Chapter 86

It's the second day of the school festival.

Compared to the first day, the number of visitors has increased, and the number of active students has also significantly risen. The area is filled with vibrant voices.

"There are more people, aren't there?"

"Yes, that's true."

I am now enjoying a cup of tea while on standby at the security headquarters. Safina is sitting across from me. So far, there haven't been any major issues, so we are relaxing.

"Safina, I don't think I'll be able to tour the festival tomorrow because of the escorting duties for the queen and other things. How about we all go around today?"

In an attempt to realize one of my dreams, which is to tour the festival with friends, I ask Safina.

"That sounds good. But, is it okay for both of us to leave our seats?"

"Don't worry, it's fine. We have a deputy commander in case something happens to us. Besides, it seems to be more peaceful than I thought."

I look at the people who are reporting regularly. They are doing their jobs well, but there is no sense of tension.

(Peace is wonderful. But, if nothing happens from now on, that would be bad, wouldn't it? Oh, I'm being so careless.)

I collapse in despair at my own carelessness.

"Miss Mary, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing."

I instantly straighten my posture and put on a gentle expression to look at Safina.

"It's break time. So, we're going to take a break. Please take care of things here."

"Okay."

"Please, take care."

As I stand up and call out to the reporting team, they respond in unison with a relaxed tone. One student from Solos is standing with a tense and anxious expression. He is the deputy commander I appointed. I go to him, place my hand on his shoulder, and smile.

"Relax. If you follow the training, you'll be fine. I'll leave this place to you for a while."

"Yes! Miss White Princess!"

"Wait, wait, don't be so formal. And I'm not a princess."

He suddenly kneels and performs a knight's salute, and I hurriedly tell him to stand up. Once he stands, he starts his job with maximum enthusiasm, completely different from before.

(Sigh... I'm tired. By the way, when I first met the Solos students, they treated me like a superior officer. But when I started praising and encouraging them, they somehow started treating me like a princess. Well, being a princess and a knight might be a dream for some, but I think real princesses are different from what boys imagine.)

I return to Safina, thinking of a mischievous princess and let out a dry laugh.

"Magilka, are you free now?"

"Please stop that silly way of speaking."

I bring Safina and Tütte to the old school building's headquarters. After the maid opens the door, I enter the room and greet everyone brightly. Magilka, who is leaning against the desk, sighs and responds.

"No, don't be so formal. We're friends, right? So, are you free now?"

"I'm not exactly free, but I was about to go on a patrol around the school."

"That's perfect. Let's all go together!"

I clap my hands and say this with a cheerful face. Magilka stands up from her seat and looks at me with a half-closed eye.

"Let me make it clear, we're not going to play. I'm going as a class master to check if everyone is behaving properly."

"Yes, yes, I understand. Let's go, let's go!"

"No, wait, I really understand."

I grab Magilka's arm, who is about to say something, and drag her out of the room without giving her a chance to speak.

(Magilka needs a break too. It's a school festival, so she should enjoy it.)

"So, where are we going?"

"Let's start with everything the Areyos people are doing."

Magilka steps away as if trying to escape from my grip and starts walking with us, straightening her posture.

"That's good. What are they doing? Oh, by the way, have you and Magilka been to Fynel's booth?"

"No, I haven't heard that they have a booth."

"I haven't been there yet either."

When Magilka and Safina say this, I give them a big smile and advise them.

"They have a recommended juice. I recommend you try it, Muahaha!"

"Hmm..."

"Miss... Miss..."

Tütte steps back in shock after seeing my face, which I had turned away from the two who were nodding with interest. I must have had a mischievous grin on my face.

"What? What is it?"

Magilka suddenly says this with a stern look.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean anything bad, it was just a momentary impulse."

I apologize reflexively, thinking I've been caught. But upon closer inspection, Magilka is looking up at the sky, not at me. She remains frozen without saying anything.

"Hey? What's wrong? Hey, Magilka!"

I cautiously approach Magilka, and she turns to me as if she just noticed me.

"Sorry, I received a transmission magic from Zaha. Miss Mary, can you help me a bit?"

"Huh? Me?"

I point to myself and look puzzled.

Magilka leads us to the forest in front of the school. There, a line of students and visitors is forming. I see something familiar in the back and understand why I was called.

It's that high-minded griffin.

(I remember, Zaha suggested that Solos offer griffin riding experiences.)

This griffin, which is responsible for the riding training of Solos students, is apparently good at carrying people. Zaha thought it would be fun to offer riding experiences to other students and visitors, but there was one problem: the griffin is proud and reluctant to carry amateurs.

(Well, I wouldn't find it fun if I were part of the show either.)

Zaha, in a bind, asked me to persuade the griffin. At the time, I laughed at the absurdity of it, thinking it wouldn't work, but when I went to the griffin and said, "Please," it prostrated itself on the ground and obeyed. It's a bitter-sweet memory.

Zaha notices us and runs over.

"Miss Mary, I'm glad you're here. The griffin is losing motivation because of the number of passengers and won't move. Can you talk to it?"

"Talk to it? I'm not a beast tamer. It won't understand words."

Led by Zaha, we approach the griffin. It stands up quickly, as if it realizes we're there. It looks somewhat cute, like a slacking subordinate caught by a superior.

"Come on, Miss Mary. Please help."

"Wait, wait, Zaha. Don't push me."

As I get lost in thought, Zaha pushes me towards the griffin. I remember the griffin desperately trying to escape last time and feel anxious, but it seems to be used to me now and doesn't try to run away. It avoids my gaze, which I find both cute and amusing, so I let out a small laugh.

