The Hero Who Tried to Persuade the Divine Beast

Noon.

The midday sun felt like a piece of tempting, delicately flavored toffee, or perhaps a thick, succulent plum juice that left one craving more.

Everything on the earth seemed gilded, a rich, orange-yellow hue layered over every surface, reflecting dazzling rays of light.

Yet, Thaumas was in no mood to enjoy the scenery; he was staring, mesmerized, at the creature known as a Griffin.

I want it!

I want to ride it so badly!

A typical Griffin stands between three to four meters tall, with males weighing about a ton and females being slightly lighter.

Their wingspans can reach seven to eight meters, supported by strong, well-developed pectoral muscles for flight.

The Griffin species, possessing the body and claws of a lion with the head and wings of an eagle, is a powerful phantasmal beast.

From the perspective of modern biology, the combination of features in a Griffin is impossible in reality, but unfortunately, here it was.

The one before Thaumas had eyes of a diverse color—an icy, crystalline blue like the ocean, as pure and azure as Thaumas's own pupils.

Its tawny fur acted like a mantle; the front of its body resembled an eagle, with forelimbs ending in eagle-like talons, and a pair of massive, powerful wings sprouted from its shoulder blades.

The feathers on its head and wings were pure white, its beak and talons were a vibrant golden yellow, and its claws were a deep, abyssal black.

So cool!

Although Thaumas had a fear of heights, the thought of having such a mount was incredibly exciting!

Suddenly, the Griffin took flight, whipping up a violent gust of wind.

It hovered high in the sky, using its keen vision and sense of smell to hunt for prey on the ground.

Its sharp gaze could spot small animals hidden in the grass and even detect insects underground, though it had no interest in the latter.

Suddenly, it locked its eyes on Thaumas, used an updraft to lose altitude, and then, as it neared the ground, tucked its wings and dove like an arrow.

Like a bolt of lightning streaking across the sky, it crashed toward Thaumas's position.

"BOOM!"

The immense impact shattered the rock Thaumas had been standing behind.

"Hiss—that was close! Good thing I have this body forged by Heavenly Fire."

Thaumas hadn't dodged; after familiarizing himself with his body over the past few days, he chose to tank the hit.

It wasn't that he didn't want to test the limits of his physique, but it seemed this Griffin's attack wasn't quite enough.

Still, under such an impact, while he wouldn't die or even be injured, it really hurt.

A cloud of dust rose from the Griffin's impact, and as it cleared, the creature's proud, towering figure was revealed.

"Ugh—!" The Griffin raised its head high, groaning with satisfaction.

Its sturdy body stood proudly, its pitch-black claws pinning the black horse beneath its feet.

Thaumas had used this black horse specifically to lure the Griffin, as intelligence from Athena suggested it usually fed on such equines and phantasmal beasts, unlike other Griffins that preferred humans.

But its sharp gaze had ruined Thaumas's plan.

Extremely sensitive to food, the Griffin had sensed danger, flown high into the sky, and spotted the black horse and Thaumas hiding behind the rock at a glance.

Come to think of it, he suddenly remembered something: do these mythical beasts that only exist in fantasy really play that hard?

Legend has it that after a Griffin mates with its food—a horse—it gives birth to a creature that shouldn't exist, called a Hippogriff, which is the mount of Astolfo.

(The author made a mistake earlier because the translation I read was problematic; the "Hippogriff: Phantom Horse Not Existing in This World" from Astolfo's bond craft essence is indeed a descendant of the Griffin. I'm mentioning it here.)

To think there are actually creatures that would do that with their own food...

It's like Tom and Jerry, or Gray Wolf and Pleasant Goat—a cross-species union between natural enemies; it's nothing short of a miracle!

Actually, Thaumas preferred the Hippogriff, because its very birth represented a miracle, which suited Thaumas quite well.

Moreover, like the Griffin, the Hippogriff possesses lightning-fast speed. In the setting of FGO Noble Phantasms, the Hippogriff has the ability of "dimensional leaping," allowing it to vanish instantly and evade any form of observation in the world.

