Oh ho ho.
I didn’t realize how small humans seemed until I was standing here, bracing myself on my legs and looking down at them.
The concept of size is relative, after all. That relativity depends on the observer’s perspective.
I lowered my gaze.
There was Sylvia, lying down and peering up at me with a slightly turned body.
It was the exact opposite of our last encounter.
The slightly dazed expression she wore while looking up at me was kind of funny. Did a smile appear on my face too? My eyes probably narrowed a bit.
Everyone around us was frozen in silence. Even the girl I saved didn’t say a word.
How long are you planning to stay that way?
If you’re the protagonist, get up and fight properly!
I gently extended a claw— which was practically a hand by my standards— and flipped Sylvia onto her side.
Her body didn’t look that heavy, but with my Gryphon strength, it flipped way too easily.
“Ugh!”
That wasn’t a sound I’d associate with a protagonist. As she got flipped, she quickly scrambled to get up.
Was she scared that a suddenly-appearing monster had just landed on her?
Hmm.
It might have looked a little silly. Considering there were enemies nearby, it wouldn’t have made for a dignified situation.
I slowly lowered my head, just like I did last time in front of Sylvia.
“……”
Caught off guard, Sylvia looked around once. But then, as if she made up her mind, she performed an elaborate noble greeting like last time.
“Fanggriffon…”
Someone muttered something.
I had no idea what that meant. Is it a language unique to this world, or perhaps some sort of name? It could be directed at me since the word “Gryphon” is in there. But at this point, it didn’t really matter.
Then someone burst out laughing.
Turning to see, there was a middle-aged man with an unmistakable “I’m the final boss” aura, laughing heartily. He seemed to be bigger than humans of the same age and gender, and from the large sword he held in one hand, he looked like a skilled swordsman.
Unfortunately, I had no idea who he was.
To be honest, this situation was a bit confusing from my perspective. I could tell that this place, like a cathedral, was certainly a stronghold of those who had tormented me, but I had no clue why these folks were fighting or who was on which side.
…Maybe I didn’t need to think so seriously about it.
Couldn’t I just side with Sylvia? After all, she was the one who saved me. If the world ended, so be it. I had no attachment to this place.
“I just thought it’d be more fun this way.”
“…… I see.”
The two people who seemed to be having a somewhat nonsensical conversation wrapped it up.
Is this the timing?
In terms of games or comics, this feels like the perfect moment. Usually, such candid exchanges lead right into a fight, right?
I glanced around, gauging the situation, then decided I didn’t care and went for it.
Taking a deep breath,
“Fuhyooooo!”
I yelled with all my might.
…And Sylvia jumped in surprise.
What does it matter if you’re surprised? I just roared from behind you after thinking so carefully about my angle!
Hah, whatever.
Back when we first met, I thought she looked cool and had minimal emotional outbursts, but now it was clear she was a bit of a clutz.
Wouldn’t she have been in serious trouble if I hadn’t jumped in?
I lowered my head and bit the nape of Sylvia’s neck with care. I had to be careful not to bite too hard. If I messed up, I’d end up yanking out a chunk of flesh.
Then I gave her a little toss upwards.
“Eeeek!?”
In contrast to her first impression, she let out a truly unsophisticated scream as she flew up, landing squarely on my back. Fortunately, she didn’t bounce off and seemed to be holding on well.
So she’s got good instincts.
I was chuckling internally and jumped up high into the air.
“Fuhyoooo!”
With all my strength, I soared upward, then came crashing down again.
Honestly, from the moment I took off, I realized my body’s weight couldn’t just be lifted by flapping my wings. Sure, they were large, but given that I was a Gryphon, it wasn’t just about having wings.
To fly just by flapping my wings while hovering, I’d definitely need more than just sheer strength.
Thinking back, magic must have been applied to my body even then.
So the church folks pressuring me to use magic wasn’t entirely unreasonable.
But it was a mistake to bind me up and say such things.
“Aah!”
