If You Devour Poison / Doku Wo Kurawaba Sara Made Chapter 38: Dog Show

※ There are depictions of violent and sexual nature at the end. Please proceed with caution.

The performance of the Abyss Ring Circus could be summed up in one word— Magnificent. Young girls danced through the air like petals, swinging from a trapeze while the trained beasts of the circus put on an impressive display below. With elegant movements, girls in sheer costumes traversed tight ropes like they were walking on air, and young men made a spectacle of balancing towers of glasses on a single outstretched finger. As I bit into the apple from the basket, I admired the display of tricks while resting my head on Jolga’s arm. Even in my past life, the number of times I had visited the circus could be counted on both hands. With such a rare opportunity to enjoy the show before me, I wasn’t going to waste it.
Nasha and the Crown Prince sat in the VIP seating, and the nail-biting tension of the acts left her cowering in the Prince’s arms. Her shrill, repetitive shrieks surely grated on the ears of the nearby audience, but there wasn’t a soul among them who could complain to the Crown Prince, and they were left to suffer in silence.
At long last, the planned program came to a close, and the entertainers lined up on stage to receive the thunderous applause of the audience.
The Crown Prince stood, giving a standing ovation with a beaming smile, Nasha stood at his side, her expression drowsy and her applause half-hearted.
After they left their seats, led away by the Royal Knights, the stage was plunged into darkness. The audience began to rise from their seats, but the guests in the balcony seats showed no signs of stirring. It would seem everyone in the balcony seats was a “Participant” this time. There were many nobles who visited incognito and would take their time to leave their seats in order to avoid the crowds. It was hardly unusual, and so none of the spectators found it strange.
As the crowd departed, their chattering and the music that followed them grew softer. The lights outside went out, and the tent became even darker.

“…Jolga.”

As Jolga relaxed on the sofa, his legs spread, I gave his knee a pat. I let go of the arm I was using as a pillow and took a seat between his outrageously long legs. I leaned back, resting against his chest. His heartbeat echoed across my back, beating even through his beautiful, tempered muscles that were as perfect as a sculpture.

“Jolga, I have something to tell you.”

I spoke without looking back. Jolga gave a faint stir.

“Your impression of me has changed completely from what it once was, right? Considering how much you hated me back then from the bottom of your heart. It’s remarkable.”
“…”

His arms wrapped around me in silent acceptance.
His lips pressed against my neck and then moved to suck behind my ears. A hand crept in through the slit in my harem pants, wantonly playing with the insides of my buttcheeks. As I raised my waist to receive it all, his unrestrained fingers rubbed in the vicinity of my perineum, drawing circles as if trying to tease where there was no hole to get wet.

“Mm…”

My voice wasn’t the only one to be heard leaking out in the darkness. Within the shadowy tent, curtains of the remaining balcony seats all seemed to flutter. The rustling of clothing played as a backdrop to the soft whispering spreading through the darkness. Beyond the curtains were the cloying voices and creaking of sofas of those who had remained behind.

“…It was nothing but a lie—a fantasy— Jolga…”

His hands burned with passion, but even so, I had to give Jolga a warning.

“I am exactly the man you once believed me to be. From here on out… I’ll prove it to you.”

Confused, Jolga opened his mouth, but just then, there was a pop and the dark circus ring blazed to life, illuminated by dazzling lights.
Standing at the center of the ring, clad in a coat with red and white stripes, was the troupe leader himself, Ducali.

“Dear Guests, I have kept you waiting! The moon is already high up in the sky, the stars twinkling, and the birds all asleep. The bad children who are out on the streets at this late hour, please be sure to bring them to the Circus. Now then, for all those of you who have remained for our next event, we shall begin the [Dog Show] specially prepared for you!”

A woman who had been standing beside Ducali held a top hat upside down and walked along the gallery. I tossed in the small bag of gold coins prepared for just this into the top hat. The woman smiled, bowed in a graceful manner, and left the stage, returning once again with several clothed-covered iron cages in tow.

“Tonight, we have brought along eight [Dogs]. The guest who manages to predict which dog will last till the end, wins the right to be presented with the [Puppies]. Then, please inspect them!”

At the troupe leader’s words, the cloth covering the cages was removed.

“…! “

Jolga’s body grew taut with nervous tensions. I pressed my back against his chest, gently restraining him, so he didn’t impulsively grab his sword.

“Those are…”
“As you can see, they’re magical beasts.”

Underneath the cloth were four-legged beasts pacing about within their cages. Momentarily stunned by the bright lights on them, they quickly snapped out of it and began snarling at the audience. The creatures could easily be mistaken for a large dog or wolf at first glance, but their foreheads had a third eye, and their eerily sharp and large fangs jutted out from cavernous mouths. They were carnivorous magical beasts, solitary hunters that lived deep within the dense woods and caves.

“The magical beast Gigandi is, as you know, an extraordinarily ferocious beast, and that particular time of the year is just about upon them.”

Gigandis did not usually invade each other’s territories, but there was one season when they disregarded that rule. They would roam the forest, and if two males crossed paths, a confrontation would occur, leading to a gruesome battle.

