30-37
Chapter 30 - Help Cleaning (1)
Leonel lost his concept of time. The sun likely rose and set at least twice, maybe three times? He wasn't sure.
He didn't know where he pulled the strength from.
The truth was that kind of time didn't pass. Even if Leonel himself was surpassing the limits of a human, fighting for three days without rest was beyond him. Even when he stayed awake for that long in the Mayan temple, most of the time was spent sneaking around and avoiding large groups of Spaniards.
Still, his illusion of the sun rising and setting wasn't completely off. By the time Leonel slowly dragged his beaten and ragged body out, his spear in one hand, Aina in the other, the high sun had set and the hints of dawn had begun to creep up.
Leonel's spear and Aina's battle ax dragged along the ground, leaving deep marks in the dry land. He had no idea how Aina managed to hang onto that massive thing while cuddling up like a kitten, but the reality was right before him.
"… How'd I end up liking such a crazy woman…"
Leonel looked down at Aina who had her head buried in his chest. Her right arm was pinned against his body, but her left dragged the ax at an awkward angle. Leonel was worried that her frail arm would snap, but she struggled too strongly every time he tried to adjust her.
On the bright side, Aina's temperature had steadily decreased. At least she wasn't scolding to the touch anymore.
Leonel looked up to find General Franck standing before him with a look of fear in his eyes. It seemed he hadn't dared to retreat without Leonel's input.
"… They won't be attacking again…" Leonel started in a voice so raspy he hardly recognized it as his own. "… We can head to Orleans in 48 hours. I need to rest. Don't disturb me."
The general nodded profusely and even led Leonel to his personal tent.
"… Oh." Leonel paused before entering the tent. "Send two or three of your comfort women here."
The general was speechless for a moment but didn't dare voice the questions in his mind. In fact, he even led two of his favorites over and sent them into the tent without the slightest reservations.
When the two French women entered, they carried slight blushes on their faces. Compared to the less desired comfort women, these two seemed to have just stepped out of a salon. Their clothes were simple and cheap, but clean. In addition, their beauty was enticing. It was obvious that they could pass for noble women had their birth not been so unfortunately low.
When they saw the rippling definition in Leonel's bare back, their blush deepened. They seemed not to notice the dirt, grime and blood that covered him. They were used to dealing with the poor hygiene of soldiers. Compared to them, Leonel was an angel.
"Oh, you're here." Leonel turned back and nodded. "Please help her clean up and lay her to rest. I'll wait outside."
After saying these words, Leonel ignored the confused gazes of the two women and walked out of the tent.
"… Just think about it. Have you ever heard a man of God asking for a whore so openly? Maybe they really are the devil just like the Eng —"
The words froze when Leonel walked out bare chested. They shivered in fear, thinking that they'd be punished. But Leonel simply stood there, his arms crossed and his breathing even. He felt like he could collapse at any moment, but he stood tall.
Right now, he felt better than he had in a long time. Maybe better than he had in his entire life.
It was an odd feeling. He didn't like killing. And today, he had killed more people than he had even in the Mayan Temple. But, his heart was as light as a feather.
There were many complicated questions of morality before him. Whether he deserved to be on a battlefield of mortals even when he was effectively a god amongst them, whether his reasons for killing them were better than their reasons for wanting to kill him, even whether Aina's singular life was worth as much as all of theirs…
However, maybe due to his youth, Leonel had a very youthful answer to it all.
Finding the answer to all of these questions was impossible. Too many things were relative, too many outcomes were ultimately unknown. As long as he could protect his own code, maintain his own conscience… He was okay with that.
If there came a day where someone wanted revenge for his actions, he would welcome it.
After an unknown period of time, the two women came out of the tent.
"The young mistress has been cleaned and is now resting, young noble. You can enter now."
"We've also set a tub of water to warm under a fire for you, young noble. We hope our services have pleased you."
"… You are very lucky, young noble." The women said with a light giggle.
Leonel expressed his thanks, not knowing what the two of them meant by that, as the two comfort women bowed.
After Leonel entered, the two women were swarmed. When they heard the purpose for which the two women were called, their faces could only burn with embarrassment. They were certain Leonel had heard them, yet he couldn't be bothered to deal with them.
That said, the Leonel they so very feared was flustered beyond belief at the moment.
The two women had indeed done what Leonel asked. In fact, they went above and beyond, even wrapping some of Aina's injuries. Near the end of her battle, she hadn't managed to remain completely unscathed.
The issue was that they had applied the bandages and did nothing to put Aina's clothes back on. Luckily Aina's lower half was covered by a bear skin blanket, but her upper half was nothing but bandages. Without her normal covering, her chest was far more prominent.
Aina's assets weren't exactly outrageously large, but Leonel was certain that his hand, even with its own size, had no ability to grasp… it fully.
The important bits were still covered, but it was still far too stimulating for a young man who had never seen such things before. Pornography was too regulated, and Leonel had never even been to a beach before considering how rare those things were in this age, where would he have ever seen such things? He had always rejected James when he tried to goad him into going to see the girls' swim team, worried Aina would be disgusted by his actions.
