Taming the Griffins
The incident at the banquet settled down far more quickly than I'd feared. Especially the Imperial Knights—I'd expected them to kick up a fuss, but they were strangely subdued. Just as the crown prince had boasted, that dubious excuse seemed to have worked like a charm.
Still, I honestly couldn't say whether that was truly for the best.
"Hm..."
Jade approached me as I brooded.
"Preparations are complete."
"Ah, good."
I lowered the hand propping up my chin.
Heading to the training grounds, a bizarre sight unlike the usual greeted my eyes.
"Uwaaak!"
"Grab that one over there!"
"Damn it, it bit my hand!"
"Kkuk! Kkuruk!"
In a word, chaos.
The knights assembled in the training grounds floundered helplessly against a handful of griffins. Kuku and the others spread their massive wings threateningly, refusing to let any knight come near. They couldn't take flight thanks to the chains we'd fastened around their legs while they were unconscious. Deprived of their freedom, the griffins screeched in fury.
I let out a soft sigh and stepped forward.
"Kuku."
"Kku?"
Kuku whipped its head around aggressively, but upon seeing it was me, its expression changed dramatically. It neatly folded its threatening wings and lay down obediently before me.
"Kuku! Kku!"
"Hm."
It seemed like it was saying it had missed me or something. Was it? I tilted my head, unsure.
Pel beside me bared his teeth again.
[That detestable birdbrain!]
"Well, its body's a carnivore, so the bird head fits. Oh, and the wings too."
[That's not what I meant!]
"Yeah, yeah."
I nodded vaguely and drew closer to Kuku.
"Kuku, you need to behave."
"Kkuu, kku."
When I reached out to stroke its head, Kuku docilely closed its eyes. So meek in front of me. But not with the other knights. The ones encircling us stared at Kuku and me in utter disbelief.
"Can we even tame these things?"
"Who knows."
Xavier adjusted his glasses and murmured.
"They follow Lady Abigail, so taming seems possible. But despite all the knights' efforts..."
"Hmm."
I recalled the time I'd mounted Kuku's back. Things had been frantic—I'd activated my aura armor and barked at it to change direction by force. I'd assumed submitting it through sheer power like I did would work, but even senior knights wielding aura couldn't bully them into compliance. When they tried coaxing instead, the griffins just got haughtier, or so they'd said.
"Unpredictable bunch."
"Exactly."
In the blink of an eye, the surviving griffins had become unwanted burdens. With the already poor perception of monsters, most knights were clamoring to put them down.
At this rate, I could only protect Kuku, who stuck by me, while the rest faced execution.
"What to do."
I glanced at the other griffins behind Kuku. Roughly a dozen had survived the mayhem, Kuku included. The rest had been reduced to ash by my aura and Ren's grand magic.
These near-death survivors acted especially friendly toward me but screeched and recoiled whenever other knights approached. We couldn't develop aerial scouts like this. And I couldn't very well take all the griffins with me.
"Hm..."
As I pondered, I spotted someone grunting their way into the training grounds. It was Paul, hauling the griffins' feed. Feeding time, apparently.
"Oh?"
As Paul drew near, the griffins caught the scent, lowering their vigilant wings. They eyed the struggling Paul, eyes gleaming.
"Hoo."
Paul set the fish-laden cart down near the griffins and backed away, his face pale with terror.
I caught his eye and beckoned.
"Paul, come here."
"Y-yes."
He nodded and shuffled closer. Seeing his timid face, I flashed a smile. Paul's freckled features stiffened.
"You feed them yourself."
"Y-yes...? Yes?"
Paul had nodded on reflex but jolted in shock, staring at me. Realizing I meant it, his face drained of color.
"W-what if they skip the food and eat me instead?"
"Guess you'll find out."
"H-huh."
Beasts are tamed with food, after all. Paul, who'd handled more feed transport than any other knight, seemed the best bet.
Under my prodding, he gulped and marched to the cart with resolve. The chain-bound griffins cooed plaintively, stomachs empty.
"Ugh."
Paul grimaced as he hefted the fish. The stunned-and-stored catch must have reeked fiercely.
With trembling arms, he offered a fish to the nearest griffin. It licked its chops and snapped it up.
"Oh!"
