As winter came, slowly but surely, snow began to fall.
Gentle at first...until an occasional blizzard happens.
By cheating with magic for their first year, nobody has food and tax worries and their storages filled to the brim, and managed to earn lots of money just in time to pay everyone's first month of wages. Everyone's morale was very high.
But everyone is very busy.
Sierra was left alone because her parents and older brothers were busy developing current plans.
She didn't mind being alone because that gave her more time to practice magic.
It's safe in Frankland as all citizens here have no loyalties to other nobles. These people are looking for vacant homes, but no openings!
But mother with her connections, can only bring so much people into their domain. 2000 people. 1000 young men and 1000 young women who just married and moved out of home. Each with training in their fields. But unable to find living spaces. Lordaeron has yet to expand, which they only do every ten years. Magically destroying the walls to allow new housing to be built, clear up more space, then rebuild walls anew.
But these married couples ran out of those spaces and that was where the Harcourt Family came in.
Imagine Frankland Town as a large circle with her family's mansion at the center. It's walled of course. The bottom half has everything, while the upper half remained empty, reserved for their children in twenty years.
So the empty space, is her personal training ground.
She can still use the mana tricks taught to her by Tohsaka and Illya. Her few spells. Reinforcement, Structural Analysis, Projection and Tracing. She has the memories of Archer's Bow, Kanshou and Bakuya, Rulebreaker, Rho Aias and the two Excaliburs as she had traced them herself personally, and she didn't trace all else in Archer's repertoire as she realized that was WHY she didn't have the 'other weapons' with her at rebirth. She had been too reliant on the arm and the power she borrowed from her future self. She can still use what she currently has.
For now, she is training her body upon gaining knowledge of how to train a female body without ruining her beauty. That and she has tight control over specific hormones in order to grow up feminine instead of the incredible androgyny all women here's got. May as well be bishonen and biseinen with breasts and lady voice!
She dedicated her winters training, only seeing her family every mealtimes and she was tired.
'Jeez Sierra, what're you doing that you're so tired? It's us who should be tired!' Zachary exclaimed as he got back-breaking work as soon as he got home. His whole family except a little girl worked on the newest developments and paperwork and meetings involved to get things done. In these meetings, Zachary and Richter must be present to learn and good ideas tend to come from unexpected people.
Richter may not be heir, but still, if as a Knight he accomplishes one day, he might get rewarded and begin his separate line. If he ever will, he must use his mother's maiden name, but its him and his family who are nobles. Maternal Relatives not included.
'Ehh, you know that I'll never grace the barracks at age 13 since Dalaran will sweep me up, I wouldn't get the Archer training I wanted.' Sierra huffed. 'I'm doing stamina runs along our walls for now.'
'You want Archer Training had you not been a mage?' Steven raised an eyebrow.
'Yes daddy, don't all nobles hunt? It won't be funny if I lost to other girls if there are organized events like that.' Sierra pouted.
'Well, I suppose since you'll get magic training in Dalaran anyway, maybe I can get you in the barracks when you're at least, ten years old. Running is good training for any child younger than ten.' said Steven approvingly. 'It's also basic for one's first year in Barracks Training...while wearing full body weights in place of expensive armor, that is.' he smirked. 'Keep it up dear.'
But when blizzards happened, running training is impossible, but Sierra stretches in her room, and does other things to train her muscles. That, and a frequent kitchen visitor wanting to see the newest crops.
Ohoho!
Green Cabbages. Curly Lettuce. Jade Squash. Juicycrunch Carrots. Tomatoes. Moonharvest Pumpkins. Pink Turnips. Red Blossom Leeks. Scallions. Pearl Radish. Baby Trees that turned out to be Brocolli! As for Sugar, they acquired that from Kul Tiras which they planted as well to have desserts and sweets.
'These are from seeds we got in Lordaeron?' Sierra asked the Head Chef Mr. Randy. 'So few...I was at least expecting 20 varieties I've never seen before besides what we've known for years...' what's here, are mostly aromatics and root crops before buying new seeds which were the new sights before her.
'Yes. That's what's for sale in the alliance.' said Mr. Randy. 'Much of our world is still unexplored...many people long before we're born risked their lives to know what's edible and what's poison just to broaden food sources of civilization. I'm exploring them myself to make new dishes.'
'Hummm...' Sierra raced through possibilities with her limits in the family kitchen...and subtly influenced Randy possible things he can make. Earth Cuisine with what they've got.
Mrs. Edeline now constantly makes Shokupan for the family and it's daily meal bread in Frankland Family. The bakery sells Pancakes(made thick and fluffy with baking powder and meringue), Bread Rolls and Filled Buns to the citizens who won't have time to make their own at home. And there's one bakery each quadrant of the town so that's two.
"Well Randy, you're making Earth Cuisine for me!"
And so...
