CH 163

Griffon

***---***

The Griffon that attacked Volzard flew away in the southwest direction, but the Kobold Corps, which were on guard in the Devil's Forest, were unable to follow it.

The Griffon, which was about twice as large as Nero, could swallow a human whole, it was said that its huge body took aim from the sky so high that it could be seen as a dot from the ground, and descended all at once to attack.

In addition to its tremendous fall speed, its front legs were shaped like those of a bird of prey and had sharp claws, and it was said that humans would die instantly the moment they were grabbed.

In order to subjugate the Griffon, we were working out countermeasures at the Devil's Forest training ground.

"First of all, how do we sense the approach of the Griffon?"

[ That's right, it will attack from a high place in the sky, we should be vigilant with enhanced eyesight, right. ]

"Okay, let's strengthen everyone."

I strengthened everyone's eyesight by using the Orc magic stones that were lying around in the shadow storage.

The eyes of the Kobold Corps, which were 'Kuri kuri', were given a 'Kira kira' feeling along with the 'Kuri kuri' feeling, I didn't forget to enhance the cuteness.(TN:'Kuri kuri' is large and round, and 'Kira kira' is sparkly/glittery.)

Zae and the Undead Lizardmen had their glaring factor powered up.

The Kobold Corps would also be deployed around the Devil's Forest and Volzard to expand the enemy detection range and aim for the early detection of the Griffon.

"It's not perfect, but you should be able to notice the Griffon's approach sooner than before."

[ That's right. But, the problem is how to prevent the Griffon's attacks. ]

"Since the guild also said that they would gather magicians and archers for interception, wouldn't it be better to think about not only us, but how to cooperate to repel it?"

[ As Kent-sama says, at present, our repulsion methods are limited. Other than the attacks of this me and Basten, we have no choice but to rely on Kent-sama's attacks. ]

It's a mystery how Reinhardt and Basten can attack from a distance, but Zae-tachi and Art-tachi have no other means of attack than direct attacks.

If it's about Orcs or Minotaurs, they can overwhelm them, but fighting a Griffon with hand-to-hand combat was very risky.

The only other means of attack was my light-attribute attack magic and the fire-attribute attack magic I just learned.

[ Kent-sama, it is said that magical attacks are less effective against Griffons. ]

"Eh, why is that? Is there a reason?"

[ Yes, at first glance, Griffons look like they are flapping their wings, but in reality they wear wind magic and control the wind to fly in the sky. Therefore, unless it's an extremely powerful attack magic, it won't be able to pierce through the magical power of that wind, and even if it does, the effect will be greatly reduced. That's why they have not only magicians but also archers. ]

"I see, but does that mean that even if I cut off it's wings, it will still be able to fly and won't fall?"

[ Well, I have never actually fought a Griffon before, so I won't know until you try. ]

If the effectiveness of magic attacks diminished, physical attacks such as bows and arrows would be effective, but none of my genus had the means to use physical attacks from a distance.

"Hey, Reinhardt, is there some sort of weapon that can be used immediately by all of my genus, especially Zae-tachi, and can be attack far away?"

[ The bow and arrow are powerful enough to attack from a distance, but it takes time to learn how to use them. If you want to make the most of Zae-tachi's physical strength, throw a javelin or a bola. ]

"I understand the javelin, but what is a bola?"

[ It's a bundle of three ropes with weights attached to the ends. ]

"Is that powerful?"

[ Rather than direct power, the main purpose is to entangle the opponent with a rope and deprive them of their freedom. ]

"Ah, I see ... But, Griffons are big, aren't they? Can they get tangled up?"

[ If it's Zae-tachi, they should be able to handle it even if the rope is long. No matter how much it uses wind attribute magic, if it can't move its body, it won't be able to move quickly. ]

"I see, it feels like it's supporting the archers. If their movement slows down, it will be easier to hit with javelins."

[ That's how it is. ]

I immediately prepared javelins and bolas.

