"What should I do in a situation like this?"
Lancel didn't know much about managing a theater troupe that couldn't perform at the Central Theater.
The oldest actor raised his hand at his question. He was the one who usually played the role of a cranky noble old lady.
"The usual way is to perform at noble social parties and collect letters of recommendation."
"Letters of recommendation..."
"Yes. When we first entered the Central Theater, we went around doing that. If you collect more than three hundred recommendation letters, you can get another audition."
"What a scam, such a scam."
Lancel clicked his tongue and crunched on the candy in his mouth.
*Not like we're jesters.*
A theater troupe performing at noble parties.
That wasn't a performance but rather jesters' flattery and whining, closer to entertainment than art.
Lancel had absolutely no intention of letting Marigold's troupe fall to such a pathetic state.
Once he decided to do something, he would definitely make Marigold the greatest actor of this era.
Yes.
Definitely.
"We're going with street theater."
"Pardon?"
Lancel recalled memories from the war era.
During the time when the Empire was bustling with war, theater troupes visited border territories three or four times to boost military morale.
Though performances on temporary stages weren't anything special.
He remembered that the soldiers definitely enjoyed them.
"We'll rent part of a plaza in the western district and build a stage. No need to go flatter those nobles. Let them come to us instead."
"Well said, Sir Lancel!"
"Mary, are you confident?"
"I'll become famous enough to spit in the faces of those arrogant nobles!"
"...Right."
It was good to see her so enthusiastic.
"Street theater... outdoor stage..."
"Will people come to see us...?"
The reactions were half worry, half expectation, but the decision had already been made.
Lancel rented an entire plaza using money he secured from selling stolen goods, plus additional funds extorted from Baron Evil Shen.
A large stage platform was erected there, with strange unfamiliar devices installed.
"What is this, Sir Lancel?"
"A rotating mechanism."
Lancel grinned at Marigold's question. This was an idea borrowed from 21st-century stages.
Typically, theaters used large wooden panels as backgrounds, and replacing them each time was quite labor-intensive.
Lancel replaced that with a large cylinder. This was common in 21st-century stages but didn't exist here yet.
Thanks to this, pulling a pulley could instantly change between eight different backgrounds with a click.
And above all.
"Change the background to the palace."
"Yes!"
Boom!
As the cylinder rotated, the theater troupe actors covered their mouths in amazement.
"Wow...!"
"So magnificent...!"
It wasn't just a painted background.
The three-dimensional rotating stage featured dazzling chandeliers and staircases. It was designed so people could actually stand on it.
"Change it to the sea!"
"Yes!"
This time, the stern of a large ship appeared.
"Whoa!"
"Impossible...!"
"Change it to the capital streets!"
Now tall buildings appeared.
On both sides were actual wooden structures that people could enter.
"Money well spent."
Lancel smiled with satisfaction.
Of course, the master's secret didn't end there.
"Was it you who called for me, Sir Lancel?"
The person Lancel had been waiting for arrived just in time.
"Jean Sirre, I've heard you're the best writer in this continent. Would you work with me on something?"
"I appreciate the invitation but must decline. I'm just a wanderer. Settling in one place to write goes against my principles..."
"Five gold coins upfront."
"..."
"Two gold coins per month."
"..."
The writer 'Jean Sirre.'
He was the man Lancel had kept by his side in a previous playthrough to write seafood travelogues.
The purpose was obviously to have him revise this cheap third-rate romance story.
No matter how good the stage was, a story in this state would never become popular.
Unfortunately, Lancel had no writing talent himself, so he had no choice but to borrow someone else's skills in this area.
Jean Sirre was a future literary master with outstanding ability to touch the emotions of the capital's citizens.
"...Travel requires substantial expenses."
"Well thought."
And so.
The third-rate romance script "Lisenne's Sorrow," written by who-knows-who, was reborn as "Empire of Flowers" through the hands of a literary master.
.
.
.
"Street theater, truly vulgar."
"Please consider it a stepping stone to return to the Central Theater, Duchess Ox."
"Hmph."
On the day of the first performance.
Duchess Ox seemed displeased from the moment she arrived.
There were hardly any nobles at the street theater with its large stage.
Since admission was still free, even beggars secretly took seats in the corners.
Duchess Ox frowned and covered her mouth with a fan.
"The smell is terrible. It's better built than it looks, but I really don't understand why it had to be a street theater. I'm starting to think trusting Lancel was a mistake."
The only reason she hadn't left immediately was the impressively constructed stage.
"Since Sir Lancel worked hard on it, you should watch before leaving. This is my first time seeing it properly too, but the stage is truly remarkable."
Baron Evil Shen was also busy flattering her.
"If it doesn't impress me, I'll have the stage dismantled immediately and pretend this never happened."
"How could it not?"
Lancel joked.
"It's about to begin. See for yourself."
"Sigh, with all these common folk around, it's hard to breathe... Oh my!"
Boom!
Duchess Ox's shoulders hunched at the thunderous sound from the stage.
"Eek!"
"Goodness!"
Even Baron Evil Shen let out a girlish scream.
Boom! Bang! Bang!
After consecutive thunderous sounds like lightning strikes, a woman suddenly appeared on stage.
Marigold.
"I killed her!"
It was Marigold in the role of the main villain.
"I cut off her breath!"
Her acting was still awkward, but that was fine. Acting improves with practice.
"Speak clearly, Noi! Who did you kill? Who exactly are you saying you killed?"
Marigold tore at her hair and screamed in response to the voice of an unseen presence.
"Aaaaargh!"
*Great performance, Marigold.*
Lancel barely held back his laughter.
Everyone except him was focused on the play.
