Honestly, I was feeling quite optimistic about this issue.
I’ve never had a pet before.
Of course, I’ve never gotten any certifications or training related to animal care. The extent of my experience with raising something was when my homeroom teacher in elementary school told us to take care of a flower pot, so I just bought a decent one from the neighborhood flower shop and kept it at home.
In fact, even now, the responsibility of caring for the gryphon is handled by others, so strictly speaking, I’m not ‘raising’ it.
But wait, can we even say that I’m raising it in the first place?
It’s clear that this creature understands human language. It’s at the Imperial Palace because it wants to be, not because people brought it here to keep it.
This gryphon wasn’t just judging based on the nuances of our language or recognizing specific words; it comprehended what I was saying and had the ability to move accordingly, so there was really no need to tame or train it.
The reason for my optimism was precisely that.
And for exactly the same reason, I soon realized that it wouldn’t be an easy task.
Hmph.
If I just put it in one character, it’s quite a cute feeling. It’s a phrase typically used by cute characters or female characters rather than burly male ones, so it makes sense that such an image would stick.
Also, that sound effect represents a small, cute creature snorting. Obviously, if a much bigger creature were to make a sound, it wouldn’t be like that at all.
The noise that the gryphon made was definitely not ‘Hmph.’ Given that its mouth structure is different from ours, and while humans have lips, the gryphon has a beak. It does have nostrils, but since its structure is different from ours, when the gryphon snorts, it sounds more like a large pump blowing air.
More importantly, as a creature soaring through the skies with such a massive body, its lung capacity is enormous, and the air coming out of those nostrils raised little dust clouds around my feet and swayed my hem slightly.
Yet, even with that, if I had to express the action the gryphon took after listening to me in one character, there was no other way to depict it.
Hmph.
“What’s the problem…?”
Confirming that no one was around, I asked in a quiet voice.
“If you’re hungry, I’ll give you food, and it’s cozy and warm here. You want to be here in the first place, right? If you’re living comfortably, isn’t it fine to grant me a small request?”
A large breath came from the gryphon’s nostrils, and once again, a little dust whirled around my feet.
“No, didn’t you come here to acknowledge me in the first place…?”
It was something I couldn’t say openly in front of others, but I could say it in front of the gryphon. I thought it was impossible for the gryphon to speak human words given its different mouth structure, no matter how smart it might be.
Since it was quietly watching as I drooped my shoulders, I didn’t think it didn’t understand my request.
Hmm.
Looking up at the gryphon again, I contemplated while rubbing my chin.
There’s a term called non-human sentience.
It refers to beings of equal intelligence to humans, but are not human. It’s said that the intelligence of crows or parrots is comparable to that of human children, and elephants or dolphins have their own cultures… It might be a human-centric way of thinking, but it’s quite plausible. It’s a bit strange to think that among the countless animals on Earth, only humans possess intelligence that matches our own.
Regardless of whether that classification is scientifically valid or overly sentimental, if that classification is practically possible, I would place the gryphon within the category of non-human sentience.
If this creature, sitting with its head raised high like a loaf of bread, truly had intelligence only akin to that of a common animal, I would be genuinely shocked.
“Alright then.”
I looked up at the gryphon and said,
“Tell me what you want. If I can grant it, I will. But you also have to do something I want in return. Doesn’t that sound fair?”
Even after hearing me say that, the gryphon stared at me for a while.
It can’t be that it doesn’t understand, right?
Just as I began to earnestly ponder, the gryphon moved.
It wasn’t a grand movement; it simply lifted its seated body.
Then it stretched out its folded wings as if to loosen up.
It wasn’t an impressive action, but just that made it incredibly intimidating. The gryphon was already large, and when it spread its wings wide, the tips reached far above its head. Naturally, for that massive body to take flight, its wings had to be that big.
From even my frequent observations, the sight was so majestic it could momentarily steal my gaze.
It’s a gryphon with a head of a white-headed eagle and the body of a lion. From the front, seeing it with its wings spread wide was like watching a gigantic eagle standing tall.
I wondered if this was a truly special action, my heart racing as I looked up, but perhaps spreading its wings was merely a stretch, as the gryphon soon folded them again.
Then, it looked down at me and abruptly bowed its head.
So, it looked like a polite greeting posture.
For a moment, I wondered what it was doing, but I, like before with the gryphon, grabbed my skirt with both hands and bowed politely.
A brief silence passed, and we lifted our heads again.
“Is this okay?”
When I asked, the gryphon tilted its head.
Then it let out another Hmph.
What.
When I frowned and looked up, the gryphon lowered its head to me again.
This time, it also bent its knees slightly.
“…Huh?”
What’s this? Is it telling me I’m dead?
For a moment, that thought passed through my mind, but this was a Western world created by a Japanese game company. There’s no way there would be Confucian rules like that concerning deaths… That’s not right; since it’s a Japanese game company, it might have a Confucian hue, but surely they wouldn’t go to the trouble of inserting that into a Western setting.
Regardless, refusing to acknowledge the greeting in this situation would look odd. Plus, I had grown quite accustomed to seeing the gryphon frequently, but it could easily devour me like pudding if it truly wanted. It’s better not to provoke it unnecessarily.
I bowed politely again and then stood up.
“Do you want to say something?”
Upon hearing my words, the gryphon tilted its head once more and solemnly performed another bow.
I accepted that greeting with a bow of my own—
…and we repeated that gesture three more times.
It was only then that a faint thought brushed through my mind.
When I first spoke to the gryphon, I had used polite language. In fact, at that time, I had used polite language with everyone around me.
Of course, I still do that now, but I was aware that I had bent that principle a few times.
Like during the moment when Claire and I turned back time.
Perhaps ever since then, I had subconsciously lowered my standard a bit.
No, more than that, honestly, it felt odd to be using polite language alone in the presence of a beast. Isn’t it strange to talk to a pet dog in polite language?
Of course, I’m not raising it.
Strictly speaking, I don’t think I’m raising it at all, but…
“…”
Regardless, the situation was quite clear.
The gryphon couldn’t speak human words due to its mouth structure, so it was trying to convey its intentions to me through body language.
And every time I spoke to it informally after greeting it, the gryphon would bow to me more cautiously and respectfully.
What could that gesture mean if it didn’t imply that it would do the same to me if I did so?
…Though, by the way, it seems to have tossed me a few times by the scruff of my neck, but I decided not to dwell on that.
“So, do you mean we should respect each other?”
Only after I spoke in honorifics did the gryphon slightly bow its head, as if satisfied.
What a pain in the neck.
“Then, if I courteously ask, will you consider granting my request?”
“…”
In response to my question, the gryphon sat down again, returning to that loaf-of-bread-like posture it had before.
In a way, it almost looked like it was cradling something.
….
Now that I think about it, I don’t even know if it’s male or female. Would it get mad if I tried to check?
Anyway, it seems that ‘mutual respect’ is the standard for our conversations, and whether it will grant my request is a separate matter altogether.
…What a pain.
I thought the same thing again.
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