Leonel quickly covered his eyes. "I didn't see anything… I didn't see anything…"
Leonel rushed to Aina's side, fumbling around a bit and finally pulling the blanket up to cover her completely. Only then did he sigh a breath of relief, missing the slight curve in Aina's lip.
After Leonel settled his beating heart and shifted the uncomfortable stiffness in his pants, he found the large bucket of water the two comfort women had rested over a fire. Feeling that it was hot enough, he used the last of his strength to lug it over to the general's wooden tub and dumped it in.
He had only barely gotten in and begun scrubbing himself when his fatigue hit him like a speeding vehicle. Even he wasn't sure when, but his consciousness slipped into a deep darkness.
Chapter 31 - Help Cleaning (2)
Aina woke up long before Leonel did.
Seeing her present state, she frowned deeply, a whirl of complex emotions spinning in her mind.
She blushed when she realized how scantily clad she was. Had Leonel seen her like this?
No… She faintly felt the presence of two women before, moving her around and cleaning her… It seems he was too honest, just like he always was…
Aina winced slightly as she stood.
Her figure was the pinnacle of perfection. The bandages were too weak to perfectly support her ample bosom, so they rippled slightly under her movement, causing a nose bleed worthy scene. Her lower half was hardly covered at all. If it wasn't for the blanket she still held onto, a heavenly sight would be there for absolutely no one to behold.
Aina touched her face, sighing in relief when she saw that her coverings were still there. It wasn't strictly necessary for her to keep using them, but there was a blockage in her heart that stopped her. Maybe somewhere deep inside, she felt that if Leonel never saw her true face, she would hurt him less.
But what had happened today…? She had ended up hurting him anyway…
Aina finally registered Leonel's light snoring. She turned around to find him passed out in a wooden tub, much of his skin pruning by now.
She inadvertently giggled. There was something about him now that seemed so innocent. She never quite understood how a man who radiated such imposing aura over something as small as a pop quiz or a football game, could simultaneously be so green and pure.
Aina gingerly put on her clothes. It seemed the two women had also done her the service of cleaning them as well. She even found her undergarments taken care of.
Hiding away her gorgeous curves, she walked to the side of Leonel in the tub. A deep red shade covered her cheeks down to her neck. She couldn't quite see Leonel's lower half since the dirt and grime that had covered his body had melded into the water, but the idea that he was naked made her heart beat wildly. It wasn't excitement, but a sheer nervousness at the unknown.
Aina grit her teeth, hooking her shoulder under Leonel's armpit and lifting him.
He didn't even react to her actions, not even the slightest flinch. One could only imagine how tired he must have been to allow such a thing to happen to him in a Zone.
Aina's gaze colored with guilt, biting down on her lower lip.
Eventually, she steadied her heart.
First, she set Leonel down averting her gaze. Then, she poured out the dirty liquid, rushing away to find a few barrels worth of clean water. Though her body was in tatters, she ignored the soreness entirely. For a person with her strength, she didn't even need 10% of her power to do things like lifting up Leonel and bringing in these barrels.
Finally, she got down to doing exactly what she dreaded. Taking a deep breath, she began to clean Leonel, the bite on her lip increasing in pressure the more wounds she exposed beneath the thick patches of dirt and mud.
By the time Leonel's body was mostly clean, her guilt was overwhelmed by cheeks so red steam practically came off of them. She felt that maybe she should have asked the comfort women to come by again to help, but she had conveniently forgotten this possibility.
It was suffice to say that she had never seen a man like this, nor had she ever touched one.
Remembering how long she must have spent sleeping in Leonel's arms, the burning of Aina's cheeks only grew.
But that was right… He had suffered so much, if she couldn't pay him back even this small bit, she couldn't live with herself. But why did his body have to be so toned and hard? Her fingers were trembling with every gentle wipe.
Finally, there was only one part of Leonel's body left. Aina was truly tempted to leave it as is, he would handle it himself when he woke up, but when she thought of the era they were in, she hesitated.
What if it got infected? She knew that that area was a man's pride even if she had never seen one before. She had been around enough high school boys to know that it was all they ever talked about aside from the women they had been with.
Leonel was different from them… But that didn't mean he didn't inwardly place importance on it.
Aina may have never seen one, but she had had a robust education. She knew the kind of impact an infection on such a sensitive area could have, especially in the medieval ages.
The pressure of her teeth on her lips grew again.
Aina slowly took the towel she had used to cover Leonel's area off, barely holding back her girlish squeal when her eyes lay on it. If the Englishmen she had struck fear in saw her now, who knew how they would react?
Aina's breathing turned ragged and choppy. She began to slowly clean the grime away from the edges, pulling her courage together to inch closer.
'… Those are… very sensitive… I should use a lighter touch…' Aina tried to remember what she had learned in all those Class A biology classes. Her Five-Star Profession was actually related to the medical field, so it wasn't very difficult for her.
Aina whimpered slightly when her towel touched those two sensitive things, using her opposite hand to lift up the limp member that covered them slightly. But she was already inwardly panicking even more. Because of her soft touches around such a sensitive area, she had already noticed it growing stiffer. By this point, she didn't even need to actively move it out of the way.
