Chapter 016

"Wow. It really is like a whole other world," said Souma, getting his first look at the interior of the Tower's first floor.

"Just remember what we discussed during breakfast," said Leon. "You're free to explore, but stay with your partner. And if you find and enter a field dungeon, stay near the entrance so you can retreat if shit hits the fan. I'll drop by every hour or two to check on you and place any loot you find in Storage. Remember, safety first, people!"

"Yeah, yeah. You worry too much, Leon," said Souma, picking his ear as he and Shouichi headed south from the entrance.

"Want me to smack him...?" asked Mordred, raising her right fist. She was still a little sore after Souma's prank, so she wouldn't mind teaching him a lesson.

Shaking his head, Leon replied, "Forget it," before looking to Presea and Wil, adding, "Take care, you two."

"We'll be fine," assured Wil. "I mainly plan to catalog the various types of flora present to see if any can't be used to produce medicine or potions. If I find any, I'll let you know."

"Nn. We'll be fine..." appended Presea. Then, alongside Wil, they headed toward the Gaoracchia Forest, intending to circle it to ascertain whether its external dimensions matched its interior.

"And now we're alone," mused Mordred, narrowing her eyes and smiling as she asked, "What shall we do~?"

"I wanted to test something out," replied Leon. "Specifically, I wanted to head back to the hill from yesterday and see if I can't possess a Poring or get near the King without antagonizing it."

Raising her right brow, Mordred asked, "You want to possess one of those little pink blobs...?"

"Well, I wanted to try it with something like a fish or an animal from the forest first, but monsters should be even better targets as they may have Levels and skills," explained Leon. "I received a number of stat increases during yesterday's exploration, but I don't feel any different. If my guess is correct, they only apply to the things I'm possessing."

"Then why not try possessing me...?" asked Mordred. "If your stats really do apply to the things you possess, you can boot my capabilities, and we can grow stronger together. And, who knows? Maybe you'll pick up some of my skills by experiencing them directly."

"That's...a surprisingly reasonable argument..." admitted Leon. "The only problem is..."

Feeling Leon scan her with his eyes, Mordred furrowed her brows and asked, "Are you really this self-conscious? I'm the one being possessed, you know? And if it feels awkward, we can just not do it again. Now, stop being a wimp and get inside me...!"

Exhaling through his nonexistent nose and shaking his head, Leon was tempted to refuse, but if it were true that he could empower his allies and potentially gain their Skills, the benefits of fusion would far outweigh any discomfort he might have to endure.

"Fine. But remember...you asked for this..." said Leon, surging forward and into Mordred's body with startling ease. Instead of having his perspective shift so that he was looking through her eyes, however, he found himself floating above and slightly behind her, similar to entering third-person in a video game. More notably, a heads-up display appeared, displaying green and blue bars above Mordred's head and highlighting nearby enemies and objects containing Mana.

'Whoa...this feels weird...' said Mordred, but the words never left her lips. Instead, they echoed through both her and Leon's minds, like telepathy but more...direct.

'Can you hear me...?' asked Leon, noticing Mordred tense but unable to feel what she was feeling. He could see her heart rate, blood pressure, and what he assumed to be her biometric data as part of the heads-up display, but there was a clear disconnect between them, as if she were merely an avatar for him to control.

'I can hear you,' replied Mordred, looking up and around herself as she asked, 'Are you in my head...?'

'It's difficult to describe, but if you'll allow it, there's something I want to try...' answered Leon.

'Go for it,' replied Mordred. 'Just remember that you 'will' have a body one day. Mess around with mine, and I'll eventually get even with you...'

'I'll keep that in mind,' said Leon. Then, similar to the neural interface he had tested at a tech convention in his past life, he made Mordred take a few steps forward by simply thinking about it.

'Okay, this shit is super creepy...' said Mordred. 'It feels like I'm the one moving, but there is a disconnect between my brain and body. The best way I can describe it is that it's similar to muscle memory but constantly active...'

'Just a few more things, and then I'll stop,' stated Leon, imagining himself inputting an attack command on a controller. In response, Mordred swung her greatsword in a swift, smooth arc that left behind a visible afterimage. Then, like trying out the controls in an ARPG, he caused her to jump, dash forward with Mana Burst, and string together a random combo of sword swings that made it look like she was dancing, all while the green bar over her head slowly depleted.

"That's enough...!" exclaimed Mordred, feeling overwhelming discomfort as her forced movements were all at full strength. She usually held back to preserve her stamina, but when Leon compelled her to move, she did so at full force, holding nothing back. There was a noticeable increase in her speed and strength, but at the rate her muscles were fatiguing, she'd be lucky to endure more than a few minutes before collapsing.

Stopping the moment Mordred shouted, Leon asked, 'Are you okay...?' in an audibly concerned tone.

'I'm fine...' Mordred replied, but her accelerated heart rate and increased blood pressure suggested otherwise. From Leon's perspective, it looked like she was experiencing a panic attack, so he remained silent for a few seconds before whispering, 'Your swordsmanship is beautiful...sorry if I got a little carried away...'

Exhaling a protracted sigh, Mordred controlled her breathing, stood tall, and replied, 'I said I was fine. Now hurry up and check my Status. Let me know if my stats increased.'

