Chapter 96: Growing Griffin
"I beg your pardon?" Leonard tilted his head to the side.
He was sure that he must have misheard...
"Ah, I apologize. My proposal must have seemed quite abrupt." Nathan cleared his throat.
"But see, with a Heavenly ranked familiar like your Griffin, I truly believe that you have a bright future if you join our Household and change your Class to a Tamer."
Daisy’s eyes went wide.
"Dad, does that mean Big Bro will actually become my big bro?!" She said, her excitement palpable.
"But... are you not aware of my Common Bloodline?" Leonard replied. "I’m sure rumors would spread if word got out that you have adopted me."
Nathan scoffed.
"It seems you are unaware. The rank of a Tamer’s Bloodline doesn’t play a major role when it comes to their familiars. Regardless of the blood you may bear, the fact remains that you have tamed a creature of Heavenly rank!"
Honestly, Leonard was moved by the offer. Despite Nathan thinking that he possessed a Common Bloodline, he was more than willing to accept him.
But that didn’t mean Leonard was going to agree.
Although there were benefits to joining the Tameless Household, the downsides were simply too great. His Primordial Bloodline allowed him to possess an infinite number of Classes. If he were to focus on only one, he would severely limit his potential.
Not to mention, being part of a household would come with responsibilities that would restrict his freedom, and he couldn’t allow that.
"Thank you for the offer. However, I will have to decline." He replied respectfully.
"Is that so..." Nathan heaved a deep sigh of regret but didn’t pursue the matter any further.
He took out a vial and placed it on his desk.
"Have your familiar drink this. It should trigger his growth spurt."
’Just like that?’ Leonard found it suspicious how easy it sounded. Still, after he inspected the potion he didn’t find anything amiss.
Callum stared at the potion in interest, his beak tapping against the glass surface.
"For me?" He asked.
"Yes." Leonard replied, giving him the potion.
The Griffin wasn’t about to refuse a potion from Leonard, so he drank it in one gulp. He felt the refreshing liquid stream down his throat and spread throughout his body.
At first, nothing changed. Callum merely felt livelier than usual.
Yet a few seconds later, his body began to heat up. Feathers and golden fur began to sprout all around his body, while his claws grew longer.
[Callum has consumed a Growth Potion. He has evolved to the next stage!]
Name: Callum
Familiar: Griffin [Level 1]
Rank: Heavenly
Growing Stage: Hatchling → Fledgling [0%]
Condition: Stable
Leonard stared in amazement at his familiar. He still didn’t look like a proper Griffin, but unmistakable traits were beginning to emerge.
"The Growth Potion has allowed your familiar to enter its proper developing stage." Nathan explained.
"In order for the beast to continue developing, you need to regularly feed it monster remains. Once the percentage reaches 100%, it will evolve into the next stage again. As for its level, it works the same way as ours. When it kills a creature, it gains experience. Though keep in mind, any monsters your familiar kills will not earn you experience."
"Is that so..." Leonard murmured as he observed the changes Callum had gone through.
Suddenly, he got an idea and took out an item from his Dimensional Storage.
[Wyvern’s scale]
[Rank: Legendary]
[A crafting material that can be used for forging weapons, armor, or accessories.]
’I was debating whether to sell it for Merit Points or give it to a blacksmith... As it turned out, the best idea just might be to feed it to Callum...’
"Can you eat this?" He asked, handing the scale to the Griffin.
"Food!" Callum exclaimed and began to eat it enthusiastically.
[Your familiar has been fed.]
Growing Stage: Fledgling [0 → 20%]
Condition: Stable → Overeaten
"So that’s how it works..."
"That’s the gist of it and that’s the most help I can offer. I hope you understand that even though you saved my daughter’s life, we can’t just share our secrets on raising familiars with outsiders." Nathan said in a somber tone.
"Of course. This was plenty. Thank you."
Leonard called the familiar back into his soul, since the little beast looked eager to test his wings and was about to trash the whole place.
"Daisy, would you mind escorting our guest out?"
"Okay..." Daisy replied in a low tone.
Out of the master’s room, Leonard threw a glance toward Daisy. Her earlier excitement seemed to have disappeared.
"Why are you so down?" He asked.
Daisy pouted.
"We could have become a real family, but you refused! Did you hate the idea of having me as your little sister?"
He chuckled.
"It’s not about that. I have... had parents once, so I’m not going to join another family no matter what."
"Hmph!" She stomped her foot. "Even if that is the case, you better make it up to me! Or I will never forgive you, Big Bro!"
"Okay, okay." He said, trying to defuse the situation before the little girl broke out in tears.
***
When Leonard went to his lessons the next day, he found himself at the center of gossip.
"Did you hear? Supposedly, he was stranded with Elizabeth alone in that dungeon..."
"How much are you willing to bet he tried something weird?"
"No way! I’m sure that if he laid even one finger on Elizabeth, she would have frozen him on the spot!"
His friends, too, were curious to hear what had happened.
Harley was glaring at him, her expression unreadable.
"So, what happened there?"
"Barely managed to survive... that’s all there is to it." Leonard answered with a shrug.
"Okay, sure, but give me details!" Winston said, leaning forward in his seat.
"Yeah, man! Don’t keep us hanging!" William agreed.
Before he was able to give them the rundown of events, a yell echoed across the lecture hall.
"Attention, scholars! The Academy Council has arrived!"
Leonard recognized Karson at first glance. Standing before him was a woman with striking violet hair and green eyes.
This was Jasmine. She was a third-year student and the President of the Academy Council.
However, rather than focusing on her, Leonard’s eyes fixed on one of the men among the third-years.
"Daniel..."
***
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