Chapter 125
41. The Magical Beast and the Legendary Gryphon 124 – The Magical Beast and the Legendary Gryphon #4
Batus shouted loudly as he saw me with the Gryphon crumpled beneath me, writhing in pain.
“Fantastic, Alpha! Who would have thought you could catch a Platinum Grade creature so easily! Your speed has surpassed even Gamma, the former Magical Beast!”
—Oh, this is nothing special.
Feeling a bit bashful, I let out a hesitant chuckle. Inside, I was secretly amazed by my own actions and the results.
‘Is it really possible to have this much difference in combat power just by becoming an Adult?’
It felt as though I had leaped quite significantly closer to the abnormal strength held by the guardians of the forest and the mythical creatures.
This was no gradual growth; it was a huge leap that sent shivers down my spine.
—Caw, caw.
The Gryphon I was pinning down made a sound like a wet puppy. Facing d*ath so closely, perhaps it felt like life flashed before his eyes.
“Eat that beast, Alpha. The Gryphon is one of the top beasts in the Western Desert. It will surely give you great strength.”
Batus sheathed his sword on his back. As if he thought everything was over, he stretched his arms high toward the sky.
“Let’s eat quickly and head back to the carriage to start our journey to the Royal Capital.”
—P-please, don’t k*ll me! Just let me live, and I’ll do anything you say…!
The Gryphon was sobbing profusely, as if mourning the fact that it had to meet its end at such a young age, barely having turned adult.
—It’s the natural order of the world to eat and be eaten. You were trying to eat me too, weren’t you?
—I-I had no idea you were such a strong beast! I didn’t know you smelled like a little flower covered in perfume, either!
—What the heck is that?
—Now that I see you again, you look pretty great! I-I mean, it’s amazing. The flower scent coming from your body is a wonderful touch!
—You little brat, flattering me now won’t help you!
I opened my mouth wide. Upon seeing my sharp teeth, the Gryphon flinched and started thrashing around like it had received an injection.
—If you k*ll me, you’ll regret it! My father is Jupiter!
—And who exactly is that?
—Y-you don’t know? Typical of an Eastside idiot… I mean, how could you know! Yes! It’s natural not to know! It’s my fault for not explaining!
The Gryphon took on an endlessly self-destructive and cowardly attitude. It hardly resembled the proud beast that had looked down on me just moments ago.
“Your father is Jupiter?”
Batus seemed intrigued by the Gryphon’s words. He knelt down and grabbed the Gryphon’s head with his palm.
“Is your father really Jupiter?”
—D-don’t touch me, human!
The Gryphon seemed not to comprehend Batus’s words. I closed my mouth that had been about to eat it and translated their conversation instead.
—He’s asking if your father is really Jupiter.
—Y-yes! I’m Jupiter’s only daughter!
“Had I just thought you were an ordinary Gryphon, but it looks like I struck gold! This creature is the daughter of the beast that divides the Western Ancient Nest.”
Batus’s words piqued my curiosity about the Western Ancient Nest.
I had vaguely heard that there were four large ancient nests in this vast world, but I never imagined there would be mythical beings in other places as well.
—It seems there’s more than just eating the Fruit of the World Tree if one wishes to become a mythical creature?
Batus nodded slowly at my question.
“There are treasures throughout the world passed down like myths and legends. In the case of the Western Ancient Nest, that would be the Dragon King’s precious jewel. After the Dragon King was captured, that jewel went missing, but rumor has it, it’s in the hands of someone called ‘Jupiter, the King of Wings.’”
Dragon King, King of Wings, precious jewel—suddenly bombarded with this new information, I felt confused. It seemed this world held many secrets beyond the World Tree’s ancient nest.
Noticing my confusion, Batus elaborated a bit more.
“Everything started from the nest of the World Tree. After I escaped, many beasts, just like humans, left the forest to settle in the world. The Western Ancient Nest is a desert made by a fugitive mythical creature that broke a pact with our mother, the World Tree. It wasn’t always a desert; it dried up because of the energy from the Fire Dragon.”