'… Just ignore it… Just ignore it… It's a natural reaction… It just means he's healthy… It'll go down on its own…'
Aina clamped her legs shut tightly, the bite to her lower lips finally beginning to draw blood.
Aina rejoiced inwardly when she felt that she had cleaned Leonel's family jewels adequately enough. There was just one task left.
She cleaned her towel with a new bucket of water and started toward the towering member that filled her with a bit of dread. It pulsed as though it had an eye of its own, piercing into her soul.
'… Maybe a little bit too healthy…'
Aina knew what average was, such a thing was part of her studies. And she knew that this most definitely was not average.
Gathering up the last bits of her courage that remained, Aina used the damp towel on it, wiping away the dried sweat and dirt that had somehow made its way down there.
'… The top is the most sensitive part, I should be careful again…' She thought to herself.
Finally, she got to the top, dabbing away gently and making sure nothing that could infest Leonel got into places it shouldn't.
Just as she felt she was finished and could finally step away, Leonel had a sudden sharp intake of breath.
Aina panicked, thinking that he might wake up. Her neck spun toward his face with such speed that she almost suffered a case of whiplash.
Luckily, it seemed that he was still asleep, completely oblivious to what was happening.
Aina sighed a breath of relief, turning back to her task in time to see a gusher of thick white liquid launching itself into the air with astonishing force. She only had time to block with both her palms before it could land on her face.
Completely stunned, Aina felt the liquid slowly drip down her hands. She could even faintly see the satisfied relief on Leonel's sleeping face between her fingers.
Chapter 32 - Wish (1)
Aina rolled her lips over themselves. In a motion that was far slower than she cared to admit, she washed her hands clean, wiped away the portions that fell on Leonel, and covered his body in a blanket.
Even hours after she finished, her heart still beat wildly.
Days later, Leonel startled awake, finding himself in a rocking vehicle. It took him a moment to realize that he was lying on a bed made of straw and that the 'vehicle' was a horse pulled carriage.
Leonel shot up, taking quick and deep breaths.
How could he let this happen? Not only had he gone to sleep, but he was completely out of it. He was in a Zone, he wasn't at home.
It took several moments before Leonel realized that Aina was sitting on a cushioned bench opposite his, averting her eyes.
Leonel looked down at himself and blinked in confusion. He could tell that he was naked now, but at the very least, his lower half was covered. There was no real reason for her to avert her gaze like that. But, he didn't question it too much.
"Are you alright?" Leonel asked.
Aina finally turned to face Leonel, seemingly stunned by his question.
"… I should be asking you that." She said softly.
"Me? I'm fine." Leonel smiled, rotating his arm as though to prove a point.
He really did feel great.
"I'm sorry for passing out like that." Leonel said apologetically. "I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if something happened while I was out of it."
Aina opened her mouth to answer, but she felt that if she tried to speak now, she wouldn't be able to control her tears. So, she said nothing.
She knew that Leonel couldn't control what happened. Not only had he spent himself dry for her sake, but he had awoken a Lineage Factor he wasn't even aware of. Usually such awakenings happened in a controlled space under the protection of your family. It happening in such a dangerous place was about as disastrous a outcome as you could have.
However, Aina also knew something else. The longer you could withstand the awakening of your Lineage Factor, the greater potential it would have in the future. If her vague thoughts while she was unconscious were correct, Leonel had stayed awake for more than half a day. She had never heard of anyone lasting more than a couple hours at best.
On top of that, Leonel wasn't meditating and gritting his teeth like those people had been. He had been fighting a battle against thousands of enemies. It wasn't an exaggeration to say his degree of difficulty was far higher and worth far more.
The how long one stayed awake metric wasn't exact. It was just a vague metric of how much the Lineage Factor managed to be stimulated. Therefore, if Leonel was battling while his was activated, it went to reason that every second of his remaining awake was worth far more than normal.
Aina couldn't even fathom what that meant. The only one she knew of who could match him was her… But the difference between them was that when her Lineage Factor activated, she lost control of her mind. So while her performance was just as impressive, it wasn't something she was proud of…
She had almost killed her father that day.
"… Please stop apologizing to me…" Aina finally managed to say.
Leonel smiled. "It's not your fault."
"I…"
"Do you have my pants?" Leonel cut her off.
Aina stared blankly for a moment before nodding. She had even managed to patch together the tears in it a bit.
"… They're a bit small for you now, though." She said softly. "I think you've gotten taller."
Leonel's smile widened. "So you pay enough attention to me to notice?"
Aina blushed and turned away, throwing his pants over.
Leonel managed to slip his pants on before standing up and stretching. He was certain that this carriage was only built recently. He likely had the siege engineers to thank.
"You still haven't answered my question." Leonel turned back toward Aina. "Are you alright?"
"…" Aina sighed. "Put a shirt on first and I might consider answering."
Seeing that a bit of Aina's cheekiness was back, Leonel's heart felt lighter. He happily obliged and put on his flexible armor before covering it in an off-white linen shirt he wasn't sure of the origin of.
"Happy?"
Aina turned away. If one focused on his upper half and not his sorry excuse for pants, Leonel actually looked quite good. Luckily he hadn't thought about why he had been unconscious for so long, yet still managed to stay clean.
