'...It's not that, right?'
No, it can't be.
The look that little cat is giving him right now is one of gratitude to the healer who healed him.
He thought there was a tiny bit of... longing in them, but he was probably mistaken.
Such idle thoughts were interrupted by an eerie sound.
"Krrr."
It was the cry of a demon!
He turned his head in surprise and saw a huge monster standing there.
An eagle's head, a lion's body, two pairs of wings.
"A griffin!"
Christine cried out in alarm.
A griffin!
A high-level monster!
Worse, it wasn't just any griffin.
'Four wings means it's an Elder Griffin! Why is such a monster here?'
An Elder Griffin.
A higher-ranked griffin.
Naturally, it was much stronger and more difficult to deal with than a normal griffin.
A powerful monster of double A rank!
"Why is it here?"
"Oh, shit."
Rothen and Krynn took out their swords with a puzzled face.
"Relax, you have to protect our lord. "
"I know."
Rothen and Krynn tensed up as much as they could. Elmud stiffened as well.
In truth, their individual strength exceeded that of the Elder Griffin.
The problem was the griffin's cleverness.
They glide like eagles through the air and attack their enemies, cleverly targeting the weak.
No matter how powerful the knights were, they could not prevent their swift attacks one hundred percent of the time.
If a fight breaks out, there are likely to be casualties.
'What shall we do?'
Raymond's mouth went dry.
To be honest, he wasn't too worried about his own safety.
It was the non-combatants he was worried about, especially Hanson, Lyndon, and the others.
They'd be escorted, but there was no way they'd be able to stop a gliding attack from the air.
If they missed, it was game over.
They could be seriously injured, or worse, killed.
'No, never!'
Raymond gritted his teeth.
Somehow, he had to figure out a way to get through this without casualties.
"Krrr."
Just then, the griffin let out another menacing roar.
Everyone tensed and raised their swords.
But there was something strange: The griffin didn't fly.
It didn't do anything but roar.
'What is it? Why doesn't it take to the skies?'
'Is it waiting for an opportunity?'
Everyone was on edge.
A few moments passed. But the griffin still didn't move.
As everyone looked on, Raymond realized something strange.
'Why isn't the healer's self-defense working?'
His self-defense was always triggered when he was in a combat situation, but there was no message.
'Does that mean it doesn't want to fight us?'
Raymond's eyes narrowed; indeed, the griffin hadn't done anything aggressive, except spew threats.
'... It doesn't seem to have a good complexion, is it my imagination?'
No, it wasn't an illusion.
Raymond examined the griffin and realized it was breathing heavily.
'There's something wrong with the way it's breathing, it's ragged, and there's something inside it!'
Thank goodness!
They could easily capture this powerful beast.
"Elmud, attack him now...!"
He gave the command to attack.
An unexpected voice rang in his ears.
[Enchanted Human.]
"... Huh?"
Raymond's eyes widened.
The Elder griffin was looking straight at him.
Its eyes filled with anguish.
[Please, save me.]
***
Raymond was puzzled by this unexpected development.
'A griffin talking to me in my head?'
Griffins are highly intelligent creatures, especially the four-winged Elder Griffins, which are said to have an intellect comparable to that of humans.
It is also said that the three great powers of the Cross Alliance Empire utilize the characteristics of the Elder griffin to operate an aviation corps called the Griffin Riders.
'No, but this is the first I've heard of them being able to communicate directly with humans in their minds?'
The way griffin riders communicate with griffins is similar to the way dolphin trainers communicate with dolphins.
It's through certain signals, not direct speech.
'But how?'
It didn't take long to figure out why.
A message came to mind.
[You encountered a powerful beast, and your skill, Cat's Allure, is activated!]
[The opposing demon responds to your mesmerization! You can temporarily communicate with it!]
[Attempt to 'seduce' your opponent?]
"......!"
Raymond's mouth dropped open, it was the skill he had gotten in the Cat Village!
'What kind of demon...'
Raymond looked at the griffin's towering bulk.
It looked like it would take out a weak(?) healer like him with a single blow of its nails.
'I don't like monsters.'
Not caring, he was about to order Elmud to attack once more.
'Wait. Isn't it possible to seduce the griffin and ride it?'
Raymond thought back to the griffin riders he'd heard about earlier.
Griffin riders had a strong emotional bond with their griffins that allowed them to ride them.
In other words, if you got your hands on one of these griffins, you'd have a tremendous means of transportation!
