Chapter 20

"So that Tailfur doesn’t get scared."

Muttering to himself, Carl recalled a pair of big, round black eyes.

His younger sister, who had only recently arrived at the manor, was now on his mind.

She spent her whole life in the capital, and this is her first time back in the North.

House Aslan was located in the northern mountain range—one of the harshest, most dangerous regions of the continent.

The forests were filled with predators that hunted humans, and deep within the mountains, though rare, monstrous beasts lurked.

Only the strong could survive in this land, where even the hardiest creatures struggled to endure.

This was why people said:

"A Northerner is half-beast."

Of course, the term "beast" was a petty insult—something the weaker southerners used out of fear for the Northern people's physical strength.

She doesn’t belong here.

In a land where the average physique was as powerful as that of a wild beast, that girl was born exceptionally fragile.

Soft and small, like a fluffball.

That was Carl’s first impression of his little sister.

It was already strange to see something so tiny walking around, but even more so to watch her climb trees, proudly declaring herself a squirrel beastkin.

Hah.

Carl's lips curled slightly as he recalled the small hands that had eagerly held something out to him the day before.

"The Froststorm Crystal Fox should be around here."

Carl muttered the name of a beast that had lived for over a hundred years.

"It should make a good cloak for Tailfur."

Casually treating a beast so powerful that other territories needed an entire knight order to hunt it down as if it were mere fur, Carl quickened his pace, imagining his little sister wrapped in something soft and warm.

***

"Hmm."

Beatty carefully surveyed the garden.

"Which one is the ripest?"

More specifically, she was scanning the trees.

Yesterday, she had gathered fruit to repay the kindness of the manor's people—and it had been a huge success.

"Ohhh, my lady…!"

"This is divine! I don’t even have the words to describe this taste…!"

"This is the greatest fruit of my entire life!"

The manor’s head chef, swearing not a single piece of the fruit given by the young lady should be wasted, had poured his very soul into baking a legendary fruit pie.

Even Carl, who Beatty had hesitantly gifted acorns to, had reacted somewhat strangely.

"You’re giving this to me?"

For some reason, he stared at her for a long time—probably debating whether she was too cute to eat—before violently ruffling her hair as his way of showing appreciation.

Having received such an overwhelmingly positive response, Beatty gained confidence.

"I do have an eye for picking fruit!"

When she was younger, meals were rare.

Her stomach had growled so much that she had honed her ability to scavenge food by exploring the trees in the garden.

Since she had eaten almost every kind of fruit growing there, she prided herself on her expertise in identifying flavors.

"That one! The one with the bird peck marks looks the sweetest."

Like a true expert, she nodded seriously before rolling up her sleeves to climb up and pick the fruit.

But just as she was about to move, a loud commotion reached her ears.

Huh?

Beatty perked up her ears, trying to pinpoint the source.

The distant clamor steadily grew louder, as if approaching.

Thump.

What…?

At that moment, her wrist—where her Signum resided—pulsed as if it had a heartbeat of its own.

…It’s calling me…

An overwhelming sense of urgency filled her.

Without realizing it, Beatty turned her body, stepping forward as if guided by instinct.

"My lady!"

A firm grip on her shoulder snapped her back to reality.

What was that just now…?

Blinking in confusion, Beatty looked around in a daze.

Her personal maids, who had been watching from a distance, hurried over with worried expressions.

"My lady, there seems to be some sort of disturbance. Please return to the manor."

"The manor?"

"Yes. We’ll investigate and report back as soon as it’s safe—"

But before she could even take a step, the commotion reached them.

"Aaahhh!"

"It’s coming this way!"

"Stop it! Don’t let it get through!"

Guards—faces flushed red from chasing something—shouted as they charged forward.

"Ah!"

Seeing who stood in front of them, the guards paled.

"My lady!"

"Get back! It’s a Froststorm Squirrel!"

The moment the name was spoken, the maids froze in fear.

"Why is that beast here?!"