"… My Lineage Factor has a negative effect on my psychological state. I lose control of it from time to time, but especially when I'm on the verge of a breakthrough. Only when I stabilize into my new realm will I be able to rein it in again."
"I already guessed as much." Leonel waved a hand. "Like I said already, it's not your fault. I only want to know if there are any lasting impacts to your health."
"No… Aside from fatigue, there are no other side effects."
"That's good. Then don't recklessly act when you're on the verge of a breakthrough again. You should have stayed by my side like I asked." Leonel said sternly.
"But you…"
"Hm?" Leonel tried to probe out the rest of her words, but Aina seemed to not want to speak anymore.
'But you…?' Leonel frowned. Suddenly, he froze as though he was hit by a lightning bolt.
He realized he had made a mistake. He and Aina were partners, but he had unilaterally decided to help the Frenchmen. Could it be that Aina took the risk despite knowing the possible outcome because of his decision?
Chapter 33 - Wish (2)
[Extra chapter for reaching 10 reviews (tho it was meant to be 11). I've decided to put the review extra chapter goals aside. I'll also be editing the the powerstone goal and rebooting it from now on. For every 100 powerstones, there will be a bonus chapter that week. Sorry for all the changes, my hands decided to crap out on me after too much writing, lmao. But I'm feeling good with this new keyboard now, so we can get back to grinding.]
Leonel's gaze locked onto Aina as though trying to read something through her expression. But, try as he might, he couldn't get anything out of her. She had returned to being that completely unreadable existence.
"You should focus on understanding your Lineage Factor, we still have some time before we reach Orleans."
Leonel continued to stare at Aina for an uncomfortably long time, as though he hadn't heard her words at all.
He found it too difficult to read her. Was she shy? Or was she the same woman who didn't hesitate to tell him that he smelled or demand he put on a shirt? Was she murderous? Or was she the same woman who stayed back to protect the Frenchmen by his side?
Just who was she?
"… Lineage Factor?" Finally, after Aina began squirming beneath his gaze with nowhere to escape to, he registered the words she had spoken.
"You aren't aware? You awoke a Lineage Factor on the battlefield. It's why you couldn't control your unconscious state."
Leonel frowned. "… You mentioned Lineage Factors once before when you spoke of Natural Force Nodes. What are they exactly?"
Aina wasn't surprised by this question. Judging by Leonel's previous ignorance, whoever of his family was of a higher world most definitely hadn't explained everything to him just yet.
"Just like how Zones are points in time higher dimensions connected with lower ones, Lineage Factors are the genetic equivalent of these instances.
"Have you ever thought of the proper way to interpret higher Dimensions? What exactly does the Fourth Dimension mean?"
"Well, in an abstract sense, a higher order Dimension is just any plane of existence infinitely more powerful than the last, in the simplest terms. I can write a story and exert infinite control over the 2D. Likewise, a 2D construct can obliterate someone in the first Dimension."
Aina nodded. "In the real world, outside of the abstract, higher Dimensions work similarly, though not exactly in this way. The higher a person's Dimensional Constitution, the more influence they can exert. It's this power that causes anomalies that must be dealt with in Zones, and it's also this power that allows certain abilities to be passed down through generations.
"Simply put, a Lineage Factor is the result of a family member of yours, whether in the past or in the future, who has exerted sufficient influence to grant you this ability."
"… Or in the future?" Leonel finally heard something that shocked him.
"Yes. Just like Zones. Sub-Dimensional Zones are examples of the future influencing the past. If they weren't, why would they only start appearing now and not before the Metamorphosis began?
"Just like you said yourself, you can think of it as higher Dimensions being infinitely powerful compared to lower ones. If you wrote a book in 2D, is your concept of time like that of your characters? You could make a million years pass in the blink of an eye if you wanted, or you could have a flashback send them a trillion years into the past."
Leonel's gaze glowed with enlightenment.
'… Do I really have a family member from a higher world? Or is it that someone down my line awakened a similar ability and passed it back to me?'
Leonel's mind spun. 'Wait! If that's possible, then it's not necessarily true that Aina or one of her parents is from another world. If this future influencing the past result is possible and even probable, then it's likely that the most powerful families of Earth will have begun awakening these Lineage Factors.
'Logically, the more powerful the family on Earth, the higher chance they have for success in the future, and the more likely they are to create powerful characters who can pass these abilities backward.
'But I've never heard of Aina's Brazinger family. There's also not a single Brazinger on the Eligible Bachelor list. So is it that her family really came from another world? Or… Is it that the truly powerful families of Earth have hidden themselves waiting for this chance?'
There were too many unknowns. Even with his ability, Leonel had no ability to guess at what the truth was or even begin to find the right path.
"Aina… your family —."
Leonel stopped his words. He hadn't even begun to form his thoughts when Aina's gaze flashed with an endless fury. For a moment, he sensed that she almost lost control over her Lineage Factor once more and went berserk.
This time, with her being at peak health, Leonel wasn't confident in his ability to stop her. If she really lost it again, it could be disastrous.
After several minutes of Leonel's silence and her deep breaths, Aina's jaw set.