“That’s right, it’s the mating season! Let us enjoy their passionate struggle for a female right on this stage! “

Cheers and applause poured out from behind every curtain, the anticipation thick.
Each cage that held a Gigandi had a numbered tag hanging from it. The number on the tag identified the beasts for the purpose of the betting. After a moment of thought, I chose a Gigandi with a good physique and black fur and handed my selection to the woman who came around a second time.

“Is this the [Dog Show]?”

After seeing the Gigandis enter, Jolga had grown excited at the prospect of the upcoming battles.
Though every country had its own colosseums where betting on fights were normal, those fights typically were between gladiators. Fights featuring magical beasts were rare, as the risk of managing carnivorous beasts like the Gigandi was simply too great. In particular, the males in heat weren’t something just anyone could handle. The Abyss Ring Circus was quite large, and it could be said that this was proof that they had spread their reach even to the black market.

“Certainly this is a part of the show, but the actual performance is afterwards.”
“…After…wards? “
“That’s right. Look… it’s time for the opening act..”

The first cage brought onto the stage was the one containing the black-furred Gigandi I chose and a gigandi with a grey coat.
The moment they met each other at the centre of the stage, they bared their fangs and clashed.

“Oooh…! “

Cheers from behind the curtains accompanied the roars resounding from the stage and the splattering of blood.
At last, the beast I chose sank its fangs into its opponent ending the first battle.
In the following fights, he seized victory through fierce fighting, and in the final battle, he bit through his opponent’s throat whilst tearing through one of his eyes, at last reigning supreme on stage as the last one standing.

“Awwwwooooo!! ‘

His proud howl stretched towards the skies and was received by the audience with applause, blessings, and cheers of admiration.
Apparently, we had been the only ones to choose the black-furred Gigandi. The troupe leader gave Jolga a key as he complimented us on our wise selection. If a “puppy” was born later, the puppy would be delivered in a cage that could only be opened with that key.

“Then, let us move on to the final show!”

Bowing his head, the troupe leader chained the black Gigandi to the edge of the stage. The troupe members quickly mopped up the bloodstains on the stage and then laid out a spacious mattress on the stage. It was all in preparation for the final show.

“…It was quite fun.”
I grabbed Jolga’s chin, meeting his delighted gaze, and gave a soft chuckle.

“Hey, Jolga.”
“…Anri? “
“I told you before. I’m exactly the man you once believed me to be.”

Cunning, cruel and sadistic.
If it was for the sake of my desires, I would pay no mind to the misfortunes of others.
That was the evil Prime Minister Anderheim.

“Did you really think I would just let it go?”

My beautiful daughter and the position I had built up.
For the woman who destroyed everything I cared about, what would be the most fitting punishment?

“People, you see, Jolga, abandon their reason in moments of pain and suffering.”

It was because that person did that at that time—.
It was because of that, that things ended up like this.

“Should I tell you about it? About the pathetic comedy of a family living in a countryside village.”

To save themselves from poverty, they sold off their daughter to the country.
The daughter, unaware of this, survived by deceiving the Crown Prince.
The fools soon had to pay the price and, with the exception of the daughter they sold, fell into a living hell.
All the while blaming that very same daughter.

“Nasha’s family had already squandered the payment given to the family in exchange for the Sacrificial Priestess. Even if we had requested they repay it, they wouldn’t have the money to do so. That was why they had no choice but to sell something, and that something was their own family aside from the daughter who went searching for her twin.”

Two smaller cages were brought out onto the same stage the Gigandi was chained to.
Creatures on all fours were dragged out from within the cage.

“…!! “

Jolga’s eyes trembled in shock.
A beautiful, young, black-haired girl and a chestnut-haired girl with a sensual body rolled onto the mattress, both naked.
It was their faces.
Those faces that closely resembled that of the Crown Prince’s fiancée, Nasha Laturi.
Their limbs were bound by a thin band that was connected to a wide belt wrapped around their arms and legs, restraining their movements. Bound like that, their hands and feet forced to meet their elbows and knees respectively, the only way they could move was by crawling using their elbows and knees. With their private parts exposed, they cut a humiliating figure. But for the girls, trembling in fear, their embarrassment was the least of their worries.

“…The family’s debt was to the point where they had no choice but to sell their two daughters to a brothel, and that’s exactly what they did.”

Yes, it was all because of that.

“They had no choice but to sell those girls to an organization that dealt with the black market.”
“Wha—? “

I chuckled once again, with my hand still on Jolga’s chin, forcing him to face those two girls. Behind the crawling girls, the black Gigandi continued to let out low guttural sounds. The red-black genitals beneath its belly kept slipping in and out of view, seeming to have found a suitable female target.

“Gigandi are magical beasts that find it quite hard to reproduce, incapable of becoming erect outside of the mating season. That is why they have an excellent disposition… Not only can they impregnate females of their own kind, canines, they can also impregnate human females.”
“!!”

Right before Jolga, who had grown stiff at my words, the Gigandi plunged forward, the chains no longer restraining him.