45 Chapter 045

Making her way through one of the unexplored areas of the Teleportation Labyrinth with Leon possessing her body, Mordred raised her brows when she found her path barred by a nearly five-meter-long tarantula. Its large, venom-dripping black fangs and the many sharp, hair-like spines covering its body might have frightened a normal person, but Mordred's expression conveyed boredom as she droned, "Please tell me this Dungeon isn't filled with a bunch of giant insects..."

'Floors one and two are mostly filled with these Tarantula Deathlords and a type of armored caterpillar known as an Iron Crawler,' explained Leon. 'But, once we reach the third, we start encountering headless mud giants called Mad Skulls and animated armor known as Armored Warriors.'

"Hmmm..."

Seeing the Tarantula Deathlord raise the front of its body and spit out a globule of expanding web, Mordred casually swung her +10 Katana[3], dropped from a Male Thief Bug on the First Floor, upgraded by Wil, and slotted with two Hunter Flies and a Metaling Card.

Though Mordred had infused very little Mana into her blade, her casual slash tore the Tarantula Deathlord's web, comparable to thin steel wires, to shreds. Then, before it had time to realize what was happening, she appeared behind it, courtesy of Leon teleporting her, to unleash a second casual slash, scattering the enormous spider into countless gorey pieces.

"Well, at least I got plus three to my Endurance..." remarked Mordred, bending down to pick up the tiny spool of silk-like thread the Tarantula Deathlord had dropped. There was also what looked like a spider leg, so Leon placed both into his Storage before they pressed on...

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"Now this is more like it...!" exclaimed Mordred, grinning like a demon as she tore through a veritable army of animated suits of rusty armor, each possessing four arms and wielding a variety of weapons from swords to axes and spears. Individually, they weren't very powerful, but they were able to coordinate their attacks to try and surround her, and, every now and then, one would even be able to parry her sword strikes, albeit at the cost of having their weapon shattered.

Cutting her way through the chaffe, Mordred ignored the tiny nicks and wounds she received as she thrust her katana toward the 'heart' of an Armored Knight with distinctive red and gold-trimmed armor. Her sword failed to pierce it since it was partially infused with an exceptionally hard metal known as Adamantite, but the injuries on her body 'evaporated' as she recuperated 30% of the damage she inflicted by sending the 3m tall suit of armor crashing backward through its subordinates.

"Come on, if you're a real Knight, face me man-to-woman...!" bellowed Mordred, channeling Mana through her katana and sweeping it to push back all the nearby Armored Warriors, leaving only herself and the 'Red Knight.'

Surprising Leon, the Red Knight actually seemed to respect Mordred's challenge, gesturing for the other Armored Warriors to stand down as it readied a tower shield with its two left arms and a set of spiked maces with its rights. Ghostly blue flames enveloped the heads of both maces, and when it swung them, a large wave of blue flames was sent forth, only to be sliced apart by three blindingly fast slashes from Mordred.

Kicking off from the ground hard enough to leave deep, foot-shaped pits in the Dungeon's durable stone floor, Mordred's form became a crimson blur as she lunged forward and stabbed with the very tip of her katana, producing a visible shockwave as it impacted the tower shield and once again knocked the Red Knight off balance.

"Spread your legs and lean into it!" shouted Mordred, inverting her body as she leaped to the ceiling and kicked off it in pursuit of the Red Knight. It managed to raise its shield for protection, but its body still ended up cratering the ground when Mordred twisted her body and landed a heavy, almost 'meteoric' heel kick against it, sending stone shrapnel flying in all directions.

Creating some distance between herself and the Red Knight, Mordred shouted, "Get up! I know you can keep fighting...!"

Though it took notable effort, as its Mana was gradually being scattered by Mordred's, the Red Knight forced itself to rise, discarding its shield in favor of wielding its two maces in its upper left and right hands while the other two were held in a loose boxing pose.

Grinning from ear to ear, Mordred held her katana almost like a baseball bat, amassing a tremendous amount of Mana in its blade and waiting for the Red Knight to lunge forward between rearing back and swinging it like she was aiming for a homerun. The result was a blinding, bluish-white arc of horizontal light that sliced through and shredded the Red Knight while annihilating everything unlucky enough to be within a thirty-nine-degree, sixty-meter cone of Mordred's position.

[Congratulations on defeating your first Crimson Knight! As a reward, your Strength, Endurance, and Spirit have increased by 5!]

"I knew that wasn't an ordinary monster," remarked Mordred, looking over her shoulder to see that most of the remaining Armored Warriors had also disappeared, releasing a bluish-white haze as their armor dissolved into a black, ashy substance. Most dropped nothing but Thousand-Grain Crstyal Fragments, but when she moved over to where the Crimson Knight's body had disappeared, she and Leon were surprised to find a Red Crystal and a ceremonial dagger.

'Wow,' said Leon. 'I figured it was only a matter of time before a monster dropped a completed crystal, but I didn't expect it to happen so soon. We should have Wil mount that dagger and keep it as a memento.'

'Mmm...I get where you're coming from, but while it was a monster, that Crimson Knight fought honorably. We should prepare a hero's tomb for it and use this dagger as the monument,' contended Mordred.

'Hero's tomb...?' repeated Leon.

