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Having crushed both of the Gryps’ eyes, Fujiwara ran away without a second thought. He leaped from tree to tree like a rabbit.

Given that the squealing Gryps was not coming after him, I was sure that Fujiwara’s choice had been the best in that situation. As long as another Gryps didn’t appear that is.

(I knew that there’d be one more. They’re a couple after all.)

The new Gryps that appeared was even larger than the one that was already here. Its status was also a bit higher, with its Agility going up to 95.

Although Fujiwara’s Agility was slightly higher, running through a forest was slower than flying through the air. And it wouldn’t be good if it followed the two of them into town. Rather, they might even get killed on the way.

Given that I was partly responsible for them being here, I figured I could at least do something. The best-case scenario would be to confine the Gryps here until the two of them escaped safely.

Though I wasn’t planning on going as far as killing it. That was something that the town’s strong adventurers would have to do. I pondered on how to do something about the second Gryps without leaving any traces, and I eventually concluded that I’d have to use Creation skill’s help.

After all, the skill was way too useful, and I just ended up relying on it a ton. I was sure that I’d be able to manage with just Creation, Spy, and All Powerful alone.

I readied the bow and fixed an arrow of ice on it. My aim was the Gryps’ wings. As my attack landed right on its mark, the Gryps went down like a sack of potatoes. Unfortunately, it didn’t fall headfirst but rather staggered as it went down due to losing its balance. So likening it to a sack of potatoes was a bit out of place.

As I looked closer, I couldn’t help but notice that the Gryps’ wings were akin to that of an eagle’s. I was surprised that it was able to fly with those. I figured that it must be using some kind of magic for it. It did have Mana after all.

By the way, the reason I’d used an ice arrow was to not leave any evidence. I wasn’t sure how the Collegium would deal with the Gryps, but I was positive that by the time they took care of it, the ice would’ve already melted.

The fallen Gryps began flailing on the ground. It began causing havoc to the forest, angered that it had lost its prey. It charged headfirst towards a tree, toppling it in the process.

I watched over it for a while, and after seeing that it had no intention of leaving its nest, I decided to follow after Fujiwara and Fumitsuki.

◇◇◇

As I ran fast, I noticed that the ground had sunk beneath my feet. I’d also knocked down some trees. I was by no means using my full strength, yet I could recognize that I was far more dangerous than the Gryps.

I was a demigod after all. Still, this once again reminded me that I should work on using my strength.

Gouging the ground and toppling trees did make a lot of noise, but it didn’t seem like the Gryps was following me. Thankfully, I was able to catch up to Fujiwara and Fumitsuki before they reached the Collegium.

After all, I was somewhat intrigued by what they would report.

It was already evening when the two reached the Collegium. As they entered the now slightly crowded building, they were quickly taken away by the receptionist who noticed them.

(They’re headed straight for Duchesse it seems.)

It was understandable given that this was a problem that the Collegium couldn’t ignore. Depending on how things turned out, it could be decided that the information wouldn’t be shared with the average adventurer.

(I guess it’s time the Spy skill did its thing.)

Even though I was a Demigod, I could still be found out. And that wouldn’t do me any good, so I decided to go after them and eavesdrop.

As I was taken, or rather as I followed them, we eventually found ourselves in the Duchesse’s room as I had originally speculated. I could liken the Duchesse’s room to the principal’s office.

The Duchesse’s room was furnished with a work desk, and a sofa for entertainment. However, both Fujiwara and Fumitsuki weren’t offered a seat, likely because they were adventurers.

They didn’t notice me entering the room with them, so I just went into one of the corners and sat on the ground in a gym pose. This position in which one sat down while tucking their knees slightly and wrapping their hands around them had a different name depending on the school.

Although in my school it was known as the gym pose, in other schools it was the PE pose, while in others, the triangle. It’s the same as how different people had different ways of counting for rock-paper-scissors.

Now then, getting back to the topic.

The Duchesse was an old man with glasses. Or maybe he was a bit younger. I didn’t exactly get an old man’s feeling from him, but he did look like he was in his forties. He looked like a rational person and was quite different from the pops at the restaurant.

“I’m sorry for bringing you here on such short notice, but we’re starved for information. Please, report what you discovered.”
“Of course. We encountered a huge monster in an open area a bit further ahead of where the Crazed Bear was found.”
“What were the characteristics of that monster?”
“Well…”

Fujiwara was hesitant to speak. In my opinion, it would be best to describe the monster with the head and wings of an eagle and the body of a lion. However, it had to be considered that eagles and lions might not exist in this world.

Although Fujiwara could probably say that the head was that of a bird, there was no guarantee that they knew what a lion was. After all, lions did seem like they would be stronger than a run-of-the-mill monster.

“Do you know what a Gryps is?” Fujiwara asked.
“A Gryps you say?! Are you certain?!”
“Y-Yes. It’s the first time I’ve seen one, but it has its characteristics.”

Fujiwara took a risky move by mentioning the Gryps’ name, but the Duchesse reacted to it, so it was probably going to be okay.

(Is a B Grade really worth such a fuss? Though I guess S Grade adventurers are the stuff of legends.)

A Grade monsters are the highest grade that a normal human could battle, and B Grade is just below that. So, it’s understandable that he was surprised.

I secretly used Appraisal on the Duchesse. His stats were about the same level as that of the Gryps. However, I felt that the Gryps had the advantage, given that it could fly.

“A Gryps… How did you two survive?”
“We ran before it could notice us. It did notice us halfway, but I managed to bury knives in both of its eyes and we somehow escaped.”
“Good job. Still, a Gryps…
“Was there something else worth mentioning?”

Fujiwara scurried his mind to think of something else, but he came up empty. Rather, it was Fumitsuki who spoke up.

“U-Um, I think there was something like a nest there. I’m pretty sure there were eggs there as well,” she said.
“Was there another Gryps?” Duchesse asked.
“No, we didn’t see another one.”
“I see… Though there’s no guarantee that there isn’t a pair of them. Still, given that you’ve blinded one of them…”

The Duchesse mumbled something but left it at that. After this, he sent Fujiwara and Fumitsuki home.