Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: A Griffin's Fate
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Piiiik! Wheeeeee!
A faint, whistle-like sound, carried on the wind, reached Beonald's ears.
It was too thin and weak to be the cry of a wild animal or monster, which made it stand out all the more. Beonald tracked the sound, moving toward its source.
After passing through several thickets and trees, he neared the spot. There, he found a tiny living creature.
Piiii… pii…
"Is this… a griffin chick?"
Pii… piiiik.
Upon closer inspection, a very small griffin lay there, crying continuously.
Beonald first assumed a male griffin might be nearby, so he cautiously approached while scanning his surroundings. Looking more carefully, he saw the chick's right wing was essentially nonexistent—only a trace remained, as if it had atrophied away.
'...Just as I thought. It looks abandoned, likely due to a wing deformity. Did it fall behind during flight practice? Or did its parents stop coming to look for it?'
He drew in mana to sense presences around him, but detected no sign of an adult griffin.
This area was indeed griffin territory, but the chick in Beonald's arms just kept crying.
Piik… piiik…
Perhaps it hadn't eaten in a long time, as it seemed weak. Yet it refused to give up, continuing to cry and struggle, a pitiful sight. The chick was likely crying desperately, trying to call its parents.
But by nature's law, a chick with a disability was doomed to be culled. Its parents had probably, with heavy hearts, abandoned it to invest in their other chicks.
'I came to hunt a griffin and found this strange connection. Well, I don't know if I can save it, but I'll take it with me for now.'
Leaving it here would only make it food for wild monsters or beasts. Since the parent griffins seemed to have abandoned it, Beonald decided without hesitation to take it in. He started to carry it back toward the campfire he'd built, but then he heard the cry of his tethered horse.
Clearly, some wild animal was targeting his horse. Beonald immediately drew his sword and sprinted over.
"Damn pests!"
Grrrrrr! Urrrrrrl!
"Wolves? No, they're bigger... Doesn't matter! Let's finish this quickly!"
Arriving at the spot, he saw five black wolves, larger than average, surrounding his horse, ready to devour it. The rabbit meat he'd roasted earlier seemed to have been disturbed—bite marks were visible, and only about half remained.
As if unable to tolerate the intrusion on his meal, Beonald instantly drew in mana and unleashed a sword technique.
'Imperial Knight Order Derivative-Neumel Fifth Form—Sidewinder'.
A violet sword aura surged forth like a wave. The wolves instinctively sensed the killing intent and tried to dodge nimbly, but their escape routes intersected with the undulating trajectory. One wolf was beheaded and collapsed on the spot.
The other four scattered, growling as they glared at Beonald. He acted unfazed, calmly fetching a water canteen from near his horse and giving water to the griffin chick.
"A little… just a little… Yes, drink slowly."
Grrrrrl! Keung!
One of the other wolves, thinking Beonald was distracted, lunged at him. In an instant, a violet arc sliced through the wolf's head.
It was a sword technique that moved silently, lying in wait before striking like a snake in one swift motion: 'Imperial Knight Order Derivative-Neumel Seventh Form—Boomslang'.
Piiii… kooou…
"Yes, you must be hungry. Let's see, for food…"
Grrrr… Keung-keung!
Keung!
The leader of the wolf pack, seeing its packmate killed so effortlessly, let out a howl and began to retreat first. It likely judged this human was beyond their ability to hunt.
Beonald watched the fleeing wolves dismissively, then dragged over the corpse of the dead wolf to provide food for the griffin chick in his arms.
"Hmm, so… are griffins closer to birds? Or to feline predators? Ah, I'm sure I studied this once…"
Kooou…
"Alright, alright. Wait a moment~ I need to boil water and cook it thoroughly… No, should I chew it first and… give it to you? You'll starve at this rate."
As a temporary measure, Beonald put some of the leftover cooked rabbit meat—which the wolves had nibbled—into his mouth, chewed it thoroughly, and offered it as food. He recalled knowledge from his past life's alchemy studies: birds are often fed pre-digested food regurgitated by their parents.
He was conflicted about whether to feed it milk or raw meat instead, but fortunately, it seemed to apply to griffins too—the chick accepted what Beonald offered and ate well.
"Phew~ How did I end up… Well, I guess this will have to serve as the birthday gift."
Piii! Piiiii!
"Really, you're something else. Just a moment ago you were at death's door, and now you're making a fuss after eating that. Wait a bit. This time I'll cook it thoroughly and make it easier to eat."
Thus, Beonald carefully fed the griffin chick. After about two hours of painstakingly feeding it little by little, the chick finally seemed full and fell asleep.
Beonald wanted to sleep too, but he still had work left.
"Phew~ This should make an appropriate gift. I even cleaned and neatly cut the head."
Namely, butchering the wolves. Bringing back whole corpses would only cause odor and filth, so he skillfully obtained the pelts, bones, teeth, and meat in advance, burning the entrails in the fire.
Thinking there was no benefit to staying longer in these dark mountains, Beonald quickly finished his preparations, carefully bundled the griffin chick against his chest, and began his descent.
'You're really lucky, you know. To have met me, of all people!'
