Thank you to everyone who left comments and coupons! Chapter 217
68. The Magical Beast and the Olympus Gryphon
216 – The Magical Beast and the Olympus Gryphon #1
━ A special meal has been prepared just for you by Jupiter. This way…
At the words of the Gryphon maid, Azidahaka raised their voice.
“Something feels off, that Jupiter guy is definitely up to something.”
The Raccoon, Leaf, who was by their side, also wore a worried expression.
━ We just reunited, and now he’s trying to ditch me again!
━ Grrr.
With all these colorful reactions, my head was starting to throb. I shrugged my shoulders and replied in my best cool demeanor.
━ Alright, let’s see what the owner of this place has prepared for me. You two just wait here and chat or something.
Leaf and Azidahaka looked like they wanted to say more but ended up just gaping as I walked towards the place Jupiter had supposedly prepared just for me.
‘This better not be a trap.’
If Jupiter was planning an ambush or some kind of prank, he could’ve skipped the hassle of inviting me to his court and just attacked me when I was crawling out of that Pyramid. I was pretty worn out from all those battles and the magic I had just gone through.
‘I have to deal with Chino’s issues, but it’s probably related to that.’
Jupiter had something to say about me naming his daughter whatever I wanted, I could guess that much.
━ Here it is. Jupiter should be waiting inside.
Following the maid’s guidance, I arrived at a set of golden doors deeper into the banquet hall.
Golden doors, huh? With the eagle faces and lion heads engraved on them, that was luxury all wrapped up in one.
Knock, knock.
━ Jupiter, as requested, I’ve brought Alpha.
“━.”
A faint voice came from beyond the door. The maid pushed the golden door open, bowed slightly, and stepped back.
━ Well then, if you need anything, please let me know.
━ Do I just go in?
Nod.
The Gryphon maid nodded silently at my question.
‘This feels a bit awkward all of a sudden.’
Ahem.
I exaggeratedly cleared my throat and strutted into the room with all the confidence I could muster.
Inside was a room with a long banquet table that reminded me of noble houses. Silver platters and candle sticks shone bright atop the tables.
“Sit over there.”
At the end of the long table sat Jupiter, clad in silvery armor.
Seeing him in such heavy armor at a dinner table felt pretty uncomfortable, and I squinted for a moment.
Following Jupiter’s suggestion, I sat down facing him across the lengthy table. It was so long that we must’ve been a good ten meters apart.
Unless you had exceptional hearing, talking in a small voice like that would be impossible, and I couldn’t help but snicker internally while I thought this.
Click.
The door swung open again, and the maid who had guided me in earlier, probably named Leto, appeared with covered silver platters.
Rustle, rustle.
The Gryphon maid placed the dishes in front of me and Jupiter, opening her mouth slightly.
━ Tonight’s meal is composed of eight courses as per Jupiter’s instructions. We’ll start with the appetizer…
Swiftly.
Just as the maid was about to explain, Jupiter raised his hand to stop her.
“Enough, Leto. I’ll handle the rest.”
Nod.
Leto bowed her head and backed out, leaving just Jupiter and me at the table. Jupiter opened his mouth again.
“The appetizer is red sugar mint seeds that grow deep underground in the desert.”
With a flourish, he uncovered the silver platter, revealing tiny red seeds piled high like cereal without milk.
“Don’t stand on ceremony, just dig in.”
Swiftly.
Chomp, chomp.
Jupiter took the lead, scooping up the seeds with a spoon and shrugging at me. Instead of saying anything back or nodding, I grabbed my spoon and took a bite of these so-called red sugar mint seeds.
The red beads burst in my mouth like pomegranate seeds, giving off a mysteriously odd flavor that was a mix of a slight minty taste and pomegranate.
‘Not exactly tasty, but it works for a light breakfast.’
It was not a dish that made a huge impact but was indeed fitting for an appetizer. Just as I was about to scoop another bite, Jupiter casually spoke up.
“These red sugar mint seeds were originally white. There’s a reason they turned red. Do you want to know why?”
━ No.
“Then let me tell you anyway. A long, long time ago, there was a farmer growing mint who had a lovely daughter. She was beautiful, so pretty that you wouldn’t feel pain even if you put her into your eye. One day, a thief tried to assault her, and the farmer saw this. He killed the bandit and let the bl**d drip onto the earth. That’s how the color of the growing sugar mint changed to red.”
━ I see.
I half-listened as I gobbled up the strange seeds. By the time Jupiter and I polished off everything on our plates, the maid who had stepped out earlier, probably named Leto, returned with another covered silver platter.
As she lifted the lid, a light-colored broth shimmered beneath the dome, rippling in the silver platter.
Ding!
As I scooped up the shallow soup, the plate and spoon clanged together with a clear sound. The soup was a pale red, giving off a fragrance like some fine wine.
“This soup is the juice of the sand rose, which can occasionally be found in this desert. Just one sip will last for days. Enjoy it while savoring the aroma.”
Sniff, sniff.
At Jupiter’s words, I leaned in to sniff, and indeed a delicate, sweet fragrance wafted from the soup.
As I took a spoonful, it had a slightly salty twist that felt quite refreshing.
Once I took a bite, Jupiter again opened his mouth.
“Have you ever heard of the origin of the sand rose? The inhabitants of this great desert believe it is the tear shed by a miner who sent his daughter, Clementine, off to get married. Isn’t that poetic?”
━ It is.
I nodded appropriately as I finished the soup. Just in time, the maid Leto arrived again with another silver platter.
