The Lord of the Rings: Lords of Middle-earth.

Chapter 108 The Griffin's First Flight
"Screech!" A piercing eagle cry rang out, and a swift, yellow-black shadow darted past Roland in a flash.

"What?" Roland was completely bewildered. What was that thing just now? It vanished in a flash? Could it be that some unknown magical beast had infiltrated Swiftstream City?
"Guards! Investigate what that was! How dare they cause trouble in the City of Rapids?" Roland, who was taking a walk, immediately turned to the knights around him with a dark face. If a magical beast had really infiltrated, it would not only be a threat to the civilians, but also a problem for the professionals in the city. A magical beast attack could really kill people!
"Yes, Your Highness!" Two knights beside him rushed to the military camp and the city walls. They were preparing to mobilize the entire city's forces to search the area thoroughly. After all, Swiftstream City was the last city of the Lagrange people, and it was never too much to be careful.

"Be careful!" Roland said, watching them leave. If this damn system didn't give him enough troops, his manpower would be a real problem. He would be heartbroken for a long time if even one of them died.

……

Roland sat absentmindedly at the dining table. On the oak table in front of him was an exquisite silver plate with gold trim, and a set of mithril cutlery was placed in front of him. The soft candlelight reflected off the scarlet Dovenian wine, making it shimmer with a blood-like light...

"Serve the food!" Roland casually ordered, but his mind was already wandering outside the tent. He still hadn't found the figure that had flashed past him during the day, and a slight unease settled in his heart. He even lost his appetite.

"Your Highness, this is white bread! Although it's not particularly white and fine, it's the best we can achieve right now!" A chef greeted several servants as they carried in several plates, looking apologetic.

"It's alright, it's already very good." Roland looked at the soft bread, which was golden brown and exuded a special aroma. Roland indicated that it was already quite good, which reassured the chef a little.

"This is a vegetable appetizer! I'm sorry, Your Highness, we only have a little cabbage... so we could only prepare a vegetable salad for you..." the chef said somewhat apologetically, after all, supplies in Swiftstream City were extremely scarce...

"Hmm...it's ready, the salad...it's delicious!" Roland put some salad in his mouth with his fork and tasted it. His eyes lit up immediately. Although the ingredients weren't particularly good, it was already pretty good for Roland.

"This is today's main dish—roast suckling pig!" the chef said proudly. You have to know that this suckling pig took the hunting team a lot of effort to catch; wild boars like this are very difficult to catch!

"Crack!" Roland's knife sliced ​​through the pork, producing a crisp sound. Roland put the golden-brown roasted pork into his mouth, chewed it, and immediately gave a thumbs up!

"Not bad! This roast suckling pig has a very unique flavor! It's even a little sweet!" Roland said with some surprise.

"Hahaha! Your Highness, you're in for a treat today! I unexpectedly found half a jar of honey in the kitchen..." the chef said proudly, clearly pleased that Roland had been won over by his culinary skills.

"Yes, it's really good!" Roland nodded. Compared to the days when he was eating stewed meat or grilled fish every day, the meals now were like a feast for the gods, at least the flavors were much richer.

"This is a thick soup made from swift-flowing whitefish, good for digestion after a meal." The chef waited respectfully until Roland had finished eating before ordering a servant to bring in a bowl of milky-white soup. "Phew~ Thank you for your trouble!" Roland, having eaten and drunk his fill, stretched lazily and slumped onto the bed in the inner room, his mind filled with the figure from that afternoon.

"So... what exactly is it?" Roland slowly closed his eyes, filled with doubt, and drifted off to sleep.

……

"Oh my god! I slept for so long?" Roland, who was sleeping soundly, suddenly opened his eyes and stared wide-eyed. Good heavens! The sun was already hanging in the middle of the sky; it was noon!
"Someone! Bring me water! I need to wash up!" Roland said helplessly, lifting the curtain with a dark face. He was still a little embarrassed that his subordinates had seen him sleeping in so clearly.

"Huh? King Roland? Good morning!" Radil appeared before Roland with a smile, startling him.

"Holy crap! Can you please stop scaring me like that?" Roland patted his chest, nearly scared to death! Do war mages walk without making a sound? What kind of person does that?! What if you scare your lord to death? Roland thought to himself.

"Is there something you need, Your Excellency Radil?" Although he had countless things he wanted to say to the women of his family, he remained as humble and polite as ever on the surface.

"Of course it's something! Something big! Something joyous!" Radil nodded. Roland could tell from his excited white beard trembling that the old man had really encountered something joyous, otherwise he wouldn't be so happy.

"What could have made you so flustered?" Roland couldn't help but laugh. At this moment, Radil was like a mischievous old man, gesturing excitedly.

"Hehe, Your Highness, I brought five griffin eggs with me when I came. They hatched a while ago, and after my careful nurturing, these griffins can finally fly. They will soon be able to recognize people, so you should put the selection of griffin knights on the agenda as soon as possible." Radil said solemnly. You should know that griffins are loyal to their masters. The bond between them is very deep when they are raised from a young age, which will make them much more effective in battle. Moreover, griffin knights also need special air knight training to grow. After all, the sky is a space, not a plane. Attacks from enemies can appear from all directions at any time. This is the most dangerous thing for air knights. Even dragon knights have to carefully avoid the heavy dragon-hunting crossbows and other dragon knights deployed on the ground, let alone mere griffin knights.

It's important to understand that whether it's a Sky Knight, a Paladin, or a noble Dragon Knight, they are easiest to hunt when they are weak. Therefore, selecting suitable knights and cultivating their bond is Roland's most important task. Once the griffin cubs have passed their first year of infancy and entered their growth stage, they can be ridden by knights. At this point, the griffin knights have their initial combat power (of course, don't expect much endurance; how much stamina and magic power can a growing griffin have?). As the griffins grow for decades and enter their adolescence, their strength becomes terrifying, comparable to that of a wyvern knight, enough to allow them to dominate ordinary aerial battlefields (No way! No way! Does anyone really intend to use a griffin to fight wyvern knights or even dragon knights head-on?). Regarding the griffin's long growth period, Roland can only say he is grateful for the various magical potions invented by alchemists, many of which can accelerate the growth rate of magical beasts without side effects. (Don't tell me that the dragon knights of the Lagrange Empire really wait for dragons to naturally reach adulthood... No one is a fool to use their own meager lifespan to measure the development time of a super magical beast...).

"Screech!" A griffin cub poked its head out from under Radil's robes and soared into the sky in a flash, letting out a tender yet loud eagle cry!
"This...this is the same unknown magical beast we encountered yesterday?" Roland looked at the familiar griffin cub, which resembled a yellow-black lightning bolt, and couldn't help but twitch his lips. What do you mean by scaring yourself?
"What bad luck! System check-in!" Roland cursed inwardly, quickly realizing he hadn't checked in today.

(End of this chapter)