Blankon Announcement

502 The Three Gods, and the Opening

The rumors of the circus troupe that arrived in Brunhild spread in no time.

According to Kogyoku, children in town were gazing at the massive tent being set up in the southern square with sparkling eyes.

For those who came from other countries, many things in Brunhild seemed rare and mysterious. However, for those who lived there, it was just part of their everyday life.

For the children of Brunhild, the unfamiliar circus was probably more exciting than the Frame Gears fighting in the Grand Training Grounds.

"Hey, hey, Otou-san! When are we going to the circus!? It starts tomorrow!"

"Don’t worry, I already bought the tickets. We couldn’t make it on the first day, but we’ll go on the second day."

"Eh!? We’re not going tomorrow!?"

Linne pouted, but there was nothing I could do about it. The circus had both reserved and general seating, and the reserved seats were said to be more spacious and comfortable. If we were going to watch, I wanted to do so in a relaxed manner from the reserved seats.

The reserved seats for the first day were already sold out. I could probably get them if I asked someone to give theirs up, but that didn’t sit right with me. After all, the townspeople were looking forward to it too. So, I gave up on the first day and bought tickets for the second day instead.

For our group, I bought ten tickets for myself and my wives, and six for the children, totaling sixteen reserved seats. Since I also bought tickets for Ende’s family, that made it twenty-one seats in total.

With only about sixty reserved seats available, we had purchased more than a third of them. It was quite an expense...

"It’s going to be fun, Okaa-san!"

"Yes, but before that, you need to finish your studies."

"Aww..."

With Linze smiling gently, Linne reluctantly turned her attention back to the textbooks spread out on the desk.

I made sure the children studied properly. If their academic abilities declined by the time we returned to the future, I’d feel guilty towards our future selves.

Among them, Yoshino and Linne had the worst concentration when it came to studying. Kuhn was naturally intelligent, and Asia and Elna were diligent, so their academic performance was fairly good.

The biggest surprise was that Frey excelled in her studies. Given that she was a weapons fanatic like King Felzen, I had assumed she was more of a muscle-head. It was truly unexpected.

Suddenly, Frey, who was maintaining her weapons, lifted her head.

"...I feel like someone just looked down on me."

"...Must be your imagination."

Sharp as ever. As expected of my daughter. That intuition must have come from her mother.

"That’s why sandwiches or rice balls, which can be eaten with one hand, are better for eating while watching the circus."

"Hmm... Then I’ll leave that to Okaa-sama. In that case, the side dishes should also be bite-sized. If we wrap them in something, they can be eaten by hand..."

Asia and Luu were enthusiastically discussing preparations for the picnic lunch two days from now. They were planning to make enough for everyone, including Ende’s group. I had no idea how many layers the bento boxes would end up having.

"Touya-san, your hands have stopped moving."

"Ah, my bad."

Scolded by Yumina, I returned my focus to the documents in front of me. Since we would be attending the circus, I needed to finish my work for that day beforehand, or else Kousaka-san would get mad at me. Being a king meant I couldn’t just dump all my work onto others.

That said, with Kousaka-san as my chancellor and Yumina assisting me, things were much easier than they could have been.

At some point, Yumina had naturally taken on the role of my secretary.

Honestly, sometimes I felt like it was Kousaka-san and Yumina who were actually running Brunhild, but I chose to ignore that thought. If I acknowledged it, I’d lose.

While working on documents in the salon after dinner and watching over the children’s studies, Karen-neesan and Moroha-neesan entered the room together.

"Touya-kun, a moment?"

"Huh? What is it?"

Karen-nee-san gestured for me to follow her, so I stepped away from the others.

As I approached, Moroha-neesan lowered her voice and began speaking. What’s this? A secret conversation?

"It’s about that circus. You’d be in trouble if you found out on the spot, so we’re telling you in advance. That circus has gods in it."

"Huh?"

What does that mean? Like, their skills are god-tier?

Not understanding her meaning, I tilted my head in confusion. Karen-nee-san sighed.

"You’re slow. I mean actual gods, who came to this world for leisure, are in that circus."

