by Yu Sakurai
“Just wait. I think I can stop this griffin with magic.”
“Don’t lie to me! You can’t hit an animal in the air with m—”
“Yes I can.”
Actually, it made for a more convenient target.
I didn’t have to worry about my aim as much, since there was no risk if I missed my shot. I focused on my body, weaving the magical energy through my veins, chanted my spell, and…
“Gyowah?!”
A lightning bolt shot from the ground and struck the griffin with a bright burst.
Unfortunately, my older brothers had done a very good job of teaching me precise spells.
The first time I tried to use that water blade spell on Sumia, I let my guard down and nearly hit her, but this time, my aim was just as I intended.
The griffin came crashing down to the ground, but it had only fainted and didn’t appear to be injured. That was part of my plan too.
The griffin’s only crime was being forced into a hungry state, so I definitely didn’t want to kill the poor thing. Though, for that reason, it took some time to calculate the correct amount of force, and I felt bad that the delay seemed to have scared Krona.
With their griffin now powerless, the men tried to flee.
“You’re not getting away.”
With a quick spell, I trapped the men inside a cage of ice.
Just to be safe, I surrounded the sleeping griffin with the same ice too.
Unlike my transmuted items, these walls would only last for a short amount of time, but it worked as an emergency blockade.
“I sure do like it in the forest. You can use your spells without worrying about getting into trouble. Don’t you think it’s nice?”
“…Your Majesty, you’re probably the only queen in the whole world who would see it that way…”
She seemed a bit weirded out at first, but then, Krona knelt down at my feet.
“Your Majesty, I give you my sincerest apologies for taking part in the plagiarism scheme. I’m prepared to accept your punishment…however…”
“Is it your sister?”
She nodded.
“I know very well that I betrayed you, and I have no right to ask for anything. But…still, please don’t let my sister be hurt by my crimes…”
“I can’t give you my word… But I’ll keep an eye out for your younger sister.”
“Thank you for your kindness…”
Clear teardrops ran down Krona’s face and into the dirt.
Now that she was free from the pressure of her betrayal and the terror of the griffin, her eyes seemed to be letting go of all the tears she’d held back.
I understood that Krona had no choice but to do what she did.
When I saw her put herself between me and the griffin, I knew her feelings for me were the real thing. I didn’t want to believe that all the happiness I’d seen from her, like the first time she bit into that chiffon cake, had been a lie.
But still, she was guilty of betraying me, her master, and was involved in the plagiarized birthday present for the king. I couldn’t allow her to be declared innocent. It wasn’t proper for a queen, nor would it make any sense.
I would put in a request for her punishment to be reduced…but she would probably still end up serving time in jail.
Krona’s sister would lose her parents to the accident and her sister to her crimes, and she’d be left alone with nothing but the remaining debt.
With nowhere else to turn, the girl’s future was all but decided already. The sister was a victim, and she hadn’t done anything wrong.
With the image in my mind of Krona throwing herself in front of the griffin, I decided I would do what I could to give her younger sister a bright future to look forward to.
Chapter 7: A New Fluffy Friend Arrives at the Villa
THREE days passed after I discovered Krona’s betrayal.
News arrived that she’d received a sentence of nearly two years in prison for her actions.
It was a light punishment in comparison to her crime—that much was certain.
Krona’s sentence was reduced due to the helpful information she provided during her confession and because I chose not to push for a harsher punishment as her victim.
In addition to a list of people involved in the plagiarism plot and how it was carried out, she revealed the wicked details about how her family was forced into the debt repayment scam.
King Glenreed had already been suspicious of this shady method of debt collection, but he never managed to find definitive proof of wrongdoing until now. But thanks to Krona’s testimony, he was able to establish a connection between the debt repayments and Diaz’s family fortune.
From what I’d heard, King Glenreed planned to use this opportunity to investigate their crimes and expose any corruption he came across.
“And Diaz is getting sixty years in prison…,” I muttered under my breath as I stroked Lord Aroo with the slicker brush.
Before Krona’s testimony, she was supposed to get only ten years, but then her attempted killing of me, the queen of Wolfvarte, was revealed as well. As more and more charges piled onto her, the severity of her punishment worsened.
This world’s average life span is much shorter than that in modern-day Japan.
Even among the upper classes, few live to see their eighties.
For Diaz, who was already thirty-seven, sixty years in prison was no different from a life sentence.
Giran, the head chef, was also sentenced to prison, but for thirty years. By presenting the stolen chiffon cake as a present for His Majesty, the crime became defamation. His reputation as a famous chef was ancient history now.
As a commoner guilty of plagiarism, no one could testify on his behalf to have his sentence reduced.
“All that’s left now is Lady Natalie’s sentence. How do you think His Majesty will rule?” I asked Lord Aroo.
He turned his head away in response, as if saying, “I wish you wouldn’t ask me that right now…”
“I know you can’t answer that question. But when I see your silver fur and those blue-green eyes, they remind me so much of King Glenreed, and I just can’t help but think of him.”
