A few days later, I disguised myself as Phantom and sought out Vanderbeune’s tent.
“Such an honor to meet you, the Hero Candidate Phantom! I am Fluffy, the leader of the Vanderbeune Traveling Theater Company!”
“I know. It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Director.”
A beastfolk woman hopped onto a chair for height, her bunny ears perked up, revealing a cute little fang.
She reached out her hand for a handshake, cheerfully asking, “But why would a mere beastfolk like me be sought out by you? Vanderbeune is just a wandering troupe specializing in trivial puppet shows!”
“Trivial puppet shows, you say? Modesty is truly excessive, Director. I can confidently say that Vanderbeune’s play quality is top-tier in the continent!”
“Hehe, thank you for the compliment! Of course, we take pride in our profession!”
With a cute little gesture, Fluffy adjusted her silk hat, her eyes sparkling.
“But still, I, Fluffy, am responsible for a whole theater company! If I don’t act humbly, humans won’t like me! After all, we are composed of the unpleasant creatures!”
She was absolutely right about that part.
Even though the director Fluffy was adorable, she was small and weak, making her a target for discrimination as a small beastfolk.
The troupe members comprised of orcs, lizardmen, and arachnes—races not well-received by human society.
The fact that they hadn’t settled anywhere yet, despite having praised puppet masters, likely stemmed from that.
While they might welcome a traveling circus passing through the village, most would frown upon the idea of them staking down roots.
“Now, back to the main point! Why does the great author Phantom want to meet me?”
“Why would a playwright want to meet a theater company director? Naturally, I want to create something together.”
“Huh? A work?”
With a puzzled expression, she fiddled with the crystal of her staff and asked mischievously.
“We’re just a troupe performing short one-act plays! We can’t adjust to a script that lasts for hours by the great author Phantom!”
“That’s fine. What I want is a puppet show that follows Vanderbeune’s style.”
“What is this?”
“I want to create an extremely large puppet. Don’t worry about the costs; I’ll handle that.”
Not from my own pocket, but from the royal funds coming from my credit card ring, of course.
Muttering like that, I took out the design drafts I had sketched at the dormitory.
The new work that would be performed in collaboration with Vanderbeune as a birthday present for Crown Prince Wolfgang, “The Cthulhu Mythos”.
A rough sketch of the Great Old One with the concept of “ancient demons worshipped by wicked pagans” prior to the spread of the Heavenly Church.
“Oh ho. A horror play based on a fictional ancient demon? Certainly intriguing, but what is your reason for wanting to use such a grotesque theme? It doesn’t really match the style of Phantom Writer I’ve heard about!”
“I’m a daring writer. Just consider it as some experimental spirit.”
In fact, a significant number of readers often express disappointment, saying that Lovecraft’s works are not as scary as his reputation suggests once they actually read them.
This disparity stems from the stark difference between the general reader’s sense of fear and Howard Lovecraft’s perspective on horror.
It’s not about the sudden shocks; it’s about the heavy, suffocating ‘atmosphere’ that elicits fear, which might be underwhelming for the average person accustomed to instant horror.
However, that’s a story associated with experiencing “The Cthulhu Mythos” as a book.
What if beings like Cthulhu, Hastur, Dagon, and Bokrug appeared in their massive forms, reciting cosmic languages while looking down upon us?
‘……Of course, just that wouldn’t bring out the Cthulhu Mythos 100%.’
To convey cosmic horror, one must do more than simply recite the story of Lovecraft’s novels.
On the contrary, a real sense of ‘experience’ must be created, making one feel as if they’re undergoing the play’s situations to properly deliver Lovecraftian fear.
Thus, the first step in preparation was to create vivid visuals and a spine-chilling yet dreamlike stage setup.
That was the role Vanderbeune Theater Company needed to fulfill. Their expertise in creating eerie atmospheres was clear, just by looking at their grotesque shows, right?
“What do you think? Are you seriously considering my proposal, Director?”
Instead of giving an immediate answer, Fluffy stared intently at my rough sketch for a while.
How long had passed? Eventually, she regained her bright smile and nodded her head.
“There’s no need to ponder this! It’s an honor for me to join Phantom’s experiment, the Hero Candidate! Hehe!”
“Haha, I see.”
Every time she smiled, those little fangs popped out. She really looked like an adorable bunny hopping through a field.
“By the way… Did Phantom Writer imagine and sketch all of these notes? Or did they arise from some other motifs?”
“Of course, it was purely imagined. I’ve loved the bizarre since I was a child.”
“……”
“What are your thoughts? As someone who has specialized in creating a diverse range of puppet shows, I would like to know your perspective as a fellow artist.”
Suddenly curious about how Fluffy might view this sketch, I asked.
“A fellow artist’s perspective, you say?”
“There’s no need to be formal or use refined expressions. I’m just as much a part of the artistic community, Director. I absolutely need your honest opinion, with no falsehoods.”
“An honest opinion? Is it really okay?”
“Is there even a question? Let the 100% true feelings be known!”
“Umm, well…”
The bunny beastfolk Fluffy hesitated for a moment, choosing her words carefully.
