I was stronger than I had thought.
And I don’t just an in terms of physical strength.
Just my presence alone seed to intimidate people.
At first, I assud griffons were fairly common in this world. After all, the fact that they managed to capture a young griffon like implied there were enough of us around.
But I’d never actually seen another one.
When I overheard that the Church suffered major losses transporting , I assud I was being treated like a particularly dangerous wild beast. But the more I saw how people reacted to , the more I realized that griffons in this world had far greater significance.
Sure, if a lion or a tiger appeared in front of soone, panic would be a natural reaction.
But in those eyes, you wouldn’t see admiration. Most people would either flee in fear, raise weapons in defense, or try to eliminate the beast before it attacked.
Yet the eyes of those who looked at contained both the fear of danger and... a kind of reverence.
The sa went for how they looked at Sylvia.
Imagine, for example, soone riding a lion or a tiger. People would probably stare in wonder and murmur admiration—“How incredible,” “Is that even possible?”—but even then, at best, they’d be treated as an exceptionally skilled animal trainer or circus perforr.
But the way people looked at Sylvia after seeing her on my back... was completely different.
It was the gaze reserved for figures from legend—awed and reverent.
You don’t get that kind of look just from riding a wild animal.
So, clearly, griffons in this world aren’t simply dangerous beasts. They’re treated more like divine or mythical creatures.
Even in a fantasy world like this one.
*
It beca clear that this world wasn’t ruled by a single unified governnt.
In the thick of battle, I hadn’t noticed because I was too busy fending off attackers and retaliating—but once the fight was over, I got a look at the soldiers inside the cathedral and the reinforcents that arrived later. They all wore different uniforms.
I had no way of asking directly, so I just eavesdropped on the people talking nearby. From what I gathered, the three powers involved were called the "Goddess Cult," "Belvur," and "the Empire." The Goddess Cult was, as the na suggests, a religion centered around a goddess. That much I’d already figured out. I’d heard the people who imprisoned talking about the goddess plenty of tis.
Belvur seed to be a neighboring country to the Theocracy ruled by the Goddess Cult. The Empire, in turn, was a nation bordering Belvur. They all just called it “the Empire,” so I didn’t catch its full na. Maybe I’d hear it eventually if I kept listening.
And then there was one other word I’d heard over and over.
Fangryphon.
I had no idea what it ant, but whenever I was with Sylvia, I heard it constantly.
The first ti I heard it was when a knight muttered it while staring at Sylvia sitting on my back, so I assud it had sothing to do with that image...
Riding a griffon’s back? Maybe that’s all it ans? But from the reverent expressions people had when they said it, it didn’t seem like it was just describing the act.
Hmm.
I guess I’ll shelve the question for now.
I thought about trying to write sothing on the ground—but then I rembered I didn’t know this world’s written language. If I carelessly wrote sothing in Korean and people started calling it “the ancient script of the griffon” and began studying it, that would be way too much trouble.
I just escaped, after all. I’m not about to let myself get captured again. Not that there’s anyone in this world with the guts to try.
*
“......”
As I walked, people naturally ford a circle around .
It didn’t feel like they were watching , or trying to guard . It was just that everyone instinctively kept their distance—like staying away from a volatile, dangerous material.
Was I really that scary?
Sure, I looked intimidating, but it wasn’t like I’d ever gone out of my way to frighten anyone.
I an, yes, I had torn into bleeding beasts and eaten them whole... but that couldn’t be helped. If they had given cooked at, I would’ve gladly eaten that instead. But no—they insisted on feeding raw at.
At least Sylvia didn’t seem afraid of .
We took a train from the Theocracy to the capital of Belvur, a city called Lutetia. That was the sa place where the cathedral I had escaped from was located.
Even on the way here, the aning of the word Fangryphon remained a mystery—but I had managed to figure out one thing: it was a ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) family na belonging to the Imperial House.
Sylvia, Alice, and the Emperor—Arthur, I think? When people called out the full nas of the other captured nobles, Fangryphon always ca with them.
Still, even knowing that, the way people reacted—gasping and exclaiming just at the na—still felt over the top. There had to be so legend or aning behind the na. You wouldn’t make that kind of dramatic face every ti soone ntioned a noble family.
Riding ahead of in the carriage were the two princesses. It was a large, luxurious vehicle, open-topped like a convertible. It didn’t seem to have a roof at all—probably built for days like this, when the weather was perfect.
A gentle breeze stirred her short black hair.
In that peaceful, sowhat sleepy atmosphere, I trailed behind the princesses’ carriage, my thoughts wandering—
Blare—!
What the—!
The sudden blast of sound caught completely off guard, and I flinched in a way that was not very griffon-like at all.
I didn’t raise my forelegs into the air in full panic or anything, but I definitely made a big enough motion that the people watching enter Rondarium took notice.
A thunderous trumpet blast.
Cheering that nearly drowned it out.
Confetti and flower petals falling from above.
And Lutetia—retaining its elegant, early-20th-century European charm—blended perfectly with the festive atmosphere.
Every gaze that t us was filled with joy.
It was the first ti I’d seen anything like this since coming to this world.
I was being welcod—not rejected, not hated, not chained or beaten.
I paused for a mont, looking around, and when I snapped back to reality, the carriage in front of had stopped. I must have wandered too far ahead, so they stopped the whole procession to match my pace.
Sylvia was looking back at .
Right. Fangryphon, wasn’t it?
I suddenly felt a mischievous urge.
The mont our eyes t, Sylvia’s face shifted in alarm, as if she’d realized exactly what I was thinking—but by then, I was already moving.
Screams rang out around . I could hear the knights behind scrambling in confusion. Further ahead, people were still cheering, unaware that anything had happened.
I clamped my beak gently around Sylvia’s nape and lifted her up, placing her on my back.
Silence fell.
I turned to glance at her, and Sylvia quickly adjusted her posture and sat upright with perfect poise on my back.
And just like that, the cheering resud, louder than before.
Alice, still in the carriage, stared up at in shock—but I held my head high with pride.
Then I strode behind the carriage again with all the grandeur I could muster.
...Okay, maybe it was a little too dramatic.
But hey—how would I know? I’ve never seen another griffon walk.
And neither had anyone else here, I bet.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
So of course, this would be the first ti they saw how a griffon walks.
Even if my posture was a bit awkward, no one would notice.
The farther we walked, the closer the palace ca into view—the sa one I had glimpsed when I flew over the city the first ti—and the louder the crowd’s cheers beca.
My heart was pounding.
Everyone here was celebrating my presence.
Sure, I wasn’t the only one being celebrated—but no one was hating , cursing , or waiting to chain up again.
Just shouts of joy.
The years of bitterness and pain I’d carried into this world hadn’t completely washed away yet.
But at least now, it felt like I’d never have to go through that again.
I glanced back—and my eyes t Sylvia’s.
She narrowed her eyes at for a brief mont... then sighed deeply, like she was saying, Whatever. Fine.
Yeah. It’s all thanks to her.
Thanks to her, who never once tried to use .
If she hadn’t broken that gem in that mont, I would’ve gone on hating humans until the very end.
Well—fine.
If I owe her, I’ll pay her back properly.
And while I’m at it, maybe I’ll snag so free als too.
I raised my head high, stretched out my wings, and walked forward in all my griffon glory.
When I heard the cheers grow even louder at the sight of my wings, for the first ti since coming to this world—
I felt... happy.
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