The next morning, Ritchie went downstairs to find his mom and Aunt Grace brewing coffee. They greeted him casually, his mom kissing his forehead as always. "Take care, son. Come back early."
Ritchie felt a flicker of confusion. Had last night been real? Was it all a dream?
He scratched his head, glancing at their calm faces.
For some reason, relief washed over him. The morning's awkwardness vanished.
He was certain nothing had happened. Or if it had, everything was back to normal.
His mom was still his mom, Grace was still Grace.
He dashed to the camp. Seeing the pile of bean pods in the kitchen, his face fell.
Wearing the training armor, he crouched by the pods.
Picking one up, his mind wandered. The pod felt like those thick labia. Instinctively, his armor's bulky fingers twisted it gently, splitting it open. The round beans spilled out, reminding him of that swollen clit.
With a flick, the beans landed intact in the armor's black palm, rolling. Something clicked in his mind.
Recalling the sensation, he closed his eyes, tapped the helmet to mute sound.
Like last night, losing sight and sound sharpened his touch. Through the thick armor, he felt the beans rolling in his palm.
Bending down, he groped the floor like a blind man. Before, he'd have crushed the pods. Now, the armor's iron hand glided over them like a butterfly on a bud, not disturbing a single one.
He pinched another pod, opening it with one hand, thumb flicking the beans into his palm.
Ritchie smiled and stood.
He knew this kitchen blindfolded. Opening the cupboard, he carefully took out six eggs, a bowl, and a baking tray. Marilyn's cake-making tips flashed in his mind.
A sixteen-inch, two-layer cake soon sat on the kitchen's central table.
The squad gathered around the cake. Diana, Marilyn, and Officer Randy wore faint smiles. Lina shrugged, unimpressed. Rosa critiqued its flaws. Captain Carrie remained coolly detached. Robin, green from two days of beans, looked pleased but suddenly asked, "Who's eating this tiny cake?"
Ritchie had already bolted. Peeling beans was pointless now, and another bean meal would earn him a beating from Robin. He left the problem to Marilyn.
After a week away from school, Ritchie found his classmates had nearly forgotten him. Even the guys he'd fought didn't show up.
But by second period's end, word of his return had spread.
"Got the guts to face us outside?" a classmate challenged. Since the old bullies died in the infirmary warehouse, this guy had become the class's top dog.
Before his bloodline awakened, Ritchie would've fled. Even yesterday, he might've laughed it off. But now, he felt eager to test himself.
The school's nearby alley was where students settled scores.
Ritchie arrived to find a trap. Over a dozen guys surrounded him.
Their leader, "Tiger," had flunked twice, a laughingstock to teachers but a nightmare to students.
"You're hot shit, huh? Injured my friend and hid for a week. Thought you'd never show!" Tiger swung a thick wooden club menacingly.
The group wielded clubs and belts. Ritchie had heard they once used iron pipes and chains, but wartime metal shortages downgraded their weapons.
To him now, clubs or pipes made no difference.
"Heard you wet the bed until grade school," Ritchie taunted.
"Beat his ass!" Tiger charged with his club aimed at Ritchie's head.
A quick hook and pull redirected the club. Ritchie came to school to fight, not to use knightly power. He lacked skill, not strength.
When he emerged from the alley at the next break, classmates stared, stunned.
"You okay?" the class monitor asked, worried. She'd reported the fight to the dean, but the school refused to intervene.
"No big deal," Ritchie said, half-truthfully. "I work at the camp. A few knight moves, and they're crawling."
"Awesome!" a girl cheered, clapping. She was a coveted beauty and a Rose Society member. "Be our knight! We've got a title for you—'Rose Knight.'"
Ritchie shrugged. Being their knight didn't faze him.
He knew the role meant protecting them from creeps, with perks like party invites.
Other boys might jump at it, but he wasn't impressed.
"I'm already Isabella's knight," he said. "Find someone else."
"Stingy," the girl pouted, but quickly leaned closer. "Be my knight. Isabella won't give you some things, but I will."
Ritchie ignored the girl's flirtatious glances. For teasing, Katherine was the expert. Honestly, he was curious about that wild boarding school and how it shaped someone like her.
As for Isabella not giving him everything? Laughable. They'd done it all: sex, anal, bondage, all multiple times. He'd explored every inch of her body, knew her sensitive spots better than she did.
Of course, he'd never spill. Isabella was obedient but demanded secrecy. She was his alone, and he'd never let rumors tarnish that.
After school, Ritchie headed to the camp, uneasy about what awaited.
At the gate, he heard arguing; Lina's voice against unfamiliar ones.
Inside, everyone was out, even the reclusive Nora, watching from the sidelines.
In the square's center stood four women. Besides Lina, Ritchie didn't recognize the other three.
