At the end of the earth lies a kingdom, towhich no human was allowed entry. It is home to beasts who once dominated anddevoured mankind and over them reigned a ferocious king. In a dark and ominous setting, a young girlis brought before a massive gate that separates the world of beasts and humans. She is shackled and left on the other sideby the men who brought her, who quickly make their escape. As she walks forward to meet her supposedend, two beastmen approach and escort her to the kingdom's king.
Upon arriving, the girl is revealed to bethe 99th sacrifice. However, when she lifts her head, Anubis,the king’s secretary, comments on how scrawny she is compared to previous sacrifices andsuggests that she be exchanged for someone more nourishing. The girl, unfazed, remarks that Anubis isbeing rude and that there is enough of her to eat, showing a disturbing lack of regardfor her own life. Even showing tongue to Anubis, displayingher seemingly carefree attitude. The king is intrigued by the girl's boldnessand orders Anubis to leave them alone, even roaring fiercely when Anubis dares to speakout of turn.
After Anubis departs, the girl continues todisplay her boldness by remarking “What a short-tempered king”. Cy and Clops, the two chain balls keepingan eye on her, urge her to apologize, warning her about the king's scary reputation. But the girl just casually compliments theircuteness. The king approaches the girl, skeptical ofher fearless demeanor as all previous sacrifices had been trembling in terror before him. He suggests that she begs for her life ifshe wants a swift death. However, the girl remains unfazed and noticesthe softness of the king's paw pads.
The king becomes angry, but the girl revealsthat she has nothing to lose, even if she manages to escape, she has no home or familyto return to, and is prepared to be eaten. After hearing this, the king wants to knowher name. It’s Sariphi. She asks for his, however, he simply respondsthat he does not have one, leaving Sari a bit confused. The sacrificial ritual is on the next nightof revelation, when the miasma clears. And he wants to see how long her bravado willlast, until then he will keep her by his side. As the girl is given free rein to explorethe palace, the lords of the realm fume with.
Anger over the king's intolerable whims. They remember that the late king was equallydifficult to deal with. During the great war 100 years ago, the lateking independently made peace with humans. The rebels who refused to follow his orders,plague their lands to this day. The terms of the truce require a female sacrificeto be taken from humans and eaten by the king of beasts, symbolizing that humans are inferiorto them. The lords advise Anubis to warn the king tocease playing games with the girl, since that could make the king vulnerable to opposition. Meanwhile, his majesty picks up Sari and scoldsher for leaving his chambers.
He also reprimands Cy and Clops for not keepinga closer eye on her. But Sari defends them, noting that it washer idea. The king's chambers appear bleak and empty,with no activities to keep Sari occupied. She muses that adding some flowers could brightenthe place. However, the king remains adamant about maintainingeverything as is, asserting that he already possesses all that he needs. Moreover, he points out that flowers cannotflourish in the land's miasma, which only lifts on the night of revelation. He notes that if she wants to live until theritual, she shouldn’t leave the chambers,.
Since she will be eaten right away. Despite his warning, Sari interprets his wordsas concern for her well-being. The king forcefully grabs Sari and pushesher onto the bed, scolding her for her insolence. He reminds her that he could easily kill herat any moment without waiting for the ritual. He asks her “do you still not fear me?” Despite his threatening demeanor, Sari isunafraid. She remembers a time when she learned thather name means “sacrifice” in an ancient language in an old book. On a stormy night she tried to wake her sisterup, only to find out that her parents had.
Taken her in as a substitute sacrifice fortheir real daughter. Sari overheard their conversation in the kitchen,and what really terrified her were their cold stares. Compared to that, the king's eyes are gentleand his threats are nothing to her. She wonders if he forces himself to act angry? Sarifi is a girl to be pitied. They venture through the land where Cy andClops explain that this fortress is where the fiercest fighting of the last great wartook place. Even now, 100 years after the war, the scarsstill run deep.