—Hmm. Are you talking about those twelve heavenly beings that fled?
“Correct. Those are called the Twelve Zodiac. It’s been thousands of years since then, and some have died off while others have escaped.”
—Dragons. Hmm. Dragons.
I began to speculate about what the twelve creatures might be.
From Rat to Monkey, and even Dragons. I had a vague expectation, but it seemed the twelve beasts I knew were indeed right.
—So, what is this Dragon’s precious jewel? If I eat it, can I also become a mythical creature?
“The Dragon’s jewel, they say, is a treasure that the mother World Tree was secretly guarding. The Fire Dragon Azidahaka found it and escaped with it, hiding it from the World Tree. I’ve never seen it myself, but they say it’s something similar to the Fruit of the World Tree.”
—Oh, so there’s a possibility that the father of this Gryphon has it?
I began to think that instead of fighting the mythical creatures at the World Tree’s ancient nest, I might harness the power of that jewel to increase my strength even further.
—Hey, does your father have that jewel?
At my question, the Gryphon trembled nervously.
—W-what do you mean…?
This little brat was clearly terrible at lying.
Its wings fluttered nervously, and its eyes darted around as though anyone could tell something was off.
—I was going to eat you, but now I think differently.
—Hey, you said you’d do anything if I let you live!
—Y-yes, but… why?
—Seeing how you act, I might just let you live for a while.
I flashed a grin, revealing my fangs.
If I could somehow make this guy my obedient little slave, maybe I could cleverly snatch that Fire Dragon’s jewel from its father—
—Should I just cut off your wings to ensure you listen?
—No, don’t! Don’t do that! If you cut off my wings, I-I can’t do anything!
The Gryphon struggled, squawking as it tried to escape me. But no matter how hard it flapped its wings, it couldn’t get away from the pressure of my foot holding it down.
—W-what strength do you have…! What kind of beast are you!? I’ve never heard of anything like you from my dad!
—That’s pointless.
—Hiss! Caw!
I slowly brought my mouth closer to its wings. At that moment, Batus, who had been listening from the side, grabbed my tail.
“Alpha, if you simply want it to obey, there’s no need to torment or frighten it further.”
—Is there another method?
“I may not be as knowledgeable as Eve or Ilgast, but I do have some knowledge of sorcery. I can bind its will by assigning an age with its name.”
—So you’re saying it’s possible to make it a slave or something like that?
“Slave might be a bit strong, but it’s similar.”
—Great! Then go ahead and give it a shot!
“First, we need to know its name. Ask what its name is.”
—Hey, what’s your name?
I asked the Gryphon for its name. The Gryphon trembled and stuttered in response.
—I-I don’t have a name yet. In our desert, we only get names after becoming adults and marrying, according to tradition…
“No name? Then this’ll be easier. Good.”
Batus and Adam started sketching a weird circle on the ground with their fingers, scribbling nonsensical letters and then asking me a question.
“Alpha, we will bind this Gryphon’s will to you with a name that includes yours. Do you have a name in mind? You have to come up with it.”
—So it needs to include “Alpha” in its name?
“Exactly.”
‘A name with Alpha in it.’
I returned to the entrance of the forest riding on the Gryphon, feeling quite pleased with myself.
“No way….”
“Is that the Gryphon that used to live in this forest? I can’t believe they actually captured it!”
“I-I’ve never seen anything like that. It’s downright terrifying. Now I understand why corpses get shredded!”
“Look at those claw-like talons. I guess it really can grab a cow whole. Oh my, how scary.”
The merchants gasped one by one, marveling at the Gryphon I was riding. Leaf peeked out from behind Vitali, glancing nervously at the Gryphon.
—Y-you made it back safely. But what happened to that creature?
I introduced the Gryphon beneath me to Leaf by tapping its front paw.
