December 1, 1501, Age of the Sea Circle
Two weeks passed quickly while Orion remained focused on his mission, performing in all kinds of rehearsals every day and seeking the opportunity to earn a role in the most important play of the year.
During those two weeks, great changes had taken place. To begin with, Orion had left the acting group where he had started, which was full of amateurs, and was now rehearsing with the theater's second troupe—the reserve actors of the "first division," where Victoria Cindry herself performed.
After Orion managed to have the system recognize his amateur acting skills as an actual ability, he decided to invest SP to raise its level and thus make it easier to complete the mission he was pursuing with such interest.
Using 17,000 SP, Orion increased the skill's level up to Level 6, where he decided to stop, since the cost to continue leveling up from that point onward was considerably higher than in the previous levels.
Before Level 6, the amount of SP required to achieve an improvement had increased linearly, but starting from Level 7, the increase seemed exponential—or perhaps even greater.
Orion didn't believe it was necessary to raise his Acting skill that high to complete the mission, or at least he didn't think it was a wise investment to pour so much SP into a secondary ability like that. For that reason, he stopped when the skill reached Level 6, which was already equivalent to the level of a seasoned professional actor.
Just as he had deduced earlier, once a skill reached Level 7 it entered a new category that could be considered within the realm of the fantastic—something belonging to the magical world of One Piece—and that explained the steep increase in SP required for improvements beyond that point.
Even so, with his "Acting (Level 6)" ability, Orion had no trouble catching the attention of the director of his original acting group, who believed Orion had undergone some sort of divine enlightenment, suddenly unleashing all his latent talent.
In just a few days, once they confirmed that the changes in his acting skills seemed consistent, Orion was promoted from the amateur troupe to the fifth troupe of regular actors, and from there, it took him only a week to rise to the secondary troupe—just one step away from reaching the highest level of the theater and reuniting with Victoria Cindry.
Even so, there were certain limits to how far he could rise within the theater's hierarchy without any political connections. To reach the secondary troupe, besides demonstrating his great talent for acting, Orion had also needed to make generous "gifts" to the right people, which had allowed him to advance without issues.
However, he now faced a serious problem—it seemed impossible to take the final step and join the main troupe, at least within such a short time and without any prestigious connections.
Still, Orion wasn't too worried about it, since there was still a full month left until the play's premiere at the end of the year. He knew he would undoubtedly find the opportunity to secure a role in it, even if it was a small one.
…
"Hey, Orion, did you hear what happened during the first troupe's rehearsal?" said Sonya suddenly, one of the most veteran actresses in the reserve group, who loved to gossip and spread all sorts of rumors.
Orion, drying his face with a towel after an intense rehearsal for a play they would perform the next day, replied with curiosity,
"The first troupe? What happened now? Did the male lead get hurt again?"
During the past two weeks, the first troupe had suffered a series of unfortunate accidents that had resulted in serious injuries to the actors playing the male lead in the year-end play.
Six young actors had already been injured, and rumors had begun to spread that the year-end play might not be able to take place at all—and that someone had cast a curse on the members of the theater's main troupe.
Although most people had been quite skeptical about those rumors at first, as the accidents continued to pile up, the theory that a powerful curse had been placed upon the actors started to gain traction among those involved with the theater.
Even several patrons and sponsors had expressed their concern and offered all sorts of solutions. For instance, the famous doctor Hogback had suggested rewriting the play to remove the role of the male protagonist—who was the lover of the character portrayed by Victoria—arguing that this seemed to be the source of the problem, since every injured actor had taken that role.
According to the renowned doctor, such a role was completely unnecessary anyway, since Victoria Cindry's mere presence was enough to make the year-end play a success.
However, this proposal had been strongly resisted by the play's director, who did not want his artistic vision to be compromised. For that reason, it was decided to keep the current script and simply continue searching for new replacements for the male lead.
What the director didn't know was that his decision had almost caused him to suffer a tragic "accident" at the hands of the jealous Doctor Hogback, who had ultimately refrained from attacking him in order to avoid raising unnecessary suspicion.
At first, everyone had assumed the accidents were the result of some malicious individual trying to sabotage the play, but as time passed and no evidence was found, they had no choice but to conclude that some sort of supernatural force was working from the shadows.
Of course, there was nothing supernatural about it at all—the only reason no one had been able to identify the culprit behind the incidents was that the perpetrator was extremely meticulous in his work.
It had all begun two weeks earlier, during the very first rehearsal for the year-end play. That day, Hogback had attended the rehearsal in his capacity as a sponsor, as he often did, and he discovered that this particular play included romantic scenes between Victoria Cindry and the male lead.
The jealous and possessive doctor felt a volcano erupt within his chest, and he immediately set about solving the situation in the most "efficient" way possible: by eliminating the male protagonist.
