"My lady."
Ria pushes herself off the ground.
Pieces of straw stuck to her drilling outfit.
"My lady."
The voice from above.
Towers of cotton.
"Down."
Memories of the attack.
The voice echoed in her head again.
She hears the muskets firing,
"Down."
She dives towards the giant feet for cover.
Her stomach hit the ground.
Her stomach flat.
She pushed herself up, gasping.
She was on her hands and knees between Hikari's feet.
Her massive body looming above her.
The giant feet moved away.
A single stride.
Cough! Ria choked.
The giantess's feet smelled strongly after her workout.
"Sorry, my feet stink."
"mmm…!"
Ria swallowed, almost choking on it again.
"It's nothing. Your training was really intense. It's normal for your feet to smell... In fact, I quite like it-"
"Hmm?"
Ria covered her mouth with both hands.
Her eyes darted from left to right.
She just said something that she shouldn't have.
Hikari tilted her head.
"Feet?"
"No, no, I mean, it's not like I like the smell in particular or anything. How can I complain about the smell when my knight is training so hard to protect me?"
Hikari scratches her cheek.
"I haven't thanked you properly yet. I was completely helpless when we were attacked. You're amazing, Hikari. Taking on that army all by yourself. If anyone else had been my escort, I'd be dead by now."
Hikari's expression turned warm.
Ria picks up her rapier.
"Which is why I want to start training now. So that I won't be as helpless as that day."
Hikari lifts the training dummy with her finger.
"Thanks, Hikari."
Ria takes her stance.
Rapier forward, hand behind her back.
Her form had gotten more stable.
Thrust, a clean hit; the rapier goes straight through the chest.
As she pulls it out, the straw dummy wobbles, almost causing her to fall over again.
Thrust, another clean hit.
Thrust.
She visualizes the two fake knights that confronted her.
Their leather armour was tough.
Her arms might not have the force to pierce it.
Thrust. She opened her eyes to see the rapier stuck in the straw dummy.
A satisfying grin on her face.
Her arm suddenly cramped.
The silver rapier dropped on the ground.
Ria cursed quietly.
"My lady."
"I'm alright. I'm alright."
Slowly, she sat down.
Her legs were sore.
"Hey Hikari, I'm not very good at this, am I? But you're clearly a seasoned veteran. Could you tell me what I'm lacking?"
Hikari thinks for a bit.
She was stumped by the request.
Given her size, she thought her advice wouldn't work for her tiny lady.
"Muscle."
Ria blinks at her.
"Right. That much is obvious."
Ria looks at her arm.
Even to her, it seemed as thin as a twig.
"But how do I build any?"
"Exercise."
Hikari takes a plank position.
Push-ups.
She bent her arms, lowering her torso towards the ground.
Her sagging blossoms bounced against the floor.
Ria feels the ground shaking.
"Alright, let me try."
Ria gets into a push-up position.
Holding up her upper body was already a challenge.
She looks up at Hikari, who was doing push-ups after push-up like it was nothing.
It encouraged her to attempt one.
She bent her arms and lowered her body.
Now comes the hard part.
She pushed as hard as she could, but her body wouldn't budge.
Collapsing onto the ground as her arms ran out of energy.
Thud. Thud.
Hikari was bouncing up and down.
Ria felt the vibrations as she rested her cheek on the floor.
How many had she done so far? At least a dozen.
Her expression unchanged.
Ria tried again.
The same outcome.
"Huff. Huff."
Vibrations in the ground.
Hikari finished up the rest of her reps.
The giantess did some shoulder rolls to loosen her muscles.
Her lady lay flat on the ground at her feet.
Even a single push-up was too much for her.
"That was too intense. Do you have anything easier?"
Ria got on her knees.
Hikari's muscular legs extended way above her.
The giantess looked down at her tiny lady.
So weak. So fragile.
Even her big toe would easily overpower her.
Towering over her lady made her feel so powerful.
Just the two of them in the drill hall.
They had all the privacy here.
She can't help herself.
"Crawl."
"Crawl? But that's-"
Thud!
She stamped her feet.
Ria jumped.
Thud!
"Crawl."
Ria flinches. Her body reacts.
A noble lady being asked to crawl on the ground was unthinkable.
But the stamping of Hikari's powerful feet crushes her resistance.
The force of her voice breaks her mind.
"Crawl."
Louder and more forceful than before.
Ria falls to her hands.
Her eyes turned to Hikari's flats.
"Crawl."
Her body moves on its own.
Her palms touch the cold floor.
She crawled towards Hikari's feet.
"Crawl."
The smell filled her nostrils as she crawled closer.
She started coughing and choking, but her body kept moving.
"Crawl."
Her dirty flats, fraying at the edges.
Her arms felt weak.
Hikari's feet filled her view.
"Crawl."
Hikari steps.
She wanted to stop.
Her arms hurt.
She was wheezing and tearing.
It felt so degrading to be on her hands and knees.
"Crawl."
But she kept moving.
The command was irresistible.
Each stride from the giantess is ten of hers.
Her arms screamed as they struggled to cover the distance.
"Crawl."
The fatigue was catching up to her.
Her movements were getting sluggish.
Shallow breaths.
The tip of the giantess's flat was right in front of her.
She collapsed.
Her cheek felt the cold floor.
The side of the giantess's flats filled her view.
So powerful. So dominant.
She could barely move in their presence.
Hikari looked down at her tiny lady collapsed at her feet.
A wave of pleasure came over her as her lady struggled at her huge feet.
…
Hikari walks to the entrance.
She leaves the workout flats outside to air out and drains the sweat from her socks.
Ria sat upright.
Her outfit was soaked after the most intense workout in her life.
Her arms could barely move after being pushed so hard.
Hikari walked back to her.
Barefoot.
She left her socks and shoes outside to air out.
"Water."
Hikari pushed a tray with a teapot that the maids had left outside for Ria.
"Oh, thanks, Hikari, ow!"
Ria tried to lift her arm, but it hurt too much.
Hikari drank from her water tank.
A steel water tank that was built for the rain collectors.
Hikari poured into Ria's teacup.
It instantly overflowed.
But Ria gratefully drank from the teacup.
"That felt good, Hikari."
Her face was red.
"Would you be coming to the drill hall tomorrow?"
Hikari finished the rest of her water.
"Yes."