Chapter 1: The Monster of The Berhi Castle (1)

　　A door slammed shut, followed by a faint, muffled scream. Astina sighed in the darkness and rose from her bed. She slid her feet into slippers, lit a lamp, and opened her door. Her older sister, Brillin, was back.

　　Guided by the lamp’s flickering glow, Astina descended the stairs. In the grand entrance hall of Berhi Castle, a colossal creature lifted its head. Vicious fangs jutted from a massive, wolf-like snout, and its red eyes held an ominous glint that could stop a man’s heart. It was covered in matted brown fur, a monstrous wolf in form—though it would have been a mercy if it were merely a beast.

　　Its head was undeniably animalistic, but its frame was unnervingly human. Towering well over six and a half feet, the creature possessed long arms and legs and walked upright on two feet.

　　And that was not all. The monster was clothed. A man sat crumpled on the floor, trembling before the terrifying figure, which wore a meticulously fastened black gown and a flowing skirt. He was the sixth man to be abducted by the monster, Brillin, and dragged to Berhi Castle.

　　Upon seeing Astina approach, he cried out, “P-please, save me!”

　　Astina ignored him, walking directly to her sister. Snow from the night’s storm clung to Brillin’s shoulders. As Astina reached up, Brillin bent her enormous body, lowering her head within her younger sister’s reach.

　　“Brillin, why did you go out again in this weather?” Astina chided gently. “I told you to stay indoors today.”

　　“Grraah,” Brillin rumbled.

　　“What do you mean, you’re not cold? Your fur is frozen solid.”

　　“Grrr.”

　　Brillin rumbled deep in her throat, attempting an excuse as Astina brushed the snow from her fur, but the sound only deepened the man’s terror. Her fangs glinted grotesquely in the lamplight, and her sharp claws looked ready to tear him to shreds.

　　The Monster of Berhi Castle. For a decade, the tale was infamous throughout the Berhi Territory. After the previous Count and Countess met a sudden, tragic end, their domain had fallen into lawlessness.

　　A semblance of order was maintained only by the legend that had taken root: If you cause trouble, the Monster Countess will come for you. The emperor, their only hope for salvation, was far away in the capital; fear was a much closer warden than the law.

　　With her sharp claws, Brillin seized the man’s leg as he tried to scramble away. She dragged him forward, depositing him at Astina’s feet.

　　“Aaaahhh!!” the man shrieked.

　　Astina winced, covering her ears. Brillin raised a clawed finger to her snout in a gesture for silence; but the sight of her sharp talons and gleaming eyes was too overwhelming for the man, who fainted dead away.

　　Astina clicked her tongue at the sight of his limp form. “What were you thinking, bringing a coward like him?”

　　“Grrr.” Brillin scratched the back of her head, abashed. The man had a reputation for courage that rivaled an imperial knight’s. She had trekked all the way to the neighboring territory for him, never imagining he would be so spineless.

　　Slinging the unconscious man over her shoulder, Brillin carried him out of the castle and gently set him down on a soft pile of snow. The biting cold jolted him awake. He let out a bloodcurdling scream and scrambled away on all fours.

　　Brillin returned, scratching her head, and slumped her shoulders before Astina with a mournful groan. Astina had just turned twenty. Brillin felt she owed it to their deceased parents that she find a good husband for her little sister. The thought that she was failing to care for her only sibling was a constant ache in her heart.

　　Knowing exactly what was on her sister’s mind, Astina clicked her tongue again and took Brillin’s hand. It was less a hand and more a massive, furry paw; Astina’s small fingers could barely wrap around two of them, but Brillin followed her lead without resistance.

　　“I already told you, I’m not getting married,” Astina grumbled, stoking the embers in the fireplace back to life. “I’m going to live with you forever, so why do you keep wasting your time?”

　　“Grrr.” Brillin shook her head, resolute. She may have ended up in this monstrous state, but Astina was still beautiful and charming. She could not bear to let her brilliant sister waste away in the lonely ruins of Berhi Castle.

　　Sighing, Astina began to dry Brillin’s fur gently with a towel. It was an argument they had had for years, but Brillin never relented.

　　Marry and leave my sister? How could I pursue my own happiness when she became this way because of me? Astina could never do it. Her resolve was firm, but voicing it would only make her soft-hearted sister weep.

　　Setting the towel aside, Astina picked up a comb and changed the subject. “Sister, you need to dry your fur completely before sleeping, or you’ll catch a cold. Do you understand?”

