“You found hot springs?” I asked in surprise.
“That’s right, Your Majesty!” Lysa said excitedly. “Apparently, there’re hot springs on an island to the south of the Eastern Trade Union. The view is amazing, and it’s great for your skin. How about we go there?”
An open-air bath with a view... That did sound alluring. Enough to make me want to ditch work and go right away.
“We’ve still got work to do, Lysa,” I told her.
I was absolutely swamped. I had to mobilize our army in preparation for the Nyrnal Empire’s next attack, and I also had Worker Swarms in the Eastern Trade Union to help with the rebuilding efforts. I needed some of them to collect resources to replenish what we’d lost in the battles so far too.
On top of all that, I was studying how to use magic. Nyrnal hadn’t made a peep, but I knew it was a tricky adversary. Now that it had lindwyrms filling out its ranks, who knew which way the scales of this war might tip.
“True... It’s a pity, though.” Lysa’s shoulders slumped in disappointment.
I could feel her sadness prickle at me from the collective consciousness.
Ugh. Well, if it makes you that unhappy...
“Fine,” I said, relenting. “Let’s go to the hot springs. Where are they, exactly?”
Cheering up immediately, she produced a map from her pocket. “Right here! There’s the hot springs, and there’s an inn right beside them!”
Apparently, she’d prepared the map ahead of time. It was full of notes and was visibly folded multiple times.
“An island, huh? We’ll need some way to get there. Do you think we can arrange that?”
“I-I think we can probably find a ship that’ll take us there. If we take that, uh, hmm...”
It looked like our little elf hadn’t thought things through.
“Well, if you find a ship that’ll take us there within the week, I’ll consider it. Either a ship or some other way to—”
Just then, we heard what sounded like a gust of wind flapping against my tent. Lysa quickly readied her bow, and I got in position to run in case something happened.
“Your Majesty! Look!”
As it turned out, though, there was nothing to be worried about. The source of that wind was Sérignan, who was on the back of a griffin.
“Sérignan, is that a griffin from way back when?” I asked.
“It is, Your Majesty!” she declared with a proud smile. “I’d intended to put them in the Conversion Furnace in six months’ time, but they had healthy appetites and grew to be this big before I knew it. With them on our side, we can win aerial battles as well!”
Back in Schtraut, we’d acted as adventurers and accepted a quest to slay griffins. At the time, Sérignan had taken in three griffin chicks. I’d left them in her care, hoping to place them in the Conversion Furnace once they matured, but that had happened sooner than we expected.
“Now this could come in handy...” I murmured, connecting the griffins with our hot spring destination. “Can we ride these griffins too, Sérignan?”
“Of course! They’re tame and can carry you wherever you need, Your Majesty! Getting around will be much easier with them!”
Sérignan was practically boasting. She’d never raised animals before, and seeing them turn out this successful filled her with pride and joy. The idea that the animals she raised could be useful to me excited her to no end.
“Okay, then it’s decided. Lysa, no need to prepare that ship.”
“Are we going to...?” Lysa asked, eyeing the griffins.
“That’s right. Let’s take our trip there on the Griffin Express. We’ll be there and back in a flash. It’ll cut down on our travel time for this little sojourn, right?” I said, turning my gaze to Sérignan. She still had no idea what we were talking about.
♱
Soon after, we were half a mile off the shores of the Eastern Trade Union.
“Oooh?! Whoa!”
I flew through the air on the back of a griffin that had been turned into a Swarm. Sérignan was a bit disappointed that the Griffin Swarms’ first “battle” was a flight to the hot springs, but it did serve as proof of their usefulness. They were quicker than the Ripper Swarms, very powerful, and could quickly get around regardless of terrain.
“Your Majesty, are you all right?!” Sérignan called out to me. She was riding another Griffin Swarm beside me.
“I-I’m fine... No problems here...” I replied wearily.
We had three griffins, so I figured we could each ride one. Oh, how naive I was. The griffins cantered through the sky at speeds unlike anything I’d ever experienced, and every now and then mine shook, nearly throwing me off.
Why did I think riding this thing alone was a good idea?!
“Your Majesty, gripping the reins too hard might aggravate the griffin! Holding on to them like this should be safe enough!” Sérignan told me, demonstrating her grip.
“A-All right! I’ll try!”
So I said, but the griffin seemed to fly smoothly without me having to do or say anything. I tried to keep it restrained, but I couldn’t understand what its cries were supposed to mean. Even as I focused on the collective consciousness, the only thing I felt from it was the desire to fly ever faster.
“Fine, I guess I’ll just try to hang on...” I resigned myself to just accept my fate.
“This feels so good!” Lysa called out cheerfully. “It’s the best thing ever! I never imagined I’d be riding a griffin! Feeling the wind rush past my skin like this is so pleasant... And I can see the sea beneath us! The view is amazing!”
This was Lysa’s first time riding a griffin too, but she seemed to be having fun in her journey through the sky. The griffin must’ve been happy to have such a satisfied rider.
“Having fun, Lysa?” I asked.
“Yes! This is so much fun! I never imagined I could do something so exciting outside the village!”
The elven forest was a secluded place, so everything outside it felt fresh to Lysa. She could find the new and novel in every sight. I was a bit jealous of her perspective.
“Look at how much fun Lysa is having because of you, Sérignan,” I said. “Thank you.”
“I’m not worthy, Your Majesty! I simply sought to increase our combat potential. I didn’t do this so I could fly in the name of fun!”
Aww, she’s being bashful.
“So, how long until we reach the island?” I asked.
“About ten more minutes,” Sérignan replied. “Oh, it’s coming into view now. It’s that island over there.”
In the distance, I could see a small island covered in greenery. It had small hills, and there was a visible cloud of steam hanging over it. It was like a miniature version of Japan’s Sakurajima.
“Is there anywhere we can land?” I asked as we approached. “If we just land in front of the inn with the griffins, we’ll scare the people there. We should probably touch down somewhere else.”
“That clearing over there should do.” Sérignan pointed at a spot on the island. “Thankfully, there aren’t any farms.”
The clearing was vast, but there were no crops in sight. I didn’t see any horses or cows either, which the griffins would be inclined to eat. It was a perfect spot to land.
Sérignan and Lysa landed gracefully, but my Griffin Swarm alone was stubborn, refusing to land. After spending another forty minutes circling the island, it finally touched down in a forest.
I wanted to cry.