Chapter 446 – Maps and Territories

000

In the tent where Artis and other members of the investigation team gathered, Cleon and Sasha explained everything they had seen, heard, and experienced in the forest.

While listening to the story, there were some members of the investigation team who shook their heads and frowned at the cruelty, but Artis stayed still and didn’t react, just listened to the story until the end.

While staring at the rock-like griffon eggs laid neatly on the desk, he talked with candy in his mouth.

“…Griffons lay eggs that are like jewels. Huh?”

Certainly, the smooth surface looked more like a quartz-like gem rather than a creature’s egg.

Soon, she looks at Cleon and talks.

“This egg, will you hatch it?”

The egg of a dangerous demon called Griffin.

This egg, which seemed to have few days left until it hatched, was late because something had happened after it had hatched.

Now, it is a situation where you have to decide whether to dispose of it here or not.

“That’s not for me to decide, but-“

After being questioned by Attis, Cleon turned her head to face Sasha, who was standing next to her.

Sasha nods her head with a determined expression.

“Yes. Because Griffon was hoping for that too.”

“…I see. Well. If he had hurt someone on our side, it would have been a different story. After all, it seems that you were the only one injured by that griffon. Cleon.”

Cleon looks down at his bloody hands on her and scratches his head on her.

All of the wounds had already been healed by Quon, but the pain did not completely go away.

“Griffon was very excited. He must have been impatient because he couldn’t lay eggs… Besides, he even saved me at the end.”

“Since Sasha pricked Griffon’s weakness of her, she must have acknowledged you as her own consolation of her.”

When Cleon spoke like that, Sasha recalled the moment she sliced ​​her griffon’s belly open with her own knife, which she still vividly remembers.

“Well. Don’t worry. I don’t intend to ask you to dispose of it. Griffon eggs- that’s because wild-caught eggs are very valuable.”

“Rather, I would like to investigate from this side.”

As if agreeing with Artis, the assistants around them were voicing their voices.

“She is the owner of the egg. We won’t do things like stealing it on our own. But- if you’re going to hatch it, I want you to take full responsibility.”

As Artis looked up at Sasha, her eyes shining from under her glasses her, Sasha nodded her head and responded in a quivering voice.

“Mu, of course. I’ll give them food on time, educate them… And I’ll take them for a walk!”

“──”

After Sasha’s answer, a momentary silence passed between the people around them.

“Pooh, hot!”

Artis burst into laughter as if Sasha’s answer was her absurd, and then the assistants around her, as well as Laila and Tuon, covered her mouth as if bursting out.

“Uh, eh…?”

Sasha wonders if she has made a mistake, but she looks around but Cleon smiles bitterly at her.

“Sasha. Griffon is not a puppy. The responsibility she spoke of… Is the responsibility when a griffon fails to go against its ‘beast’ instinct and attacks people.”

“That, that’s what it was…!”

Sasha blushes in embarrassment, but Artis raises her hand and talks to Cleon and Sasha as if to restrain them.

“No, it’s okay with that. Yes. It’s not bad. A monster raised like a puppy. Certainly, if there’s an owner like Sasha, he won’t go astray.”

Artis, who was talking with a face that had not yet lost her smile, and Amelia, who did not smile even after hearing Sasha’s words her, nodded at Atis’ words her.

“Griffons are quite clever creatures. When they properly interact with the humans they have been with since childhood, they are really loyal.”

“You mean as if you know the precedent, Princess Amelia?”

In response to Amelia’s words to her, when Artis asked that question, Amelia scratched her cheek and answered.

“I read in a book that in the past, there was an attempt to create an airplane division by training griffons in the kingdom. It was after the war with the empire.”

“What is that. Haven’t you heard of it?”

Layla asks Amelia’s words her back as if she’s never heard of them.

“Well. It must have been a military secret.”

As if in fact, Amelia nods her head.

The Knights of the Kingdom had suffered many casualties in previous wars, and during the war, they had witnessed the scene of ground troops being destroyed by being attacked by demons and dragon Lutios that flew in the sky.

If such a war were to occur after that, it was necessary to have anti-aircraft capabilities in preparation for that time.

Also, I was able to learn firsthand how useful it is to attack the enemy from the air.

However, there are no Griffin Knights or similar knights in the kingdom now.

As can be seen from the results, the kingdom’s plan failed.

The biggest reason was that preparing dozens of monsters called griffons and maintaining them wasn’t usually difficult.

Even so, if it was operated with a small number of people, it came to the conclusion that it could train a few more human knights at that cost.

