Ria was in her room. She was unscathed from the cultist attack the day before., though it was quite the traumatic experience for her first foray outside of her sheltered life in the RazenHeir mansion.
She flipped open the report.
"Attack by what could be determined as the cult of Eon as evidenced from the runes carved into their bodies. They used common cosmetic cream that were widely traded in Herdial to cover their true appearances. The common grunts were indistinguishable from the regular populace. Muskets and swords that were not imbibed were not subject to customs checks. Corpse material for their monsters were shipped in, hidden by the regular meat delivery. Their mana wielders hid outside the town, striking only when the battle started."
It's a dangerous world out there Ria thought as she flipped to the next page. But before she could continue, her tiny heart pounded rapidly in her chest in quick succession.
Ba dum! Ba dum! Ba dum!
She started breathing heavily, gasping for air. Her mind was filled with the feeling of being trapped in the damp darkness. The pungent stench filled her nostrils and from there, permeating through every fibre of her being.
She breathed a deep breath, stretching her lungs to the limit, and then she choked. It was normal air, with a hint of the fragrance from her tea. She breathed again, double confirming that the air was indeed scentless. Her breathing slowed, gradually getting to normal.
Ba dum! Ba dum! Images of a gigantic knight, clad in impervious armour, a hulking pillar of sheer strength, swinging a sword with the force of a hundred men, dominating the entire area around her, towering over her, watching over her. Her cold expression, the echoing sound of her voice, and the smell of her sweat.
"Down on the ground!" A voice echoed in her head. Ria fell off her chair. She was panting, seeing her own sweat dripping on the pristinely combed carpet. She couldn't think straight. Images of the gigantic knight occupied her entire mind space.
"This is unbecoming. I need some breathing room." She got up, walked to her wardrobe and changed out of her sweat soaked attire.
"Are you there?" She called out. Shortly after, a maid opens the door. "Yes my lady"
"What's my schedule? I should have lessons today."
"None, my lady. Your tutors are unable to travel due to recent incidents. Neither would you in fact. By Lord RazenHeir's standing orders, you are now confined to the estate grounds until further developments."
Ria paced around the room for a bit. She now has some free time, though she was completely at a loss with how to spend it.
"My fencing outfit, where is it?" An idea suddenly hit her. Her maid was surprised by the suggestion.
"The stores. Forgive me. My lady hardly drills."
"oh? Is that so? Well, I think given what happened recently, some drilling is in order."
"I agree, I'll go fetch it right away." The maid bows and leaves the room.
Her drilling outfit, a plain white tunic, black pants and a set of knee and elbow guards. They were slightly itchy as her maid pulled it out of the store and dusted it off at the last minute. But she didn't mind it.
The RazenHeir drilling hall was spacious, enough to house dozens of knights at a time. It had been meticulously kept, swept and dusted at least once a day, even though the majority of its occupants had been away at war for months.
On the wall, there were the drill hall arms. Great swords for a balanced style, a good blend of power, reach, and defense. Short sword and musket pair complete with clockwork autoloaders for a scuffle in tight quarters or a hit and run attack. Bucklers for a reasonable amount of cover for their weight. Javelins to skewer beasts of war. Dummy bombs to counter heavy armour.
It was a training regime built around skirmishing, utilizing the flames of the RazenHeir house that deals damage that adds up in an attritional battle but lacks immediate stopping power.
"Good morning, Lady Ria!" A burly knight bellowed. He was in a tank top. His hair was grey and scarce, but his physique was still impressive. Sir parkel, the Razenheir houses longest serving drill master.
"You are certainly a rare sight around here!"
"Stop it."
"HaHaHa! It's good that you are safe. All of the knights are out on patrol now. You now have the hall to yourself."
"It's fine."
Then Ria noticed some peculiar things that one might not expect to find in a drill hall. In one corner there was a set of elbow and knee guards and a pair of flat shoes large enough to be zeppelin plating. She rubs her eyes to make sure she was not seeing things.
It didn't take her long to understand what it was. But then she noticed a rack containing curious items by the entrance to the drill hall. There was a signboard above it that read 'take one'.
"Ahem. By the way, what are those triangular wooden blocks with straps attached?
"Umm… well… That's uh… dummy crotch armour. Umm… crotch guards yes! " Sir Parkel awkwardly adjusted his crotch guard, rolling his eyes.
"Shall I take one?
Sir Parkel nervously tugs at the shoulder straps on his tank top. "That… won't be necessary … there isn't one your size I don't think… "
Ria shrugs and takes a stance in front of a straw dummy and draws her wooden rapier.
Guard and then thrust and guard again. Guard, thrust and back to guard. She managed two decent reps although it had already caused her to run short on breath.
"Your form is correct. But it seems you are facing the consequences of skipping out. "
Ria leaned on her rapier. She had indeed been skimping on her knight training. Mainly due to her glaring lack of talent for martial matters, therefore resigning herself to her fate as what is commonly referred to by the rather unflattering title of 'desk knight'.
As a pure blood knight, she possesses the unique mana form of her blood line. That reason alone makes her too valuable to risk in combat anyway. Instead, they can 'teach', some call it borrow, their mana form to para-knights, those without a pure blood lineage but have sufficient physical aptitude and tolerance for mana to utilize it.
Nevertheless, the vast majority of pure blood knights are fearsome warriors, standing head and shoulders above the level of what para-knights could achieve and a match for some of the most vicious beasts that linger on the edges of civilization. Although they don't often fight on a real battlefield, there is much pride and prestige to be earned in the colosseum.
Ria picked up her rapier again and assumed her stance. A good thrust, arcing upwards to hit the chest of the training dummy. The rapier retreated to guard.
"The guard's too slow. Again."
Ria thrust again. Once the rapier hit the wooden dummy she forcefully yanked it back to restore her guard. But the force caused her to lose her grip, dropping the wooden rapier on the ground.
"Ahaha. Looks like your body is all stiff from sitting at your desk all day. Some more drilling and you'll feel better in no time!" It was Sir Parkel's way of teasing her, which can be irksome at times. But the drill master would never genuinely discourage her from learning the way of her sword.
As Ria rested on her rapier again, she heard footsteps. It was not particularly loud, but she could tell it was made by something quite massive. It seemed to come from a very well trained beast, taking very measured steps to minimize its sound despite its size.
Soon, the massive figure emerged from the drill hall entrance.
Ria laid eyes on a goddess. A towering pillar of strength and beauty. Her outfit, loose white tops, black shorts and knee high socks with flats. Revealing her sculpted biceps, abdomen and thighs. Her claymore the height of an elephant in its sheath, hoisted on her back but provided no impediment to her movements. Each of her footsteps exude an aura of elegance and power that makes Ria's knees tremble in awe.
"Ah! Hello there, the drill hall angel is here! Well, looks like my shift is almost here. Catch you around." Sir Parkel scurried out of the drill hall with curious haste, leaving Ria alone with Hikari.
Hikari stopped right in front of Ria, her knee socks dwarfing her. Ria's heart raced as she slowly raised her chin to meet Hikari's eyes.
"Greetings, my lady. May we share the drill hall?"
The mid pitched voice echoed through Ria's head. The titaness' overwhelming presence froze Ria's tongue.
"Get on the ground" Ria heard the voice in her head though she did not see Hikari's lips move. But nonetheless, the knees gave way, she bowed her head to the ground, and prostrated at her feet.