Chapter 28

Thank you for the bookmark.

By the time a week (it seems that the concept of a week being seven days also applies in this world) had passed since I started attending the academy, I had become accustomed to school life. However, I began to see things that made me feel both relieved and anxious. First, regarding my academic performance, I found out that the academic standards in Japan were much higher. The level here was so low that it was sufficient to know elementary school-level material. For me, who had no resistance to memorization, the small amount of information to remember was almost disappointing.

"Ha~"

After finishing the morning classes, I returned to the lounge, sat down in an empty seat, and let out a deep sigh, feeling dejected.

"Are you...alright...?"

Safina, flustered, still sat next to me and showed concern. Ever since the incident with the mock battle at the beginning of the school year, she had stuck by my side. Thanks to her, I didn't panic, and most importantly, she knew the geography well, so I no longer had to worry about getting lost. It was truly a perfect arrangement.

"Don't be so down. I didn't expect that even Lady Mary would struggle so much with sword skills."

Zahar, sitting across from me, looked at me with exaggerated surprise, and I let out another deep sigh, feeling dejected. Yes, my current source of anxiety was that I had discovered I was bad at sword skills.

(To be fair, it's not that I can't learn sword skills; it's a different issue... I just can't hold a sword properly.)

While writing the character "の" on the table, I grumbled to myself.

(Why can't I hold it? The reason is simple: I break it...)

Holding a sword and swinging it—though it seems simple, it was incredibly difficult for me. First, I had to hold the hilt lightly to avoid breaking it, and then swing it with all my might. Of course, the sword would slip out of my hand if I did that. Moreover, if I swung it with all my might, the opponent would be in serious trouble, so I had to hold back. As a result, I ended up moving very awkwardly, and occasionally, the sword would slip out of my hand, making me look extremely foolish. It was impossible not to feel depressed.

(The warm, gentle looks everyone gave me after the sword slipped out of my hand... I can't bear it.)

Just thinking about it made me want to scream and stomp my feet. Reflecting on it, Klaus's training had been unarmed, so I hadn't faced this problem.

(I can't even control myself, and now I have to worry about the weapon, follow the sword techniques, and react to the opponent's movements... Ah, it's so frustrating!)

While I was hugging my head and suffering, Safina, who could only watch helplessly, looked at Zahar, who raised his hands in a gesture of giving up.

"By the way, what class do we have this afternoon?"

While I was emitting a negative aura and face-planting on the table, Zahar changed the topic. I didn't really want to answer...

"Um, um... After this, we have Monster Ecology, I think."

Safina answered for me. In this academy, we choose the classes we want to take, but we had discussed and chosen them together, so we ended up taking mostly the same classes.

"Ecology!!"

Reacting to Safina's words, I lifted my head abruptly. The gloomy mood from earlier vanished, and my eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Lady Mary, you like Ecology, don't you?"

"Of course! Monsters, monsters! To study creatures that I could only imagine and maybe even see the real thing... It's so exciting!"

"Imagination?"

"Ah, um... Never mind, it's just something from my past..."

When I said something in my excitement, Safina looked at me with a question mark and asked. I brushed it off as if nothing had happened.

"But... I... I don't really want to go to class today..."

"Why not?"

While trying to calm down Safina, who looked like she was about to cry, I asked.

"Because... we're going to meet a griffin today... I'm so scared..."

"But if you want to join the military in the future, it's better to get used to griffins early. You might even have the talent to become an aerial knight."

Zahar gave a practical opinion to the trembling Safina. In this country, griffins are not seen as terrifying monsters but as familiar creatures, like horses. With the body of a lion and the head of an eagle, and large wings, griffins are highly intelligent and serve as partners to the knights who protect the kingdom's skies.

(Griffin rider... oh, how cool...)

Imagining myself riding a griffin and soaring through the sky, I trembled with joy.

"Alright! Let's go!"

Making a fist, I stood up with renewed determination, completely different from my earlier gloomy mood.

"Um... I... I'll pass..."

