episode_0114

Not long after we set off on horseback, Carter, who was passing by Hermel and I, asked loudly.

“Princess. The person who was captured by the Gryphon, do you know when he was captured?”

“Huh? Uh… … . I don’t know that either.”

Of course, Hermel only came because I asked for help, so there was no way he knew the exact time.

When Carter asked when Ceria was taken away, he shook his head and said he didn’t know.

“Let me explain that.”

“Please.”

“Seria was kidnapped about 40 minutes ago. And the place where Seria was kidnapped by Gryphon was at the top of the mountain where she played practical skills.”

“40 minutes… … . Assuming that the griffon left the academy, it would have just arrived at the mountain. If I want to get there before something happens to that girl named Seria, I’ll have to speed up a bit.”

As he said that, he took his hands off the reins and brought them together as if he were going to support something.

As he quietly watched what he was doing, the wind around him calmed down and soon began to gather into his hands.

It wasn’t wind magic. That’s because the magic power didn’t move at all.

Then that… … .

‘government ordinance… … .’

I never thought I would meet a spirit knight here… … .

Spirits are infinitely sensitive to human emotions and negativity. If you show even the slightest negative emotion, it will be noticed in some form, and the same goes for cursing.

Of course, spirits cannot read thoughts themselves, so I don’t have to worry about them reading my mind. Since curse science was taught separately at the academy, using curses themselves shouldn’t be a problem.

First of all, it would be best to be as careful as possible. Unlike magic or curses, you only deal with spirits a few times.

I thought so and watched him closely.

“――”

He folded his hands while whistling, and soon the wind that had been gathering in his hands stopped.

And when he opened his hand, a translucent sphere-like shape came out of his hand and began to spin around him.

Every time it moved, it made a sound like a musical instrument.

“Please.”

After saying that, he touched the spirit that was circling around him with his fingertip, and at the same time, he felt a cool breeze lightly wrapping around him.

It was not about reducing resistance by wrapping the surrounding area with wind. It was not such a simple phenomenon. The wind was just an additional effect.

“From now on, we will increase the speed, so please hold on to the reins tightly so as not to fall off the horse.”

As he said that, he lightly flicked the reins, and his horse started running at a speed that was incomparable to before.

‘As expected, it was a blessing.’

The real effect of the wind that just wrapped around you is to lighten your body and increase your speed. It was the divine protection of the spirits that the professor of elemental studies had talked about, especially the ‘protection of the tailwind.’

If it is a spirit that can bestow blessings, it is said to be at least an intermediate level spirit.

And Jin Carter, who summoned that spirit, is said to be skilled enough to summon such a mid-level or higher spirit without much consciousness.

‘Jean Carter… … .’

I wiped away all my emotions and looked at the back of Gene Carter, who was ahead of me.

Considering that that man will interfere with my future plans, it would be better to kill him first… … .

‘… … .’

okay. There’s no need to touch it now.

‘Because there’s a way to everything.’

I blinked slowly, looked at the article, and then closed my eyes.

* * *

About two hours have passed since then.

“Arrived!”

The horse stopped with a shout from Carter, who was running in front.

Is it because he was well trained? No, the horse Hermel and I are riding is a horse borrowed from somewhere else. This means that they have never received any special training.

Am I tired? No, I couldn’t have been tired because I had the spirit’s protection. In fact, seeing as he didn’t look tired at all even after running for two hours, it seemed like there would be no problem in running for several more hours.

However, the horses could not move even a single step while facing the narrow road that appeared to be the entrance to the mountain.

[―Hehehe… … .]

[Purr――]

The horses were so frightened that they put their tails between their legs, trembled, and thrashed continuously.

okay. The horses stopped because of extreme fear and fear of predators, not because they were tired or well-trained.

It’s worth it. This place where the horses are standing is the Bneron Mountains, which are called the graveyard of horses and the nest of griffons that eat horse meat as their staple food.

“This is the Bneron Mountains… … .”

The Bneron Mountains were a natural fortress for griffons, with strangely shaped cliffs, a river flowing gently between the two mountains, and a high rocky mountain that extended beyond the clouds.

Hermel, who was the first to get off his horse and take the reins because the horse was about to raise its front paws and run wild, clicked his tongue as he looked at the Bneron Mountains.

“I understand why griffons build their nests here.”

After calming down the horse that was about to run wild, I got off the horse and went next to Hermel and said.

“It’s perfect for blocking natural enemies that can’t fly.”

As we were chatting lightly, Carter looked around and approached us, holding the reins of his horse.

