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Chapter 27
Caius ordered Basel to drag Eden out, as if he truly intended to expel him.
“Wait—no.”
I hurriedly stepped in front of Eden to block them.
“Do you want to be dragged out with him as well?”
“Of course not. And there’s one more important thing.”
Caius tilted his head slightly to the side.
He already looked indifferent, as if whatever I said would go in one ear and out the other.
But this was something he couldn’t ignore.
“As you know, Eden can control magical beasts. That’s an extremely rare specialty, even in the Demon Realm.”
“Yes, and thanks to that, my territory was turned into a wasteland.”
“He’ll restore it himself, so don’t worry. More importantly, Eden.”
I poked his side insistently, urging him to hurry. Eden, puffing out his cheeks, grumbled and waved his hand.
Suddenly, a shadow fell across the window outside.
Kiiieeek—!
With a sharp cry and the sound of air being sliced apart, a massive shape streaked past.
A moment later—
Grrr, grrr.
The griffin rubbed its fluffy head all over me. Trying to handle the affection of a griffin easily four or five times my size, my face kept getting buried in its feathers.
It’s a bit overwhelming, but cute.
Looking at it like this, it’s a total sweetheart.
“As you can see—ack—if Eden’s here, he can tame griffins.”
On the vast lawn behind the main building, dozens of griffins were sprawled about, growling softly as they rolled around.
At my words, Eden’s shoulders lifted proudly, while Caius and Basel stood there, completely speechless.
[Kyuu, kyuu!]
Looks like our Golsun is excited too.
I smiled fondly at Golsun, who was toddling around atop a griffin’s back, then turned my head again.
“I’m thinking of using these griffins to form a flying knight order.”
“It just keeps getting worse.”
“Hear me out. Lucifenia is constantly being attacked by dark mages. And although nothing has happened so far, since this is the edge of the continent, we never know what kind of unexpected situation might arise. A knight order that can fly would be an enormous boost to our military strength.”
A griffin-mounted knight order—how cool is that? There’s a reason dragon knight orders always appear in fantasy worlds and myths.
“The idea is good, but there has never been a knight order in history that fought while riding magical beasts.”
“That’s exactly why we need it. Your Grace knows what it means to possess a force that exists nowhere else on the continent.”
“I also know how risky it is to walk a path no one has ever attempted.”
Caius replied firmly.
I understood his point. Until now, magical beasts had been enemies to be slain by humans, not creatures that could be tamed like animals.
Eden, who had been looking back and forth between the two of us, added,
“If you’re worried about the danger of griffins, don’t be. As you can see, these guys move according to my authority. They won’t attack anyone I don’t recognize as an enemy.”
Caius’s gaze shifted to the griffins rolling about on the grass with low growls. He looked deep in thought.
In truth, it wasn’t just about creating a griffin knight order to fend off the endlessly invading dark mages.
After a brief moment of contemplation, I spoke.
“I’ll give you one more clue about the culprit.”
Caius’s eyes, which had been on the griffins, turned to me. I parted my lips, then added,
“…One day, he will definitely come to Lucifenia. Leading his own army.”
Our gazes collided in midair. Caius seemed to sense that my words were not an empty threat or idle talk.
“Isn’t that reason enough to create a griffin knight order?”
If safety could be proven, there was no real reason to reject the idea of a griffin knight order.
After pondering for a moment, Caius turned to Eden.
“You there, demon brat.”
“Hey, damn it, I’m not a brat! I’m at least two hundred years older than you!”
“Can you truly guarantee the safety of my knights?”
Look at him—completely ignoring that and saying whatever he wants. His character is really something.
Eden let out a hollow laugh in disbelief, then replied,
“As long as they don’t fall off the griffin. If they fall from that height, they should quit being knights anyway, don’t you think?”
As if to say that if he was that worried, he should try riding one himself, Eden jerked his chin.
“Basel.”
“Yes.”
Basel stepped forward as if he were about to mount one immediately.
“Wait.”
I stopped him.
“Instead of Basel, I’d like to recommend someone else.”
“…You’re saying I’m going to ride this?”
“Yes, Sir Nilsen. There’s no one more suitable than you.”
A short while later, the summoned Damon stared up at the enormous griffin in a daze.
A holy knight riding a griffin—could there be a more thrilling sight?
“If we form a griffin knight order, our first priority candidates would be the security corps. They could conduct long-distance reconnaissance, and if danger approaches, they’d be the first to notice.”
“Damon, can you do it?”
Caius asked.
After wearing a conflicted expression for a moment, Damon nodded resolutely.
“Your Highness has chosen to trust me again. If I can repay that trust, then this is no hardship at all.”
“How many times do I have to say it’s safe? You there, human—just get on already, no more talk.”
Eden jerked his chin primly.
Damon approached the griffin with a tense expression.
Grrr.
The griffin that met his gaze lowered its head as if by magic and lay down on the ground. Staring straight at Damon, it blinked slowly, as if inviting him to climb on.
Damon let out an awed breath.
“…It’s hard to believe this is the magical beast that attacked the territory.”
As if communing with the griffin, he reached out and stroked its forehead, then climbed onto its back. The griffin spread its wings wide and powerfully soared into the sky.
Kiiiee—!
The griffin’s shadow blotted out the sun, casting an enormous silhouette overhead.
“Well? Isn’t it amazing?”
I shaded my eyes with my hand and asked Caius as I looked up at the sky. I could feel his gaze turn toward me.
“Are you certain about what you said—that man will come to the territory?”
“Yes. It will happen.”
“Can you tell when?”
I lowered my hand.
“…I’ll look into that gradually. But it won’t be very far from now.”
Caius didn’t ask any more questions.
He simply wore a slightly complicated expression.
Still, I couldn’t tell him everything yet.
Meanwhile, the griffin that had been circling the sky landed with a rush of fierce wind.
“Your Grace!”
Damon jumped down from the griffin, his face flushed with excitement.
“This is truly… incredible.”
See?
I knew it would be.
“In the entire history of the Empire, there has never been a knight order capable of flight. If this truly becomes possible, Lucifenia will possess the strongest military force on the continent.”
“Can you teach your subordinates how to ride them?”
“Yes, I can. Leave it to me.”
Damon bowed deeply.
Basel, who had been watching them, cautiously interjected.
“However, there is a problem.”
“A problem?”
“The armor.”
He pointed to the abdominal area of Damon’s armor. Even though he had only flown briefly, the parts that had been in contact with the griffin’s body were slightly warped.
“Griffins are famous for having exceptionally hard bodies among magical beasts. Knights’ armor made of iron is too weak to ride atop a griffin.”
Ah… right.
There was that issue.
A griffin’s body—especially its claws—was extremely hard. In front of a griffin, ordinary iron armor was as meaningless as silk. One swipe of its claws would tear it apart like paper.
“Hm… you’re right. If we’re going to ride griffins in earnest, we’ll need armor that’s just as sturdy.”
“Yes. We need armor that can be processed, yet won’t be damaged even if it strikes the griffin’s body during flight.”
“The materials that come to mind are orichalcum or mithril, but…”
“They’re outrageously expensive.”
“That’s true.”
To outfit a knight order of over thirty people with orichalcum or mithril armor, selling off all the archduchy’s possessions wouldn’t even come close to being enough.
But we couldn’t just give up on the cheat code that was the griffin either.
“There’s no way around it…?”
That was when—
[Kyuu, kyuu!]
Before I knew it, Golsun tugged at the hem of my skirt. As if trying to say something, it hopped up and down, waving its short arms.
I looked down in puzzlement—and then, in an instant, a flash went through my mind.
“…Ah!
