11 Chapter 011
With a tabernacle requiring ten kilograms of gold, far more than he had on hand, Leon took Presea to meet Wil while Mordred detached from them to drop off her catch and grab a bite at the Eatery.
"Well, it doesn't appear to be broken. But I wouldn't recommend putting pressure on it or performing any strenuous actions for at least a week or two," said Wil, carefully cradling and examining Presea's arm with slightly furrowed brows.
"If we gather the ingredients, think you could whip up a Healing Potion or something similar...?" asked Leon.
"It's certainly possible," confirmed Wil. "But I'm not yet familiar with this world's ecology, flora, or fauna. Back in my world, the core component of Healing Potions was a tart, bright blue fruit known as an Azure Fruit. Have you seen anything like that while exploring the forest...?"
"Not yet, no," replied Leon.
"Then the best I can do right now is prepare Presea a rudimentary splint and wrap her arm with strips of cloth as a substitute for bandages..." said Wil, smiling apologetically.
"It's fine..." stated Presea, garnering Leon's and Wil's attentions as she added, "I heal quickly," while flexing the fingers of her left hand to show she could still move them.
"Your physique likely isn't as robust as you're used to," said Leon. "Just to be safe, let Wil wrap your arm. With our group's current size, we're not at risk of starving, even without a dedicated hunter."
"Okay..." replied Presea, hanging her head slightly.
"Hoooo...?"
Reading a bit too much into Presea's reaction, Wil adopted a somewhat shit-eating grin as he met Leon's gaze. The latter's brow twitched, but as he didn't want to hurt Presea's feelings by making a scene, he shook his head and turned to depart, declaring, "I'm going to go make sure Mordred isn't causing even more trouble..." before exiting the Workshop, exhausted despite his lack of a body...
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While helping Mordred wash her hair in their upgraded, trough-style metal bath, Leon felt compelled to say, "You took things too far this afternoon. I won't tell you to apologize, but you shouldn't be so forceful towards those who haven't done anything to offend or antagonize you..."
"You underestimate how hard it is to be a woman in a power-dominated society..." replied Mordred, her voice uncharacteristically steady as she relaxed with closed eyes.
"That girl, Presea, has clearly gone through something that would have broken most people," said Mordred. "You're free to pity or indulge her, but unless you plan to take her in and raise her like a pet, you should provide her opportunities to grow. That's the only way she'll overcome whatever tragedy has her behaving like a soulless doll..."
"..."
Not expecting such wisdom from Mordred, Leon found himself at a loss. He knew enough about her past to understand she was likely speaking from experience, so instead of pressing the matter further, he remained silent and focused on washing and rinsing her hair.
Cracking her eyes and smiling, Mordred surprised Leon by remarking, "I'll give you one thing, though. She's cute. If you don't want her, I might take her as a handmaiden or rear her as my Esquire. She has the potential, and I get the impression she would be excellent at obeying commands."
"People aren't things you can just take and do with as you please..." said Leon. "More accurately, even if you possess the means, there are some things you shouldn't do..."
Closing her eyes, Mordred responded, "You're going to need to fix that weak-willed mentality of yours if you want to avoid dissension. It's fine right now, but people 'need' someone they perceive to be unshakeable and situationally ruthless to rule over them. Kindness and philanthropy create opportunities for those with fewer inhibitions to spread their power and influence, corrupting the nation's lifeblood, its people. No matter how hard you try, you won't be able to make everyone happy. Rather, the more you personally work to ensure the prosperity of your citizens, the greater and more unrealistic their demands will become..."
Sinking into the water, Mordred remained submerged for a few seconds before rising to a seated position, placing her hands on the sides of the bath, and standing. Water cascaded down her lithe and athletic frame, causing Leon's throat to tighten, but she didn't remain wet for long as a burst of warm wind exuded from her body, drying her instantly.
"Anyways," said Mordred, stepping out of the tub and making her way over to the bed as she explained, "People need trials and tribulations to grow to their full potential. Peace is just an opportunity for those in power to consolidate and take it away from others, removing their ability to fight or resist. So, once you 'do' become a King or ruler..."
Lying on the bed and turning onto her side, Mordred adopted the most alluring look Leon had ever witnessed as she caressed her abdomen with her left hand and said, "Be firm and decisive. And instead of taking it upon yourself to solve people's problems directly, delegate the responsibility to those you trust or have proven themselves. No one should ever be able to pin fault directly on you as that creates a pretense others can use to have you 'removed' from your position..."
Though he was tempted to ask if she was speaking from experience, Leon kept silent as he sat on the edge of the bed and traced his hand along the contours of Mordred's body. He got the distinct impression she was trying to groom him into her ideal Lord or monarch, but so long as she was there at his side, Leon felt it might not be so bad to be a bit of a tyrant...
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As everyone went to sleep fairly early, Leon wasn't too surprised when he and Mordred exited their cabin around 3 AM and heard the sound of metal hammering against metal in the distance.
"See? What did I tell you?" asked Mordred, crossing her arms and looking proud of herself as she added, "It's this loud from fifty meters away. And that's just the sound produced by one person. Imagine how loud it will be once we have an entire district of dedicated blacksmiths and artisans."
