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41. The Magical Beast and the Little Forest’s Hero
123 – The Magical Beast and the Little Forest’s Hero #3
A massive shadow loomed over my body. At first, I thought a cloud was blocking the sun, but soon I heard a rough flapping noise above me.
—Well, aren’t you the juicy morsel? I’ll allow you to be my meal today!
A gigantic bird squawked loudly. I looked up, and there it was—an extremely large beast flapping its wings while glaring down at me with fierce eyes.
A fantastical creature, a mix of apex predator birds and wild beasts.
It had the body of a giant white-headed eagle with the upper body of a lion, radiating majesty.
I nonchalantly licked the flower oil off my front paw, playing it cool.
—Are you the griffon that’s made its home in this forest?
—Hoh…?
The griffon seemed to be amused, as if it had just heard the funniest joke ever. It stopped flapping its wings and landed heavily on the ground.
It was as big as a mid-sized sedan, and its robust, brutish-looking claws confirmed that Batus wasn’t just exaggerating about this creature being a contender for the Platinum Grade.
The griffon eyed me with the intensity of a hawk, as if trying to see through my bones.
—Who would’ve thought there’d be someone in this little forest who could talk to me? The Eastern Nest has some surprisingly decent creatures!
—First time seeing a talking beast? You’re not from around here, are you?
The griffon dramatically spread its enormous wings to show off.
—Of course! I’m a noble predator born and raised in the Western Nest, the desert of dragons!
Caught up in its own pride, the griffon looked skyward and let out a fierce roar. As it cried out, all the birds in the forest flapped away frantically into the sky.
‘Looks like it’s not going to attack me right away. Might as well stall for time with a conversation!’
I could hear the sound of Batus approaching through the bushes.
Our strategy was for Batus to make a sneak attack while I kept the griffon distracted, turning the battle in our favor.
I decided to play along with this griffon and extract some information.
—So, you’re a noble predator raised in the Western Nest? What’s the Western Nest like? Is it similar to the World Tree’s haven?
—Hmph, clueless Eastern hick! You don’t even know about the desert of the Great Dragon in the Western Continent, do you? I get it. With no wings, you’ve probably thought this little forest was the entire world!
The griffon laughed in a sharp, mocking manner.
I didn’t care for its arrogance, but it seemed somewhat dumb for answering my questions. Perhaps it was reflecting the influence of my newfound skill, Rhetoric.
I exaggeratedly gasped in surprise.
—Oh, the Great Wizard Nest! I think I’ve heard of it. They say it’s a fantastic place. So, what brings the king of beasts, the griffon, all the way to this eastern part?
—Flattering me with tasty words, are you? The king of beasts, huh? So, it seems the word of my greatness has reached even this Eastern Forest! But let me tell you, the true king of beasts isn’t some dragon; it’s me!
The griffon kept nodding, affirming its own greatness.
—Under normal circumstances, a noble like me wouldn’t bother flying all the way to the Eastern Forest, but I heard rumors that a precious treasure is hidden here.
—Treasure, you say?
While I was just trying to pass the time, the mention of “treasure” piqued my interest.
Treasures in the beast world aren’t just gold and silver; they tend to be items or foods with extraordinary powers.
Like the Everlasting Snow Pine or the Cloudring Yingyi.
—What kind of treasure are we talking about?
—Hmph, don’t know? You really are clueless. I heard there’s an exceptionally wonderful treasure in this Eastern Great Forest, a bird with a beautiful voice and splendid wings! They say it’s a fantastical creature born from a fusion of two different beings, just like me!
—Hmm.
One beast immediately sprang to mind from the griffon’s description. I envisioned the beautiful singing priestess from the Western Forest.
—Are you talking about a harpy?
—Oh, yes! That’s definitely the name! I flew across hundreds of rivers and mountains to find the right partner worthy of my noble lineage! Do you perhaps know anything about this harpy?
—So, you flew all the way here just to find a mate?
—Of course! It’s about time I found my partner.
The griffon, which had been glaring at me, softened a bit, cocking its head as it took a few steps closer.
—I thought you were a complete moron, rolling around covered in flower oil, but you’re surprisingly clever! Now, tell me about this harpy. If I like the story, I might just reward you!
I glanced at Batus, who was silently inching closer behind the griffon. It seemed the griffon was so lost in its fantasies of the harpy that it was oblivious to our plan.
—The harpy, the harpy… what a lovely, beautiful bird! Its body is perfectly toned and… its face is incredibly beautiful as well!
—Hmph.
The griffon made a sound of confusion, appearing somewhat unimpressed. Not one to back down, I decided to talk up the attractive features of the bird from its perspective.
—It has large wings, and its shimmering feathers are incredibly pretty! It has sturdy feet with sharp claws.
—Large wings! Shimmering feathers!
Finally, the griffon seemed satisfied, letting out a loud squawk of delight.
—Keep going, keep going!
—Oh, yes. It sings beautifully! When a harpy sings, all the beasts hold their breath and listen intently.
—A beautiful voice…!
The griffon’s eyes widened with a dreamy glaze—definitely not the predatory hawk look anymore. It appeared lost in its own imagination, flapping its beak.
