It wasn’t that difficult to hunt down beasts.
If it had been only a short while since I arrived here, I would never have even considered it. But thankfully or not, I was treated like a ‘beast’ under those humans.
It’s quite ridiculous when I think about it.
What I wished for was something legendary, but all I got was being treated like just another wild animal. It was the same with the food they gave me and the tasks they wanted me to perform.
If only they had treated me like some divine creature, maybe I could have changed my mind?
But if you start off bound in iron chains, who would hear you out properly?
“……..”
I stared at the few bloody feathers left in front of me.
Honestly, it didn’t put me in the best mood.
First off, killing a live bird myself and chewing it up wasn’t exactly cheerful, and yet somehow I felt a strange satisfaction after I ate it.
Thinking it tasted good to eat living flesh and blood or that filling my growling stomach could bring me satisfaction was something I still couldn’t quite adapt to.
Moreover, the reason I felt happiness over such small things was that those bastards had never once given me enough food to satisfy me.
To be able to eat whenever I want—what a joy that is!
While I chewed on a small piece of meat still in my mouth, I pondered.
…So, what now?
It was great that I could escape, but the problem was that I had no idea what to do next.
Not knowing what kind of world this was turned out to be extremely fatal. I had no clue about the countries existing here, their cultures, what kind of technological level this world had, or what etiquette I needed to keep up with.
At least the one good point was that it wasn’t cold here.
Hmm.
…Should I build a nest for now?
Even though I had become a gryphon, I wasn’t sure if gryphons were closer to eagles or lions.
It seemed that the ‘eagle’ part was bigger, and I didn’t know how lions made their nests.
Though the gryphon feathers were quite warm, I felt it might be nice to have a cozy spot?
…And so I tore off a few branches and started to shape my nest. But then my brain went blank, and I stopped.
The gryphon was much bigger than I thought, and making a perimeter around me was an enormous hassle. Stacking branches on top of the perimeter to make it a wall was even more annoying.
Besides, I wasn’t even going to lay any eggs, so was there really a need to build a nest?
Giving up halfway through just sounded pathetic like a plump pigeon who couldn’t get it together.
I felt ashamed, but I decided this was all thanks to those bad guys.
They never gave me time to grow into a gryphon, you know.
Of course, I hadn’t even thought about growing into a gryphon in the first place.
“……..”
At that moment, should I have just stuck with that Sylvia kid?
If I had been next to her, I might have at least thought of what to do. I could just move as she commanded.
Moreover, thinking back, she seemed to be the protagonist.
I didn’t know anything about this world, but it seemed this wasn’t some past version of my old reality. There was magic, and above all, I was a gryphon. This creature didn’t exist in my world.
Yet, it didn’t seem like an alternate history either. The crosses on those priests’ outfits weren’t of traditional sorts.
No matter how you looked at it, it felt like some kind of story, but I couldn’t pinpoint which one. It made me think it might be a work from Japan, considering there were many pretty girls.
Would it be okay to go find her now?
Considering the knights’ reactions when I soared up, it didn’t seem that great of an idea. This creature called a gryphon seemed to be treated as a dangerous beast, and Sylvia was the only one who had tried to communicate with me. If I went back now, I might get shot.
Regret gnawed at me fiercely.
If she were the protagonist, she wouldn’t treat me like those damn bastards did.
I hadn’t thought it through enough.
While I sat there, lost in regret—
With no warning, a corner of my vision suddenly filled with light.
Turning my head, I saw a massive pillar of light.
A pillar of light stretching endlessly towards the sky from far away.
From this distance, it looked a bit thin, but considering how far it was, the pillar was undoubtedly wide and tall.
Hmm, how should I put it…
It seemed like the kind of pillar that would show up near the end of a story.
I stared at the pillar for a while, then spread my wings and took off.
Just to be safe, I looked around, but that pillar was the only thing in sight.
Then, the only thing I could think of was to head towards that pillar.
Surely, the protagonists of this world would be heading towards that pillar.
And they’d probably have the final battle inside of it.
Even if not, it had to be some sort of extremely important event.
It’s clear that this wasn’t a world from any of the games, novels, or comics I had read, but usually, stories happening in such worlds have their own set paths. Sure, there are authors who go off the beaten path, but if that were the case, there wouldn’t have been a way for me to be saved like this in the first place.
Well, fine.
Then let’s fly over that way.
While I’m at it, let’s get closer and wait to see what happens.
At least, I hadn’t seen any airplanes flying around here. Still, it had vibe like the early 20th century, so I couldn’t entirely let my guard down, but if I was cautious, I could somehow avoid danger.
A rifle bullet couldn’t kill me, but that machine gun on a plane could be dangerous.
I flew as high as I could towards that area.
*
I flew around there for a few days, keeping an eye on the happenings.
Mainly at night when I was high up, I observed that humans who looked like soldiers were gathering around.
And some would attempt to enter, only to get burned and collapse.
…I was lucky I hadn’t barged in.
I almost ended up as a gryphon roast.
During the day, I hid in a forest far from the village, and at night, after surveying the surroundings, I took to the skies for a few days.
Finally, those kids I presumed to be the protagonist’s party arrived.
They were in roughly the same combination as those I saw underground. Or perhaps exactly the same. To be honest, it had only been a short while since I had recovered my body, and I’d only glimpsed the kids for a few seconds. When I was fighting, I wasn’t in my right mind.
And before I knew it, the kids rushed in without a chance for me to stop them.
…And those who went inside looked perfectly fine. The faint silhouettes visible beyond the light walked away and disappeared into the city wrapped in that pillar of light.
Um…
Should I go in too?
Seeing that the kids could go in without injury, it seemed there was some condition, but the problem was that I didn’t know what that condition was.
“……..”
Eventually, I decided to lie low in the surroundings again.
After all, I had just recovered from being in so much pain.
I didn’t want to do anything reckless.
*
Fortunately, it didn’t take long for an opportunity to enter to arise.
How long had it been since I was flying around above the sky observing? Maybe a few hours? I couldn’t gauge the exact time without a clock, but after a somewhat boring period, suddenly, the pillar of light vanished.
Since it was daylight, I, who had been flying from a distance, took off towards where the pillar had been.
Just as I had suspected, I didn’t meet with any harm when I approached where the pillar had been. The barrier that burned any living thing approaching it was surprisingly spotless.
Slight sounds faintly reached me from afar.
Normally bustling, the city that would have been filled with people was silent. That’s why I could distinctly hear the sounds of a struggle coming from far away.
I immediately flew towards that direction.
It felt as if my instincts guided me, and I moved my wings in a way that it was almost like I was meant to do it from the very beginning, crashing straight into the stained glass of the building.
What crumbled under my wings was reminiscent of the first time I took to the skies in this world—a woman’s figure. Perhaps she was a goddess believed in by this world’s religion.
While I shattered the window and damaged part of the wall, what came into my view was the girl who lay bleeding on the floor—Sylvia.
It looked like she had a hole in her stomach, and blood gushed out like a fountain.
I rushed toward her.
What happened next wasn’t something I had been taught by anyone. It felt almost instinctual, as if I had known how to do it all along.
A ball of light gathered around my wings. The place where the light touched felt strangely warm.
My wings moved of their own accord as my body fell, naturally balancing itself. Defying the laws of physics, I landed so smoothly as if gravity itself had no power over me.
With a crack, the ground beneath me split open. A few nearby figures shouted in shock.
I opened my beak wide and let out a screech with all my might.
“Puuyooooh!”
Like the cry of an eagle heard in movies.
At that moment, all the eyes in the church turned towards me.
For a split second, I felt a little proud.
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