"It's only this loud because he's outside," contended Leon. "If we place cones along the inner walls of the Workshop or cover them in a porous material, it should dampen the sound and prevent it from echoing."
Blinking in surprise, Mordred asked, "Really? And here I was, starting to think the only thing in that head of yours is libidinous thoughts. I guess you're not completely inept."
Rolling his nonexistent eyes, Leon suggested, "We should go over and take a look. If my guess is correct, he should be working on your sword or Presea's axe."
"If he's working on the latter, he damn well better be finished with mine..." said Mordred, narrowing her eyes as she tried to get a glimpse of what Wil was working on in the distance. She was eager to enter the Tower and see what kind of challenges awaited them, but while she was confident in her hand-to-hand capabilities, the aptitude that had earned her a position as a Knight of the Round Table was her swordsmanship.
Fortunately for Mordred, it didn't take long for her and Leon to ascertain that Wil was, most likely, working on her sword. More accurately, he was working on a long, thick piece of heated metal, but since it was much too long to be an axe's blade, it could only be the rudimentary form of a very large greatsword.
Stopping a few meters away so as not to disrupt Wil's focus, Leon asked, "Will you be able to swing around such a massive blade in your weakened state?"
"Wielding a large sword is more about technique and Mana control than actual strength," contended Mordred. "I might be able to lift hundreds of kilograms over my head, but if I were to hold it out in front of me, I would naturally fall over. The key is to propel the sword using Mana and guide it with your body as a counterweight and your joints as a fulcrum."
"Mind teaching me once I acquire a physical body...?" asked Leon.
With her eyes initially widening and then narrowing, Mordred adopted a somewhat predatory smile as she asked, "Are you sure? You saw how I treated that Presea girl yesterday. If you're serious about having me help in your training, I won't hold back."
"Then let's be sure to find enough gold to construct a Tabernacle and upgrade it to a Church before then," said Leon, doing his best to sound confident. In reality, the thought of having Mordred as a training partner filled him with anxiety, but as long as he could use Magic and grow far beyond the limitations of his previous self, he was willing to endure a bit of suffering.
Grinning from ear to ear, Mordred proposed, "We can start now if you'd like. You're definitely getting better at interacting with the physical world. Swinging around a wooden sword should help to improve your focus and allow you to assist with clearing the Tower. I personally don't mind if you want to sit back and twiddle your thumbs, but would you be satisfied with simply watching?"
"You have a habit of making compelling yet remarkably annoying points..." said Leon. Then, after rubbing his forehead and running his nonexistent hand down his face, he added, "But you're right. I wouldn't be content just sitting back. I also want to become stronger, so I might as well get a jump start on things..."
"Good answer," said Mordred, punching Leon's shoulder. "But you should try to be more spirited. The moment you begin training, you're effectively racing against the clock. If you want to avoid plateauing, face each day as if you would be battling your greatest enemy the next. The moment you get into a routine and allow yourself to become complacent, your growth will stagnate, and your skills will rot."
"I'll be sure to give it my all," replied Leon. "Though, before we start, I'd like to check on Presea. I promised to do so a few times a day."
"Okay? You don't need my permission to do things," said Modred. "If you made a promise, you're honor-bound to keep it. Just hurry back so we can get started."
"Be back in a few," replied Leon, opening the Assign tab, zooming in on the clearing in front of Presea's cabin, and teleporting there rather than directly to her. The previous day's mishap was still fresh in his mind, so he wanted to avoid a repeat or similar incident.
After opening her Status to confirm she was awake, taking note of the fact her Strength and Endurance had diminished slightly, Leon made his way to Presea's front door and gave it a gentle rap. He heard movement, but it took a minute or two for Presea to answer the door. When she did, Leon's brow immediately began to twitch...
"Leon...?" asked Presea, wearing her dark purple tunic but with the front open and without her belt. Her breasts weren't visible, but her navel and spats-like bottoms were, the latter leaving little to the imagination as she didn't have panties on underneath.
"You're missing your belt..." muttered Leon, averting his face and eyes as Presea gazed down and observed the condition of her body. Then, with a slight pout, she raised her head and repeated what she had told Mordred the day before, "I'm not a kid..."
'And I'm not a lolicon...' Leon replied in his mind, outwardly stating, "That's even more of a reason to cover yourself. It's called modesty...and before you say anything, I've told Mordred the same thing. She just doesn't care if others see her exposed skin..."
"Why should she...?" asked Presea, tilting her head to the side and leaving Leon at a slight loss. Then, demonstrating that modesty was a completely foreign concept to her, she deliberately opened her tunic wider, exposing the veritable landing strip that was her slender frame while asking, "Does my body frighten you...?"
'In more ways than one...' thought Leon, outwardly responding, "It's not like that...it's just...I honestly don't know how to explain it. Can you please just fix your clothes...?"
"Okay..." replied Presea, appearing downcast as she closed the front of her tunic and withdrew into her cabin to retrieve her belt. Her reaction caused Leon to feel a pang of guilt, but even if he didn't already have Mordred, Mirabelladonna's warnings were still fresh in his mind. There might not be a Twitter or other social media platform to crucify him, but regardless of how much he desired to help Presea, he couldn't set aside his inhibitions to ogle, much less appreciate, someone with the body of a child...anime logic be damned...
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