บท 53: The Griffin Attack
The brief meeting with the king had gone well for Alex, where he had befriended both the King of Lestia, Reid Yunas Lestia, and the former king, Galen Yunas Lestia, who was the only gold-ranking adventurer in the world.
"Hohoho, you are truly a strong young man. Even in a relaxed state, I cannot find any openings in your defense," the old man and former king exclaimed, appraising Alex.
"Thank you for your kind words," Alex replied, neither arrogant nor overly humble. Together with Galen, Reinhard, and Hildegard, they made their way towards the training grounds, where the knights had prepared for their tasks.
"As everything is prepared... [Gate]," Alex invoked the gate spell, creating a portal connecting the training ground to the city's entrance.
Upon seeing this, everyone proceeded with their orders, moving goods from the grounds to the city. Reinhard and his legion set up camps for those in need, while Hildegard managed the crowd and ensured security. Alex, on the other hand, sat on the ruins of a building, observing their work.
Suddenly, a woman's shriek echoed throughout the camp. She clutched her back, glaring at the old pervert who had been making inappropriate gestures while laughing as if nothing had happened.
"Grandfather!" Hilde exclaimed, witnessing her grandfather's lecherous behavior once again. He grabbed the former king and apologized to the victim.
"He certainly has an energetic spirit for an old man," Alex remarked, glancing at Galen and wondering how the former king managed to rise in the guild ranks.
Ranking up in the guild proved to be a challenging endeavor. Adventurers couldn't simply take as many quests as they pleased or complete them at any time. They were restricted to one quest at a time and required a minimum two-hour break before embarking on another. This slow process frustrated Alex, although his speed of progression was still considered incredibly fast compared to others.
While Alex complained about the guild's workings, a screeching sound emanated from a distance. It caught not only Alex's attention but also the entire city's population.
Standing up, Alex focused his gaze on the eastern horizon and spotted a few creatures approaching. He invoked his spell "[LongSense]" to get a clearer view, discovering a group of massive magical beasts with the bodies of lions and the heads and wings of eagles. They screeched as they flew towards the city.
"...Griffins," Alex muttered, recognizing the legendary magical creatures. Though not as powerful as dragons, griffins were still formidable opponents and held equal value in terms of their rarity and strength.
They are considered peak Silver Rank magical beasts, on par with dragons, due to their agility and potential danger to everyone.
"It's Griffins! KNIGHTS, BE PREPARED!" Reinhard, who spotted the Griffins with the help of a spyglass, commanded the knights.
"Hilde, ensure the safety of the citizens. Grandfather and I will fight against these Griffins."
"Yes, brother."
Reinhard instructed Hilde to ensure the safety of the panicked citizens upon hearing the mention of Griffins. He surveyed the area and noticed Alex calmly observing the approaching group of Griffins.
"King Alexander, if it's not a problem, could you please help evacuate the citizens with your magic?"
"Evacuating citizens? Well, as you wish, Prince."
Although Alex didn't see a need to evacuate the city, he complied with the prince's request to avoid pointless arguments at the moment. Alex cast the gate spell, and Hilde, along with her knights, began evacuating the city. Meanwhile, Reinhard and the battle-hardened Galen put on serious expressions and formed a battle formation with the knight legion they had brought with them.
"Twelve Griffins... it won't be easy," Galen remarked as he counted the number of Griffins while unsheathing his sword.
In a matter of seconds, Galen's aura transformed from that of a friendly old man to that of a seasoned warrior who had won countless wars.
The Griffins screeched loudly as they glided gracefully towards the city, attacking the legion of knights in their path.
One giant beast descended upon the city, targeting the former king at the front, using its enormous claws with incredible speed. However, the old man's agile movements allowed him to evade the attack swiftly. He quickly closed in on the griffin's neck, slashing his sword horizontally in an attempt to sever it. The griffin, however, reacted swiftly, catching the mithril sword with its beak and shattering it into pieces.
"D-damn it!"
Likewise, the other Griffins assaulted the knight legion with their sharp claws, penetrating their shields and inflicting significant injuries upon the defending knights.
The Griffins clearly dominated the battle against Lestia's knight legion, who struggled to withstand such a formidable attack.
"Faster! Evacuate the city faster! Knight, go to the castle and request backup as quickly as possible! The rest of you, follow me. We must buy time for the townspeople to reach safety! Do not falter, do not yield even an inch of ground!"
Near the gate, the knight princess commanded the legion to follow her into battle as she spotted another griffin approaching.
The legion obeyed her orders, joining her in the battle while the civilians continued to evacuate. Charging towards the griffin, climbing the ruins of the remaining buildings, the brave princess swiftly made her way to a larger structure. She leaped down towards the Griffins as the other knights diverted the attention of the large creature.
Maintaining her balance in midair and concentrating her weight on her blade, Hilde landed on the Griffin's back, piercing its flesh with her blade.
The griffin screeched in pain and reared, attempting to dislodge the princess from its back.
Hilde gripped the sword's hilt tightly, striving to maintain her balance on the Griffin's back. Unfortunately, the blade slipped out of the griffin's flesh, causing her to lose her hold.
"A-ack!" Hilde yelped, anticipating a fall. However, instead of hitting the ground, she found herself caught in someone's arms.
Hilde slowly opened her eyes and found herself staring into the captivating face of Alex, a brown-haired man with mesmerizing blue eyes. He held her tightly in his arms, their gazes locked as the chaos of battle surrounded them.
"Are you alright, Princess Hildegard?"
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