In Hogback's mind, Victoria was his property, and no one else was allowed to touch her—even fictionally, in a performance. For that reason, he used his vast medical knowledge to administer an undetectable drug to the male lead, which eventually caused the unfortunate young man to fall from a great height and break both his legs.
The pleasure Hogback felt upon seeing his romantic rival eliminated so easily—and with no one suspecting his involvement—was truly indescribable for the Machiavellian doctor.
After that precedent, Hogback had resolved to take action every time a new male protagonist was chosen, thereby preventing any "loser" from getting close to his beloved Victoria.
Even though he had failed to convince the director to change the script and remove the detestable male lead, he had at least managed to keep the role vacant thanks to his preventive measures, which consisted of ruining the actors' lives by subjecting them to injuries of varying severity.
Now, with the end of the year drawing nearer, the play was facing more and more problems and would likely have to be canceled—a fact that brought great joy to the obsessive doctor. To Hogback, it didn't matter in the slightest that Victoria's dreams would be shattered by his actions, since he had no interest whatsoever in her feelings.
The only thing that mattered was that no fool dared lay his filthy hands on what belonged to him. And although Victoria had not yet admitted it, he was certain that she also wished to be with him. It was only a matter of time before they became a loving couple. Just thinking about the voluptuous actress's body moaning beneath him in the not-so-distant future made Hogback pant heavily.
Though no one else had noticed the doctor's actions, that obviously didn't include Orion, who had sensed that something strange was going on during the first accident and had confirmed that Hogback was indeed the culprit during the second incident.
Even so, the doctor had been extremely cautious in his methods, and although Orion knew he was responsible, he had no way to prove it, since Hogback had left no evidence behind that could incriminate him. As much as Orion disliked admitting it, Hogback's medical expertise currently surpassed his own, and he could find no way to expose the doctor's despicable deeds unless he caught him in the act.
However, despite his arrogant personality, Hogback was quite careful in his movements and had never given Orion—who was focused on his mission—the chance to catch him in the moment of committing his crimes.
For a moment, Orion had considered the possibility of eliminating Hogback outright to rid himself of the problem, but the instant that thought crossed his mind, the system issued an alert, informing him that if he got rid of the doctor, the mission he was carrying out would immediately fail.
Orion didn't fully understand the reason for this limitation, but he suspected it might be related to Hogback's status as a sponsor—or perhaps his high social standing within the kingdom. In any case, Orion couldn't act directly against Hogback, so he had no choice but to adopt a more moderate strategy.
From that point on, Orion secretly contacted all the actors who had suffered accidents, ensuring that their injuries would not become permanent. Although Orion's medical skills were not quite as advanced as Hogback's, they were still among the finest in the world—at least among doctors who didn't fall into the category of "miracle healers."
Using his own medical abilities, Orion had no trouble guaranteeing that the unfortunate young men injured by Hogback's foolish impulses would not suffer lasting consequences from their wounds. Though it was true they would have to endure the inconvenience of remaining bedridden for one or two months, Orion had at least made sure they would not face any future physical problems as a result.
Even so, he had already decided that once the mission was completed after New Year's, he would personally take care of eliminating Hogback without hesitation. A person with such vast medical knowledge and so little morality was undoubtedly a ticking time bomb, capable of inflicting great harm upon the world if he ever chose to use his expertise for something beyond the small-scale crimes he was currently committing.
"That's right! The play's lead actor has been injured again! It's definitely the curse at work. This year there's no choice but to cancel the year-end play," said Sonya, lamenting the sad fate of the most anticipated production of the year, which everyone had been looking forward to.
"Don't worry, Sonya, it's still too early to declare that the play will be canceled. Things could still take a turn for the better," Orion replied with a calm smile as he walked toward a backpack containing his belongings, which he used to keep up appearances even though he could have simply stored everything in his system inventory.
Sonya listened to Orion's words but wasn't the least bit encouraged. It was impossible for her to believe that things would suddenly improve after so many consecutive "accidents."
"You're quite the optimist, Orion. But this time you're in for a big disappointment, because the play will definitely be canceled," the elderly woman retorted, dismissing his hopeful statement.
"Oh? And why are you so sure? Do you have some inside information?" Orion asked, feigning great curiosity. Now that his acting skills had improved so significantly, it was easy for him to display all kinds of expressions with perfect naturalness.
Moreover, when his current acting ability was combined with skills like Distorted Future, which allowed him to alter his appearance, the results were truly remarkable—opening up an entirely new world of possibilities for his future actions.
