Chapter 3

"What is this...?"

"You will understand when you see it. They are your kin."

I was taken to a nearby cave.

Inside, there were thirty children.

Five were very young, twenty were around seven to nine years old, and the remaining five were about my age.

"Why are there so many children here?"

"I don't know. Recently, humans have been abandoning children in our forest like this."

I see. There must have been a famine.

I was probably abandoned by my parents and left hungry in the forest.

"So, you want me to take care of the children?"

"That's right. You catch on quickly."

The griffin nodded vigorously.

I don't dislike children; in fact, I rather like them.

Moreover, I grew up in an orphanage, so I can relate to the children who were abandoned by their parents. I have no problem helping them.

But...

"We can't do anything without food, can we?"

"I will provide food for three years. You must manage after that."

Surprising...

I thought they would tell me to eat bugs.

Is this guy actually a good person?

"Why are you helping us?"

"Wouldn't you pick up a starving puppy if it came to you? And then, would you irresponsibly abandon it? There is a responsibility that comes with picking something up. That's the idea."

I see.

Indeed, that's a bad way to wake up.

To have the power to help and not use it, just letting them starve.

It's not good for mental health.

But humans and griffins are quite different.

This guy probably doesn't know how to raise humans.

That's why he was struggling.

The matter was decided.

First, I need to introduce myself to the children.

"So, I'm your leader now! Nice to meet you!"

When I said that...

"△○☓●■◇○"

I got a response in an alien language.

＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

Bad news.

I can't understand the language of this world.

Thinking about it calmly, the language of another world can't be the same as Japanese. Such a convenient setup doesn't exist in reality.

This makes it difficult to interact with people, let alone lead them.

Wait, why can I talk to the griffin?

"I'm sorry. I forgot that wanderers can't speak the language of this land."

"Why can I talk to you?"

"It's because I have the 'Blessing of Divine Words.' It's natural."

Blessing... something fantasy-like has appeared.

As expected of a griffin. He really does have such mysterious powers.

"But this is a problem. Alright, I'll lend you the blessing for a while."

"Can you really lend it?"

"Normally, it's impossible. But I also have the 'Blessing of Lending.'"

Impressive, Mr. Griffin!

It's not for nothing that you have a vulture's head and a lion's body.

"But won't the other children not be able to talk to you then?"

"Fool. I wouldn't give you such a precious blessing. I'll give you the 'Blessing of Language.'"

"How many blessings do you have?"

Just from your statements so far, three have been confirmed.

Are blessings really that cheap?

"I have twelve. However, most of them are not very useful. The 'Blessing of Language' is worthless to me because of my vocal organs."

Either way, that's a lot.

This guy is a total cheat. Or is this the average for griffins? How many griffins are there in the first place, including this one?

Whatever, it doesn't matter.

"So, let's start over. Nice to meet you."

The alien language naturally flowed from my mouth.

I see, this is convenient. With this, I don't even need to study English.

"Yes... nice to meet you... big brother."

A girl with brown hair replied.

Big brother... it sounds good.

"What's your name, kid?"

A cheeky child asked me.

"Tell me your name first."

When I said my standard line, the child stuck out his tongue and gave his name.

"I'm Ron. I used to be the leader. See, I told you! What's your name?"

"My name is..."

I realized I didn't know what to say.

What name should I use?

Should I use a Japanese name? But I'm not Japanese anymore. Using a Japanese name feels off.

Well, a name is just a name.

"What name should I use here?"

I asked the griffin.

"How about 'Almus'?"

"What does it mean?"

"It doesn't mean anything. I just thought it sounded good."

I see.

But maybe it's fitting, given that I was thrown into this world without any meaning.

"Then I'll be Almus. Nice to meet you, Ron."

I extended my hand. Ron turned away.

Why?

"How old are you?"

"Twenty."

"Liar!!"

No, it's the truth...

I looked at the griffin. You say it.

"What he says is true. He found himself as a child."

"Really! ... If the griffin says so..."

Ron suddenly became meek.

Then he glared at me and declared:

"I don't recognize you as our leader yet!!"

I see.

I understand how you feel. Suddenly, a new kid shows up and becomes the leader.

"Sorry. Ron doesn't mean to be mean. He's just a bit silly..."

The girl who called me big brother defended Ron.

"What's your name?"

"I'm Soyon. Ron and I are childhood friends..."

I see. Childhood friends.

Having such a cute childhood friend, Ron is a lucky guy.

"Hey! What do you mean by 'silly'?"

"It's the truth, right?"

"Calling someone silly makes you silly!"

"Then Ron is silly too!"

"“Silly, silly, silly, silly, silly, silly, silly!”"

They suddenly started fighting.

But it's a sign of a good relationship.

The other children were laughing at their exchange.

It seems quite lively.

At least on the surface.

To be precise, they can't survive without making it lively.

Of course, they were brought deep into the forest and abandoned by their parents.

It must have been a shock.

Some of them probably still believe in their parents.

They are desperately trying to forget.

Considering that, how much of a burden was it for Ron to act as the leader?

Soyon welcoming me isn't because she's attached to me, but because it reduces Ron's burden.

Now, the two of them are fighting to brighten the atmosphere.

They probably do this kind of thing every day.

I don't know if they do it consciously or unconsciously.

But either way, it's abnormal that children have to do this.

"I will definitely help you."

I whispered.