I got the rope from the carriage that was attacked by monsters on the way to Volzard.(TN:SUPER early chapters.)

The weight was made using earth-attribute magic.

The javelins were also made with earth-attribute magic, and the tips were carefully hardened.

"Then, Zae, try throwing a javelin."

"Understood, My King."

Zae held a javelin with a length of 2 meters and a diameter of 5 centimeters, and threw it at a large tree about 30 meters away.

"Eeeehhhh ..."

I imagined a javelin that flew in a loose parabola and pierced about 10 centimeters, but the javelin that flew in a straight line as if pulled by a string stuck halfway into the tree.

Well, if it's a human, it would be able to penetrate them.

"My King, could you make it a little heavier? It's too light and doesn't have much power."

"Uee ... Understood, wait a moment."

Giving them spears that were 40% heavier, Zae and the others demonstrated an almost linear attack up to 50 meters away.

[ Buhahaha ... As expected of Kent-sama's genus. If this is the case, there may be no turn for archers. ]

"No, it seems that the javelin is not catching up with the throwing power, I feel somewhat regretful ..."

The javelin could pierce, but due to the excessive throwing speed, it broke as it pierced and was in a state of being disposable.

However, perhaps the broken pieces scattered about, the tree that was hit by them was gouged out.

[ Kent-sama, if the strength is the same as it is now, it seems to be more powerful. ]

"Yeah, it's like bullets that are banned in my world."

[ Buhahaha, this is Volzard, and the opponent is a Griffon. There's no need to hold back. ]

"That's right. It's to protect our city, so I'm sorry, but I"m going to have the Griffon die."

When I started taking measures, I was worried about whether I would be able to defeat the Griffon, but now I felt a little sympathy.

Somehow, I had a feeling that the Griffon would meet a spectacular end.

For each of Zae and the others, I prepared 10 throwing javelins and 5 bolas each.

It was getting dark, so I decided to return to the town of Volzard.

Unlike Goblins and Orcs, Griffons were inactive at night.

It's probably because it was a style of hunting where it determined its prey from the sky and killed it all at once.

I went to Donovan-san's place to ask about the guild's system, so that I wouldn't interfere with the magicians and archers, so that my genus would be able to move smoothly.

It was supposed to be a busy time in the evening, but the guild seemed quieter than usual.

It was probably because of the Griffon's influence.

Donovan-san was facing a pile of documents at his desk.

"Donovan-san, may I have a minute?"

"Umu, Kent, it's fine."

I put out a shield of darkness in front of Donovan-san's desk and stepped out.

"Donovan-san, can you tell me about the system of the guild?"

"That's right. If you don't know our position, it will be difficult for you to move."

The guild's system consisted of arranging surveillance personnel on top of the ramparts, and stationing interceptors and archers in several locations on the ramparts and in the city.

It seemed that the locations shown on the map had been arranged in advance so that personnel could be placed in anticipation of monsters invading from the sky.

"Could it be that this arrangement was also decided after Klaus-san became the Lord?"

"That's right, 18 years ago, the city was infiltrated by a group of Rock Ogres, and the city suffered great damage. At that time, while rebuilding the city, various countermeasures were taken."

It seemed that it was a countermeasure put forth by Klaus-san when he was young, but I felt that it was great foresight.

"Kent, what are you going to do?"

"Yes, it's still vague, but I've strengthened the eyesight of my genus, so the Kobolds will be deployed around the city, and when they find the Griffon, they'll bark to let us know."

"That's a big help, then it's easy to understand."

"Yes, as for the interception, we can move in the shadows, so we can enter anywhere, so we will try to attack from a place that does not interfere with the line of fire of the guild's magicians and archers."

Donovan gave a sharp nod when I told him that I had given Zae and the others javelins and bolas.

"I see, it's true that Griffons are strong against magic. I'm grateful to have more physical attack methods like that."