The financial situation of the kingdom, which needed a huge amount of money only to rebuild the kingdom after the war, was not so good.

While going through this and that, the conclusion drawn from the fuzzy plan was to create a ground force that could operate regardless of air supremacy by cultivating more powerful knights rather than focusing on demon beasts like Griffin.

It was also at that time that anti-aircraft weapons were intensively developed.

In the end, the plan to create the Griffin Knights was said to have ended with nothing.

“—I don’t know when that happened, but if it’s true, Laplace might be involved in it.”

At Attis’ words, Cleon nodded his head.

“It would make sense if he said he stole the griffon that the kingdom had prepared to form the knights.”

“Eh, if that’s the case, then the kingdom didn’t notice Laplace’s embezzzlement…”

As far as I can guess, Amelia blushed at the shame of her homeland her.

At that time, Kuon cautiously raised his hand and spoke.

“…Does it cost that much to raise a griffon?”

“Yeah, it’s different from raising a single horse. Basically, since he’s big, he needs a large barn. He eats meat, but he eats a lot to maintain his big body. Especially, he likes horses, so for a month At least Once in a year, you have to give me a whole horse.”

When Artis tells her the information she knows about her griffon her, Quon’s face instantly turns pale.

“Uh, what should I do, Cleon? Should I increase my work?”

“Calm down Kuon. It will take time for Griffon to grow that big, so it’s not a matter right now.”

“I-I’ll get it!”

Cleon responds to calm Quon, who seems to be in a state of panic, and Sasha joins in.

Artis looks at the scene as if it’s amused, but Layla just shakes her head as she lets out a sigh.

“But. In order for an egg to hatch, there must be a suitable facility or something.”

“…Wouldn’t it be okay to put it on my bed and put it under the futon?”

At Sasha’s answer her, her Layla looks at her in amazement.

Thinking that only Amelia might find Sasha’s words a little funny, she shook her head.

“Children’s imaginations are great. When I was little, I tried to incubate eggs to give birth to chicks.”

Artis talks about missing her somewhere, but Cleon tells her with her shocked expression.

“…You had such a cute time?”

“Haha. I’m still cute. Right? Assistants?”

“──”

“──That’s right! Professor Artis is still cute!”

“That calm expression, Gaga! Especially!”

After a moment of silence, the assistants’ praises pop out – no, in a struggle to survive, Cleon shuts up for a while and swallows.

“However, it is true that there are no facilities. It would be possible to place an order with Dark Dragon Firm, but this time let’s get help from the other side.”

“…The other side?”

When Sasha tilted her head at Artis’ words, Artis smiled and looked at Cleon.

“Cleon♪”

“You look happy… What else are you asking for?”

If she raises the end of her voice inappropriately as she addresses herself, it means she is asking him to do something for her.

In these two short days, Cleon was able to learn without difficulty.

She, the spoils the two brought back-

Of course, Griffin’s knowledge was great, but its value was his was insignificant to Artis compared to another trophy.

Pick up the loot and show it to Cleon.

“This map that Cleon brought back. The ‘old map’ around here. This isn’t just an old map. It’s probably a map from the primeval world.”

As she said that, she ran her finger across the surface of the map.

“Although it is old, it has not deteriorated. It must have been stored in good condition. Above all, this material. This paper, which is not parchment or ordinary paper, has a smooth surface and is even hard. Can’t make it.”

“… It’s such an old thing. Why did you give that map to the yard bandits?”

It was an object placed in the yard bandit’s camp as if it were natural to be there.

It was hard to imagine that Volforth and other bandits would have understood the value of the map.

“I’ll have to analyze this map properly… But apparently, the entrance to the ruins located underground is not in the wilderness, but on the plain side near the forest. While we were shoveling in the wilderness, it might have been an attempt to excavate it. I don’t know.”

“…The raid was a diversionary operation to obstruct and at the same time make people think that ‘there is a road that leads underground in the wilderness’.”

Cleon nods at Artis’ words.

“Well. If it caught my eye, that would be impossible, so progress would have been slow.”
“So? What’s the request?”

When her Cleon her asks her once again, Artis replies by putting her finger to her chin her.

“We need large excavation equipment. And excavation on the plains requires ‘permission’ from the ‘lord’ who controls this area.”

“This area… Speaking of which, the city at the end of the world. Is it the lord of Eratus?”

Etis snaps her fingers, saying that Cleon’s answer her is correct.

“Cleon go and tell me the story instead of me. The lord of Eratus is not the Dark Dragon Company, but he has the right to manage the land in this area.”

“Are you not going?”

“I’m busy too. I can’t stand analyzing this map.”

