The man who had checked the tent unleashed two leashed dogs inside the tent, then grumbled as he went outside. The well-trained dogs neither left the tent nor ran wild inside, but took positions guarding the entrance with dignity. It seemed their task was to stand guard.

‘Customers? What kind of store is this?’

Since everything in the tent was just animals, it was impossible to tell where she was imprisoned from the man’s few words. She tentatively shook the iron bars with her hands, but it seemed impossible to tear them out by force.

“Grrrr. Woof!”

— Be quiet!

One of the dogs guarding the entrance growled in warning at the sound of the rattling cage. Fortunately, it didn’t call for people but just glared in her direction, as if giving her a subtle warning.

“Sorry for the noise. I just tried shaking it on the off chance.”

When she responded, telling the dog not to worry, the warning dog jumped in surprise. The dog stared suspiciously at her for a while, then slowly approached Olivia.

— What’s this, human? You understand our language?

“Somehow? Despite the situation, it’s nice to meet you.”

Though it wasn’t an appropriate greeting for a confrontational situation, Olivia waved her hand cheerfully, thinking the dog wasn’t to blame—the person who imprisoned her was. The dog, looking confused at Olivia, sat down in front of the cage. After sniffing her palm and tilting its head, the dog soon became docile.

“Can you tell me what kind of place this is?”

Though she thought the guard dog might not tell her, surprisingly, the dog readily answered Olivia’s question.

— …… It’s a place where they gather people and put on shows.

“Shows? Like a circus?”

— And they sell rare animals.

Ah. Olivia’s eyes quickly scanned the other cages again. She had noticed there were many animals, but they weren’t ordinary ones—they were all animals difficult to encounter in nature. Animals that were hard to catch due to their high wariness, or nearly extinct species difficult to find. There were also some peculiar animals with appearances even Olivia didn’t recognize well.

“Someone who dabbles in all kinds of illegal activities.”

If the administrator had sold her here, it meant he was somehow connected to this illegal animal trading group. Gambling, chimeras, and now illegal trading. A deep sigh filled with intense anger and contempt escaped her.

“Do they sell humans here too?”

— Occasionally. Though lately there have been almost no humans……

The dog looked at Olivia with pity and whimpered softly. Touched by the dog’s unexpectedly kind response, Olivia reached out her hand slightly, and the dog rested its face against her palm. When she carefully extended her hand through the bars to stroke its head and cheeks, the dog whined and kept pressing its head closer to the bars, wanting more. Though she was imprisoned, Olivia felt strange emotions stirring as she sensed the dog’s love for human touch despite its longing.

“Is it okay for you to tell me all this?”

— Other humans won’t know that I told you anyway.

“That’s true. Aren’t you smart?”

The dog, pleased by the compliment, wagged its tail happily. The other dog that had been watching from a distance also slunk over and subtly pushed forward its head. Alright, I’ll pet you too. Olivia diligently stroked the dogs until their fur flew everywhere, petting them until she grew tired.

“Don’t the humans you live with play with you like this?”

— The owner…… is scary. Hurts us. Painful.

The dejected dog fearfully glanced toward the tent entrance. Even with no one around, the way it checked its surroundings vigilantly revealed how much the dogs feared their owner. Without asking for details, Olivia could tell from their expressions and behavior that their relationship with the owner was based not on bonding but on fear and domination, which made her dejected too.

— You should get out of here quickly if you can.

The dog hesitated before whispering in a very small voice. The dogs were concerned about this strange human who listened to their stories and played with them kindly. They had thought all humans were similar, but Olivia seemed somewhat special to the dogs simply because she was kind to them and, most importantly, listened to them, unlike their owner.

“I think so too, but it seems impossible to get out for now…… And if I disappear, you guys will get in big trouble too.”

Olivia and the two dogs, gazing at each other affectionately, sighed simultaneously. Though they had formed a bond in a short time, there was no good way to overcome the situation. The dogs whimpered sadly as they licked Olivia’s fingertips.

