— RazenHeir territory —
[50 km wide, 30 km long]
[Population : 100,000]
[Farmland : 75,000 acres]
[Standing army : ~1000]
[Knights : ~100]
[To the East : City of Moradale]
[To the West: Kingdom of Herdial]
[To the north: Territory of Carla]
Bent over to touch her toes.
Shoulder rolls.
Side-to-side turns.
Time for a morning run.
Hikari stamps her old running flats.
The workshop had time to sew it up while she was away at the front.
She runs towards the hills where she used to live.
She brings her harvest sack, as there might be some items she hasn't moved.
The number of refugee camps grew as Carla was liberated.
Hikari stopped as a merchant convoy passed her, moving towards the estate.
They had become more frequent of late as more and more trade now flows through the RazenHeir estate.
Trees were cut down for construction.
Knights and soldiers who had just returned to the front were placed on supervision duty.
She reaches her old cave.
Soldiers were setting up camp.
A makeshift watchtower.
Her cave was an ideal spot to set up a warehouse for military supplies.
The sentry squeezed his crotch armor tight as Hikari strode past him.
Hikari entered her cave.
The soldiers had already gathered her remaining belongings in one place.
Not all of it; She counted only half of her sock pieces left.
She shrugged and packed whatever remained.
Boom. Boom.
She slings her harvest sack and continues her morning run back to the estate.
…
Her new spacious room.
She was still in disbelief that she had a living space that didn't make her feel cramped.
Her lady was something else.
Her lady.
She looked around the room.
Empty.
She left her harvest sack by the door to prepare breakfast.
Grain, vegetables, ivory berries, and a slice of bear meat she hadn't finished.
The cauldron bubbled.
She took a shower.
"Laundry."
Her laundry had stacked up.
She carried it in a makeshift basket, made by removing the wheels from a horse wagon.
The washing bay was right outside the estate walls.
Huge rain collectors with pipes and pumps.
Hikari emptied her laundry onto a container.
The laundry maid pressed a lever and the container filled up with filtered rainwater.
Hikari dipped her fingers into the viscous soap and scooped up a handful.
Gently, she squeezed her clothes in the soapy water.
The water drained. She rinsed them twice and squeezed.
She walked along the clothesline and dropped her pieces of cloth onto the steel wire one by one.
Each piece of cloth was like a blanket.
The laundry maids helped her clamp them to the wire.
They'll dry in a day or two.
If it rains, then she's out of luck.
The experienced laundry maids would refuse to wash if they thought it would rain.
Perhaps she could try drying some in her room.
But they wouldn't dry as fast, and her room might feel damp.
Her laundry was done; she made her way back to her room.
Time to report to the scout master.
Her wyvernskin armor had taken a beating from the titan.
She saw them being packed up and being shipped to Moradale for refurbishing.
Unlike her swords, which were wholly destroyed, her armor was still in reasonable condition after the fight.
The heat-resistant armor could withstand her flames.
Its elasticity could withstand cannonshots.
Guess she'll just go in her casual outfit then.
As she stepped out of her room, she saw a group of knights assembling at the front of the RazenHeir mansion.
Her lady Ria was in a smart business outfit.
White pants, a bright coat, and a hat.
The servant helped her mount her horse.
She rode out the front gate.
Hikari saw only the red hair at the back of her head.
…
The scout barracks.
An arm of the RazenHeir army as old as the knights themselves.
A three-story stone building as large as the main mansion housed the scouts.
Their living quarters, training areas, and arms storage.
The scout master waits for her at the guard post.
Scouts on horseback report back to him after their morning patrol.
He makes some markings on the map.
They seemed to be the refugee camps popping up everywhere.
"Scout master."
"Ah, Hikari! Good work on that titan. I have nothing for you today. I wouldn't send you on a mission while all of your equipment is still under repair. Speaking of which, check in at the forge; at least some of your throwing daggers should be ready."
"Yes."
Another returning scout dismounted and passed him his map.
The scoutmaster opened it and made more marks on his own map.
Hikari stood there and watched.
"Scout master."
"Yes? Anything else?"
Hikari looked away.
The scout master was surprised.
Hikari usually just goes back to training right after he dismisses her.
"My lady."
"Lady Ria? She should have left for Moradale by now. She'll probably be back tonight. It's just some meeting she has to stand in for since his Lordship has yet to return from his own war. We are, after all, just a minor supporting force in the campaign against the cultists. Oh, and by the way, the sky fortress got most of the credit for the titan kill, from what I heard. Politics, I tell you. I sure am jealous of how you are not affected by such things."
"Thanks."
The scout master nods and goes back to work.
…
"Work"
Hikari looks down on the foreman.
He was well-built from a lifetime of physical labor.
But his muscles were puny compared to the giantess over him.
The man, tall among his peers, barely reached her thigh.
"Work- oh! Right! Ahem! I reckon you'll be doing the work of at least ten men? That'll be a spire silvers for the day."
"Sure."
Hikari gets to work.
Her sword is gone, so she can't drill.
She figures that she could earn some meat while training her muscles.
Plenty of warehouses to be constructed.
Hikari rests a bundle of planks on each arm from the carpentry.
Two trips were enough to lay the first story of the warehouse.
She carries a wagon of stone from the masonry.
Tonk! Tonk! She drills the pillar into the ground, laying the foundation for the bricklayers.
She lifts planks and bricks up to the second floor with ease.
"That's quite impressive. Will you be coming tomorrow?"
"Maybe."
Hikari bent down and collected her pay.
She walked to the butcher and bought a lump of beef.
It fit into her hands.
She'll cut it up and spread it over four stews.
Not bad for a day's work.
She made her way to the RazenHeir forge.
Four throwing daggers were ready for her.
The runes haven't been etched yet, but she can still practice with them.
She returns to her room.
…
Hikari sits on her magic circle.
Her daggers hover around her.
Without their telekinetic runes, they take a bit more effort to control, which makes for decent practice.
A flesh titan.
It's been a while since she faced a formidable opponent.
She replays the battle in her head.
The feeling of firing her handcannon until the barrel melts.
Her sword thrusting into the massive flesh.
The powder magazine explodes in her face; perhaps she should have saved some throwing daggers for that?
The sky fortress's shells; she was lucky not to have been hit by any.
She needs to pay more attention.
The daggers hovering over her flared with RazenHeir flame.
— Hikari —
[Mana : 760]
[Mind : 762]
[RazenHeir flames: 165]
[Telekinesis : 310]
She hasn't released her mana like this in a while.
Did she get stronger? Did she get a bit better at using her abilities after slaying a titan?
It feels the same as always.
"Hikari…"
A high-pitched voice came from outside.
It was soft, but her sensitive ears could pick it up.
"Are you there?"
"Yes, my lady."
Ria poked her head into Hikari's room.
She dove back out shyly.
Hikari powered down, placing her throwing daggers gently on the ground.
"Come in."
Her lady emerged from beneath her curtain door.
Plain white shirt, black skirt. Her casual wear within the estate grounds.
She averted her eyes from Hikari's even as the giantess sat down right in front of her.
"My lady."
Her lady blushed.
Her shoulders were tense.
"Hikari… "
She finally turned and met her gaze.
"Umm… Let's have dinner."