"What's wrong, Mr. Griffin? The festival has just started."

Unconsciously, I gently stroke the griffin's large beak.

"You are part of the school, so please help make the festival more exciting. Show me how gracefully you can carry people, okay?"

My gentle words, influenced by my approach to encouraging the security team, make the griffin, which is trembling from being stroked, bow and kneel, making it easier for me to stroke it. It then closes its eyes.

"Wow, wow, wow!"

Cheers rise from behind me, and I turn to see the students and visitors looking at us with sparkling eyes.

"Beautiful. The way you connect with that griffin is truly that of a pure white princess."

"Is that the White Princess? I can see why she's called that."

"Miss Mary, you're amazing."

Everyone praises me.

(What? Is there some kind of misunderstanding? It's not as beautiful as you think. The griffin is just kneeling out of fear. And it's bowing because it's giving up. I'm the one who feels like bowing in shock.)

I force a smile, release the griffin, and quickly return to Magilka and the others, saying, "Well, I'll leave it to you, Zaha."

The griffin, seemingly determined, starts carrying the experienced Solos students and visitors, flying gracefully in the sky and returning repeatedly.

"Thanks, as expected of Miss Mary."

Zaha comes over, looking relieved.

"Hey, since it's a good time, why don't you and the others ride too? It's quite fun."

"Really? Great, I haven't been able to ride a griffin. Hey, everyone, let's go, okay?"

I joined Solos for only one year, so I didn't participate in the riding training after the second year. The thrill of riding a griffin and flying in the sky is different from flying with magic, and I look at everyone excitedly. However, Magilka and Safina's faces turn pale, and they keep shaking their heads.

(Ah, I remember, Magilka has a fear of heights. And Safina is still afraid of griffins, I guess.)

I instantly understand their reactions.

"Safina, are you still afraid of griffins?"

"No, no. I've had riding training, so I've gotten used to it. But, well, you see..."

Despite her claim of being used to it, she clearly looks hesitant and reluctant to ride.

"What's wrong?"

"Well, to be honest... I'm not good with heights..."

I feel deflated, realizing she has a fear of heights. Magilka, who understands, takes Safina's hand and comforts her.

"There's no need to be embarrassed, Safina. Everyone has things they're not good at. I completely understand how you feel."

"Miss Magilka..."

Magilka comforts Safina, and Safina, feeling understood, returns the handhold with tears in her eyes. It seems like a magical aura surrounds them, and I can only manage a dry laugh.

"So, what about you, Miss Mary?"

"Then, I'll go alone."

Deciding to leave the two of them alone, I let Tütte take care of it and follow Zaha to the riding experience area.

I go to the end of the line, but everyone insists on letting me go first. I politely decline, as I don't want special treatment just because I'm a duchess's daughter. However, their reasoning is:

"We want to see you ride the griffin."

"The White Princess flying in the sky must be beautiful. I want to see it soon."

Their expectations far exceed my own.

Before I know it, I'm at the front of the line.

"Hey? Is it already your turn, Miss Mary? You didn't let others go first, did you?"

"Excuse me! I didn't want to, but everyone pushed me to the front."

I protest to Zaha, who says something rude, and he escorts me to the griffin without any doubt. The griffin, with a saddle-like structure, shudders when it sees me. Zaha mounts the saddle gracefully and offers me his hand.

"Do you want to ride in front or behind?"

I look at his hand, puzzled, as I haven't seen how others ride.

(I guess I'll ride in front. That means sitting in front of Zaha, with him holding the reins from behind. I'll be in his arms.)

I imagine this and my face turns red.

(No, no, no, no. I can't do something so embarrassing. Then, I'll ride behind. I can hold onto his back, right? Yes, that should work.)

"Then, I'll ride behind."

I take Zaha's hand and sit behind him.

(It feels like a bicycle with two people, and it's making me nervous. Even though the vehicle is different, I never thought I'd experience such a sweet two-person ride.)

I look down, embarrassed, and only hold onto Zaha's shirt slightly.

"Alright, let's go."

As Zaha says this, the griffin starts running and quickly takes off into the sky. The thrill of cutting through the air makes me forget my embarrassment, and I gasp in awe at the scenery around me.

The sensation of cutting through the air is different from floating magic. I feel the dynamic movement of the griffin and realize I'm flying in the sky, but the joy is short-lived.

"What? What's wrong?"

Zaha looks puzzled and asks the griffin.

The griffin, now in the air, is moving as if handling a fragile object, extremely cautiously.

As a result, the sensation of cutting through the air is gone, and the movement in the sky is minimized.

It's incredibly slow, almost as if it's hovering.

I stop looking forward and sigh.

I can tell the reason is me. The griffin is being careful not to upset me.

(Being careful for a beast...)

"That's strange. It was flying so fast just now, trying to finish quickly. What's wrong? I get it."

Zaha seems to realize something and turns his head towards me.

"Is it because it's Miss Mary?"

"I guess so."

I respond without thinking, feeling disappointed.

"Ah, I see. Miss Mary, you're unexpectedly heavy, aren't you?"

Zaha's worst words, said with a smile, freeze the atmosphere.

"What? What did you say?"

I glare at Zaha, and the griffin, sensing my anger, starts to tremble.

The sweet two-person ride is gone, and a tense atmosphere dominates.

"What did you say? Hey, Zaha."

I turn my head forward, and even the usually composed Zaha starts sweating, facing forward and gripping the reins.

"Come on, come on, what was it? Oh, right, fly properly, griffin."

Thus, my sweet two-person sky ride ends with me and the griffin trembling and flying at a low speed, a disappointing result.

Thank you for reading this far.