Chapter 11

11

No one was in sight as I made my way to the room.

I deliberately pushed my body through the slightly ajar door and used my magic to close it. Judging by my foul mood, it seemed I should have been sucking on some sweet honey, but instead, I had to chew on the fruit.

'Well, there are people who can help me, so that’s good.'

When I showed a bit of generosity, they just blinked stupidly. But when their father came, they ran to him happily.

'Stupid things.'

I shook my head in disappointment.

'My knees hurt.'

To make matters worse, my knees ached, which only added to my frustration.

Even though my knees had been toughened over time, they still hurt.

I crawled to the center of the room and plopped down on the floor. Stretching out my short legs, I saw the dirty hem of my clothes. I rubbed my abused knees with my small palms.

'Ouch, my knees.'

Would my knees wear out quickly in the future?

Shaking the dirt off my hands, I grabbed the wooden fruits with both hands.

The red, pea-sized fruits that spilled between my legs looked incredibly appetizing.

Krooo-!

Outside, the griffin’s anguished cry echoed.

It was clearly being hunted. The sound was so painful that it made my body shudder just to hear it.

Regardless, I stuffed my mouth with a handful of the red fruits.

As I forced them in, the red juice trickled down my lips. Despite the sweet juice dripping, my mood improved.

Chomp, chomp, as I chewed and swallowed the fruits in my mouth.

Rattle, rattle.

The window began to rattle violently.

Even I, who usually remained indifferent to everything, felt a chill run down my spine.

Before I could turn my head, the light pouring through the window was completely blocked.

As if something had obstructed the window.

"Stop it! It’s heading towards the mansion!"

"It’s trying to get inside!"

The voices coming through the rattling window were so urgent.

Holding the red fruits in both hands, I managed to turn my head with great effort.

Actually, my neck didn’t turn properly, so I had to wiggle my bottom to turn my body.

Right in front of the window was a blood-soaked, monstrous bird with bright yellow eyes.

Its four legs, like those of a beast, were covered in brown fur.

Its beak, a dull yellow, looked solid and thick, with numerous scratches.

It was breathing heavily, as if injured. I met the griffin’s gaze through the window.

Krooo?

The griffin tilted its head.

It was more unsettling than cute.

This was the reaction a griffin had when it was trying to identify its prey.

To determine if it was food, an enemy, or an ally.

And...

'It’s over.'

The griffin had just decided I was its prey.

Griffins are carnivores.

They don’t discriminate between animals, beasts, or humans when it comes to meat. Moreover, griffins have exceptionally keen eyesight and a keen sense of smell, especially for the color red.

They have learned that fresh prey drips red liquid.

And right now...

'I’m in that exact situation.'

Red juice was dripping from my mouth and hands, and the scent of the juice was likely fragrant. Plus, I was small.

I stuffed the remaining fruits into my mouth and chewed them.

The griffin’s head was tilting left and right, still trying to assess the situation.

The moment I propped myself up with my sticky, red-juice-covered hands, the griffin roared.

Krooo-!

I quickly headed for the door.

Bang!

Crash!

With a dull thud, the window shattered. At the same time, the griffin thrust its massive head through the broken window.

Fortunately, its body was too large to fit inside completely.

...Or so I thought.

It had broken through the entire wall and was now inside.

In a panic, I tried to leave the room, but the door was locked.

To open it, I would need to use magic, but I was already exhausted from using it several times today.

Moreover, in this situation, I couldn’t even assume the posture needed to focus.

'What should I do?'

I needed a way to drive the griffin away.

I knew dozens of the griffin’s weaknesses, but none of them were feasible with my current body.

I couldn’t stab the griffin’s wings or inside its mouth, nor could I drastically lower its body temperature.

'Ah, that’s it...'

I had been in a standoff with the griffin for a while.

Among the many fruits and leaves I had collected, there was one that the griffin hated.

When crushed and mixed, it would produce a pungent smell that would even disorient the griffin’s sense of direction.

Having thought this far, I glanced at the griffin.

Squish, squish.

Even in this life-or-death situation, I was still sucking on a lollipop, which I found annoying.

From experience, I knew that griffins were very dirty and despicable.

This griffin wouldn’t kill its prey immediately. It would roll its prey around between its legs for a while.

It would pretend to let the prey escape, only to finally kill it when the prey was exhausted and gave up.

I quickly crawled to where I had gathered the leaves, branches, and various fruits.

My knees ached from hitting the hard marble floor, but I pushed through the pain.

'These leaves!'

The unripe fruits I had been eating were blue, and when crushed with rose petals, they produced a smell that griffins hated the most.

I was glad I had torn a few from the Sharent Clown... The griffin’s extremely sensitive sense of smell would make it lose its sense of direction and sometimes even its vision.

I held the fruits in one hand and the rose petals in the other.

And, and if I crushed the fruits and petals and used gravity magic to throw them at its face...

But, what should I use to crush them...? I held the leaves and fruits in each hand and blinked.

The griffin, which had been watching me, blinked as well and then tilted its head with a growl.

I couldn’t crush things with such precision.

The only magic I could use now was basic gravity magic.

Or, I could use my magic to turn the doorknob.

To crush things, I would need something heavy, like a rock...

'Damn, there’s no rock!'

I quickly gathered the items in one hand and pressed them together with both hands.

Pop.

Squish.

Pop.

It sounded like raindrops, but they were so small that they barely made a sound on the marble floor.

My face turned red with embarrassment.

I slowly lifted my stiff neck.

Even with the small amount, the griffin seemed to feel strange and shook its head from side to side.

Fortunately, it seemed the smell was having an effect, as the griffin was writhing in discomfort.

'Just a little more pressure...'

"Keh!"

My short arms trembled.

I clenched my lollipop and applied more force.

My face flushed with heat.

"Keh!"

With each drop, the griffin’s struggles intensified.

Fortunately, the griffin’s sense of smell was very good. If I could apply a little more pressure...

Then it would go mad from the smell and faint on its own.

'Just a little more...'

At that moment,

Crack.

Something wedged itself next to where I was sitting.

Turning my head, I saw a gleaming claw.

A chill ran down my spine.

I instinctively realized that crushing the fruits wouldn’t be enough to stop it. More precisely, I wouldn’t have the time to crush the fruits here.

I threw the items in my hands with all my might, but the fruits and leaves just fell to the floor.

The fruits even rolled around, leaving their shape intact.

I quickly stuffed the lollipop into my mouth and sucked on it desperately.

What was so dirty about this lollipop? My rapidly beating heart began to calm down.

The griffin, which had been writhing in pain, raised its front paw with red eyes.

Damn, I had provoked it.

I quickly got on all fours.

Then I fled for my life.

It was a miserable situation, but I had to endure. Eventually, Sharent Clown would come to catch it to protect his home.

The griffin’s beak repeatedly stabbed at me.

I took advantage of the griffin’s poor agility and zigzagged to avoid it.

It was a truly desperate moment.

The problem was that my stamina was far inferior to the griffin’s.

Indeed, my struggle lasted less than three minutes. Finally, I was caught by the griffin’s claws and rolled on the floor.

Bang!

At that moment, the door burst open.

It was the perfect timing, as the griffin’s mouth was about to swallow me whole.

"You’re wasting your steps."

Swoosh.

A cold voice and the sound of something slicing through the air followed.

The sound was heavier than the wind being cut by a sword.

I instinctively closed my eyes.