I returned to the town of Akoup a little earlier than the others.

How did I get here, you ask? Well, I think you can guess by the reactions of the people below me right now.

“W-wait, there’s a griffon coming toward the city!”

“What the hell’s going on? What’s the guild doing? They better be earning all that money we’re paying them!”

“Wouldn’t it be boring if Bruno, who’s about to make me his familiar, came back the usual way? Leave it to me—I’ll give you a grand, aerial return!”

With that strange sense of confidence from the griffon, and Ivy encouraging it, I ended up flying back to town... on the griffon’s back.

Even though I made sure to land just before the city gates, this is the result.

If I’d actually flown directly into town as the griffon suggested, who knows what would’ve happened.

I hopped off the griffon, keeping some distance, and waved energetically toward the guards at the gate and the merchants waiting in line.

“Don’t worry! I’m with the Adventurer’s Guild! There’s no danger!”

Raising my voice to reassure them, it seemed my words finally got through, and the tense atmosphere eased up a bit.

I approached them slowly, explaining the situation.

I told them—without mentioning Ivy—that I’d tamed the griffon and flown back to town.

“You tamed... a griffon? Where’s your proof?” one guard asked.

“Sit!” I commanded.

“Aye!” the griffon responded cheerfully, lying down obediently.

A collective, wordless gasp of amazement rose from the crowd.

“He tamed a griffon…”

“A griffon rider?”

“A real, honest-to-goodness griffon rider!!”

The people who had been afraid moments earlier quickly changed their tune once they realized the griffon had been subdued.

Their fear must have numbed their senses, because now they were all looking at me with shining eyes, as if I were some divine figure or sacred idol.

No, no, no—it’s not me that’s amazing. It’s Ivy.

She’s the one who did all of this.

But if I explained that to everyone, and Ivy ended up being treated poorly because of it, I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself. So I couldn’t say a word.

What a frustrating dilemma.

Did Ivy tell me to bring the griffon along just so I could experience this?

“For now, I’d like to explain the situation to the guild master. Is it alright if I enter the city?” I asked.

“...Sure, but there’s no way we can let the griffon into town. If we did, I’m pretty sure my head would literally roll,” the guard replied.

“Alright, I’ll have it wait somewhere nearby.”

“That’s probably for the best. If possible, take it somewhere out of sight of the horses. They’d be too scared to move if they saw such a powerful monster.”

I instructed the griffon to stay hidden somewhere, then, with Ivy perched on my shoulder, I headed to the Adventurer’s Guild.

Even though I’m not usually sensitive to people’s gazes, I could feel an overwhelming number of eyes on my back as I walked through town.

...This is... uncomfortable. I’m really not used to this kind of attention.

I finally arrived at the Adventurer’s Guild, which was abuzz with rumors of a griffon sighting, and made my way along the now-familiar path to see André.

Honestly, I’m exhausted. I just want to go home and sleep.

This day has been nothing but one unbelievable event after another, and I feel like I’m about to explode…