Sonya's eyes, which had been waiting for him to ask that very question, lit up brightly. Showing a somber expression, she said,
"You don't know, Orion, but none of the actors want to take the lead role now. Everyone's afraid of being the next unfortunate one to have an accident. Even the last actor had to be heavily persuaded with great rewards before he agreed to accept the role…"
Orion slung the backpack over his shoulder and, looking at the woman in a relaxed manner, said,
"I thought it was a more serious problem. If nobody wants to take the role, wouldn't everything be solved if I took it myself?"
Upon hearing Orion's unexpected words and seeing his calm smile, the woman froze for a moment with a surprised expression. But only a second later, she burst out laughing, even stepping closer to pat his shoulder cheerfully.
"Hahaha! You're funny. You know they'd never accept someone from the second troupe for the lead role. How could you possibly get it when you're stuck here with me?" Sonya said between laughs, though without any malice. She was a straightforward woman, but she meant no offense; she was simply stating facts.
During her time with Orion, she had come to know a little about his circumstances. She knew he had no acquaintances in this kingdom, having arrived only a month ago with the simple dream of pursuing an acting career.
Everyone in the reserve troupe admired Orion's talent and tenacity, and they all knew that he would undoubtedly become one of the greatest actors in the main group… but not yet. It would take years for him to take that final step and earn a place among the principal cast, and he would probably have to establish a connection with some local noble before that could happen.
To Sonya, Orion's words were nothing more than a lighthearted joke meant to ease the tension surrounding the mysterious accidents, and she reacted accordingly, laughing with genuine amusement.
However, Orion had been completely serious. After a month in this place, he was finally about to take an important step toward completing his current mission.
Even so, Orion didn't bother explaining anything to Sonya—there was no need to. If he succeeded in his meeting later that day, he would soon enter the main troupe of actors, and once there, obtaining the lead role wouldn't be much of a challenge, since, as she herself had mentioned, no one dared to take it anymore for fear of suffering a strange accident.
With a smile, Orion said goodbye to the veteran actress and left the large rehearsal hall with his backpack slung over his shoulder. He walked through the theater's corridors, continuously greeting the people he met along the way. After spending a month in this place, Orion had made a surprising number of acquaintances in such a short time, almost without realizing it.
Finally, he crossed the vast theater and stepped outside through the main entrance. There, once again, he encountered two familiar figures he had seen countless times over the past month: Doctor Hogback and the beautiful actress Victoria Cindry.
He approached them at a normal pace and could clearly hear the conversation they were having.
"Victoria, how about we go out for dinner tonight at the five-star hotel by the sea? The view there during this time of year is truly wonderful."
"Doctor Hogback, I appreciate the invitation, but I'm afraid I can't accept your offer tonight. I have an important dinner at home, and I can't miss it."
"Oh, what a pity. Then how about I accompany you to your home for your dinner? Is there room at the table for one more plate?" the doctor continued insistently.
Victoria didn't know how to react to Hogback's shameless question, as he was desperately trying to have a date with her. Lately, Hogback had been losing his patience a little, mostly because those irritating fools kept trying to approach Victoria, making him feel jealous all the time.
Things would return to normal once the romantic-themed play was over, but the doctor's current mental state was far from stable, which made him more insistent than usual in his attempts to win over the beautiful actress.
Just as Victoria Cindry was hesitating on how to respond, Orion arrived where the two Named Characters were standing, and naturally placed his arm around the actress's shoulders, holding her affectionately.
"My love, have you been waiting long?" Orion said with a gentle smile, making Victoria blush immediately, though she made no attempt to free herself from his embrace.
The air seemed to freeze for an instant, and a cold winter wind blew just then, ruffling the girl's golden hair and revealing her small, adorable ears, which were also slightly flushed.
Hogback felt as if the world had begun spinning violently, and his mind failed to grasp what was happening. Was he in a terrible nightmare? What on earth was going on?
"Doctor Hogback, we meet again," Orion said with a smile, making no attempt to extend his hand for a formal greeting.
"Once again, I must thank you for helping me with my wounds. Without your aid, I would have died before meeting the love of my life," Orion continued, driving another dagger into the obsessive doctor's heart with his words.
"Y-You two…" Hogback stammered, his throat tightening, managing to utter only a faint, broken voice.
"We're a couple," Orion said with a bright, radiant smile, and before Hogback could say anything, he added,
"I overheard your conversation. We can't invite you to dinner at our home this time because it's a family dinner, but next time we'll take you to the best restaurant in the city!" Orion said, patting Hogback on the shoulder. Then he turned around and slowly walked away, holding Victoria in his arms.
Only Hogback remained there, completely shattered by what had just happened, unable to react. Slowly, snow began to fall from the sky, marking the arrival of the season's first snowfall. A long time would pass before the obsessive doctor recovered enough to leave the place—utterly devastated by what had occurred and consumed with rage.