5
From the very first performance, the troupe became the talk of Guaral.
The dance at the gate had merely been a preview, and the full performances had exceeded all expectations. Dozens of repeat attendees made their efforts much easier.
However…
“Do not forget—this limelight is only because we are new and different.”
“Our performance is just a veneer. The appeal will fade. Right now, we are just another passing fascination.”
“I see! So you’re saying we need to work hard on our fundamental skills, buddy.”
“Exactly. Diligence and discipline, every single day.”
Visibly excited, Flop nodded with a cheerful smile while Subaru clenched his fist.
Flop really was a great listener—always engaged, responding promptly. Subaru often got carried away in their conversations, but it was fun.
That said, Flop wasn’t the one Subaru really needed to be talking to.
“Are you two even listening?! Don’t let your minds wander!”
“Whoa, leave me out of this.”
“U-us…?!”
Talitta and Kuna looked startled at being suddenly called out.
Inside the inn, they had already discarded their performance outfits and reverted to their Shudrak clothing—which was essentially just underwear.
They managed to dress properly for their shows, but the moment they were in private, they immediately switched back.
“Listen closely. There’s a saying—‘God is in the details.’ Every little action, every habit—mastering them is the key to realism. The secret to maintaining beauty!”
“B-beauty… That’s more my sister’s thing…,” Talitta murmured, shifting uncomfortably.
“What are you saying, Ms. Talitta?!” Flop gasped. “Your charm and your sister’s charm are completely different! Would complimenting you ever be enough to compliment Ms. Mizelda?! No! Because you are two different people! And your beauties are different, too!”
“Gh…!”
Talitta sat stiffly on the bed as Flop suddenly took her hand. His sparkling smile was almost too much. Talitta’s eyes widened at his enthusiasm, her mouth opening and closing as her cheeks turned bright red.
“Oh my…” Subaru covered his mouth in mock surprise.
“Spare me.” Kuna sighed. “Talitta clings to the chief and barely goes out—she’s got no resistance to this at all.”
“Well, it’s kind of adorable in a way. But you’re pretty confident yourself, Kuna.”
“I get out of the jungle pretty often. Plus, I don’t have a terrifying older sister.” Kuna smirked. “…I do have something like a troublesome little sister, though.”
There was no doubt she was thinking of Holly.
The two of them were practically family, like best friends or even mother and daughter.
Meanwhile, Holly, Mizelda, and Rem were still outside the city, waiting for news.
I can’t go back empty-handed.
Currently the troupe was staying in an inn in Guaral.
Three days had passed since they entered the city, and in that time, they had performed ten times with overwhelming success.
Originally Subaru had planned to rely on the money from selling the elgina horn, but the tips they received after each performance had provided more than enough.
At least for now.
“Still…it’d be nice if things started moving soon,” Subaru muttered, running a finger along his chin.
Things were almost going too well. The performances were a massive hit and the residents were adoring fans. It was all thanks to Bianca’s exquisite dancing plus Natsumi and Flora’s conversational charm.
Bianca’s mystique was part of her appeal, so she rarely appeared outside of the shows.
Since Abel couldn’t fake a feminine voice, the job of gathering intel naturally fell to Natsumi (Subaru) and Flora (Flop).
“Weirdly, no one ever questions you, even though you don’t change your voice.”
“I don’t have your skill!” Flop laughed. “But maybe I picked up some of my sister’s habits over the years. Could be that’s what makes it work.”
Subaru frowned.
He imagined Medium… Sure, she was beautiful. Her expressions changed constantly, and her energy was charming. …But did that really explain how flawless Flora’s identity seemed to be?
“You must be quite composed to waste time with such a pointless discussion.”
A cool voice interrupted.
The star of the troupe—Bianca—sat by the window.
However, without the wig, the rest of the head was unmistakably Abel’s.
After days of dancing as the lead performer, there was finally a trace of exhaustion on his stoic face.
They were living among enemies. Tension was inevitable. Subaru himself had to stay sharp as Natsumi.
Rem and Mizelda had seen this plan as just a joke at first, but Subaru had proposed it in all seriousness, and they had gone through significant debate to raise the odds of success. If he messed it up, they were not going to be sympathetic to the idea of just giving up.