"Um, Donovan-san, have you ever fought a Griffon?"

"Fufun, there's no reason for it. It's a monster that only appears once every few decades."

"Is that so. So, you haven't fought one?"

"There have been cases of Griffons being subjugated in the past. But I had no hand in that."

"Then, are you going to stick to the basics this time as well?"

"The basics are the same, but this time Kent, you and your genus are here. If possible, I would like to subdue it without leaving future trouble."

It would take a long time for the Griffon to give up if they just solidified their defenses, and even if they managed to drive it away, there was a risk that it would come back depending on its mood.

As a countermeasure, the guild seemed to be prepared to use flashy attack magic to keep the Griffon in check when it approached, and to attack with bows and arrows if it came closer.

"If you want to subjugate it, you have to drop the Griffon to the ground, right?"

"Of course that's right, but it's not good to drop it in the city and have it rampage. If you drop it, please do it outside the city."

Even if the Griffon could be dropped to the ground, if it rampaged with a body larger than Nero, it would naturally cause damage.

Stop the Griffon from swooping down, and then launch an all-out attack when it tries to fly away to restart the hunt.

That was the general procedure for subjugating the Griffon that Donovan-san and I agreed on.

"Even so, to think that a dangerous monster like a Griffon appeared ... What exactly is going on?"

"The Griffon, shouldn't we assume that it came from the southern continent?"

"Right, I think something is probably happening over there ..."

The southern continent was connected by a narrow land beyond the Devil's Forest, but naturally the density of monsters was high, and no adventurer ventured that far.

Before the outbreak of Trents, before the appearance of the first Maou, people lived in the southern continent, and trade and war were said to have taken place, but now it was believed to be a region ruled by monsters.

"Nya, monsters are moving from the southern continent, it's getting hard to live there, nya."

"Ehh, Nero also found it difficult to live there, so you moved to this continent?"

"That's right, nya, maybe the Griffon is the same, nya."

Originally, young Griffons moved away from their parents to acquire their own territory, this time, it may have moved to this continent due to the fact that it was difficult to live on the southern continent.

"So, unless the movement of monsters from the south ends, monsters will continue to flood to this side."

"That's what it seems like."

"Could it be that a more dangerous monster will appear ... Is that what it means?"

"It's not like it's impossible, but wouldn't such monsters be the cause of the movement from the south instead?"

"Ah, now that you mention it, that might be so."

"In any case, think about the Griffon for now. I'm counting on you, S-ranker."

"I'll give it my best."

After finishing the meeting with Donovan-san at the guild, when I returned to the boarding house, Amanda-san's shop was thriving as usual.

I went upstairs after calling out from the back door of the kitchen.

"Amanda-san, I just got back."

"Ah, welcome back Kent, things will settle down in a little while, and then I'll send Meisa to call you."

"Yes, I understand."

When I listened to the talk at the dinner table, it seemed that Griffons only attacked during the day, so while the number of people coming and going decreased during the day, more people came out than usual after sunset.

"From tomorrow onwards, we will reduce the amount of preparation we do during the day."

"I see ... Meisa-chan, how about school?"

"School, they'll see how it goes for a few days, so I'll be absent starting tomorrow."

There were still about two weeks until the end of the year and New Year holidays, but Meisa-chan was grinning because school was temporarily closed.

But, what would you do if the Griffon commotion continued for a long time ... While I was thinking that, Amanda-san talked to me.

"Ah, it seems that Griffons have a set time for hunting. If the commotion drags on, they can avoid that time to go to school and continue school."

"I see, the few days off are for determining the time for hunting."

"Even so, it wouldn't be strange for the time to suddenly change because the other party is a monster. Meisa, even if it seems safe, you have to hide as soon as the warning bell rings."

"I know."

"Meisa-chan doesn't seem like she would fill its stomach, so she might not be targeted by the Griffon."

"Ahahahaha ... Meisa certainly doesn't seem to be enough for it ..."