Seeing that she was okay, Leonel didn't question her further and simply went to sit on the bed of straw, pulling out [Call of the Wind]. He had never gotten around to reading it like he had [Dimensional Cleanse]. So, it was about time he did.
The hours ticked by silently and Leonel truly expected Aina to not speak on the topic again. But, unexpectedly, on the next day, she did.
"I'm sorry…" She said softly. "… It's not that you said anything wrong, you hadn't even asked a question yet…"
She felt guilty. It seemed that all of her interactions with Leonel always ended in him being extremely understanding and her demanding too much of him. It only made her more certain in some decisions she had made.
"… The short of it is that I don't have a family. I had a mother, and my father… is no longer with me. But, even while I was in my mother's womb, we were expelled from the Brazinger Clan.
"The only reason I still carry their name is so that I can reject it myself when they most wish for me to keep it."
Aina's words were very gentle, but they held a resolve far larger than her small body.
Chapter 34 - Force
Leonel gazed at Aina for a moment and then nodded. He didn't say anymore words, nor did he try to comfort her. He somehow felt that was exactly what he shouldn't do in this situation.
Instead, after his nod, he turned back to his little booklet, allowing the sound of the carriage wheels pulling through dirt and gravel to fill the air again.
'Call of the Wind. This technique taps into the Forces of Wind that impede your strikes, taking them in as friends and having them come to your aid.
'Forces are the fundamental energies of the universe. Third Dimensional worlds identify these Forces as Gravity, Electromagnetism, Strong Force and Weak Force. They are in fact correct about these four, however, they are oversimplified.
'Every fundamental Force has a particle attached to their existence which is responsible for their strength. Electromagnetic Force is tied to photons. Strong Force is attached to gluons. Weak Force is attached to bosons. And, Gravity is tied to gravitons.
'The manipulation of these particles is where the cultivation of Force comes from if it were to be described in the simplest terms possible.'
Leonel re-read this introduction for the dozenth time, as though trying to find something he had missed before.
As far as he knew, gravitons were the last of the particles to be found and hadn't been until extremely recently. Not even a decade before his birth, if he recalled correctly…
'The use of these four particles, their subspecies, and their unique combinations, are responsible for every sort of Force that Force Wielders use.
'The higher the Dimension, the more complex these particles become, the more variations of them exist, and the more difficult they become to control. But, there is one thing that must always be remembered:
'The Art of Force Wielding is a calculated science. Should you take it as a game for fun or entertainment to screw around, you will die.'
Leonel took this warning very seriously. His actions on the battlefield that day had been extremely dangerous. Recklessly manipulating a Force technique like that was practically asking for death.
To top this off, he had even been using the technique without even opening the book. Had he not had the talent, and had [Call of the Wind] not been manipulating some of the weakest Force particles, he most definitely would have caused irreparable harm to himself.
Settling his heart, Leonel organized his thoughts once more.
The first and most important thing he learned was that 'Spirit' and 'Force' were not the same thing. He had already vaguely grasped this when he noticed that activating his Force pushed his spirit up by 0.1. But now, he was absolutely certain.
Spirit was related to the senses, the so-called Inner Sight. The higher one's spirit, the easier it was to control and manipulate Force. But, high spirit didn't necessarily mean that you had a lot of Force to wield.
The reason Leonel's spirit had ticked up wasn't because Force could give you more spirit. The true reason was because of the location of his Force Node. Because it was in his brain, its activation supplied more strength to his mind, thus increasing his spirit.
As a result…
[Leonel Morales]
[Strength: 0.92; Speed: 0.85 (+0.1); Agility: 0.95 (+0.1); Coordination: 1.01; Stamina: 0.90 (+0.05); Reactions: 1.01; Spirit: 0.30; Force: 0.20]
For now, Leonel adjusted his Force stat to 1.00. He didn't have anyone but Aina to measure himself up against. So, he simply arbitrarily picked the number that made the most sense to him. This way, he should reach 1.00 when he lit his ninth Force Node.
As for his other stats, they were like this when he woke up. He didn't know if it was because of his Lineage Factor, or if it was because of his dad's concoction, but either way, their increasing was good news for him.
This aside, the second thing Leonel learned was that the Force Nodal energy in his brain stem and the Forces [Call of the Wind] spoke of weren't exactly the same either.
The energy Leonel absorbed through [Dimensional Cleanse] was an amalgamation of all Forces. If Leonel had to attach a name to it, he would call it Potential Energy. It was unused Force that had the potential to effect change.
However, the Force [Call of the Wind] spoke of could be called Kinetic Energy. It was energy that was actively releasing its potential in order to create the change its controller desired.
Techniques like [Call of the Wind] were the catalyst needed to turn Potential Force into Kinetic Force.
The third thing that Leonel learned was that there was a second way to accomplish this very task. When he 'activated' the Force in his Nodes, resulting in his stats going up, what he was essentially doing was metabolizing the Force in his body to increase his strength. This was a natural ability all those with Force Nodes had. Though, those with a certain level of talent had greater efficiency than others in this conversion.
Coming to this point, one can then understand why Leonel's actions had been so dangerous… He was essentially converting Potential Force into Kinetic Force using an unverified method. That was like building a nuclear power plant without the proper safety measures. And… building that power plant in your brain stem…
If that wasn't an act of suicide, Leonel didn't know what was.