All the more reason…
“Bianca, why don’t you rest a little? I just realized—I’ve never actually seen you sleeping before.”
“Eh, what are you saying, Ms. Natsumi? That’s a little too…” Flop started to laugh, but then he froze as realization dawned.
“…Huh? Wait, huh? Now that you say it…I don’t remember seeing Ms. Bianca sleep, either.”
Abel snorted, not even sparing Flop a glance. He showed no sign of engaging in the conversation. His wariness remained unwavering—he refused to let his guard down, even around them.
He’s still blinking one eye at a time…like always.
Even though no one here would do anything to him if he closed both eyes for a second.
“…Is it not exhausting? Living like that?” Subaru asked.
“…You of all people are asking me that?”
Abel furrowed his brow at Subaru’s blunt question. Subaru wasn’t sure what that reaction meant. Abel’s way of living was undoubtedly suffocating. Subaru’s, on the other hand, wasn’t.
“That you don’t even realize what I am talking about is especially pitiful. But I’ll allow it. Continue.”
“I was going to keep living whether you said so or not. Your—”
“To close both eyes is to yield the power over life and death to another.”
Abel’s voice was calm, final.
“I do not take my life so lightly as to allow that. Not even for an instant.”
“…”
“‘Do not spoil the tension’—is that not what you said?”
That shut down whatever Subaru had planned to say next.
He scowled at Abel, but Abel didn’t even look at him. The wig and jewelry were gone, yet he still wore Bianca’s clothes. At a glance, he should have looked unbalanced, missing that key piece of his disguise but somehow, even like this, he was beautiful.
That battlefield discipline, that constant vigilance—it was precisely what gave him that strange, strained beauty.
As Subaru was thinking that…
“There’s movement.”
Abel suddenly stood up, quickly reaching for the wig hanging from the bedpost.
“Eh?”
Subaru was caught off guard, but then he heard it—loud, heavy footsteps echoing down the hallway.
Then there was a sharp, forceful knock on the door.
“Is this where the traveling troupe is? Open up. Message from city hall.”
Subaru’s heart skipped a beat.
“Ah, j-just one moment, please!”
“Ha! Don’t make me laugh. I’m a soldier, you think I’m gonna wait?”
The voice sneered from the other side—just before the door was shoved open violently. A one-eyed man in a distinctive red-and-black uniform strode in without hesitation. Two swords on his back. A twisted smirk of ecstasy on his face. A familiar face.
Jamal.
“…Gh!”
Subaru’s body froze. His breath caught.
“Don’t be scared. I ain’t gonna bite.”
Jamal laughed as he scanned the room with a contemptuous gaze. His eyes fell on Talitta and Kuna—still in what was barely more than underwear.
His lips curled.
“Heh. The looks weren’t a lie. And here I thought the chief of staff was overselling it…”
Subaru’s stomach twisted.
“Ah…”
Before he could react, Jamal’s hand shot out and grabbed Subaru’s chin, tilting his face upward.
“You’ve got some good, defiant eyes.”
His grin widened.
“Good glare, too. Just how I like it.”
Despite his sleazy demeanor, Jamal was strong. But strong and terrifying were two very different things.
“Supposedly, you girls are pretty hot at singing and dancing.” His fingers dug slightly into Subaru’s jaw. “So what’s your specialty? Maybe I should take you to bed tonight.”
A nauseating chill ran down Subaru’s spine. Still—he smiled.
“I-it is an honor to receive such an invitation. I happen to like strong men.”
Jamal’s eyes glittered.
He leaned in closer, eyes roaming over Subaru’s body.
Even at this proximity—even as his gaze devoured him—he showed no sign of recognizing Subaru. That was good.
But—
—unfortunately, he had struck a chord with Jamal in an entirely different way.
Of course, during performances, situations like this had come up. Subaru had always dodged them with a smile and a few clever words. But this wasn’t just any man.
And escaping this kind of situation would be far, far more difficult…
—That was when a strong breeze blew through.
“…Oh.”
Subaru’s hair danced in the wind, and Jamal grimaced as the strands tickled his cheek. Annoyed, he glanced toward the open window—only to freeze at the sight before him.
