Cedric, the Rosemary sisters, and two sons of a baron pushed deeper and deeper into the forest.
The further they advanced, the more thickly the trees grew and the darker it became.
By the time they reached this area, even woodcutters and hunters didn't venture in, so the plants had been left to grow wild.
"Hey, shouldn't we head back soon? I think we've done enough monster hunting, haven't we?"
Sensing that things were getting dangerous, Viola—the elder of the Rosemary sisters—spoke up.
"There are powerful monsters deeper in the forest. It'll be dark soon, so let's go back."
"No… just a little more. Let's push just a bit further."
"Cedric, that's enough…"
"Just a little more! Just one more—I only need to fight one more monster, so let me at one!"
Cedric pleaded desperately, pressing his case.
He still hadn't gotten the Rosemary sisters to fall for him yet.
If he defeated an even stronger monster and showed off his talent in magic… surely, they would come to like him.
Having been praised for his magical talent since childhood and having bullied his half-brother throughout his life, Cedric's innate arrogance left him utterly convinced of this.
"Haa…"
"…………"
In reality, the looks the sisters directed at him were tinged with contempt because of his overbearing and selfish behavior.
But Cedric, who had never once been rejected by anyone since the day he was born, failed to notice.
Ignoring the sisters' warnings, he marched straight on into the depths of the forest.
"Cedric! Please wait!"
"I said don't leave us behind!"
Two friends chase after Cedric, who continues on alone.
The three boys ventured deeper into the forest, bathed in the sisters' cold stares.
"Hey..."
"S-sis...!"
With no other choice, the sisters gave chase after the three boys.
They had considered simply leaving them behind and heading home on their own... but it was too late to act on it.
Once you've come this deep into the forest, even the sisters alone would face danger getting out.
The Rosemary sisters should have made that decision sooner — while they could still leave the forest on their own.
"Oh, there's a wolf monster!"
A wolf the size of a large dog appeared before them.
It had lustrous silver fur — a beautiful wolf you'd rarely ever see.
"Wait, that's..."
Viola's eyes went wide.
A silver-furred wolf monster. She had a hunch about what it really was.
"Ha-ha! So you've shown yourself, monster! I'll kill you!"
"W-wait! That monster is...!"
"[Wind Blade]!"
"Kain!"
Before Viola could stop him, Cedric launched his magical blade.
The silver wolf was sliced across its torso, blood spilling as it collapsed.
"Kyuu... Kyuu..."
"Now, finish it! I'm taking this one back as a trophy!"
"Don't kill it! You mustn't kill that monster! That monster is...!"
"GRAAAAAAAAAGH!"
"Wha...!"
A blood-curdling shriek echoed through the forest.
The trees shook, and the ground trembled with a deep, resonant thud.
"Wh-What the hell!?"
The sudden commotion sent Cedric—who had been about to deal the killing blow—sprawling onto his backside.
The two male friends similarly ended up sitting on the ground.
"Si-Sister!"
"Primula! Quickly, over here...!"
Viola grabbed Primula, trying to flee the scene.
But before the sisters could escape, the trees were mowed down and *it* came crashing through.
"GRUUUUUUUUUUUUUH!"
"A...!"
It was a wolf cloaked in silvery-white fur.
It was incomparably larger than what Cedric had defeated—roughly the size of an elephant.
Golden eyes like a full moon locked onto the fleeing sisters, freezing them in place.
"Wh... White Fenrir...!"
Viola uttered the name in a trembling voice.
It was the name of a monster said to inhabit the frigid lands far to the north.
It was a powerful monster that only imperial knights or court magicians, or a veteran adventurer party, could barely manage to defeat—and it was known as both cunning and ferocious.
What Cedric had defeated had been a juvenile White Fenrir.
Even as a juvenile, it had been about the same size as an ordinary wolf, which was why Cedric hadn't realized it was a child.
"U... Uwaaaaaaah!"
"Cedric!"
"H-Help... Hiiiiiiiiiiii!"
Faced with the monstrous creature, Cedric panicked and tried to flee.
It was a thoughtless decision—one that had no place in this situation.
The White Fenrir kicked off the ground in an instant and lunged, slamming its forepaws into Cedric's body.
"Guh...!"
Cedric was sent flying like a ball and slammed into a thick tree trunk.
He slid down to the ground and lost consciousness on the spot.
"C-Cedric!"
"Uwaaaaaaah!"
As the two boys let out screams in unison, the forepaws swung again as if to swat away something annoying.
With two dull thuds, the boys were slammed into the leaf-littered ground.
"S-Sister... what do we do? At this rate, we'll be next!"
"C-Calm down, Primula. It'll be alright...!"
The White Fenrir was, by nature, a monster that inhabited far, far colder regions to the north.
Upon closer inspection, the White Fenrir was dragging one of its hind legs, and it appeared to have sustained various other injuries of differing severity.
They had most likely been even farther north, fought an enemy, suffered defeat, and fled south.
"...The White Fenrir is ferocious, I know, but I've read in books that they're very intelligent and can understand human speech. It's injured too, so maybe it'll let us go."
"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!"
The White Fenrir fixed its golden eyes on the sisters.
It growled and threatened them, but for the moment it showed no sign of attacking.
"I-I'm sorry your child was hurt. We didn't mean for that to happen."
"Grrrr..."
"We're leaving right now. We won't harm you or your child. So... could you please let us go?"
Viola spoke carefully, watching the White Fenrir's reaction.
"............"
The White Fenrir regarded the sisters for a time... and then, it raised its enormous jaws skyward.
"GWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
"A-Aah!"
The sisters huddled together and sank to the ground.
The thought of running away didn't even cross their minds.
Having been struck point-blank by the predator's overwhelming pressure, they were pinned in place as if their shadows had been sewn into the earth, unable to move.
"Primula..."
"Sis..."
The sisters called each other's names and embraced.
Trembling with fear, the sisters could neither fight nor flee.
The White Fenrir crept closer and closer to the pair, opening its massive jaws to crush them.
Desperate peril. Their minds were painted over in a single hue of despair.
"[Wind Ball]"
"Gyaann!"
""Huh...?""
However, a devastating blow slammed into the side of the White Fenrir's head, sending its colossal body rolling sideways.
The sisters' eyes went wide with shock as they turned their faces toward the direction from which the magic had come.
"Good grief... he really is hopeless. That's the thing about my idiot brother..."
Emerging from the forest thicket was a boy around the same age as the sisters.
He had black hair and dark eyes. His clothes were somewhat disheveled, but his features were well-defined.
"Sorry about what Cedric did. You don't have to worry anymore — everything's going to be fine."
With those words, the boy... Rest smiled gently at the sisters.