The Freak Show Foreman

If a traveler were to visit Dvallchep today, they might suspect that it's the Christmas season.

Throughout the streets, hymns echoed, and every house was adorned with red lanterns.

Moreover, the sight of residents lined up in front of the cathedral resembled the scene of people waiting in line for communion at the church on Christmas Day.

Of course, today was not the actual Christmas.

The villagers weren't celebrating a fake Christmas during the Festival of the Fools either.

It was currently late July, not December or April 1st. It was a busy season in the rural areas due to a lot of work.

However, for the people of Dvallchep, today was a day even more joyful than Christmas.

The song they were singing with all their might praised the grace of the Lord. It was because they had been saved from the plague thanks to the saint and holy being sent by Him.

From next year onwards, they might commemorate this day as "Saint Wonderstein Day" or even change the name of the village to "Saint Valentinov."

People brought out lanterns that were supposed to stay hidden in the warehouse until December and lit them up.

The red lanterns illuminated the dark streets.

Residents treated their neighbors to drinks and food, almost as if making a bet on who could open their barn doors wider.

Even the seed pigs and seed hens, who had long played the role of family members, were busily munching, and even the liquor bottles buried in the ground, claimed to be reserved for the daughter's wedding, were unearthed.

The girl, now nine years old, looked excitedly at her father digging the ground with a shovel and made teasing sounds.

When she was born, her father had buried a bottle of liquor, asking whether it was necessary to drink it to get rid of the curse on the land.

"Why drink something buried in cursed land? You should discard it."

She knew her father's words were just an excuse.

Since she could remember, her father had never let a day pass without enjoying the taste of the liquor buried in the ground.

Even if it wasn't a curse or plague, he would surely find an excuse to dig it up, claiming it was for celebrating a bumper harvest or commemorating a disastrous year.

"Hehehe, I can smell the fragrance from the liquor bottle."

Seeing her father happily unsealing the firmly sealed jar, the girl couldn't help but smile.

"Is it that good?"

"Well, it's not about how delicious the liquor is… I mean, it's good that we're free from the danger. Who would appreciate cursed liquor anyway!"

The girl burst into laughter at her father's excuse.

"Alright. But what about when I get married?"

"Hmm, for that, I'll find better ingredients and make a new one."

"Really?"

"Sure. Let's taste it today, and then I'll make an even more delicious one."

"Hmph. Do I need to use ingredients that are at least twice as expensive?"

She decided to trust her father.

When it came to liquor, her father was the most knowledgeable person in the village.

While her father carefully removed the liquor jar from the ground, a young woman walked out through the kitchen door. She still had some fat clinging to her waist and back as she walked.

It was a repulsive sight, but the girl looked at the woman and smiled brightly.

She was the girl's mother.

In one of her hands, she held a piece of meat.

Bringing back meat was not unusual, but the way red blood dripped from it, as if it had just been caught… how should it be explained?

"Well, we should eat…"

The mother's condition didn't seem normal.

She stared blankly at her father's back as if her soul had left her.

She didn't even glance at her beloved daughter.

"Mom?"

As the girl cautiously called her, a scream erupted from the neighboring house.

"Aaaah! Don't come near!"

It was the voice of the girl's playmate from the next door.

Surprised, her father turned his head, and the mother began to act.

Until her chin touched the girl's chest.

In a surreal scene, the girl, shocked by the unbelievable sight, widened her mouth. At that moment, like a lightning bolt, the woman rushed towards her own husband.

With that large mouth, she tore into her husband's neck and shoulders.

Crunch.

"Kwaaah!"

Blood spurted out like a fountain.

The face of the dad, who had just been enjoying the pleasant smile with a drink in hand, contorted in shock.

It was not only due to the physical pain, but also because it was hard to believe the reality unfolding before his eyes.

His wife was attacking him!

What was even more terrifying was her subsequent actions.

The wife, with a crunching sound as she chewed, ate the bones and flesh that she had torn from her husband.

"Devour, eating…."

The woman repeated the same words, rolling her eyes frantically.

Devolute modified the host's body according to its purpose.

To chew organic matter effectively, it strengthened the host's teeth to be sturdy and sharp.

