Chapter Forty-Nine: The Moonshadow Circus Tours the World

The magician Harold gave a slight bow. "Pardon me." He draped the curtain over the magic box, and when he removed it, the scene inside had changed.

The buildings of Blackhorn Alley remained within the box, but strangely, at the center of the alley a bustling circus had appeared, along with a multitude of caravans. Even more peculiar, around the circus were countless puppet spectators, and the Faceless One stood among them, watching the performance with great enthusiasm. He glanced about, touching this and that, ceaselessly praising the acts, utterly thrilled.

It seemed as if, in the brief moment between covering and uncovering the curtain, several hours had passed. During those hours, a traveling circus had arrived and pitched its tent in the heart of Blackhorn Alley.

Harold gazed at the circus, his eyes betraying a look of obsession. Inside the cages of this circus were many wondrous creatures, and every member of the circus staff was a living magical automaton—or rather, thirty mechanical spirit dolls.

Each of these mechanical spirit dolls was invaluable, exquisitely crafted. Their creator was surely a master alchemist. They were witches and powerful warriors, Harold's creations and his companions. They could perform magic, fight, and execute circus tricks; their bodies were indestructible and immune to magical attacks—much like dragons.

These thirty magical puppets could tear apart a dragon, and when they commanded magical creatures, their strength was even greater. In the magician’s hands, they were vibrant and full of life—they could speak, perform, tell jokes. They accompanied Harold and traveled the world with the circus, touring from place to place.

In the world of Muggles, they encountered all sorts of people and experienced many stories. Through these tales, Harold’s puppets seemed to develop emotions—joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness. Yet something was still missing.

Until they met a painter.

The stories of the Moonshadow Circus resonated deeply with this great artist. In the magician's puppet show, the painter glimpsed their souls.

"Let me paint for you," the artist offered.

From then on, Harold’s puppets gained life, and his marionettes acquired souls—every creation of Harold became a living person with a soul.

"Sir, don’t believe him! All those puppets are witches’ souls trapped by this madman!" Sakura Bell cried, trembling. "If you lose, we’ll end up the same..."

Harold merely sneered at her words, offering no explanation.

[Indeed, as Sakura Bell said, the magician had committed many such acts. Many witches believed that the puppets and automata had once been living people—the madman had taken the souls of those with stories and stuffed them into his puppets!]

[Of course, the more important reason was that pureblood witches refused to believe in a painter so terrifying, and even less that this painter was a Muggle—just as years ago, no one believed a Muggle could become such a formidable magician.]

Whatever the truth, the Moonshadow Circus now only lacked a storied dragon with treasure. Or perhaps, a whimsical clown without a face.

"Sir, I’ll arrange a job for you in the circus. I’ve decided you’ll be our next aerial acrobat. You and Miss Sakura Bell both have unique qualities—your agility is remarkable. Her legs are long, perfect for pedaling a tricycle."

Sakura Bell nearly fainted at his words.

Harold straightened his collar and tie, then placed a hand on his chest and bowed gracefully to the invisible audience all around.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the show begins!"

With that, Harold tossed aside his wand and wiped his hands with a golden handkerchief—clearly, Rufield the shameless fan had always admired and imitated this unreachable idol.

Harold threw away the handkerchief, extended both hands, and began to move his ten fingers above the magic box. The crystal array atop the box whirred to life.

Suddenly, all the puppets and magical automatons throughout Blackhorn Alley opened their eyes and began to move!

As if they were alive!

They suddenly possessed magic and thoughts, becoming extraordinary witches. The circus performance seemed to begin.

Witnessing this, Sakura Bell recalled a legend—the Moonshadow Circus!

The tale told of a circus that often appeared in the Muggle world, selling unimaginable or delightfully peculiar artifacts and granting any wish to those who asked.

Indeed, a powerful and wealthy magician like Harold could, in some sense, fulfill any Muggle’s wish. The price? Simply to watch a circus show.

So, this circus belonged to Harold.

Sakura Bell now understood why the Ministry of Magic hunted Harold so relentlessly, yearning to imprison him forever in the Hexagonal Magical Prison—though he always escaped with ease.

The Ministry’s hatred stemmed from Harold’s open defiance. What Muggles didn’t know was that the circus performance was not mere illusion, but true magic! The objects the magician gifted were likewise real.

The animals and the thirty magical puppets were not costumed actors, but genuine magical creatures and living mechanical spirits.

Sakura Bell suddenly realized how fortunate those Muggles were! They could witness magical creatures and artifacts unseen even by many witches, hear fantastic stories never told before—all of which were real!

Even more astonishing, Harold gave his wondrous creations to Muggles! Anything crafted by Harold was priceless in the wizarding world.

Unimaginably, the Muggles regarded these treasures as simple magic props.

Yet the magician was content.

Applause and cheers erupted from the magic box, interrupting Sakura Bell’s thoughts. She glanced down at the box, her expression growing strange.

She had expected Harold to command the thousand magical-infused puppets and automatons in the box to attack the Faceless One—an entire cohort of witches! With Harold’s terrifying powers of ‘recreation’ and ‘magic,’ he could lead this group into battle against a wizarding academy.

No one could withstand an entire witch cohort alone!

But Harold did not do so. Under his magic, the puppets, though animated with life, did not attack; instead, they gathered around the circus as spectators, applauding and cheering, while the most powerful automata performed for the Faceless One.

Purely circus performances!

Watching the dazzling acts, Sakura Bell's anticipated carnage never arrived. The Faceless One watched joyfully, Harold performed gleefully, and Sakura Bell felt utterly bewildered.

What had happened to this world? Why did even the most powerful witches seem a bit... unhinged?

At that moment, both the Faceless One and the magician focused intently—the show had reached its final act: the Great Transformation.

The circus workers—automata—brought forth a cage the size of a small hotel room. When they removed the covering, inside was a scarecrow in a tailcoat and top hat.

The scarecrow wore magical shackles from the Hexagonal Prison.

As the magician chanted, the scarecrow's appearance began to change, and the automata draped a curtain over the cage.

Sakura Bell’s pupils contracted—she suddenly understood Harold’s intent!

She recognized the cage!

No wonder the Hexagonal Prison had increased Harold’s bounty.

That madman! During his last escape, not only had he performed a brilliant ‘escape from the chamber’ trick right before the warden, the ‘Lantern-faced Death’ Bolster, but he’d also pilfered the entire bottom cell from the prison!

Most crucially, the magic box itself was a terrifying secret labyrinth! Now, combined with the cell...

He was about to capture the Faceless One alive! And the Faceless One seemed to be waiting for it!

Oh heavens! These two lunatics!

"Fool! Stop watching and run!" Sakura Bell shouted, knowing that once the scarecrow in the cage transformed into the Faceless One, the Great Transformation would be complete.

Anyone affected by the spell, regardless of where they were, would be transported into the magician’s cage, donning the scarecrow’s attire—including the magical shackles from the Hexagonal Prison!

Any witch shackled would lose all magical power and become a Muggle. Then, under the magician’s dreadful magic, gradually become a puppet clown.

But the Faceless One continued to applaud the circus, as if oblivious.

"Run! Run!" Sakura Bell’s long legs thumped the ground, trying to draw the Faceless One’s attention.

Suddenly, a rose appeared in Sakura Bell’s mouth; under Harold’s powerful spell, she could only bite the rose, unable to speak.

It was over, utterly over! Oh, woe...

I’ll have to pedal a tricycle and perform ventriloquism with the Faceless One!

...

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