"What!?"

Shocked by Karen-nee-san’s words, I gasped. Gods here for leisure... Did she mean the ones who attended our wedding!?

Aside from Tokie-obaa-chan, the Space-Time God, the remaining nine had scattered across various worlds to enjoy their time freely...

Let’s see... The Dance God, the Herculean God, the Craft God, the Glasses God, the Theater God, the Doll God, the Wandering God, the Flower God, and the Gem God...

"The ones in the circus are the Dance God, the Herculean God, and the Theater God."

"Three of them!?"

What the heck!? How blessed is this circus to have three gods in it!? No wonder it’s drawing so much attention worldwide!

"Of course, they aren’t using their divine powers. They’re acting as mere mortals while on earth. That’s why it took us a while to notice."

Though in human form, Nee-sans could still sense divine presence. If they unleashed their divine energy, gods like us could pinpoint their location anywhere in the world. Of course, they could also completely suppress their divine aura if they wanted to.

"Seems like an incredible circus showed up..."

"Well, their abilities have been lowered to human levels in their respective specialties, so I don’t think it’ll be anything outrageous."

That’s a lie. Their ‘human level’ means ‘the extreme peak that a human could miraculously achieve after thousands of years of training.’

"Why did they come to Brunhild...?"

"No deep reason, I think. Probably just a stopover on their journey."

Hmm... Well, if they were traveling between Belfast and Regulus, stopping by our place was a natural choice.

So, it was just a coincidence? If not for the children, I wouldn’t have even considered going to the circus.

But still... The Dance God, the Herculean God, and the Theater God...

The Herculean God was that muscle-bound deity I met in the Pantheon, looking like Hercules from Greek mythology.

So, the ‘Strongman Weightlifting’ act mentioned in the flyers must be him. Not even Elze could win against that.

The Dance God was a goddess, right? If I remember correctly, she was a rather modest-looking woman.

As for the Theater God... they were a oneesama. I think they were a male god, but I can't be sure. Then again, gender might not really matter to the gods.

"We're heading out to greet them now. What about you, Touya-kun?"

"...Do I have to go?"

"I don't think it's mandatory. But you're already the administrator of this world, and they're essentially guests here. If you don't properly keep track of them, it might cause trouble later on, you know?"

"Ugh..."

I let out a bitter groan at Moroha-neesan’s words, which could almost be taken as a threat.

I tend to forget, but it's true... The World God did entrust me with this role, but common sense doesn’t apply to these people. I should at least check if they’re up to anything outrageous.

Karen-neesan and Moroha-neesan came down to the surface under the pretense of supporting me, so I might as well have them help out with this.

"Alright. I'll head over once I finish work, so wait for me."

"Roger that, no yo."

After wrapping up the conversation with my sisters, I return to my seat. If I were to tell the children that I’m heading to the circus alone, things could get troublesome. So, I decide to keep it to myself.

I'll slip out of the castle quietly later.

But still, a circus troupe with gods, huh? That's beyond absurd. Seriously.



After the children had withdrawn to their bedrooms, I headed to the southern plaza with neesan and the others, where the massive circus tent had been set up.

The tent, fluttering in the night breeze, was already fully assembled, its immense form faintly illuminated in the darkness.

We identified ourselves to the security personnel and were granted entry. Inside the circularly constructed tent, the stage and audience seating were already prepared, and people who appeared to be circus members were practicing juggling and acrobatics.

Upon closer inspection, some were even performing jumps and mid-air flips using bicycles. I had never seen anyone handle a bicycle with such mastery before.

"Uh... oh, there he is."

Under the stage where Karen-neesan directed her gaze, a muscular man was doing push-ups with what seemed to be a gigantic rock weighing hundreds of kilograms on his back.

Whoa, he's doing push-ups using only his thumbs...

There was no mistake. This was Herculean God. He was wearing the same simple cloth-like attire as when we first met.

"Good evening, Herculean God."

"Hm, Love God."

