Chapter 11: Solving Your Own Problems
1 and half months later I just had few skills left to gain. Doing stuff like meditating was just too damn hard for me. I had to sit still for hours doing nothing so I had to start it all over again even with just a slight distraction. Another was Inferno and The Wall a B rank spell chanting was 50 magicules each. So I couldn't do more than 50 per day even with all my magicules which were now 5644. I also had to do that dodge thing and C rank magic spells, so I left B ranks for the last. If my calculations were right then I would be done in two weeks most.
I was now planning to sneak out of the palace. With my skill it was the easiest thing. Front was without a question a no go. There were more than 30 guards from the palace till the town entrance. I was planning to go from behind. There were only four guards plus I was planning to go from under the palace, erasing 10 meter dirt or earth at a time digging a tunnel.
After dinner I went with my father to his office. Seeing this our daily routine, my mother and grandma just grinned whenever they would just look at me. It was a pity laugh I knew for certain. I also knew my father had twisted me in his scheme but I had learned so much new things from the books of his office that I just couldn't say no. We started our daily document reading and replying. There were more complaints in the same manner as the last few days. And requests to do something about it. So I asked for just the sake of something to talk….
" Attacks in the forest are just too many recently…. Why haven't we found anything yet ? "
" I don't know…. I have already sent two parties of Rank C members. Even Aras once covered most ground and still we have nothing. It seems more than what it looks like." He said with grim and irritated expressions.
" You mean mimicry ? " I asked.
" hh? you know? " he looked up.
" You make me read all your documents Of course I know. "
" Well I have my doubts but everything points that way right? "
" What could be the motive though ? "
" Anything is possible. But most likely it's a spy here for information…."
" Why would he or she attract such commotion ? "
" It must be a whole party. Few divert our attention so as to keep us busy. " he said.
" And few come to the palace? "
" Yes "
Is it something that happens regularly ? He doesn't look much worried about people coming to the palace. More or so he looks worried about people getting attacked.
" Why don't we set a trap? " I suggested.
He stopped writing and looked me in the eyes.
" A trap? " he asked.
" Announce that you are going to visit some lord then send a body double instead and you go meet some other lord with disguise in town and give him some sealed documents, then the lord goes back to his estate through the forest. They will most likely get attacked right ? " I explained.
He was looking at me like I was a bloody knife in his hand. Then he said,
" You think that will work ? Isn't the lord too much at risk ? "
" It has to, right? And even if it doesn't. It's not like it will cost us anything. And for a lord in town you will have to choose someone powerful and trustworthy, or someone powerful who's willing to form a closer connection to you. "
" Aren't you being a bit harsh to the lords ? "
" It's their duty to protect the land from enemies right?
And besides, if we are knowingly letting these attacks on common people happen by not letting more soldiers join the search party, then they are basically being hurt for us right ? It would be just fair for ourselves to be hurt a little to end this agony right ? "
" You have a harsh sense of justice, people like that often regrets their decisions in the end. "
" Ohh it's nothing like that. It's just called solving your own problems yourselves ...."
Next day I woke up at 10. I was still half asleep, last night after helping father I was reading in my secret lair until 3 in the morning. Which is not healthy however way you look at it. I was brushing my teeth with a toothbrush that I had made for myself. They use some kind of weird wooden stick to brush their teeth. And then I heard voices and shouts and people's footsteps walking in a hurry to do their business. I peeked out of the window and saw that my father was going somewhere with his guards and full entourage. Looks like he bought my idea. I had just randomly said anything that seemed most logical to me at the moment. But he was acting on it. I had to hand it to him. He had courage.
I was heading towards my preferred training area on our training ground. Some soldiers were training, some were in groups talking and laughing. Watching me pass by, all of them bowed down once. Its a tradition – something like a show of respect to strength. I had heard that even some other nobles pay respect to those with higher rank skill than theirs. And then they kept doing what they were doing, completely ignoring me. It was pretty normal. I had even told them not to bow but they never listened. It felt so wrong to me I was just a jobless girl who died over potochips, but for them I was the first line of defense against an enemy of waccaria. The lord of the land was the strongest person of that area was the belief of a common people. Which did not exactly feel right to me because I believed that even if someone had a higher rank skill it does not matter, a rank of a single skill can not determined a victor, the one with the more practice or more knowledge and better strategy would always be the winner.
And then I started my crazy routine of acquiring skills.
At first soldiers and palace guards would gather around me like I was some street performer. Though it could look like that. I was releasing a perfectly shaped fireball in one direction speaking the chant of a spell for another magic sky strike which was releasing another side, all the while jumping and manipulating an earth wall with pure imagination and magicules on the side. While trying to hit targets with my fireball and sky strike. After I did it daily, most paid no mind to me anymore. But some new people or some more interested ones still looked at me doing this supposed training of mine for two hours. I was performing multiple conditions of my skills at once. Nowadays I only release B rank spells chanting on either side and meditating in between so no one comes near me. Once or twice I did hear people screaming and shouting for others to stay out of the way but I paid no mind to them. Sometimes I would hear people saying stuff about me, the stuff that most affected me was the name they used for me – Lady Firebolt. I guess people had enough of my fireballs and lightning bolts. Zhira already had a pretty bad reputation among soldiers and guards because of her defeating every single one of them in a sword fight. She was called - lady hell, and I totally agree with that. Her strength was tyrannical and her endless energy was just despair for us normies. I had heard rumors that her skill was called Sword god. One of our family's oldest Skill. She would never let me see it though. She said being all high and mighty " Defeat me in combat and my skill shall be yours thy enemy. " She was well just don't ask….It was a line from one of the most famous stories of the west. It came from the fact that when you defeat a person in heavenly combat you can see his or her chosen skills with the condition besides them. Normally you can't see the conditions for skills you unknowingly acquired but your enemy can, if they defeat you. I would have loved to fight her but I had to pretend not knowing about my skill, and sword fight was not my forte. I was a newbie and she was a beast. It hurt my gamer pride a lot but whatever. Father had strictly warned me about that. It was also for me as not to let people know that I could read ancient text. I had realized how big of a deal being able to read ancient text was. Regions had fought wars over way less knowledgeable ancient language researchers than me. For me it was my mother tongue. With only this I had a huge advantage over people. Combined with my broken skill I almost felt invincible though it was a huge wide world out there. I know there must be some amazing people with amazing skills and their unique way of using said skills. I needed to get stronger too. I was just level 2.
Weekly Power Status
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-- Power
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