The Herb King

Soon, the day of the competition was drawing near and there were only three days left to prepare. The five participants were summoned to Aethelwolf's office.

The two Shadow Guards outside the office opened the door for them. "You may enter."

Alec and the others nervously walked inside the office. In their minds, Aethelwolf was an insurmountable figure. They worshipped him like a god!

"Greetings, King Aethelwolf!" They greeted Aethelwolf who was currently handling a bunch of documents.

"Take your seats first. We'll leave the territory after I deal with this paperwork." Aethelwolf muttered with a smile.

"Thank you, King Aethelwolf!"

As soon as they sat down, a servant dressed in a maid uniform poured coffee for them.

The fragrant aroma of the coffee calmed their nerves.

"Delicious!" Michael muttered in surprise.

The others nodded their heads in agreement after hearing his words. The coffee was indeed delicious.

After about ten minutes, Aethelwolf kept the documents and handed them to another servant. He then turned his gaze to the participants as he asked. "Are you guys ready?"

Alec and the others nodded their heads.

"Good! Let's go!" Aethelwolf stood up and brought them out of the castle. Upon exiting, the young elites saw a huge Gryphon with golden horns protruding on top of its head. A huge portion of its body was covered in golden armor with multiple runes.

"That is not a normal Gryphon! The armor it's wearing is also inscribed with runes!" The highly knowledgeable Christopher exclaimed in shock as he looked at the Gryphon.

Aethelwolf chuckled at his words and said. "That's right. That Gryphon is my personal mount. It's a Level 5 magical beast."

Hearing this, the young elites gasped in shock. This was the first time they had seen a real Level 5 magical beast! It was said that they lived deep in the most dangerous places and they rarely could be spotted. They never thought that Aethelwolf could actually tame one himself!

Janrose smiled proudly when she saw the dumbfounded gazes of her friends.

"Get inside." Aethelwolf told the young elites.

Alec and the others snapped out of their shock upon hearing his words. They then eagerly boarded the carriage that was tied to the huge Gryphon. This carriage was equipped with all sorts of weapons and it was also covered in runes. They felt safe inside the carriage.

After the young elites boarded the carriage, Aethelwolf bid farewell to his wife, family, and friends.

"Let's depart." Aethelwolf said to the Gryphon using the language of beasts.

The Gryphon flapped its wings, sending a huge gust of wind into its surroundings. It then soared into the skies and quickly disappeared from everyone's view. The speed of the creature was so fast, but because of the runes on the carriage, the passengers didn't feel anything at all. Everything was smooth for them and they didn't even feel a hint of turbulence.

There were two rows of smaller Gryphons following behind the huge Gryphon and riding them were Shadow Guards dressed in full-body armor. There were twenty of them in total! Their job was to ensure the safety of the participants. Although it seemed unnecessary because of the presence of the Level 5 Gryphon, Aethelwolf insisted on doing this. He wanted to show everyone that the Leone Empire or specifically the Barden Territory wasn't something to be messed with.

The group chatted throughout the journey and even Aethelwolf joined their conversation sometimes.

After a few hours, the group arrived in West Ocean City, a famous trading hub in the Regalis Continent. It was a major city under the Mystic Island's jurisdiction.

The arrival of their entourage alarmed the entire city and the leaders even summoned the army to prepare.

"That is a Level 5 magical beast, the Golden Horned Gryphon!" A high-ranking soldier muttered in a grave tone as he looked at the giant creature coming toward the city.

"There are also twenty Level 4 Gryphons behind it! General, we should evacuate the civilians and ask for reinforcements!"

The General of West Ocean City's army was a Level 5 Esper, but he wasn't confident that he could win against a Level 5 magical beast. Furthermore, there were also twenty Level 4 magical beasts! His army would be destroyed if they fight against them!

"We can only ask the Mystic Island for help!" The General muttered in a grave tone.

"Sound the alarm!" The General commanded, but before the soldiers could reply a figure suddenly appeared beside the old General.

"Wait! Those magical beasts aren't enemies!"

"Hm?" The old General narrowed his eyes upon hearing this. He moved his gaze to the person who had spoken and became dumbfounded when he saw who it was. "Greetings, Holy General Eliazar!"

The person who just arrived was Holy General Eliazar of the Mystic Island. He came here as soon as he noticed the presence of the Level 5 magical beast.

Eliazar pointed at the entourage and muttered. "That Golden Horned Gryphon is pulling a carriage. That is the crest of the Lassiter Household and the Barden Territory. Those guys are from the Leone Empire!"

"What?!" Everyone exclaimed in shock upon hearing his words. They couldn't believe that there was actually someone who could tame a Level 5 magical beast and it was even someone from a small unknown empire!

Eliazar shook his head as he muttered with a smile. "You guys don't need to be shocked. The person inside that carriage is Aethelwolf Lassiter. He is ranked fifth in the Heavenly Might Rankings. Have you guys heard of him?"

"So it's him! No wonder! Only someone at his level could tame a Level 5 magical beast!" The old General muttered. He was also an expert in the Heavenly Might Rankings so he knew who Aethelwolf was. He was a man who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere and shocked the world with his might!

"Tell the soldiers to calm down the citizens." Eliazar commanded. He then turned his gaze to the old general and asked. "General Trevor, do you want to see him in person?"