People were all standing together, shooting arrows toward a target. Yellian, eager to watch, pulled Leonard’s hand.
“Look over there, Leonard. People are shooting bows.”
“It’s a common game. Are you interested?”
“Yes!”
“Then let’s go.”
Leonard headed toward the archery area with Yellian.
Up close, they saw the arrows weren’t real; the tips were blunt. Of course, letting people shoot real arrows would be far too dangerous.
“Now, hit the target and win a prize. Hit even one, and you’re guaranteed a reward, so come try it out!”
The clerk spoke cheerfully. Among the prizes on display, nothing particularly caught the eye, but shooting the arrows itself looked fun. Yellian immediately shouted, ‘Challenge!’
“Do you know how to shoot a bow?”
“I’ve never shot one before, but I’m a descendant of Jumong.”
“Jumong?”
“Yeah, a legendary archery genius.”
At Yellian’s reply, Leonard furrowed his brow. No matter how much he racked his brain, he couldn’t recall any legendary archery genius named Jumong.
While Leonard was lost in thought, Yellian was quickly learning archery from the clerk.
“Hit even one out of five arrows, and you’ll get a prize. Hit all five, and you’ll win a premium quill pen and ink set, so give it your best!”
“Got it!”
Honestly, Yellian had no interest in the premium quill pen and ink set. Since they were shooting, they just wanted to shoot well.
Yellian took a deep breath with a serious expression. Then, they pulled the bowstring toward the target.
“Huh?”
They had clearly aimed at the target, but the arrow didn’t fly far and crashed into the ground.
Flustered, Yellian recomposed themselves and pulled the bowstring again. Unfortunately, this time wasn’t much different.
“I think this bow is a bit weird. Please give me another one.”
Blaming the innocent bow, Yellian switched it out and shot the third arrow.
This time, it seemed to fly a bit farther, but it still didn’t come close to the target. Moreover, the bowstring was so taut that just pulling it made their hands tremble.
After failing the fourth and fifth attempts as well, Yellian became dejected. They had thought, as a descendant of Jumong, they must have archery genes.
Ah, could it be because they’re not in Juan’s body right now? If so, that would make sense.
Making up all sorts of excuses, they comforted themselves. Watching quietly, Leonard extended his hand to Yellian.
“Give me the bow.”
“Are you going to try, Leonard?”
“What prize do you want?”
“All of them.”
Honestly, even if they got the prizes, there was no use for them, but they felt annoyed for no reason. Leonard, as if understanding Yellian’s feelings completely, burst into laughter. Then, he called over the clerk.
“You said if I shoot five times and hit all five, I get the premium quill pen and ink. What do I get if I shoot ten times and hit all ten?”
“Uh…… Well, in that case, we’ll give you premium fabric.”
“Got it.”
With a short reply, Leonard aimed the bowstring.
Soon, he noticed that the bowstring was too slippery. It was in such poor condition that the arrow couldn’t be properly nocked. Naturally, with a bow like this, the arrow wouldn’t fly far.
Of course, for Leonard, such an obstacle was no problem at all, but for someone unfamiliar, it would undoubtedly be a huge barrier.
Leonard clicked his tongue, recalling Yellian’s disheartened face. Then, glaring at the target, he shot the arrow.
“Wow, it hit right in the center of the target! Leonard, that’s amazing!”
Not just hitting the target, but striking dead center. Yellian was overjoyed, practically jumping. Seeing this, Leonard couldn’t help but smile as he picked up the next arrow.
Hitting the center of the target with the second, third, fourth, and finally the tenth arrow, Leonard looked down at the clerk.
“I hit all ten, so give me the promised prize.”
“Uh, well, th-that…….”
The clerk stammered, clearly flustered. It seemed they hadn’t expected anyone to actually hit all ten arrows.
Well, since they had tampered with the bowstring on purpose, they probably thought no one could hit the target, even by luck.
Moreover, giving away premium fabric as a prize would surely put the shop in the red. As proof, the clerk’s face turned into one of despair, looking like they might cry.
“Yellian, what do you want?”
“I don’t really need the fabric. A stuffed toy would be fine. Two of them, one for Geumdong and one for Steamed Gamja.”
“That’s what they said.”
At Leonard’s question, Yellian answered brightly. The clerk, who had been on the verge of tears, suddenly lit up as if nothing had happened.
The clerk, perhaps worried Yellian might change their mind, quickly handed over two palm-sized stuffed toys.
“Awesome, I got toys for my kids. Thanks, Leonard.”
Even though Leonard could buy thousands, no, tens of thousands of such toys, seeing Yellian so happy over just two stuffed toys was incredibly endearing.
Leonard gently stroked Yellian’s head, then turned to the clerk and spoke.
“The bowstring was in terrible shape. You should check it.”
“Uh, well, y-yes……. Understood.”
After hearing the clerk’s response, Leonard left the shop with Yellian.
* * *
After wandering through various parts of the streets for a while, as the sun began to set, the two checked the flyer they had kept and headed toward the circus venue.
Yellian’s heart raced with excitement, having only heard of circuses but never seen one in person.
And understandably so-before being transported into the novel, Yellian had lived in the heart of Seoul, South Korea. Where would one see a circus in Seoul? Thus, aside from occasional news reports, this was their first real circus experience.
Leonard, on the other hand, had seen a circus a few times as a child, but as he grew older, he lost interest in such things. However, since Yellian wanted to see it, he accompanied them to the venue without complaint.
While waiting and eating popcorn, time passed quickly. The bright lights dimmed, and soon only one side of the stage was illuminated. There stood a man with a comically large mustache.
“Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to our Charles Circus! I am Charles, the ringmaster of the Charles Circus Troupe!”
At the ringmaster’s introduction, applause erupted from all around. Yellian joined in, clapping along with the crowd.
Soon, the circus began. First up was a person riding a unicycle. Yellian was instantly captivated by the man’s skill, pedaling precariously on a single large wheel.
Next came a juggler. Not only juggling balls but also fruits, shoes, and even stuffed toys-whatever they could grab. On top of that, they juggled while sitting down, standing up, and striking various poses.
Yellian watched the circus almost in a trance. When the tightrope walker came on, their hands were sweaty from the tension.
Leonard watched Yellian, who was swallowing hard while engrossed in the circus. Seeing their already large eyes grow even wider, as if they might pop out, brought a smile to his face. Yellian watched the circus, and Leonard watched Yellian.
While Yellian was completely immersed in the circus, their expression suddenly darkened. Wondering why, Leonard glanced at the stage and saw a baby bear balancing on a large ball.
“What’s wrong?”
“The bear…… it’s pitiful.”
At Yellian’s words, Leonard quietly observed the stage. The trainer held a small whip in one hand. Whenever the bear didn’t move as desired, the trainer swung the whip to intimidate it.
It was likely just a threat during the performance, but during practice, they probably used actual beatings.
“Why do they have to use animals that can’t even speak, when humans alone would be enough?”
At Yellian’s dejected words, Leonard tightly held their hand. Then, in a gentle voice, he spoke reassuringly to Yellian.
“Don’t worry. That bear won’t have to perform in shows like this anymore.”
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