It took Leonel quite a while to stop his cold sweat so that he could focus his everything on how [Call of the Wind] actually worked.
'Break it down into a science…'
Leonel knew that as he evolved toward higher Dimensions, he would have to relearn the fundamental knowledge he had in some cases. However, when it came to Black level techniques that still resided within the Third to Fourth Dimensions, the knowledge he did have was robust enough.
'… Wind resistance is a matter of friction. If framed like this, I can think of multiple ways a technique that mitigates it can work… You could use Force to make a projectile more aerodynamic… you could use Force to loose the strong and weak Forces between atoms to reduce their drag… you could use Force to create a vacuum in the line of trajectory…'
Leonel listed ideas for what must have been hours, he even became completely lost in his thoughts, forgetting that he had a technique that would give him a method right before him. Plus, many of the ideas he thought of were well beyond his reach with his current proficiency and amount of Force.
[Call of the Wind] actually managed to function differently than all the several dozen ideas Leonel thought of, and also gave him a glimpse of what was considered complex and simple in the world of Force Science.
'… Using Electromagnetic Force to magnetize air particles… forming those particles into a point… Almost like the heavy steel tip of a javelin, except this spear tip is far more complex…'
There were a few principles at work. One was aerodynamics, the other was drag reduction, and the last was magnetism. However, despite all of this, there was a beautiful simplicity to it all because it all worked on one mechanism.
'In the future, I have to not only think of ideas that work, but also ideas that use the path of least resistance…'
The more he studied [Call of the Wind], the more beautiful he felt it was and the more apropos he realized the name really was.
On the third day, Leonel stood, opening the door of the rumbling carriage.
Aina looked up to see him holding his spear at the moving doorway, but said nothing to disturb.
Leonel stood at the doorway blankly for a moment. Around him, there were escorts of knights and warriors all around. But, his eyes were entirely focused on the border of forest beyond them. It was just about ten meters away.
As fast as lightning, Leonel's static stance shifted. He lowered his hips, brandished his spear, and pierced forward toward empty air.
The Frenchmen who could see what was happening opened their eyes wide, shocked by Leonel's actions. But in the next moment, something even more shocking occurred.
At the edge of the forest, a thick ancient tree suddenly had its trunk cleanly pierced through. It was done so sharply that it sounded no different from the dull thump of an arrow embedding into wood.
Chapter 35 - Goddess
[Bonus chapter for reaching 100 powerstones. Next chapter at 200]
Aina blinked several times, almost feeling the need to wipe her eyes clean in case some dirt made her see things.
'… Ten meters is about the limit I guess. And I feel I only have enough Potential Force to do that three time at such a distance. If I keep it to within a foot or two of my spear's blade, though, several hundred times wouldn't be a problem…'
After understanding the concept behind [Call of the Wind], Leonel only needed to make a very minor adjustment to make it applicable to his spearmanship.
The first step was to form an alignment of charged particles. These particles then pull on other air particles such that they form an incredibly sharp projectile of air. Following this, using the same concept as a rail gun, the magnetized particles pull along the projectile, all the while adding more and more substance to this sharply shaped air. Since these particles were being used to pull the projectile along, they obviously would be able to cause less drag, and thus the problem of friction was also partially solved.
In the case of a throwing motion, this pulling would help an arrow or dart travel further, while the sharp shape would mitigate its slowing even more. However, in the case of Leonel's spear, he could apply the same concept without releasing his weapon, making his strikes faster and sharper. On top of this, he could extend the range of the sharpened wind to ten meters!
'… But I felt that feeling again, when I held my spear… That burning sensation in my blood…'
Leonel closed the door of the carriage without a word to the Frenchmen. He wasn't too eager in their adulation, he was only a bit too eager to test himself.
"… Do you know what my Lineage Factor is?" Leonel asked Aina.
These were the first words they had exchanged in over a day, yet he didn't seem to carry any bit of awkwardness.
Aina looked at him helplessly. "How could I possibly know that?"
Seeing the disappointment in his face, Aina quickly continued.
"Just tell me what you feel."
"I feel my blood boiling. But it only happens when I pick up a spear. Is that even possible, how would that work?"
Aina blinked in confusion as well. A Lineage Factor related to a weapon? She had never heard of one.
Her Lineage Factor massively upped her strength and Force output. Much like hers, other Lineage Factors worked similarly, amplifying physical traits. They were always related to things like speed, stamina, reaction time. There were some rare ones that amplified Force like hers, but they were extraordinarily infrequent.
She couldn't even begin to wrap her head around how someone would pass down the expertise of a weapon in their genes. It seemed almost nonsensical.
Her thoughts were the same as Leonel's. With his little understanding of the world of Force and Lineages related to it, a Lineage Factor like his didn't make much sense. He could think of methods to use the four fundamental Forces to improve just about any physical trait, though he wasn't able to execute these ideas. But, how would you even begin to construct the expertise of a weapon using them?
"Noble arbiters, we are here. The blessed one has heard of your exploits and has come out to greet you personally."
Leonel was snapped out of his thought by the loud voice of General Franck.
