No Entry Except for the Master - Chapter 36

Rai claimed victory. Although his body was covered with sharp claw marks and wounds bitten by teeth, he was the only survivor. A crude crown was placed atop Rai’s head amidst the heap of fallen beasts, and pollen drifted down from the ceiling.

With Rai’s victorious finale, the circus came to an end. The moment the stage lights went out, people stood up and hurried out of the tent. Hidden among the busy crowd leaving, Cesar and Teia headed toward the backstage waiting room.

The tent was chaotic and noisy, mixed with people exiting and staff dismantling the stage. Bang! A loud thud echoed, likely from a stage crew’s mistake.

As they entered the backstage waiting room, the circus manager ran toward them, wiping sweat from his brow. The money they’d been handed—more than could be earned from one circus show—seemed to have energized him.

Lilith, cradled in arms, gasped sharply when she saw the manager’s face, then buried her head in Teia’s chest. The vague, blurred memories of a past face suddenly became clear.

Although the manager’s attire and job had changed considerably, his eyes still gleamed with the same filthy greed.

Teia, certain from Lilith’s reaction that this manager was one of her past owners, covered the rabbit’s body in her large hand to shield its form from view.

Despite Lilith’s violent reaction, the manager casually dismissed the rabbit’s shape as merely a pet belonging to some wealthy noble.

Though it had been dyed to avoid suspicion, the manager didn’t show an ounce of doubt, which annoyed Teia. It seemed the rabbit’s presence meant nothing to him, and that irritated him.

“You seem quite interested in the werebeast tribe. Meeting our circus is truly lucky for you.”

“Is it really a werebeast? Not a trick, I assume?”

“Oh, these days, the audience is too sharp for cheap tricks. It’s truly the legendary werebeast. Of course.”

“Not some chimera or anything?”

“Oh, no! Don’t say such frightening things. If the imperial army caught us with a chimera, common folk like us would be executed without trial. Please don’t say such scary things.”

Hearing “chimera,” the manager shook his hands vigorously to deny it. Sensing no oddity, Teia responded with a sly smile of relief.

“That’s a relief. I’ve been tricked by those scammers before, so I’m suspicious. Oh, by the way, do you know someone named Hecate?”

“Huh? No idea. Personally, I’m not interested in books, ha ha ha.”

“Is that so? I see.”

The manager glanced around and relaxed internally when Teia said nothing further. Following his lead toward Rai’s waiting tent, someone suddenly rushed up and grabbed the manager.

“Manager! There’s a serious problem!”

“Shh, we have guests here. Excuse me for a moment.”

With a servile smile, the manager covered the subordinate’s mouth, apologized, and pulled him aside to a corner. The subordinate’s pale face and blood-stained hands suggested something serious.

They whispered to each other, and the manager’s face quickly darkened. He hesitated, then approached Teia.

“Uh, guest? There’s a bit of trouble. Ha ha.”

“What is it?”

“Due to an accident… meeting Rai today will be impossible.”

“Now? You were so confident earlier, and now you change your tune. Are you a fraud after all?”

“No, no. Absolutely not. I’m very sad about it too. We didn’t expect Rai to have such a sudden accident…”

The manager pretended to wipe away tears, but it was more frustration over losing a key income source than real grief. Teia’s sharp suspicious gaze swept over him.

“I don’t know how badly he’s hurt, but show me. I’ll see and decide for myself.”

“It’s not just a simple injury… you might be shocked if you see him.”

“If you’re not lying, I don’t care if it’s a corpse. Show me, or I won’t pay the remaining money.”

At Teia’s words, Cesar shook the bag of extra payment in front of the manager. Abandoning any hesitation, the manager hurriedly led them to the accident site.

“It seems he was injured coming down from the stage. A lighting rig fell and, unfortunately, hit him directly. Well, it’s typical for traveling circuses to have somewhat flimsy stage equipment. Everyone’s like that.”

The manager distanced himself from responsibility and pulled away the cloth that was blocking the accident scene. Teia held Lilith tighter so she wouldn’t see it.

The main spotlight had fallen, and Rai’s small frame was crushed so horribly he was unrecognizable. Even Cesar, who had seen many deaths, frowned in disgust at the gruesome sight. Only Cesar moved around the blood-soaked body, checking something.

“He was supposed to be a legendary creature, so I wanted to check and maybe buy one if it was true. What a pity.”

The manager was genuinely regretful. Rai could have been sold for a high price to the wealthy eccentric noble before them, and even if not sold, he was a star who brought decent income to the circus. Losing both opportunities was heartbreaking.

“We’ll pay the promised money. Just don’t let any troublesome rumors spread.”

“Of course. Trust us.”

“If you discover another strange animal, contact me.”

Teia gave a fake contact suitable for his false identity. With the promise of a continuous patron, there would be no other noise for a while. Cesar and Teia left the circus tent under the manager’s attentive farewell. They remained silent until they reached their lodging.

As soon as they arrived, Teia checked on Lilith’s condition. Setting her down on the table, Lilith staggered toward her cage, crawled inside, and leaned against the soft cushion bed. She lay listlessly, burying her face in her front paws, not lifting her head.

Teia carefully tidied Lilith’s fur with his fingertips and covered the cage with a thick cloth to make it dark, letting her rest peacefully.