As a result, the king frequently visits thearea to conduct inspections. During their exploration, Sari notices somethingpeculiar and rushes off to investigate. Anubis is displeased with the King's decisionto let her act independently, but he is powerless to oppose his majesty. As Sari delves deeper in to the ruins, theking approaches her, allowing Cy and Clops a chance to rest. He reveals that the area is a lawless zonein contrast to the palace. Being the farthest city from the capital,it is a hotbed of rebellion, and even now, its inhabitants often clash with humans, causingunrest.
The king believes that his regular inspectionsinstill fear in the inhabitants, and that this is the most effective means of preventingneedless bloodshed. Sari notes that it’s tough to be a king. Meanwhile, Cy and Clops inform Anubis aboutthe king and Sari's activities. Suddenly, Sari catches a whiff of a delightfulscent and rushes towards a nearby flower garden. Due to the sparse miasma in the area, thisis the only location where flowers can grow. She believes that the king brought her herefor this reason and decides to pick some flowers to take back with her to the palace. However, the king struggles to comprehendwhy Sari would care for something that is.
Destined to wilt away. At that moment, Sari places a flower hat onthe king, stunning him with her gesture. She thinks he looks charming, but he takesit as an insult. When she continues to tease him, Sari claimsthat having beautiful things to look at can help one feel better. He grabs Sari and after a delay, says thata storm is coming. After a night of storm, comes the night ofrevelation. The king announces that Sari is to be sacrificedand the lightning strikes, causing her to be terrified.
Although she is unafraid of beasts, the soundof thunder frightens her. Despite her efforts to remain calm, the soundof thunder reminds Sari of her adoptive parents. Worried that she will be a nuisance, the kingcovers her with his tail to muffle the noise. She enjoys the sensation of the fluffy tail,which amazes the king, as he is baffled by how quickly she transitions from being afraidto cheerful. Sari reassures him that he does not have toact tough around her and eventually falls asleep on his lap. As the flowers wilt and the miasma dissipates,the night of revelation finally arrives. Anubis explains that the ritual is a sacredevent, and Sari is delighted to don a beautiful.
Dress that resembles a wedding gown. Even Cy and Clops marvel at her appearance. Anubis escorts Sari to the altar, informingher that the king does not show himself to others on this night, though he does not knowwhy. Left alone in the dimly lit chamber, Sarisuddenly finds herself under attack by a beast who intends to take her place and kill theindecisive king. However, a human intervenes just in time toprevent the beast from harming Sari. As the beast lunges to kill the person whosaved Sari, she boldly steps in between them. She praises the king, pointing out that hedoes his utmost to prevent unnecessary violence.
And sacrifices his own desires for the well-beingof his people. The assailant, exasperated by her words, launchesanother attack, but the human manages to evade it and disarm the beast, who scurries awayin fear. After the encounter, Sari approaches the injuredman and assumes he is the king. Although he gestures towards the hidden passage,she is more concerned with his well-being, but he rebuffs her, insisting that he is notthe king. Sari remains convinced that he is, she cantell. The king reveals that he is half-human andhalf-beast, and can never truly belong to either world.
When the night of revelation exposes his humanform, he hides in the shadows, waiting for it to pass. How can such a weakling be a true king? Sari rips her dress and uses it to bandagethe king's wounds, telling him that he is not weak. Anubis had told her that he always performedthe ritual alone and that, upon seeing his human form, she is sure he had let the sacrificeescape and used his own blood to fool everyone into thinking he had performed the ritual. Only a strong and kind person could do somethinglike that.
Even if he were to let her go, she would havenowhere to go. Sari declares that she wants to be eaten byhim, so that someone strong and kind can benefit from her sacrifice. The king breaks Sari's chains and hugs hertightly, repeating her name. As she prepares for death, he tells her thatshe now belongs to him. The next day, Anubis and all the lords arein shock as they learn that Sari is still alive and the king has decided to take heras his bride. The council is furious about the prospectof diluting the royal bloodline with that of a human, but the king's word is law, andno one dares to object.
On the other hand, Cy and Clops are thrilledwith the news. To make things easier, Sari comes up witha name for the king – Leonhart, which means brave-hearted in the ancient language. He likes it, and it becomes his new name.
Anime – Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts
it's so sweet. more pleace
I don't most often read shoujo manga, however this one is one of many few shoujo manga i truly trip