- Fantasy Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence
- FLDI Chapter 108
Chapter 108: Becoming a Great Knight and Encounter with Emmosen – Who Are You?
**Boom!**
A sudden wave of icy energy exploded outward, and the spreading frost instantly solidified. The chilling air radiated from the house, causing Raine to instinctively take a few steps back.
Just as he retreated, an even more intense cold wave surged forth.
In the air, a few flying insects were instantly frozen into ice sculptures, falling to the ground with a soft thud.
“Fall back!” Raine ordered sharply.
At his command, the surrounding knights also retreated, their faces filled with shock.
As they moved back, the area around the house, within a radius of three or four meters, became coated in a layer of frost.
“So cold!” one of the knights couldn’t help but exclaim, his face showing utter disbelief.
Raine’s eyes were filled with the same astonishment.
This was just the breakthrough to becoming a Great Knight, yet the commotion from their lord’s transformation was almost unimaginable.
As they stood in awe, another powerful wave of life force erupted from the house.
In the blink of an eye, all the cold air and frost receded, disappearing entirely. The room’s door creaked open, and Thor stepped out with a satisfied smile on his face.
“My lord!”
“Lord Thor!”
The knights, including Raine, quickly bowed to him.
“Raine, let’s test it out,” Thor said with a grin.
“Yes, my lord,” Raine responded, nodding.
The two of them walked into the training yard.
“Be careful. My ice-attribute life force has grown quite a bit,” Thor warned with a smile as he drew his knight’s sword, the cold energy beginning to seep from his body.
As Thor’s life force surged, a thin layer of frost spread beneath his feet, and cold air wrapped around the blade of his sword.
**Boom!**
Without hesitation, Thor moved, his speed now at least twice as fast as before. In an instant, the distance between him and Raine vanished, and Thor’s sword slashed toward him.
**Clang!**
Their swords clashed, and the intense cold from Thor’s blade immediately spread onto Raine’s sword. A layer of frost began to form visibly along Raine’s weapon, but with a surge of his own life force, Raine shattered the cold energy.
“Not bad!” Thor’s eyes brightened with excitement.
Though Raine had only recently broken through to become a Great Knight, his life force—both in quantity and quality—was clearly superior to Pelos’. Even before his breakthrough, Thor’s ice-attribute life force was difficult for Pelos to withstand. Now, after becoming a Great Knight, it was impressive that Raine could hold his ground against it.
Though Raine’s body was still showing signs of the cold creeping over him, the fact that he could resist was remarkable.
“My lord, I’m going to attack now!” Raine warned. The next moment, a pale blue light of life force enveloped his sword.
**Crack!**
Like the sound of lightning, Raine’s life force exploded with power.
Thor could feel the heat from Raine’s sword, pushing back against his own icy energy.
“The power of lightning!” Thor’s eyes lit up as he recognized it.
Unlike Thor, who had gained his ice-attribute life force through a life-sharing contract with Anna and the ice spirit, Raine’s life force naturally contained lightning. This power wasn’t fully evident when Raine was still a regular knight, but now that he had become a Great Knight, the power of his lightning had become much stronger.
**Boom!**
Lightning and ice clashed in the yard, creating a fierce battle of elements.
For a moment, the two forces were evenly matched. Thor’s ice-attribute life force, which normally overwhelmed most knights, found its equal in Raine’s lightning power.
But likewise, Raine’s lightning had little effect on Thor.
**Boom!**
**Crack!**
The training yard was filled with the sounds of their clashing energies. Frost spread across the ground, while blackened scorch marks appeared where Raine’s lightning struck.
All the knights watching were filled with admiration, their eyes glued to the spectacle.
After a quarter of an hour of intense sparring, both Thor and Raine took a final step back, bringing the match to a close.
“Impressive, Raine. It looks like you’re not far from reaching the mid-level of Great Knight,” Thor remarked, genuinely impressed. Raine’s talent, even by Thor’s own standards, was something to be envied.
