Hikari knelt down and rested her hand on the cold smooth glass sphere about the height of a normal person.
It held the weight of her hand just fine.
The transparent surface sizzled as it came into contact with her skin.
"Hmm! Your mana levels look incredible. But it appears you have some difficulty containing it fully within your body."
The examiner jotted down something on his notepad.
"Hmm?"
"Nothing to worry about. It's just that we may have to plan some additional accommodations ahead of time. Let's continue."
The examiner and his assistants took some steps back from the glass sphere and raised their barriers.
"Now, just like what your lady did. I want you to channel your flame magic into the glass sphere."
Hikari turned her gaze to the sphere.
It was a device that allowed the mana user to manifest their form inside it where it would be contained, providing a safe way to practice their magic.
She had seen her lady practice with it several times.
Practicing her magic at the estate had been difficult for her since such a device scaled up to her was beyond the resources of her house.
She channeled enough mana into her hand for a fireball.
The inside of the sphere lit up with a brilliant purple of the RazenHeir flame, illuminating the room for a few seconds.
Hikari lifted her hand.
It felt pretty good to do blunt casting. At some point, she was disallowed to do so at the estate as her flames grew too strong.
Out in the field, she generally uses enchantments on her weapons to conserve mana with only an occasional telekinetic blast.
She reached for the sphere again.
"Uh no. That would be enough." The examiner stops her. The first hint of exasperation in his voice.
"I applaud you for being gentle enough with it. But I think this will cause your lady and I a lot of trouble if I do bring this back to Moradale in pieces."
"I see."
Hikari withdrew her hand. More assistants entered her chambers and began disassembling the sphere.
"Well." The examiner claps his hands together.
"This wraps up the pre-enrollment screen. I would say the hall mistress would be quite pleased with the results I have collected. Looks like quite the talented batch."
"My measurement?"
"Oh right. I'm sure you're edging to know. Unfortunately all I could provide you with is the limits of what our devices could measure. Which is already quite extraordinary."
Hikari nods.
"Alright, chop! Chop! Once we get these back to Moradale, we still have a handful of screens this-"
"Ahh!" The male assistant fell on the ground, exclaiming loudly.
The sound of his glove scratching against his pants.
After fruitlessly pulling away at his pants, he got up and looked at Hikari with lustful eyes.
The energetic young man crawled aggressively towards the giantess.
Stab. Before he could close the distance, a dart pierced the fabric on his behind.
Seconds later, he collapsed onto the ground unconscious.
His female colleague stood behind him.
She held up a musket that shot the tranquilizing dart.
A disgusted look on her face.
"Hahaha!" The examiner burst out in laughter.
"Well! It looked like the suppressants didn't last."
Another female colleague joined her.
They each took out a tiny vial the size that was offered to Ria earlier and gulped down the contents.
After allowing the effects to set in, they each grabbed an arm of their male colleague and carried him out.
"Hahaha! This is why I had recommended only allowing women and older men such like myself into the division. Young men just have too much... metabolism for the job."
Click. His assistant points her musket at his head.
An extremely annoyed and disgusted look on her face.
"Whao. Whao. Umm..! No need to get agitated shall we. Look, I have been showing much more restraint in making such jokes. There is no need to go there, especially when we're in another house."
The assistant lowered her musket.
Though she continued her death glare for a few more seconds before making for the exit in Hikari's chambers.
After they left, Hikari sat meditating in her chambers.
Her mana coursed through her at a dizzying pace.
She had been feeling nauseous since her body had been out of balance since she absorbed the power of the mana veins.
Nevertheless, she pressed on.
Bit by bit, she slowed her mana flow.
She is not looking for more power, but control.
Her flow was unstable.
Spikes in energy coursing through her makes her head spin.
She forced her flow to stop.
The sudden vacuum almost made her choke.
She starts the process again.
And again.
Her flow has gotten more stable after a few attempts.
She had done the routine everyday since she returned.
It had gotten stable enough for her lady to sit on her shoulder without mana poisoning.
But it might cause her problems in a serious confrontation.
She continued.
The goal was to maintain a steady flow of mana at as low intensity as she could control.
It was something she had been doing easily for years.
Now it appears she was relearning it.
She opened her eyes. It was already evening.
Her body was covered in sweat and she was sitting in her own sweat puddle.
She was burning up.
"Shouldn't have been so greedy with that last mana vein…"
She got up and walked to the kitchen area.
Ria had ordered a bigger tankard for her.
It had turned into a squarish shipping crate as it was easier for the forge to weld together.
She filled it up to full.
The water felt as though it was boiling as she gulped down the contents.