"Kiiii, even I'll be 'Boin boin' when I grow up, and I won't keep company with Kent!"(TN:Bouncing SFX, you get the point.)

"Yes, yes, you have to eat well and grow up for that."

"Kiiii, Kent's cheeky despite being small, despite being small, despite being small!"

Uu, being told that I'm small so many times, it's probably because I'm small other than my height ... I'm worried about it.(TN:Not THAT)

Well, I think I'm an average size, so it's fine.

After putting Meisa-chan to sleep, I held a final strategy meeting with Reinhardt and the others.

"If the Griffon attacks, I'm thinking about stopping it with the shield of darkness first."

[ That's fine. If it hits Kent-sama's shield, the Griffon should take damage from its own speed. ]

"But, there's also a problem. The Griffon is aiming and falling above the city, isn't it?"

[ Collide ... and fall into the city ... ]

"It's just as Fred says. That's no good, isn't it?"

[ Buhahaha, Kent-sama, there's no problem if we kill it all at once. ]

[ That's right, Kent-sama, it's not so much a problem if we attack all at once when the momentum has dropped and finish it off while it's in the air. ]

[ Stop it at once ... No problem ... ]

If it collides with the shield of darkness and receives damage, the wind attribute magic that it's wearing would also be disturbed, and if Reinhardt and Basten's long-range attacks, Zae-tachi's javelins, and the magicians and archers gathered by the guild were added, even a Griffon wouldn't be able to take it.

Of course, I also intended to use light-attribute attack magic.

Also, if there were people who were likely to be trapped under the Griffon, I think there would be no problem if they were evacuated by the Kobold Corps.

It might be a good idea to guard with a shield of darkness and limit where it falls.

[ Kent-sama, the preparations for killing the Griffon are complete. Now, it's the night before the decisive battle, so please rest early. ]

"That's right. Rest my body and challenge the battle in perfect condition."

The next morning, Seraphima, the chairman, and Manon, I went around to say my morning greetings, and finally came to Beatriche's place.

Beatriche came to the guild's office with Klaus-san.

"Good morning. Father-in-law, Riche."

"Oh, good morning, Kent. It's disgusting, but today I can feel that leisure is reliable."

"I'm not confident, but I think I've prepared for it, so I'm letting it go as usual so that I can move as usual."

"That's fine. Neither Donovan nor I have ever had a fight with a Griffon, and the countermeasures are all based on past cases. No one knows how far it will work, but I'm not going to let it do as it pleases. With all that we have, we'll treat it to plenty."

"Yes, I plan to watch from the roof of the church tower and send instructions to my genus."

"Kent, I think you understand, but you have a lot of things on your shoulders. Don't go to the front like an idiot. Be aware of your roles and responsibilities."

"Yes, I understand."

"Okay, I'm counting on you, son-in-law."

"Kent-sama, please be careful ..."

After shaking hands with Klaus-san and hugging Beatriche a little longer, I dived into the shadows and moved.

I headed to the top of the ramparts closest to the Devil's Forest.

There, Donovan-san and Marianne-san were having a final meeting.

"Good morning. Donovan-san, Marianne-san."

"You're here, Kent, how are your genus arranged?"

"They're in place, and it's under surveillance."

Hearing my reply, Donovan-san nodded with satisfaction.

"Kent-san, thank you for your time today."

"Are you going to command from the top of the ramparts, too, Marianne-san?"

"Griffons tend to target places with a lot of prey, so the command post will be set up under a roof. The number of adventurers and garrison members who will intercept it has also been allocated evenly."

"Is that so, I plan to issue instructions from the shadows on the roof of the tower."

"I have high hopes for the work of Kent-san and every one of your genus."

"I will do my best to meet your expectations."

After confirming the placement of the guild and the garrison combined forces, I also moved to my post.

The bell that called for vigilance had been ringing repeatedly since morning, with a rhythm of 'Kaan kan kan', 'Kaan kan kan'.

