Hikari stepped out of the shower basin. After drying herself, she assembled a clean shirt and pants , sliding her bare feet into her old pair of running flats which she wears only inside her chamber.
She walked to the boiling cauldron, snuffed out the flame and brought it to the couch.
Ria sat on the stone platform at the side of Hikari's couch. She has washed up and changed into a fresh outfit. On seeing Hikari approach, she opened her own breakfast box.
They began eating together. For this meal at least, Hikari still had her normal compliment of ingredients. Which was still less than what she ideally would like to have since she had to make up for the irregular meals during the campaign.
Ria's portions had gotten larger. She was able to eat more to cope with the physical training. It was still less than even a common soldier's portion. Her chef had no issues meeting her new demands.
"The feast tonight"
"Ah yes, of course. I checked the manifest. As promised, a whole roast pig is waiting for you in the warehouse. The fattest one I could find, we had to conjoin two carts to ship it. It will be on your dinner plate, I'll skewer it on the fire myself if I have to. I swear it. Oh by the way, I ordered barrels of ale to go along. I suspect it might be diluted, but that's all I can find."
Hikari swallowed her stew and paused, staring at her ladle. For a brief moment, she drooled, immediately sucking her saliva back into her mouth.
"What's the occasion?"
"A celebration to the end of the cultist campaign. Coinciding with My Father, Lord Razenheir returned from his campaign, along the main RazenHeir territorial army. At least the current batch that's cycled into the line."
"Lord Razenheir? He's been at the front for so long."
"Indeed. But the war is not even over. The war with the cultists just gave us an excuse to pull our army out. Much to the displeasure of house Arestor, one of the mainstays of the northern front."
"So many years, and it's still not over."
"Yes, we can feel it from all the way here. Food prices just never stop climbing. Rationing keeps getting stricter and stricter. Prices of everything keep climbing. Taxes kept climbing too. Well, at least not directly since we are exempted when we send our army directly to the front. But the merchants who buy our enchanted weapons and use our escort services are clearly taking a hit."
"So how did the campaign go?"
"Poorly. That's a generous way to put it. We lost a substantial chunk of territory which most importantly produces food. The reports are quite vague. Seems to me like they are hiding the true scale of the disaster to avoid causing a panic. I guess we'll find out from my Father once he gets back later. "
"Sounds like I'm needed at the front."
Ria takes a bite at her carrot.
"You're needed everywhere. Although, I did see plenty of correspondence to my father demanding specifically your attendance at the northern front. Well, there's plenty of legal loop holes to get around that such as listing you as just 'one' knight. I mean yeah, it's ridiculous, you're definitely not the equivalent combat power of one average knight. Father seemed to have used all the tricks in the book to keep you off that front. Good thing though, otherwise, I would have been dead without even meeting you."
Ria swallowed.
"I don't mean to pry, but I read the records that we found you years back all alone amidst the battlefield on top of a pile of dead orcs along with an orc war chief. Last man standing, that must have been a traumatic experience. Are you still willing to go back there?"
Hikari swallowed another ladleful of stew.
"There was a saying amongst my old mercenary company. If you abandon your fellow mercenary, the next time the monster shows up, you won't have a meat shield anymore. I suppose this is the only way to foster team work amongst people who are in it for nothing but the gold."
Ria's eyes widened. She put away her utensils and breakfast box and assumed a prostrating position. "Thank you for your wisdom master Hikari! Your lady Ria will memorize it to heart!"
"Don't call me that, and finish your breakfast."
"Yes, Hikari. Right away."
They continued eating.
"On a more positive note, I heard when you were still at the northern front. Even when being 'shorter' than you are now, you could cleave an orc in half. You could even knock them out with your bare fists."
Hikari giggles at the compliment.
"Want to know something interesting?"
"Oh?"
"I eat them too."
"Eek! How do you even cook that?"
"Only the muscles in the arms are edible. Their organs and skin are poisonous. Set it alight to burn away the inedible skin. And bite with all your strength to rip out the muscles."
"The more you know. I did read some reports of soldiers attempting just that. It's mostly just officers complaining about their soldiers losing their teeth though."
Hikari smiled.
They finished their meal.
"So what's the plan for today?"
"Try on your new outfit. The messenger arrived just before we set off for our run bearing news that Lord RazenHeir was just camping out half a day's march from here. We expect them to reach the estate in, well, half a day which would be just after lunch. Prepare a warm welcome for him and the boys."
Hikari placed her ladle back into the cauldron and stood up.
"Follow then"
"Right away, Hikari!"
Hikari walked to her wardrobe, Ria crawling and kissing the ground behind her.
Hikari stood before her wardrobe. There were mainly several stacks of slightly greyish white wool sheets, brown cotton ones with leather at their core. She studied the weaving enchantments to work out where each piece fits.
After a minute, she began the assembly process. First disassembling her shirt, stacking it neatly on one side. The wool sheets assembled into a sweater.
