Morena sat in the quiet of her room, her mind churning with thoughts as she allowed her body to rest from the training she had done. Her training had begun, she was growing stronger than she was before, but it was still lacking to her.
The AI was useful, but it lacked the necessary information to properly optimize her warrior technique, it needed more data in order to work to its full potential.
Without data on how proper warriors trained and fought, she would be moving forward blindly. That was unacceptable, she couldn’t afford to waste her time on such things.
What she needed was more knowledge, more information. It would be best if she could get other techniques so that the AI could cross-reference them and make something better.
But that wouldn’t be possible in the short run, warrior training techniques were far too special, even nobles would go to war for a simple Tier 1 method.
She couldn’t get techniques, but she could get more information on warriors at the very least. In fact, she had an idea on just where she might be able to get such a thing.
The warriors in the city trained under the local guard captain, including her sister. If she wanted to see firsthand how warriors were taught, she needed to go there, and perhaps she could learn something from them. Observing the way they moved, how they channeled energy, and how their cores functioned would allow the AI to gather very important first-hand data.
And if she was lucky, perhaps she could get her hands on any books they had about warriors, even the smallest of things could be useful.
It was a simple plan, but a necessary one.
Morena pulled the bell cord that hung in her bedside, summoning her maid. The knock on her door came shortly after.
She stood and glanced toward the door before responding.
"Prepare a suitable outfit. I’ll be taking a stroll through the city."
The maid hesitated slightly, surprise flickering across her face before she nodded.
It wasn’t uncommon for Morena to go out, in fact, in recent days she had gone out quite often to indulge herself in various things after the issues began to become more prominent in her life.
It was an escape to her, but one that ultimately did more harm than good.
What was odd, however, was the time she intended to go out. Morena of the past would usually go out towards the late evening when the sun had begun to set, not so early in the morning.
Morena watched as she moved efficiently, selecting an outfit that balanced elegance with practicality. A dark, fitted ensemble that didn’t stand out too much yet still carried the air of nobility.
It was a careful balance—she had no desire to attract unnecessary attention, but she also couldn’t be mistaken for a commoner.
The maid was about to help her get changed, but Morena motioned for her to stop.
"No need. Just wait outside."
While the Morena of the past wouldn’t have stopped her, the current Morena had the memories of two lives; one of those lives she spent independent, changing for herself.
Due to this, she simply couldn’t find herself interested in being changed by another.
Dressed and ready, she made her way out of her room, stepping into the halls of the estate. The house was quiet. Her father was out patrolling the city borders and he wouldn’t be back for days, her brother was engaged in his studies, and her sister was busy with training.
Now she too was about to leave the estate.
She boarded the waiting carriage, the driver bowing to her as she did, and soon, the wheels rolled over the cobblestone roads, carrying her into the heart of the city.
The carriage ride was rather smooth, it had its bumps, but the city roads had been well maintained. What she was focused on was the window. Through the window, Morena took in the streets and city outside with mild interest.
The city was familiar through memory, but seeing it firsthand was a different experience. A small border city, nothing compared to the grand capitals of the kingdom, yet still bustling with life. Merchants called out from their stalls, smiths hammered away in their forges, and commoners moved about with their daily lives.
Despite its activity, the city wasn’t particularly considered large, as it wasn’t a very valuable city to the Kingdom of Brightburn. At best, it was a functional outpost, a settlement maintained more out of necessity than strategic importance.
During the war many years ago, the city was originally a small village, however, after it was used as a military outpost in the fighting, it slowly grew to the size and state it was in now.
But even then, it wasn’t very important due to its location and lack of natural resources; at best, it was used as an early warning military post.
The highest-ranking soldier within the city itself was the guard captain, a Peak Rank 1 Warrior. A skilled fighter, no doubt, but nowhere near the elites of the kingdom. The true powers in this city were few.
Her father, a Rank 2 Warrior, was considered one of the top masters in the city, and one of the two Earls overseeing the territory. The other Earl, a Peak Rank 1 Warrior, held control over the other half of the settlement.
There was also the local branch of the church, whose influence overshadowed even warriors, untouchable despite lacking one of their own.
No one in the city would dare to go against the church, not because they had powerful warriors stationed here, but because they could easily summon them.
But all that was thoughts for another time, she merely enjoyed the views for now, the sights, the people; it was a fresh breath compared to her past life, one she wouldn’t allow to slip away.
The carriage continued forward, weaving through the streets. Morena leaned back in her seat, waiting as they neared the training grounds.