Chapter 82: The Griffins
Having lost his horse, Felix had no choice but to continuously cast light-body magic on himself during his journey. Fortunately, he managed to reach the first station outside the imperial city before evening.
Before entering the town, Felix was startled by a series of warning cries in the sky, resembling the sharp screeches of eagles mixed with the roars of fierce beasts. This sound caught Felix's attention, and he looked up to see a sight that shocked him!
Three adult griffins with golden feathers flew side by side in the sky, each with a knight seated on its back, controlling the griffins as they flew in a triangular formation towards the imperial city.
Griffins are incredibly powerful birds of prey, capable of killing even the strongest magical beasts with their talons and beaks!
Although named after griffins, the Empire's Griffin Knights Corps only has 116 elite members who actually ride griffins. Last year, the empire's beast tamers raised a total of over three hundred griffins, excluding those in service, half of which were disabled and the other half not yet mature.
All professionally certified Griffin Knights are central great knights who have stepped into the Silver Domain. Their combination with the powerful griffins is almost unbeatable!
Simply put, in the wars between the Titans Empire and the Saturn Empire over the years, there have been numerous instances where a single Griffin Knight obliterated an entire Saturnian scout cavalry troop!
Felix also had some understanding of griffin breeding, as many Gamma Masters with limited funds use griffins as experimental materials.
Griffin training can be broadly divided into three parts. First, in their youth, they hunt fierce beasts like lions, tigers, bears, and leopards, getting accustomed to facing dangerous creatures. They are then fed on magical beast meat combined with potions to strengthen their bodies, endowing them with physical strength comparable to lower-tier dragons.
Second, they are trained to kill humans, targeting death row inmates to hone their skills in killing humans, learning to pierce human skulls with their talons. During this process, they are taught to be affectionate towards their knights, distinguishing friend from foe.
The third part is relatively simple: outfitting griffins with light enchanted armor, embedding sharp metal talons on their claws, and undergoing final coordination training with their knights. Upon maturity, they are sent to the frontier battlefields for trials.
The training period for a griffin is five years. Due to the harshness of the training, injury and death rates are high, and the empire's griffin reserves are always in short supply.
The leader of the Griffin Knights Corps has always been the head of the Vangeline family, who is also the father of Queen Angelina.
Griffin Knights are an epic-level military force! Their javelins can penetrate a great mage's magical shield with their sheer physical attack power. They are mage killers on the battlefield! Of course, they are also magnets for artillery fire, being the first target for mages in battle.
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The Titans Empire currently has 126 Griffin Knights. Ten of them retired after a small-scale skirmish, as new griffins had not yet been trained.
A caster once calculated the combat strength of the elite Griffin Knights Corps, concluding that they could kill an adult green dragon at the cost of half their number.
When three Griffin Knights sound the alarm, it signifies a matter significant enough to shake the foundation of the nation.
"Could it be? War again?"
Watching the diminishing figures of the three Griffin Knights, Felix lowered his head in contemplation.
The Saturn Empire, harboring hatred, has been sharpening its sword for twenty years. War is something every citizen of Titans expects. But when it truly erupts, everyone feels a certain heaviness in their hearts.
The cruelty of war is known to all, but only those who have truly experienced death and seen fields strewn with corpses can understand just how brutal it can be.
"Once war breaks out, Lady Elizabeth's plans will unfold..." Felix mused silently, his right hand gripping the rune sword at his waist. If war erupts between the Titans Empire and the Saturn Empire, it won't just be Lady Elizabeth who takes action; all those ambitious enough to covet the throne will be itching to move!
Being gifted to Lady Elizabeth as a present from the Fairmuth family signified more than just a noble friendship; Lady Elizabeth must have reached some agreement with the Fairmuths. Although she hid much and never told him anything, Felix understood.
Felix knew that a storm had quietly begun, and he, an insignificant character in this situation, couldn't extricate himself no matter what.
"Lady Elizabeth..." Looking towards the direction of the imperial city, Felix gripped his rune sword tighter, whispering softly, "How do you see me in your eyes? And where should I stand to watch you next?"
"Maybe, I should seek an answer from you..."
Unknowingly, Felix found himself having accumulated much. He had entered the Silver Domain and now possessed a power akin to that of a death knight.
He had gained the friendship of Light Ranger Aurelia and the protection of Lady Ireland. The mysterious Gamma Master had granted him the world's safest fortress and left him a servant with the strength of a high-ranking demon.
Now, having hunted a high-ranking demon, perhaps in just half a month, he would possess a flesh puppet as powerful as a Golden Dominion-level fighter. Unwittingly, this pawn, initially given as a gift to Lady Elizabeth, had accumulated enough power to shake the entire situation!
...
Here lies a manor just outside the imperial city, by a river branch leading into the countryside. Nestled against the mountains and by the water, this scenic spot is a favorite vacation destination for the nobility.
Lady Elizabeth strolled through the manor, followed silently by her slender knight sister, wordless.
The manor was ordinary in scenery but had one unique feature: it was filled with a not-so-famous flower that bloomed in autumn. These flowers, known as blood roses, weren't particularly vibrant but bore a somber beauty. They were fragile, yet their roots were as resilient as weeds...
A graceful and elegant woman sat quietly among the blood roses, her head lowered, her golden hair cascading over the flowers, serene and aloof, her beauty almost startling...
"We need to have a talk," Lady Elizabeth said, approaching her.
The woman didn't look up, toying with the petals, replying faintly, "Talk about what?"
"You shouldn't run away," Lady Elizabeth insisted.
"I've never run away," the woman retorted, lifting her head to meet Lady Elizabeth's gaze with her delicate, yet somewhat cold, face.
Lady Elizabeth stared at her coldly. After a long silence, she tossed a sealed letter before the woman, "She's back."
"This is Jupiter's final order. Only through honest cooperation do we have a future."
Lady Elizabeth, followed by her silent knight, left without looking back. Before leaving the garden, she paused and said coldly, "You have one night to think it over."
The woman picked up the letter, slowly opening it. It bore the imprint of a griffin and a large, blood-red word beneath it.
Kill!
...
Outside the manor, the silent knight suddenly spoke, "Lady, did Emperor Jupiter really issue this order?"
Lady Elizabeth turned, meeting the beautiful knight's gaze. After a long moment, she lowered her eyes and said softly, "No."