Quite a baggy sweater, the collar covering the length of her neck, the long sleeves covering a portion of her fingers.
She raised both arms and flexed and then lowered them, bending forward, crossing her arms in a lower flex. There was enough room in the sweater to avoid tearing.
She continued, disassembling her hands, leaving the pelvis parts. The brown leather and cotton pieces assembled into a long skirt, extending from above her waist down to below her knees.
As for the accessories, a bright brown butterfly hair tie, making a pony tail out of her long silver hair. Two more smaller ones for each of her side burns. A bow tie right on top of her voluptuous blossoms. Lastly, a brown beret on top of her silver hair to finish it off.
There was a full body mirror placed at the end of one of her wardrobe compartments. Full body for normal sized people that is. But by rotating it around its horizontal beam, Hikari could get a complete reflection of herself.
Ba dum! Her heart briefly pounded. Odd. It's clear that her outfit lacks any kind of defensive or offensive value. But it makes her feel good.
"Do you like it?"
Hikari started swinging her body around to look at herself from different angles.
"Its lovely"
"Lovely indeed. I figured there was no need to accentuate your natural beauty too much. We wouldn't want to cause another riot like what happened at that ball. Perhaps a warmer look would balance that piercing glare of yours and really bring out your womanly charm."
Hikari took off her flats, her bare feet touching the stone ground. She arched her foot in front of Ria, tapping it gently.
Ria leaned forward and placed her lips on the bare tops of the foot, rubbing the side of the big toe and the front of her other toes with her hands.
She pressed her nose onto the skin and took a deep breath while rubbing the contours of Hikari's muscular foot with her hands.
"Ah… your feet smell so nice Hikari. I hope one day I can buy some better, odourless soap that doesn't obscure the lovely smell of your feet. Smooch* Smooch*"
Hikari giggles.
"I'm counting on you."
"Smooch* Smooch* hmm… maybe Purlarian flower extract based? Maybe Flomerlilies? But I don't think I can get enough in quantity, Smooch*Smooch*. They have too strong a smell as well. Smooch* Smooch*"
"My feet are cold"
"Oh right! I apologize, I almost forgot."
Ria crawled to a bottom compartment and knelt in front of it.
"Your new shoes, Hikari. Brown loafers. Warm shoes for this time of the year. I ordered extra insole padding as well. "
Hikari tilted her head to the side to look into the compartment.
"Hmm. Pull them out for me."
Ria swallowed, visibly excited at the suggestion.
"Yes, of course Hikari. Anything for you."
She hooked her hands on the back opening of the left shoe and leaned back, pulling with all her weight. The shoe did not budge as it was heavier than her.
She had to use her leg strength to push against the wood before being able to pull the loafer out.
As the sole tip touched the ground, she fell on her back, panting in exhaustion.
Hikari had put on her knee socks in the meantime. She grabbed the shoe opening with her toes, turning it 90 degrees before sliding her foot into it.
Using her other foot, she reached into the compartment, pulling out the loafer with her toes.
With both shoes on, she rotated each foot, flexing and arching them to test their durability.
"They are nice. I feel good."
"I'm glad you liked them."
Hikari smiled. She held up her hand and pointed downwards to her loafers. Ria sprung up and crawled to Hikair's loafers and got to work with her lips.
Hikari raised the mirror, seeing the reflection of her face. She pinched one of her side burns with the butter fly tie between her fingers and flicked it. The sound of Ria's lips pluckering against her shoe. She ran her fingers through the side of her hair, her other hand pushed her long skirt into her crouch.
"We still have some time before Lord RazenHeir arrives?"
"Yes. Hikari. At least an hour or so. Smooch* Smooch*. These shoes look so much more beautiful when you are wearing them. Smooch* Smooch* I hope that they are not in a rush."
Hikari gently picked up the mirror and placed it on the ground.
Ria turned her head, and saw the side view of Hikari's shoe and herself kneeling before them.
"Oh… " Ria moaned as a loud giggle came from above.
"I think my shoes look more pretty when my lady is worshipping them. Hehe~."
""Yes, Hikari! Smooch* Smooch* Smooch*. Your undeserving lady is honored to make Hikari's shoes look more beautiful. Smooch* Smooch*."
"I think my lady looks prettier too when she's close to my shoes."
"Yes, Hikari! Smooch* Smooch* Thank you Hikari. Of course your pathetic Lady looks pretty when she's around your shoes. Smooch* Smooch*. Because without your shoes, men won't look at your lady. Smooch* Smooch* Smooch* Men will only look at your shoes. Smooch* When I walk in front of you, I block their view of your shoes smooch* smooch*. Ah…"
"Don't do it so quickly. We still have an hour."
"Yes Hikari! Sorry Hikari! Smooch* Smooch*"
Hikari picked up the mirror and moved her right foot, swinging past Ria.
"Now follow."
"Yes, Hikari."