Maybe my worries were completely useless after all.
Well, pretty young girls in this kind of novel are usually super strong anyway.
With shiny black bobbed hair and porcelain skin. Her black eyes looked like obsidian, slightly upturned and sharp, giving her an impression that was fierce, yet I couldn’t disagree that she was pretty.
Even on the way here, their clothes were already dirty and torn from what seemed like a battle. There were even parts that looked stained red, as if splattered with blood.
But surprisingly, none of them appeared to be injured.
Well, one of them was obviously holding what looked like a magic staff. It could probably be used as a blunt weapon, but the girl holding it looked too delicate for that. She certainly didn’t have a fierce appearance.
After all, in a world with gryphons and magic to move them around, there must be healing spells as well. A spell that could completely eliminate scars without leaving a trace.
Hmm, I wouldn’t mind having that cast on me too, but in this situation, that’s probably not going to happen.
Ah, I really hate this.
I mean, come on, it’s obvious we’re the bad guys here.
As if on cue, the Cardinal above was dramatically spouting some villainous lines. The girl with purple hair seemed intimidated by his words, while the black-haired girl in front looked extremely angry.
Wow, that’s scary. With a gun in hand and dressed in what clearly looks like armor, the expression on her face could make me feel like I might get shot right in the head.
……
Then again, this might not be all that bad.
Who knows how pitiful I look, but I’ve already suffered for quite a while.
Maybe it’s better to just end it here.
Back in the days when I didn’t believe in anything like religion, I feared death thinking that the end was really the end, but now, knowing that I can still exist as a spirit after death, dying in this gryphon body might not be so bad.
“Mia!”
The black-haired girl shouted fiercely and ran forward.
“Spittersglacia!”
The girl holding the staff swung it forward and shouted some mysterious words.
Blue light burst from her staff, forming ice right in front of me.
See, she’s a sorceress.
Just as I was preparing for the pain to come—
—What unfolded before me wasn’t an ice spear or blade, but stairs.
Stairs that reached up to the second floor.
The black-haired girl began to dash up energetically.
And she stomped up those icy stairs with all her might.
“Mia!”
“I know!”
What a fantastic teamwork moment.
Could it be that one of them knows the internal structure? Climbing up to ambush the knightly group right here seems wise.
Good, you’re doing well.
Just shoot that old fool in the head with your gun.
And if possible, use that big gun on your back to blow off one of those knights’ limbs.
…… Just for a moment, I thought that.
My gaze returned to the front.
I looked down at the girls who seemed to be the companions of that girl in front of me.
It wasn’t my intention.
“…… There’s nothing to be afraid of.”
The silver-haired girl stepped forward and said. In her hand was a slender rapier. Does she have that much skill in swordsmanship?
But if I looked closely, her hands were shaking slightly.
No matter how weakened they were, a gryphon is still a gryphon. There’s no way they wouldn’t tremble in front of a monster much larger than themselves.
“I know.”
Saying that, the girl who stepped forward was also holding a sword. This one was blonde.
Silver hair and blonde hair.
She might just be a noble’s daughter from somewhere prestigious. I don’t really know if nobility or royalty exists in this world.
But, well, I’ve heard something about the Emperor and all, so there must be some kind of hierarchy.
“We shouldn’t be afraid when our sister is in danger.”
The girl who said that had blue hair. She looked quite energetic. If there’s anyone here who isn’t shaken, it’s probably her.
Could it be that the one who jumped up earlier is her sister? That seems likely, though they don’t look alike.
Gunshots could be heard from above. Yelling could also be heard.
It was a man’s voice, and he sounded somewhat frightened.
Seems like a kid who’s already famous.
Serves him right.
Well, fine. I should give it my all too.
Of course, I don’t mean to give my all in trying to kill these kids.
Forward, the children step forward one at a time.
I concentrated as much as I could.
May these kids not die under my claws.
May my beak not gnaw on their futures.
Giving it my all to resist.
*
The reason my legs gave out had nothing to do with those kids.
The kids gave it their all, swinging swords at me and casting spells.
To be honest, it felt a bit magical to see magic in action. This was the first time I’d seen ordinary-looking magic, other than the kind that transformed me into what I am now.
And watching them swing their swords, some kind of wave seemed to ripple out. Could the physical laws of this world be different from what I knew?
But unfortunately…
Even as I got hurt, I didn’t feel more pain.
Only now did I realize that my body was already at its limit. I mean, it was understandable. I had left a lot of wounds untreated, letting them fester all over.
I was in so much pain that anything else felt meaningless at this point.
Thus, my downfall seemed entirely due to my own body.
Feathers that once grew beautifully were now tattered. The grand wings showed flesh in places, making them look pathetic.
And the areas they hadn’t touched were my beak and claws, so those kids had already been injured by my body.
Even healing magic seems to have its limits; sadly, the silver-haired girl was bleeding.
Thus, the battle ended.
While my body was being controlled by magic, I could at least stay standing because of the command, but now I truly had no strength left.
Kneeling on the ground, I hung my head low.
After the battle, I could hear the kids having some conversation, but I didn’t have the leisure to catch the details.
I just want it all to stop now.
Why did I end up in this world, and why do I have to go through this?
Should I hold on to my fading consciousness, or just let it go?
Footsteps were heard.
I unconsciously lifted my head at that creaking sound. I was familiar with that noise. And right after that noise, the knight who always kicked me used to show up.
But what I saw wasn’t that knight.
A girl in tattered clothes with messy hair that looked more disheveled than before— yet without any visible injuries— was standing right in front.
She was the girl who had stomped up those ice stairs.
Her name seemed to be ‘Sylvia.’
The complicated armor she wore was bent and torn in places, but she stood confidently on her two feet.
And she was holding something at head height.
A shattered jewel.
The very jewel that the high-ranking cleric had used to control me, now hanging from her neck.
Ah, I see. That’s why she couldn’t control me any longer.
“It’s okay.”
The girl approaching me said.
“This item has been destroyed. It won’t bind you anymore.”
I lifted my head a little higher.
Could it be because of what she said? My vision seemed to clear up a bit.
As if trying to show me better, she raised the jewel higher above her head.
A sense of relief washed over me.
Now that thing can’t torment me anymore; it can’t make me move to harm people.
Besides, it broke without being properly utilized. What was supposed to be the only thing that could be called a ‘battle’ was over before I could do anything.
The girl, who had been staring at me for a while, placed the jewel in her pocket.
Then, after looking at me for a bit, she carefully approached me.
A hesitant touch grazed my body.
Zing, pain shot through me. At first small, but growing into an awful throbbing as time passed. The wounds on my body seemed worse than I thought. The new pain I received from fighting those kids was barely noticeable.
As she touched my injured body, I heard a sound rising from my throat. She looked at me once more and took a step back.
“……”
Then, after hesitating for a moment,
“Follow me.”
She said softly.
And while still looking at me, she took a few steps back.
In this situation, it almost made me laugh.
Does this girl think I can understand her? Do gryphons in this world understand human speech?
But then again, thinking back, those who locked me up acted as if I understood their words.
I wouldn’t have listened to their words, but still.
She’s the one who just set me free.
Since I’m falling apart anyway, it wouldn’t be so bad to hear what a person says as my last words.
I raised my body. My joints creaked and cried out, but I paid it no mind.
The girl named Sylvia turned around only after confirming that I was standing.
And she walked toward the slightly open door through which they had entered.
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