"Uwaahh! You have a lot of property here, Violet." Melody commented.

The Cambel family was a wealthy mercantile family of nobles that dealt with agriculture and ranching. The head of the family was Violet's mother, who was typically busy from morning to late in the evening. She worked hard to maintain proper pricing for all products and ensure that no one should go hungry no matter what.

"Mom also sponsored a program that would put any homeless to work while providing food, shelter, and pay," Violet said as they approached a large barn that looked to be re-finished and repaired on the outside.

"This barn is larger than I pictured." Melody commented.

"We tried to raise wooly bison a while back, but we found that they are better raised out in the wild where it is far more open. We sadly don't have enough land within the city to raise them." Violet answered.

The two ten-foot-tall doors were pushed open by a few farmhands just as they arrived. In the center of the entryway stood a beautiful, raven-haired woman in a simple dress. She had a slight smile on her face, her hair up in a bun, and she looked upon them with familiar-looking amethyst-colored eyes.

"Mother!" Violet stepped forward and hugged her.

"Welcome home, Violet. Welcome Princess Melody, Annabelle."

Melody knelt. "Thank you for the welcome, Lady Cambel."

Melody noticed that beauty mark on her left cheek, which reminded her that she still had a couple extra skincare packs.

"Here, this contains quite a few creams and lotions that are great for the skin." Melody handed one of the kits to Lady Cambel.

"Thank you, Princess. Lately, I have been worried about my skin with the amount of work I have had to handle lately. This will help greatly. But more than anything, thank you for saving our daughter." The noblewoman bowed deeply.

"If there is anything I can do to help, please let me know." Melody offered, which Lady Cambel thanked her. Lady Cambel showed them inside.

The inside was clean with new paint, flooring, and furnishings.

"The large door in the back was converted into an outhouse for your size. There are several slimes in the pit, so you don't have to worry about smells. On the right is a bed we had built for you. On the left is a sitting area with furniture your size and a raised dais for guests. You are more than welcome to stay here whenever you desire. If you want any additions, please relay them to me either through Violet or my husband. I will see to it that it is done immediately." Lady Cambel finished.

T-T-T-This is so lovely! This place is like a room for a noble! Melody thought as she looked around inside.

She would have to be careful of bumping her head at the sides, but the middle was tall enough for her to stand comfortably.

"Mother, will you be joining us for breakfast tomorrow?" Violet asked.

Her mother's smile turned sad. "I am sorry, Violet. There have been a few issues at the warehouse that needs to be dealt with. I have to leave first thing in the morning."

"Oh. Okay."

Melody could see that Violet was putting on a brave face to not worry her mother.

"I will try to make some time tomorrow, I promise." Lady Cambel said while she hugged her daughter.

After saying goodnight, Lady Cambel headed back to the main house.

Violet and Annabelle wiped themselves down in a human-sized washroom. At the same time, Melody stepped outside to inform her family that she would be staying the night speaking through nature magic.

"Okay. Have fun, Melody. I will notify everyone else." Pappy responded.

Melody thanked him and headed back into the barn.

"Ah, Melody, I refilled the bin here with fresh hot water." Violet had used her magic to fill a large bin in which both she and Annabelle could have taken a bath.

Melody thanked her and pulled a small (giant-sized) towel out of her magic bag. Removed her armor down to her underwear, she wiped herself down. About halfway done, she had to stop briefly as both Violet and Annabelle stared a bit too hard at her.

"C-Could you two stop, please?" Melody sheepishly asked.

Annabelle breaking out of her captivation, apologized.

Violet though, "I don't know if you will ever be able to get a husband."

"What is that supposed to mean?!" Melody demanded to know.

"Well, even with your charm being suppressed, my heart is beating rapidly just looking at you. I think men would not be able to handle your sheer amount of sexiness. I mean, silky hair, soft lips, gem-like eyes, that great bust, your toned waist, well-rounded soft-looking buttocks, and smooth skin."

"You sound like a dirty old man, Violet," Annabelle commented.

Melody rapidly finished and put on her nightgown, blushing and looking upset.

Violet realized she went a little too far with her teasing and apologized. "I am sorry, Melody. I took it too far, but I guess I can understand why you are attracted to him. If anyone could withstand your charm, it would have to be him."

