The Griffin formation took flight.
"Lord Romon, look. The Thunder Sword isn't merely a powerful weapon. It also provides a safe zone for the Griffin formation to take off," the talkative mage explained. "If anyone is wounded, they can land here and receive treatment."
Romon had been personally received by the queen and entrusted with important duties. He was also a spellcaster, so cultivating a relationship with him would be worthwhile.
Romon nodded. He understood the concept: it was an airfield's defensive perimeter!
"But who are those mages?" Romon asked, pointing at eight mages who were clearly waiting.
"They're reserve mages. As you know, riders don't adapt to flight as quickly as Griffins do. Griffins can carry heavy loads, but they often climb and dive abruptly in flight. Passengers with poor endurance naturally become dizzy. Even with magical items such as rings of balance, mages find prolonged flights difficult to endure, so we have others to relieve them," the mage explained.
"I see! I heard there used to be Griffin Knights, too?"
"There certainly were, and the Royal House's ceremonial guard still has them, but they're no longer practical. Griffins are aerial predators in their own right, after all. Pairing them with knights is unnecessary."
"However, as part of the royal guard's rapid-response forces, Griffins can bring knights into battle quickly, so many royal houses still retain them."
"If a member of the royal family encounters danger, Griffins can bring knights to provide the second wave of support. Naturally, we mages arrive first. But as you know, Any Door has a limited range, while standard Teleportation can only transport the caster and one other person, and there can be errors in where they arrive."
"Of course, the greatest threats are spells such as Dimensional Anchor and Spatial Lock, which prevent