Leonel's brow furrowed as his mind spun. At the same time, his fingers stretched in odd positions, moving them like individual striking snakes.
His First Node was with his brain stem. His Second and Third Nodes were along his spine. His Fourth and Fifth Nodes were fused into the walls of his lungs. According to his current plan, his Sixth Node would be fused into his stomach. The Seventh and Eighth Nodes would be split between the chambers controlling the outgoing flow of his blood and the ingoing flow.
Up to this point, this arrangement had a near 100% compatibility with him and he felt that it was near flawless. Yet, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find a Ninth Node with as much compatibility with him.
If others knew about Leonel's arrangement of Force Nodes, they just might call him insane. Most sought after boosts to strength in their arms and legs — essentially, things that could directly upgrade their battle prowess as quickly as possible. Yet, all of Leonel's choices were supplemental, yet absolutely perfect for laying a foundation.
With Nodes in his spine and brain, when his Force was activated, and even passively, his thinking speed and reaction time was exponentially better than his peers. The Nodes in his lungs increased his air intake and oxygen siphoning ability. The Nodes within his heart would perfectly supplement the increased capacity of his lungs, not to mention the Node in his stomach as well.
Ultimately, the blood was the centerpiece of the body, it was interwoven and interconnected with every corner, right along with the nervous system. So, in Leonel's mind, forming his nodes with these two systems as the core was only right.
But now, he was at a loss. He even began to doubt himself somewhat. What if he was wrong from the very beginning? He had indeed started to choose the locations of his Nodes without consulting anyone…
Leonel had always been confident in himself. Maybe a bit too confident considering all the mistakes he had made since the Metamorphosis descended. However, he still felt certain that he wasn't taking an incorrect path…
Leonel's head snapped up to look into the distance. He stood.
'Another one, huh…'
With a sigh, Leonel hopped down from the pillar, causing those who had come back after Gerolt left to scurry off and hide once more. Who knew why these people were so bored to hang around him like this just so that they could make sure that he heard their words.
It had been quite a long while since Leonel had dealt with such a thing. If he recalled correctly, during his first few weeks in the Royal Blue Education System, he was quite looked down upon since he lived on a Paradise island. But, by now, that seemed like a lifetime ago.
After making his rounds and wiping out the approaching Invalids once again, Leonel once again pretended to 'run away', only to be zapped back into submission by the collar around his neck.
He was quite used to this routine after half a month. He walked back to the harbor with head lowered and his hair hiding his eyes once again.
"Another escape attempt? Seems I'll have to speak with Lieutenant Warner about this. I'm not sure why you can't just be an obedient guard dog."
The first time Leonel heard this voice, he thought it came from a respectable female captain. Now when he heard it, he only managed to feel annoyed. Why this Captain Sela insisted on being so annoying was beyond him.
That said, he wasn't very surprised by her appearance. After all, in order to keep up appearances and not raise suspicion, Captain Sela was tasked with overseeing what she called his duties as a 'guard dog'.
Like always, Leonel simply ignored her. Once the matters with the Fort were concluded, there would no longer be a need for him to stay here. He could pretend that Damian brought himself elsewhere or that he escaped. Either one would be fine.
Captain Sela watched with a pleased smile as Leonel obediently walked back into the harbor. The side of her face was still bandaged from her previous injuries, making her look even worse than she usually did.
Once he had disappeared, gone now that his 12 hour shift was concluded, her smile disappeared and became indifferent. First she ensured that the next guards took up their duty. Leonel alone was enough to guard half the day, but several dozen men and women were needed when he was off duty. After accomplishing this, she headed back to her quarters.
She seemed to relax after getting back into her room, her burly figure suddenly changing its gait to that of an elegant woman with swaying hips. But the issue was… her silhouette made those who saw it want to vomit instead of appreciate the sight.
Still, without a care, she walked to the bathroom, humming a little tune as her clothes fell to the ground one by one. It wasn't long until a blubbery, top heavy figure appeared. Still, it was more toned than one might expect. What happened next, though, was astonishing.
Captain Sela's burly body began to shrink as she sauntered toward the bathroom. By the time she stepped off the hardwood and onto the tiles, her figure had become slender and the backview was enticing to the point of inducing a nose bleed.
Her bottom became pert with just the right amount of jiggle. Her slender legs moved along with her hips, following a hypnotizing rhythm. The sight one could behold when she finally reclined in a pre-made wooden bath could make the blood boil. The clear water could hardly hide the shapeliness of her soft breasts.
As if all of this wasn't enough, she shed the bandages on her face, revealing delicate features that brought her looks together with a bow. She was most definitely a prime beauty, the likes of which few could match.
At that moment, a slight vibration came from her wrist.
< "Report." >
A commanding tone demanded from the other end, but the sound waves were so unique that no one but Captain Sela herself could hear them.
"… Things are going well. I should be receiving a promotion soon."
After giving her usual report, Captain Sela ended it with these words.
There was a long pause on the other end.
< "You don't see anything fishy about all of this?" >
Captain Sela shrugged. "It doesn't matter. Even if it's all a ploy, they'll give me appropriate rewards so that I can continue shielding Leonel Morales. By then, I will start displaying some of my true abilities and they will recognize me for other reasons. It took me decades to become a captain, but now I can become a colonel. Who cares if it's just a ploy?"
The voice was silent for a long time once again but didn't respond. After a while, it became obvious that the person hung up.
Captain Sela reclined with a smile, a devilishly beautiful curl coating her lips.
"You're using me? Well, I'm using you too…" She said with a light giggle.
If Leonel were here, he would finally remember just why it was he had smelt a familiar fragrance from Captain Sela. It was because the slender woman in the tub was precisely the very same Secretary Marquisette Maia he met at Royal Blue Fort.