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---Afternoon---
Military field,
Just like a wildfire, the small city had turned to chaos after hearing that the Lord had just been killed by three unknown people but they actually weren't angry or sad about it as they became more happy instead, especially the slaves.
Right now, Lev, Yamraiha, and Pisti could be found in the military field just like what he said while looking at the small number of soldiers in the city who were also staring back at them with great nervousness.
"Your Lord has just been killed by me. Now I ask, what are you planning to do now?" Lev asked as he didn't really care what they would do from now on. Whether they will leave or not he doesn't care, and he won't stop them as this city really was small and weak. He, however, has so many plans in this city as he is thinking of making the place his base and letting some of Parsine's men manage this land as Qishan were one of the most important merchant outposts in this region.
Hearing Lev, the soldiers were taken aback not fully understanding what he was talking about. They then just keep on looking at each other wanting someone to step up and tell him what they thought about it.
"M-My Lord, isn't it natural for you to become our Lord since you killed the last lord?" One of the guards of the past Lord Jamil said. He really didn't like the past Lord all along as he knew all the dirty work that he had committed but he never questioned and never disobeyed his orders as he never wanted to die and continue to become his slave guard until now.
Hearing the guard's words, almost all the soldiers present in the military field nodded in agreement thinking that it was a normal thing since they never considered leaving the city in the first place as this is where they grew up.
"Hmmm." Lev looked at the soldiers in front of him. Though he didn't mind becoming a Lord of this small city, he didn't have the time to do that since he only come to this place for some reason and didn't plan on staying that long.
"Well. If that's what you want, then so be it." Lev said before his presence and demeanor suddenly changed like that of a King.
"Then, heed my orders." Lev ordered which the soldiers then immediately got in attention before telling them his orders and plans for the day.
Right after that, Lev then called all of the slaves whether they liked it or not judging if they were good enough to be granted the thing called 'freedom'. For those who committed such grave sins, Lev surprisingly didn't kill them but manipulated them to work for the renovation of the city instead.
And just like that, Qishan had changed in just a day. The people of the city seemed nervous and excited about what would happen now while some were thinking about whether to leave the place especially those slave traders seeing that the new Lord wasn't fond of it.
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---Night---
Palace Hall,
At this moment, Lev could be found looking at the large muscular man in front of him, who was none other than the guard of the past Lord, Goltas, together with Morgiana on his side. He already had plans for Morgiana since she was one of the very reasons why he went to this place.
"I heard your name is Goltas. You're quite loyal to Jamil but now that he's dead, what are you going to do now?" Lev asked making him decide what his future would be fully knowing that he already killed so many innocent lives under Jamil's order but even with that, he knew that he was a good man inside it was just that he was abused in doing so.
"I-I don't know. I already killed several lives with my own hands. I don't deserve to live anymore." Goltas replied thinking that he couldn't go back to how he was before now while having so much guilt on his heart.
"You're right. Then how about becoming the head general of this city and dedicate your life to protecting it." Lev suggested with a smile thinking that this was all he could do to help him escape from his predicament.
Hearing Lev, Goltas looked at him before looking at his hands again as he clenched them thinking if he could really compensate for the lives that he took by protecting this city because if it is then he was willing to offer his life to ease the guilt that he had.
"You can rest first and tell me your decision tomorrow." Lev said seeing him not reacting thinking that he must still be not in good condition. Right after that, he then dismissed Goltas before looking at Morgiana.
On the other hand, Morgiana was still surprised and shocked at what happened in just a day but she was more surprised to hear Goltas can actually speak as she really thought that he was deaf and unable to talk from the times that they were together.
"A Fanalis. What a rare race." Lev then said even though he was not that surprised. He just wanted to have Morgiana's interest and curiosity shift on him.
Hearing Lev's words, Morgiana couldn't help but look at him with surprise upon hearing him know about her being a Fanalis which she then thought that he might know something about her race.
"Sadly, your race only had a few members left." Lev followed which is really the truth as there were really a few Fanalis living on this side of this world as they were originally descendants of the Red Lions, a species from Alma Torran, who was still living on the other side of the Dark Continent.
"W-What do you mean?" Morgiana widened her eyes upon hearing Lev's words saying that there were only a few of them left.
"Do you want to know about them?" Lev asked while smiling seeing Morgiana looking at him with interest and curiosity which he then pushed the final question.