Even if I turned my gaze to the main street, there were almost no people.

Occasionally, I saw people who looked up at the sky and then trotted to their destination.

The whole city of Volzard felt like it was wrapped in a tense atmosphere.

[ It's a gentle westerly wind ... ]

If you're on top of a tower with nothing else blocking your view, you'll be able to see the direction of the wind.

Although it's gentle, the seasonally chilly west wind brings dry air, and the sky is clear with only a few streaks of clouds that look like they have been swept with a brush.

"Perfect hunting weather for Griffons?"

[ Indeed, in this weather, it will definitely show up. ]

A tense silence reigned over Volzard, with the exception of the occasional vigilance bell.

About an hour had passed since everyone had taken their positions and started to be vigilant.

Won! Wooooon!

From the forest to the southwest, the bark of the Kobold Corps resounded.

[ Kent-sama ... Over there ... ]

"Ehh, where ...? Oh, that's it!"

Looking to where Fred was pointing, an object the size of a sesame seed was flapping in the blue sky.

Kan kan kan! Kan kan kan! Kan kan kan!

The silence was broken by the sound of the warning bells, the streets of the city were empty, and I could feel the excitement and nervousness from the people who arrived at their posts.

THe Griffon was slowly circling far above Volzard as if aiming at someone.

It probably flew the same way yesterday, but if you just looked at it from below, it looked just like a normal bird.

[ Kent-sama, it's about time, be prepared. ]

"It's okay, I'm ready any time."

Immediately after Reinhardt called out, the Griffon stopped flapping its wings, folded its wings and began to descent at once.

I was planning to put out a shield of darkness about 150 meters above the ground in order to give myself enough room to beat the Griffon that continued to fall after taking damage.

However, if I put out the shield too early, it might be able to avoid it, so timing was important.

While doing so, the Griffon continued to descend, revealing its size as it approached.

"Everyone, get ready!"

[ Understood! ]

"Let's go, Shield of Darkness!"

In front of the swooping Griffon, I deployed an unavoidable-sized shield of darkness.

The moment when I thought that the winning formula would start from there.

Bakii----n!

The shield of darkness shattered into pieces, and the Griffon, that didn't even feel any damage, continued to dive without slowing down.

"Ehh ... No way ..."

[ Kent-sama, the garrison is being targeted! ]

"Ehh, ehh ..."

Voices of chants echoed through the city of Volzard, and attack magic was released all at once, but the Griffon circled in a conical shape and dodged their trajectories before they could hit.

The archers then launched a volley of shots, but they were all deflected and none of them reached the Griffon.

The Griffon was aiming at the garrison members stationed on the roof of the building about 10 meters away from the tower, but it seemed as if it were approaching me.

"Reinhardt! Basten!"

[ I know! ]

Reinhardt and Basten launched a long-range attack, but the Griffon simply flapped its wings to repel the attacks.

"Zae! Javelins!"

""Yes!""

Five Javelins rushed in just before it could grab a fleeing adventurer, but the Griffon spread its wings to wrap around its body, but didn't stop descending.

"Damn, eat this!"

I hurriedly shot a light-attribute attack magic, but it moved so fast that it didn't seem to hit a vital point.

"Gyaaaaa!" Agyaaaaa!"

In the next moment after terrifying screams echoed, the Griffon kicked the building with its strong hind legs and soared into the sky.

An adventurer and a garrison member were clasped one in each of its two front legs, and fresh blood overflowed from their deeply clawed bodies, pouring down on the city of Volzard from above.

Although Zae-tachi's javelins scattered the Griffon's wings, they didn't seem to do any effective damage.

"Damnit, damnit!"

The Griffon flew away at breakneck speed like a fighter jet launched from a catapult.

The follow-up light-attribute attack magic only slightly injured its hind legs.

A heavy atmosphere covered the city of Volzard after the complete defeat that there was no way to overcome.