Nighttime mountain travel was normally dangerous—one could get lost and encounter more wild animals and monsters. But for Beonald, who could distinguish directions using the 'stars' in the sky unchanged even after 500 years, it was no issue.
'Once we're out of the griffin's territory, only minor monsters will remain.'
It would be a harsh night for the horse he rode, but given it had nearly been eaten by wolves earlier, the horse would surely agree that getting down this mountain quickly was best.
Of course, being quite fatigued, he occasionally slowed his pace or dismounted to walk slowly, managing stamina. Even as dawn broke, he was still in the mountains.
"It's fully daylight now. Not great for my health, which needs to last as long as possible… Hoo~ Hm?"
Piiiii!
"Did eating and sleeping give you some energy? Or… are you hungry again? You're such a simple creature~"
The griffin chick looked at Beonald with bright, sparkling eyes and continued to cry. Whether it knew he had saved its life and provided food, or was just begging out of hunger, Beonald had no choice. This time, he chewed some jerky into a paste and fed it as formula.
'Doing this reminds me of raising children.'
Seeing those bright eyes and how it readily accepted whatever he gave, Beonald was suddenly reminded of old memories. To create the best heir, he had sired and cared for numerous children, but the one that remained deepest in his memory was his firstborn.
'Tch, one way or another, that bastard Alterio comes to mind.'
Memories of being a clumsy novice father, the child being the most talented and intelligent, thus chosen as heir… and above all, the intense memory of that son, whose position as next family head was all but certain, betraying him. Alterio's face was the only one that surfaced.
"Damn… child… Tsk. Memories can be such torture at times like this. Well, bad memories can only be painted over. In that sense… your name is now! Alterio!"
Pii?
"Al. Te. Ri. O. That is your name."
Piiiiit! Piiit!
"I can't tell if you like it or if you're asking for more food."
Thus, the one-winged griffin chick, inheriting his former son's name—Alterio—began crying excitedly. Of course, it didn't understand the meaning, but Beonald, considering any gain a gain, happily continued his descent.
The Count's birthday was two days away. Therefore, Beonald decided to rest for a day at an inn in the city.
Even with one damaged wing, Alterio was still a monster. Unsure how people would react, Beonald bought a small iron cage to hide it in. Returning to the city also allowed him to prepare more proper formula, and seeing Alterio eat well, Beonald felt relieved and finally went to sleep.
Piii! Piii?
"It might be a bit cramped, but bear with it a little. If people see you, more than a few will try to target you."
Placing Alterio in the makeshift small cage and covering it with cloth, Beonald could finally sleep comfortably… or so he thought.
Piiiik!
"Uuuh… Ah, right. I just remembered. I mostly left it to the maids, but originally, babies… eat constantly… sleep… eat constantly. Damn it…"
Perhaps due to his heightened senses from swordsmanship and mana breathing techniques, Beonald jolted awake at Alterio's cries and fed it the pre-made formula.
He realized anew how exhausting it was to raise a child(?) single-handedly, resolving not to have a child(?) again until he could hire someone to help care for it.
"Alterio… I'm putting so much care into you. If your wild instincts awaken later and you act out disobediently, I won't let it slide. Understood?"
Piuuuu~ Piuuuu~
"...I can't sleep, but you're sleeping soundly? Haaaaaaam~"
Looking at Alterio, who seemed to pretend not to hear his grumbling as it lay fast asleep, Beonald sighed deeply.
Thus, he repeated a cycle of sleeping and waking, sleeping and waking. Consequently, failing to properly remedy his sleep deprivation, it wasn't until the next morning that Beonald could move about in earnest.
"Let's see… Wolf pelts and bones, good. The head, good. Alterio just ate and went to sleep, good. Phew~ Tomorrow is the Count's birthday, so I cut it close."
Carefully hiding Alterio, Beonald returned to Count Callermain's mansion and barely managed to reach the room assigned to them.
Upon arrival, he saw Baron Leon, whose face seemed half its size, looking utterly exhausted—whether from waiting for him or from failing to properly prepare a gift.
"I'm back."
"Be, Beonald? You're back? So, the items?"
"Here. I caught some sizable wolves. I wanted to try for other monsters, but… issues of distance and time, you see."
"Ooh…! This is top quality. But wait, this… black fur? These wolves shouldn't live around here, should they?"
True to the saying “even a rotting Zhun fish is still a Zhun fish,” Baron Leon, whose livelihood was hunting and who paid most of his tribute in game, admired the glossy black wolf pelts with open admiration. Ironically, that very expertise made him realize they weren’t from the local area.
'Oops… Was that the case? Damn it! How would I know the animal distribution around Callermain territory?'
Thinking he was in trouble, Beonald frantically racked his brain for an excuse. At that moment, from the iron cage where he'd hidden Alterio, another cry for food rang out.
Piiiiit!
"...Hm? What's that sound? A bird?"
"Ah… Yes, something like that…"
His troubles didn't end there. Finally, Beonald let out a deep sigh and lifted the cloth covering the small iron cage containing Alterio to show him.
Though missing one wing, a griffin was still a griffin. Upon seeing Alterio, Baron Leon began to let out a bizarre shriek.