Lunch was Pumpkin Pureed Soup, a vegetable dish with Lamb Curry! OK!
Sierra will change life here. Little at a time! Starting with herself, and her older brothers whom she Reinforces to grow up to be incredibly handsome in adulthood! She began when she was at least, four on the premise of playing with her brothers, then full-powered it. That come years later before Zachary left for Arden for three season, he was 'quite a sight'. She reinforces her brothers every New Year.
Years later...when Zachary was 12...this was before his time to travel to Lordaeron for the Academy, when an Emissary from the Kingdom showed up.
'Greetings, Milord.' said the Emissary. Emissaries are hired observers who are usually from Quel'Thalas to avoid bias had King Terenas hired nobles for that job. 'I am here for the Observation of Progress Developments...though I can see that you've done plenty on my way here.' he said. 'May I see the paperwork for everything?'
'Of course sire.' said Steven respectfully, nodding to his wife who left. 'My lady will have maids prepare your Guest Room and bring refreshments over.' he said as he reached for his shelves to bring out paperwork he bookbound for convenience and he had several books over. 'This is for your perusal my lord.'
'Mm. King Terenas is correct to speak highly of this family from what I'm seeing.' the Emissary remarked. 'What I've seen on the way here is befitting a history of 500 years of work, and your family only has seventy years.' he said, impressed. 'I would like some writing materials, so that I can write my reports on Frankland Knightdom.'
Soon, a maid arrived with hot tea and a small plate of filled buns. The Emissary thanked Steven and he began reading the books while Steven politely dismissed himself from the couch to go back to his desk to continue his paperwork.
"I've never had this kind of Tea before...despite the smell, it's delicious..."
Dinner was luxurious by standards. Elenora had Randy pull out all stops which he did.
Colorful Vegetable Crudites as appetizer with drool-inducing fragrant dips in small bowls but enough to finish the crudites with. Savory Bean Soup. Pot Roast. KFC(yes, Sierra knows how) and Baked Fish Fillets as Main Dishes, Tamagoyaki. Potato Salad and Simmered Pumpkin as Side Dishes.
"WOW!" normal Knight Families don't eat THIS well! Then again, their farms are massive, even if its buried under snow...
But still, Steven's daughter...is magically powerful. She is failing miserably to restrain her magical aura that's too powerful for her age that she is as powerful as a Wizard-Class Mage and how old is this kid? How powerful will she be, upon adulthood? Archmage? Mages can sense this, normal people cannot.
He'll have to speak with the family later but for now, these look so good...
After a satisfying dinner...
'Lord Frankland, about your daughter...she is powerful for her age.' the Emissary remarked as the Footmen took away the empty dishes.
'She smashed the Crystal of Potential when it can no longer bear her power.' said Steven, stunning the Emissary. 'I'll have to earn money for a new one for future grandchildren. That thing is expensive though that one was for free at first when father was Titled.' he said dryly. 'The Entrance Exams will see to her taken to Dalaran in public eye of students and teachers in Royal Knight's Academy as all nobles are required to know who's who and what occupation.'
'Hmmm...young lady, will you flare your full power for me to feel?' the Emissary asked Sierra. 'Right now you are restraining yourself. Worry not, your family will not feel your magic unless you allow it to. As a fellow magic user, I will feel the full brunt of your magic.'
Sierra then let loose, letting out colorful streaks of magical energy and her long hair flaring about as if she's underwater and no wind blew in the room as per Sierra's will, aiming her magic at the Emissary as safety for her family. The Emissary was already wincing from her power. "If her restrained makes me feel like she's a Wizard, she's actually a Magus-Class at full power! And she's this strong untrained? What potential!" it helps that her magical energy also reveals she's a good kid, not a sinister one.
Sierra stopped after thirty seconds. 'Little Lady is a Magus-Class at her full power. She is stronger than a Wizard. If she wanted to, she can destroy a city in one blow.' Steven's eyes popped out. Compared to farmlands she clears for them, she can do more?! For Sierra, this was very low in standards.
In a world like this, a city has 10000 homes at most for wealthy Kingdoms. In Japan, 10000 homes plus production and supplies and entertainment is merely 'a town'! So yes, she can blow that up easy. But if she were to blow up Fuyuki, she's at least, must be as strong as Illya, the Lesser Grail. She can do that with a ritual had she bothered when she came to town that winter for the war.
'She'll be an Archmage upon graduation for sure. Perhaps the youngest in history in terms of strength only. So study hard to be a legitimate Archmage.'
'Yes sir. This one understands.' Sierra bowed politely. For her, that, is OUCH. The praise. Her standards and this world's standards, are DIFFERENT!
'Tomorrow Lord Frankland, please escort me around the Knightdom so that I can understand how far as its one thing reading the books and another seeing development with my own eyes.'
The Emissary stayed for a week to explore the Knightdom.
