The Unfilial Heir Who Tries to Kill Me Tempts Me - Chapter 27

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 27.

Kaius was serious about driving Idun out—he ordered Basel to drag him away.
“Wait, that won’t do.”
I hurried forward to block Idun’s path.
“Would you like to be dragged out as well?”
“Of course not. And there’s something else important I need to tell you.”
Kaius tilted his head to one side, curious.
He already seemed dismissive, as though he’d let my words go in one ear and out the other.
But he couldn’t ignore this.
“As you may know, Idun can command Magical Beasts. It’s an incredibly rare skill, even in the Demon Realm.”
“Yes, and thanks to that, my territory is in ruins.”
“He’ll restore it himself, so don’t worry. More importantly, Idun.”
I jabbed him urgently in the ribs, urging him on. Idun, his lips already parted in protest, gestured reluctantly.
Suddenly, a shadow fell across the window.
Keeee-aaaak!
With a sharp whistle of wind, a massive shape swept past at breathtaking speed.

A moment later.
Grrrrrr, rrrr.
The Griffin rubbed its fluffy head all over me, and since it was easily five times my size, its affections kept burying my face in feathers.
It was a bit overwhelming, but adorable.
Seeing it like this, it was utterly endearing.
“As you can see, oof, when Idun’s around, the Griffin can be tamed.”
Behind the manor, dozens of Griffins were sprawled across the vast lawn, rumbling contentedly.
At my words, Idun’s shoulders shot up proudly, while Kaius and Basel stood speechless.
[Chirp, chirp!]
Golsuni’s excited too.
I watched warmly as our little friend toddled about on the Griffin’s back, then turned my attention back.
“I was thinking of forming a Flying Knight Squadron with these Griffins.”
“The more we talk, the grander it gets.”
“Hear me out. Lusiphenia faces constant attacks from Dark Magic practitioners. And while nothing catastrophic has happened yet, as a borderland, we can never predict what emergencies might arise. A squadron that fights from the skies would be an enormous asset to our military strength.”
A knight squadron that rides Griffins—how magnificent that would be? Fantasy worlds and mythology don’t feature dragon knights for nothing.
“The idea has merit, but in all of history, no knight squadron has ever fought mounted on Magical Beasts.”
“Which is precisely why we need one. Surely Your Grace understands what it means to possess a military force that exists nowhere else on the continent.”
“I also understand the risks and burdens of treading a path no one has dared attempt.”
Kaius answered firmly.
I understood his concern. Until now, Magical Beasts had always been enemies for humans to defeat, never creatures that could be tamed like animals.
Idun, watching us both in turn, added his voice.
“If it’s the danger from the Griffins that worries you, don’t. As you can see, these creatures move according to my Authority. They won’t attack anyone I don’t consider a threat.”
Kaius’s gaze shifted to the Griffins rolling about in the grass, rumbling softly. His face was troubled, thoughtful.
In truth, I wasn’t proposing the Griffin squadron merely to counter the endless assaults of Dark Magic practitioners.
I spoke after a moment of silence.
“I can give you one more clue about the perpetrator.”
Kaius’s eyes, which had been fixed on the Griffins, turned toward me. I parted my lips before continuing.
“…He will come to Lusiphenia one day, without fail. And he’ll bring his army with him.”
Our eyes met across empty space. Kaius seemed to sense that my words were neither bluff nor empty threat.
“Doesn’t that give us reason enough to build the Griffin Knight Squadron?”
Once safety was proven, there was no reason to refuse the Griffin Squadron.
After a moment of thought, Kaius turned to Idun.
“Listen here, young demon.”
“Hey, don’t call me young! I’m two hundred years older than you!”
“Can you truly guarantee the safety of my knights?”
Look at him, ignoring what I just said and pushing his own agenda. That guy really is committed to his character.
Idun let out an exasperated laugh before responding.
“As long as they don’t fall off the Griffin’s back. If they do fall from that height, they should quit being knights anyway, don’t you think?”
Idun gestured with his chin for him to try it himself if he was so worried.
“Basel.”
“Yes.”
Basel stepped forward as if to mount at once.
“Wait a moment.”
I caught him and held him back.
“I’d like to recommend someone else instead of Basel.”