This ability stems primarily from the Hippogriff's status as a "creature not existing in this world," so during the time it vanishes, it effectively erases its own existence.

In short, it's basically "temporary invincibility"?

Plus, the Hippogriff's personality is very docile, unlike the Griffin in front of him—not cute at all!

"Ugh—" The Griffin looked at Thaumas with disdain, its icy blue pupils sparkling under the reflection of the sun.

It lifted a claw slightly and then swiped it fiercely at the black horse. Blood sprayed everywhere, and in an instant, the horse ceased to live, twitching on the ground.

This was a show of force directed at Thaumas, the insignificant human.

"Ugh-chee—!"

Hm? Can't understand that. Can you speak human?

Thaumas wore a troubled expression, watching the wary Griffin. He didn't dare approach rashly; if it ran away, he wouldn't be able to catch it!

"Ugh-ah—!" Seeing that Thaumas wasn't making a move, the Griffin began to stomp its claws against the ground repeatedly, as if trying to express something.

Hm? Is it trying to drive him away?

After all, Athena once said that this fellow doesn't much care for eating humans, preferring horses instead.

It likely mistook Thaumas for a rival competing for its prey, but upon seeing that Thaumas remained unscathed after taking a blow, it reined in its ferocity and began watching him with wariness.

This Griffin (he/she) grew up on Mount Olympus and has seen gods before.

In its eyes, these humanoid lifeforms are all quite powerful. It is simply a case of a newborn calf not fearing the tiger, lacking any sense of reverence for the divine.

However, because this Griffin (he/she) is still too young, it is foolish enough not to distinguish between humans and gods.

So, in reality, it not eating humans has nothing to do with the Griffin (he/she) being afraid.

Watching the Griffin (he/she) try to drive him off, Thaumas felt a bit disappointed.

This is bad; if he leaves now, all his previous efforts will have been for nothing.

But heroes are meant to defeat the impossible and create miracles!

He decided to give it one more shot.

"Um, hey, Griffin (he/she), as a Phantasmal Species, can you talk?" Thaumas attempted to communicate.

"Mm? Mmm—" The Griffin (he/she) tilted its head after hearing this, blinking those ice-blue eyes as it stared at Thaumas for a long time before shaking its head.

It was very puzzled. Didn't the humanoid lifeforms (gods) it met on the mountain always understand what it was saying? Why couldn't this one?

"No, hey! What is this? I thought you were something special! You can't even speak human, what kind of Phantasmal Species are you?" Thaumas couldn't help but retort after hearing that.

Then, The Griffin (he/she) couldn't stand such an insult. It swatted the black horse away with a claw, leaped forward, landed right in front of Thaumas, and opened its mouth in anger:

"Mmm-ah—! Mmm—Squeak!"

It then pointed a claw at Thaumas, held it upright, and shook it left and right.

At the same time, it shook its head, lifted its chin in contempt, and turned away, refusing to look at him again.

Thaumas understood this gesture; the Griffin (he/she) was saying he wasn't good enough.

Hm, it seems it has some intelligence, and if it can argue with him, there is a great chance...

So, "Hahaha, Griffin (he/she), I originally wanted to be friends with you. But I didn't expect that, as a Phantasmal Species, you are nothing more than this. You truly disappoint me!" Thaumas laughed suddenly, waved his hand with an air of disdain for the Griffin (he/she), and turned to leave.

"Mmm—"

The Griffin (he/she) followed Thaumas, slowing its pace to stay right by his side, chirping and squeaking a mouthful of things Thaumas couldn't understand.

"Can't understand you? As expected, just a small-fry Griffin (he/she). I'd better go find another one; I only want to be friends with the most excellent Griffin (he/she)."

Thaumas deliberately picked at his ear, pretending not to care, and rejected it right to its face.