Hospitality is on full force as the Franklands are not hurting in resources as the Emissary noted. Normally, most Knightdoms would render themselves in the red just to impress and hide how bad things might be in their fiefs.
They're ELVES for a reason! They can rough it out in the woods and investigate in comfort! Really now...their attempts of superficial cover-up is useless and its their job to be, well, brutally-honest.
But still, clearing the lands with Sierra's power, then labor is on everyone else as all adults and young boys are extremely busy even in winter with construction work and other things to bring wealth to the fief that an estimated annual income, is huge. She is usually running around the residence walls...and he got told why.
'Hummm...as expected of Lord Frankland...his son is no slouch. He used the family star to make development foundations easier to do while all adults did all else. She simply cleared things out with her formidable magic.' King Terenas read the thick wad of reports. 'That frontier is fully-developed with a high level in industry that citizens will want for nothing and they still think of expanding until they hit their territorial limits. And yet there's little changes in other fiefdoms, coasting by their predecessors' work.' he tut-tutted.
'Because of the Legion, we are all on the brink of annihilation. We must keep developing and expanding to restore our population. The Lordaeron Alliance combined totals only less than one million humans, merely occupying a combined territory the size of a giant's eye on our world had all sentient races united and lived together in a mega city! And those other kingdoms not allied under us but with other alliances number just as much. And Azeroth is a big, but unexplored world with untapped resources we need to grow to survive. Well, I have high hopes on this infant nobility.' he chuckled.
'Come New Year, I will award House Frankland with the Baron title and should young Zachary succeed him, promote to Viscount and his eldest son, Count. That is how much their achievements are worth in your report, Sir Keytris. Their predicted annual income notwithstanding...'
And so, come New Year when all nobles traveled to the Capital for annual reports of their domains.
That's the Emissaries' Jobs to prevent cover-up attempts.
From all kingdoms under Lordaeron Alliance's banner, there's a total of 33 Dukes, 49 Marquis, 62 Counts, 89 Viscounts, 150 Barons and a couple thousand Knights. So this really took DAYS!
Thus when it came for the Frankland Knightdom, their achievements came as a surprise, inducing insecurity and jealousy among other Knights. That, and they discovered a new type of ore in their area which they sent 10 kg of it to the Ironforge Dwarves for study back during winter so they were to brace themselves for this.
'Indeed we have studied the samples sent to us by Lord Frankland.' said King Magni Bronzebeard. 'This metal more beautiful than silver even when raw and at its most gorgeous when smelted, has high level Arcane Properties.' the people present were stunned silent by his words. 'We called it Truesilver due to its beauty and luster.'
'It is perfect to equip mages with, as well as making anti-arcane armor. But given the difficulty level of forging it as it took my strongest smiths a month-and-half to make a staff out of it, an armor will surely take longer. Light, but stronger than steel yet difficult to work with. Proven as when I got a sack of samples, the raw ores are mixed with the rocks they're buried in as no mere mining pick can dig it out just by ores, so they really had to get around that through rock. I will give the estimated costs of Truesilver.'
'A Mage's Truesilver Staff, will cost 9000 gold coins...and Truesilver Full Armor, 15000. That is the verdict.'
'That's expensive!' the alliance was horrified. But when it comes to the value of metals, one cannot argue with Dwarves who are virtuosos in their craft.
'I'll buy that from his majesty straightaway.' said Archmage Antonidas. 'May I try it out?'
'Go ahead.' Magni handed the staff to Antonidas and channeled his magic into it. The old wizard was happy.
'It's painfully-easy to channel and flow my magical energy into it, I can do it as quick as breathing! And I thought I mastered quick-casting of spells...this staff triples the casting speed of any Archmage worth their salt! If I were to cast a full ritual with this thing, it'll only take me fifteen minutes instead of the one hour I usually need and I had to be protected till I'm done!' For the sorcerers present, this is a very big deal! Antonidas eagerly paid the costs to the chuckling King, making King Sunstrider and his son scowl at him for his luck.
'Such boon came to our mages.' said King Terenas, deeply shaken by the revelations in a good way. 'There is hope yet. Lord Frankland, I want your Truesilver mines under intensive protection, that no black hand may benefit from the discovery. Only our people must have this treasure to aid us against foul beings!'
'Yes, your majesty.' Steven responded. 'We will make business arrangement paths with the Ironforge Dwarves who in turn will sell finished works to everyone else.'
Due to the value of Truesilver, Frankland Fiefdom's predicted annual income rose by miles. It's no longer 600.000!
'For your fiefdom's accomplishments, we, King Terenas Menethil II, award House Frankland three titles for achieving large scale of accomplishments worth 500 years of history in two seasons, that we give House Frankland the Rank of Count.' his Prime Minister gave Steven vestments befitting a Count. The family is no longer a Knightdom!
Politics had to be done this instant...
