Chapter – 09
To subjugate the monsters, most of the knights and soldiers, except for a few, had headed for Mount Mantoba.
They were scheduled to subjugate the monsters at Mount Mantoba for a month and then return.
After the knights and soldiers left the lord’s castle, it became quiet.
That didn’t mean the trainees’ training stopped, so Filancheva and the other trainees continued their intense training.
Filancheva had been granted a rare opportunity to go out and came to the city in Marquis Lawrence’s domain.
The city in Count Ilya’s domain was not small, but it still couldn’t compare to a Marquis’s domain.
“It seems more crowded than before.”
Inside the main territory of Marquis Lawrence, a large market had formed. This was because, according to the city planning of the Marquis’s domain, merchants were assigned specific areas where they were allowed to do business, creating a market scale unseen in other territories. Today, the market seemed particularly bustling, making Filancheva tilt her head in curiosity.
“Did a lot of traveling merchants enter the territory?”
Suddenly curious, Filancheva went and asked a merchant.
“Mister.”
“What is it?”
“How much for one of these fruits?”
“Three for one coin.”
Filancheva gave one coin, bought three fruits, and then asked the owner.
“But it seems like the number of people has increased a lot. Is something going on? Like a festival…?”
At Filancheva’s question, the owner answered with a smile.
“The festival will be held after the monster subjugation ends. Right now, it’s because merchants have entered the territory to buy the byproducts obtained from subjugating the monsters.”
“Ah… Then, have mercenaries also entered the territory?”
“Of course. But don’t even think about meeting them. They’re all rough and tough guys.”
“Okay. Then, take care.”
Now that Filancheva knew what was happening in the territory, she slowly wandered around, observing the people.
The sight of people engaging in various conversations felt heartwarming, and there was a fun in just watching people like this.
“If I had gone out more back on Earth instead of just staying home playing games, I might have experienced different kinds of fun.”
When Filancheva thought of Earth, that damned lizard who sent her here came to mind.
“Just wait. People say dragons don’t exist, but I know you guys are living hidden among humans.”
The reason Filancheva was so sure was that this continent was exactly the same as Freedom, with the Empire, Kingdom, regions, and place names perfectly matching.
Furthermore, unlike others might be, she was certain of the status window that allowed her to see her abilities and that a system was involved in her growth.
“You lizard bastards, it won’t take long. Once I can engage in external activities, I’ll find hidden dungeons to get items, magic books, skill books, etc. Then I’ll be even more certain.”
Just as Filancheva was thinking this and turned into an alley, two sturdy young men entered the alley together, effectively pushing her further inside.
“Sorry…”
Filancheva, thinking she might have been in their way, tried to apologize first, but the atmosphere felt strange.
Then, a few more men walked out from the front, and among them, she spotted a familiar face.
“Midorant?”
Seeing Midorant, Filancheva roughly understood the situation.
“Young Master, is that the one?”
“Young Master?”
It was clear that Midorant, like herself, was a noble.
“Well, I guess not just anyone can be a knight trainee for Marquis Eastern.”
There were several conditions to become a knight, two of which were essential: being of noble birth, or having exceptional talent…
From Filancheva’s perspective, Midorant had talent but was also a noble, so she wondered if the knights turned a blind eye to his minor misdeeds.
“That’s right. Teach him a lesson so he can’t ever defy me again.”
“Understood.”
Hearing that, Filancheva chuckled softly.
“Well, that’s a relief. At least he didn’t say ‘kill him’. A lesson…”
One of the men who had pushed her into the alley grabbed Filancheva’s shoulder.
In that instant, her body reacted.
Her arm swept in a large arc, pressing down hard on the spot where the man’s elbow was.
“Ugh!”
An incredible force, unbelievable for a child’s strength, caused a faint groan to escape the man’s lips as his back bent.
Filancheva, seemingly not intending to stop there, put more force into the arm pressing the elbow.
Crack!
“Gyaaah!”
His elbow bent the wrong way as the bone in his arm shattered.
Filancheva showed no hesitation or fear in using her hands.
She didn’t stop there; she pulled hard on the broken arm.
“Kraaah!”
The bone tore through the flesh and jutted out. The other youths were shocked by the sight.
As if anticipating their reaction, Filancheva attacked another youth standing dumbfounded.
She kicked the young man hard in the crotch.
“Ugh!”
Doubling over from the excruciating pain that felt like his eyes would pop out, Filancheva forcefully jabbed her fingers into his eyes.
“Argh!”
He clutched his eyes, rolling on the ground in agony.
Filancheva didn’t stop there; she slammed her palm hard into his nose.
Her palm flattened his nose.
Then, she kicked the jaw of the man with the broken arm who was writhing on the ground. His head snapped to the side, and he lost consciousness on the spot.
Having subdued two youths in an instant, Filancheva showed the middle finger of her right hand to Midorant and the men in front of her, then turned and sprinted out of the alley.
“Fuckers, try and catch me!”
“Get him!”
The men chased after Filancheva to catch her, but she was unbelievably fast for an eight-year-old.
And for good reason; Filancheva’s physical abilities now surpassed her peers and were on par with a physically gifted knight trainee.