***

“…You mean I’m to ride this thing?”
“Yes, Daemon. There’s no one more suited for it than you.”
Daemon, summoned moments later, gazed up at the enormous Griffin with a dazed expression.
A holy knight astride a Griffin—could there be a more thrilling sight?
“If we’re forming a Griffin Knight Squadron, the first priority would be the Security Forces. They could scout distant territories and, should danger approach, detect it before anyone else.”
“Daemon, do you think you can manage it?”
Kaius asked.
Daemon’s face grew complicated for a moment, then he nodded with resolve.
“Your Highness has placed your trust in me anew. If I can repay that faith, no task is beyond me.”
“How many times do I have to say it’s safe? You there—no arguments. Try it yourself.”
Idun gestured sharply with his chin.
Daemon approached the Griffin with a tense expression.
A low growl rumbled from its throat.
The moment their eyes met, the Griffin lowered its head and lay prone on the ground as if inviting him to mount. It gazed at Daemon directly, blinking its enormous eyes.
Daemon let out a gasp of wonder.
“…I can scarcely believe this was the Magical Beast that attacked the estate.”
He reached out as if communing with the Griffin, stroking its brow, then swung himself up onto its back. The Griffin spread its wings wide and surged powerfully into the sky.
Kee-yah!
The Griffin’s shadow eclipsed the sun, casting an enormous shadow overhead.
“What do you think? Magnificent, isn’t it?”
I held up my parasol and gazed at the sky, asking Kaius. I felt his gaze turn toward me.
“You’re certain he’ll come to the estate?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Can you say when?”
I lowered my parasol.
“…I’ll look into it gradually. But it won’t be very far from now.”
Kaius asked nothing further.
His expression was only slightly complicated.
I still couldn’t tell him everything.
In the meantime, the Griffin that had been circling overhead descended with a great gust of wind.
“Your Highness!”
Daemon leaped from the Griffin’s back, his face flushed with exhilaration.
“This is truly extraordinary.”
I told you so.
I knew it would be like this.
“Throughout the empire’s history, there has never been a knight squadron capable of flight. If this truly becomes possible, Lusiphenia will become the territory with the mightiest military force on the continent.”
“Can you teach your subordinates how to ride?”
“Yes, I can. Leave it to me.”
Daemon bowed deeply.
Basel, who had been watching them, ventured to speak up carefully.
“However, there is one problem.”
“A problem?”
“The armor.”
He pointed to the belly section of Daemon’s armor. In just the brief time he’d flown on the Griffin, the part that had pressed against its body had become subtly warped.
“The Griffin is renowned among Magical Beasts for having an exceptionally hard body. The iron armor worn by ordinary knights is far too fragile for riding a Griffin.”
Ah… that’s right.
That was indeed a problem.
The Griffin’s body, especially its claws, was desperately hard. Before a Griffin, ordinary Iron Armor was as meaningless as silk. A single raking blow from its talons would shred it like paper.
“Hmm… you’re right. If we’re to ride the Griffin regularly, we’ll need armor equally durable.”
“Yes—we need armor that can be worked, yet suffer no damage even when brushed against the Griffin’s body during flight.”
“The first things that come to mind are Orichalcum or Mithril, but…”
“Prohibitively expensive.”
“That’s right.”
To outfit over thirty knights of the Flying Knight Squadron in Orichalcum or Mithril, I’d need to sell off every last possession in the Grand Duke’s household—and even that wouldn’t be enough.
But I couldn’t simply abandon Griffin, my cheat key.
“There has to be a way….”
That was when it happened.
[Chirp, chirp!]
I hadn’t even noticed Golsuni approach until she tugged at my skirt hem. She hopped up and down eagerly, waving her short arms back and forth as if desperate to tell me something.
I looked down at her in confusion, but only for a moment—a flash of insight struck me.
“…Oh!”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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