(MC POV)
The day of the performance came in a flash.
I never really paid attention to what happened to those Spiky Hair people but it seems they weren't performing and none of the troupes Kiyomi bothered had complained about us like she predicted.
I believe the threat of her showing up at their door a second time to bring the roof down on their heads was the biggest deterrence factor. They probably already found out what happened to the troupe that actually went to sabotage us and were afraid we would do the same to them.
It might seem extreme that another theatre troupe resorted to kidnapping in order to prevent another group from performing but it's actually quite normal in this case.
The Empress of this World is a connoisseur of the arts and holds arts festivals to attract artistes from all over the continent. We would also be performing for an arts festival where the Empress was known for becoming the patron of theatre troupes that catches her eye.
And if you have the Empress as your troupe's patron, as long as you don't do anything that might shame her name, you'd be set for life.
With the Empress as your backer, no theatre would turn you down from performing and you'd pretty much be guaranteed to draw in crowds wherever you go. Plus, you would get paid by the Empress to perform as well so even on the extremely small chance that you fail to get any people to watch your performance, you wouldn't have a need to worry about finances anymore.
Which is why the competition to catch her eye is so fierce that some troupes would even resort to unscrupulous methods to weed out the competition.
All of that just for today's performance.
Right now, we had assembled everyone in front of the theatre where we would be performing alongside the other troupes for the day. In a few more hours, we would be up on the stage to perform our play in front of the most important people of this country.
And of course, it's natural for the leader to give some words of encouragement to the people involved before the performance itself.
Kiyomi looked at the assembled staff with a critical eye, "We've all worked hard for this day, we may have gone through some troubles but we've managed to overcome them so far so this is just another hurdle we have to surmount. That's why, I'm expecting nothing less than the best from all of you. That is all."
Obviously, the response from our team was less than enthusiastic.
Well, Kiyomi had no malice in her words. She works hard, so she feels like others working hard to give their hundred percent is also something that is a given. That feeling is further amplified by the fact that all my disciples were also just as, if not more, hardworking than she is.
I coughed and stepped up beside her, "Ahem… I know the last few weeks have not been easy, especially after we've come to the capital and some troublemakers started messing with us. But all of you have persevered and stuck together through it to get to this day. I just want all of you to know that no matter what happens today, I am proud to have worked with all of you. The others might not see it, but we know better than anyone how hard all of you have worked to prepare for today. So let's head out there and show them why we are considered the best!"
"Yeah!!" They cheered, much more enthusiastically than before.
They then dispersed to make their own preparations for the show later, leaving me alone with Kiyomi.
"As expected of Master to control them so easily," Kiyomi mused, her eyes sparkling.
No, no… This isn't controlling them, Kiyomi… It's just that you're not treating them like they are human beings…
Of course I wasn't going to say that out loud so I just settled for patting her head instead.
"So are you ready for the performance?" I asked.
"Kuku~ Of course I am, Master. I have already thoroughly prepared myself for today. It is quite exciting to know that not only am I the actor this time, but I'm also the supervisor and coordinator for our performance. Not only is the management power of this troupe in my hands, so is the performance as well~ Kukuku~ The feeling is certainly exciting~"
"Well, no time to rest yet, we still have a play to perform and anything can happen while we're on stage too."
"Oh? I guess I should be prepared to ad lib in that case. Unless the problems are not related to our performance like the Empress getting assassinated or something? That would be rather troublesome to deal with."
Well, I can't tell her since I never set up the problems myself and I'm refraining from using my omniscience to find out too.
Before I could say anything though, someone bumped into me from behind, causing me to stumble a step forward.
I turned around and standing behind me was a person who was wrapped up in a hooded cloak that hid their face.
Kiyomi scowled at the person, "Ahem, what do you think you're doing to my Master over there?"
The person peeked up at me and the hood shifted away to reveal their face.
"Oh. Hi Guiying," I greeted her.
Yeah, it's a given that I would know her personally in this World since in order for Guiying to be Empress, she has to be rescued from the Dark Sect by me. Otherwise, she would simply ascend to the Spiritual Plane without ever becoming the Empress.
That means she's also close to me in this World as well, even if Lian Li wasn't here as my disciple.
"Ehehe~ So your troupe is really performing today, Master Lin?" She asked.
"That I am, though I would ask what are you doing here?"
"Hmmm? Can't I come and see my saviour since he wouldn't be performing on stage for me? It's been so long since you last came to the capital~"
"Actually, our lead actors got into a little bit of trouble so Kiyomi and I would be subbing in for them."
She gasped, "Oh my! What a treat indeed! To see the famed Master Lin and the great white fox act on stage together! This would certainly be a treat for everyone!"
Kiyomi tilted her head slightly, "'Great white fox'?"
"Oh? Aren't you aware of that moniker, Miss Kiyomi? You have quite a reputation you know? Well, now that I know you two are going to perform, every other performance is going to seem mediocre now. Maybe I should just announce to everyone that I'll be letting you win this year?"
Unexpectedly, Kiyomi rejected the idea immediately, "That would not do. Everyone came here to compete for it, it would be pointless if the competition was subpar."
"Oh, as expected of the great white fox! In that case, I shall be looking forward to your troupe's performance! I'm sure it would be the best!"
"Kukuku~ That goes without saying. With Master by my side, there's no way it wouldn't be perfect~"
Come now… You're putting too much expectation on me… I've basically been cheating all this while, you know?
"Oh this is perfect! I'll make sure all the nobles around here are notified that they should come and watch as well! Otherwise I'll have them all executed! Wahahaha!"
…
Guiying… It's just a show, calm down…
