Lucilia struggled to control the griffin.

“How dare you! Land properly this instant!”

Otherwise, not only the griffin but also the duke would get hurt. Duke Ortega wouldn’t draw his sword against her, the Crown Princess. He maintained that level of courtesy and old-fashioned manner.

But… what was that stance with his fist cocked back?

That blue light flickering around his fist, could it be aura?

“Excuse me, Your Highness.”

“What, what are you—aaack?!”

Just as she expressed her confusion, the griffin and the duke’s fist collided. A tremendous impact sound erupted, resembling a skull being shattered.

CRACK!

“Eek!”

The griffin’s fierce descent path forcibly altered, causing it to spin four times before crashing down.

Lucilia also flew sideways through the air.

“Aaaaah!”

Lynen caught her body as she fell headfirst. He spun around several times to reduce the impact before setting her down properly on the ground.

Lucilia’s legs trembled uncontrollably, resembling those of a newborn fawn.

“Are you alright?”

“H-how dare… huh, huh, urgh…”

To think the duke would swing his fist at her!

She wanted to protest, but her churning stomach prevented her from speaking.

Meanwhile, she felt flabbergasted that he dared to pat her back and dust off her clothes—her, the Crown Princess.

He hadn’t behaved this way when she saw him before! He almost treated her like a child.

“Were you taming the griffin? I thought the harvest festival opening ceremony would feature a magical fireworks demonstration.”

“…It changed.”

Having missed her chance to protest, Lucilia barely caught her breath and answered.

“I didn’t think that would properly showcase my abilities.”

“I see.”

“It’s still a secret that I’m going to ride a griffin. I went to great lengths to quickly find a trainer in secret. Make sure you don’t spread this news outside, Duke.”

“…I understand.”

Lynen finally realized why Calliphe had suddenly started flight training with a griffin.

She must have known that the Crown Princess prepared for griffin riding.

‘Baron Rotten’s help must have been significant this time as well.’

Though he felt twisted inside, he felt glad he could inform Calliphe that the situation proceeded according to her information.

‘But there’s one thing I’m curious about.’

“Your Highness! Are you hurt anywhere?”

Lynen watched the Crown Princess’s frantically approaching training instructor and thought:

‘There’s already someone to teach Her Highness. So why would Her Highness seek out Calliphe?’

At that moment, a somewhat frivolous voice echoed.

“How is it, Your Highness?”

The one approaching with a flattering smile was none other than Viscount Gallard. Lynen remembered him as well. He had seen him at the House Offensa meeting.

“To mount a griffin this quickly must be a first in the empire. According to the instructor, this beast is being tamed by Your Highness.”

Viscount Gallard patted the still-collapsed griffin with his palm. He assumed the creature wouldn’t move recklessly.

But that was a misconception.

The griffin had shown aggression while thrashing about in the air. That excitement had not yet subsided.

When stimulated in this state, it pecked at its target instantly, similar to a chicken pecking at a worm.

However, the person attacked was not Viscount Gallard, but the training instructor standing next to him.

“Aaaaargh!”

“SCREECH!”

The enraged griffin attacked the instructor mercilessly. Blood spurted from the training instructor’s shoulder.

Lynen quickly intervened and struck the griffin’s vital point hard with his scabbard.

THUD!

The griffin lost consciousness with its tongue hanging out.

All that remained was the seriously injured instructor.

“Take this man to the infirmary. Hurry!”

After directing the servants, Lynen turned to Lucilia.

“Are you alright, Your Highness?”

“Ah, y-yes.”

Contrary to her words, her face appeared deathly pale.

After observing her for a moment, Lynen respectfully guided the Crown Princess to a different location. They moved to a place where the instructor’s bloodstains remained invisible.

When Lynen took out a lemon candy from his pocket and offered it to her, Lucilia put it in her mouth without even thinking to question him.

As she deliberately focused on the sweet taste, her trembling hands gradually stabilized.

“…I showed an embarrassing side of myself.”

“Not at all, Your Highness. The one who should truly feel embarrassed is someone else.”

