Hmm…
The reaction of people seeing the gryphon follow closely behind me while returning to Lutetia was, well, weird.
I mean, can you even call it “following closely”? The gryphon would sometimes pat-pat-pat behind the carriage, and other times it would suddenly fly off to a distance and then come back.
To be honest, when it soared high into the sky, my stomach dropped. I thought, “Yeah, just go fly over to where your family is and live happily ever after~” But just as that thought was becoming a certainty, it would come right back.
It always came back just when we were about to cross into some territory.
It seems there’s some kind of reporting and procedure needed to transport animals in this world too. The discourse around ecological destruction isn’t really serious yet. More often than not, rare animals are treated as local “specialties,” so they usually get caught up in customs.
Like monkeys, colorful tropical fish, parrots, or reptiles. Of course, many of them are much more exotic than animals with similar names from my world.
Also, as I’ve said a few times, a lot of the animals in this world are indeed dangerous. It’s not just about biting people and spreading diseases; some can set fire to you using magic. In a world that uses massive amounts of gas, oil, and coal, those beasts could cause a huge disaster if they got out of control, so procedures like this are usually put in place for inspections.
The issue is, that beast following me is a gryphon.
…But can I really just call it a beast?
I mean, nobody categorizes dragons as “beasts,” do they?
In most fantasy settings, dragons usually engage in conversation with humans. They’re typically represented as sentient beings, not just giant winged reptiles. Even in media where they aren’t treated as intelligent, they usually show power that goes beyond mere “beast” level.
Since the gryphon following me obviously doesn’t have a human vocal cord, it can’t speak human words.
But when I look at its reactions to my words and those of the people around me, it seems like it comprehends everything perfectly.
Hmm…
Even the reaction of the Velbur border guards was the same.
Can I just think of it as a simply beast?
If I consider it a beast, how should I classify it?
No, more importantly, can this thing even be brought into my nation?
But wait, does it even have the strength to stop my entry?
It felt like those thoughts were being read.
Passage!
Passage, you say?
Well, if you see a gryphon with its head raised high and glaring at you, it’s understandable you’d say that. If I tried to put myself in their shoes, I probably would have thought the same.
…But, I really wish they’d stop looking at me with the “that person will handle it” gaze.
I also lack the strength to handle it.
Hmm…
And surprisingly, the king of Lutetia had a similar reaction.
It looked like they had already decided how to accept and manage this situation. As soon as we entered Lutetia, there was the immediate sound of trumpets and petals flying in the air. It seemed like Velbur was trying to declare that they “won” this battle.
They couldn’t possibly hide the fact that the emperor did this. The Velbur nobility already knew about it. If so, it makes more sense to declare “victory” outright.
What to do with the captured emperor was another story, and there’d be a long, tedious process behind it, but for now, I decided to ride on its coattails.
The problem was, it looked like it wasn’t only “people” who decided to ride on those coattails.
Even though it was a nation governed by the descendant of the Fanggriffon, the stories about gryphons haven’t been passed down that much. The beings that ruled over the gryphon were individuals from the Fanggriffon bloodline, not the Empire itself.
So, while gryphons exist as real creatures, their status is almost akin to that of a mythical beast. What do they eat? What is their way of life? Do they perhaps have their own culture? Since there are few cases of people returning safely from such investigations, it tends to be seen this way more often.
So, I had no idea that gryphons love to show-off.
It seemed startled at first by the trumpet sound and lifted its front foot, but soon regained its composure and looked around.
After confirming all the carriages behind it came to a halt, the gap between it and the carriage ahead widened, and the expressions of those around were bright, it charged forward again. Right towards the carriage it had been distant from.
…The carriage without a roof that I was riding in.
And it grabbed me.
Naturally, screams erupted from the surrounding crowd. How shocking would it be for a crown princess who came bearing news of victory to be killed by a gryphon? If a descendant of the Fanggriffon were to die at the hands of a gryphon, that would be the most ironic twist of fate ever.
But, to be fair, it didn’t actually bite me; it rather grabbed the back collar of my outfit.
And just like that, without any mental preparation, I was thrown onto the gryphon’s back.
Thank goodness I was wearing shorts this time.
As I barely balanced myself on the gryphon’s back, the momentary silence returned and was soon overwhelmed by cheers from the crowd.
I have no idea why the citizens of Velbur are so excited about a foreign crown princess riding on the gryphon’s back, but it seemed they thought of it as an event that was meant to happen.
The gryphon proudly spread its wings wide and strutted forward as if to hold its head high.
If you dissected a gryphon, I’m sure half of it would be filled with pride.
Anyway, we advanced to the Lutetia royal palace just like that.
Of course, I dismounted in front of the king, but the gryphon did not relent and followed behind me, standing its ground without bowing its head.
Hmm…
After looking up at the gryphon in silence for a while, the king turned his gaze back towards me and said,
“Is this gryphon the one the crown princess saved before?”
“…Yes.”
I just hope my voice didn’t sound too embarrassed.
Hmm…
Lutetia has no intention of starting a war with the Empire. That one thing is for certain.
No matter how vacant the emperor’s seat is, the Empire is still the Empire. The killing machines in the Empire overwhelmingly surpass all weapons of mass destruction in the Kingdom. While some battleships fell in the world created by the goddess, here, those battleships and monitor ships were just fine.
Therefore, the king wanted to end this situation as peacefully as possible.
“The beings who made the most contributions in battle are the people of the Empire, so I wouldn’t assume the emperor’s judgment is the Empire’s judgment.”
“…….”
Huh?
I felt something strange in the king’s tone.
And it seemed Alice felt it too. Noticing some sort of tension, she tilted her head.
“And in reality, the emperor himself didn’t exactly commit a grave sin against Lutetia. The ones plotting under Lutetia was the Papal State.”
While the fundamental cause does lie with the emperor, his words aren’t entirely wrong. Just because someone is planning to harass you doesn’t give you the right to harass someone else.
“But, even so, we can’t simply let the emperor go. But conversely, the Empire might feel differently. I think we need to have quite a serious discussion about that.”
“…….”
Hmm.
I can’t shake this off.
I even thought about just letting it slide but thought it would be better to at least know the reasons so I wouldn’t be as flustered later. So, I decided to ask right then and there.
“Your Majesty.”
“Go ahead.”
“…May I ask why you’ve changed your tone?”
“…….”
In response to my question, the king of Velbur paused for a moment, his mouth slightly agape, before turning to me with a look of confusion.
“Isn’t it quite natural?”
“What do you mean by ‘natural’?”
“The next emperor, who carries the legitimacy of the Empire, is here before me. Naturally, that demands the proper level of respect, wouldn’t you agree? And given the current situation, there’s a chance that this next emperor may truly become the emperor right after returning to the Empire.”
“…….”
I pondered for a moment before asking again.
“…Are you referring to Alice?”
“What are you talking about?”
The expression on King Velbur’s face became even more incredulous.
“Is there anyone in Velbur who doesn’t know the legend of the Fanggriffon? The one who governs the gryphons is the one who has emerged from the Fanggriffon bloodline, so naturally, the next emperor would be that ‘Fanggriffon,’ wouldn’t it?”
Um, no, that’s not exactly the case.
That’s just a legend.
Of course, considering the situation, it seems like something that truly happened, but that doesn’t mean “in the distant future, a real Fanggriffon may appear to establish a new emperor…” it’s just a plain myth with no clichés at all.
Staring at the bewildered expression of King Velbur, I seriously contemplated what I should say next.
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