Morgiana looked at Lev carefully as she really didn't still trust him that much but her doubts about him started fading away after seeing what he did during the day and the words that he said right now.
"Y-Yes." Morgiana replied with a hint of shyness wanting to know about the other Fanalis out there and probably ask what happened to her race.
Hearing Morgiana, Lev couldn't help but smile in his heart before saying, "Take a rest tonight, and let's talk about it slowly tomorrow."
"Wait, do you even have a place to stay for the night?" Lev asked thinking if she had a place to stay as he was also curious about it especially where and how she lived before the story took place.
Hearing Lev's words, Morgiana immediately lowered her head down as if she was shy remembering the place she used to stay while being a slave.
"Give her a room in the palace." Lev ordered some of the maids inside seeing Morgiana's expression thinking just how hard and sad her life was before.
Upon hearing Lev's order, the maids immediately moved and headed towards Morgiana guiding her towards a room in the palace. Morgiana was so surprised by Lev's words and helped and it was making her think what was special about her upon giving her such privilege.
"T-Thank you." Morgiana couldn't help but utter such words and immediately bowed down on her knees as a sign of her gratitude before she was forcefully pulled by the maids.
Seeing them leaving the palace, Yamraiha immediately looked at Lev with some curious expression on her face. Wanting to know what he was planning for that girl, she couldn't help herself but ask, "Why were you so kind to that girl, Lev?"
"Simply because she was a Fanalis." Lev replied reasonably as there really was a reason for being curious about a Fanalis since they were a rare race in the world. They were a race born to be a fighter that was coveted by some people.
"Hmmm." Hearing Lev's reply, Yamraiha just looked at him with her brows knitting as her woman instincts were telling her that he was not telling her the whole truth and so wanted to pry more into it.
"Hehehe. Yamraiha was just jealous, Lev." Pisti sneered as she knew this kind of side of Yamraiha after living together with her for many years. She has already memorized her reactions to the point that she could tell it just by looking at some small clues.
"Hahaha. Is that so?" Lev laughed at them before pulling them into his embrace while his mind started planning how to correct the timeline since everything had already changed.
Shortly after that, Lev led them to their rooms in the palace but he assured them first to completely clean the room changing all that was inside into something new before leaving unnoticeably.
______________
Inside a room,
Meanwhile, as everyone already sleeping peacefully in their rooms, Morgiana could be found wide awake while lying on the bed with great awkwardness as this was the first time she experienced lying on a comfortable and big bed in her life.
Morgiana could be seen lying in a straight line while thinking something as she still couldn't move on from the things that happened during the day after Lev came into this country. She then just thought about the information she could from him tomorrow and with that, she fell asleep shortly.
______________
Qishan City,
Somewhere in the city, a yellow-haired boy could be found talking to a short obese man who was packing up his things as if he was planning to leave the place.
"Boss, is it really true that Lord had just killed?" The yellow-haired boy asked after hearing some rumors about it and wanting to confirm it as he knew that this short man was close to the past Lord.
"Y-Yes." The obese man replied, who was actually Budel from before. But looking closely, his face looked as bad as it was still fresh on his mind the things that happened in the palace in the morning.
With that, the yellow-haired boy calmly received the news before thinking about what he would do now since he also had some reason to stay in the country.
"How about following me, boy? Though you're quite stubborn, I will gladly accept you as my follower." Budel said and suggested but he was really trying to scam the boy on helping him get out of the city wanting him to protect his things on the way.
"Hahaha. I can't, boss." The yellow-haired boy wryly replied while scratching his head thinking that he was done pleasing such arrogant and selfish boss.
"Tsk. Then get out of here." Budel angrily said dismissing the yellow-haired boy seeing how useless he was upon not helping him.
Right after that, the yellow-haired boy left and headed towards a worn-out house somewhere in the country while having some worries on his mind.
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---One week later---
It has been a week since Lev has already stayed in Qishan. The changes that happened in the past week were starting to show up upon feeling that the city had become livelier than before seeing the people filled with smiles not worrying about their safety.
Lev also already contacted Parsine through his Shadow Soldiers about this place and several of her men then started to depart heading to Qishan ready for an expansion again while feeling greatly excited.
On the other hand, Goltas, Jamil's former guard has decided to stay and work as the head general for the rest of his life wanting to repay the sins that he committed throughout the years that he's been used.