After hearing this, the Griffin (he/she) became even more agitated for some reason. It pointed its pitch-black claw at itself and stammered a bunch of noises.

Then, the Griffin (he/she) began flying around Thaumas, constantly showing off its wings and sharp claws, looking just like a concubine fawning over an emperor.

Very good. A simple-minded Griffin (he/she), truly just a child who snuck down here; it couldn't handle even a little bit of reverse psychology.

Once hooked, there's no getting away! As he said before, he is a very bad man!

"Eh? Griffin (he/she), what do you mean? Hm? You don't mean to say that you are the most excellent Griffin (he/she), do you?" Thaumas looked at the Griffin (he/she) with "surprise."

"Mmm-ah—!" The Griffin (he/she) let out a high-pitched cry, puffed out its chest, struck a pose it deemed charming, and patted its own chest with a front claw.

It really is very young; no wonder Athena said he could trick it.

"I don't believe it! I could say I'm the greatest hero among humans! Do you think you'd believe that?" he said dismissively.

"Mmm-ah—!" And so, as if to prove itself, the Griffin (he/she) flapped its wings and soared high, traveling across the sky like a bolt of lightning, vanishing in an instant.

"! No, it ran off? It's that thin-skinned? Did it really just run away?" Thaumas was a bit stunned. This—this isn't right, is it?

Shouldn't it follow the script? Why are you pulling this on me?

Just as Thaumas was about to give up, another gust of wind struck, kicking up clouds of dust that forced him to close his eyes.

After a long while, he opened his eyes to see the visitor—it was indeed the Griffin (he/she).

The sturdy creature held a horse in each of its front claws, and its beak was clamped around a dead snow leopard.

It tossed the three pieces of prey in front of Thaumas and once again showed off its "muscles" in a display of vanity.

"Not! Good! Enough!" Thaumas said, enunciating every word.

The Griffin (he/she) began circling Thaumas, squeaking and chirping, as if asking him how it should prove itself.

After letting the Griffin (he/she) stew for a while, it finally hung its head in dejection.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Thaumas spoke slowly.

"Griffin (he/she), do you know? Among humans, there exists a great kind of being. They are called heroes."

"Hmm?" Those ice-blue eyes were filled with confusion.

"Yes, a hero! He is equivalent to a very, very outstanding existence among you Griffin!"

"Hmm-hmm!" The Griffin pointed at itself, then held its head high with pride.

"Eh! Not quite! If a human wants to become a hero, besides being exceptionally outstanding, they must also spread their reputation far and wide!"

"Hmm?"

"Because only by spreading your reputation can you let more people know that you are an outstanding existence!

Don't you want to tell other Griffin, or even other creatures, that you are the most, most, most outstanding Griffin in the world?" Thaumas looked exactly like a demon from a fairy tale at this moment, tempting it bit by bit.

Poor Griffin, stepping into "society" for the first time and running into someone like him. Come to think of it, does this count as Thaumas hiring child labor?

Probably not, right? How old is this fantasy creature anyway? That makes it fine, no problem!

"Hmm-ah! Hmm-ah!" The Griffin nodded excitedly, then looked at Thaumas with expectant eyes, signaling him to hurry up and continue.

"And if you want to spread your reputation, the fastest way is to stay by the side of those who are already famous!"

"Hmm?" The Griffin looked at Thaumas suspiciously. Its big head couldn't grasp why this was the case.

"Think about it, since these famous people are famous, doesn't that mean they are very famous?"

"Hmm~? Woo-woo~" The Griffin scratched its head with a claw. It didn't know what was happening; it felt like something strange was emerging.

"Since they are already famous, it means they will be noticed by others!

So, following that line of thought, won't the people around them also be noticed? The answer is yes, wouldn't you agree?"

"Hmm!" The Griffin didn't understand, but its intuition told it to just nod. It trusted its intuition very much.

"Then tell me, Griffin! Do you want to be famous? Do you want the whole world to know that you are the most outstanding Griffin?" Thaumas patted its wing, looked it in the eye, and asked earnestly.