To consume larger quantities at once, it multiplied the host's jaw joint several times.

And to control the body as intended, it scrambled the brain cells to seize control.

The Adaptive Modification ability, referred to as the "Evolutionary Laboratory" in Wonderstein's status screen, was an instinctive power within Devolutes.

The goal of Devolutes born from Wonderstein's blood was to consume organic matter to proliferate themselves.

However, they were not mere beasts repeating attacks and predation.

Upon encountering a human with a modified area attached to their body, they would infect the Devolutes inside that person with a "command."

"devour."

The command was like a shepherd guiding a flock.

Devil-may-care Devolutes, upon receiving the command "devour," would start moving with a sense of direction.

The girl couldn't move, trembling in place.

Mom attacked Dad.

No, it's not Mom.

A monster. A ghost. A demon.

Dad is bleeding.

Is Dad going to die?

What about Mom?

Her consciousness was brought back to the surface by Dad's voice.

He struggled to fend off his wife's attempt to devour his body and shouted to his daughter.

"R-run!"

"B-but…"

She couldn't leave her injured dad alone.

Unconsciously, she took a step toward her dad.

Dad, with eyes wide, yelled at her.

"Run, quickly!"

As she turned around, running out of the yard, she looked back.

Dad mustered his last strength, picked up the axe next to the woodpile, and chopped Mom's leg. Mom, in turn, bit off half of Dad's skull with her sharp teeth.

The girl suppressed the overwhelming urge to scream.

"No, no, no, no, no, no."

Her eyes widened like those of a mad person, tears, mucus, and saliva streaming down her eyes, nose, and mouth.

The hymns that had filled the streets just a moment ago were no longer audible.

From the neighboring house, across the street, screams and cries echoed.

Clearly inhuman shadows dashed through the alleys.

The stench of disgusting blood and organs dominated the street.

She couldn't believe that the current situation was real.

It felt like walking through a nightmare.

"To, to eat… daughter…."

A familiar voice, but one she didn't want to hear now, reached her ears.

She turned around without running.

Her mom, with an axe embedded in one leg, crawled towards her using both arms.

Human arms were not suitable for walking.

So, Devolute twisted some joints, modifying the arms to resemble those of a four-legged creature.

Her mouth opened wide.

There were tooth-like blades flashing inside, something that didn't resemble human teeth.

Her jaw continued to stretch as if made of rubber.

Until her chin touched the chest.

In a surreal scene, the girl, shocked by the unbelievable sight, widened her mouth. At that moment, like a lightning bolt, the woman rushed towards her own husband.

With that large mouth, she tore into her husband's neck and shoulders.

Crunch.

"Kwaaah!"

Blood spurted out like a fountain.

The face of the dad, who had just been enjoying the pleasant smile with a drink in hand, contorted in shock.

It was not only due to the physical pain, but also because it was hard to believe the reality unfolding before his eyes.

His wife was attacking him!

What was even more terrifying was her subsequent actions.

The wife, with a crunching sound as she chewed, ate the bones and flesh that she had torn from her husband.

"Ea-eating, eating…."

The woman repeated the same words, rolling her eyes frantically.

Debulroots modified the host's body according to its purpose.

To chew organic matter effectively, it strengthened the host's teeth to be sturdy and sharp.

To consume larger quantities at once, it multiplied the host's jaw joint several times.

And to control the body as intended, it scrambled the brain cells to seize control.

The Adaptive Modification ability, referred to as the "Evolutionary Research Lab" in Wonderstein's status screen, was an instinctive power within Debulroots.

The goal of Debulroots born from Wonderstein's blood was to consume organic matter to proliferate themselves.

However, they were not mere beasts repeating attacks and predation.

Upon encountering a human with a modified area attached to their body, they would infect the Debulroots inside that person with a "command."

"Eat."

The command was like a shepherd guiding a flock.

Devil-may-care Debulroots, upon receiving the command "Eat," would start moving with a sense of direction.

The girl couldn't move, trembling in place.

Mom attacked Dad.

No, it's not Mom.

A monster. A ghost. A demon.

Dad is bleeding.

Is Dad going to die?

What about Mom?

Her consciousness was brought back to the surface by Dad's voice.