"There! Catch it—!"

A white blur zigzagged through the air, dodging the lead guard’s grasp.

Its movements were unpredictable, making it impossible for the guards to track.

Despite throwing their bodies at it, they failed to stop its charge.

The instant the white figure vanished from their line of sight—

"My lady!"

Slap!

Something latched onto Beatty’s face.

"That cowardly beast is using the young lady as a hostage…!"

"You bastard! Get away from our lady!"

Weapons clattered, and the guards glared at the thing stuck to Beatty’s cheek, eyes burning with murderous intent.

But worried they might accidentally harm her, they hesitated.

"……?"

Slightly startled by their reaction, Beatty raised her hand to identify the thing stuck to her face.

Soft.

"??"

The strangely familiar fluffiness confused her.

Then—

At last.

"!"

Beatty’s eyes widened.

I’ve found you.

Deep inside her, in a place she had never known existed, a voice resonated directly within her soul.

Before she could process the bizarre sensation,@@novelbin@@

Whooosh!

A sudden blizzard engulfed the area, making it impossible to see.

"?!"

By instinct, Beatty shielded her face and squeezed her eyes shut.

And when she finally opened them—

Blink. Blink.

She couldn’t believe the scene before her.

**

"A… A-Ahh… my lady?"

After the sudden snowstorm had raged through the area, the young lady who had been standing there just moments ago had vanished without a trace.

The people who had witnessed her disappearance stood in stunned silence, staring blankly at the empty space where she had been.

Then, as reality sank in—

"This is… a disaster…!"

"My lady has been abducted by a beast!"

"W-What do we do?! If Young Master Carl returns and finds out—"

"If I return, then what?"

Creeeak—

A guard, his teeth chattering from sheer terror, froze in place, his head slowly turning toward the source of the voice.

"If I return, then what?"

Carl stood right there, his golden eyes already dark with murderous intent.

"I came because I heard a commotion the moment I arrived."

He stepped forward, and the corpse of a massive Crystal Fox slung over his shoulder became visible—evidence that he had just rushed back from a hunt.

Carl surveyed the area, his gaze cold and sharp.

"What the hell is going on?"

His piercing eyes landed on the pale-faced maids, and in an instant, his brows furrowed deeply.

"Where is Tailfur?"

These were the people who were supposed to be with her.

Carl’s expression darkened further.

"Where. Is. My. Sister?"

His voice rumbled—low and dangerous, like a beast on the verge of a rampage.

"F-Forgive us! This is our fault…!"

The guards, their faces pale with guilt, immediately bowed their heads in shame.

Despite barely holding himself together, the head of security stepped forward, forcing himself to deliver his report.

"We had deployed most of our men to assist with the military supply transport… Because of that, our defenses were weakened, and during that time, a beast infiltrated the estate."

"A beast?"

Carl’s voice was flat, but the growing anger behind it was unmistakable.

"Yes, sir. It’s strange, though. This particular beast… normally never leaves its territory. But for some reason, it came charging here like a mad creature…"

"What kind of beast was it?"

The security chief swallowed before responding.

"A Froststorm Squirrel."

The moment the name was spoken, one of the knights accompanying Carl gasped sharply.

"A Froststorm Squirrel?! That notorious tyrant of the mountain range?!"

"Yes, sir. It has long ruled the northern mountains, making it a particularly powerful beast. However… thankfully, it has never considered humans as prey."

"That doesn’t mean it’s safe! That thing is insanely territorial! If it believes its domain has been violated, it will rampage without mercy! The last time a group of smugglers wandered too close to its hunting grounds, they—along with dozens of hired mercenaries—were completely slaughtered!"

Hearing the true danger of the beast, the people gathered looked even more horrified.

"For something that dangerous to have taken the young lady…!"

Grit.

The head guard clenched his jaw, lowering his head in shame.

At that moment, the knight who had been listening tilted his head in confusion.

"But why would a beast like that take our lady?"

*

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