—Lord Theodore Valarious RazenHeir --
[Physique : 57]
[Mana : 63]
[Mind : 45]
[Defense : 47]
[Height : 2.1 meters (6.9 ft)]
[Weight : 120 kg (264 lbs)]
[RazenHeir flames : 50]
— Skills —
[Master swordsman] He wielded the sword in his hand for years.
[Generalship] Experienced in leading an army
[Statesmanship] Lord of his estate
[Brandishing] Channeling his flames into his sword.
[Fieldcraft] Veteran at surviving in the harsh wilderness.
Hikari stood in the waiting area outside Lord RazenHeir's study.
Smartly dressed.
She wore her wool sweater, brown skirt, knee socks, and loafers.
A fresh set.
At her lady's instruction, she showered twice before presenting herself.
Her hair was neatly tied up in a ponytail with her butterfly tie.
The room was spacious, comparable to her own.
Paintings lined the walls, depictions of the Razenheir house's previous headmasters.
The door behind her opened
The head maid entered. Two columns of little girls in maid uniforms followed.
They went along the wall, gently feather-dusting.
Hikari observes them.
Skinny and pale, their bony skin.
"Alright! Finish up, dust off your feathers into the bucket, and get to work on the Madam Knight's shoes."
The head maid clapped her hands twice.
Like a school of fish, they swarm around the huge loafers, making up for their lack of strength with numbers.
"Girls?"
"Rescued from the cultists' camps, Madam Hikari. They were used as slaves there. The RazenHeir house volunteered to take them in as a gesture to encourage everyone else to take in orphans."
She watched silently as they worked.
"Boys?"
"Courtyard and latrine duty. The drillmaster dreams about them being able to hold a sword some day."
The head maid signals. The girls lined up neatly shoulder to shoulder.
Their mistress inspects their work.
She claps her hands together.
"Let's go! Chop! Chop! The knight has a meeting with the Lord RazenHeir. On to the next task!"
The girls keep their feathers, walking out the door in two neat columns past either side of Hikari.
"The Lord RazenHeir is waiting inside." The head maid closed the door behind her.
Thud. Thud.
Hikari took two strides towards the door.
With a gentle nudge, the wooden doors creaked open.
She found herself in the Lord RazenHeir' study.
Its inhabitant had been off to war for at least a year.
It was recently reopened.
But it was tidy and only a tad dusty.
The Lord RazenHeir's desk stood at the opposite end of the room.
Books and ledgers were stacked on either side of the table.
His elaborate armor, rare Runium scales hammered onto an inner fur coat, hung on the rack in one corner.
The arrays of runes on his sword glowed in response to Hikari's presence.
On the walls were portraits of him with Ria, her siblings, and his wife.
Portraits of a much younger version of himself with the previous Lord RazenHeir.
She glanced through the paintings.
There was also a full body painting of herself in shining steel plate armor.
The estate courtyard in the background. Trees up to her neck.
The Lord RazenHeir stood beside her. His head just above her hips.
On the other side. A woman in sorcerer robes.
She looked straight.
In the center of the room was a huge stool.
It had shiny steel linings and a red cushion on top the size of a queen-sized bed.
It was meant for her.
She looked down.
"Greet me."
A puckering sound. The Lord RazenHeir bowed his head back down into the carpet.
The Lord of the estate shuffled aside to make way for Hikari, keeping his face close to the ground.
Hikari paced forward.
Slow, deliberate steps, each making a deep imprint onto the carpet.
Pauses in between.
Lord RazenHeir crawled behind her, following the trail of crushed carpet fibers.
She sits down.
The chair did not buckle under her weight.
It was built to withstand it.
She crossed her legs.
The Lord RazenHeir's desk was a stride away.
Empty.
Its chief inhabitant on his hands and knees behind her.
"Go to your seat."
"Yes, Hikari."
He mutters.
His voice muffled by the carpet.
His hands and legs move.
He takes a detour around the giant stool.
"Under me."
He stops.
"Yes. Hikari."
He retraces his steps.
Before him, Hikari's back.
Her ponytail reaching down below the seat.
He crawls under her stool and around her shoe.
He reaches his chair and pushes himself up onto the seat.
Across the table, Hikari sat with her legs crossed.
Her ruby-red eyes.
He was sweating.
"Hands on the table"
A pair of trembling, rugged, scarred hands slowly emerged from beneath the table.
Using all his willpower, he clasped his hands and pressed them against the table.
"Look at me."
He raised his chin. His eyes met hers.
Her gaze would make even the hardest champions tremble.
"You may speak."
His mouth was open, but all that came out were incoherent howls.
Deep breaths.