If Thor hadn’t experienced his own fateful encounter, his natural talent would’ve been leagues below Raine’s.
“I think it’ll take a few more months,” Raine replied, still catching his breath. “But my lord, your life force is incredibly strong—I was barely able to keep up.”
Raine was equally amazed. After his breakthrough to Great Knight, he had sparred with both Steve and Pelos and had beaten them easily. Yet now, Thor, who had only just broken through, already matched Raine in strength. In fact, Raine suspected Thor’s ice-attribute life force might even be stronger than his own lightning power.
If they continued sparring, Raine wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold out.
“Hahaha!” Thor laughed heartily. “Good work. Now, go ahead and take care of the trade with the Habsburg Trading Company and purchase the slaves. Things are getting more unstable in the Northern Province, so we should return as soon as possible.”
“Understood, my lord,” Raine nodded, still a bit breathless, before setting off to complete the tasks.
First, he would finish the trade with the Habsburg Trading Company. Then, he would head to the slave market to buy the slaves. Meanwhile, Thor, accompanied by a few full knights, went out to purchase some supplies for the territory.
—
By the time evening approached, Thor had completed most of his shopping. With a bit of time to spare, he decided to take a stroll through Loren City.
Compared to his previous visits, the city was noticeably more bustling. Crowds filled the streets, and there were people everywhere, from commoners to nobles, and even many pioneering lords with their entourages.
However, despite the lively streets, the expressions of most people were somber, burdened by the weight of the troubles in the Northern Province.
As Thor wandered through the streets, observing the city, something caught his attention from across the road.
Walking along the street was **Corren Emmosen**, from the Emmosen family.
—
Corren Emmosen had been terrified when the orc invasion first began. When news spread that the minotaurs were attacking, he had immediately abandoned his territory and fled.
Unfortunately for him, the goddess of life did not show him mercy. While escaping, Corren’s group ran into a second-tier kobold tribe. His knights suffered heavy losses, and even one of his Great Knights was killed in the battle. In the end, only about thirty full knights and one Great Knight, Manyr, had managed to escape with him.
It had been a harrowing journey, and they had gotten lost in the forest. It was only three days ago that they finally arrived in Loren City.
Once he reached the city, Corren had immediately begun investigating the situation with his territory. He had hoped that the minotaurs hadn’t attacked and that he could still return.
But soon, worse news reached him. His territory had been declared abandoned, and a new lord had already taken control. And to make matters worse, the new lord was none other than Thor, a member of the Dresserosa family, whom Corren detested.
This filled Corren with fury. He was consumed with the desire to fight back and reclaim what was once his.
He hadn’t even gone to confront that Dresserosa heir yet, and now the man had taken over his territory!
But soon, another more pressing issue came to Corren’s attention—if he didn’t pay the penalty fee soon, his temporary noble status would be revoked. This realization sent him into a panic.
Immediately, Corren had Manyr write letters to his father and mother, hoping to get some financial help.
The result, however, was not what he had hoped for.
“Young Master Corren, the count has responded. He said that was the last bit of support he could offer. If you can’t secure the title of baron, he won’t help you anymore,” Manyr said hesitantly, his face showing clear unease.
“Curse it!” Corren shouted. “Didn’t you send a letter to my mother as well? You know if we don’t pay the penalty fee, we’ll lose our status as frontier lords, and even this temporary noble title will be taken from me!”
Corren Emmosen turned his fiery gaze to the middle-aged man beside him.
Manyr opened his mouth, unsure of how to respond. He had sent the letter, but the truth was, during Corren’s time as a frontier lord, the countess had already given Corren all their savings to support him. There was nothing left.
“Manyr!” Corren barked.
“Young Master Corren, the countess has responded too. She said… you’ll have to wait a little longer,” Manyr finally said in a low voice.
“Wait?” Corren’s voice trembled with rage. “Are you kidding me? Today, Loren City officially stripped me of my temporary noble title. If I don’t pay the penalty within a month, I’ll lose it permanently!”
Corren was on the verge of exploding, his words barely contained.