Then, she beamed a bright smile and replied in an innocent tone.
“If one could imagine this and draw it, I would genuinely want to recommend a stay at a mental hospital!”
……Not that kind of honesty, dear bunny.
Still, I understood where she was coming from.
The dark atmosphere in Lovecraft’s works stemmed from his unfortunate life experiences.
While I wasn’t personally affected, both of his parents had died after being committed to a mental hospital.
“Alright! Follow me for a moment, Phantom!”
Just then, Fluffy rolled up the designs and said, “If you wish to discuss puppet creation, there is someone else besides me you need to meet!”
A little while later, following Fluffy, we arrived at the backyard of the tent.
In a shabby trailer parked next to performance equipment, I found myself face-to-face with the subject in question.
The puppet maker’s room, filled with all sorts of horrifyingly designed puppets.
Since Fluffy had only informed the situation and sneaked out, we were left alone.
“P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P????”
“Y-yes, that’s right, just as the director said, I’m Phantom Writer…!”
“Wah, whoa!!”
Thwack! A girl grasped my hands, breathing heavily in excitement.
Through her disheveled black hair, her crimson eyes sparkled.
“I-I’m a huge fan! I keep up with all your works…!”
“I-I see.”
“A-ah! I’m sorry! I got carried away and did that without thinking…!”
In a languid tone that made the listener weary, she quickly let go of my hands and stepped back.
“I-it’s an honor to meet you like this. Especially this time, ‘The Hegemon-King Li’s Consort’ was truly exceptional…!”
“Nice to meet you. So, you’re Morgan, right?”
“Y-yes. Ehehe.”
With a sullen smile, Morgan drooped her dark-circled eyes happily.
She was undoubtedly a pretty girl, but her disheveled and melancholic appearance did her beauty no favors.
Just a glance revealed she had the traits of a recluse, and according to Fluffy, she was an apprentice witch on the brink of her coming-of-age ceremony.
She was said to be responsible for developing the magical devices and gadgets needed for the troupe’s bizarre shows, referred to as a ‘genius’ inventor.
She seemingly ran away because witchcraft classes didn’t suit her and joined the wandering theater company.
Vanderbeune’s rapid rise to fame also occurred after the talented inventor and art enthusiast Morgan joined.
Having been a genuine grotesque otaku, she seemed to resonate perfectly with Vanderbeune’s style.
“By the way, Morgan. Aren’t you a member of the wandering theater Vanderbeune? You travel from place to place, so how do you consistently manage to catch the performances in the capital?”
“Well, you see, I’m a witch. I can share senses with my familiar crow and watched the performances through its vision. Hehe.”
“A crow, you say?”
“Ah! I-I definitely didn’t sneak in for free! I asked a friend to let the crow inside! I always sent them the ticket cost, so don’t worry!”
“I understand. I’m not angry, so calm down, Morgan. First, could you take a look at this?”
I settled the worried girl and shifted to the main topic.
“You heard all about it from Director Fluffy earlier, right? What do you think? Can you create the puppets in the format I desire?”
“Umm, this is… hmm, hmm…!”
Morgan inspected the contents I handed her, her magenta eyes darting back and forth across the rough sketches and requests.
After about 1-2 minutes had passed…
“Sniff”
“Huh?!”
Suddenly, tears welled up in Morgan’s eyes.
“Are you crying? I’m sorry! Did I make some mistake?”
“N-no! That’s not it, sniffle!”
Morgan wiped her eyes with a tissue, answering instead with a joyful tone.
“It’s so beautiful! I’ve met many horror artists until now, but I’ve never seen concepts that express devils from hell so uniquely and captivatingly!”
“W-What? Beautiful?”
“Others can’t seem to imagine anything beyond skulls or horned monsters when they think of demons… Your overflowing imagination as an author has truly exceeded expectations! I’m genuinely moved! This surpasses mere art; it’s dark art that appears once every thousand years!”
……Otaku truly are otaku.
To witness a work like this move someone to such an extent is what one might call the happiness of a ‘true fan.’
“Ah! But please don’t misunderstand. I’m speaking purely in artistic terms! I’m not a demon worshipper, and after all, the witch clan has long since given up on demon worship…”
“I wouldn’t hold such misunderstandings against you. By that reasoning, what does that make me, who drew this?”
“Ehehe. That too is true.”
In this world, ‘witches’ are descendants who inherit the mystical sorceries passed down since ancient times.
Before the Heavenly Church established its place, they played the role of spiritual leaders in tribal societies within a shamanistic framework.
They were once involved in demon worship, leading to ‘witch hunts’, but that was a tale from at least a century ago.
Now, they had given up on black magic and were focusing on creating talismans and practical charms, coexisting moderately well with the church.
“So? Is it possible? As you can see, especially in the climax of the latter half, this ‘Cthulhu’ needs to be much larger than the gigantic puppets used by the theater company.”
“W-well, it might be a bit challenging… The larger the puppet, the harder it becomes to maneuver accurately… Additionally, to accommodate such a giant puppet, the tent would also need to be larger…”
“Don’t worry about that. I was just discussing with the director about expanding the tent. I’ll cover all the expenses.”
