No Entry Except for the Master - Chapter 35

“Waaaah!”

Cesar, distracted by the cheering, refocused on the stage. On stage, three rings blazing with fire stood vertically one after another. A thin, rather gaunt female lion stepped onto the stage. The lion circled once as guided by the trainer, then stopped at the prepared spot.

Tense music began, and as the trainer struck the stage floor with a long whip, the lion leapt through the flaming rings. The lion’s flexibly stretched body barely grazed the rings as it landed. The trainer bowed repeatedly with a proud expression, receiving pouring applause and cheers.

The circus was mostly like that. People cheered loudly when animals performed strange tricks in dangerous situations. To perform tricks, animals on stage were all emaciated.

People enjoyed it even more when the animals failed their tricks. Because what awaited the failed animals was the angry trainer’s beating.

Whether this was a well-organized show or not, the scene where the trainer and the keeper blamed each other and then vented anger on the performing animal was staged like a seamless play.

Inside the circus tent, only Teia and Cesar watched all this without smiling.

“This time, the long-awaited!”

With a powerful drumbeat, the ringmaster spoke, and the crowd’s cheers grew louder. Some threw money toward the stage. The ringmaster drew out the time, heightening the tension. The stage lights all went out, and a single spotlight moved erratically across the stage.

“Now, the performance of Rai from the Werebeast tribe!”
The wandering spotlight focused on the center of the stage. The protagonist under the spotlight in the dark was a hyena werebeast.

A man partially transformed, proudly showing off his ears and tail. Called Rai, he wore a primitive concept outfit. Eerie music played, and one by one, hungry beasts appeared under each light.

“The survival story of Rai from the werebeast tribe! In the harsh world of nature, only the strong survive! Rai, a highly evolved being with traits of both humans and animals, can he overcome this crisis?”

With the ringmaster’s prompting, the beasts growled loudly. With a booming drumbeat, the fight between one werebeast and multiple beasts began.

“Feels like watching a dogfight arena.”

Cesar whispered with a displeased grimace. Teia nodded. Unlike Cesar, he didn’t pity the lives forced onto the battlefield to risk everything. He just felt pity for those who got excited by such a primitive and simple spectacle.

What’s the fun in making them fight each other and only saving the winner? A crude game, relying solely on survival instinct without plan, was no different from cheap street food that only spoils the appetite after tasting. It was low-level.

Pii…

Amidst the crowd’s cheers, a very faint, fragile sound was heard. Teia lowered her head. The rabbit watching the stage with her turned around and buried its head into Teia’s stomach, pressing down its drooping ears with its hands. The rabbit, avoiding the stage, could barely cry loudly, trembling as it let out small, soft peeps.

“Ah…”

Teia realized that what was a third-rate movie to her might be a very stimulating scene for the small rabbit. The rabbit curled into a ball, its back shaking pitifully.

Teia’s fingers gently stroked the rabbit’s back. The slow, soothing touch became a line of comfort to the trembling, frightened rabbit.

The rabbit pressed closer to Teia. Its well-toned muscles were not soft but firm, but the warmth beyond the clothes was desperate.

The endless screams of animals and the crowd’s cheers made ears ring and stomach churn.

“This is the last one. It’ll be over soon.”

Following the fingers, a large hand wrapped around the rabbit’s body all at once. It was strong and warm like a heavy blanket pulled tight on a frightening night.

Within his hands, the strange screams and cheers couldn’t reach Lilith—they simply faded away.

Before meeting Teia, Lilith’s previous owners were no different from this circus troupe. Like animals on a stage, they tamed her, took away her free will, and her sense of self gradually vanished. She simply obeyed commands and endured their violence.

It was strange. Teia was just a master, yet why was it that Lilith could cling to him and find comfort?

Lilith only wished for all this cruel commotion to end quickly.