IMBSM 1

Chapter: 1

One deep night, a married couple crossing a snowy mountain lost their means of transport in an accident and were left on the brink of death.

As they desperately prayed for divine mercy amid the darkness and the cold, a monster appeared before them as they trembled in fear.

The monster smiled, full and satisfied, and said:

“I will grant that wish—but in return….”

If dying is what everyone wants, then perhaps it’s better to die gladly.

There’s nothing to cling to, after all. This was the life I lived only to end up like this anyway.

As she kept climbing toward death without rest, Ibnia resolved to die with every passing second.

While forcing her way through the forest path, her white dress had been torn and soiled until it was no longer possible to guess what it had once looked like.

A bride covered in dirt and cold sweat.

It was a ridiculous sight.

She should never have bothered wearing such an empty costume in the first place.

How laughable would her betrothed find her if he saw her like this?

That monster would surely mock the foolish mountain sacrifice and her family once, then swallow her whole in a single bite.

A conclusion that would satisfy everyone.

The only sacrifice, the bride, would melt away inside the monster’s stomach, unable to voice any further complaints.

“So die in my place, Ibnia. That’s better, isn’t it? Even if you die… there’s no one who would grieve for you anyway.”

Pushed forward countless times by the voice that kept repeating in her head, Ibnia finally arrived at the front gate.

The entrance to the decrepit old castle was rusted and flaking in places, much like the walls she had passed earlier.

When she pulled hard on the handle, pitch-black darkness was revealed through the opening.

Though it was still daytime outside, not a single ray of light entered the castle, as if an invisible boundary had been drawn.

Without hesitation, Ibnia stepped into the darkness where she could not see even an inch ahead.

There was no need to straighten her appearance or catch her breath.

No matter how composed she tried to be, she knew this could never become a dignified death.

“O eternal lord of the land of Ritberg, I have come to fulfill the ancient contract—so please take the promised price!”

The moment her feet crossed the threshold, the door slammed shut behind her with a chilling sound.

Hearing her final words echo through the air, Ibnia closed her eyes in resignation and waited for the monster to swallow her in a single bite.

How much time passed after that?

A thunderous roar crashed down from above her head.

“Foolish human! Knowing that countless of your kind have already died, you still come here to sell your life for a bit of gold?”

At the booming voice, Ibnia instinctively hunched her shoulders.

Had her ancestors not only owed their lives to the monster, but also received gold from it?

Saving two people in exchange for a single sacrifice, and even paying gold on top of that…

For a deal with a monster, it seemed excessively generous.

“As the price of that petty greed, your limbs will soon be torn apart! The sword raised for plunder will aim for your neck, the helmet that once protected you will become a basin for blood, and the armor you trusted—no, the dress—dres….”

“……”

“……Dress?”

Like an actor who had forgotten his lines, the voice corrected itself several times before suddenly cutting off.

Ibnia cautiously opened her eyes.

The pitch-dark interior was flashing brilliantly with a red glow reminiscent of hellfire, but she felt little fear.

Before she could even grasp what she was seeing, the surroundings grew as bright as midday.

At the center of it, with a loud burst like fireworks, someone appeared.

Stunned by the sudden and uncanny sight, Ibnia stared blankly at the figure.

Emerging from thick smoke was a man wearing an exaggerated mask, like a performer from a masquerade.

As if to show that he was not the master of the castle, he wore a formal uniform one might expect a butler to wear.

After silently scanning Ibnia from head to toe for a moment, the man suddenly spoke.

“You’re wearing a wedding dress—like a bride.”

It was a refined voice, impossible to believe it belonged to the same being who had been hurling curses just moments ago.

At Ibnia’s questioning gaze, she answered hesitantly.

“Because… I am a bride?”

“I definitely didn’t hear the sound of a carriage arriving. All I heard were crude footsteps, like those of rats sneaking in to steal treasure.”

“Well… I’m sorry. It’s my first time walking through a forest like this, and I was exhausted….”

At the unexpected criticism, Ibnia’s cheeks flushed hot.

The man, looking unconvinced, lightly snapped his fingers. At the same time, the tightly closed door swung wide open, revealing an empty entrance hall.

Pointing toward the bleak outdoors, he asked,

“Where are your carriage and coachman? Or at the very least, your luggage? And where are your maids?”

Ibnia stood there blankly, trying to grasp the meaning of his question.

Had they planned to use the people she brought along as snacks as well?

In a damp, hollow voice, she replied,

“They ran away.”

“Then you really walked all the way here on your own two feet? That long distance, dressed like that, a new bride, alone?”

“Yes.”

“Without even a maid?”

He emphasized the word maid pointedly.

She had brought one maid with her, but only with the intention of sending the girl back anyway.

Even if those who came with her had not abandoned her at the edge of the forest, the girl would not have stayed here.

There was no reason for a woman about to die to need a servant.

Breathing shallowly, Ibnia answered again, “Yes.”

The man’s voice suddenly turned serious.

“Hm, this is troublesome. Leaving the coachman aside, I only hired one maid, assuming you’d be bringing your own attendants….”

“You hired a maid?” Ibnia asked.

“Yes.”

“…Why?”

Ibnia asked with a genuinely confused expression.

In response, the man adjusted his mask as if he were the one more baffled, and asked,

“…I’ve been living stuck in this backwater for about two hundred years now, but is it the latest trend in high society for ladies to be completely independent without servants?”

She couldn’t understand a word of what he was saying.

Deciding to put an end to this confusing conversation, Ibnia spoke.

She didn’t know what was going on, but once she was eaten by the monster, even these trivial questions would become meaningless. It didn’t matter anymore.

“…I want to meet Lord Ram first.”

“Ah, of course. Since the new bride has arrived, it’s only proper that you see the groom’s face first. Please forgive my earlier rudeness; it was all a misunderstanding.”

After politely apologizing, the man gestured toward the second floor, signaling her to follow.

Though his demeanor had become noticeably kinder than before, Ibnia did not forget her role.

Just look at how skillfully he had threatened an intruder.

He was merely holding back so as not to disturb his master’s meal.

If there was any difference between her and the other sacrifices, it was only that they were killed by the monster’s servant at the front gate, while she would be eaten directly in the monster’s own chambers.

The process had become more elaborate, but the result was the same.

“My lord is inside. Please go in.”

The man stopped in front of a room located at the center of the second floor.

When he extended his hand toward it, the massive double doors opened on their own.

Feeling strangely relieved, Ibnia walked inside.

Since it was a life she had already given up, she wanted to die without looking back.

Before her resolve wavered, before pointless thoughts filled her with fear—before, in other words, she became pitiful enough to want to live again.

At last… I can really die now.

With determined eyes, Ibnia looked around the room.

The furnishings were sparse compared to the room’s size, allowing her to quickly spot the person she had come to see—lying on the bed.

However, instead of approaching him, Ibnia halted mid-step.

She had stepped forward boldly, but suddenly found herself doubting whether the figure before her was truly the one she sought.