Afterword
HELLO everyone living throughout the world! I’m Sato Fumino.
Thank you so much for picking up a copy of Beast † Blood Volume 2. In this volume, things get more intense romantically and in the action department. There are spoilers for the volume ahead, so make sure you read it first before proceeding!
I love Zelaide and Euphemia, but I put extra special care into writing Burhardt—aka Shank.
He is a man with a complicated past and many personalities, but he acted the part of a considerate gentleman while working at Biotech. That side of him wasn’t a complete lie, but just one of the many personas he carries. He’s insanely skilled with his hands and is a man of many talents who can pull off just about anything.
On the opposite hand, he absolutely despises the Beast Blood blood coursing through his veins. But no matter how much he hates it, Beast Blood genes wildly surpass human genes, leaving him with excellent physical ability and eyes that shine in the dark. Living longer than humans, though not quite as long as pure Beast Bloods, he has suffered in many ways and is mentally anguished. There are dreams and loves he has given up on with the passage of time.
Depicting the main characters’ actions and mental turmoil was the focus of the overall story, so I had to leave out Shank’s deeper thoughts and feelings, but I tried to write him as an intriguing, realistic villain.
I hope once you read this afterword that it will make you go back and reread the scenes with him to see what I mean.
Now, there is one other character (if you can call it that) that I am very fond of in Beast † Blood.
Bijours.
The Bijour are modeled after the Velociraptor dinosaur. However, these ferocious creatures are much larger than Velociraptors and have fully developed arms. Their whole body is covered in pink scales, and this beautiful creature deceives its prey with a sweet fragrance. If you are attacked by such a monster, you’re doomed.
Aside from the Bijour, you also have Zelaide’s pet pterosaur Tipsy. The constant appearance of different creatures is one of my favorite things about Beast † Blood’s world.
And of course the climax focused on the fight between Beast Bloods. I wrote many different action scenes up until that point, but I put even more effort into fleshing this scene out. I referenced the moves used in my favorite samurai movies for it.
Beast † Blood is full of thrilling, on the edge of your seat scenes. Did you enjoy them?
I am beyond grateful to Akira Egawa for bringing life to my story through stunning illustrations that accurately convey the cruel beauty of the Bijour and the Beast Bloods.
To my dear readers, your reviews have reached me all the way in Japan and I look forward to reading your thoughts on volume two!
Finally, I would like to express my utmost gratitude to Cross Infinite World and Charis Messier for presenting me with the opportunity to have my books translated into English!
I am currently writing more stories in Japanese, hoping that someday they will find their way into your hands like Beast † Blood has.
April 2020
Sato Fumino