After a short walk, we finally managed to reach the main manor.

Naturally, letting a griffin inside the house was out of the question. Instead, it was taken to a stable where the horses that pull carriages were kept.

Curiously, though, the lord himself had given special permission for Ivy to accompany us.

Ivy is technically a magical beast too, so I couldn’t help but think the lord was being rather bold.

The griffin, meanwhile, was yelling, “Please take me along too!” in its peculiar tone. But sadly, that wasn’t going to happen.

...Actually, there’s something I’ve been wondering for a while now.

Why does he, a griffin—the supposed ruler of the skies—speak like a henchman?

...He is a griffin, right? I’m not mistaken, am I?

If another griffin saw him now, wouldn’t they be utterly exasperated?

Speaking of which, I just realized I haven’t named him yet.

I should decide on one later. Just calling him “griffin” every time doesn’t feel right.

“Mii.”

Ivy chimed in, saying his name doesn’t need to be anything fancy since he’s just a henchman.

...That’s a bit too harsh, don’t you think?

Sure, Ivy makes him look bad, but he’s actually a top-tier, incredibly powerful magical beast.

I mean, okay, he did get thoroughly beaten, but that’s only because Ivy is ridiculously strong.

“Mii!”

Pleased by the compliment, Ivy happily strutted alongside me as we walked through the manor.

The estate was expansive, and the house itself was enormous.

Even after walking for some time, we hadn’t yet reached the private chambers of the Marquis of Endlord.

The manor’s vastness was starting to mess with my sense of direction, and I wasn’t entirely sure which way to go anymore.

When we entered, someone did explain the layout and where the marquis’s private room was located, but... I have terrible memory for things like that.

“Mii.”

What? It’s left, not right?

...Ivy has a good memory too?

Yet another amazing aspect of hers. I really can’t compete with her.

Guided by Ivy, I navigated through the winding hallways of the manor.

“Excuse me.”

“Come in.”

Following Ivy’s lead, I knocked and waited for permission before opening the door.

The door was massive and reinforced with iron, sturdy enough to double as a giant’s shield. Behind it was a surprisingly simple room.

The furniture was minimal, with no elaborate decorations.

While the items looked high-quality, the rugs and desk weren’t extravagant.

Considering the size of the estate and manor, I had imagined the marquis’s private chambers would be grand. This modesty caught me off guard.

“You’ve got the look of someone who expected a room dripping in gold.”

“N-No, I didn’t think that!”

“I’ll tell you this now—I hate liars. If you start spouting nonsense, I’ll invoke my authority as lord. Speak honestly if you’ve got something to say.”

“...I might’ve thought that, just a little.”

The Marquis of Endlord’s first impression was... well, I’m not sure how to describe it.

He gave off the vibe of a slightly polished pirate captain.

His hair, seemingly self-cut without a mirror, was oddly straight and bowl-shaped. His beard was uneven, with patches of varying lengths.

His outfit—a coarse cotton garment—was frayed in places, clearly not new.

If I hadn’t been led into the manor and specifically into his chambers, I might never have believed this man was a marquis.

Yet his eyes gleamed with both sharpness and intelligence.

They were the eyes of someone who analyzes others, calculating how best to use them—a gaze typical of those in power.

“I met Lady Ekaterina earlier. I understand I’m here as her escort, but...”

“Yeah, there’s been some suspicious activity around the territory lately. My regular men can’t cover everything, so I figured I’d hire someone skilled. Then I heard the great hero himself was available, so I snapped you up right away. But I gotta say...”

The marquis stared at me intently, as if trying to see through to my very core.

He scrutinized me from head to toe before bluntly declaring:

“You’re ordinary. Not what I was expecting.”