The morning in Vailor was quiet and cold.
I woke up early as usual. Sunlight was only beginning to appear through the mansion's windows while I finished reviewing some reports from the cyclops lands. Ever since I started managing different regions, my mornings had almost always been occupied with accounts, production, contracts, and financial organization.
It was strange to think about how much my life had changed.
Before, I only worried about surviving.
Now I managed lands in different kingdoms.
I heard footsteps behind me, and soon Scarlet appeared holding a cup of tea.
"You really can't rest, can you?"
I took the cup.
"I got used to it."
She looked at the papers spread across the table.
"The cyclops finances again?"
"Part of them."
Scarlet pulled out a chair and sat beside me while crossing her legs.
"You're taking this much more seriously than I imagined."
"If I'm going to manage those lands, I need to do it properly."
Soon Elara appeared coming down the stairs. As always, she seemed completely awake despite the early hour.
"The harvest yield increased by another three percent."
I looked at her in surprise.
"You already checked the reports?"
"Of course."
Scarlet sighed.
"You two are scary when it comes to money."
Elara ignored the comment and picked up some papers.
"Liriel's purification helped stabilize the soil a lot."
Almost at the same moment, Liriel appeared alongside Lyannis.
The two were quietly discussing magic as they walked into the main hall.
"Good morning."
"Good morning."
Lyannis adjusted her hair and looked at the documents.
"You started early today."
"Takumi started early."
Scarlet replied immediately.
Rai'kanna appeared shortly afterward, still looking a little sleepy. She yawned without even trying to hide it.
"You humans wake up way too early."
Scarlet crossed her arms.
"You sleep too much."
"Dragons like sleeping."
"You're a half-dragon."
"Almost the same thing."
I ended up laughing softly.
Vespera appeared last, silent as always. She walked to the window and observed the outside of the mansion for a few seconds.
"The activity at the entrance increased."
I looked outside.
A man riding a horse had just stopped in front of the mansion gates.
Judging by his clothes, he was clearly a guild messenger.
I frowned slightly.
"They usually don't send someone here without a reason."
A few seconds later, one of the servants entered the room.
"Lord Takumi, a guild messenger wishes to speak with you."
"Let him come in."
The man entered quickly and bowed respectfully.
"Master Takumi, the Guild Master has requested your presence immediately."
"Did something happen?"
"He didn't explain. He only said it was urgent."
I exchanged glances with the girls.
Urgent rarely meant something simple.
I stood up from my chair.
"Let's go to the guild."
Scarlet sighed.
"There goes our peaceful morning."
"Probably."
We quickly went upstairs to get ready. It didn't take long before we left the mansion and headed toward the center of Vailor.
The city was already bustling.
Merchants were opening their shops.
Carriages crossed the main streets.
Adventurers walked around carrying swords, spears, and armor.
As we advanced, some people began looking in our direction. After recent events, practically everyone in Vailor knew our group.
Or at least they knew my name.
It was still strange dealing with that.
When we arrived in front of the guild, I noticed the activity was greater than usual.
I pushed open the large wooden door, and immediately several adventurers looked in our direction.
Some began whispering.
Others simply watched in silence.
I ignored them and walked toward the main counter.
The receptionist recognized us immediately.
"The Guild Master is waiting for you."
"Thank you."
We climbed to the upper floor while the girls followed closely behind me.
When I opened the office door, the Guild Master was already sitting there waiting.
But he wasn't alone.
There were two unfamiliar men inside the room wearing heavy leather clothes and thick furs. Both were enormous.
Much larger than normal humans.
My eyes narrowed slightly.
Giants.
Even while seated, they looked absurdly large.
The Guild Master took a deep breath.
"I'm glad you came quickly."
I looked again at the two men.
"I assume this has something to do with them."
One of the giants slowly stood up.
Even inside the room, he had to lower his head slightly because of his size.
"So you're Takumi."
His voice was heavy and deep.
"I am."
He stared at me for a few seconds before crossing his arms.
"The human hero looks smaller than I imagined."
Scarlet immediately stepped forward.
"And you giants seem more arrogant than I imagined."
The other giant began laughing loudly.
"Looks like she's fierce."
Rai'kanna crossed her arms.
"Scarlet is always like that."
The Guild Master quickly interrupted before the conversation got worse.
"Let's get to the main topic."
He pulled a scroll from the desk.
"I received an official request from the Giant Kingdom."
Lyannis adjusted her glasses slightly.
"The Giant Kingdom rarely contacts other nations."
"Exactly."
The Guild Master rested his arms on the desk.
"Their lands are being attacked by the demonic army."
The room fell silent for a few seconds.
So the demons were finally beginning to directly attack other major kingdoms.
I had expected that sooner or later.
"The King of the Giants specifically requested Takumi's group."
I looked at him.
"Specifically us?"
"Yes."
One of the giants spoke again.
"Our king has heard of your accomplishments."
The other continued.
"The Dragon Kingdom. The half-dragons. The demonic dungeons. Your name has already reached our lands."
Liriel became serious.
"Then the situation must really be severe."
The Guild Master agreed.
"According to the information we received, the demonic army has been constantly attacking giant villages and territories."
I frowned slightly.
"If it's that serious, why doesn't the Giant Kingdom join the alliance of nations?"
The two giants exchanged glances before one of them answered.
"We giants do not like depending on other nations."
"The Dragon King thinks the same way."
I added.
"Exactly."
The Guild Master continued explaining.
"The Giant Kingdom has always preferred to remain isolated. But now the situation has changed."
I looked again at the giants.
"And what exactly do you want us to do?"
The larger one answered without hesitation.
"Destroy the demons that invaded our lands."
Simple and direct.
Very typical of giants.
"And the reward?"
The Guild Master opened a small smile.
"Two hundred bars of solid gold."
Scarlet let out a low whistle.
"That's a lot of money."
"In addition to sixty thousand gold coins."
Even Elara looked surprised this time.
"Then they really are desperate."
The giants did not deny it.
I crossed my arms while thinking silently for a few seconds.
The demons were becoming more active.
If I ignored this now, it would probably only get worse later.
Besides, if an entire kingdom was asking for help in this way, then the situation had to be truly serious.
I took a deep breath.
"All right."
The two giants looked at me.
"We will accept the mission."
The Guild Master immediately relaxed.
"I thought that would be your answer."
Scarlet looked at me.
"So we're going to meet giants now."
Rai'kanna smiled slightly.
"That sounds interesting."
Lyannis looked thoughtful.
"I want to understand how their magic works."
"If they use magic."
Vespera commented calmly.
Liriel looked at me.
"When do we leave?"
"Tomorrow morning."
I replied while looking again at the giants.
"We'll prepare today."
The giants bowed respectfully.
"The Giant Kingdom will be grateful for your help, Hero."
I observed the two of them silently for a few seconds.
So the next destination would be the Giant Kingdom.
And somehow, I had the feeling that this mission would be far more important than it appeared.