I looked over Lord Aroo’s body, confirming that I’d given him a proper brushing.
Not to brag, but it was a job well done indeed.
The tips of his smooth silver fur sparkled in the afternoon sunlight. I wanted nothing more than to bury my hands in that coat, but he resisted my attempts to pet him, probably because of last time, when I got too carried away.
It was no one’s fault but my own, though that didn’t make it any less disappointing.
“Still…I hope I didn’t upset His Majesty.”
Lord Aroo’s ears perked up at that.
“I wanted to expose their plagiarism at all costs, but the only opportunity for such a reveal was during King Glenreed’s birthday celebration… I feel bad that I caused a terrible fuss on his special day.”
“Roo!”
“I’m sure that’s not his concern. Don’t let it get to you.”
Somehow, Lord Aroo’s cry sounded like it was supposed to console me. The wolf was worried about me.
“Why, thank you. I hope His Majesty shares your views… But I haven’t received a real response to the chiffon cake I sent him either. I fear he could be mad at me for making trouble during his party, but either way, I know he’s a very busy man, so I suppose I shouldn’t get ahead of myself.”
When I referred to the king as a “very busy man,” I noticed Lord Aroo stiffen for a moment.
…Did I imagine that?
“Oh, though naturally, I did receive a thank-you letter for the cake! But it only contained a very formal response…and I was hoping I could hear his impressions straight from His Majesty’s own mouth. Maybe he’ll have some improvements to suggest. Even though I made quite a scene at the party, it was still meant as a birthday present, after all.”
I didn’t have a very good read on
King Glenreed’s personality yet, nor did I know how many more interactions we would share in the future.
But in my own right, I was grateful to the king for giving me this life in the villa. Expressing that gratitude was a big reason I decided on making the chiffon cake for his birthday.
…Well, okay, it was a little more than that too.
Choosing the chiffon cake was a bit of a calculation on my part—I wanted to present His Majesty with a food this world hadn’t seen before. But the plagiarism incident was never part of the plan…
Now that the dust had settled, I still hoped to hear King Glenreed’s opinion of the cake.
Since there was always the threat of a birthday gift like that containing poison, I knew His Majesty wouldn’t try the cake the day of the party. That night, or perhaps the next day, after the cake had been tested for poison, was probably when he ate his first slice.
“I haven’t heard anything about His Majesty disliking sweets, so I certainly hope he enjoyed the ca— Whoa!”
Lord Aroo was pushing his head into my palm.
If he touched me first, that means I can pet him, right?
Little by little, I slid my hand across the wolf’s coat, only to find that he was holding perfectly still in place.
His fluffy fur felt so nice on my skin.
“Lord Aroo…?”
As grateful as I was, I couldn’t understand where this sudden change of heart had come from.
“This is my way of thanking you, so just accept it already,” said Lord Aroo’s stare as he eyed me from the side.
I didn’t understand this timing, but since the opportunity was before me, I decided to get my fill.
Carefully, I set both hands on his coat. I wasn’t going to get carried away like last time. As I busied myself with the fine art of wolf petting, Lord Aroo suddenly rose and perked up his ears.
I followed his gaze until I heard the rattling sound of an approaching carriage.
It was one of Lady Natalie’s servants, driving a four-horse carriage. The usual passenger car appeared to have been replaced by a large wooden box.
“Your Majesty, I beg your pardon. I’ve come here today because there’s something I need to confirm. May I have a moment of your time?”
“What’s this about?”
“Could you please take a look inside this box?”
I walked behind the carriage. There was a window in the box that I could look through. When I peered inside, I recognized the sharp, birdlike eyes staring back at me.
“The griffin…?”
“Yes. He’s been fully fed, so would it be okay for me to take him out?”
“…Yes, that’s all right.”
The servant opened the crate, and the griffin hopped right out, casually giving its enormous wings a stretch.
White fur covered the beast’s head and wings. In contrast to their birdlike shape, the griffin’s muscled torso and haunches resembled those of a lion. He was a stunning, regal specimen of a Mythical Beast, save for the two tufts of feathers at the top of his head that looked like a cute pair of cat ears.
The griffin seemed a bit startled to see Lord Aroo, but he quickly turned back to look at me.
I stared into his golden eyes, and then, the griffin lowered his head. He dropped down even further, until his head reached the ground where his talons rested.
“He’s showing submission…?”
“I thought so. It appears he’s chosen you as his master, Your Majesty.”
The servant nodded, accepting the sight before him.
Griffins, a kind of Mythical Beast, were the proudest of creatures.
But on the rarest of occasions, a griffin might decide to serve a human they deem worthy of their ownership, or so I’d heard.
…This is all because of the lightning spell I cast three days ago, isn’t it?
Fortunately, my spell had succeeded in subduing the griffin without causing anything more than some bruising. But now the beast appeared to acknowledge me as its superior and went as far as to see me as its new master.
“If you’ll have him, Your Majesty, I’d like to leave this griffin in your care…”
“Aren’t griffins a very rare breed of Mythical Beast?”
