The next day.
The three Monastics felt that Rasa was abuzz.
“It seems everyone has heard the news about the magic performance.”
“It feels like the whole city is in motion.”
The street was quiet.
Nuru Buchi clicked his tongue at the number of shops that had closed. Suddenly, what reason could there be for these shops to close? Everyone was bustling to see the magic show taking place in the southern square.
However, upon reaching the southern square, Nuru Buchi was left astounded once more.
The southern square was a natural stage. A semicircular hill surrounded the flat land, allowing countless people to see the stage without the need for special seating.
“Hmm…”
An enormous crowd surrounded the semicircular stage!
“Align yourselves with the lines marked on the ground!”
“If you don’t follow the order, the start of the performance will only be delayed!”
“The area behind the stage is off-limits!”
The three approached the back of the stage hesitantly. Ho Cheon-an, who was preparing magic at the backstage, turned to look at them.
“Oh, you’ve arrived. You can come this way.”
“Thank you, Benefactor.”
The three sighed in relief and took their seats in the empty front row, following Ho Cheon-an’s guidance.
“The excitement is incredible.”
“Indeed, it’s truly remarkable…”
They thought about how impressive Ho Cheon-an’s skills were, but experiencing it in this form was a completely different story.
“A crowd that requires someone to maintain order.”
Sudalcha marveled at the hired staff meant to control the crowd. Not security, but using people to prevent the jostling of the crowd? Sudalcha had never even imagined such a thing.
“Seeing them skillfully prepared, I wonder if it’s common for such crowds to gather in the Central Plains. It’s an astonishing place.”
The safety officers moved around, parting the crowd and loudly calling out to maintain order. A minimal order was established among those wanting to see the stage closely, and at last, the performance began.
Waaaaaah!!!
As the curtain rose, the crowd erupted in cheer. The magicians who had showcased their talents over the past week all lined up on stage.
What kind of magic would they show today! With such expectations, the crowd increased their cheers.
Cutting through the noise, Ho Cheon-an’s powerful greeting echoed.
[Hello, Rasa citizens! Welcome to today’s event!]
Waaaaah!!
“Magic! Show us magic!”
[Hahaha! Since we’re already behind schedule, let’s proceed quickly! First up is Okryong the Magician!]
With the crowd’s cheers, only the pale Okryong remained on stage as the other magicians walked to the back.
Nuru Buchi marveled at the magical tools Okryong was raising.
“I was worried that the audience far away wouldn’t be able to see the magic, but it was unnecessary concern.”
“With such large rings, even those far away can see just fine.”
The silver rings looked like they could easily fit the face of an adult man. As Okryong lifted the rings high, a great cheer erupted. Spectators who couldn’t secure a good spot thought, like Nuru Buchi, that the magic would be lost from afar, but the appearance of tools that were clearly visible from a distance excited them.
Okryong’s first magic began.
“Ah!”
“The rings are connecting!”
Throwing the rings lightly, Okryong demonstrated that the four rings were completely unconnected. And the moment he held two of the rings and clashed them, they connected like a chain!
As he pulled the two rings taut, gasps flowed from the audience.
‘It’s happening..!’
Being watched by so many people was something the rookie magician Okryong had never even dreamed of, and the positive reactions from the audience restored his confidence. Though he had never stood on stage before, Okryong, who had a natural charm, quickly adapted to the atmosphere and began showcasing ring magic.
The four rings connected and disconnected repeatedly. The rings formed a diamond shape, and just as a ringing sound was heard, all four rings dropped again.
Then with another ringing sound, three rings were caught on one.
“Truly remarkable!”
Nima Galchen clapped from his heart. Just this one magic made the trip here worthwhile.
Of course, he wouldn’t miss a single trick that would be showcased today.
Clang!
“How can metal pass through metal so easily!”
“Amazing!”
As Okryong dazzlingly displayed changes, he finally separated the four rings and bowed to the audience, which then exploded in cheers and thunderous applause.
Next was Tang Do-yeon’s string magic.
“This can’t be! How can a string that was cut reattach itself?”
“More importantly, I can’t even tell when it was reattached!”
The Podalap Palace trio gasped repeatedly at Tang Do-yeon’s performance. While Okryong’s show was surprising and fun, the fluidity of his movements seemed rather clumsy to their eyes. They could sense the tension in Okryong’s body just before he unleashed his big tricks.
However, Tang Do-yeon’s magic truly made them hold their breath.