Herculean God raised his face, not a bead of sweat in sight, and spoke. He set down the massive boulder on his back and stood up, his height easily exceeding two meters. As always, he was huge, and his bulging muscles twitched as if they were asserting their presence. Slightly unsettling.

"Sword God, you came too. And this new-god, it's been a while."

"Yeah, since the wedding."

Herculean God placed his hands on his hips and puffed out his chest in a triumphant stance. I started to extend my hand for a handshake but reconsidered. I'd rather not have my hand crushed.

"Oh my, what a nostalgic gathering we have here."

"Hm, Theater God and Dance God. I see we're being visited."

Turning toward the high-pitched voice, I saw a man with exaggerated, fluid movements and a dark-skinned woman gazing at us expressionlessly.

The man, though not as tall as Herculean God, had striking blond hair styled upward, giving him the appearance of a punk rocker at first glance.

However, his movements were strangely feminine, and compared to the towering presence of Herculean God beside him, he had no trace of masculinity. He was the same as he had been at the wedding. This flamboyant individual was Theater God.

The other, the woman with dark skin, neatly trimmed black hair, and cat-like emerald-green eyes, was Dance God.

She wore a white tube top-style garment covering her chest and Arabian-style white pants, revealing a fair amount of skin. Gold and silver rings adorned her arms, and a long piece of fabric was draped through them from her waist.

"Touya-chan, long time no see. How have you been?"

"Ah, yes. Thanks to you, I've been well."

Hmm, since she's similar to Kokuyou, I don't feel that uncomfortable. I can talk to her normally. Though, suddenly calling me 'Touya-chan' does feel a bit odd... Well, considering their status as gods, they're my seniors. I suppose it can't be helped.

"Dance God-sama, you seem well too."

"...Mm."

Hmm, she's hard to read. Her expression remains neutral at all times. I don't think she's in a bad mood, though.

"Touya-chan, instead of 'Dance God,' on the surface here, we call her 'Prima-chan.' I'm 'Shiatro,' and Herculean God is 'Power.'"

Prima? Is that from 'Prima Ballerina'? It means 'the best,' if I remember correctly. And Shiatro-san must come from 'theater'? Power... well, that's just straightforward.

"Shiatro-san decided that on her own. Technically, I should be 'Full Power.'"

"Ah, I see..."

Hearing Power's words, I decided not to delve too deeply into it. To them, it was probably no different from naming a character in a video game. At least it wasn't something like 'Aaaaa.'

"But why a circus, of all things?"

"Hm. In this world, one must earn money to eat. Though we do not require food to survive, it would be boring otherwise. When we were in need, the circus leader took us in. We showcase our abilities to people, earn money, and get to travel to various places. It's the perfect arrangement."

Power could probably make it as an adventurer too, but I suppose raw strength and combat skills aren't the same thing. Or maybe he just enjoys showing off his muscles. That wouldn't surprise me.

"It's the same for us. Performing our acts and dances while traveling around is enjoyable. Plus, we get to try delicious food in every region."

Shiatro-san spoke with enthusiasm, and Prima nodded in agreement.

A circus does allow one to travel instead of staying in a single location. But then again, can't they just teleport wherever they want?

Well, I suppose the desire to perform in front of an audience is stronger. Since they're living as humans on the surface, it's natural they'd want to experience life as one.

"So, do you want to meet our ringmaster?"

"Ah, no, we'll pass for today. We'll be coming as a family to watch the performance the day after tomorrow, so we just came to greet our seniors beforehand."

"Seniors? On the surface, you're the senior here, aren't you?"

Shiatro-san laughed cheerfully. True, as a human here, I might be the senior, but as a god, I'm the newest one. It's best to show proper respect in these matters.

"Don't worry. We won't cause any trouble. The World God has strictly warned us. If our presence prevents other gods from descending here, that would be problematic."

"If that happened, the gods above would hold a grudge against us. Scary, scary."

The divine resort plan hasn't officially begun yet. This is more of a pre-opening phase. There haven't been any issues so far, but having gods casually descend all the time could be a problem...

Then again, in Earth's mythology, gods often wandered the mortal world freely. Maybe this is normal?

