Capítulo 12: Chapter 012
"Hey...sorry about before. If I hurt your feelings, it wasn't intentional..." said Leon, walking alongside Presea as they made their way to the central clearing.
"It's fine..." replied Presea, looking directly ahead. It turned out that the reason she answered the door in such a state was that she had difficulty getting dressed and fixing her belt quickly with only one good hand. In the end, she had to return to the entrance to ask for Leon's help, leaving him at a loss and making him feel even more guilty...
"Still...I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. For that, I apologize..." said Leon.
"I accept your apology," said Presea, still looking ahead as they neared their destination, a perfectly flat clearing that would doubtlessly become their town center in the future.
Noticing Presea's approach, Mordred looked to the rudimentary cast on her left arm, grinning as she asked, "I'm guessing you won't be partaking in today's training...?"
"I can still run and use my right hand..." asserted Presea, raising and forming her right hand into a fist.
"Good answer...!" exclaimed Mordred. Then, looking to where she sensed Leon, she tossed him a hastily whittled wooden sword covered in holes to reduce its weight, saying, "Give this one a try."
As he had improved considerably since his inability to affect the world around him, Leon caught the sword without issue. Unfortunately, when he attempted to swing it full force, it immediately flew from his hand as if the handle were covered in grease.
"I figured as much," said Mordred, standing with her arms crossed but lacking the judgmental expression Leon expected. Instead, she appeared calm and patient as she stated, "We'll set aside footwork and form training for now. What I want you to focus on is swinging, thrusting, and projecting that sword as hard as you can, as many times as your current form allows. Don't worry if it flies from your hand. Focus solely on drawing out as much power as you can. In the meantime..."
Looking at Presea, Mordred regained her smile as she asked, "Want to go through a run in the forest? You have a small body and a lot of power, so it shouldn't be too difficult to improve your Agility if you get accustomed to moving around. Then, who knows? Maybe during our next fight, you won't suffer such a humiliating defeat."
Furrowing her brows, Presea replied, "Let's go," with a determined look on her doll-like face. In response, Mordred laughed and took off running with Presea chasing after her like a murderous Ex. As a result, Leon was left on his own, but as he was serious about getting stronger, he decided to trust in Mordred's advice and began swinging the wooden sword as hard as he could, over and over without rest. Having it continuously slip from his grip was beyond frustrating, but as he didn't have muscles to exhaust, he kept going until the sky brightened, and the girls returned with leaf-wrapped bundles of crabs and oysters. Apparently, instead of running around the camp, they ran to the beach that was more than 100km away, discovered some tidal pools, pilfered them for ingredients, and ran back in just under five hours...
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"How is it?" asked Wil, wearing his usual smile as he explained, "It's not my finest work, but I gave it my all to ensure it's well-balanced and can hold an edge."
"You did well considering the materials we had on hand," said Mordred, grinning from ear to ear as she inspected the steel greatsword Wil had spent the past ten hours forging. It was heavier than her Clarent, but she could tell from the moment she grasped it that Wil was a genuine master of his craft.
"On the subject of materials, could I ask you to delay entering the Tower for a few days?" asked Wil, explaining, "I wish to accompany you inside to get a feel for the Tower's ecology and see if I can't identify anything that would prove useful in the construction of weapons and other armaments."
"Hmmm..."
As he had a much better understanding of the type of person that Wil was, Leon injected himself into the exchange, stating, "We should allow it. He's currently weakened, just like you and Presea, but Wil was a capable fighter back in his world. He also possesses the Skills [Adventurer] and [Appraising Eye]. The former lets him locate hidden areas, pick locks, and excavate resources, while the latter allows him to analyze the properties of monsters and materials."
Blinking in surprise, Wil asked, "You can tell things like that? That console of yours is pretty amazing..."
Before Leon could respond, Mordred left him feeling a little taken aback by stating, "Curiosity is good, but don't get ahead of yourself by making comments or asking things you shouldn't. As for you accompanying us into the Tower, I have no reason to object if our Lord permits it. But I'll be watching to ensure you're worthy of his trust."
Though he was tempted to ask Mordred what the fuck she was doing, Leon decided to just go with the flow when he saw Wil place his hand over his chest, bow his head, and respond, "I will do my utmost to prove myself worthy of this opportunity..."
Nodding in approval, Mordred kept the momentum of the conversation in her favor by stating, "We'll give you three days to finish your preparations. That includes preparing a great axe for the girl called Presea. If you need additional materials, bring your requests to me."
"Understood," replied Wil, keeping his head bowed and eyes closed with a faint smile adorning his face. Unlike Leon, he could tell that Mordred was making a play to secure the former's position and establish the hierarchy needed to form a structured society. He was also accustomed to dealing with Nobles and government officials, so he had no qualms about playing Mordred's game if it meant reuniting with his friends and loved ones.
