sitting in front of me, turned around and let out a spluttering voice like that, the Frey next to her sounded impressed.
　[Power Rise] is a physical strengthening spell that raises one's muscle strength, just like [Boost]. Even if a child's muscle strength is strengthened, it won't go that far. I think Linne's [Gravity] would be able to do something similar by lightening the weight of the cargo bed, though.

Hmph!

　The old man of power, unloading his load, poses for the crowd in a way that emphasizes his muscles. No, because I've already figured that out.

"'Humph!'

　Seeing this, Frey, Yoshino and Rinne were posing in the same way as the old man. Don't imitate him. You'll get puffed up, okay?

"Oh?

　Suddenly the sound of drums began to echo on the stage, and the old man of power who carried the troupe and their empty carts disappeared into the sleeves.
　The brass instruments such as trombones and trumpets added color to the rhythmically light sound of the drums. Oh, this song.....
　The curtain at the center of the stage rises and the orchestra appears before us. It was Kanosuke, the god of music, who was playing the drums single-mindedly.
　Soon, the intro ends and the saxophone begins to play a danceable melody. This is one of my grandpa's favorite songs, a classic piece of swing jazz.
　It was also used in a Japanese movie about a group of high school girls forming a big band and playing jazz. It is a typical song of the jazz musician known as "King of the Swing".
　A group of circus performers appear from the sleeves on either side of the stage, repeatedly rolling backwards and forwards to the tune.
　They were all women, all dressed in Arabic style, like the traditional costumes of the Mismids as they are known here.
　The top half of their bodies were just a breast covering and the bottom was a pair of flabby harem pants, but the see-through fabric allowed their legs to show through.
　In the middle of the female troupe members lined up on stage was Prima, the god of dance.
　The dancer sisters began to dance to the music, and their lustrous dance moves drew cheers from the audience (especially the men). Me?　There's no way you can do it in this state.
　Her dance was sometimes light, sometimes slow, sometimes intense, and always fascinating.
　That's the goddess of butoh. Yesterday, she didn't seem to be the type to show much emotion, but on stage she was very expressive.
　The dancers around her must have been of a very high level. Some danced to the rhythm of Prima, others danced in a way that complemented her, creating a variety of dance styles.
　The audience clapped their hands, and the tent became a whirlwind of enthusiasm.
　The collaboration between the god of music and the god of dance seemed to have completely captivated the people who saw and heard it.
　We are no exception. The children and even Ende and Ney were clapping their hands and getting into the rhythm. The power of the gods is unbelievable.
　When the stage of the gods was over, the audience stood up in a hail of applause. Some of them were crying. It's not unreasonable. It's not often you get to see a stage like this.

It was amazing. I want to sing there.
Me too!　Mother, me too!

　The mother and daughter of Sakura and Yoshino are the most excited. It's hard to soothe them.
　On the stage, new props had been brought in and preparations for the next performance had begun. It may be to have a pause, but Kanosuke's brother is playing the piano. I mean, that piano is from the castle, isn't it...?
　The song that the backing band was also playing together was the theme song for the Earth anime. The one with the third generation of the great thief as the main character. It was jazzed up, but why that choice...?
　While the song is playing, targets and large boards with concentric circles on barrels are laid out at the edge of the stage. Is a knife thrower next?
　But then I thought it was an axe thrower. I wonder if this circus troupe has any special feelings about axes.


　　　　　　　　　　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇.


I hope you all enjoyed the morning session. We will begin the afternoon session after a short break. Please wait a moment.

　I saw many people leave the audience seats to the leader's announcement. I heard that there are cheap tickets for the morning session and the afternoon session, which are not reserved seats but free seats. In addition, some of them went to the restroom or had a meal.
　We also decided to have a meal because it was good for us. Lou piled up heavy boxes on a large table. That's a lot of them!

Come on, come on, eat up!　I'll have some drinks ready for you!
The plates are over here. Please help yourselves to them.

　When Lou and Arcia took off the lids of the stacked boxes, they were met with cheers from those around them. The boxes were filled with delicious-looking food made with brightly colored ingredients. The dishes from many different countries were packed into several stacked boxes.

