Chapter 95: Meeting The Tameless Master
Leonard made his way toward the Tameless Household. One benefit of being in the academy was that he had access to everyone in the Upper Sector.
He stopped before the tall gates that separated the household’s domain from the rest of Eternia City.
"Sorry, kid, can’t pass." One of the stationed guards spoke lazily. "After the dungeon outbreak some time back, the masters of the house have forbidden any outsiders from entering."
The incident that had happened during Gideon’s funeral had shocked the city, and the aftereffects could still be felt long after the danger had passed.
A frown etched itself onto Leonard’s face.
"But—"
"No buts!" The guard yelled, raising his chin arrogantly. "My salary is on the line here, maybe even my neck. Stop wasting my time. Otherwise, I might just arrest you for causing trouble in front of the Tameless estate."
Just then, a familiar voice echoed from behind Leonard.
"Big Bro!"
He turned abruptly, and his eyes landed on a towering werewolf. His white fur seemed sturdier than metal armor, while his crimson eyes shone so intensely that they were enough to send shivers down the spines of most.
Upon the large creature, Daisy sat comfortably on his neck. Her pink hair poked out from beneath her red hood, while her red eyes were fixed on Leonard with childlike wonder.
"Daisy? Where did this werewolf come from?" Leonard asked, baffled.
Without a doubt, this was the strongest werewolf he had ever laid his eyes on. Perhaps even Valor would have struggled to defeat the beast in a duel.
She put a hand over her lips and giggled.
"This is Ivory! My parents agreed to let me keep him and helped him in his growth spurt!" She declared.
Leonard was rendered speechless. The last time he had seen Ivory, the werewolf had been a little ball of white fur. How had he grown taller than two meters so quickly?
"Oh! Where are my manners, keeping our esteemed guest outside our estate? Please, follow me inside!" She smiled and pointed with her finger.
Ivory growled and walked forward, his steps thudding with loud echoes.
"E—Esteemed guest?!" The guard began to tremble, hurriedly making way and bowing deeply. "P—Pardon me for the confusion!"
Leonard followed after Daisy. The Tameless Household was larger than expected, with open grounds where tamers could get accustomed to handling their familiars.
"Big Bro, I heard that the academy year recently began! Did you manage to enroll?!"
He was slightly taken aback by her enthusiasm.
"Oh, yeah. In the Elite Grade." He replied calmly.
"Wow!" Daisy’s eyes sparkled with delight. "Did you hear that, Ivory? Big Bro is a genius!"
They soon entered the main mansion. Daisy got off Ivory and stored him in her soul. Then she turned toward Leonard.
"My dad wanted to personally thank you for saving my life! Do you mind?"
Leonard blinked slowly. He certainly hadn’t expected to meet the master of the Tameless Household right off the bat.
"Sure..."
"Great!" Daisy visibly beamed and hurriedly walked across the hallways with excited steps.
Soon enough, Leonard entered a large room where the master of the household awaited.
"Dad! Look, I found Big Bro!" Daisy suddenly exclaimed and ran toward the man’s side.
"Ah, is that the man you’ve kept talking about? The one who saved your life?" Daisy’s father patted her on the head, his gaze settling on Leonard.
"Pleasure meeting you, Mister Leonard. I am Nathan, the master of the Tameless Household and the father of the little girl whose life you saved."
Nathan was truly a beast of a man. His arms were as thick as tree trunks, half of his face was covered by a bushy beard, and his hair extended down to his shoulders.
"I did what anybody would have done." Leonard greeted Nathan respectfully.
"To be honest, after I learned about your involvement, I expected you to come knocking on our doors demanding a reward. Yet, you never arrived. At some point, I began to wonder if you were never going to show up at all." Nathan scoffed.
Leonard chuckled. "Ever since I enrolled in the academy, there isn’t enough free time to do anything. Though something recently happened that may require me to seek your knowledge on how to handle familiars."
"Oh?" Nathan arched an eyebrow, intrigued. "I can guess that you haven’t chosen the Tamer Class after your ascension. Still, possessing a familiar without the Class isn’t unheard of."
He leaned back in his chair.
"Summon the beast. First, I need to know what we’re working with before I can offer any assistance."
Leonard nodded and called forth Callum. The baby Griffin appeared in the middle of the room, his innocent eyes observing his surroundings in wonder.
"Kya! He’s so cute!" Daisy screamed in a high-pitched voice.
She dashed forward, ready to embrace the bird and shower him with affection.
However, before she could, Nathan reached out and grabbed her by the attire, stopping her in place.
Daisy pouted. She was so close, yet so far! Her eyes welled up with tears as she looked at her father with pleading eyes.
"Dad, please let me pet the bird?! Please!"
Her puppy eyes were usually enough to persuade her dad to let her do as she wished, yet this time, he remained silent, his heavy gaze lingering on Leonard’s summon.
"...A Griffin?" Nathan whispered in astonishment. He knew there was no foul play and that he was looking at the real deal.
Over the years he had spent as a Tamer, he could count on one hand the number of times he had encountered such powerful familiars!
’Regardless of its age and evolutionary stage, a Griffin is of at least Heavenly rank! This beast alone has more potential than the vast majority of familiars under our household name!’ He arrived at a staggering realization.
"Um... is everything all right?" Leonard asked, seeing how cautious the master of the household acted around Callum.
Nathan stayed silent for a while, carefully examining the Griffin as he pondered his options.
"Say, Mister Leonard... No, son. Would you be opposed to me adopting you?"