Pièce of the Singing Garden of Delusions Chapter 2

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Chapter 2

Owen: There happened to be a door left unlocked, so I came in.

This thing can start singing whenever it wants. I kept it since I wondered what song such a shabby doll could even sing. 

Bathed in the faint moonlight from my window Owen was sitting on my desk.

I thought it was him singing when I woke up, but it appears that wasn’t him.

Tin Doll: “Let us meet on Walpurgis Night”

“The night where wizards make the most merry  A tale of laughter that will be our little secret”

Akira: The doll…

Owen was carrying the tin doll that Rustica should have carried back to his room in his hands. 

Shino: Sage!

Akira: Shino!

Shino: Owen…so it really was you. I thought I sensed something and came to check. 

Rustica: We’re here too. We were searching for something.

Chloe: This song is…ah, the doll!

Owen: Oh shut up. It’s the middle of the night, don’t be so loud.

From behind Shino’s back, Rustica and Chloe stare at the doll in Owen’s hands.

Smiling pleasantly, Rustica waved his finger with grace.

Rustica: So you were keeping it safe, Owen. I couldn’t find it anywhere in my room, so I figured it went out on a walk. 

What a pleasing and attractive voice it has. Just as the booth owner said, how splendid.

Shino: A singing doll…? Don’t bring random junk into the manor or Faust’ll look at you weird.

Akira: (He did…)

Tin Doll: La, la la la~

The doll continued singing. There were some pauses in the middle of its singing, like a phonograph’s needle going off record. Still, I recognized that voice.

Akira: (Its voice is kind of similar to that man in my dream…)

Chloe: This…is the song those kids from the flea market were singing.

Rustica: It is. A unique and mysterious song that makes you want to hum along. I could never forget such an amusing melody.

Especially its refrain “Let us meet on Walpurgis Night”. 

Walpurgis Night, the once in a year festival for wizards and only wizards. 

The celebrations differ from country to country, and I’ve been to where it originated from, in the Northern Country. 

Owen: Not exactly what you’d listen to at night. Well, not bad, dolly.

Rustica: I’m glad he felt comfortable enough to finally sing. Could you tell that it wanted to sing Owen, and brought it out?

Owen: As if. I just…felt that I saw this thing before.

And, this song too. I thought I remembered something…

Umm…

Shino: You’re not making much sense. Well, you have lived a long time, so there’s obviously gonna be things you lose to old age.

Owen: Don’t you treat me like a grandpa. There’s just too much to remember is all.

Owen listened for a little longer, and as if he finally traced his memory, blinked his eyes.

Owen: I remember now…this doll belongs to the pierrot at the “Garden of Delusions”.

Shino: ‘Garden of Delusions’?

Akira: That was…

Rustica: The name of the theatre troupe in the area outside the Town of Foam. 

That song was mentioned to be sung there.

Chloe: …The “theatre” stuff is just in name.

He cast his eyes downward, darkening his face. Carefully, he began to speak.

Chloe: The “Garden of Delusions” is a freak show on the outskirts of Western Country. 

They take in weak wizards and little kids, and force them to perform tricks.

Akira: Force them to…like the wizards at the Salon we went to for the West Festival?

Chloe: It’s similar, but the treatment at a freak show is much worse. At the Garden of Delusions, wizards and orphans are just tools for profit.

On top of being in the slave trading system, they’re forced to work for low wages, and their owners get rich off their labour.

There’s nothing good about it. Back when I was still with my blood family, they’d sometimes threaten to sell me off to them.

Say to me that it’d suit a slow dimwit like me…

Shino: As long as they get money they’d be fine, huh…there’s worthless assholes everywhere no matter the country.

Owen: Wizards being owned by humans is ridiculous. Tragedies amuse me though so I’m enjoying this. 

Hey Chloe, have any more stories for me to listen to? I bet you have a lot of humiliating, miserable, and self-deprecating ones. 

Akira: O-Owen, that’s not very…

Rustica: I would like to hear your stories too, Chloe. Though I’m not sure you’ll enjoy them, Owen, as Chloe is a very sweet and sensible person. 

Chloe: Rustica…

Rustica: I’m sure that Chloe’s skill for tailoring clothes would be highly valued anywhere, but…

I’m so glad that you weren’t sold off to that troupe, Chloe. For if you had we never would have met.

However, I do believe that we would have found a way to meet each other either way.

Chloe: Hehe…I agree, Rustica. Thank you.

Akira: Chloe…I’m sorry, that was a hard topic wasn’t it. 

Chloe: No no, I’m okay! It’s all in the past anyway. 

Owen: Ugh, boring.

Chloe: Anyways, Owen. If you know the song, that means you must’ve been there before.

Owen: I have. About ten years ago.

I fought off the Calamity and came to the manor to hear the Westerners talking about it. I thought I could use it to kill some time and went to watch a show.

Akira: Was that Murr and Shylock?

Owen: No, the Western wizards before Chloe and Rustica. It was some gaudy witch talking about it, but I’ve never really chatted with her nor do I even remember her face.

Fiddling with the tin doll that stopped singing at some point, Owen’s shoulders shook as he laughed about the old days.

Owen: It was like a trash heap for nobodies. Every single one of them, donning a shallow mask and fooling themselves into thinking they weren’t unfortunate.

A mask so brittle you could break it apart with a poke. Crazy isn’t enough to call them.

Chloe: …So it’s as I thought. It really is just a place for people to be made into spectacles.

