The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent

"Hmm..."

That was the general reaction of the people who saw the Gryphon following me all the way back to Lutetia.

Though, I wasn’t entirely sure following was the right word. Sometimes, it would trot along behind the carriage, and other times, it would suddenly take off and soar into the distance, as if stretching its wings after being cooped up for too long.

Honestly, when it flew high into the sky, I felt a fleeting sense of relief. Yeah, just keep flying. Go back to your family and live a happy life~ I thought to myself. But just when I was about to solidify that thought into certainty, it would always come back.

And every time it returned, it was right when we were crossing a border.

Even in this world, moving animals across regions required some sort of declaration or permit. There weren’t any serious discussions about ecological destruction yet, but rare creatures were often considered a specialty of specific regions and usually got flagged at customs.

Monkeys, vibrantly colored tropical fish, parrots, reptiles... The creatures here often had familiar names but were wildly different from what I knew.

And as I’d mentioned before, the animals in this world were genuinely dangerous. Not just because they could bite people or spread disease—but because some of them could set things on fire with magic. In a world that relied heavily on gas, oil, and coal, a creature like that running wild could cause massive disasters. That’s why these inspections existed in the first place.

The problem was that the creature following me wasn’t just any animal.

...Actually, could I even call it an animal?

You wouldn’t classify a dragon as just an animal, would you?

In fantasy worlds, dragons were often portrayed as intelligent beings capable of speech. Even in settings where they were depicted more like massive winged reptiles, they were rarely reduced to the level of a mere beast.

The Gryphon following me didn’t have human vocal cords, so of course, it couldn’t speak.

But judging by the way it reacted to my words—and the words of those around me—it definitely seemed to understand everything we were saying.

"Hmm..."

That was the exact same reaction from the Belvur soldiers stationed at the border.

Was it really okay to consider this thing an ordinary beast?

And if it was a beast, where the hell was I supposed to classify it?

More importantly... Was it even allowed to cross the border?

Not that I had the power to stop it if it wasn’t.

I felt like my thoughts were written all over my face.

"Y-You may pass!"

...Seriously?

I mean, sure. If I were in their position, I’d probably say the same thing after making eye contact with a Gryphon that was standing tall, head held high, glaring down at me with piercing eyes.

But could they at least stop looking at me like I was supposed to be the one handling this?

I couldn’t stop it either.

*

"Hmm..."

Surprisingly, even the King of Lutetia had the same reaction.

It seemed he had already decided how to handle the situation before we even arrived. The moment we entered Lutetia, trumpets blared, and flower petals rained down. From the looks of it, Belvur was planning to declare victory in this battle.

There was no way to completely conceal what the Emperor had done—Belvur’s nobility already knew the details. If they couldn’t suppress the truth, they must have decided it was better to frame it as a triumph instead.

What would happen to the captured Emperor was another issue entirely, one that would undoubtedly involve a long and tedious process. But for now, I decided to go along with it.

The problem was, it wasn’t just people going along with it.

Even though the Empire had once been ruled by a Fangryphon, and even though its history was deeply tied to Gryphons, not much concrete knowledge had been passed down about them. After all, the one who had controlled the Gryphons was Fangryphon the individual, not the Empire itself.

As a result, Gryphons were seen as both real creatures and beings that existed on the edge of mythology. What did they eat? How did they live? Did they have their own culture? Very few people who had gone to investigate had ever returned, further cementing their mystique.

That was why I had no idea that Gryphons enjoyed showing off.

When the trumpets first blared, the Gryphon flinched and raised its front legs in surprise. But then it quickly collected itself and took in its surroundings.

It noticed that it had stopped moving, that the carriages behind it had also halted, and that the people around it were smiling.

Then, all at once, it charged forward—toward the carriage that had pulled away from it.

...The open carriage I was riding in.

And then, it bit me.

