Chapter 43: Magician Maya (7)
'Veil' Arno.
A master of fantasy magic whose gender, age, appearance, and real name remain unknown.
A finalist in the inaugural Circus Grand Prix.
One of the industry veterans who has led a circus troupe for over 20 years.
The mentor of Magician Maya.
However, despite such grandiose background, his role in the game was quite insignificant.
He did not join the party even after being rescued.
Instead, he sat at the camp and played the memory disks provided by the players.
He recorded event disks and played them back when the players desired.
Similar to a "gallery" in other games.
While the profession of a illusion magician suited him well, it was quite uninspiring from the player's perspective.
With the title of a mentor to one of the three heroes, there were high expectations, but all he did was play videos at the camp.
Thanks to that, he acquired an inglorious nickname, such as a clandestine videographer or DVD rental shop owner.
But that was only his role in the game.
Here, he exhibited the charisma of a circus troupe leader.
He carefully examined the illusions in front of him one by one and responded accordingly to their levels.
He simply passed by poorly crafted illusions that were not worth dealing with.
For slightly inadequate illusions, he offered some comments and then left.
In front of well-made illusions, he requested variations or movements from the magician.
Usually, these were complex movements that the entity could perform.
And if they executed it excellently, he handed them an invitation.
And finally, it was Maya's turn.
I heard her tense breathing through her mask and realized that she was nervous.
But there was no need to worry.
Maya's illusions were more intricate and lifelike than anyone else's in the tent.
Even the invitations received by the previous guests were inferior to Maya's later on.
I knew the future.
Her joining the Veil Circus was a predetermined history. There was no way she could fail.
"Hmm."
Arno, standing in front of Maya, touched his chin and looked down at the illusions she had created.
A cat, a windmill, a carriage, a swing.
All of them were flawless illusions that anyone could admire.
His evaluation was no different.
"It's perfect."
"Thank you."
As soon as the word "perfect" was uttered for the first time, everyone's attention was focused on Maya.
Just a few days ago, she could barely create childlike doodles with her illusions.
But it was hard for everyone to believe how much she had progressed in just a few days.
An incredible level of completion.
She's really got it. She's a genius.
From her appearance to her mind, life is really unfair.
Among the buzzing crowd, envious and admiring glances exchanged.
"Then."
When Arno opened his mouth, the people quickly fell silent again.
He pointed to the cat with his finger.
"Try getting it to stand on its hind legs and dance."
He made an absurd request that didn't match his grave tone at all.
While he demanded more precise and delicate movements from other people's illusions...
What could be the meaning of this action for the illusions magicians?
Looking around, it seemed that no one knew.
Except for one person.
Excluding Maya.
She clenched and unclenched her hand tightly.
It was clear that she was nervous.
"Dance? What kind of dance...?"
"Any dance. Even a simple one will do. Just any dance that this cat wouldn't normally do."
A dance that this cat wouldn't normally do?
His words held weight.
Maya took a deep breath and reached out towards her illusion.
Light streamed from her hand, and the cat reacted.
It stood up on its hind legs.
But... its form...
It wasn't what people had expected.
It was grotesque.
This was her meditation space to experience the mystery.
While others encountered their past, dreams, and aspirations here, she only faced an empty space.
She was alone in a world no one could understand.
Opaque.
A sound invaded her meditation space.
She raised her head.
Her auditory and visual senses partially returned.
In front of her stood a blond man in a black suit and a black cape.
The man she had found some comfort in for the past few days.
Wonderstein.
"Go away," Maya said with an indifferent tone.
But instead of answering, he extended a handkerchief.
Did he even know how to console someone or anything like that when he was sitting like this?
"I don't need it. I didn't cry."
"Your hair is wet."
Hair?
The meditation space dissolved.
The world turned white, then gradually regained its original colour.
All her senses returned.
Swoosh.
It was raining.
The place where she had been sitting was the backyard of the inn she had found.
Oh, right. She had returned.
Sometimes, she got confused about her short-term memories while in her meditation space.
She had been harshly criticized by Veil Arno, and she had left the theatre and returned to her lodgings.
Instead of going to her room, she had sat in the backyard, lost in thought.
And naturally, she had entered her meditation space.
She hadn't even realized it was raining.
"How did you come here?"
"I followed you."
He confidently stated, without a hint of embarrassment.
In fact, he seemed to be smiling broadly.
Indeed, he was a strange man.
"You don't need to comfort me."
"I didn't come to comfort you. I was just curious. What are you going to do next?"
Again, he was being intrusive.
This man really seemed to have nothing better to do.
Maya shook her head.
"I don't have an obligation to answer."
Even to her cold response, Wonderstein's smile didn't disappear.
Ah, right. He was this kind of person.
He asked another question.
"Are you going to give up on entering the Spirit Veil?"
Again, Maya hesitated to say that she didn't have to answer.
It was too exhausting to engage in parallel conversations.
"...No. I still have a few days left. I have to try harder."
"Is that so? Using the same method?"
He asked with a mocking smile.
Maya clenched her fists.
Her pale white palms became even paler.
It was sickening.
Such advice,
From humans who couldn't understand her, didn't have the capacity to understand her, and didn't have the will to understand her.
Prize, heart, mystery, meditation.
She wanted to throw it all away.
"Maya, I'll help you in a way you can do well."
She scoffed inwardly at his words.
A way she could do well?
What did he know about me?
We've only had a few days of conversation.
No one could understand her.
No one had ever seen the world as she saw it.
But maybe because she had broken down once before.
With a self-deprecating feeling, she asked, "How are you going to do that?"