"Hmm!" The Griffin nodded heavily.

"Then, Griffin, become my companion!"

Finally, the dagger was revealed from the map; Thaumas had spun a long web and finally reeled the Griffin in.

"Hmm?"

"Because I am quite famous among humans, by following me, you will become famous too!"

"Hmm-ah?"

"A companion is a good friend. We help each other out. Specifically, if we need to travel, you carry me on your back! If we encounter enemies, we fight side by side!

However, as for food and lodging, you'll have to solve that yourself. After all, we're good friends, so don't trouble a friend with such trivial matters!"

After chatting with the Griffin for so long, Thaumas could finally understand some of its meanings, though he still couldn't grasp complex language, for instance:

"Hmm-ah--!" The Griffin suddenly jumped ten paces away (one pace being a step with each foot).

The Griffin was suddenly clear-headed. As expected, this human was after it. Its mother often said that humans were a greedy species.

Not only would they snatch the treasures they guarded, but they also harbored delusions of taming them and treating them like lowly beasts.

It was very angry now.

"Hey, hey, hey! Griffin, I don't want to fight you! By the way, what's wrong with you?" Thaumas raised his Longbow, on guard.

"Hmm--!" The Griffin let out a long cry and stomped its feet hard against the ground.

A fight?

"Since that's the case, then there's no helping it. Let's have a go, Griffin!

By the way, Griffin, whoever runs away is a coward!"

"Hmm-chee--!"

And so, After a round of friendly communication, Thaumas gently applied the medicinal herbs that his senior brother Asclepius had once given him onto the Griffin.

"Woo-woo~ Ow~" The Griffin cried out in pain; it could feel a large bump growing on its head.

Detestable human!

As expected, one shouldn't go against these humanoid life forms! Can't beat him...

Woo-woo~ Can't you be a little gentler? You! Why can't I speak human language? Is it because I'm not working hard enough?

Thaumas looked at this poor, silly child with pity. To think it dared to challenge him, who was impervious to blades and spears—truly unbelievable.

This silly child had never seen a human before, and out of the vast sea of people, it just had to run into him. How miserable.

But I have to say, as the Envoy of the Serpent and son of the Sun God, the future God of Medicine Asclepius, the herbs he concocted were indeed effective.

In the blink of an eye, the bump on the Griffin's head began to subside.

But, "Hmm-ah-ah-ah--" The Griffin burst into tears. Sometimes a child's breakdown happens in an instant; you'll understand when you reach the age of a child. (Just kidding)

Mommy!

It's never coming out again!

Mommy never told it that the world beneath the mountain was this terrifying!

Once it gets back, it will definitely go to bed on time, come home on time, never be naughty or troublesome again, and it's even going to report its daddy for being a philanderer!

Mommy, please save it!

"Hey—why are you crying, little one? Don't cry. You just got a beating, it's not like you're going to die. With your constitution and my senior brother's medicine, at most it just hurts a bit. You can still take a few more beatings from me," Thaumas said, hurriedly trying to comfort it.

But it was clear he had no experience in childcare, so the Griffin cried even more heartbrokenly.

Suddenly, Thaumas thought of something and hurriedly took out the items he had prepared in advance from his backpack, dumping everything inside out.

The Griffin was blinded by something flashing, and then it stopped crying; it was stunned.

!

So, so much! So much gold!

It was mesmerized!

The Griffin is a symbol of wealth; they guard the treasures of Mount Olympus, and there are also legends that they serve Zeus.

But regardless of the legend, one thing is proven: they are inextricably linked to wealth.

The legend of the Griffin and gold once spread widely across the Eurasian steppe, and even circulated in the Western Regions of China during the pre-Qin period.

This legend was initially brought to Europe by a Greek poet named Aristeas.