Both Melody and Annabelle looked at Violet questioningly.

"Really? You have not noticed? You have a crush on Lord Tulsen!"

"Hweh?!" Melody made an odd noise.

"Ah, I think you are right, now that I remember how she acted when he arrived." Annabelle thought back to the kiln project earlier in the day.

"I don't! I, uh, I don't think I do…." Melody replied nervously.

"It was obvious you fancy him. Has he shown any interest?" Violet asked.

Melody sat down in the sitting area. "Not really… But I am curious, why was everyone so scared of him?" Melody asked, trying to change the subject.

"Your mother never told you?" Violet asked.

"Nothing beyond he is dangerous as an enemy but one of the best allies one could have. Other than that, he has a kind and caring personality. He stops by once a year during the summer season to request various items. Though I remember that one time he showed up requesting healing herbs. Have either of you ever heard of a Red Lion?"

Annabelle turned to Violet, saying she knew every monster or beast by name, skills, and attributes.

"Hmm. Yeah, I don't know of anything by that name. There are a few lion-type monsters, but none that I know to be called a red one."

Melody was sure she heard him right but decided to move the conversation forward.

"Tell me, Melody, do you know of the two things he hates most?" Violet asked.

"Yes. First are people in power, like nobles and kings, who abuse their position, causing suffering to those they should be serving. The other are extremists. What did he say…? That they will say whatever to justify their actions as good, no matter how evil they are?"

"That's right. Lord Tulsen is one person that is a part of every noble's learning curriculum. It was about ten years ago that a group of greedy nobles planned to rebel and depose their king, whose family was known to be benevolent generation after generation. They did not know that the king's family was associated with Lord Tulsen. Something about the king being a drinking buddy or something. The day they picked to exact their plan was during one of his visits. They called it The Bloodless Fall of Traitors." Violet explained.

"Oh, I remember learning about that at the church. It was said that he used a powerful curse that wiped out not only the traitors but also their direct bloodlines." Annabelle chimed in.

"T-That doesn't sound very bloodless, you two." Melody nervously commented.

"That's the thing. They just fell over dead, like their very souls were torn from their bodies. There are a few other rumors, like he has an immortal army, wiped out a dragon rebellion, and even once said he killed a god. Still, that one just seemed a bit too far-fetched."

Melody thought about what they had said. No. I think he might have been able to kill a god…

No matter how strong or evolved Melody became, Lord Tulsen would always have the three skulls on his danger level. Melody asked the two of them if they had anyone they were interested in, but she was disappointed to hear that neither of them had anyone. After chatting a bit more, the three of them headed into Melody's bed and turned in for the night.

Several servants brought over breakfast for them at the giant-sized guest house the following morning. During the whole breakfast, though, both Melody and Annabelle did not miss Violet being sad about her mother not being present.

"Do you not see her much?" Melody asked.

"It is not like she is using work to avoid dad and me. There just has been a lot of trouble lately with the business. Dad has been helping when he could, along with my grandparents, but it just seems like nothing works."

Melody felt bad for Violet and offered them to take a trip over there to help out.

"I don't know…." Violet didn't want to bother her mother.

Annabelle joined in on the idea of going help, and Violet agreed. Once they finished breakfast, the three headed south to the central business center.

The area had a large road, four large warehouses, and several other buildings for carts, business, and processing. Lady Cambel was in her office with a strained look on her face, her desk covered in paperwork. The door opens, and Violet enters with Annabelle.

"Violet? What are you doing here? What of the Princess?"

"We came to help." Violet opened the large window where Melody stood outside.

"We discussed it this morning, and I would like to help out if I can." Melody smiled.

"I... don't feel it right to ask for help from you, Princess." Lady Cambel said as she approached the window.

Melody giggled. "I am not your normal Princess. I am a hunter. I can help move things or even disassemble game. I won't be able to help with paperwork, but give me a task."

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"The two of us can help with the paperwork, mother. Please let us help." Violet asked her mother.

Their kindness and concern warmed her heart. "Very well. Princess, if you could, head over to the building over there and ask for my father, Markus. He is in charge of the butchering right now. Annabelle, please assist Violet with that paperwork there." They acknowledged her orders and began.