　　“Grraah.” The growl meant, I understand, now you go to bed. If Astina stayed up to brush all of her fur, she would not sleep until morning. A large paw reached for the comb, but Brillin hesitated, worried she might scratch her sister while trying to grasp the tiny object. She withdrew her hand.

　　Astina smiled faintly and began to brush the fur on Brillin’s face gently. “Hold still. I’ll make you look pretty.”

　　“Hmph.” Brillin whimpered softly and closed her eyes, surrendering to the pleasant sensation of the comb stroking through her fur. Astina meticulously brushed her face, head, and the thick fur on the back of her neck.

　　As Brillin’s fur dried, a comfortable drowsiness settled over them. The two sisters lay down next to each other before the fire. Nestled in her sister’s warmth, Astina murmured sleepily, watching the crackling flames.

　　“So, no more kidnapping men,” she yawned. “And that last one was definitely not my type.”

　　“Grrr?” Brillin rumbled inquisitively.

　　“My dear Sister, a man has to have a handsome face. It’s all that matters.”

　　“Grraah.”

　　“Oh, come on. You still don’t get it. Status, wealth… none of it means anything. Imagine he’s gorgeous. Even if you’re angry enough to kill him, one look at his face and you’d have a change of heart, wouldn’t you?”

　　“Grrr.”

　　“See?”

　　Having reached an accord, the sisters drifted peacefully to sleep.

* * *

　　Ten years ago, a rumor had spread like wildfire: a monster had appeared from nowhere, slain the Count and Countess of Berhi, and seized their castle, holding their two daughters hostage. In the early days, a few foolhardy men had stormed the castle, hoping to rescue the young ladies, Brillin and Astina, and claim the territory for themselves. None returned. As firsthand accounts of the monster circulated, people learned to stay far away from Berhi Castle.

　　Lately, an even more gruesome rumor had begun to haunt the already feared territory: the Monster Countess was now killing the local men. At night, no one dared venture outside, which made Brillin’s manhunt, rather, her search for a suitable husband for her sister, all the more difficult.

　　Though she had released every man who failed to win Astina’s approval, the whispers grew more sinister. With Brillin’s increasingly frequent excursions, a palpable fear gripped the land.

　　One day, at the foot of the mountain that encircled the castle, Brillin found a man lying collapsed in the snow. He was facedown, dressed in a white robe smudged with soot, and appeared to have frozen to death while trying to climb the mountain. Clicking her tongue, Brillin moved to lift him for a proper burial when she heard a faint groan.

　　“Grrr!”

　　Startled, she dropped him. After catching her breath, she cautiously poked his motionless side with a long claw.

　　“Ugh…”

　　He was alive. And he was handsome. Breathtakingly so.

　　A man has to have a handsome face. Astina’s words echoed in her mind, and a smile stretched across Brillin’s monstrous features. Her long snout split wide, revealing sharp teeth in a terrifying display, but it was unmistakably a smile of delight. She could not let a handsome man freeze to death.

　　Brillin slung the groaning man over her shoulder and bounded back to the castle, her steps light and springy. As soon as she was inside, she called out for her sister.

　　“Ruff! Ruff!”

　　“I’m here, Sister!” Astina’s voice called back. She emerged from the direction of the kitchen, a ladle in her hand. “Welcome back. Dinner is… you brought another one?”

　　“Grrr! Grrr!”

　　“Handsome or not, you have to stop… Oh,” Astina paused, her lecture cut short as she saw the man Brillin set on the floor. She nodded slowly. “He actually is handsome.”

　　He was so striking that one could live a long and happy life just feasting their eyes on his face. Strands of silver hair, spun with the faintest gold, fell across a noble brow. Below a straight, proud nose, his lips were finely sculpted, although they were pale and lifeless.

　　“He’s not dead, is he?” Astina asked.

　　“Grrr.” Brillin shook her head. When she explained she had found him collapsed at the foot of the mountain, Astina tilted her head in confusion. Why would anyone be out there on such a cold day? Her eyes fell on a large pendant resting on the man’s chest.

　　“Brillin, this crest…” she began, examining it closely.

　　“Grrr?”

　　“Isn’t this the crest of the Magic Tower’s mages?”

　　“Grrr.” Brillin nodded, looking at the embossed symbol on the pendant Astina indicated. The large, diamond-shaped gem was undoubtedly a magic stone. A stone of that size would hold immense power, not something any ordinary mage from the Tower could possess. She vaguely recalled hearing that the Tower Master inherited a massive magic stone necklace. There’s no way…