Later, Herodotus, the Father of History, recounted in his work The Histories the records from the Greek poet's long poem Arimaspea, mentioning multiple times the "half-lion, half-eagle" monster, the Griffin, that guarded gold, as well as the Arimaspi (Arimaspians) tribe that frequently clashed with them.

According to Aristeas's Arimaspea, the Arimaspians were numerous, brave, skilled in battle, and had highly developed animal husbandry, with herds of sheep and horses.

They had disheveled hair and peculiar appearances, with only one eye in the center of their foreheads, hence the name "Arimaspians." They frequently fought the gold-guarding Griffins to seize the gold.

Since the "winged, lion-bodied, eagle-headed" divine beast, the Griffin, guarded gold, it was inevitably linked to it.

And the Altai Mountains, located within the borders of modern-day Xinjiang, were referred to as the "Golden Mountain" in ancient Chinese literature.

The reason the Altai Mountains were called the Golden Mountain is that they have been rich in gold since ancient times.

The "Arimaspians" who fought the "winged, lion-bodied, eagle-headed" divine beast, as recorded in Ancient Greek literature, perfectly align with the records in ancient Chinese literature.

Both the Classic of Mountains and Seas and the Huainanzi record the existence of the "One-Eyed Kingdom" in the far north, and the "One-Eyed Kingdom" is the "Arimaspians."

In modern historiography, the legends of the "Griffin" and the "Arimaspians" reflect the conflicts between two tribes active in the Altai Mountains region at that time.

But in the Nasuverse, it is precisely the existence of Phantasmal Species that created a connection between these two regions.

Therefore, "Golden Mountain" refers to both Mount Olympus and the Altai Mountains.

As a species that guards gold, seeing so much of it, its heart was already tethered to the pile.

This gold was a batch of treasure "picked up" using the authority of Hera, though Thaumas hadn't pushed that authority too hard.

After all, in this world, the total amount of wealth is constant; if his wealth increases, then whose wealth decreases?

This also indirectly proves that what the Queen Mother of the West said is true: when immortals fall in love, the Three Realms are in turmoil. If the God of Wealth fell in love with someone and gave all the money to one person... (Anyway, the author wouldn't agree to that).

He did not reject this authority from Hera; it was something he obtained through his own ability, so why shouldn't he use it? It was just that certain principles in his heart made him know restraint.

Knowing how to curb one's own desires is what a hero does. But he did not abandon the use of this power, because he is a human, not a saint.

The Griffin stared at the gold, its ice-blue eyes sparkling.

There were only two things it was interested in: horses and treasure—though now, there was a third: fame!

"Hmm—"

The Griffin pondered for a long time, then gathered the gems into its embrace, showing no intention of returning them to Thaumas.

"How about it, you've stopped crying, right? Oh, right, Griffin! If you follow me, who knows, you might be able to get gold every few days!" Thaumas said slowly.

"Hmm!" The Griffin nodded heavily.

However, The Griffin immediately shook its head again.

"What? Are you unwilling?" Thaumas asked, puzzled.

This time, the Griffin shook its head immediately.

"Then why are you nodding one moment and shaking your head the next?"

The Griffin thought for a long time, but not knowing how to express itself, it anxiously scratched its head with its claws.

"Thaumas, this child, the Griffin, wants you to tame it yourself," a gentle voice rang out. Athena, who had been laughing for a long time, finally revealed herself, stroked the Griffin's head, and said to Thaumas.

"This silly child wants to see if you are truly qualified to soar through the sky with it!"

Because I got off work so late today—at nine-thirty—it was already quite late by the time I reached home. I won't be posting any extra chapters tonight; I'll save them to release tomorrow instead.

Tomorrow, there will first be the standard three chapters, plus one chapter for the successful contract signing. I was very moved by two brothers who cast their monthly tickets, so I will add two more chapters for that.

That makes six chapters for tomorrow.

Oh, right, there are also the tips, but I'll save those for later. A seven-chapter intensity is still too high, but six chapters is just about manageable.

I was too busy today, but I will keep track of every extra chapter I owe.