'I have, and they did,' replied Leon. 'If you want to know the specifics, they increased by roughly 120 points in each parameter. I'm guessing I started with a baseline of 100.'

'So I'm roughly twice as fast and strong?' asked Mordred, going from surprised to smiling as she teased, 'I honestly expected a ten, maybe twenty-point increase. You're surprisingly useful...'

'Then I'm guessing you can't see my console or any of these display features...?' asked Leon.

'Nope. My vision and hearing have definitely improved, but I don't see anything unusual or out of place,' replied Mordred, subsequently asking, 'Why, what do you see...?'

'I don't know if it's because of your ability to sense Mana or because we've fused, but I can ascertain the location of nearby enemies and see outlines around certain plants,' explained Leon.

'Take me to one of them, and let's see if you can place items in your Storage while possessing me,' suggested Mordred. In response, Leon navigated her to what looked like the stalk of a green onion. There was initially a series of question marks above it, but as Mordred bent down to pluck it from the ground, Leon received a pop-up notification saying she had harvested 1x [Speedy Green Onion].

Seeing the onion disappear from her hand, presumably disappearing into Leon's Storage, Mordred smiled and thought, 'Now, see if you can teleport me to one of the other groups. If it works, we'll have a significantly easier time regrouping.'

'Sure,' responded Leon, opening the Assign tab and zooming in on the location of Presea and Wil. Fortunately, much like when he had possessed the tree, he and Mordred were immediately teleported to the duo, causing Wil's eyes to widen as he asked, "Sir Mordred? Did you just perform some kind of spatial movement...?"

Adopting a cheeky smile, Mordred unhesitantly explained, "Leon and I are currently one being. It appears that, while he's possessing me, I'm able to benefit from his console's functions."

Though Wil blinked in surprise, it was Presea who asked, "Leon is inside of you...?"

Placing her right hand over her remarkably toned abdomen and grinning mischievously, Mordred asked, "Why? Are you jealous...?"

Furrowing her brows, Presea looked like she wanted to say something but instead turned around and began walking away. Wil eventually followed after her, but before that, he told Mordred and Leon that he would like to inquire about the specifics of their fusion once they returned to camp. He had his own experiences with possession in the past, but it never hurt to learn more...

...

..

.

'Mind telling me why you're constantly asking Presea if she likes me or feels jealous...?' asked Leon. 'You know how much her circumstances and appearance bother me...'

'It's because I find her cute,' replied Mordred, absent so much as a hint of hesitation. Then, shrugging, she added, 'Unlike you, I come from a world where girls as young as four were traded between families of farmers and groomed to be brides or extra hands. You might find Presea's appearance childish, but I find it charming. Besides, from what I've been told, she's at least twenty-eight, going on twenty-nine. If no one else claims her, I have no qualms about taking her in myself.'

'Then what about us...?' asked Leon.

Stopping mid-step, Mordred tilted her head slightly and asked, 'What do you mean?'

'You know what I mean...' Leon asserted.

Appearing genuinely surprised, Mordred blinked several times, her eyes wide as she asked, 'Wait, do you mean to say you've actually fallen in love with me? You do realize I'm not even altogether human, right? And even if I were, I have no intention of becoming a Queen or being tied to anyone. I mean, I already told you why I'm here. I'm willing to warm your bed for as long as it takes us to reach the top of the Tower, but if you expect me to fall in love or marry you...'

Allowing her words to trail off, Mordred raised her gaze to the sky above, supplanting, 'Well...it's not completely impossible...I do enjoy having you obsess over me, but I wouldn't want to get married or have your children. I'm not exactly mother material, and while I'm sure others will, I wouldn't want to start a family in a place like this...'

'Then I just won't get married or have children...' contended Leon.

'Don't be a fool,' said Mordred, furrowing her brows. 'It might not matter to you, but those who make up your court and those you rule over won't feel at ease without a line of succession. Producing one or more heirs is one of the most important duties of a ruler.' 

Feeling slightly annoyed, Leon argued, 'I've never even wanted kids, so how do you expect me to marry and produce several when you're putting your foot down and refusing to have children of your own? You shouldn't expect others to do things you willfully abstain or excuse yourself from...'

'Are you telling me you refuse to have children unless I bear them for you...?' asked Mordred, sporting a look of incredulity but with her heart beating noticeably quicker.

'I'm saying I never even considered having children, so if you intend to force the matter, you should take responsibility...' stated Leon, suddenly feeling embarrassed but doing his best to sound firm and resolute.

Amused by Leon's utter shamelessness, Mordred released a hearty laugh while clutching her abdomen. Leon began to feel a little gloomy after the first couple of seconds, but before he could start brooding or kicking imaginary rocks, Mordred settled down, wiped a tear from her eye, and said, "Fine. If you're going to be borderline petulant about it, I'll at least consider it. But I'm still not going to become your Queen. Find someone else to fill that role, and, alongside becoming your General, I'll accept a position as your mistress or concubine. Deal...?"

'I'd prefer it if you became my Queen, but I'm willing to compromise since you are...' replied Leon, feeling a combination of relief and exhaustion. The mere thought of having two wives made him feel exasperated, but since it was a given that polygamy would be the norm when he already had three protagonists from harem franchises among his allies, he decided to, at the very least, remain open-minded to the possibility...

...

..

.