Another tankard.
The water only turned warm this time.
She walked to her shower.
The shower head was only at her chest level.
Nevertheless, it dispensed enough water for her to wrap her body in a whirlpool.
She felt the warm water brush against her bare feet as it drained away.
"Time to get some dinner…"
As she walked towards the door, Ella's voice came from outside.
"Hikari, I brought dinner."
"Come in."
Ella walked in wearing her maid uniform.
She had been wearing it the entire day without issues.
The half wyvern does not sweat
She was carrying several wooden crates on her back slung onto her shoulders by rope.
Thud. The crates hit the ground.
Hikari's rations had more than doubled along with her body mass.
Though the ingredients seemed to be getting more diverse by the day.
"Ella, did you go to the correct warehouse?"
Ella's tail stuck out and stood on end as she nodded.
"Yes Hikari, Drillmaster brought Ella to the place."
"The drillmaster? Where's Lady Ria?"
"Ella saw lady Ria ride off to pointy city earlier today. Ella has not seen lady Ria come back."
"I see"
Hikari inspected the rations.
The grain seemed to have another color mixed in. It doesn't look rotten, but part of it doesn't look like the type grown in Herdial or around the estate, which is what she usually eats.
The meat doesn't look like it was freshly slaughtered either.
It was the dried and salted type which Hikari only finds in her ration packs out in the field.
"Ella, can you eat this?"
Ella blinks at her.
"Ella thinks human food is good. Ella's stomach feels bad from eating meat. Human made plants make Ella feel better."
"Thats good."
Hikari opened both her cauldron and split the crates evenly between them.
One was meant for her to bring out into the field.
She has to use both at home now.
"Hikari? Ella thinks Hikari's body heat is up again."
"Get it cooking first."
Hikari filled both cauldrons with water.
Ella leaned her head down to the ground and breathed fire below each cauldron.
The sound of the lids gently knocking as the cauldrons boiled.
Hikari returned to her meditating position at the center of the room.
Her half wyvern squire placed both hands on her back and began a silent incantation.
Hikari felt her skin boil.
The sweat puddle below her bubbled.
"Argh."
Hikari gripped her kneecaps in pain as the heat was forcefully exhumed from her body.
Her sweat dried, adding to the sweat mark in the middle of the room.
Ella continued.
Hikari followed her mana movements.
A technique to regulate one's body temperature.
Wyverns are mystical beasts in the minor sense that they could use this method to maintain their internals under their thick outcoat.
It was difficult for Hikari with a completely different anatomy to learn but an immensely useful technique if she were to succeed.
"(Now)"
Hikari hears Ella's voice in her head.
She opened her palms and released a sporadic pillar of flame towards the ceiling, expelling the remaining excess heat in her body.
The sound of the lids knocking violently.
Ella quickly slithered over to remove the lids and blow out the flames.
Hikari sat down beside her.
They begin eating.
Hikari felt something crunchy get crushed between her teeth.
She took a good look at the contents of the next spoonful.
"Beans."
With a moment's hesitation, she stuffed the ladle into her mouth. She was famished as usual from the day's training.
Ivory berries. They had been part of her meal since before the wyvern raid.
Tasteless and bad texture. The portion of it seemed to have gotten bigger even though she cleared the wyvern pass.
As she chewed, she glanced at Ella happily cleaning out the ladle without a care.
Before long, the two cleaned out the cauldrons.
Hikari stood in silence.
Despite double rations, it still felt a little thin.
Having more body weight does make her quite a bit more inefficient.
Ella curled up beside her, tail wrapping around her body.
Hikari gave the cauldron one last scrap.
"Ella, how strong am I?"
"Hmm?" Ella wags her tail.
"Ella thinks Hikari is super strong."
"No, I mean, did you do your stat measurement?"
Ella looks at her with curious eyes.
"Stat measurement? Ella thinks the drill master mentioned something like. Drillmaster makes Ella lift things and run around the empty space. Then some other people in robes give Ella shiny things."
"Yes"
"Ella knows how to do stat measurement."
Ella got up on her paws and stretched.
Her scales are visible since she didn't have to keep up her human form in Hikari's chambers.
She slithered behind Hikari's back and placed one paw on Hikari's skin.
The giantess twice her size barely feels her claws sinking in.
"Ella will take Hikari's measurement now. Hikari should relax."
"Thanks."
Hikari felt a sharp insertion of mana from the half wyvern's claws.
— Hikari —
[Physique : 850 -> 1000+]
[defense : 860 -> 1000+]
[mana : 980 -> 1000+]
[mind : 920 -> 1000+]