'A griffin's flight distance is beyond imagination, from here to the capital of the Droton Kingdom in a short time!'
Raymond swallowed hard.
It wasn't just this time, the benefits of being able to ride a griffin were enormous.
They'd be able to travel back and forth between the capital's Penin Treatment Center and the Rafalde province in no time at all.
'This must be done! Let's do it, Seduction'!
With that thought, a quest came to mind.
[Cure the Demon!]
(Medicine Quest)
[Medicine Rank - Three Scalpels
Difficulty: Medium
Quest Description: A poor demon is asking for help! Use your skills to heal it and grant it grace!
Clear Conditions: Cure the Demon
Reward: Bonus Level Up x2, 60 Skill Points
Perks: Demon's Lava-like Heart]
He didn't have to think about how to seduce it.
It was Raymond's longest game, after all.
He instinctively went into 'image-making' mode, as he had done countless times before.
He was a little nervous because his opponent was a demon, but his skills helped.
[With a healer's heart, you want to cure the demon!]
[Skill, 'Heart of Steel' manifests!]
[Skill, 'Physician's Charisma' is activated!]
[Skill, 'Silver Tongue' manifests!]
A three-piece set of three has been unleashed.
This allowed Raymond to open his mouth in style, with a strong, reliable voice.
"Please wait a moment. That beast's condition is strange."
"Master?"
"From what I can tell, something is wrong with its body."
The group examined the griffin's condition and realized that something was amiss.
"Sure enough, it seems to be breathing heavily."
"I think the breathing sound is weird, too."
The knight looked relieved.
"I was worried about the damage, but I think it can be easily removed. Please wait. I'll take care of it...."
"No, please don't."
"Lord?"
Rothen made a puzzled face.
"I'm going to try and heal that demon."
"Nonsense!"
"Heal the beast?"
Everyone jumped.
It was a natural reaction.
He was going to heal a demon!
'Actually, I don't want to cure the demon either, but it's a valuable means of transportation.'
"There's a reason I want to heal that griffin."
"What? What?"
"Can't you guys sense that this beast is different from the others?"
The group was silent, as if they didn't know.
Of course, Raymond couldn't sense it either, but he continued.
"Its eyes, its aura, its behavior. Putting it all together, it's clear that it has the qualities of a holy demon beast."
".....!"
Holy Demon Beast!
A demonic beast, but one that fights for humans.
Examples include griffins for griffin riders and wyverns for wyvern riders.
Not all beasts of a given species can become holy beasts; they must fulfill a number of special conditions.
"The Master even has the ability to recognize a Holy Steed, as expected of the Master..."
"What are the limits of the Master?"
Everyone stared at Raymond in awe, but he didn't stop there; he continued to show off his proprietary sacred mark.
It was his trademark holy look.
"I can feel it. That this beast is not malicious. I'm a healer, after all. And as a healer, I want to cure it."
A lie, of course. This was for the griffin to hear.
'The effect of his skill has made him telepathic (?), so he should be able to understand what he's saying.'
Sure enough, a message popped up.
[Your opponent is touched by your goodwill and falls under an even stronger enchantment!]
But his colleagues were still against it.
"It's still dangerous. If the demon goes on a rampage along the way, you could get seriously hurt."
"Absolutely not."
It wasn't an idle worry.
In order to cure it, he would have to get close to it.
What if he went on a rampage?
He didn't know what kind of injuries he'd get, but then there was an unexpected help.
"Meow."
A cute voice.
It was Mien, the little cat that had run away earlier.
Sonia understood Mien's words and said.
"Lord Mien says he can help us."
"What?"
When everyone was puzzled, the little cat stood up.
For a moment, its white fur stood on end, and a voice burst from its tiny mouth.
"Kyaak!"
Everyone scratched their heads.
It just sounded cute.
But the griffin had a surprising reaction: it reared back in horror!
"Lord Mien is a noble cat. He can use the Peer on a lesser demon, and for the time being, he will not be able to do you any harm."
It was an amazing ability.
Mien was embarrassed and disappeared again.
'Ahem, that's good. It was a little scary if not.'
Of course, Raymond hadn't forgotten to impress it.
"Oh, I'm afraid the griffin is a little too frightened. Don't worry, nothing special will happen."
He spoke with all the emotion of a patient, which reminded me of another message.
[Your opponent is touched by your concern again, and falls into an even stronger state of enchantment!]
Now the groundwork has been laid.
The most important thing that remains is to cure the patient... no, the beast.