“Yes, that’s right. Once a griffin has chosen its owner, it won’t settle down again until it’s kept by that person, so we’ve been at a loss with how to deal with it.”
“I see…”
The servants did indeed look troubled, but it was the griffin’s eyes, filled with anticipation, that caught my attention.
I don’t want to let him down…
“I know how much trouble we made for you, and we’ve been in need of a home for this griffin, so please allow us to pay for the next ten years of this creature’s expenses, be it for food or anything else.”
“Very well. I’ll take good care of him.”
I didn’t have to think about my answer.
With a pet as large as a griffin, the cost of feeding and keeping it was astronomical. But with that problem out of the way, and with the griffin having chosen me as its owner on top of that, there was no reason for me to refuse.
I had wolves and a Gardener Cat, and now this griffin would be my newest furry friend here at the villa. Lady Natalie’s servant also seemed relieved that the griffin had taken to me.
“Your Majesty, thank you so much for accepting this creature. Now we’ve finally been able to grant Lady Natalie’s wish.”
“Oh my. Does that mean it was Lady Natalie’s idea to have me take in the griffin?”
“Yes. She must have sought a loving home for the griffin, and that’s why she gave us those direct orders.”
So this was Lady Natalie’s doing?
Until now, I’d gotten the impression she was something like a puppet for Diaz’s doings, but now that the puppet master was gone, perhaps she was starting to move by her own will.
I didn’t know what she was thinking or what she intended to do from here on out, but I would probably need to find out at some point.
Lady Natalie’s servant went home after that with a look of relief on his face.
The griffin remained with me, still in its chains, along with another one of Lady Natalie’s servants who had been in charge of caring for the beast.
Immediately, I was eager to ask this caretaker all sorts of questions about griffins.
“Do you see how this griffin has two extra tufts of feathers on its head? This feature is unique to males. Females don’t have any feather tufts, or if they do, they’re very small.”
I looked at the griffin.
The fuzzy plumage atop its head swayed in the wind.
Much like other birds, the male griffins alone possessed flashier feathers than their female counterparts. Though I wasn’t actually sure if griffins fell under the category of “bird” or “mammal.” Their heads completely resembled a bird of prey, and I’d heard they even laid eggs, so perhaps that meant they took after birds more than anything else.
A Mythical Beast had no reason to fall under Earth biology norms, but I just couldn’t let it go for some reason.
With my questions still in mind, I reached my hand out toward the griffin.
I stroked the base of his neck slowly, so as not to startle him, enjoying the tickle of his white feathers against my palm. Though the beast looked so tough on the outside, his body was soft and gentle to the touch.
Compared with the fuzzy fur of the wolves, the griffin’s feathers felt light and airy. His feathers rustled in the wind. They were slightly warm to the touch thanks to the rays of sunlight from above.
The griffin bent his neck down enough for me to pet his head with both hands.
“Why, thank you. You’re a nice boy, aren’t you? What’s this griffin’s name?”
“Please choose a name of your own liking, Your Majesty. Griffins take joy in receiving a name from their owner.”
If they were pleased by being given names, that meant they understood the notio
n of “names” in the first place. This griffin was worked up into a frenzy on the night we first met, but it appeared they were actually very intelligent creatures on the inside.
“A name…for a male griffin…”
“Griffy” felt like one of the cute names Lord Aroo had rejected for himself, so I wanted to avoid that situation again.
“Griffin. Griffin… Fon. How about ‘Fon’?”
“Kyaaah!!”
The Griffin—Fon—let out a cheerful screech.
My awe at its gallant cry was interrupted by a loud…
“Arooooooo!!”
Lord Aroo let out a howl of his own. He was staring up at me from my side.
“Don’t you dare forget about me,” his pouty stare seemed to imply.
I reached down with one hand to pet the jealous wolf.
With my right hand, I stroked Lord Aroo, and with my left, Fon. Their fur was mine to pet to my heart’s content.
From the villa window, I could see Berry staring down at us and breaking into a big, sleepy yawn.
Side Story 1
Prequel: It Seemed Like Such a Waste
“HOW could I not have taken the top rank…?”
Behind his glasses, Ilius’s eyes were wide as he muttered to himself.
Ilius was fifteen years old this year, making him the proper age to enter the Royal Elltoria Academy.
He clutched the results of the school’s placement exam in his hands.
As a boy who was held in high esteem for his exceptional academic skills, Ilius assumed the rank of top student would be his for the taking.
“The Gramwell girl ranked one point above me…”
He read the name of the student listed above him, the one who’d managed to secure the highest score on the exam and claim the title of top of their class.
Laetitia Gramwell.
She was engaged to Fritz, the crown prince, and was rumored to be a girl of many talents.
Entering the Royal Elltoria Academy was an important measure of status for all young nobles of the kingdom. If one managed to be accepted to the school and kept their grades up, it would later impact how they were treated as an adult member of high society.
…Very well. I’m sure I can take back the title as soon as school begins.