They looked young, under twenty, with matching brown hair, brown eyes, and similar faces—likely related. But their vibes differed.
The one clashing hardest with Lina seemed their leader, fiery and defiant like Lina but less seductive, more arrogant. Another was hot-tempered, waving her fists, ready to brawl. The third, the youngest, spoke little but bitingly.
Ritchie sidled up to Diana and whispered, "Master, what's going on? Who are they?"
"They're new, transferred from the frontline knight corps to our second-tier squad," Diana said. "They feel slighted and want to assert dominance. They're targeting Lina to test the captain's reaction."
Marilyn, who'd been standing farther off, joined them. "You're lucky, Ritchie. Watch closely. You'll see real knights fight."
"They'll fight?" Ritchie asked, shocked.
"Of course," Diana said, patting his shoulder. "Duels are part of knight life. Someday, you'll face challenges too."
Ritchie glanced at Diana's face, wondering if she'd dueled, then at Marilyn, doubting she had. "Will someone die?"
Diana frowned. "Hard to say. Most duels just need a winner, but they're dangerous. Accidents happen—people get crippled or killed."
"No one stops it?" Ritchie couldn't believe it. Knights were the nation's strength. How could their blood be spilled so freely?
"Unless it's malicious, no one interferes," Diana said. "Accepting a challenge is a knight's honor. To be a true knight, you'll need to get used to this."
Her tone grew heavy. "Knights can be good or evil, uphold morals or chase chaos, but all value honor. You can retreat in battle, but fleeing a duel is cowardice."
She seized the chance to teach him knightly principles.
"Must I accept every challenge?" Ritchie pressed.
Diana and Marilyn chuckled. "No. Some challenges are absurd, so you can ignore them. Or if the terms are too harsh, you can refuse. There's much to learn about this."
Meanwhile, the four women in the square parted.
Diana, distracted by Ritchie, hadn't heard the argument. She turned to Marilyn. "What's the deal? What's the loser's penalty?"
Marilyn smiled. "At the winner's mercy."
"Hah!" Diana laughed exaggeratedly. "Those newbies will learn the hard way. Agreeing to such terms?"
"They're just confident in their skills," Marilyn said, defending the trio.
Patting Ritchie's cheek, Diana teased, "You're in for a treat, kid."
In the square, Lina faced the three newcomers. She wielded a six-foot knight's sword. The trio formed an equilateral triangle: the leader held a double-tipped spear, the left one dual war axes, the right one another knight's sword.
"Surrender now, and I won't punish you," Lina said, flourishing her sword confidently.
"We'll see who punishes who," the spear-wielder sneered.
Words failed, and the fight began.
Lina's sword blurred into a red whirlwind, hissing through the air, occasionally unleashing crescent-shaped azure arcs. The newcomers dodged the arcs' path, as did the spectators.
"That's Lina's 'Jade Tide,'" Diana said, dodging while teaching. "Her 'War Surge' is even stronger."
"Three against one? Fair?" Ritchie shouted, hoping to distract the newcomers and help Lina.
"Don't talk nonsense," Diana said. "Their technique is unique—trinity formation, a battle array. They're either family or from a tight-knit clan."
She watched their every move, fascinated. She'd never seen such a trinity before.
These women, from the elite knight corps, held their own against Lina's hurricane-like assault, striking faster with no retreat.
The spear-wielder's attacks were cunning, her double-tipped weapon flashing with spiraling fighting aura. Though less flashy than Lina's arcs, it tore through her 'Jade Tide' repeatedly. The axe-wielder and sword-wielder were the main offense, their heavy weapons unleashing arcs and six-meter shockwaves.
"They've earned their arrogance," Diana murmured, mentally swapping herself for Lina. She'd need a mutually destructive approach to survive their onslaught.
Only Lina could handle them in the squad.
Everyone was mentally simulating the fight. In the knight world, strength ruled.
After fifteen minutes, Lina's sword let out a piercing hum.
The squad knew this move's power and scattered. Diana yanked Ritchie into the air, joined by Rosa and Captain Carrie.
Below, ripples spread from Lina, air twisting violently.
The camp echoed with shattering. Glass pulverized, ceramics split, even the ground and walls cracked.
Ritchie gasped, staring at Lina in the square's center.
This woman, who'd let him take her in every way, was this powerful.
The newcomers lay unconscious, their weapons flung far.
"Diana, lend me your apprentice," Lina called, beckoning Ritchie.
It felt humiliating, but Ritchie glanced around and stayed silent.
"Ask him if he's willing," Diana said coolly.
"Carry those three to the infirmary," Lina ordered.
Ritchie obeyed. Lina was terrifying, and he suspected what came next. So did everyone else. Diana had predicted this outcome from the duel's start.
His face burned with embarrassment.