"Hello?" Melody poked her face into the tall-doored building Lady Cambel pointed out to her.

"It's the Princess!" One lady called out.

Other people came to meet her, as well as an older-looking man with a neatly trimmed beard and hair. "Greetings Princess, what brings you here?"

"I came to help. Lady Cambel told me to ask for Markus."

The old man laughed. "That would be me. Though are you sure you wish to help?"

It was then that Fenny landed nearby.

"Yup. Fenny here can take care of any blood. I can help with skinning and butchering." Melody pulled out her Demon Mole Claw knife.

"Well, then we happily accept. Though how should we do this?"

"Just bring what you need to be butchered out to me." Planting a seed charged with her nature magic, a sturdy-looking tree grew, ready to lift any sized carcass.

Markus ordered them to bring out a cow carcass for her and the rest to get back to work. Fenny quickly drained the blood from the corpse and hopped inside the building to help itself to a bigger meal.

Melody quickly and efficiently removed the skin, limbs, and head. Just as she was about to carve into the torso, Markus stopped her.

"Wait, Princess! Tell me, how much do you know about the various cuts of meat?"

Melody apologized and said she only knew a little.

"Well, since you're here, let me teach you." Markus smiled and began pointing out and taught Melody how to get the best cuts of meat.

After about thirty minutes, the cow was thoroughly butchered.

"Beautifully cut, Princess. You are a fast learner. You can apply this knowledge to anything you hunt."

"Thank you! I am sure Pappy will be happy with this too. Could you bring out the next one?" Markus nodded, and four more carcasses were brought out for her.

The next one took her a little under thirty minutes to finish. By the time she reached the fourth, she had completed it in nearly fifteen minutes. The two workers assigned to her continued to bring carcasses out for her as she made quick work of each one.

After five hours, Markus came out of the building as Melody finished her latest carcass.

"Ah, Mr. Markus, I just finished this one. Is there any more?"

"Nope. Hehe. You not only got us caught up, but we are now ahead of schedule. Thank you so much for your assistance, Princess. That bird of yours is fantastic. I don't think I have ever seen the building look so clean at the end of the schedule. What is he?"

"He is a blood phoenix, an evolved form of a blood falcon," Melody replied.

"Blood falcon? I will have to see about getting a few of those for the shop."

Melody gave him an explanation of how blood falcons work and the best way to help them get as much blood out of the body as they could.

"Boss." A man walked up to Markus, holding a raw steak.

"What is it? Something wrong?"

"Uh, well, I am not sure how we should price these. With all the blood removed, these pieces will not only rot a bit slower, but they will also taste way better. I just had them appraised. They are almost triple the value of what we normally produced."

Markus fell into thought.

"Are you worried about maintaining the quality?" Melody asked.

"Well, yes and no. We don't want to increase the value more than it is. The issue is how long would it take for us to get some blood falcons of our own. We cannot expect you to stay here all the time nor leave your companion here."

Fenny hopped up on Melody's knee and began communicating to her.

"Oh, really?! That sounds great!"

Fenny whistled and took off into the air, flying off to the northwest.

"What did he say?" Markus asked.

"Fenny said he would head back to his old nest to see if any of his family is still around. If they are, he will invite them back here."

Markus bowed and thanked Melody for the great news and hoped that Fenny would find his family. Markus asked Melody if she knew what kind of nest blood falcons liked, which she asked Fenny through their connection.

"He said they like to sleep on soft fur in a warm location protected from the environment."

After nodding, he issued out his orders to his team to begin working on building a basic hut for the blood falcons immediately so they had something until they could make a more permanent one.

"Is there anything else I can help with?" Melody asked with a smile.

"Oh, I could not ask for more help, Princess! You must be tired."

Melody giggled and reminded him that she was a giant with a ton of stamina.

"Gahahaha! That is right. My apologies, but if you feel tired at all, please let me know. Let's head over to that warehouse to see if they need any assistance over there.

In Lady Cambel's office, the guild master entered and noticed Violet and Annabelle.

"Oh, helping your mother? Did Melody head home?" He asked.

"She is out helping grandfather right now… Mother, something seems wrong with the numbers on this sheet." Violet handed the sheet over.

After a brief look over it, she sighed. "What is happening?" She shook her head.

