Chapter 46: Skyfall
For one second, it seemed like the ground was above and the sky was below. No,
that’s precisely what had happened.
In the next, the sky underneath our feet cracked open. Small cracks at first,
then a wide, bulbous outgrowth. It was pure white, and it started soaring toward
the ground.
There was no loud noise. No enormous boom. Just a section of the sky itself
ripping out and slinging itself toward the gryphon. Weiss looked at it with a
bright smile and wrapped her arms around my neck while I held her by the waist.
The ’ball’ of sky went to the ground; it subtly, softly pierced the center of
the gryphon.
And in the next second, the world flipped back to its original orientation. The
sky above and the ground below.
"Krraaaak..." the gryphon wailed weakly, its eyes stuck toward the cave as its
body was left with a gaping hole. My gaze went to the sky once.
Clouds that seemed to be far apart were now suddenly closer. It really seemed
like a section of the sky had fallen off.
Well, actually, we were falling right now.
"YEAAA! Miss Witch, some help here?"
"Oh, you useless butler," Weiss smirked. She snapped her fingers, and the same
spell that the gryphon had used earlier formed below our feet, much softer. The
gust of upward wind made sure we landed softly on the ground.
I stopped first, then gently placed Weiss down. She looked at me with her eyes
turned up and her lips curled into a smile. Was she asking for praise?
"How did you do that?"
Weiss smiled even wider.
I gently reached out and placed a hand on her head. Then, I petted it.
"Hey. Get your hands off."
"Sorry."
No petting. I moved my hands back immediately.
"I thought—"
"Nah, it’s chill. I just find that thing weird."
"I get it. I also think it’s a little too childish."
"Tell me about it," Weiss said, nodding. I nodded, too. No need for headpats.
We were tight like that. Two people who shared joints had a different bond,
believe it or not. With that said, we shrugged and finally made our way inside.
The climb to the trees was much simpler. I held her by the waist again, and she
smiled as soon as I did so while we dropped to the ground. This time, gathering
the stones was not difficult.
I could smell money, and Weiss could sense mana. We both went ahead, grabbed the
best magic stones, and tossed them in a bag.
There was also a brown stone that looked like a slab. When I picked it up, it
flipped open.
It was a book!
[Missed me?]
"What are you doing here?"
[Hoho. Drop me back down.]
I didn’t hesitate at all. For some reason, this time, the grimoire didn’t make a
fuss whatsoever.
Huh. That had nothing to do with me. I started looking for more stones.
It was a few minutes later when I saw Weiss holding the book.
After a good hour of scavenging, we had picked up everything we needed. Weiss
came close to me and checked my haul before putting the stones she had gathered
into my bag.
"Good, this will be enough for your renovations, right?"
"Yes, and we can sell a bunch of them, too."
Weiss gulped. "Hey, Butler."
"Yes?"
"You said you’re out of mana, no?"
After that one spell, yes. The last bit I had gathered was during the time we
were bathing. But well, I couldn’t explain that.
"It will come back with time, as you please."
Weiss stretched out her hand. "Here," she said. She wrapped her arm around my
neck while I wrapped my other hand around her waist.
The rope was at the top, and I started climbing up. Weiss, too, put in her own
strength, but leaned on me mostly.
She was as light as a feather. Despite all I fed her, she seemed almost
unhealthily light to me, or was I just pretty strong? As we went up and up, she
suddenly pulled my head to her side.
We were in the middle of the nest, climbing up. The sky was above me and the
ground below; in front of me, only her, and in front of her, only me.
Like that, she pulled my head closer and sealed my lips. Our lips. Together.
Her tongue ran over my lower lip first, then it forced my mouth open. We both
tussled with our tongues as our breaths mingled. Only after a few seconds passed
did she pull back. Then, she grabbed me again and kissed my forehead.
"I am quite pleased with you," she said. "Your mana should be back."
Hey... that book...
I gulped down my blush and held her tighter by the waist, our lower bodies
touching. My hand was near her thigh, and I gripped her body tightly. Even
though she was light, her body was supple.
This time, I grasped her as if all of it was mine.
We started to head out. Once again,
There was once again something at the cave entrance.
"The gryphon...?"
"How is that possible?"
Weiss’s question was answered in a second. The gryphon stepped inside; it was
pulling the body of the mother gryphon along. Its head was bloodied.
I looked at the giant eggs—eggs bigger than Weiss and me. Would they make good
omelettes? I doubted that. Not with all those other kinds of meats in that
gryphon.
"It’s her husband," I said. For some reason, the gryphon didn’t seem to have
noticed us. No, even if it had, it still seemed to be ignoring us, as if little
pesky humans were no threat.
It took to the air and flew to the nest, passing us by and onto the eggs.
The gryphon leaned down and started... chewing the eggs! It broke the top off
one and smashed its face inside, slurping up the entire thing.
"Ugh!" Weiss frowned. "What is this bastard doing?"
"That blood... it was probably eating the other gryphon, too."
"Is it not the father?"
It must be. There were quite a few species of animals that did this, no? Like
chickens or bears. It was deeply disgruntling. Especially the fact that it was
eating its own offspring.
"Hey, Butler," she said.
Once again, there was no need for her to tell me anything.
With all the replenished mana, I was already casting the spell. The book had
flung open and was below my hand while a magic circle formed.
Small at first, a light, magenta fire.
Weiss stared at it with widened eyes.
"And what..." she muttered, "is that?"
The small ball of flame went toward the gryphon.
A flash.
A magenta light flashed.
Brightly, for a second, everything was colored magenta.
A silence.
And then.
—BOOOOOM!!!
The spell of the Witch Queen had struck her forest again.
As the light shimmered down, the male gryphon turned back, barely moving, and
fell. As it died, it looked like a father.
"We just did the mother too, an hour ago."
"Let’s leave before an uncle or aunt shows up."