—So, the rumors were indeed true. It was worth flying all this way. But where can I find her? I must see with my own eyes if she is a fitting mate for me.
—A mate, you say? Are you a female?
—Of course! Did you not see this magnificent plume? How could you think I’m a male? You really are dense.
On the griffon’s eagle-like head were two feathers standing upright, much like cat ears.
Who would’ve thought that was the sign distinguishing males from females?
I scratched my cheek with my paw and showed my disappointment.
—Sorry, but the harpy can’t be your bride. There are only females among them. Looks like your long trip was in vain.
—W-What?! There are only females?! Don’t lie! That can’t be true! Do you have any idea what I went through to fly all the way here?!
The griffon shook its head violently, denying reality.
It reminded me of when my friend found out that the “dream girl” he met online was actually an old man pretending.
—Tough luck. You wouldn’t have been able to mate with her anyway, even if she was a male.
—Why’s that?
—Because you’re way too late!
I glanced at Batus, who was hovering in the air. In his raised hands, a massive great sword was poised like a guillotine.
“Nice job, Alpha!”
Batus swung the great sword down hard at the griffon. The griffon screeched and flapped its wings wildly.
—Kraaaak! You dare…!
Batus was knocked back by the griffon’s fierce flapping. Regaining his balance, he spat on the ground and gripped his great sword tighter.
“Tch, that attack was weak.”
—Don’t even think about flying back alive! We’ll devour your bones to the last shred!
The griffon soared up high, flapping violently, its wounds bleeding, but it let out a ferocious roar as if it felt no pain.
—I can’t return to the Western desert empty-handed! I’ll scatter your left-over bones to the scorpions of the desert!
The griffon dove straight toward Batus. Batus used the broad side of his great sword like a shield to fend off the griffon’s beak.
Clang!
A sharp collision rang out as metals met. Batus’s legs slid back, struggling to maintain his footing.
—You’re just a human, and you managed to block my attack? This metal isn’t ordinary, I see. Try to block this!
The griffon reared up on its hind legs, wildly swiping its sharp claws.
Batus’s attacks with the great sword seemed to need a major winding-up, leaving him with little chance to counter the relentless barrage.
“This feather-brain…!”
As Batus adeptly blocked the claw strikes, his once vibrant hair turned a darker shade of red. Perhaps sensing a crisis, the griffon stopped its assault and took to the trees.
—You’re no ordinary human. Just who are you? Why is a beast from the Nest with a human?
The griffon turned its gaze toward me, realizing it had no means to respond to Batus atop the branches. Batus sighed heavily, trying to catch his breath.
“Dealing with flying beasts like this is tough. Once they get high up, it’s a real hassle.”
Batus glared at his wounded great sword, glaring at the griffon’s beak and claws.
“Given that it scratched my Northern Mountain steel, its claws and beak must be tougher than usual. If we want to k*ll or capture it, we’ll likely have to draw bl**d too. We might have to settle for just chasing it off.”
Batus calmly assessed the situation and reached a conclusion. Considering he was a respected veteran known as the Platinum Hunter, his word was final.
‘I think it’s totally doable…’
But as I gazed at the griffon bellowing from the branches and the surrounding trees, I felt an odd surge of confidence.
Recalling my memories of climbing to high ceilings via branches and walls, I brainstormed how to catch a griffon perched dozens of meters above us.
‘Step on the left branch, leap to the right, then step on that branch over there…’
I quickly calculated my moves and considered how long I could hold my breath while activating my stealth.
I estimated I could hold my breath for about 4 minutes. If I sprinted without breathing, I could probably run for about a minute.
‘That should be enough.’
I took a deep breath. Just as Batus was about to say something, I shot off like a b*llet through the thickened air.
Fueled by extreme focus, everything around me seemed to move in slow motion.
Time is relative; it wasn’t that they were slowing down, but that I became incredibly fast.
‘Left tree. Then right.’
I scaled the trees in a dynamic fashion, sticking to the plan.
As I danced between the branches, before I knew it, the griffon—looking all clueless with its eyes wide open—was almost within reach.
—Gotcha!
I swiped my front paw and knocked the griffon’s neck.
—W-What the—!
The griffon hadn’t even reacted to my sudden attack before it tumbled to the ground. I leapt down, grabbing the griffon’s neck and shook it around like a ragdoll.
—Gah! No! Let go, you mutt!
The griffon flapped its wings, trying to escape. The harder it thrashed, the more my teeth sunk into its neck, drawing out jagged breaths.
—Hup, huh.
I pressed down on its shoulder with my front paw to keep it from escaping. The griffon huddled like a scared puppy, trembled in fear.
—P-Please…! I don’t want to d*e…!
Tears like beads rolled from the griffon’s predatory eyes. I held onto its neck, tightening my grip with my long tail.
—Let’s see you act smart now, you feather-brained fool.
—Guh…!
“Oh wow, what was that just now?!”
Batus approached me with an expression of disbelief. His red-hued hair returned to its ashy gray as he seemed to cool down from his excitement.
“How did you do that? You were so fast, I could barely follow you with my eyes!”
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