The group received a warm welcome from the residents of the Land of Sweets.
As they entered the town amidst a festive commotion, they immediately monopolized the attention of the residents. As expected of the Land of Sweets, the town itself was even more amazing. First, the houses, as seen from afar, had a cute, picturesque design.
They ranged from whimsical, storybook designs like those used in doll play, to gothic ones based on black and white, and were incredibly diverse. Each one felt like an original, not mass-produced box-like structure. Then, there was a river of orange juice, a chocolate fountain, and a pond of jelly with tiny mermaids.
With the entire town overflowing with sweets from end to end, the smell was overwhelmingly sweet. While I normally like sweets, this was too much, making me feel nauseous.
I looked around the town. So far, there was no sign of Aurora and her crew. With so many residents, it would be impossible to hide anywhere in the town. If they were to infiltrate, it would be from the forest outside.
“Wow, this is amazing! Can I go see the chocolate fountain?”
Piyo’s eyes sparkled as though beams were about to shoot out. There was no way she would listen if I said no here.
“There’s no helping it, just for a little while.”
“Yay!!”
Without waiting for me to finish speaking, she ran off. Little Piyo was already blending in with the residents. Borrowing a dipper from a woman having a neighborhood chat nearby, she gulped down the chocolate.
“Fwahhh, it’s like a dream!”
“If you eat too much, you’ll get cavities.”
I took a sip too. The sweet chocolate filled my mouth. I almost felt like throwing up. Just then, a small carriage arrived with cheerful music. The Centaur pulling the carriage blew a trumpet. At that signal, the residents gathered all at once.
A Satyr girl, dressed like a bunny girl, appeared from the carriage. She took off her top hat and bowed to the gallery.
“Thank you all for coming today. I am Sakurasuk, the leader of the Forest Circus Troupe!”
Applause broke out. Then, one by one, animals appeared from the carriage. A rabbit with horns, a squirrel with a fluffy tail, and a bear that seemed to emerge with some difficulty. The animals danced to the music. The bear, wearing a skirt and dressed up, skillfully swayed its hips.
Come to think of it, are there bears here? I wonder if the forest has dangerous predators. This bear in front of me didn’t seem like one at all. It was like a gentle, docile bear from a picture book.
“First, we have a juggling act by the one-horned bunnies.”
The four bunnies tossed balls around, performing skillfully. Then, they paired up, juggling between each other and even while giving each other piggyback rides, showing surprising dexterity. They also bowed to the applause from the audience.
After that, several squirrels performed acrobatics, and a bear rode a unicycle, making for an interesting show.
“Now, for my partner, the sword dance by Karkaricookie.”
From the carriage slowly emerged a wolf with grayish-blue fur. While the bear was already frightening, a wolf being here too… I was sure “Karkaricookie” wasn’t its real name.
Karkaricookie, still holding a sword in its mouth, approached the audience with practiced steps and then spun around. It leaped, twirled, tossed its sword, and caught it perfectly. It was a beautiful dance befitting the name “sword dance.”
After completing the dance, Karkaricookie stared at me, gave a slight bow, and returned to the carriage. The audience, who had been mesmerized, belatedly started clapping.
“Now, everyone, my final act is a magic show!”
The crowd erupted into their biggest excitement of the day, as if they had been waiting for this. The leader stepped forward and suddenly produced a flower, only to change it into a ball in the next instant. She then performed card tricks and pulled coins from behind audience members’ ears, showing a variety of magic.
“Next, my everyone’s favorite, the human dismemberment magic!”
A bear lumbered forward carrying a box. She entered it, and the bear closed the lid.
“Now, I shall have my partner cut it in half!”
The wolf, Karkaricookie, who had performed its dance earlier, appeared wearing a matching vest. It held a long sword in its mouth.
“Here we go, three, two…”
At two, the wolf thrust the sword through a gap in the box. A cry of “Ah!” went up from the audience.
“Ugh, augh…”
Blood dripped from the gap. Whoa, is this real? The sword was pulled out, stained red.
This caused genuine screams from the audience. Wait, is this for real? The leader inside the box looked dazed. Even Piyo, who had been enjoying herself moments ago, looked at me with a pale face.
“Hey, don’t you need to go help? Did she really die?”
“But it’s a magic trick, right? There’s got to be a trick to it.”
With a snap, the leader opened her eyes. The bear quickly opened the box.
“Ta-da! Miracle survival! Huh?”
The audience, who had genuinely believed she had died, either collapsed or fled, leaving no one but us.