"Will other gods be coming?"

"Probably. Tokie-oba... I mean, Space-Time God-sama likely won't, but I think the Agricultural God will. Oh, and we'll need tickets for us, too."

"You're well-prepared. Well, fine."

Karen-neesan received the tickets from Shiatro-san for everyone.

Damn, if I had known in advance, we could have gotten our tickets too. I kept silent, though, since complaining would seem petty.

"I'd love for Music God to perform. A collaboration with Prima-chan would be amazing."

"...Mm. Exciting."

A collaboration between Music God and Dance God, huh? That does sound incredible. Karen-neesan decided to talk to Sousuke-niisan about it.

"I’d love for him to do the music for my plays too. That would make it even more thrilling."

"By the way, what play are you performing? You're not doing 'Hero Touya,' are you...?"

I asked Shiatro-san about what had been bothering me the most. That was the one thing I really couldn’t handle.

"Ah, no, it's different. The performance is called ‘The Court Disaster’, a story filled with both laughter and tears. It's designed to be enjoyable even for children, so it’s well-received."

Unfortunately, I wasn’t familiar with that work, but I sighed in relief knowing it was a different performance.

"Well, just look forward to the stage the day after tomorrow. I’ll be giving it my all!"

"Have fun, and please be careful."

Seriously, though. I didn’t know what she was planning, but I hoped it would be something that maintained a sense of restraint—nothing too extreme.

With a lingering sense of unease, we left the massive circus tent. Was this really going to be okay…?



On the day of the performance, we were hurried along by the children from early morning and made our way to the venue.

Even though the show hadn’t started yet, the crowd was overwhelming. I never imagined there were this many people in Brunhild.

For the time being, we had used the 【Mirage】-imbued badges to change our appearances. Whether for better or worse, we tend to stand out.

Following the rules, we lined up in order and entered the venue with our tickets.

"Alright, everyone, make sure to turn off your smartphones. It would be a nuisance if they rang during the show."

"Ha~i!"

Elna, Linne, and Alice cheerfully responded, and the others also turned off their phones. While silent mode could work, some people are sensitive to vibrations, and in a dimly lit tent, a glowing screen could be a distraction.

When we stepped inside the tent, everyone was surprised by its size. My sister and I had already visited two days ago, so we weren’t as impressed.

All of the divine clan members were here, except for Sousuke-niisan, the Music God. Apparently, they would be participating as guest performers in the show.

"It looks like our seats are over there."

Linze glanced at the ticket and pointed. There was a special seating area located in the upper section of the audience, directly facing the stage. So that must be our designated spot.

The area was enclosed by a simple railing and furnished with spacious lounge chairs and a table in front. A carpet was also laid out, indicating we should take off our shoes before stepping in.

This is nice. We could even sit directly on the floor to watch. Looks like we’ll be able to enjoy the show in complete comfort.

"Otou-sama! Otou-sama! Come, this way!"

Asia had already taken a seat and was enthusiastically beckoning me to sit next to her with a bright smile.

As I gave a wry smile, Luu quickly sat down in the seat before I could.

"Wait! Okaa-sama!? You're in the way!"

"Touya-sama, please, take a seat next to me. I shall act as your shield."

"Mukii! Did you just call yourself a shield!?"

Somehow, a mother-daughter quarrel had started, but to an outsider, it probably just looked like a sibling squabble.

When I glanced elsewhere, I noticed Ende and the others playing rock-paper-scissors over who would sit next to Alice. Looks like they had their own little battle going on…

Not wanting to cause further discord, I ended up sitting between Luu and Asia.

Gradually, the seats filled up, and before we knew it, the tent was packed to capacity. Wow, I didn’t expect it to be this popular.

『Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for waiting! The Complett Troupe proudly presents their performance in Brunhild!』

A stocky, bearded man wearing a silk hat announced the start of the show through a megaphone-like magic tool, and the audience erupted into cheers and applause. Is that guy the troupe leader?

Now then, it’s showtime. Just what kind of performance awaits us?