"Has this been happening a lot?" Violet asked.

"Yes. Calculation errors, broken carts, production delays, and last night I heard we have a rat infestation." Lady Cambel held her head in one hand.

Markus then entered the office. "Victoria."

"Father, how are things out there?"

A large grin came to his face. "We are ahead of schedule on butchering, meat quality is greatly improved, warehouse one and two have been reorganized, three is currently being changed up, and several of our carts have been repaired."

The Cambel family looked back and forth in awe at his report when Annabelle broke the silence with a smile. "That's Melody for you."

"Just right there, Princess!" A woman said to Melody.

"Okay!" Melody carried several crates over to a storage area and carefully put them down.

Lady Cambel and the others who were in her office arrived in the warehouse.

"Princess?!" Lady Cambel exclaimed.

"Ah, we are almost done in here. We will head to number four here soon."

"Wait! How? I just heard from my father that you turned our situation completely on its head."

"Oh yeah. Miss Lira, what else is left here? I would like to show them what I did earlier." The woman nodded and directed Melody to move a few more crates around, and they headed off to their cart storage building.

The building was just tall enough for Melody to mostly stand up while hunching over a little.

"Princess! I just finished checking over the carts and found one more that could use some work." A man drew their attention over to a cart.

Melody effortlessly lifted the rear of the cart and spun the wheels. She did the same with the front and set it back down. Next, she put her hand on it and passed her natural energy through the wood of the cart.

"Hmm. Yes, the boards seem to have been tampered with like the others to make it seem like they break naturally. One moment." Melody pulled out a seed, charged it with her magic, and then put it in the cart. Branches flowed out from the seed, embedding itself into the wood, reinforcing the structure, and giving it a nice-looking natural design.

"There. All done." Melody smiled over her work.

"Thank you, Princess." The worker and a few others took the repaired cart away.

"Melody, what did you mean by it was tampered with?" Violet asked.

"All but one cart that was bad was tampered with."

"Mother, I think it is obvious at this point someone is targeting our business," Violet commented.

"So it is as I feared…." She replied, shaking her head.

"Victoria, I will hire some of my people to investigate this." The guild master promised.

"No need for that. I am waiting for my new helper to come back with the information." Melody replied.

""""Helper?"””” They asked together.

Several minutes later, a large rat was sitting on Melody's shoulder, squeaking into her ear.

"Okay. Thank you. I will try to set something up for you like I promised." Melody put the rat down, and it joined several others nearby.

The human on-lookers were stunned by the spectacle they had just witnessed.

"So, uh, what did he say?" Lady Cambel asked, forgetting her usual demeanor.

"He said that he remembered eating something and falling asleep. Several humans were nearby when he woke up, and he was trapped in a cage with other rats. The humans brought them here and released them after starving them for a long time."

"Do they know what the humans looked like?" Violet asked.

"Can you tell rats apart?" Melody playfully retorted.

"Good point." Violet giggled.

"His cousin did say something about seeing a small shiny bird on a few of their chests."

"Shiny bird? A pin, perhaps?" Markus added.

"The last detail they could give was that they were brought here three days ago." Melody finished.

The guild master said he would return to the guild to hire some people to look into individuals that might have a bird-shaped pin.

After saying goodbye to him, Lady Cambel turned back to Melody. "Now, Princess, what was that about a promise?"

Melody smiled. She explained that in exchange for giving the rats any food they don't intend to sell, they would help protect the area from other pests and report any issues. All the rats would require would be a primary home and smaller ones in each of the buildings.

"I also spoke to them about not letting their population get out of control, making sure to keep themselves clean, and if any feel unwell, they isolate and seek out help."

Markus broke out in laughter.

"Father?"

"I'm sorry, hehe. I just find it funny that it only took the Princess less than a day to fix nearly all of our issues. The last bit, I think, is just the documentation, right?" He asked.

"Well, yes." Lady Cambel said with a surprised smile. They shared a laugh, and they returned to her office.

Melody sat outside while the others were inside working on paperwork. Another woman was also present. She was older, slightly younger than Markus.

"Grandmother, could you double-check this one, please?" Violet handed the document over to her.

"Of course." It had only been an hour, but with five of them, they were nearly finished fixing their paperwork.