Sending a gaze toward Aina, they both stood to step out of the carriage to be greeted by a grandiose estate. No, it could only be considered a castle.
Château Royal de Blois. Who knew how many kings and royals had called this place home? It was this very place Joan came to be blessed by the Archbishop of Reims before she then proceeded to drive the English from Orleans.
Leonel noticed that Franck's army had disappeared. In fact, the coachmen who drove their carriage had actually switched to the general himself.
Before them, there was a small squadron of knights, numbering no more than ten. They each rode silver armored horses of their own, standing with the castle that stretched hundreds of meters in each direction as their backdrop.
However, it was impossible to have eyes for these men because before them sat a woman of legend herself.
Sitting upon a white steed armored in gold, Joan held her helm in one hand and a large pole flag her other.
Leonel was certain that history painted her as a woman of above average looks with the worn skin of a peasant and a birthmark beneath her ear. She was meant to be a stocky woman of barely 5'2", having a body tempered by the life of a plebeian as well.
These were all the things Leonel had heard. Often times, only the women in fantasies both had the visage of a goddess and the mind of a renaissance genius. Joan of Arc… Cleopatra… Helen of Troy… These women were never what some mythologies painted them out to be.
Yet, Leonel was finding out personally that maybe that was all bullshit. The history books didn't say anything about Joan riding a white horse with gold armor either, but here she was before him. Not only that, but she was maybe the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life.
Flowing black hair, gentle blue eyes, delicate tanned skin and a smile that stole the hearts of men. Her shapely armor wrapped around her curves, but carried a holy modesty to them that was directly contradictory.
If there ever were to be a goddess who descended to Earth, Leonel was certain that it would have to be her.
Chapter 36 - Joan (1)
Joan smiled down at them from atop her horse. Since she wasn't using her own strength to move, it made it difficult for Leonel to get a reading on her stats. He almost felt that there was something in her smile that said she was doing it on purpose.
On the other hand, Leonel felt that he was reading into it too much. The moment he saw Joan, other than being stricken by her beauty, he instantly remembered the fact that he was meant to kill this woman eventually.
Leonel sighed inwardly. Maybe it was easier to paint her out as some evil mastermind now so he could more easily do what needed to be done in the future.
Quite frankly, Leonel was unsure how the 'Boss' of a Zone was decided. Were they always bad people? He wasn't certain of that. He only had one sample to pull his conclusion from.
However, if he purely used the reason why they entered Zones to draw his conclusion — to deal with instances of higher Dimensions touching their timeline before they should — then the logical answer was no. They weren't always bad people…
It was very possible that Joan's only crime was being ahead of her time, awakening abilities before she should have… In such a case, Leonel found he had taken a leap head first into yet another dilemma.
"Forgive me for not stepping down from my horse to greet you personally. I took an arrow to the thigh in my previous battle and am unable to walk under my own power currently."
Hearing these words, Leonel felt even worse about his previous thoughts. History did speak about Joan being injured on multiple occasions. The fact she came out to greet them and even swung up to sit on her horse in such a state made her more than worthy of praise.
It only made it more difficult now that he remembered that in this year, she was actually his age… She had recaptured Orleans at just 17 years old. By now, she was like 18.
"We take no offense, Lady Joan. Please excuse my companion, she cannot speak. We've humbly come to be your aid."
"Cannot speak French? And please do not call me a Lady, I am no noble." Joan giggled a light, airy laughter.
"I'm certain that you are in the eyes of many." Leonel said with a smile. "My companion has been a mute since her birth. Our family believes that this may have been the price to pay in exchange for our abilities…"
Leonel spoke of the story he and Aina had decided upon. Of course, he embellished a bit. Adding a hint of superstition common in this era. Of course, this story assumes that he and Aina are brother and sister.
In truth, on the surface, this isn't so easy to accept. Leonel had too many Hispanic features, while Aina herself was more northern European. However, Leonel knew that in such a situation, over explaining would be more eyebrow-raising.
People tended to fill in the blanks themselves.
As expected, Joan paused for a moment, but seeing that Leonel didn't intend to explain, she accepted it in stride.
"I see… I hope there comes a day when your sister recovers, then. I am very interested by these abilities of yours, though. Can you tell me more?"
"Even we do not know much." Leonel was sure to answer without holding any hesitation in his voice. He wanted to appear as though he trusted Joan completely and had no reservations about telling her everything. "We only know that we are stronger, faster and quicker than others by a large margin. We can only call it an act of God. When we heard of your exploits, we felt that you were no better person to sympathize with us."
Leonel felt that Joan's gaze softened slightly and her smile became more genuine.
Like this, Leonel and Joan were ushered into Château Royal de Blois. Or, rather, they were led to a holding in the outer castle.
Castles were functionally cities within walls. They were separated into several layers, of which had their own walls for protection, usually offset so it was more difficult to charge through their gates in one go.
It was actually already a privilege for Leonel and Aina to come this far. But, it also seemed that they had to earn their keep very quickly, because not even a day later, a march toward Patay was announced.
'… So it begin… According to history, this will be Joan's final major victory. After this, King Charles will be crowned. She'll then fail to recapture Paris, before finally being captured in her battle for Compiegne.'