"I'm starting to see what our Lord sees in you," mused Mordred. "Keep up the good work, Master Alchemist."
After offering a slight bow of her own, Mordred departed the Workshop without further remark. Her actions left Leon feeling exasperated, but as he believed they were for a reason, he decided against hanging back to apologize to Wil and instead followed after her.
"What was that about...?" asked Leon, waiting until he and Mordred were outside and returning to their cabin.
"Whether you like it or not, you're our leader and the future Lord of this land," replied Mordred. "Interactions with your subjects outside of very private settings should be transactional. You should get into the mindset that everything on this island and found within the Tower belongs to you because if you don't, there will be those who attempt to lay claim to what they find and use it to increase their personal status and power."
Stopping to face Leon, Mordred added, "The proper order of things is for discoveries to be reported to the King or regional Lord. Then, you reward them, usually with wealth, status, or a title, but 'never' by allowing them to claim ownership of their discovery. You then contract them to manage the land or delegate someone else to oversee its development. But never, and I mean NEVER, cede ownership of land or valuable resources to someone else. It sets a dangerous precedent and is the essence of monopolies and how rival factions form."
"..."
Though it was a lot to process, Leon could understand at least the basics of what Mordred was trying to convey. He had never imagined himself in a government position, but if it would prevent future problems from popping up, he would heed her advice as much as his conscience allowed...
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[Two Days Later]
"This is absurd..." muttered Mordred, arriving at the location of the quarry Leon had started on after their morning training. Less than half a day had passed since, but the crater he had formed was an inverted step pyramid with a base of 50x50m and a depth nearing 30.
Descending the meter-high steps, Mordred approached where she had last witnessed a chunk of stone vanish into thin air. Leon spotted her as she approached, but when he saw the dumbfounded look on her face, he began to feel tense, asking, "Did I do something wrong...?" once she was in casual speaking distance.
"The opposite," replied Mordred, smiling broadly. "Your ability to excavate and clear land is phenomenal. Because of it, we should have no trouble upgrading our cabin into a keep and transforming the encampment into a proper castle town."
Breathing a sigh of relief, Leon adopted a smile of his own and said, "I'm still not sold on the idea of constructing a castle, but I'm willing to give it a try. Just don't be too surprised if I upgrade it to something a little more modern later on..."
Exhaling a single chuckle, Mordred remarked, "You're the Lord. Just keep in mind that your home will serve as an example for the dwellings of your future retainers. It should be more extravagant than any other, but not so much that it appears gaudy or pretentious."
"Right..." replied Leon, his smile cramping as he asked, "So, what's up? I thought we would meet back at the cabin once the sky started to darken. Did you miss me...?"
Crossing her arms and staring at Leon with unamused, half-lidded eyes, Mordred revealed, "Tomorrow is the day we venture into the Tower. I had our resident Master Alchemist prepare a spear for you."
"A spear...?"
"It's typically a weapon dispensed to peasants and farmers to make use of their numbers, but its ease of use is a strength you can take advantage of. More importantly, it will keep you from developing too many bad habits before you acquire a physical body and start your swordsmanship training in earnest."
"Why don't I just stick with the spear if it's so easy to use?" asked Leon. "Back in my word, spears were even more effective than swords, at least before the advent of modern weapons."
"The spear is a weapon virtually anyone can pick up, but truly mastering it is a feat few are capable of," stated Mordred. "Swords may have a shorter range, but their adaptability and killing power are much higher due to their weight and larger cutting edge. Tell me, would you rather be able to slice through half a dozen men with a single sweep of a greatsword or pierce a single opponent through the head or heart using what amounts to a very pointy stick...?"
"Is blowing things up with Magic an option...?" asked Leon, mostly as a joke. Unfortunately, Mordred didn't seem to appreciate it, her green eyes narrowing into a withering stare as she proclaimed, "Magic, Sorcery, and Witchcraft are the tools of villains and cowards. Those who delve deeply into such arts unfailingly come to regard others as tools or mere materials to further their knowledge and experiments, ever in pursuit of power that will never truly belong to them...much like your console..."
"..."
Feeling that she had gotten her point across, Mordred closed her eyes and took a steadying breath before allowing her expression to relax. She knew there were benevolent Magic users, but they were primarily hermits or people who kept to themselves. Those who used it to rule might start with good intentions, but as they came under increasing pressure to use their Magic to solve all kinds of problems, they would invariably resort to extreme means or simply snap. Thus, for all of their sakes, Mordred would never allow Leon to prioritize the arcane arts over self-master. Those who took shortcuts to achieve their goals weren't worthy to rule over anyone...
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(A/N: We're up to Chapter 56 on my Patreon, by the way o3o...)
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