The moment I accepted the girl’s proposal, everything began to flow smoothly.
“I’ll take you to my house!”
“Oh, I understand….”
This entire situation was clearly the fault of the Colosseum’s management.
And the victim? A noble girl who, judging by appearances, belonged to a very prominent family.
The once-intimidating Colosseum staff were now bowing and groveling, too ashamed to meet my eyes as they handed me over.
…They must be fuming about the botched match, but they’re gritting their teeth and hiding it well.
Sure, the ogre was subdued using a special magical artifact, but the excited spectators had their fun ruined and even faced life-threatening danger.
Will those spectators come back after today?
I don’t know, but I doubt they’ll fall for the same hype again.
Anyway.
Just like that, my ownership was transferred as quickly as a chick being sold at the market.
And now—
“Alright, get in!”
I was speechless at the sight of my new home.
**
A young girl with golden hair shimmering under the sunlight and sparkling red eyes.
The young lady who introduced herself as “Aria” brought me to her home.
To be precise, it’s a mansion.
And not just any mansion—a massive, extravagant one.
‘You raising that? What in the world…?’
‘I like it!’
I was sure I was going to die.
But apparently, she’s someone far more influential than I thought. At her single word, even the imposing guards and the old man bowed their heads.
Well…
In the end, I was practically dragged here to the mansion.
After being scrubbed down like a filthy dog and dressed in luxurious clothes I had never worn before, I was taken to…
“Aren’t you going in, Puppy?”
The yard.
Specifically, a yard with a gigantic doghouse.
“This is…?”
“Your home! I had them make it for you!”
She had this made in the meantime?
No, more importantly, this is supposed to be my home…?
It looks exactly like a stereotypical doghouse.
The only difference is that it’s large enough for me to lie down inside.
“Yes…”
But I didn’t have the energy to resist, so I just went inside.
Honestly, when you think about it, I spared the spoiled brat who was holding her hostage.
And hey, I’m alive, which is all that matters when the choices are life or death.
“My lady, I’ve brought the collar.”
“Oh! Perfect!”
Just as I was marveling at how spacious the interior of the doghouse was, that old man—the one who had effortlessly defeated me—returned.
He seemed to be Aria’s butler and brought with him a dog collar, which he promptly fastened around my neck.
But…
“Hmm.”
It’s cold and hard.
And…
“Please refrain from entertaining any insolent thoughts.”
…As soon as it was fastened, I felt an oppressive weight, as if my Aura was being blocked.
Ah, so this isn’t just a collar—it’s a shackle.
Is it the same kind of thing Alden wore?
I could probably force my aura to flow if I really tried, but it’s clear it won’t be easy.
“So, you’re supposed to stay here quietly, right?”
More importantly, what makes this young lady think she can just keep me in the yard like this?
Even without my Aura, I’m still the youngest-ever Colosseum Champion.
Come to think of it, she was oddly calm even when I held her hostage.
Does she have another card up her sleeve besides that old man?
Well… there’s no point worrying about it now.
I wasn’t really planning to harm her anyway.
And if I act up here, I’ll probably just end up on the execution block.
In a way, she’s even my savior.
Well, I guess I’ll just play the obedient mutt.
Let’s try to think positively.
At least it’s better than that damp underground dorm in the Colosseum, right?
The doghouse floor is a bit hard, but the garden in front of me is beautifully maintained, and the sunlight streams in perfectly.
My biggest worry was whether they’d feed me dog food, but…
“Here, eat this!”
“Uh, yes… Thank you.”
There’s a reason people say if you have to be a servant, do it in a noble’s house.
I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the glistening steak in front of me.
“You need to eat a lot, okay?”
And not just one piece—four whole pieces!
It almost feels disrespectful to even compare this to the food I had back in the Colosseum.
“…I’ll enjoy it.”
This… isn’t so bad after all.
*
And so, I began my life as the pet human of this noble young lady.
I didn’t really have much to do.
Most of my day was spent lounging around in the doghouse or sprawled out in the garden, basking in the sunlight.
“Let’s go for a walk!”
When the young lady came, I’d put on the leash and walk around the garden once, as if we were going for a stroll.
I was worried she’d make me bark or walk on all fours, but no—it was just a leash. Aside from that, it was like any ordinary walk.
“That flower is a dandelion!”
“Ah, I see… It’s pretty.”
“And that’s a rose! My favorite flower!”
All I had to do was listen to her chatter next to me, so it wasn’t too bad.