"Come on, Safina."

"Eh?"

I linked my arm with Safina's and pulled her up, dragging her along. To be honest, I didn't know where the class was, so I had to drag Safina along.

---

Then, I felt utterly dejected.

I was in a separate forest outside the school building, where other students had gathered, and Mr. Ix stood in front of us.

(It's not because Mr. Ix is here that I feel dejected...)

The cause was the object behind him.

"Well, let's get up close and personal with the griffin."

Mr. Ix's words further lowered my spirits.

(Where did my earlier excitement go? When I first saw the griffin in the forest, I was excited, but... but... it's...)

I looked at the griffin again and grimaced.

(It's... so... smelly!! The animal smell is too strong.)

Though the griffin was innocent, the strong animal smell was a shock to me, who had never been around such animals in my previous life. It was so strong that it shattered my earlier sparkling imagination.

"Let me tell you, the griffin here is a veteran who once served in the aerial knights and has retired. It looks down on you rookies, so be careful not to anger it. If you underestimate it, it might peck or scratch you, causing serious injuries... or even eat you."

Mr. Ix smiled and gave a rather ominous warning. It goes without saying that Safina turned pale at this.

"Who wants to go first?"

In response to Mr. Ix's urging, we students just looked at each other, and no one volunteered.

"Zahar or Safina... can one of you go first?"

"Huh? Me?"

"Ah!"

Someone said it, and everyone agreed. Since the incident in the arena, both of them were highly regarded for their skills. As for me, I had done nothing in the arena, and my reputation was ruined by the sword slipping incident.

Zahar, looking troubled, glanced at me. Actually, he was looking at Safina, who was clinging to me... Realizing this, she shook her head so fast it was a blur.

I sighed and raised my hand to Mr. Ix.

"Mr. Ix... can Zahar and I approach together?"

"Hmm? That's fine, but is it okay with Eleksil?"

"It's fine."

Zahar firmly answered Mr. Ix's question, which seemed to imply something about his masculinity.

(Darn, I thought maybe I could stimulate Zahar's pride as a boy and get him to go alone... What a wimp!)

Though I glared at him, I had already raised my hand, so I had to go forward with Safina left behind, alongside Zahar.

The griffin, noticing us, stood up as if to say, "What's going on?"

(Huge! I knew it was big, but it's really huge! And the smell gets worse as we get closer.)

"The griffin is much more intelligent than you think. Treat it as you would a person."

Mr. Ix gave us advice as we approached the griffin.

(Treat it like a person... like a foreigner who doesn't speak the same language. Let's start with a greeting...)

I stopped to greet the griffin, which was standing proudly, and ended up a step behind Zahar.

"Hello, Mr. Griffin."

I held the hem of my skirt and bowed, but the strong smell made my smile look strained.

(I might have given off a slightly uncomfortable aura... but it's okay, it's okay.)

Reacting to my voice, the griffin looked at me as if just noticing me...

The griffin...

The griffin...

...bolted away with all its might.

Though it couldn't run far due to the collar and chain, it struggled to escape from me, or rather, from me, in a comical manner.

(No, no, no, if you pull that hard... Ah, look, the flesh around its neck is bunched up, making it look really ugly.)

The griffin, which had been so dignified a moment ago, struggled desperately and, a few minutes later, collapsed as if to say, "Do what you want with me."

(You don't need to be that scared... I did give off a slightly uncomfortable aura, but... maybe it sensed my power and thought I would kill it... Ugh, that's so disappointing...)

I was so shocked that I retreated to join Safina, and Zahar stood there in disbelief. The other students, feeling sorry for the griffin, gently petted it, and the class ended.

Later, a rumor spread that the griffin had fled because it was intimidated by Zahar's skills, which boosted his reputation, while I managed to stay out of the spotlight. However, I was deeply affected by the griffin's reaction and felt dejected for a while.

Thank you for reading. The snake that attacked Lady Mary in her childhood was foolish and didn't notice her power, which is why it ended up that way. I hope this explanation helps.