Yvonne II fell, one wing immobilized and flapping helplessly.

Calliphe plummeted alongside the griffin, her golden hair streaming in the wind.

“No! My lady!”

Lucilia screamed.

But panic was a luxury they couldn’t afford.

“Screech!”

The spirited griffin attempted to pursue Yvonne II for an attack. Left unchecked, Calliphe would likely get caught in the crossfire.

“No, stop!”

“Screech!”

The griffin descended rapidly, snorting with apparent disdain.

Lucilia gritted her teeth and channeled her magic.

‘Just as the lady taught me, thin as a needle, refining the magic to the extreme…!’

Sweat drenched her face, but her focus remained unbroken.

She honed her magic sharper and more solid than ever before.

“Listen to me! I am the Crown Princess of this empire!”

She directed her sharp magic into the inner part of the griffin’s wing joint where the core resided.

“……!”

The griffin jolted suddenly.

It turned to look at her, its eyes conveying clear surprise.

Instead of responding, Lucilia infiltrated her magic once more and firmly gripped the reins.

“We need to rescue, not attack. Let’s go to where your master is, quickly!”

“…Screech!”

Though bewildered, the griffin yielded to Lucilia’s command and descended after Calliphe instead of Yvonne II.

‘Please, please be safe, my lady!’

The sharp wind brushing past her ears, her fluttering clothes, her body pressed firmly against the griffin, and the griffin moving in sync with her will.

None of these registered with Lucilia now.

She had only one thought—she must save Calliphe Offensa.

‘There she is!’

At last, she spotted Calliphe falling.

But Calliphe was moments from crashing into the ground, and the distance between them stretched too far.

“No!”

Just then, at that very moment.

Lucilia’s eyes widened at someone’s sudden intervention.

* * *

Just when this seemed destined to end in a fatal fall.

“Oof!”

A heavy impact struck my body, and my vision whirled.

Sharp pain shot through my legs from scraping the ground, my head spun, and my heart pounded wildly, but I escaped serious injury.

Thanks to the man who had snatched me just before impact and rolled with me.

“Huff, huff……”

The person breathed heavily with a flushed face, showing signs of an all-out sprint.

“L-Lynen?”

It was Lynen Ortega.

Lynen released his arms and examined my condition.

Feeling dazed yet relieved, I spoke somewhat blankly.

“How are you here? And with such perfect timing… ouch!”

“Is that all you have to say?”

Lynen suddenly growled and grabbed both my cheeks with one hand, squeezing them.

“I leave when you ask me to, and this is what you do? Do you have two lives? Why are you so reckless?”

“I didhn’t do thish becaushe I wanted to…”

“If you want to cause trouble, do it to others, not to yourself.”

Trouble? The trouble came from that eagle-head that crashed into the ground!

While I looked at him indignantly, Lynen released a deep, weary sigh that seemed to emerge from his very soul.

He rested his forehead against mine, his tension visibly draining away.

“You’re shortening my lifespan.”

“……”

His low voice sent tingles through my chest.

What’s this? Could it be shock affecting my body? Something wrong with my heart?

The foreheads that had been touching slightly separated.

His eyes brimmed with such concern they appeared almost distorted.

Seeing that, my voice involuntarily softened.

“…Sorry.”

“Do you really understand?”

“Of course.”

“Then why are you smiling?”

Was I smiling?

I quickly rubbed my cheeks and questioned him.

“You’re lying, right? Why would I smile in this situation? I’m not crazy.”

“……”

Lynen, who had been looking at me with pity, got up. I stood up straight as well.

Hmm, various parts of my body ache. I’ll be sore tomorrow.

A little distance away, Yvonne II staggered to its feet.

Lynen stepped forward and drew his sword.

“I’ll take care of that.”

“Wait. It looks like it injured one wing and can’t fly? It probably won’t act like before.”

“It targeted the Crown Princess, so it must be killed. If we let it live, it will try again.”

It really came all this way targeting Lucilia.

If that was the case, executing the griffin would be the right thing to do, according to Lynen.

But that would destroy my plan to make the Crown Princess indebted to me, and my chance to get the imperial treasure to discover the nature of my contaminated magic would vanish.

‘And……’

‘No one has ever succeeded before. Only you did it. It’s your ability.’

‘My, ability……’

‘That’s why I believe in you.’

‘…Alright.’

…All my hard work researching magic infiltration would be wasted.

“Let’s give it one last chance.”

“Chance?”

Without answering, I approached Yvonne II.

Lucilia had learned magic infiltration faster than I expected. But it still fell short of subduing a griffin that persistently targeted her.

‘Still, I can help.’

Griffins are magical beasts that yield only to force.

If I could imprint the difference in power on it first, using strength similar to Lucilia’s.

It would make it easier for Lucilia to tame it later.

‘To imitate strength similar to Lucilia’s means moving magic like an ordinary mage.’

Which means.

‘…The gap between my magic and the contaminated magic could widen.’

I had already practiced magic infiltration dozens of times. Whether that was good or bad, I wasn’t sure.

To find out, I had to try anyway.

“Growl……”

When I placed my palm on Yvonne II’s large beak, it glared at me.

Just before it could snap at my hand.

I moved my magic and pushed it into the griffin.

“…Screech?!”

Momentarily surprised, it soon planted its feet firmly and resisted. The griffin’s contaminated magic pushed back against mine in a power struggle.

“Ugh……”

Starting with the wing joint where the core was would have been easier.

‘But then it would have gotten excited before I could even begin, so I had no choice.’

Without taking my eyes off it, I moved my magic little by little.

The magic still tightly entangled with the contaminated magic moved slowly according to my will.

Like carefully peeling off tape that had stuck together.

‘This is much harder than when I conveyed the sensation to Lucilia.’

Back then, I only needed to transfer the feeling, so a small amount of magic sufficed.

But now I had to overwhelm the griffin’s contaminated magic.

I had to build up, shape, and push my magic toward the distant core.

“Calliphe. Stop it.”

Lynen’s voice calling me sounded somewhat distant. What expression did I wear to make him so anxious?

If I could stop, I wouldn’t have started in the first place. I ignored him and continued.

“Growl, growl.”

“…Ugh.”

My lips felt wet, and I suddenly tasted metal.

‘Move the magic. Continue. Extend further.’

The stuck tape peeled away more.

‘Gather strength… all at once!’

In one breath, into the griffin’s body.

I pierced the source of the contaminated magic with my own.

Simultaneously.

“Screech.”

The griffin’s hind legs slowly bent.

But it trembled and resisted. It tried to stand by putting strength into its forelegs.

‘Not a chance. Again!’

As I attacked again like thrusting with a sword.

“Screech!”

Thud!

Its resisting hind legs buckled, and it knelt.

Without stopping, I pressed on its core with my magic.

After a while, the panting beast finally bent its forelegs and prostrated itself before me.

With all four legs completely bent, it glared at me with shock. But the fighting spirit in its fierce eyes gradually dimmed.

“…Growl.”

It voluntarily lowered its head to me.

Prostrated and bowing its head.

This was the griffin’s posture of submission.

‘Done.’

My head spun, and my body tilted to one side.

“Now for the Crown Princess……”

All that’s left is to serve it up on a platter…

“Calliphe!”

I felt strong arms catch me as consciousness slipped away.

Before closing my eyes, I thought I saw Lucilia looking at me in shock.