Mary's visit - a change of heart?

After the breakfast eaten in cold silence, Cranberry took Mary and Arion to the back of the mansion.

"Ruff! Raor...?"

Once they've approached the shed, Arion perked up and started sniffing around and making dog-like noises.

"Zombie, it's alright, just come out."

Cranberry rolled her eyes and shrugged.

"Graough...? (Huh? Did something happened, master...?)"

The blue boy's head popped from behind the shed.

"Don't groan at me, just bring her here."

Cranberry sighed, clearly in a terrible mood.

"...graugh... (...as you wish...)"

Zombie glared at Mary and moved back behind the shed.

"...raor..."

Arion hung his head down and his tail fell between his hind legs.

"Graough! (I hear you, doggy, just wait a bit and we'll play!)"

Zombie groaned loudly, making the wolf monster's tail start wagging instantly, and appeared again, this time with a company.

"AH!"

"Raor?!"

He was leading baby griffin with him, which caused quite the reaction from Mary and Arion, who both almost fell over at the sight.

"Hey, baby girl, you're ready?"

Cranberry walked past the two guests and approached the griffin, she reached towards her and started patting her head.

"Skwee...!"

Baby griffin closed her eyes and nuzzled against Cranberry's hip.

"L-lady Cranberry...! Tha-that's...!"

Mary raised her shaking hand pointing at the young monster.

"She's your new party member. Being a tamer and having only one monster is idiotic."

Cranberry shrugged her shoulders without looking Mary's way, completely absorbed in petting the baby griffin.

"...! Th-thank you so much, lady Cranberry...! I... I don't know what to say! It must have been really difficult to capture her and...!"

Mary gasped and started coming closer.

"It wasn't."

Cranberry cut her short.

"E-eh...?"

Mary stopped dead in her tracks.

"It wasn't difficult. Zombie and I are not like you and Arion, we simply left her alive."

Cranberry explained in a matter-of-fact voice to the shocked girl.

"If you have focused on training during those four years, you could have reached a similar level, or at least get close."

She shrugged again and smiled at the baby griffin.

Zombie remained silent, cautiously watching both his master and her follower.

"I...! Arion and I have put a lot of effort into getting stronger, you know! We're both level 15 now! We're much better than most people our age...!"

Mary tried to defend herself, but her opponent in this discussion was Cranberry.

"15...? Is that supposed to be good for our age category?"

The red-haired girl asked mockingly.

"I'm level 39, my Zombie is level 41. I have completed all of my normal quests and a few special ones that popped up while we were training. Across both of us, even our lowest stats are still above the two hundred mark. Where does that put us amongst the people our age?"

"A...! A...!"

Cranberry stared down Mary, who looked like she was about to throw up from the shock.

"And we're still too weak, those numbers barely place us amongst the middle-rank adventurers. Saying things like 'we're much better than' is utterly stupid. There's always someone stronger, the only reasonable thing to do is to always strive to get stronger each day."

Cranberry shrugged her shoulders.

"Hearing you spout such self-satisfaction nonsense is making my blood boil."

She turned away from Mary and grabbed the baby griffin's head with both hands.

"Skwee...?"

The baby griffin screeched in confusion.

"I no longer think that you deserve this girl. I'd rather just kill her than let her waste away by your side."

Cranberry said in an indifferent voice looking into the baby griffin's eyes.

"Graough...! (Master, don't...!)"

Zombie cried out and fell to his knees, hugging the baby griffin's torso.

"Y-you're joking, right?!"

Mary took a step back.

"You just said that you were going to give her to me...!"

"And I've also just said that I've changed my mind, haven't I?"

Cranberry shrugged continuing to look into the griffin's eyes.

"...!"

Mary froze.

She blinked a few times in disbelief, her eyes shook and it seemed that she was reading something.

She was most definitely reading a sudden pop-up message that showed up for her, most likely an emergency quest.

Cranberry glanced at her and smirked.

"I had a hunch..."

She giggled mockingly.

"When you were so shocked when you've learned that there are no griffins left, you reacted like that because one of your story quests requires you to tame a griffin, isn't that so?"

"...?!"

Cranberry grinned seeing Mary shiver.

"And just now you've received an emergency quest to save this girl?"

"!!!"

Her next words made Mary took another step back as she grabbed her stomach making a miserable expression.

"You need to read more, you know? The System leads everyone through their predetermined paths, but it can't force you to follow yours. It wants you to follow your story, that's why it gives us quests and in some rare cases, the emergency quests, but if you fail, it will simply adjust to your actions. No one is a truly essential character for anyone's story."

She calmly explained what was already well known amongst the people who initiated into player characters.

The hardcore believers of the System church blindly followed the stories set for them, believing it would lead them to their ideal life, but there weren't many who shared that conviction.

"T-truly essential...? Wait...! Are you still holding a grudge about me defending my senior?! Is that it?!"

Mary gasped and trembled from anger.

"Yes."

Cranberry simply nodded admitting it without a moment of hesitation.

"You... you can't be serious! Are you that shallow?! I apologized in her place! And first of all, you beat her up right after she insulted you! Shouldn't that be enough?!"

Mary shouted, clearly panicking, but that wasn't nearly enough to faze Cranberry.

"Yeah. Letting go just doesn't sit right with me. I guess I'm that kind of a horrible human being."

Cranberry's mouth formed a mocking smile.

"Ha ha! Let's check how your story will change if you fail the quest to save this griffin, shall we?"

Cranberry laughed and readied herself to crush the baby griffin's head.

"NOOO! Stop! I beg of you!"

Mary cried and fell to her knees.

"Th-there must be something I can do to make you change your mind!"

She pleaded in a terrified voice.

"I don't think so. I don't need anything from a weakling like you... I simply don't think you're worthy of her."

Cranberry stopped and shrugged her shoulders.

"There must be something I can do to prove to you that I am worthy! Please! I'm begging you, lady Pride...!"

"R-raor...!"

Mary was pleading so fervently that she hit her head against the ground and even her wolf started mimicking her.

With their heads down they were unable to see that Cranberry made a very satisfied smile and kissed the baby griffin's beak and the baby griffin leaned towards her without a trace of fear.

"I guess since you're my follower, you deserve at least that."

The red-haired girl nodded benevolently.

"You will spar with my Zombie, if I decide you put up a good fight, it will be your win."

She decided.

"Wha...?! B-but you said he's level 41?! Both Arion and I are level 15!"

Mary cried, but her tears had absolutely no effect whatsoever.

"Oh, but Mary, you and he are so much better than 'other people our age', you surely will be able to show off your skills."

Cranberry mocked her relentlessly.

"And besides, you do have a chance, after all, my Zombie's lowest stat is his evasion, so you should be able to lay a hit on him. Or rather... you better be."

Cranberry's voice became cold as ice as she put her hands around the silent baby griffin's neck.