—Say hello, this is Chino, who will be pulling our carriage from now on. He’s about fifteen, so he’s around your age. This is Raccoon Leaf.
—Hello.
—Uh, hi… uh, hello…?
Leaf was hesitating between using polite or casual language. Batus shouted loudly, surveying the crowd gathered around the Gryphon.
“There are no longer any threats to this forest! This creature took care of everything, so you can rest easy!”
“Did you really do that?”
“It looks cute, but it must be incredibly strong.”
“If we made it into a doll, I bet it would sell like hotcakes!”
The merchants continued to shower praises upon me while offering dried meats, snacks, and bread.
—These human folks are sacrificing food for Alpha! Are you treating them as your subordinates!? What a big deal!
The Gryphon, Chino, flapped its wings excitedly.
Since I had given it a name, it seemed to be acting extra friendly, though I wasn’t sure if it was due to Batus’s spell working well or if this creature had genuinely submitted to me.
Shuleiman and Vitali approached me slowly, their limbs trembling uncontrollably. They cautiously reached out to touch Gryphon Chino’s wings.
—Humans, don’t touch me!
With a fierce screech, the Gryphon’s cry startled everyone, and they stepped back a few paces.
—Stop being grumpy.
I smacked the Gryphon’s head lightly with my paw.
“Looks like Alpha is establishing order here. Seems the hierarchy has been arranged nicely…?”
Vitali remarked as Shuleiman adjusted his monocle, letting out a somewhat disillusioned smile.
“Goodness, to think you tamed a Gryphon. The hawk and the lion are symbols of the kingdom and the knights. There’s no doubt this will bring great fortune to the kingdom and the royal family…!”
Shuleiman led Leaf, who was cowering behind Vitali, closer to Gryphon Chino.
—Hreee…
Leaf seemed terrified of the Gryphon, which was praised as comparable to the Platinum Grade legendary Gryphon, and barely dared to approach it. He trembled as if he might pee his pants at any moment, looking just like a mouse in front of a snake.
‘Hawks are also raccoon predators.’
Considering that it was a hybrid of a lion and a hawk, it made sense that Leaf, being a raccoon, would feel heightened psychological pressure facing it.
—Go ahead, it won’t bite. Just touch it once.
—Hreeeek.
I spoke to reassure Leaf, but it seemed pointless. Gryphon Chino was eyeing Leaf, licking its beak.
—You said your name was Leaf? You look human, but you have that raccoon smell. Are you a raccoon? Can I eat you?
—No, don’t eat me! He’s like a little sister to me!
—Hmm, I see. Raccoons are good for healing cuts from knives.
With an uncomfortable flap, Gryphon Chino hinted at its disappointment. This caused Leaf to go pale, looking incredibly frightened.
‘It’s going to be tough for these two to get along.’
Gryphon Chino now took on the role of pulling the carriage. Sitting in the driver’s seat, Shuleiman mumbled with a perplexed tone as he held the reins tightly.
“Riding in a carriage pulled by a Gryphon… even legendary kings from myths couldn’t do this. I-I’m not sure I should even be holding onto these reins. I feel like I’m tempting divine retribution.”
In reality, Shuleiman was so stunned that he simply let Gryphon Chino run the route without trying to control it.
Vitali, seated in the guest seat, pressed my front paw against his palm as if to demonstrate his excitement.
“You really took that thing down? It’s truly a Gold Grade Magical Beast! Incredible! How did you do it? Did you scratch it with these claws?”
Vitali kept pressing on my paw, all too excited. Although his excessive attention was a bit annoying, the paw massage felt delightful enough that I occasionally fluffed up my tail.
Vitali continued to press on my paw, innocently saying,
“If you keep this pace, we should arrive at the Royal Capital by dinner. Let’s have a great ten days, Alpha. The garden you live in should be super fun.”
[Author’s Note] If you enjoyed it, please press the recommendation at the top of the mobile screen! With just a two-second gesture, you can gift a writer a happy day! @![emailprotected]
