It was finally time. The Griffin had flown as high as it was willing to and Amane was ready to execute her plan.
Amane let her magic flow through her core once she was high enough in the sky. She no longer bothered to gradually accustom the Griffin to her. Amane didn't have the luxury of time anymore.
Her power erupted suddenly from her core. It even surprised Amane when her core refused to obey her command and limit her power.
The sudden surge in Amane's powers caused the Griffin beneath her to freeze. And then the fall began.
'Darn it. I was not ready to fall yet.' Amane cursed her negligence as she tried to get the magical collar around the Griffin.
The beast was in her grasp, but it was unresponsive. Amane had about 15 seconds before hitting the ground.
She had about 15 seconds to get the Griffin to respond and then gain enough height to avoid crashing. Most people would think it was impossible, but Amane had been in a situation like this before.
'Aww, fuck it. Desperate times call for desperate measures.'
Amane's current body just did not have what it took to subdue the beast so she had to compromise.
Amane whistled a familiar tone and the Griffin immediately responded to her. Amane had to do her best to move her body with the Griffin so that she was not thrown off the beast when it straightened itself.
'Thaan god the material reflexes of the beasts are strong. I managed to knock some sense into this Griffin in time.' Amane had used the same whistling tone as before.
There was about a 50% chance that the Griffin would not fall for it again but Amane had decided to take her chances.
As soon as the Griffin gained enough momentum, Amane tightened the rope around her neck and the Griffin gave one final cry before submitting.
"Good girl. You shouldn't have tried to go against me."
Amane patted the Griffin with one hand while holding on to the rope with another.
The first collaring was an important step to beast taming. Most beasts lacked the loyalty needed to be tamed. This was because their brain had an undeveloped gland that certified loyalty.
The first collaring was a technique where one had to send their energy inside the beast to wake up that under-developed gland and get it to respond.
It sounded easy on paper but this was where most people lost their lives. Not only did you need incredible willpower, but you also needed a strength surpassing the beast to tame it.
Flying on a beast had a different feeling than free-falling. There was less freedom but more security.
But Amane knew it was finally time to lay down. The Tsurugi guards had been following her the entire time, and their presence was becoming an eyesore.
"It's time to get down, girl." "I know you want to fly more, but we have to return home."
The Griffin was not pleased with Amane's words, but she was also not upset. Amane was certain that the Griffin had been tamed.
A lot of people mistook taming as controlling but that was not the case. Taming was like creating a bond between the beast and the new owner. It was something stronger than controlling a beast.
"Lady Yoko, are you alright? Get away from the beast this instant."
As soon as Amane landed, she was surrounded by the Tsurugi guards. Their presence was an eye-sore but their concern looked genuine.
"Put your weapons down and take a few steps back. Can't you see that you are making her nervous? I won't be responsible if you get injured because of your negligence."
Amane had tamed the Griffin so it was no longer a danger to her. That did not include the other people near her.
The tamed beast was not obligated to be nice to them if it did not want to. But most people never understood that point.
"B-But, my lady. What about the beast? We need to kill it before it becomes a danger to the Tsurugi family."
The Griffin decided she did not like the guard's words. Massive claws almost clawed away the guard's face before Amane pulled the Griffin back by the leash.
It was not a harsh tug. In fact, it was soft enough to barely be felt but the Griffin calmed down as soon as Amane gave the signal.
"Don't be foolish. This Griffin is already tamed so it's no longer a threat to anyone. But I'll still warn you not to foolishly anger her."
Amane patted the Griffin and the Griffin leaned into her touch. It did look like the Griffin had been tamed.
Amane could tell that the guards were having second thoughts about her and the situation but no one seemed to believe in her.
"S-Still, it should be impossible, right? Only the family head knows the secret behind beast taming and only one person can inherit that talent. S-Surely this is a fluke? We can't be sure the Griffin is tamed or not."
The guard was brave enough to come out and speak up. Amane 'tsk' at the obvious insult aimed at her.
It seemed like the maids were not the only ones who were going to disrespect her, the guards were the same.
"Oh, then would you like to see for yourself if the Griffin is tamed or not? Alright, come here and check. Or, should I send the Griffin over to you?"
Amane saw the guard go pale at her provocation. The rest of the guards looked taken aback at her words as well.
'This is irritating. They expected me to back down, huh?'
"I know, Lord Tsurugi must have tamed this Griffin and that's why it saved Lady Yoko. After all, Lord Tsurugi had the power to do so. Let's go back and tell Lord Tsurugi this excellent news."
There was something to be said about loyalty when it came to these guards. They were even willing to make such excuses to justify what they saw.
"You can go back if you want to. But I will not be going back with you until I get my apology from Sakura."