…Could this be a dream job?
Well…
“My lady, how long do you intend to keep that man…?”
“I’ll take care of it!”
Of course, not everyone was thrilled about me being here.
Considering my background as a slave gladiator and the fact that I had taken their young lady hostage, it was only natural that the other servants weren’t fond of me.
The two men who seemed to be her personal guards occasionally shot me death glares, as if they’d kill me on the spot if given the chance.
Still, the young lady’s influence was no joke.
“He’s my puppy, so be nice to him!”
Just that one sentence was enough to keep everyone from bothering me or giving me any trouble.
Meals were served punctually and generously, I was bathed often, and they even gave me clothes made of fine materials I’d never seen before.
…It almost feels like I’m being pampered.
Except for the part where I eat and sleep in a garden that the servants pass through, this is leagues better than my days as a gladiator.
Even the restroom isn’t bad—I use the one meant for the gardeners.
Anyway, I quickly adapted to this spoiled lifestyle.
One day passed, then two, and eventually, a week.
As the saying goes, once you stand, you want to sit; and once you sit, you want to lie down.
The boredom was becoming unbearable.
I tried training in the garden sometimes, but since they didn’t provide me with any weapons, I had to practice with just my body.
And thanks to the shackle around my neck, I couldn’t even refine my aura properly.
Of course, as a mere pet, I couldn’t exactly demand anything.
“Puppy, it’s walk time!”
Oddly enough, the young lady was strangely kind to me, and the walks she took me on were the highlight of my otherwise dull days.
“Today, I learned magic from my tutor…”
During these walks, she’d share all sorts of random stories with me.
At first, I thought she was calm and even a little unnerving, but during these strolls, she acted just like any other child her age.
“I want to play more, but they keep making me study! It must be because of the family’s expectations…”
And she really did treat me like a pet.
She’d even tell me things that made me wonder if I should really be hearing them.
Thanks to that, I gradually began piecing together some useful information.
First of all, her family is the Boyd Marquis family.
…Amazingly, it’s considered the most powerful noble family in the Adel Kingdom.
I really messed up, didn’t I?
I was this close to dying.
Apparently, this place is just a villa they own near the capital.
It turns out that this villa was set up specifically because the young lady wanted to stay near the capital.
As for that monster of an old man, he really was the butler, it seems.
And the two knights who failed to stop me? Apparently, they were considered promising talents.
But since I bypassed them in an instant, they got severely reprimanded and even punished, according to what the young lady said.
I feel kind of bad.
It’s not like I was trying to ruin their careers—
I was just a natural disaster in their way.
Anyway…
As I gathered more information, I gradually adjusted to life in this mansion.
For someone like me, who used to train, hone aura, and fight daily with ferocious intensity, the pace here was a bit too slow.
But it wasn’t all bad—I finally got some time to relax.
It had been so long since I’d had this kind of peace.
Actually, this might be the first time in both my current and previous lives.
When I was a child, I was plagued by poverty and hunger. As an adult, it was pain and struggle, back-to-back.
And so, just like any other day, I spent the entire time lazing around in the sun before retreating to the doghouse to sleep.
Flash.
Early morning.
My eyes opened on their own.
‘…Who’s there?’
It wasn’t anything specific, just an old, familiar bad feeling—a gut instinct that I hadn’t experienced in ages.
…It’s been a while since I’ve woken up like this.
The last time I felt something similar was during my early days in the Colosseum.
Back then, the Colosseum staff had given us experimental drugs from the Magic Tower, claiming they were “medicine”.
After almost dying from one of those, my senses became hyper-aware under certain conditions.
Sleep was one of those conditions.
In the life of a champion—or even a Champion candidate—fellow gladiators often stopped being your comrades.
Carefully, I raised my body without making a sound.
And, as if to confirm my suspicion—
Rustle… Rustle…
The faint sound of something brushing against the ground came from outside.
It was subtle, very subtle.
Whoever was out there was clearly skilled at sneaking in.
I quietly crouched inside the doghouse, staying hidden while observing the situation.
What’s this about?
Why would someone sneak around at this hour?
At first, I wondered if it might be someone from the household who disliked me coming to kill me.
But…
“Find the young lady.”
“Do not kill her, under any circumstances.”
It seems their target is someone else.
“Wait, there’s a doghouse here.”
“…I didn’t hear anything about them keeping a dog.”
Well, well.
Just when I thought I was bored, something interesting happens.
I guess I should play guard dog for once.