**
"You say there are two more like you, Joan?"
"Yes, my King. Because of them, we can move our battle for Patay up. According to General Franck, they all but annihilated an army of 20 000 strong by themselves, forcing them into a retreat. The brother in particular fought alone for half a day."
Joan knelt before a throne with one arm across her chest, and another tightly holding onto a wooden crutch. Despite the fact Charles VII had yet to be officially crowned, she still called him King.
"Joan, have I not said you do not need to kneel before me when it is just the two of us? I've also said to call me Charles on such occasions."
If Leonel was here, he would likely once more be shocked. According to history, it was Charles who refused to give the order to save Joan when she was captured, leading to her execution.
But, the Charles of right now seemed to be almost fawning over the kneeling beauty. He was completely unlike the ungrateful King who abandoned her after getting what he wanted.
Chapter 37 - Joan (2)
After the first failure to recapture Paris, the history books wrote that Joan was insistent on trying again, while Charles was adverse to the idea after securing his throne. He felt that she had become too difficult to deal with, and as such made no attempt to take her back from the English.
"My King, we must maintain proper boundaries. You are my liege, and I am your humble servant. God has sent me to be your protector, your guardian. It is impossible for me to be your wife. God will not allow it, nor would the nobles."
Whether or not God would allow it, Charles didn't know. But, he was certain that she was correct about the latter portion of her words. They would turn a blind eye to him taking her as a Mistress, but a Queen? France would burn before they allowed a commoner to hold such standing. It simply didn't matter how much Joan had accomplished for them.
Charles' jaw set for a moment before he sighed.
"Take however many knights you need. I'll be awaiting word of your victory."
Joan gingerly stood and bowed once more, sweeping a glance toward a dark corridor to the back left of the throne and leaving without another word.
The moment she left, a shadow stepped out from the corridor, making its way to the throne's side.
"Did I not tell you that when I'm meeting with her you aren't to be in the vicinity? What exactly do you mean by so flagrantly ignoring my commands, Pierre?"
"Forgive me, my liege. But, it is impossible for me to leave you with such a dangerous person. Punish me if you must."
"I'm well aware of what you're doing. Leave. Do this again and I will have you executed."
"My King, forgive me for saying so, but you cannot take this woman as your wife. You may think that this matter is only about her lineage, but this is not so. If she became your wife, would you allow her to go to the battlefield? If she carried your seed, would you allow her to charge toward the men of England?
"You are destined to be a King of legend. You must make decisions for the betterment of France."
"And would having a child that carries her blood and strength not be more beneficial than anything else? What if every King of France from now on wields her power? Would we not build an empire greater than Rome? Spare me."
"My King, you yourself already know that you've been blinded. Neither of Joan of Arc's parents had this strength, neither did her grandparents. It's impossible to say that this is hereditary.
"If my liege wants to take her as a bed mate, I will have nothing to say. If you'd also like to sire a bastard to test your theory, I will equally have nothing to say. But having thoughts of love, emotion and sharing a life with this woman is simply impossible, my liege."
Charles stayed silent for a long while, saying nothing. Finally, he opened his mouth to speak again.
"Leave me."
Pierre bowed and obliged, slinking back into the shadows.
He walked along the corridor, his expression cold and dark. He looked like a man made of darkness, his robes a deep black, his nose having an exaggerated arch, and his chin being incredibly narrow.
After a moment, he really did disappear into the shadows. It wasn't an illusion or a feeling, but the objective reality.
His body sunk into the ground, vanishing.
When he reappeared, he was in a room dimly lit with candles dripping of wax.
Three men lay sleeping upon slabs of rock. Upon his appearance, they stirred, almost mechanically sitting up.
"The Battle of Patay is a must have victory for His Majesty. Go."
"Yes."
The three men inexplicably slipped into the shadows as well.
Pierre slowly walked across the room after they vanished, appearing by an alter with a closed black book. He stroked the cover almost affectionately, but also somehow simultaneously felt afraid to open up its pages.
'The Bishop will lead us to glory. Our names will go down in history…'
A dark glow emitted from the book.
**
Joan expressionlessly walked, leaning heavily on her crutch through the corridors of the main stronghold. Her face would sometimes flicker into a smile when she passed by someone, but the smile would just as quickly fade once she had passed.
It took over a long, but she eventually made it back to the outer walls to find the very same ten knights who had followed her out to greet Leonel and Aina.
"Get ready." She said plainly. "This will be an important battle."
Her smile was strikingly missing. Looking at her like this almost gave one a severe case of cognitive dissonance.
"Did those bastards make you angry again, Sister?"
The knight who spoke got a sword hilt to the back of his head, causing him to cry out in pain.
"Is it time yet, Sister?"
"No. The time isn't ripe."
"Must we really continue to win battles for them?"
"God has a plan, Michael. Believe in the Bishop. When this is all over, our names will ring throughout history. We will be the ones who bring this forsaken Earth closer to God."
Joan grabbed her flag. A golden glow emitted from its pole, radiating out like rays of sunshine.
She used her one good leg to pull herself onto her white steed, sitting tall with her smile once more back on her face.