The Beautiful Sisters

Cedric and the Rosemary sisters, along with two young barons, ventured deeper into the forest.

As they moved further in, the trees grew thicker, casting an increasingly dark shadow.

By this point, even lumberjacks and hunters avoided this area, allowing the vegetation to grow wild.

"Hey, don't you think it's time to head back? We've hunted enough monsters already, right?"

Viola, the elder of the Rosemary sisters, spoke up, sensing that pushing their luck any further might be a bad idea.

"There are strong monsters deeper in the woods. It'll be dark soon, so let's go back."

"No… just a little further. Let's keep going a bit more."

"Cedric, come on…"

"Just a little longer! I just want to fight one more monster!"

Cedric insisted desperately. He still hadn't won the sisters over.

If he could defeat a stronger monster and show off his magical talent… surely, they would fall for him.

Having been praised for his magical abilities since childhood and having bullied his half-brother, Cedric was convinced of his own superiority.

"Sigh…"

"..."

In reality, the sisters were looking at him with a mix of disdain due to his arrogant and selfish behavior.

However, Cedric, who had never faced denial from others in his life, remained oblivious.

Ignoring the sisters' warnings, he strode deeper into the forest.

"Cedric! Wait for us!"

"Don't leave us behind!"

His two friends chased after him as he pressed on alone.

The three boys, under the sisters' cold gazes, continued into the depths of the forest.

"Hey…"

"Um, sis…!"

Reluctantly, the sisters decided to follow the three boys. They even considered leaving them behind and heading back on their own, but it was too late to act on that thought.

Now that they were this deep in, it would be dangerous for just the sisters to try to get out of the forest alone.

The Rosemary sisters should have made that decision to leave while they still could.

"Oh, there's a wolf monster!" 

A wolf the size of a large dog appeared in front of them. It had a shimmering silver coat, a beautiful wolf rarely seen. 

"Wait, is that...?" 

Viola's eyes widened. She had a hunch about the identity of the silver wolf monster. 

"Haha! There you are, monster! I'm gonna take you down!" 

"Wait! Don't! That monster is...!" 

"[Wind Blade: Wind Cutter]!" 

"Yip!" 

Before Viola could stop him, Cedric unleashed a magical blade. The silver wolf was slashed across its body, bleeding and collapsing. 

"Yip, yip..." 

"Alright, time to finish it off! I'm taking this one home to make a trophy out of it!" 

"Stop! You can't kill that monster! It's...!" 

"GRRRRRRRRRRRR!" 

"Ah...!" 

A chilling scream echoed through the forest. The trees trembled, and the ground shook with a loud thud. 

"Yikes!? What was that!?" 

In the sudden chaos, Cedric, who was about to deliver the final blow to the wolf, stumbled back. Their two male friends also collapsed in shock. 

"Hey, sis!" 

"Primula! Come over here quickly...!" 

Viola grabbed Primula, trying to escape the scene. But before the sisters could flee, the trees were knocked down, and 'it' arrived. 

"GRRRRRRRRR!" 

"Ah...!" 

It was a wolf draped in silver fur. It was enormous, much larger than the one Cedric had taken down, about the size of an elephant. Its golden eyes, like a full moon, locked onto the fleeing sisters, freezing them in place. 

"W-White Fenrir...!" 

Viola uttered the name with a trembling voice. It was the name of a monster that was supposed to live in the colder northern regions. It was a powerful creature that only elite knights, court magicians, or veteran adventurer parties could hope to defeat, known for its intelligence and ferocity. Cedric had actually taken down a juvenile White Fenrir. Even in its juvenile form, it was the size of an ordinary wolf, which is why Cedric hadn't realized it was just a baby. 

"U... AAAAAAAAH!" 

"Cedric!" 

"H-Help... HIIIIIIIIIIII!" 

Faced with an unimaginable monster, Cedric panicked and tried to run. It was a reckless decision that made no sense in this situation. The White Fenrir quickly kicked off the ground and lunged, sending Cedric flying with a powerful kick from its front paw. 

"Ugh...!" 

Cedric flew like a ball and slammed into a thick tree trunk. He crumpled to the ground and lost consciousness. 

"C-Cedric!"

"Whoa!" 

As the two boys screamed in unison, the creature swung its front paw again, as if annoyed. 

Thud, thud—it made a dull sound twice as the boys were slammed onto the leaf-littered ground. 

"Hey, sis... what do we do? At this rate, we might..." 

"Calm down, Primula. It's going to be okay!" 

The White Fenrir is a monster that usually lives in much colder northern regions. 

On closer inspection, the White Fenrir was dragging its back legs and appeared to have various injuries. 

They likely fought an enemy further north, lost, and fled south. 

"I've read that White Fenrirs are fierce but very intelligent and can understand human speech. Since it's hurt, maybe it will let us go." 

"Grrrrrrrr!" 

The White Fenrir fixed its golden eyes on the sisters. 

It growled and threatened them, but for now, it didn't seem ready to attack. 

"I'm so sorry for hurting your child. I didn't mean to do that." 

"Grrrr..." 

"We're going to leave now. We won't harm you or your child. So... could you please let us go...?" 

Viola said this timidly, watching the White Fenrir's reaction. 

"..." 

The White Fenrir observed the sisters for a moment, then raised its massive jaw above its head. 

"GRRRROOOOOOOO!" 

"Ah!" 

The sisters huddled together and sat down. 

They didn't even think about trying to escape. 

The predator's intimidation hit them hard, leaving them frozen as if their shadows were pinned to the ground. 

"Primula..." 

"Sis..." 

The sisters called each other's names and embraced. 

Trembling with fear, they couldn't fight back or run away. 

The White Fenrir slowly approached them, opening its huge mouth to crush the sisters. 

It was a dire situation. Their minds were filled with despair. 

"[Wind Ball]" 

"Yow!" 

"What...?" 

But suddenly, a powerful strike hit the side of the White Fenrir, and its massive body rolled sideways. 

The sisters widened their eyes in shock and turned to look at the direction from which the magic came. 

"Geez... I really can't help it. My foolish brother, you know..." 

Emerging from the thicket of the forest was a boy around the sisters' age. 

He had black hair and eyes, wearing somewhat dirty clothes, but his features were well-defined. 

"Sorry about Cedric causing trouble. You don't have to worry anymore; everything's fine now." 

With that, the boy—Rest—smiled gently at the sisters.