She replied with a smile as if she wanted to uncover all the secrets of the map as quickly as possible.

“Can I go with you too?”

When Sasha asks Cleon that question, Cleon nods her head as if of course.

Then, Artis spoke as if he had suddenly remembered something.

“Ah. You can choose who you want to go with, but not Layla.”

“Ha!? Why!”

Deep down, it seems that Lyla also wanted to go to Eratus, but when Artis said that first, she raised her voice in embarrassment.

“That’s right. If Lila goes away, she will suffer because the assistants who are not yet able to use the facilities of this camp properly~”

“Kuh… It’s all because you didn’t properly educate them!”

Even as Laila was so furious, she held back by clenching her fists as if she couldn’t help it.

“Me too, I’ll stay at camp. It’ll be easier for Ryla to be there.”

“Quon… Thank you so much~”

Layla said so, and she hugged Quon’s chest.

Then, naturally, Cleon’s expression turned to Amelia.

“…”

When the two people’s eyes cross each other, there is silence for a while.

“Uh, can I go too?”

No way, Cleon nodded her head in amazement at Amelia’s answer her, as if she had n’t thought that she would have the same chance.

“Of course. Amelia, what do you want to do?”

“…Go, I’ll go! Let me go!”

001

The next morning.

Having received a ‘letter of introduction’ to be delivered to the lord of Eratus, Cleon rides in a carriage from the camp with Sasha and Amelia.

It wasn’t traveling 3 times as fast as the unicorn, but it was a distance that could be reached from camp to Eratus in about an hour by wagon.

And- when everyone gets off the carriage and leaves the carriage at the stop, what catches the eye is-

It was a city on the pier where the blue sky spread out everywhere.

“Wow…!”

It was the first time that Amelia and Sasha had been near the sea.

Cleon, too, looks at the two excitedly smelling the salty smell mixed in the air at the beach, which he has not known for years.

“K-Mr. Cleon! Can we go to the pier first!?”

When Sasha raises her voice and wags her tail, Cleon tells her with a wry smile.

“Don’t worry Sasha. The manor house is near the pier, so I’ll go there even if I don’t like it.”

At Cleon’s words her, Sasha once again raised her arms in cheers.

“Anyway, it’s only after meeting the lord that I get what Artis asked for and prepare the furniture for the griffon.”

Amelia feels the sea breeze blowing this way, and she takes a deep breath.

Then, as if she was n’t used to the clothes she was wearing now, her hand pressed her against her leg.

“Hey, isn’t it strange too? Cleon.”

“No, not at all.”

Cleon laughs and answers to Amelia who is so worried.

What she was wearing now was not the kingdom-style dress that was becoming a bit old, but the academy uniform she borrowed from Lyla.

A skirt, a shirt, and a sweater.

Even though she seemed a little taller because of the age difference, she was as good a fit as anyone would believe as an elementary school student at the academy.

Why did you change your clothes like this?

“Amelia, you stand out too much.”

What Lila said, the two recall.

First of all, being a blonde by the wall is a symbol of the nobility of the kingdom.

Of course, she was actually royalty, but the ‘blonde byeok’ was well known in the East.

A noble from a foreign country stands out just by walking around with a clan of black horses and a strange beastman (?).

Wearing clothes that commoners would wear was in itself a sense of incongruity.

In that case, you can wear clothes that are not strange no matter where you are.

Since the students of the academy travel all over the continent for research, even if they are nobles of the kingdom, if they are wearing the academy uniform, they end up with the level of ‘Oh, an academy student has come to investigate something again ‘.

“…As expected, don’t those clothes calm down?”

“…Because I’ve never been to school. Nobles and royalty go to academies and educational institutes within the royal capital, and I heard there are uniforms there too. …I never thought the day would come when I would be able to try on an academy uniform. I didn’t know.”

“It suits you well! Princess!”

When Sasha said so, Amelia smiled a little embarrassed as she straightened her clothes, as if feeling something new about her.

“…Choi, you should wear it as cleanly as possible and give it back, right?”

“Lyla probably won’t mind. Now, let’s get into the city.”

At Cleon’s words, Amelia also nodded her head and with a nervous expression headed towards the city of Eratus at the end of the world.

Sasha looked up at Cleon as if to confirm and asked a question.

“What did you say the name of the lord you meet…?”

Cleon answers Sasha’s question.

Apparently, the name I heard when I was handed the letter of introduction was-

“Descartes.”

Then, quietly read the name written on the envelope of the letter of introduction.

“The Descartes family. It’s ‘Fleur Descartes’.”