'Though we do our best, it's not always possible to bring back the bodies of those who have fallen in battle,' explained Mordred. 'In situations such as that, an empty grave is prepared, and items related to the departed are used to mark it.'

'Then let's do that,' said Leon, separating from Mordred and producing two shovels from his Storage. Digging a hole manually took a lot of time, especially when the Dungeon was mostly stone, but since they weren't in a particular hurry, Leon and Mordred spent an hour or two preparing and marking the Crimson Knight's entirely symbolic tomb...

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After returning from the Tower with Mordred, Leon parted ways with her at the dining hall and made his way toward his room. He could now eat if he really wanted to, but since the taste receptors weren't perfect, he had forbidden himself from trying Erina's or any of the other Shokugeki Chef's cooking until he had a proper body.

"I'm baaaaaack~!" shouted Leon, opening his door and stepping into his room with the expectation that Sylvie, Ember, and Luna would rush over to greet him. Sylvie immediately did just that, practically flying across the room to nuzzle him with her face and feelers, but Ember and Luna stayed where they were, staring at him alongside a petite Maid with bobbed pink hair that covered her left eye.

"You're back early..." said the Maid, wearing the same uniform as other Maids in the estate but with a flowery headband, matching the one her blue-haired sister wore but with a purple, flower-shaped ribbon on the right side rather than the left.

Recognizing the girl, Ram, as one of Subaru's many failed attempts to summon Emilia, Leon adopted a smile and asked, "Did you take over this duty from Petra?"

Nodding curtly, Ram resumed brushing Ember's hair as she answered, "I wanted to do more for you..."

Exhaling a faint sigh through his nose, Leon carried Sylvie over to his bed, cradled her with his left arm, and gently caressed her belly to soothe her as he said, "I appreciate the sentiment. Just don't push yourself too hard, okay? You and your sister have been through a lot..."

Half-turning her head to stare at Leon from where she was seated on the floor, Ram remained silent for several seconds before asking, "Will you rub my belly next...?"

"It's not entirely out of the question..." replied Leon, meeting Ram's gaze as he added, "But I told you that you didn't need to worry about securing your and your sister's place here. I might be unable to justify increasing your pay if you can't do proper house and garden work, but I would never consider firing or throwing you out."

"Because you pity us...?" asked Ram.

Shrugging, Leon replied, "You could interpret it that way. As for me, I just don't want to be a cunt. So, until you and your sister are ready to set out and settle elsewhere, you're welcome to stay and work here."

"What if I choose to stay forever...?" asked Ram.

"Then I'll have one more thing to admire when I'm occasionally passing through the halls," Leon said, punctuating his words with a playful wink. Ram had outright tried to form a 'contract' with him in the past, offering her body in exchange for him ensuring her and her sister's livelihoods, but while she was cute and her height was the same as Mordred's, Leon felt her slender and petite frame toed a dangerous line between pubescence and being a genuine loli.

Finished brushing Ember's fur, Ram carried her over and set her on Leon's bed, their gazes meeting in close proximity as she flatly stated, "I'll wear something that exposes my midriff next time..." before turning and leaving the room without further remark.

"Leon...look at me..." said Sylvie, using her feelers to turn his face toward her instead of permitting him to follow Ram's departure with his eyes. She felt anxious when he paid attention to others while holding her, but once she saw the slightly disproving look on his face, she quickly weakened her hold on his head, not wanting to be labeled a bad girl. Only good girls received rewards, so she curled up her forepaws adorably and activated her Babydoll Eyes while sticking her tongue out.

Exhaling through his nose in mild exasperation, Leon's stern expression softened as he said, "I'll forgive you this time..." before sliding his hand to Sylvie's lower abdomen. It wasn't much better than outright fingering her, but since he would rather not learn what the insides of her pussy felt like, Leon settled on massaging her womb, causing her legs to twitch and kick thanks to the pleasure amplification of his now B-Ranked [Gratification]...

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Though the members of the Frontier Expedition Squad had been ordered to rest and recuperate in preparation for the impending battle against the potential Floor Guardian, Leon was unsurprised to find Miu in her bodysuit and combat attire when he reached her room. It had effectively become a part of their daily routine for him to drop by in the evening before they left for the Tower, so she was waiting patiently for him when he arrived, sitting on the edge of her bed with a somewhat listless look as she wasn't sure if he would come.

"You look like a sad puppy..." mused Leon, entering the room and closing the door behind him.

Remaining seated on her bed, Miu held her hands up in a begging pose, adopting a playful smile as she asked, "Are you going to adopt me~?" in a slightly husky tone, contrasting the usually high-pitched and cutesy tone she used around others.

Directing his gaze to Miu's Pikachu, Leon remarked, "You might want to take a walk."

"Pikaaa..."

Rolling its eyes, the Pikachu got up, lifted the grate off one of the vents, and disappeared into the manor's central heating system. As for Miu, she seemed nervous and slightly expectant as she asked, "What are we going to do...?"

"The same thing we do almost every night..." replied Leon, approaching, guiding Miu onto her back, and biting her already hardened nipple through the fabric of her bodysuit while he pinned her hands over her head. Then, as they had a solid four hours to make use of before it would start cutting into her sleep time, he used two of them to continue the almost addictive process of developing her body while training his Skill...

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