It looks good!　I'm done........!

　Linne's mother, Linse, grabbed Linne's hand forcefully as she tried to reach for the rice balls that were packed in a stack of boxes.

'No, Linne,' she said, 'you have to wash your hands before you eat. You have to wash your hands before you eat. Right?'
Oh, no...

　As Linse created a water ball in the air, Linne and the other kids also stuck their hands in it and started washing it. We also take out a hot hand towel from [Storage] and wipe our hands.

''Well then, I'll take it.''
Thank you!

　All at once, the food reached out and disappeared from the heavy boxes in the blink of an eye. In the blink of an eye, several boxes were empty. Well, it's a natural consequence when you add us, the Ende Family, and even the Gods.
　Putting away the heavy boxes with their contents gone, Lou takes out the heavy boxes filled with their contents from the [Storage] of the ring again. I wonder how many boxes he made on earth.

''Yeah, they're well seasoned and delicious.
Nyahaha, it's a great snack!

　The Hanakoi sisters are also in a good mood and are pecking at the heavy boxes that Roo and Arcia have made. Is it okay to drink alcohol here...?
　It occurred to me when I looked at the Yisheng shochu in Drunken Flower's hand, but the guests in the reserved seats around me were also chatting with wine in hand, so it's probably okay.

'It was more amazing than I thought it would be. It doesn't compare to what I saw at the castle in Belfast.

　Umina talks to me like that, but this circus company is funny, and maybe the circus I saw then was a very common circus in this world.

'The one that lifted the load, that was amazing!
'I enjoyed the illusionary magic as it was beautiful.
Oh, that magic was beautiful. I like it too.

　Lynne, Erna, and Alice are discussing the morning's performance with Inari in their hands. Dad can use it too, illusion magic.
　It's true, though, that the magic of the underwater images that reached the audience as well as the stage was brilliant. I felt like I was in an aquarium.
　Is that personal unattributed magic? Or is it a magic tool?　I'm sure the doctor or someone else will have it.

What do you have in mind for the afternoon session?
They're going to start with a stage play, about an hour long. It's called The Court Disturbances.

　Leanne answers Sue's question by looking at the pamphlet she was given at the entrance. So the afternoon is from the play?
　Well, the theater god........will Ciatro-san be performing? I heard that he's directing and performing, but you don't think he's going to be playing the role of a princess or something.......?
　I'd like to think that a man wouldn't play a princess or anything like that, but if it's a comedy, is it possible...?
　I tried to imagine that scene for a moment, but I stopped immediately. It's not there. It would be traumatic for a child to see that.

"I'm looking forward to the play.
I haven't seen you live in a long time.

　Erna and Arcia were having such a conversation while smiling. It seems that I didn't let them see the play much in the future, so I hope they enjoy it. So I hope they enjoy it.
　God created this play for himself. It should be interesting for sure.....
　But this kind of thing depends on the sensibilities of the people who receive it. If it's too adult-oriented, or if it's sprinkled with social satire, children won't be able to understand it at all.
　Ciatro said that children can enjoy it too, so it should be fine.

Lindsay, what's the story behind "The Book of Courtly Disturbances"?

　I sneakily ask Linse about it. I heard it's been performed a few times, so I'm sure it's a reasonably famous show.

I think it's a story about a girl who comes out of her village and by chance ends up working as a maid at the royal court, and although she gets pushed around by various people in the court, she keeps a positive outlook on life. I didn't read it in a book, so I don't know the details.

　I see. Do you think he'll be found by the prince like Cinderella?　Then I feel like it's a fun story to dream about.

'I'm looking forward to it, that I am!
I'm looking forward to it!

　Yae and Frey hold an onigiri in their hands while munching on it. You're still a good eater.... The first thing that comes to mind is that Hilda, Frey's mother, also seems to be a little dumbfounded.
　When I looked to the side, I saw that Mel, Lise, and Ney, Ende's place, were equally discouraged.
　The empty heavy box was collected and thud!　And again, Lou puts down a new stack of boxes. It's a deft move that I've already seen this coming.
　Oh well. Let's enjoy the food for now.
　I took one of the karaage that I had saved on a plate and put it in my mouth.