When she opened the lid indifferently as usual, a whole grilled fish presented itself.
Fish in the desert? As I cutting into the thick flesh with fork and kn*fe, the salty taste and delicious meat spread throughout my mouth, reminding me of seared mackerel from my human days—only much bigger.
“Eating fish in this desert, away from the Southern Ancient Nest, is not easy unless you’re someone like me. This is a tear mackerel, found only in Halglur Oasis and Indangsu. The reason it’s called tear mackerel is that the daughter sacrificed her body for her father and the tears shed by him for her…”
━ No, enough of that…
I was trying to maintain my manners and etiquette for this meal, but his stories were getting on my nerves.
━ I’m going to choke! What is it you want to say? Spit it out clearly instead of going around in circles.
Upon my inquiry, Jupiter set his fork down and darkened his expression. And with a heavy voice, he opened his mouth once more.
“…Do you know? I love all women and females.”
━ What the… sudden outburst…
“I truly love all women and females.”
━ ….
“I love Wildlings. I love Harpies. I love Lamias. I adore the stature of little dwarves. The haughty mannerisms of humans are also quite delightful. The soft skin of those skinny Dark Fairies, the deadly and sharp eyes and teeth of the Arachnes. The impressive abs of Centaurs make my spine tingle just to think about touching the cold, smooth skin of Mermaids.”
Jupiter rapped off these lines without taking a breath.
“From mountains, plains, snowy fields, waters, caves, underground ruins, skies, cities, and the boundless varieties of the Ancient Nest. All the females I can meet in every possible place. Everything I can do with them is simply wonderful.”
‘This guy…’
“When a pure maiden blushes just from holding hands, and as we slowly build affection and trust until she grants me everything, that sensation alone makes me feel the thrill in my bones. I love turning selfish, strong-willed women into a purring female beast atop a bed. When she screams, trembles, and doesn’t know what to do while clawing at my back in overwhelming pleasure, that feeling in itself saves my life.”
‘This guy’s really over the edge.’
While liking women is common among most males, saying such things out loud can’t possibly be considered normal.
“I enjoy the sight of armed men raiding villages and abducting innocent women. When girls’ hearts are pierced repeatedly by the claws of monsters and beasts, I find it quite moving.”
━ You crazy b*stard, cut it out!
“However, even during my lecherous escapades, there was one woman that I cherished above all. My one and only companion, Juno. She was the most demure and pure of women, unlike my rascally self.”
The man’s eyes, once gleaming with fervor, suddenly became sad for just an instant. But that was only a brief moment as Jupiter snorted and continued speaking.
“My only daughter was Juno’s last gift. I cherished her just like I did my daughter, protecting her from any taint. Even at the age where I should have been recognized as a respectable beast and married her off as a Gryphon, I didn’t do so. That’s precisely why you ruined everything.”
━ Ah, I see.
Taking a piece of the grilled mackerel, I swallowed a hefty bite and nodded as if I understood.
━ So what you’re saying is, you can mess with other people’s daughters, but when it comes to your own, don’t touch?
“Sounds like that’s what it boils down to.”
━ You’re being a real hypocrite here.
“Not quite sure what that means, but anyway… I couldn’t tolerate you. How dare you give your girl a name without my permission?”
━ So you couldn’t tolerate it… which means you’ve forgiven me now?
“Yeah, my daughter Chino… Alpha – Chino sings your praises endlessly. I don’t know how you managed to tame that little ruffian, but you must be quite strong as a beast.”
Clap, clap.
As Jupiter began to clap, the maid Leto and another Gryphon maid pushed a cart into the room.
On the cart was a large platter once again covered with a dome, hiding whatever lay beneath from view.
In the center of the table, the grand silver platter sat.
━ The fourth course. This is a meat dish. We’ve used a sauce made from Chili Raccoon to enhance the flavors.
Leto, with an air of simplicity, opened the dome. A giant puff of steam rose to the ceiling as the lid lifted.
What emerged was a whole beast, roasted to perfection. Its size and shape were eerily familiar.
“It’s lamb. A very high-quality ingredient.”
━ Wait, you don’t mean…
I recalled the appearance of Satan when he had been a newborn lamb.
Having lost his strength and turned into a mere beast, Jupiter and his Gryphon subordinates had taken him under the pretext of maintaining order by detaining lawbreakers.
‘You can’t be serious… are we really eating Satan?’
As I pondered this, the Gryphon maid Leto, with a massive kn*fe, started cutting the lamb into sizable chunks, placing one of those meaty pieces on my plate.
Sitting there hesitantly, not knowing how to cut the lamb with fork and kn*fe,
Chomp!
Jupiter, across from me, effortlessly grabbed a leg with his hand, tearing into it like a boss. Following his example, I discarded the clunky utensils and lifted the whole leg, sinking my teeth into the succulent meat.
The tender, juicy texture and mildly spicy aroma filled my mouth.
“As a side note, this lamb is from the highest tier of merino sheep, the cream merino sheep. It’s nothing like that Satan character.”
━ Ah, got it.
“The latter is locked deep underground in this rocky mountain. I have much to say about you two, but let’s save that for later. For now, back to talking about my daughter Chino. According to Gryphon law, I intend to marry her off to you.”
━ Huh? What did you just say?
I nearly spat out what I was eating and grimaced. Yet, Jupiter, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened, continued munching on the meat.
“Consider it an honor. You’re going to become part of the glorious Gryphons. But there’s a condition.”