He struggled to fend off his wife's attempt to devour his body and shouted to his daughter.

"R-run!"

"B-but…"

She couldn't leave her injured dad alone.

Unconsciously, she took a step toward her dad.

Dad, with eyes wide, yelled at her.

"Run, quickly!"

As she turned around, running out of the yard, she looked back.

Dad mustered his last strength, picked up the axe next to the woodpile, and chopped Mom's leg. Mom, in turn, bit off half of Dad's skull with her sharp teeth.

The girl suppressed the overwhelming urge to scream.

"No, no, no, no, no, no."

Her eyes widened like those of a mad person, tears, mucus, and saliva streaming down her eyes, nose, and mouth.

The hymns that had filled the streets just a moment ago were no longer audible.

From the neighboring house, across the street, screams and cries echoed.

Clearly inhuman shadows dashed through the alleys.

The stench of disgusting blood and organs dominated the street.

She couldn't believe that the current situation was real.

It felt like walking through a nightmare.

"To, to eat… daughter…."

A familiar voice, but one she didn't want to hear now, reached her ears.

She turned around without running.

Her mom, with an axe embedded in one leg, crawled towards her using both arms.

Human arms were not suitable for walking.

So, Debulroots twisted some joints, modifying the arms to resemble those of a four-legged creature.

"Daughter… kigigik!"

With blood and flesh dripping from her mouth, the mother, using both arms, crawled towards her daughter, her appearance no longer human.

The girl ran without thinking.

Her mind couldn't process anything.

Just that she had to vamoose.

"Damn monsters!"

"How did this happen?"

"It's a curse. A real curse has been cast!"

"Survivors, come this way!"

As she ran, she encountered soldiers in armor and people with improvised weapons forming a barricade. In front of them were the corpses of monsters impaled by spears and slashed by farming tools.

People were momentarily stunned seeing the girl running towards them, but they quickly realized she was just terrified and hurriedly placed her within their group.

"What's wrong? You live on the other side of the street, alone?"

"Where are your parents?"

"Uh, well…"

As the girl pointed, her mother, crawling with both arms, and infected beings approaching from the same direction were visible.

"Kill them, devour!"

"To eat…"

"Kweg!"

The soldier checked their numbers, clenched his spear, and shouted.

"Handle them like before! Don't release the big ones! They can't have more power than ordinary humans anyway…"

But his words couldn't reach the end.

Thunk.

Something shot out from the arm of the leading infected, flying several meters and piercing through the soldier's forehead, protruding from the back of his skull.

Brain fragments splattered as the shattered head collapsed.

"W-what…?"

Thud.

His body crumpled.

"What's happening?"

"Monster! Another kind of monster!"

"Run away!"

Terrified, people quickly lost their composure and fled.

Debulroots adaptive evolutionary ability was unbelievably swift.

Watching the infected being dealt with weapons from a distance, they promptly developed countermeasures.

What protruded from the man's arm was a makeshift whip-like structure, twisting muscles around it. At the end, there was a blade made from bones, clumsily imitating one of Wonderstein's skills, "Mantula's Blade."

The infected focused on consuming biological materials, not recklessly chasing people but grabbing individuals and concentrating on their meals.

People ran away with all their might, witnessing their neighbors being devoured.

Among the chaos, there was only one person who continued to chase the girl.

Her mother, crawling with both arms, relentlessly followed.

Though her crawling speed was slower than running, her target was a 9-year-old girl.

With each step, she got closer and closer until she was almost right behind her.

And just as they turned a corner…

Swish.

It was a dead-end alley.

A solid stone wall blocked her path.

The mother rolled her eyes, turning her head strangely.

Something was off.

The prey had definitely run towards this place.

Then, from behind the building, a shadow emerged and swiftly ran across to the other side of the street.

The silhouette unmistakably belonged to her daughter.

"Kweeek!"

The mother opened her mouth and made a strange noise, chasing after her.

She had to eat.

Her daughter.

After the mother disappeared, the stone wall that blocked her path melted away.

Soon after, a young girl, sitting on the ground trembling, and Maya, standing with a calm expression, gazing at the direction where the monsters disappeared, appeared.