Lynen’s cold gaze turned toward Viscount Gallard, who had followed the Crown Princess.

“You acted recklessly just now, Viscount Gallard.”

“Ugh…”

“Her Highness’s instructor has suffered serious injuries and will no longer be able to teach Her Highness.”

“Are you saying that’s my fault? I’m a victim too! The instructor confidently claimed he had tamed the griffin, so I believed him!”

“From what I saw of its flight, it didn’t seem tamed at all.”

Lynen asked Lucilia.

“What method did you use?”

“The instructor… said that if I took care of a weakened griffin, it would open its heart to me. So I deliberately injured it and then treated it.”

“By any chance, is that instructor a wyvern trainer?”

“How did you know?”

Lucilia expressed surprise and impressment.

“He said he had tamed many wyverns before. He said griffins are also high-level monsters like wyverns, so there would be no problem.”

“Those two are different species, even if they are both high-level monsters.”

Lynen explained matter-of-factly.

“The method the instructor mentioned doesn’t work with griffins. Their intelligence compares to that of a young child, so they recognize people who deliberately hurt them.”

“…What? Then, the instructor being attacked just now, could it be…?”

“Yes. After attacking him, it would have attacked Your Highness next.”

At this, Lucilia’s face turned pale and then gradually flushed red with anger. Soon, her anger directed at Viscount Gallard.

“Viscount! What is the meaning of this? Did you dare recommend an imbecile to me?”

“Y-Your Highness! I apologize! I was deceived as well!”

“Then that means the Viscount is also an imbecile! Sigh. The harvest festival is just around the corner, the griffin remains in this state, and now the instructor is unusable.”

“I-I will find a better person. If you would trust me and leave it to me just once more.”

“Enough! I will no longer accept anyone recommended by the Viscount .”

“Your Highness!”

“It would be better to entrust this to Duke Ortega instead. The duke could easily subdue the griffin anytime.”

“…!”

Viscount Gallard flinched.

He remembered Young Marquis Caiman’s request. That explained his presence here.

“It seems the information has leaked. The reason Calliphe trained with a griffin must be to make contact with the Crown Princess.”

“Then… how should I stop this?”

“Figure it out yourself. Just make sure the harvest festival doesn’t go according to Calliphe’s wishes.”

‘So I just need to interfere, is that it?’

If that’s the case, he needed to prevent Duke Ortega from becoming Her Highness’s instructor first.

“Your Highness!”

“Oh my goodness!”

“Subduing a monster and taming it are distinctly different matters. Moreover, with the harvest festival just two weeks away, taming a griffin from scratch is impossible time-wise!”

“Ugh… that’s… but still.”

Even wyverns, which are said to be much easier than griffins, take at least a week to tame.

Add to that at least another two weeks for flight training with a person mounted.

This would prove even more difficult for Lucilia, who had never handled monsters before, even with an experienced rider.

“Perhaps you should consider changing back to a magic demonstration? If Your Highness captures a flying griffin with your brilliant magic, that would also prove your valor.”

“…”

Facing a griffin alone presented extreme danger, but at least enough time remained to practice compared to flight training. Magic also represented a field in which Lucilia felt confident.

Watching the Crown Princess seriously considering this, Viscount Gallard smirked.

‘How about that, Duke Ortega? If Her Highness decides to use magic, neither you nor Calliphe will have a chance to step in.’

Lynen frowned.

The situation that had proceeded well according to Calliphe’s prediction now derailed by Viscount Gallard’s intrusion.

‘Was Calliphe worried about this kind of situation?’

She had asked to be informed quickly if any variables arose.

But.

‘There’s no need to bring the problem all the way home.’

The Crown Princess seemed determined to succeed at griffin riding somehow. If that was the case, defeating Viscount Gallard’s interference remained simple.

‘I just need to recommend the right person as a training instructor.’

That person being Calliphe.

Fortunately, he also possessed something that could serve as Calliphe’s impressive resume.

Lynen decided to casually showcase the item that had impressed Noah.