There, standing with arms crossed in calm composure, was the black-haired queen of dance—the very woman Guaral could not stop talking about.
Seeing her up close, Jamal curled his lips into a smirk of surprise.
Most people would be utterly captivated, rendered motionless in her presence—yet he stood unfazed. That was impressive grit.
“Ha-ha, so this is the famous queen of dance, huh?” He chuckled. “Figures they told me to bring you.”
“That’s…”
Subaru exhaled in silent shock as Jamal released him and thudded over to Abel.
Then—of all things—he grabbed Abel by the chin, tilting his face upward.
He had no clue that the face he was grabbing—the face he was grinning so coarsely at—belonged to the emperor of Volakia.
So this…is what “ignorance is bliss” really means.
Subaru gulped, watching silently.
“…”
“This one doesn’t even make a peep, huh?” Jamal murmured. “Well, that’s tempting in its own way.”
Abel remained perfectly still, his expression blank.
His silence didn’t betray a single ounce of emotion—he seemed completely unbothered by the crude soldier holding his chin.
Unaware of Subaru’s rising anxiety, Jamal continued his blatant disrespect of the emperor.
Then, with Abel’s chin still in hand, he turned to the rest of the troupe.
“Rejoice, girls! You’re all invited to a banquet at the city hall.”
His lips curled into a grin.
“General Second-Class Zikr Osman—the one running this town—wants you there.”
“General Second-Class…!”
The name sent a shock wave through Subaru’s mind.
Jamal’s pompous declaration was so shocking that for a moment, Subaru even forgot about the sheer disrespect he was witnessing.
Zikr Osman.
The fish they’d been trying to hook—
—they had him.
“Ain’t no way you’re turning that down, right, girls?”
“Of course not!” Subaru straightened up, adopting an excited tone. “We would absolutely love to share our songs and dances with the esteemed gentlemen of the army! It is what we have dreamed of!”
Even more enthusiastic than Subaru, Flop beamed, his charm radiating as he echoed the sentiment.
Jamal nodded, pleased. “Good answer! I like you.” Then, roughly releasing Abel’s chin, he plodded toward the door.
He leaned against the frame, crossing his arms.
“Hurry up and get ready. I’m taking you there myself.”
“Eh?! If we’ve been summoned, we’d gladly bring ourselves—”
“Ha-ha-ha, don’t worry about it.” Jamal sneered. “I was told to make sure you arrived safely. This is my job, you see. Just get changed. My men’ll carry anything that needs carrying.”
“…”
“The banquet tonight is only for the officers.” His gaze swept the room. “Us grunts? We get the scraps tomorrow. So…”
He licked his lips.
“I’m not letting any of you slip away.”
Subaru’s skin prickled at the vulgar gaze Jamal cast over them.
Fortunately, he, Abel, and Flop were in the bare minimum of cross-dressing to pass.
Talitta and Kuna were the ones in real danger—but they were actually women, so at least the plan wouldn’t fall apart because of a lack of preparation.
However…
“Take your time.”
Jamal’s smirk only deepened.
The humiliation of having to dress under his watchful eye wouldn’t be forgotten anytime soon.
But—
“All right, let’s get ready, everyone! We mustn’t keep the soldiers waiting! Let’s move along!”
“Flora…”
“That’s not like you, Ms. Natsumi!” Flora smiled radiantly. “Blood and tears don’t suit you.”
The anger bubbling inside Subaru simmered down. That extra line, intentionally added at the end, was a reminder. A reminder of the bloodless victory Subaru had promised.
“…Yes, that’s right.”
He inhaled deeply.
“Come on now, everyone! And you especially, Bianca—since you’re a klutz at everything except dancing!”
“…”
Abel’s gaze sharpened. Subaru met it head-on—and then casually ignored it.
They quickly packed their things, changing into attire fit for the banquet.
Subaru made a show of it, ensuring that Jamal got exactly what he wanted—
A good, long look.
Go ahead. Keep whistling. Enjoy the show.
Because when the plan succeeds—this’ll be the biggest regret of your life.
So…
“Oh no! You don’t have to intentionally shake your bottom, Ms. Natsumi!”
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