"Mr. Markus," Melody called in.

"Yes, Princess?"

"Fenny found his siblings and their mates. They are on their way back right now." She reported.

He thanked her and sent someone to check on the status of the birdhouse. A few workers were also building a rat house for their newest allies.

"Um, what do you know about the Perkot trading company?" Annabelle asked.

"Hmm? They are one of our rivals in the city. They mostly specialize in importing food instead of producing. Though they don't have a great reputation for quality. Why do you ask?" Lady Cambel replied.

"Well…" She showed the paper to them, pointing at a symbol in the top left corner. "A little bird…."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Late at night in an office, a clean-looking man sat at his desk reading over a report that his men standing before him gave. He pursed his lips and set the paper down while breathing in through his nose. Letting out a long sigh, he looked up to his men.

"You are telling me that everything we have done these last few weeks has been undone in a matter of hours?" He asked coldly.

"Yessir."

"And it was the giant princess that did it?"

"Yessir."

"How?"

"She used nature magic to repair the carts, her size to fix the chaos in their warehouses, and she is very skilled in butchering."

"And the rats?"

The men were hesitant to answer.

"Well?"

"She, uh, befriended them."

The man held his head in his hands.

"I don't care how you do it. You link up with our mole, sneak in, and burn down their warehouses. I didn't want to resort to this, but we are out of time. If you do not complete this task, Count Retila will have all of our heads."

"""Yessir!"""

The men left their superior in his office. Unbeknownst to them, there was a set of tiny eyes watching them from behind a bookcase.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Six men approached an iron gate casually.

A voice called out to them. "Late night for a walk?"

"The night is good to have a bit of fun." The leader replied.

The iron gate opened up, and an unassuming-looking man stepped out. "You have ten minutes. Be careful of the rats. Kill them on sight, or else they may report you to security."

The men nodded and entered the compound. Their group split up to enter each warehouse to perform their mission. The leader of their group was on his own, entering warehouse one. Once inside, he took out several small balls as big as his fist and set them about the building. Pulling out a leather flask, just before he could uncork it, an explosive pain struck him in the back of the head, robbing him of his consciousness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back in the man's office, he impatiently awaited the report of his men's success. A knock came on his door.

"Enter!" He stood excited.

The door opened, and a woman with long platinum blonde hair and steel armor entered his office along with two soldiers.

"Mr. Prescott. Do you know why I am here?" The lady knight asked.

"I, uh, don't know why Knight-Captain Erzalette." The man was visibly sweating.

"In the last few weeks, several unfortunate things began happening at the Azure Lotus Trading Company that is run by Countess Cambel."

"Really? That is most unfortunate, but such things can happen in business."

"True, true. But funny thing. Six of your men were found in their warehouses about an hour ago. They had on them several containers of accelerant and flasks of oil. Do you know anything about this?" She asked.

Mr. Prescott glanced around his room, looking for a possible way to escape.

"Some of my men are outside below your window." Captain Erzalette added.

All hope left the man's face.

"Now, will you be a good boy and come quietly? Or will by boys have to rough you up a bit?" She playfully asked.

Mr. Prescott turned and put his hands behind his back.

"Good boy." She motioned for one of her men to arrest the man.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Fenny! Lin!" Melody called out as Fenny fluttered down and dropped a rat into her hands. "Thank you, Lin. Good job, Fenny."

Lin projected her happiness into helping her master. Lin was one of two rats Melody named and added as her newest familiars. She placed Lin into the magic pack where her spouse Lou waited for her. A knight finished his report to Lady Cambel and left.

"What did they say?" Melody asked.

"They arrested Prescott and several others from their trading company and will be taking the information you got us about Count Retila's involvement. This will be pushed up to the Duke, who may need to bring it up with the royal family. The knight regiment will continue their investigation and report back to me once they have more information. Princess, my family, owes you an immense debt for this." Lady Cambel bowed her head to Melody.

"Please raise your head. I helped because my friend's family was in trouble. Also, could you all stop calling me Princess? I would prefer your family to address me as Melody."

Lady Cambel smiled. "Very well, Melody. If you ever need something, feel free to ask, and I will do the best I can to help."

Melody smiled brightly, causing several males to blush.