The knights in my descent hurriedly dove to roll out of the way.
I hadn’t intended to attack the knights in the first place.
I grabbed a rifle lying on the ground and tossed it up high.
Then I quickly repositioned myself to catch it for the girl on my back to grab.
To be precise, it was the girl on my back who caught it.
Since we weren’t in the air anymore but grounded, she didn’t hesitate and caught it right away.
When I turned to look back, the girl was wide-eyed, holding the rifle with both hands, gazing blankly at me.
I couldn’t help but chuckle once more.
That dumbfounded expression was just right for her age. Of course, I wasn’t exactly sure how old she was. Probably mid-teens or so, judging by appearances.
To think such a girl had to risk her life to fight in a place like this—what kind of world had I ended up in?
…Well, why should I dwell on that? If it’s such a world, they must be fighting. There was evidence that the standards for adulthood differed in the past, so I could just assume this world operated similarly.
I felt the girl gripping my legs tightly.
Yeah, hold on tight.
I’m about to really run and fly now.
Sounds of shouting and clashing swords filled the air again.
And I leaped right into that chaos.
*
The more I fought, the more thrilling it felt.
Could this be the Gryphon’s instinct?
I swiped a front paw to meet the blade swung by the enemy. No matter how long the sword, striking my claws would send it flying back, sometimes even snapping it in half.
The tips of my wings conjured ice spears and large fireballs. I could move them as easily as if they were my fingers.
When I fully embraced the instinct of a beast charging through the battlefield, that instinct suddenly raised an alarm in my head.
It was a kind of warning.
A feeling that something dangerous was watching me. I had never felt this before. Not even when I encountered enemies while bits of my body were rotting away.
I swiftly turned my body to hide the girl behind me and shielded myself with my wings.
I felt something hit my wing with a thud. The sound of feathers being sliced echoed, and a searing sting shot through my right wing. It was a familiar sensation— the long, cutting kind.
It wasn’t unbearable, but I couldn’t just ignore it either.
Lowering my wings, I turned to face the one who attacked me.
Surprisingly, she was quite a distance away. It wasn’t close enough for a knife to reach me.
With her red hair, she looked pleased to see me and was grinning.
So that’s how it is.
Well, with magic being a thing, it’s not unexpected that blade flashes and airwaves exist too. I wasn’t sure which it was, though.
Click.
There was a sound behind me.
It was the girl, holding the rifle with both hands.
Sylvia must be aiming at that red-haired person in front of me.
That person quickly charged at me.
Were they out to get me or Sylvia?
Bang!
The gun went off, but it didn’t hit the red-haired one. Did she dodge to the side at the sight of the gun being aimed? The bullet slammed into the ground instead.
Bang!
I learned for the first time that blades could swipe bullets away. This time, I clearly saw something akin to an energy wave coming from the tip of that sword. I didn’t even bother trying to dodge it. Since she swung it in a hurry, the wave didn’t hit us.
Bang!
The red-haired one dodged again by twisting her body to the side.
I could’ve jumped in at this moment. No matter how skilled the red-haired fighter was, there was a racial difference to consider.
But for some reason, I didn’t want to do that.
I felt like I should give the girl on my back an opportunity to shine—
—No, that’s not it, it felt like this was something between the two of them.
So I decided to wait until it truly got dangerous.
And then—
Bang!
This time the bullet traveled toward the direction where the red-haired one was “dodging.”
I didn’t know if Sylvia was faking it or if the other side made a mistake.
And one last time, bang, the gun went off.
The red-haired one, having been hit once on each shoulder by the bullets, collapsed right there.
She didn’t seem to be dead.
I figured there must be some backstory to that.
I turned my head to look at the girl sitting on my back, Sylvia.
The smell of gunpowder lingered.
She slowly lowered her rifle and looked toward me.
Her expression was somewhat surprised but also bore an air of normalcy, like that was to be expected.
It was a paradoxical expression, but at the same time, I found it to be a remarkably admirable one.
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