Through the very delicate skills unique to the Tang Clan, she executed the magic neatly, and with secretive gestures that those who handled Hidden Weapons possess, she provided unexpected enjoyment.
Waaaaah!!!
The magic performance unfolded in sequences of strong and weak, or strong-weak-weak. After one or two major tricks showcased only on stage, one or two that were usually performed in the streets followed.
Following Miss Yeo Il-ye’s simple magic, the Black Cat’s performance came next.
The magic of the Black Cat involved attaching and removing colorful silks while continuously producing flowers from between them.
The people, especially the men, were mesmerized by the Black Cat’s magic.
As flowers appeared between the colorful silks, people couldn’t even tell whether it was the flowers or the Black Cat’s face that was blooming. When her movements stopped, suddenly a bird poked its head out from between the colorful silks.
Flap flap!
People were awestruck watching the flapping of the bird flying over their heads.
“Goodness, a bird was hiding between the silks!”
“Truly amazing!”
As the Black Cat bowed and stepped back, Ho Cheon-an came on stage, and the loudest cheer erupted thus far. The three Podalap Palace members understood the situation from the buzz around them.
“They say among the Central Plains people, he’s the best magician!”
“He certainly is the best one!”
[Greetings everyone. This magic will be the last of today’s show.]
Ahhh—
Sounds of disappointment echoed from the crowd.
[This magic will surely blow away any disappointment you might have.]
A mysterious object rose onto the stage with Ho Cheon-an’s gestures.
“A cart…?”
“No, it looks like a metal chamber with wheels…”
The audience buzzed at the appearance of the unfamiliar item. Ho Cheon-an raised his hand, signaling for silence, and then opened the lid of the box.
And lying inside that metal box was Okryong!
“Hmm? What is this?”
Okryong’s head and arms protruded through holes in the metal box, and his feet were hanging out as well.
[Do not be alarmed, everyone. What will occur next is just magic.]
Everyone tilted their heads looking at Ho Cheon-an holding a large metal plate. What could this mean?
With a single shake of his hand, Ho Cheon-an lifted the metal plate… and put it into the box and climbed on top…
Swoosh!
“Aaaah!”
“What in the world…!”
He thrust the metal plate all the way into the box! Someone screamed, and the three members of Podalap Palace shot up from their seats.
But Ho Cheon-an paid no mind to the reactions from the audience as he shoved in a second metal plate!
Aaaahhh!!
Murder, it’s murder!!
[It’s alright, everyone. Murder? It’s just magic. If Okryong the Magician is alive, wave your hand, please.]
Seeing Okryong’s arm moving vigorously calmed the chaos to a degree.
And just as the chaos was about to settle, the helpers, Black Cat and Ho Cheon-an, grabbed the sides of the metal box!
A scream rang out once more.
The metal box split in half! Okryong’s upper and lower body were separated! As everyone fell into confusion, Ho Cheon-an casually spun the box, proving that Okryong’s upper and lower halves were completely severed, and began linking the rings again to unite the box.
Then he draped a curtain over the box and stepped forward confidently.
[Alright, everyone calm down. Okryong the Magician is safe!]
The crowd murmured in disbelief.
Safe? Clearly, anyone could see that he had been killed after being locked in that box and then covered up! People murmured, but the reason there was no full-blown riot was due to Ho Cheon-an’s confident demeanor and the performances that had come before.
While it was evident a person had died, seeing the outrageous tricks performed thus far had sparked a glimmer of hope in them.
[Now, the magician Okryong is waiting for you all behind that curtain. Shall we shout his name? Okryong! Okryong!]
Okryong! Okryong!
As the bewildered crowd began to chant Okryong’s name one by one.
[It seems the magician Okryong is unable to come out because of your faint calls! Let’s shout louder! Okryong!]
Okryong! Okryong! Okryong!
As the crowd shouted until their voices were hoarse, just when the cheers reached a peak, Ho Cheon-an stretched his arms wide, pointing toward the curtain.
And in that moment, Okryong burst out from behind the curtain!
Waaaaah!!!
Okryong was completely unharmed! As he exuberantly ran around the stage waving, the audience roared with cheers.
How could a person who had been cut in two be completely fine!
The people of Rasa, who had witnessed the impossible, expressed with their cheers an indescribable feeling.
[Thank you, everyone. Today’s performance ends here.]
All the magicians came to the stage, holding hands to conclude the show, and as the curtain fell, the cheers of the Rasa people showed no signs of stopping.