Rustica: There are still people who come and watch them though. If so, then no matter who is laughing, they must be excellent actors.

Wherever you are, being able to lift someone’s spirits up is something you should take pride in. I wouldn’t necessarily say that they don’t have any fortune.

Owen: Airhead. Geez, I could hurl right now.

Whatever. It was a miserable dump, and that was great for me. There was even that dummy pierrot. 

No matter what names he was called or objects he was hit by, all he did was laugh.

And the song he sang was that one.

Shino: So this doll really belongs to that pierrot.

Akira: …Huh? There’s something on the side of its body.

Rustica: Ah, there is. In between its clothes I can see a little door. Perhaps it was built with an accessory case inside?

Owen flipped over its clothes, and opened the door. 

Owen: Ah…

On his face that sadistic smile slowly came to form.

Owen: I ought to go there once more. There might be something interesting for me to see.

Within Owen’s hands the tin doll’s arms and legs began to slightly move, as if controlled by strings.

As if it were beckoning us over. I could tell Rustica and Chloe felt the same way.

Chloe: Ah, there you are Owen! 

Rustica: Good morning. A lovely day isn’t it.

Owen: What. It’s morning, don’t crowd me.

Morning came. 

With the doll Owen left in my room last night, we came up to him as he was eating his scones.

Akira: Sorry to bother you during your breakfast, but Owen, you said you wanted to go and visit the Garden of Delusions again, didn’t you?

We talked and well, can we come with you?

Owen: Hell no.

Chloe: But that place is probably a hometown for this doll.

I don’t have very good memories of my hometown, but to this doll it might be a precious place to it.

Rustica: Especially if it sings a song from it. If it has been feeling homesick all this time, then it is only proper for us to deliver it home.

Besides, that theatre troupe is one you’ve taken interest in, isn’t it Owen? We might as well join you since we’ve been wanting to go as well.

Owen: No, I’m not…

As they conversed, I could hear the sounds of numerous footsteps behind us.

Shino: That last moment was close, though. I’ll definitely land another hit on you next time.

Lennox: I accept the challenge. It was good training for me too.

Mitile: Ah, Mister Faust! Good morning.

Faust: Good morning. Having breakfast too?

Lennox: Yes. We just finished our morning training session.

Mitile: I woke up early today, so I asked if I could join them.

Exchanging our morning pleasantries, the wizards joining us in the dining hall eventually turned their eyes to the doll I held in my hands.

Snuggled up against my collar was Saccy, who seemed to be sniffing something.

Shino: Oh, it’s that doll from last night. Not singing today, are we?

Mitile: Wait, it sang?

Rustica: Yes. Owen kindly brought it out for a walk and helped encourage it to sing. 

Owen: Don’t say things that never happened.

In contrast to the smiling Rustica, Faust’s expression was sour as he stared at the doll.

Faust: …The presence from before has gotten stronger.

All it did was sing last night? Anything else?

Akira: Uhh, well there was actually…

I told them about the strange dream I had.

Lennox: Someone was talking to you in your dream?

Mitile: And they sang the same song as this doll…?

Faust: I see…the energy left behind in this doll must be stronger than I thought.

Calling out to you in your dreams, drawing your attention with song, it must be trying to tell you something.

Akira: That makes all the more reason for us to bring that doll back then, for that person in my dream too. 

Lennox: Do you have a place in mind?

Chloe: We already do. Owen has seen where that doll and its owner were before.

Shino: That freak show you were talking about? The one where they buy and pick people up, make ‘em do tricks.

Owen: Hehe…that’s the one. It’s nothing special though, just amateurish acts by amateurs. 

Nero: Doesn’t sound like somewhere you just go strollin’ into.

Coming from the kitchen, Nero set down a bowl of whipping cream onto the table.

Nero: Here, I brought all I could.

Owen: Yay.

Nero: …Those kinds of businesses are rampant in poorer towns. I’ve heard plenty stories about ‘em myself.  
They scrape together anybody with tricks, regardless of quality. And they throw on all sorts of borderline dangerous acts, to make ‘em stand out against the competition.
Faust: It sounds like your safety as audience isn’t guaranteed. 

And with the normalization of magic science, the perception of wizards has gotten harsher, especially in the Western country.

Though we have the coronation ceremony to thank for our name getting known throughout the capital and its neighbouring cities…

Stepping into anywhere with a strong hatred for wizards might invite unpleasant memories for some of you.

Rustica: Thank you for worrying about us, Nero, Faust.

He accepted their precautions with a warm smile.

Rustica: However, anywhere we go, we can always be ourselves. 

Everywhere you go, there are bound to be things you will find fascinating.

Though battered muddy by the rain, and taking in its mud as nutrients, blooming flowers are always beautiful.

I’m sure that theatre troupe will have something captivating to show us as their audience.

Chloe: Rustica…gosh, if it’s you saying so, I can’t help but be convinced!

From the bottom of his heart, Rustica was excited to watch a show from the Garden of Delusions troupe.

And just like Chloe said, hearing the optimistic Rustica put it like that, my impression on the troupe turned a little more hopeful.

Akira: (It’s no good to judge a place just from your imagination, no matter how creepy or suspicious it is.)

(It might not be as bad as we’re making it out to be. The children from yesterday were singing that song happily too…)

…Ah.

And the words of the booth owner flashed into my mind.

Lennox: What’s the matter, Master Sage?

Akira: I just remembered…that theatre troupe has some rumours to it.

Faust: Rumours?

Akira: Yes. We heard it yesterday at the flea market…

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