“Now that we have confirmed the safety of this area, I think we can hide the horses and enter the mountain.”

“I’m just visiting for a short while, but there’s no need to hide it, right?”

Carter shook his head at Hermel’s words.

“Gryphons absolutely love horse meat, so you shouldn’t eat it. The moment a horse catches the attention of a gryphon, it will be eaten on the spot.”

“Is it that much?”

“Is it possible that the Bneron Mountains were given the nickname Grave of Horses for no reason?”

Carter shook his head and handed the reins of the horse that Hermel and I were holding to another knight.

“Hmm,” he cleared his throat and used the sheath of his sword to draw two peaks that looked like mountains and a line that looked like a valley.

After finishing the picture, he looked towards me and said.

“Before I start explaining this operation, let me say this first.”

After looking at me for a moment, he lowered his head slightly and spoke heavily.

“Sorry. It would be better to give up any hope that Lady Seria is alive.”

“Charles. I’m really sorry, but this time I have no choice but to agree with Jin.”

They both said that in apologetic voices, and I looked at them both once and shook my head.

“Seria will be alive.”

“Charles… … .”

Hermel called my name with a sad face, and only then did I realize.

Oh yeah. The two of you don’t know about the artifact yet. So it’s a face like that.

It would be fun to pretend to be nice and not tell her like this, but since I am wearing the same brooch as Seria, if I pretend not to know, it will become an obstacle later, so it would be better to tell her.

“Hermel, it’s not what you think, so don’t worry. Because I’m speaking from the heart.”

“Uh… … . What are you talking about? Are you saying Ceria is really alive? No, how!?”

“I’m curious about that too. No matter how low the griffon flew, it would still be halfway up the mountain. Is Lady Seria also a spiritist?”

I shook my head at their words and took off the brooch I had attached to my chest and showed them.

“Hermel. Where have I seen this brooch before?”

“Huh? Umm… … . I’m sure I’ve seen it somewhere… … .”

Hermel, who was looking around at the brooch with a frown, blinked his eyes and let out a short sigh.

“Ah. Isn’t this the same brooch he was wearing? It’s the same, just different colors!”

I nodded and put the brooch back on my chest.

“The name of this brooch is ‘brooch of broken wings’. It is a disposable artifact that, when dropped from a high place, absorbs the impact and breaks.”

“That means… … .”

“Seria will be alive. Are you sure. I wouldn’t know if the mountain was like a steep hill. It’s an oddly shaped cliff.”

“There is no need to bump into each other once and bump into another. surely… … . If you have that artifact, Lady Seria will definitely be alive.”

As it became almost certain that Ceria was alive, the mood calmed down a bit. Carter nodded and said.

“Good. Now, let me explain the outline of the operation.”

“Good.”

“Please do me a favor.”

He said, poking the top of the line.

“The Gryphon’s nest is located in the innermost part of the Bneron Mountains. It is the place where the river begins. So it’s safe to say that you don’t have to worry about gryphons appearing while you’re moving. But don’t relax. Griffons are monsters that are very sensitive to their territory. The moment they notice our presence, they will immediately fly in and start attacking.”

When I nodded, he lowered the sheath along the line and continued speaking.

“Then, this is about Lady Seria, the main target of this operation. Due to the Griffon’s nature of killing its prey by dropping it from a cliff, there is no way it would drag a live Seria sheep to its nest. The place where Miss Seria is likely to fall is in the middle of the river.”

He said that and drew a circle in the middle of the line.

“It hasn’t rained for a while, so the current won’t be that fast, so if it fell 2 hours ago, the current location is right here. You will have reached the point where the middle and lower streams meet. So our destination is right here. This is the point.”

“What if Seria isn’t there?”

“If that happens… … . You have to make a choice. Will you take the risk to find the Gryphon’s nest? Or, will I step down.”

Hermel shook his head at his words.

“How can you retreat when you have come this far and it is almost certain that you are alive? I have to find it somehow.”

After hearing her words, Carter nodded heavily and said.

“Okay.”

He said that and put the sword back on his belt. Hermel checked his shield and sword one last time, then looked at me and said.

“Let’s find it.”

“Yes.”

I nodded and adjusted my halberd, and the four knights who had gone to hide their horses also returned accordingly.

“Everyone is here. Then there is no need to delay any longer. I will lead the way, so please follow me.”

He said and started to go up the road next to the river, me and Hermel. And the four knights started to follow him up the river.

This is how the rescue operation of Seria by me, Hermel, and the five knights began.