“But young master, the countess already gave you all she could. There’s nothing left,” Manyr said with a bitter smile. He knew his young master all too well. Most of the funds needed to support Corren’s frontier territory came from the countess—at least two-thirds of it, if not more. Even though the countess came from a prestigious family, her resources were still limited.
There was simply no more money to give.
“Impossible! There must be more!” Corren snapped. “Manyr, I’ll write the letter myself.”
Panic spread across Corren’s face as he began pacing frantically, trying to come up with a solution.
Manyr simply sighed and remained silent. Deep down, he felt hopeless. Following this foolish young master had dimmed his own future prospects, but there was no way out for him either. He was trapped in this situation just as much as Corren was.
As he sighed, his eyes wandered, and something in the distance caught his attention.
“Is that…?” Manyr muttered.
“What are you doing?” Corren asked angrily, noticing Manyr’s distraction.
“Young Master Corren, I think that’s Thor Dresserosa over there,” Manyr stammered, startled by Corren’s sudden outburst.
“Thor Dresserosa? What Thor?” Corren demanded impatiently.
“Young master, the son of the Dresserosa family—the one who took over your territory!” Manyr explained quickly, feeling nervous.
“It’s him!” Corren’s eyes immediately burned with fury, and he turned his gaze toward the group walking down the street.
There, among the crowd, was Thor Dresserosa.
“That damned Dresserosa!” Corren growled. “He dared to take my land? Let’s go!”
Corren stormed toward Thor without a second thought.
“Young Master Corren, wait! This is Loren City. We’ve already lost our noble status. We can’t just attack him here,” Manyr called out urgently.
But Corren wasn’t listening. His fury had taken over, and he continued marching straight toward Thor.
“Young Master Corren!” Manyr shouted again, trying to stop him, but it was no use. With a resigned sigh, Manyr had no choice but to follow.
From a distance, Thor felt something odd and instinctively turned around, spotting Corren and his group storming toward him.
Seeing the unfamiliar faces, Thor raised an eyebrow, his steps coming to a stop. He didn’t recognize these people, but their hostile approach made it clear they were coming for him.
“Is there something I can help you with?” Thor asked calmly, his curiosity piqued. He couldn’t remember meeting these individuals, yet their expressions suggested they held some kind of grudge.
“You thief, Thor Dresserosa!” Corren yelled, his voice filled with rage. “Give me back my territory!”
Thor frowned slightly, piecing things together. It seemed this group was made up of one of the fleeing lords from the Maine Valley—the same lords whose lands he had taken over.
He couldn’t help but find the situation amusing. These lords had fled their lands in the face of danger, yet now had the nerve to come to him demanding their territory back. It was both ridiculous and annoying.
“Ah, I see. And who are you again?” Thor asked with a hint of sarcasm, though fully aware of the situation now.
Corren’s face twisted with fury at Thor’s casual tone. “I’m Corren Emmosen! You took my land, you scoundrel!”
Thor’s eyebrow arched. Now it made sense. Corren Emmosen was one of the lords who had fled his domain when the threat of orcs and minotaurs had loomed over the Northern Province. Thor had seized control of the abandoned land as part of his expansion in the Maine Valley.
“Ah, so you’re one of the lords who abandoned their territory when things got tough,” Thor said, his tone calm but cutting.
Corren’s face turned red with anger. “How dare you! Give me back my land, or you’ll regret it!”
Thor found the whole scene almost laughable. Did Corren really believe he could simply demand his territory back after abandoning it? The audacity of it all made Thor shake his head in disbelief.
“I’m afraid that’s not how things work. You abandoned your land, and I took the opportunity,” Thor replied, his voice steady. “Perhaps you should have thought about that before running away.”
Corren’s fists clenched in rage, but before he could speak again, Manyr stepped forward, trying to calm the situation.
“Young master, please. This isn’t the place for this,” he whispered, glancing nervously around at the growing crowd.
But Corren wasn’t listening, his eyes still locked on Thor with a burning hatred.
—
(End of Chapter)