"She was both noble and commoner, both princess and slave, both dawning light and helpless dawn... the name of an erased flower! The name of my ancient sin that called and tempted me from the darkness of this empire!"
"Are you spinning fantasies, Noi? Speak clearly! Who is this woman you killed?"
"A demon! No... a messenger of god... a demon?"
"Will you not come to your senses?"
"She is..."
"Speak clearly!"
"She is...!"
Thump thump thump.
Bang bang bang.
The continuous thunderous sounds from the stage suddenly stopped.
In the silence, Marigold, with entranced eyes, opened her mouth.
"Lisenne."
Boom!
The stage rotated, instantly changing the background.
From the gloomy, dreary prisoner's cell to a brilliant imperial ballroom.
On the stairs on both sides, numerous actors waited in party attire.
"Oh my!"
"Goodness...!"
Duchess Ox and Baron Evil Shen exclaimed in shock.
Lancel smiled inwardly.
He had already anticipated how people of this era would react when first encountering 21st-century stage ideas.
Everyone at the street theater was mesmerized, mouths agape, completely drawn into the stage.
"Lisenne!"
"Lisenne!"
With the appearance of the protagonist Lisenne, the story began in earnest.
This was the birth of a Classic that would revolutionize the performance culture of the capital from its roots.
11.
In truth, the initial reaction was somewhat ambivalent.
This was probably because the words of those who witnessed the first stage, the "premiere," spread in a way that seemed too fantastical.
"Lightning crashed down from the sky, and suddenly the world transformed!"
"I've never seen anything like it in all the plays I've watched in my life!"
"Does this mean even more amazing things happen every day at the capital theaters? Damn it! I want to be rich! I want to be a noble!"
To someone who hadn't seen it, these reactions would seem exaggerated, inviting cynicism.
But as performances were held once a week every Saturday in the western district, people's perceptions gradually changed.
Like an epidemic, everyone began to shout Lisenne's name.
"Lisenne! Aaaaargh!"
"My original sin, Lisenne!!!"
"Aaaaargh!"
From that point, admission fees were introduced, yet commoners continued to visit without pause.
It took less than a month for rumors to spread beyond the western district to the entire capital.
"Street theater?"
Of course, the nobles' reactions remained cold until then.
"Is it even a theater if commoners can enter?"
"Duchess Ox is up to strange things again."
"Dante Theater Troupe... House of Viscount Dante?"
"House of Ox and House of Dante. Well, two families who know nothing but swinging swords wouldn't understand such refined art and culture."
Mockery.
Dismissal.
Ridicule.
"...What could it possibly be..."
But among nobles, there were many who were absolutely crazy about performances and theaters.
It was inevitable that such people would succumb to curiosity about the rumored performance, "Empire of Flowers."
"I'll just see it once. Just once. It's obviously going to be a miserable, crude performance, but just once..."
It took exactly two months for artistic curiosity to overcome noble pride.
Thoroughly disguising themselves to avoid recognition, they arrived at a place where:
"Lisenne!"
"Flower blooming from death, Lisenne!"
Something that would change the era awaited.
"Ah... aaah...!"
An overwhelming stage.
Before its power, noble theater enthusiasts all fell to their knees. Their trembling legs and waists wouldn't obey them.
Awe.
An emotion beyond tears instantly captivated these sensitive noble theater enthusiasts.
================
—Upon opening my eyes, I realized my heart was already in their grasp. In the cycle of tightening and releasing, I dare recognize that before this great art, I am but a mere insect...!
â»The critique of Selburton, the art enthusiast Marquis of the capital, spreads throughout noble society! Rating: 10 points! High praise! Elegance, charm, and sensuality UP!!
================
It was the moment when art transcended the barriers of social class.
"A noble who goes to the Central Theater is third-rate, and watching plays at parties is eye-rotting. True art exists somewhere in the western district!"
Every Saturday.
The day when the performance "Empire of Flowers" was held.
Noble carriages busily traversed the capital streets.
They all had only one destination.
"Hurry up! If we're late, you'll be responsible, butler!"
"I-I'll go at maximum speed! Young Lady!"
"Overtake Lady Dax ahead of us!"
"Yes!"
The area in front of the stage was packed with people from early morning.
Baron Evil Shen's servants, who had exclusive rights, busily circulated around selling souvenirs and food.
In the best seats for viewing the performance.
In the center of what Lancel had named the VIP seats, Duchess Ox sat with a broad smile, having shed all her doubts.
And for good reason.
"You won't regret it, Your Highness."
"I'm looking forward to it. Hohoho..."
===============
—Encounter Event: 3rd Princess "Claria Arild Phrygia" has arrived at the Dante Theater Troupe's performance.
===============
The western district of the Empire had reached the point where even imperial royalty came to visit.
.
.
.
"Ah, it's so tiring having so many people recognize me these days."
It was around that time that Marigold's pride began to soar to unprecedented heights.
"Being popular is so exhausting. Yesterday, the Princess even left me a letter. Ah, I'm tired, so tired. Being famous is painful, Sir Lancel."
"..."
Lancel wanted to ask her.
*Marigold...*
Her role as "Noi" was enjoying tremendous popularity within the performance "Empire of Flowers."
As a character who drove the entire narrative, essentially a protagonist and a main villain but also a captivating man... according to the setting.
She was popular among women, both commoners and nobles alike.
Perhaps it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was the most popular role. After all, performance art tended to attract more enthusiastic female audiences.
As a result, mountains of gifts and letters piled up in front of the mansion every day.
Noble young ladies were even now lingering at the front gate hoping to catch a glimpse of Noi (Marigold), but.
However.
Why.
*Why hasn't she stopped stealing?*
Marigold.
Her behavior had been strange lately.