Of course, once more it would be on the royal funds bestowed through my credit card ring.
The money spent on preparing a birthday present for the prince, surely no one would complain.
“Then, it wouldn’t really be impossible!”
Morgan tightly tied the designs back up using a purple ribbon while giggling.
“For a puppet of such size… it could be better if we represented the outer skin lightly with colored paper whilst the internal skeleton is made from a lightweight metal enchanted with spells?”
“Colored paper? Can that create a realistic depiction?”
“Of course! It’s not your ordinary colored paper; it’s enchanted paper enchanted by a witch! The sticky and wet texture and vividly shining scales that the author desires can all be reproduced beautifully! If any awkward parts remain, the dim lighting will cover those!”
“Hmm. That’s intriguing.”
So, I engaged in a conversation regarding puppet creation with the apprentice witch.
As time flowed on and our discussions seemed to reach a conclusion, just as I was about to leave the trailer…
“Wait, w-wait, Author! Just a moment!”
Morgan handed me a crudely crafted bundle of papers.
“C-could you please give me an autograph before you go? Right here on the cover?”
“Sure, but what is this? A story about a red dragon and a blue dragon?”
When I asked about the oddly familiar title, she let out a mischievous smile and said, “I-it’s a fanfic. I just beautifully reinterpreted the twisted relationship between Xiang Yu and Liu Bang from ‘The Hegemon-King Li’s Consort.'”
“Fanfic?”
“I created it with the club I’m in. Of course, it’s not distributed commercially, so don’t worry! We just circulate it among members!”
I had already heard about the rumors surrounding enthusiasts of Phantom’s works.
It was said that those who followed his works were actively involved in creating derivative creations which had spread even to the academy.
However, something about Morgan’s explanation felt off.
Reinterpreting the relationship between Xiang Yu and Liu Bang beautifully?
“I-I’m sorry, but is it not that? Meaning a relationship between two men…?”
“E-Eh?! I-I would never! The members of the club don’t pursue the homosexuality forbidden by the church!”
Morgan flailed about in horror at the question, denying it vehemently.
Just as I was relieved to discover that the fanfic held no elements of comradery, she added, “W-well, the thing is! In this story, Xiang Yu appears as a woman!”
Deth.
“Ah, no matter how many times you stomp on it, a man will rise up like a weed! The princess Xiang Yu, who despised Liu Bang because of her male talk, gradually starts seeing him anew, becoming obsessed with him as she starts to shade in the hue of her affection!”
Dedeth.
“And finally, at the River of Wu, instead of dying, Xiang Yu surrenders to Liu Bang, losing both her body and heart to him, thus curing her male disdain! How about that? Isn’t it simply a beautiful happy ending just by changing one gender?”
Oh my God. Not BL, but TS. Moreover, a TS story where Xiang Yu and Liu Bang entangle!
After surrendering, does Xiang Yu (now a woman) get stabbed by Liu Bang’s sword while shouting, “I’m not a third-rate anymore-❤︎”?
What kind of horrific hybrid is this?!
<<>> <<>> <<>> <<>> <<>>
“Hey, Phantom Writer… your handwriting…”
About an hour after the playwright departed.
Holding the signed fanfic close, Morgan rolled around happily in her bed.
It was truly like a dream. Not only had I met the great author I admired, but he also granted me an autograph.
This fanfic would never be lent to anyone.
I would treasure it on display as a family heirloom for generations.
However, what truly excited her was the artistic value of the design for “The Cthulhu Mythos” that Phantom left behind, alongside the creative inspiration and passion it sparked within her.
“Yes! That’s it!”
Sitting upright, Morgan dashed to her desk and began transferring that ‘inspiration’ into words.
“Hehe, ehehe…”
The more she scribbled with her pen, the more her pale cheeks blushed.
In fact, the side job of witch Morgan was writing salacious stories.
She was a so-called ‘blue cover’ commission writer, creating and carefully illustrating cheap adult works for under-the-table sales.
Her major theme revolved around the niche genre of erotic writing.
Patients with extraordinary fantasies about inter-species relationships, primarily involving wealthy beastfolk enthusiasts and creatures like slimes served as her core customer base.
Just recently, she had mainly fantasized about orc humiliation stories, inspired by Berenguer’s portrayal in “Julius Caesar.”
However, just now, her exposure to the devil’s appearance in “The Cthulhu Mythos” opened her eyes to a brand-new genre.
In a world where such things had never existed before.
Yet she felt a strong instinct that there would definitely be ardent clientele for it.
“Alright, this is it… Like krakens or giant carnivorous plants, possessing appendages that are sticky yet warm, soft yet firm! Grabbing onto the heroine and wreaking havoc—heh heh!”
For the moment, her main priority was collaborating with Phantom, so it was merely organization of ideas.
But once the premiere of “The Cthulhu Mythos” was over, she intended to refine and polish those ideas into a full-fledged piece.
……That way, the seeds of madness were sown into this world by Phantom’s “The Cthulhu Mythos” even before it was even produced.
A so-called ‘tentacle work’ that would embody the horrifying madness.
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