Although I was flung into the sky, I was rescued at the last moment by a man from the bandit group.
Just as the tip of its beak was about to reach Piyo, their bodies floated upwards and changed position, perhaps due to a lucky gust of wind from below. Piyo then struck, dealing a devastating blow.
The surprised Gryphon shook its head repeatedly and stumbled away. Afterward, I rolled on the ground with the man from the bandit group. Fortunately, thanks to him, I only sustained minor scratches.
“Hiro, are you okay? Didn’t the Gryphon eat you?”
Piyo peered at me, covered in sand and rolling on the ground, with worry.
“I-I’m fine. More importantly, thank you for finding me.”
I could see my companions running towards me from a distance. Imon smiled with relief as he confirmed my condition.
“Wow, that was surprising. I never thought a Gryphon would come here. I knew they existed, but they usually fly high in the sky and rarely come down this far.”
“There were younglings in its nest. We were almost made into food.”
He nodded in understanding. Speaking of which, what happened to the man from the bandit group? Looking around, I saw him being tended to by other bandits. It felt like a fair exchange, but I should still offer my thanks.
“Thanks to you, I was saved. Thank you. Are your wings okay?”
“Hah, I don’t need your concern. But I am indebted to you for saving me. As promised, I will open the water gate and leave this place.”
Imon clapped his hands in joy behind me. But where were they going? Would they go back to stealing the same way? I suddenly remembered the luggage he was carrying.
“Ah, wait a minute. About what you’re going to do next, why not try living as a recycler? The knife in your bag, that’s also something you picked up, right? If you pick up things, make them usable again, and sell them, wouldn’t that be economical?”
The man, who was about to leave, turned back and asked, “Ha?”
“What is recycling? Well, it doesn’t matter. Yes, I’ll try this ‘recycling’ you’re talking about.”
I had used a word that didn’t seem to belong in this world, but the meaning got across. After the bandit group left, the water returned to the dry waterway some time later. Imon and his family rejoiced with leaps and bounds.
We also immediately drank our fill of water, which we hadn’t had in a while.
“We can finally continue our journey. I’m glad Hiro is back safely too.”
“Really! I didn’t know what to do when you flew off into the sky.”
Nina smiled beside Philiana. It was good that we could return, but I felt like I would never ride a roller coaster again.