Amane could be a petty bitch when she wanted to be. Her words were angering the guards, she could see it in their eyes, but no guard was brave enough to come near her.
The Griffin behind Amane was like a huge warning threat and no one wanted to anger it.
The commotion finally came to an end with the arrival of the people Amane wanted to see the least.
"Yoko, what is going on here? Go back to your room and reflect on your action this instant."
Lord Tsurugi was finally standing in front of Amane, his expression twisted in a thunderous fury as he took her in.
It seemed like he was ignoring the Griffin standing behind Amane, or maybe he didn't even see the huge beast.
"I won't be coming back with you and you can't make me go back."
Amane had wanted to initially agree to go back. But she had changed her mind as soon as her eyes landed on Lord Tsurugi's face. There was something about him that rubbed Amane the wrong way.
Maybe it was his arrogant way of speaking, maybe it was his hostile body language, 'Or maybe it is the sense of uneasiness this body feels every time I lay eyes on him or hear his name.'
"Don't be foolish, Yoko. You need to come back home. We just received the message from your fiance that their party would be arriving in an hour. We need to prepare you before the meeting to make a good impression."
Amane was so focused on Lord Tsurugi that she did not even notice Sakura standing on Lord Tsurugi's side.
Sakura's face was twisted into a worried expression but Amane could not tell if this was because of her or because of the current situation.
"And if I refuse? What can you even do to make me go back?"
Amane egged Lord Tsurugi even more. If she had thought that the man could not go any redder in the face, she was sorely mistaken.
"YOU! YOU UNGRATEFUL CHILD. I WILL SHOW YOU WHAT I CAN DO."
"No, father wait!", "My lord, wait."
Sakura and the guards tried to stop Lord Tsurugi but their pleas fell on deaf ears. The man was being controlled by his emotions and he had no idea what kind of danger he was walking into.
But if he did not want to be careful, Amane would let him reap the fruits of his labor.
The Griffin attacked as soon as Lord Tsurugi was nearby. The sudden action startled Lord Tsurugi and everyone else in the vicinity as well.
Amane could have stopped the attack as soon as it begin and Lord Tsurugi would not have suffered any injuries but she did not.
She needed to make a point across.
"W-Where did this beast come from? Back off you beast or you will regret crossing me."
Lord Tsurugi took out something from around his neck. As soon as Amane's eyes landed on the pendant, she knew what it was.
'Ah, so that's why only one person is said to be able to control the beasts each generation. It is because the Tsurugi family uses the compelling pendant to boost their powers.'
Compelling Pendent was a treasure that had belonged to the Tsurugi family even before Amane had taught them anything.
Initially, she had helped the Tsurugi out because of this pendent but she had decided not to take it away in the end. The then-head of the Tsurugi family had needed this pendant to keep their family afloat.
'But the pendent is losing its energy. Knowing these idiots, they never recharged the energy inside the pendant so it was bound to run dry.'
Amane could tell that it had been a long time since her death. The knowledge that was common in her time did not appear to be present in the present.
'If Lord Tsurugi believes the pendant will save his life, he is gravely mistaken. This Griffin is far beyond his control.'
True to Amane's thoughts, the Griffin didn't even spare a glance toward the pendant. It seemed Lord Tsurugi had no idea how to make use of the pendant to boost his powers.
No wonder he was struggling so much to learn the beast-controlling techniques that the Tsurugi family possessed.
"Alright, that is enough. We don't want to kill him to calm down."
Amane decided to interfere before Griffin's attacks could become lethal. Everyone held their breaths as Amane placed her hand on Griffin's body and it calmed down.
Amane's actions were followed by a stunned silence. No one could believe their eyes at what they saw happening in front of their eyes.
"Uncle, are you alright? It seems the Griffin managed to land a good one against you."
Amane's words reflected how smug she was. The Griffin was still leaning into her touch, her head rubbing against Amane's hand and asking for pets from her.
A dozen of stunning eyes followed Amane's moment but none were more satisfying than the old man and Sakura's.
"Y-Y-You! How did you do that? Did you somehow manage to tame the Griffin? But how is that possible? This pendant is still with me? It should not be possible for you to be able to tame the Griffin."
Amane heard the disbelief coloring Lord Tsurugi's words. He sounded not only stunned but also crushed.
However, it was Sakura's eyes that were the real treat for Amane to watch. Her eyes were flashing with not only emotions but also calculating her next move.
"Oh, this pendant? I don't need it to accomplish such an easy taming session. Maybe uncle doesn't know but I am a genius when it comes to beast taming. So it is also time uncle hands over the seat of family head to me."
Once again, Amane had said her words and caused a wave of confusion. But now the ball was in the old man's and Sakura's court.
Amane did not consider them her enemy yet but that might change in the next few seconds.