“But I haven’t completely given up. Maybe someone will come rescue me? By now, Lime should have noticed I’m missing, and Alois too…… Oh, oh, oh?”

Come to think of it, what day is it today? I collapsed in front of the house the night before I was supposed to return, so today must be……

“How long have I been here?”

— They left you here at dawn today. Since a whole day has passed, should I say yesterday?

A whole day has passed? That means at minimum the day I was supposed to return has passed, and in the worst case, several more days might have passed since then. No matter how she looked at it, she had broken her promise with Alois.

Alois…… She recalled his hesitant gaze when she left the forest, telling her to come back. Despite still being anxious and afraid she might leave, he had willingly made a promise with her, but now that she hadn’t returned, she couldn’t easily imagine how he felt. She hoped he would be angry rather than sad, but thinking he would probably be too sad made Olivia’s face darken with a pained expression.

“I didn’t want to hurt him……”

She had prepared diligently to make him happy when she returned. She wanted to tell him that her home was no longer the cottage but by his side. She wanted to reassure him, showing him he no longer needed to worry about her leaving, asking if she hadn’t returned as promised……

“Tsk, I really won’t let this go.”

That administrator, that wretched human. Wiping away the tears that fell in drops, Olivia grumbled for a while. The dog beside her comforted her by licking her cheek.

— Soon, customers will……

The dogs, who were urgently trying to say something more, perked up their ears and quickly returned to guard their posts at the entrance. Sensing someone approaching, Olivia quickly curled up in the corner of the cage.

“Why is that guy coming so early today?”

“He lost the item he wanted to another guy at the last auction. So today he said he’s determined to see it first.”

“That’s why I told him to pay in advance.”

The men who entered snickering took out several cages containing small animals, then slowly approached Olivia.

“What’s this, she’s awake?”

A pair of sparkling eyes examined Olivia curled up in the corner from various angles. After thinking for a moment with a pleased expression, he ordered the other to bring Olivia out as well.

“We’ll take this one too?”

“Yeah. Looking at her, isn’t she exactly that guy’s type? You know, he liked ones that looked like her at the last auction too.”

The man who grabbed Olivia’s chin and examined her from all angles whistled and smiled lecherously. Thump, he unpleasantly struck her cheek with the back of his hand, then without hesitation grabbed and kneaded Olivia’s br*ast.

“It feels good, and soft here too. That guy likes women with full figures even though he has a young-looking face.”

“Hey, since when do you get to have fun first? She’s merchandise.”

“That’s true…… But money is more important. Go wash her and change her clothes to that guy’s taste.”

Don’t secretly taste her while washing her, okay? The men snickered and laughed among themselves. Olivia’s head spun from the continuous stream of vulgar harassment.

‘Right, it’s unreasonable to expect normal human decency from people who abuse animals and engage in illegal trading.’

Though she struggled to avoid being dragged away, the men easily pulled Olivia along.

They tied her wrists behind her back and threw her into the bathtub. After watching her struggle and cough in the water, they roughly pulled her wet hair.

“Shall we go quietly? We’d be sad too if our precious merchandise got damaged.”

When Olivia stared at them expressionlessly, the hand that had been tapping her wet cheek gradually applied more pressure. If she had begged for her life or gotten angry, it might have been entertaining for them, but her emotionless gaze, as if they weren’t even human, wounded their pride.

As more force was applied to the striking palm, Olivia’s head bent limply and her body staggered. With her hands tied and being in the bathtub, Olivia eventually staggered and sat down.

“Take it easy. No injuries allowed.”

The other man, who had muttered this like a song, waved his hand saying “do well” and went outside. Left alone with Olivia, the man clicked his tongue and tried to remove her wet clothes. Since her clothes were soaked and her arms were tied, the man practically tore them off. Submerged in water, n*ked, her body temperature quickly dropped, making her tremble. Looking at Olivia with her lips quivering, the man licked his lips and grabbed her under the chin, forcibly opening her mouth.