Admiration escaped me and the knights. The griffin neatly seized only the fish and gulped it down. Then it flapped at Paul demandingly for more.
Even Paul blinked in astonishment at the unforeseen docility.
"Kku! Kkukku!"
"Kkuu! Kku!"
The other griffins crowded the sated one, crying out in protest—why only him?
"Ah, got it. Hold on."
Flustered, Paul snatched up fish in both hands. The griffins snatched them from him quite tamely. A few thrust beaks threateningly now and then, but it was impressive.
Satisfied, I surveyed the knights.
"You all saw that?"
"......"
"Tame them well with feed while I'm gone. Get at least ten successes."
Paul, the order's infamous scaredy-cat, had pulled it off. No knight could back down now without losing face.
I chuckled and turned away, imagining ten griffin-handling knights waiting upon my return from recon.
Leaving the training grounds behind, I headed to the spot where people had gathered in secret.
"Hm, everyone here?"
"Seems so."
Xavier, who'd trailed me from the grounds, nodded as he scanned around.
After repelling two monster incursions successfully, we'd decided to scout even farther north.
"As you know, this one's all about stealth."
Before me stood my most trusted allies. All strong enough to protect themselves, no matter what.
Ian, Ren, Pel, and...
"Setting out right now?"
"Hm."
I tilted my head at Sian waving cheerily. Even without him, our force rivaled a full knight order: me on the cusp of Swordmaster, Ian a match for me, Ren the future Magic Tower Master, and Pel the senior monster.
Yet Sian had somehow learned of our recon plans and insisted on tagging along. Baffling.
Sian generally ignored others' business. He fixated solely on worthy foes. For a mage and spirit summoner, his battle lust was insane—he wandered picking fights with countless powerhouses.
In the original story, he'd met the crown prince and taken interest. The prince had been the strongest he'd encountered. But with me twisting the plot, the world's apex was no longer the prince.
Sian stared at me with undisguised blazing eyes.
I smiled awkwardly.
"Haha, it'll be a rough trip—are you sure?"
"Of course."
Sian nodded confidently.
I knew he was strong, of course. The crown prince trusted him enough to casually leave his back exposed.
But now, he was showing that interest in me, not the prince. It felt burdensome.
"Well, whatever—let's go."
I said resignedly. I lacked the guts to outright reject a major original side character.
This was an ultra-secret recon team. Sian had probably blanketed the base with spirits, idly gathering intel. His spirit-based info network had aided the prince immensely.
Building ties with him now wasn't a bad idea.
Thinking positively, I approached my horse.
"Lady Abigail."
"Hm?"
Xavier, who'd come all the way to the horses, gazed at me gravely. His weak stamina meant he couldn't join this time—a sore point for him, clearly.
"Be careful."
"Don't worry."
I smiled at the plea he'd repeated for days. Only Xavier and I knew of those wielding ancient artifacts to control monsters. Hence his excessive fretting—it reminded me of the duke's worried looks back at the mansion.
"I'll be back."
"Yes. Leave the base to us."
I nodded to Xavier and mounted up.
"Let's move out!"
"......"
The silent group trailed mutely behind me.
* * *
"Yes, they're off now."
Vincent reported in a bored drawl, watching the few riders vanish amid hoofbeats.
Invisibility wasn't his forte, but magic bolstered by potent holy power could fool even the next Magic Tower Master's eyes. That part pleased him.
Finishing his report with a touch of pride, Vincent surveyed the imposing base.
"Really, going to such lengths for nothing..."
Who could've guessed that over those six years, they'd built something this vicious?
Thinking of the one who'd troubled him as much as this base, Vincent furrowed his brow. Meeting her in person made it clear. What had gone wrong from the start.
Vincent's lips curved up, his face cheerful despite his dour mood. He was unmatched at masking his heart. No one suspected the ever-grinning eccentric. Thus, he could perpetrate his evils with such brazen calm.
"Just to repeat—no hard feelings toward you all."
He murmured softly and raised a hand. An act that would spell catastrophe for some, but Vincent felt zero guilt.
A pure white light condensed in his palm into a small orb.
Gazing at the glowing sphere, he launched it skyward.
"Now things'll get fun."
With cheerful words, Vincent sauntered back inside the base.