______________
Training field,
At this moment, two women could be seen sitting on a chair while looking at the other two people fighting on the field with curiosity. These two women were actually Yamraiha and Pisti while the two who were fighting on the field were Lev and Morgiana.
"Lord Lev, just why are you helping me?" Morgiana asked with interest while kicking and attacking him seeing that for the past week, Lev didn't just let her stay in a comfortable place but also treated her with care and importance.
"The truth is I'm interested in you, you see." Lev replied while blocking her every attack with ease using all the martial arts he could think of but mostly his newly added skill 'Niko Style'.
For the past week, Morgiana had changed from a serious and gloomy girl to a cheerful and strong-willed person as he tried talking and spar with her from time to time allowing her curiosity towards him to rise to some extent.
Hearing Lev's reply, Morgiana suddenly stopped attacking as she moved some distance and turned around while holding her face as this was the first time a man told her such words. Looking closely, her face had turned so red from processing what he was saying.
"Tchh." Yamraiha reacted as she also heard what they were talking about. She already knew long ago that Lev was interested in Morgiana and it was not because she's a Fanalis but as a woman.
"Hehehehe." Pisti, on the other hand, just sneered teasing Yamraiha seeing her getting jealous again and the two then started quarreling again like what they were like in the past years back in Artemyra.
Back to the field, Lev looked at Morgiana who finally regained her composure seeing her looking at him as if wanting to ask a question.
"Why can't I hit you?" Morgiana asked while remembering how her attacks got blocked easily with some strange moves of Lev every time they were having a spar. The longer they spar, the more she could see the difference in their strength which finally broke her and asked how he was doing that.
"It's simple. I'm just way stronger than you." Lev replied with a little provocation as it was really the truth. Hearing his words, Morgiana felt challenged and she dashed forward trying to attack him again but no matter how hard she tried, he continued blocking her with ease.
"Do you want to learn it?" Lev suddenly asked as this would be the perfect time as he thought that it must be the reason why he got such ability in the weekly sign-in feeling that it was all fate.
"Learn what?" Morgiana asked with curiosity.
"The martial arts that I'm using." Lev answered with a smile while thinking about what she would become after learning such martial arts added to her capabilities as a Fanalis. He couldn't help but think how much stronger she would attain in this life and in the future.
This time, Morgiana stopped fighting as she looked at Lev with surprise. She has long known that he was using some kind of martial arts which she found surprising knowing that he was trying to teach it to her, a slave nobody Fanalis of the past.
"T-Teach me, then." Morgiana replied subconsciously as she felt that she needed to get stronger for some reason.
"Very well." Lev couldn't help but smile as he moved closer to Morgiana. The two who were quarreling on the side stopped after hearing them as they knew how powerful and deadly his Martial Arts was.
"W-What are you doing?" Morgiana immediately asked as she stepped back seeing Lev suddenly get closer to her upon talking about teaching her about his martial arts.
"I thought you wanted to learn it." Lev replied while getting closer and closer to Morgiana.
"B-But." Morgiana wanted to reason but she steeled herself observing how Lev would help her by getting closer to her.
Lev, however, just smiled seeing her staying still as he then stretched out his finger on her forehead after getting close enough.
"Skill Transfer: Niko Style." Lev then used an ability that made Morgiana immediately stiffen as she closed her eyes feeling some information keep on flowing on her head.
Lev smiled widely upon seeing her didn't have that much reaction such as pain, unlike those warrior women on Artemyra. He could only think that this ability was probably very compatible with her.
With that, the transfer of skill didn't take that long as it only took a minute or so before succeeding surprising not just Morgiana and Pisti but also Lev himself. On the other hand, Morgiana opened her eyes while looking at her feet and arms before she suddenly turned around and kicked Lev without notice.
Lev, however, didn't face her and just smiled in surprise before blocking her attack seeing what she just used. Yamraiha and Pisti looked with interest seeing Morgiana didn't even faint after that while seeing her already using it against Lev.
"Niko Style." Morgiana murmured after having such information in her mind as if it had been there all along.
"It's great isn't it." Lev said looking at Morgiana before initiating the attack this time and surprisingly, Morgiana blocked it but with difficulty as the difference in strength was still present.
"Yes." Morgiana replied while smiling.
And just like that, Lev and Morgiana started to fight again using the same technique making the place get destroyed seeing some ripples in the air damaging the surrounding buildings and infrastructure.