As Filancheva dashed through the market, dodging people nimbly, the pursuers shouted and threatened the merchants and people in the market.
“Get out of the way! Move!”
At the loud shouts, people instinctively moved aside, allowing the men to chase Filancheva unimpeded.
Even so, the distance between the men and Filancheva didn’t close.
While running, Filancheva glanced back occasionally.
Noticing one of the men pulling ahead of his companions and running fast, she stopped, picked up a wooden stick nearby, and swung it at the charging man’s chest.
Wham!
The wooden stick broke in half, and the man, unable to withstand the impact, was lifted into the air before falling backward, his buttocks and head hitting the ground.
She drove her fist into the face of the fallen man, who was grimacing.
“Guhhk!”
After taking down another one like that, Filancheva ran away again.
“You little brat!”
The men chasing Filancheva grew angry seeing their comrades get taken down and pursued her to catch her, but it was merely a wishful thought. Filancheva managed to evade them and run straight to the Marquis’s castle.
Once she reached the front of the Marquis’s castle, the men could no longer chase her.
“Midorant, you’re dead if you come into the castle! I’ll make sure you can’t walk for the rest of your life, you bastard, you got that?!”
Midorant’s face contorted as he watched Filancheva shout and enter the Marquis’s castle.
“You were so confident, and this is the result?!”
“W-we’re sorry, Young Master. We never thought he’d be this quick. But next time, we’ll definitely catch him and make him kneel before you.”
“Tch, you useless fools…”
Midorant scolded them with a displeased expression, then took a small pouch from his pocket and gave it to the man.
“Use this for the treatment of the injured, and split the rest.”
“Remember, if you make a mistake like this next time, there won’t be even a drop left for you!”
“We’ll keep that in mind. Next time, we’ll definitely make him prostrate himself before you, begging for his life.”
After hearing that answer, Midorant turned and walked towards the Marquis’s castle.
“I need to talk to Knight Daurison before that guy tells the other knights and get him to smooth things over.”
Midorant was on tenterhooks, worried that Filancheva would tell the knights that he had hired people in the market to attack her. However, Filancheva seemed uninterested in whatever Midorant did; she didn’t inform anyone and simply focused on her own tasks with utmost dedication.
After finishing training, Filancheva went to the private training ground provided by Marquis Eastern to meditate and organize her thoughts.
‘Considering the similarity between the Yin-Yang Five Elements theory in traditional medicine and the human body, I understand why fire-based magic among elemental magic produces more powerful force than other elemental magics.’
Filancheva fully utilized the knowledge she had acquired on Earth.
‘I need to use both magic and swordsmanship simultaneously. So, creating a Mana Circle in the heart could strain it during intense activity, which wouldn’t be suitable for me.’
Then, she reached a conclusion.
‘To use both magic and swordsmanship simultaneously, I must create a Mana Circle inside the Mana Hall.’
This was the conclusion Filancheva had reached after training to become a knight, training with knights, and studying how they use mana.
Countless mana theories had been created and revealed to the world, but the theory of creating a Mana Circle inside the Mana Hall was one Filancheva had conceived for the first time.
‘I’ll create the Mana Hall in the dantian, as mentioned in traditional medicine… And then, create a Mana Circle inside the Mana Hall.’
After organizing her thoughts like this, Filancheva opened her eyes.
“I need about three to four days in a quiet place. I must ask Marquis Eastern for a quiet place and time to create the Mana Hall.”
As soon as she made the decision, Filancheva immediately took action.
She went to find Marquis Eastern to meet him.
While it was usually difficult for a trainee to meet Marquis Eastern, it wasn’t for Filancheva.
Most knights knew about Filancheva’s background, so they allowed her to meet the Marquis whenever she wished.
Thus, Filancheva met Marquis Eastern and asked for a place and time to create her Mana Circle.
“Can you manage it alone?”
“A mage always delves into their studies alone.”
No matter how talented Filancheva was, creating a Mana Circle was dangerous. Although Marquis Eastern was a knight by origin, he wasn’t completely ignorant about magic.
“What if you lose control of your mana while creating the Mana Circle alone? You need someone to control the magic. I’ll assign a mage to you.” The Lawrence Marquis household also had mages.
“No. This is about establishing my own mana theory, so I cannot receive help from others. It’s something I must do alone.”
“Hmm…”
She didn’t seem to have great greed for other things, but when it came to magic, training, and such, she was excessively greedy and disliked yielding to others, which sometimes made him want to laugh.
“But this is…”
“Please trust me and just provide the place and time. I’ll try it on my own first, and if it seems impossible, I will ask for your help, sir.”
Marquis Eastern met Filancheva’s gaze. Seeing her confident eyes, he nodded.
“Very well. Then use my personal training hall. How much time do you need?”
In the end, Marquis Eastern agreed.
“About three days. It might finish sooner, but I think I’ll need about three days. If I don’t come out after three days, please come down and check on my condition.”
“Alright, I’ll do that. But are you sure it will be alright?”
“Yes. I’m saying this because I’m confident.”
“Good. You must stop immediately if there’s any abnormality in your body. Understood?”
“I will. Also, I need a few other things, so please help me with them, Lord Marquis.”