The veins on the sides of his temple flexed like an over-pressured steam engine.
"My lord."
His first words came out.
"It's- good- to see you, Hikari."
He breathes a little easier.
He clears his throat and composes himself.
"There's something very important I wish to tell you."
He takes another deep breath.
"I'm sending you to the academy."
Hikari raises an eyebrow, tilting her head slightly, the white of her eye widening.
"School?"
"Yes. Not just any school. The spire academy. The gathering of all knights from prestigious houses across the continent in one place, with one goal: to maximize their potential. "
Hikari looks at him.
Her usual cold expression was impossible to read.
"Explain."
"It is what it is. I want you to attend. You will receive the education that will raise your strength to a new height, beyond what would be possible with the resources available to the house."
"Strong?"
"I know you are already incredibly strong. That's precisely why I'm sending you there. You see, if a student does very well in the academy, they could receive a coveted place amongst the knights of the spire."
Hikari ponders the offer for a bit.
"School?"
"Yes, as far as I know you never lead a normal life. Perhaps this is a good chance for you to do so. And in return, I want you to do well at the academy for me. If you do, we can move to the upper levels of the spire city where it's safe from the constant wars and monster waves. It guarantees the future of our house."
Hikari blinks in confusion.
"Estate?"
Lord Razen Heir's face turned grim.
He leaned back into his chair and sighed.
"Four territories were overrun in the last campaign. We stopped the orcs by defeating their war chief. But our armies had suffered irreparable damage. The cult of Eon wiped out a neighboring territory. To make matters worse, I hear that the neighboring kingdom of Herdial is heading into recession."
Hikari fell silent.
She had been living a comfortable life at the RazenHeir estate.
"Strong."
"That you certainly are. But you alone would not be able to defend the estate again against a monster wave that requires a full army to defend"
Hikari was silent.
She took a deep breath.
"Yes, my Lord."
"Good girl. Now, on a more positive note. My daughter, Ria, will be enrolling with you. I heard you two have started training together. You are strong, but you don't get enough exposure to high society. On the other hand, Ria's martial skills are quite lacking, but her quick wit would compensate. I think the two of you may make a great team."
His tone was more relaxed.
So was Hikari.
A subtle shift in her expression.
"My Lord."
"Yes! Any questions? A new chapter stands before you. I'm sure you have plenty. Ah, it reminds me of when I sent my first two children to the academy before I left for the front."
"Pricey?"
The Lord RazenHeir was stumped.
He looked at Hikari, unable to respond.
"Well... you see now... the bulk of our resources had been committed to the northern front. The economy isn't doing so great... and... the monsters you are hunting around the estate don't actually sell very well... so..."
Hikari tilts her head.
Her silence was making the Lord RazenHeir more and more uncomfortable.
"But! I have good news! The wyverns had been terrorizing the trade route between Herdial and the Moradale territories. A raid was finally organized. It has the blessings of the Herdial royal house. You happen to have a record of slaying wyverns. And your recent achievements in the war against the cult of Eon have drawn the attention of some high-profile clients."
"A raid?"
"Yes. Don't worry, I wouldn't risk you taking on the most dangerous part of it. But a supporting role would pay decently enough to make ends meet for us. Oh, and on top of that, I have ordered new armor for you. The skin of the king black salamander. An upgrade for you is long overdue-"
Hikari uncrossed her legs.
The Lord RazenHeir feels the movement of her giant thighs.
He fell silent.
The giantess stands up.
She towers over the Lord RazenHeir.
Thud. One shoe hits the carpet.
Thud! Her other shoe landed on the Lord RazenHeir's table.
"New armor?"
The Lord RazenHeir was sweating bullets.
The shoe was longer than the table.
He stared up at the giantess's knee socks.
The underside of her skirt.
Blood rushes to his head.
"Yes- . I hand-picked it myself. Living armor. Like your size, with proper cultivation, it can grow with-"
"Hands on the table."
The Lord RazenHeir's hands emerged.
He fumbles to clasp them together.
"Gold?"
"Yes- well... don't worry about the gold... we still had some reserves... we used it up to buy you the armor and get you ready for the raid-"
Thud. Hikari taps her shoe on his table, making him jump up in his chair.
"I'm sure the raid would more than cover that... glup*... we can still borrow to meet other payments-"
Tap! Tap! Hikari taps her foot.
The sole of her loafer banged against the table.
"Milked."
The Lord RazenHeir couldn't reply.
Buying Hikari a new set of armor had indeed milked the bulk of his remaining reserves.
He panted and howled incoherently.
Tap!
The Lord RazenHeir jumps at the force of her shoe.
"Hands on the table."