Screams erupted immediately. Of course, they did. The princess who had returned bearing news of victory was now being mauled by a Gryphon. If a Fangryphon descendant were to die at the fangs of a Gryphon, the irony would be too much to bear.

But in reality, it hadn’t bitten me—it had grabbed the back of my cloak.

And without giving me any time to brace myself, I was yanked up and flung onto its back.

Thank god I had worn shorts today.

As I scrambled to steady myself, sitting upright on the Gryphon’s back, the momentary silence was replaced by cheers.

I had no idea why the people of Belvur were so excited about a foreign princess riding a Gryphon into their city, but from the way they were reacting, it seemed like they thought this was some kind of pre-planned event.

The Gryphon, looking thoroughly pleased with itself, spread its wings wide, lifted its beak high as if raising its nose in pride, and strode forward with confidence.

If you ever dissected a Gryphon, I was convinced that half of its body weight would just be pure pride.

And just like that, we marched all the way to the royal palace of Lutetia.

Of course, I dismounted once we reached the King. But the Gryphon, as if it belonged there, stood firmly behind me without so much as bowing its head.

"Hmm..."

The King of Lutetia, staring at the Gryphon in silence, finally turned his gaze back to me.

"This Gryphon—is it the one the princess saved before?"

"...Yes."

I could only hope my voice didn’t sound as embarrassed as I felt.

Lutetia had no intention of going to war with the Empire. That much was clear.

No matter how long the Emperor had been absent, the Empire was still the Empire. Its weapons of war far outmatched every killing machine in the Kingdom. In the world where the goddess had existed, at least the holy forces had some means of countering them. But in this world, their warships and monitors were still fully operational.

The King wanted to end this situation as peacefully as possible.

"The ones who contributed the most to # Nоvеlight # this battle were, in fact, Imperial citizens. So I do not intend to hold the Emperor’s actions against the Empire as a whole."

"..."

Huh?

Something about the King’s phrasing felt off to me.

And apparently, Alice felt it too. She tilted her head slightly, as if something wasn’t quite right.

"Besides, the Emperor himself did not actually commit any great sins against Lutetia. The ones conspiring beneath our city were from the Holy Nation."

Technically, the Emperor was responsible for all of this at its root, but what he said wasn’t exactly wrong either. Just because someone is preparing to attack you doesn’t mean you suddenly gain the right to attack someone else in retaliation.

"But that does not mean we can simply hand over the Emperor. However, I imagine the Empire itself will have differing opinions on the matter. It seems we will need to negotiate quite seriously."

"..."

Hmm.

This was bothering me.

I had considered just letting it go, but I felt like I needed to understand the reasoning now, or I’d be caught off guard later. So I decided to ask directly.

"Your Majesty."

"Speak."

"...May I ask why you changed the way you are speaking?"

"..."

The King of Lutetia blinked at me for a moment, as if caught off guard, then looked at me with genuine confusion.

"Why, isn’t it obvious?"

"...Obvious?"

"The rightful heir to the Empire’s throne is standing before me. Naturally, I must show the proper respect. Besides, from the way things look, it is entirely possible that this heir will soon become the Emperor."

"..."

I took a moment to process his words.

And then, just to be sure, I asked again.

"...You mean Alice, correct?"

"What are you talking about?"

The King’s expression twisted into even deeper bewilderment.

"Surely no one in Belvur is ignorant of the legend of Fangryphon. The one who controls the Gryphon has appeared within the imperial family once more. Naturally, that means the next Emperor must be Fangryphon."

No, actually, that’s not a law.

That’s just a legend.

I mean, sure, from the way things looked, something had happened in the past to inspire the legend. But the myth itself was incredibly barebones—it didn’t even have the usual cliché lines like, “One day, a true Fangryphon shall rise and claim the throne...” or anything like that. It was just a founding myth, nothing more.

I stood there, completely baffled, as the King of Belvur stared at me expectantly.

I had no idea what I was supposed to say to that.