The knight who had brought Jefferson in was named Linda. While his mentor didn't say much, she subtly hinted that Jefferson should avoid getting too close to Linda. From what Jefferson gathered from others, Linda was notorious in the knight circle. She changed boyfriends as often as she changed clothes, and her actions had sparked at least twenty duels. She had previously been in a frontline knight regiment but was kicked out due to the trouble she caused. This squad had only women and no men precisely because of her.
Jefferson quickly realized that Linda wasn't the only problematic member. Among the female knights, there was one who wore male attire. This knight, apart from Jefferson, was the youngest in the squad at nineteen. She had short blonde hair, even shorter than his own, and her chest was flat, either undeveloped or tightly bound. Most disconcerting for Jefferson was the hostility she exuded whenever she saw him.
Jefferson had experienced similar vibes before; in his class, many pretty girls would be surrounded by a strange atmosphere whenever boys approached them. As a popular boy in his class, he often sensed this hostility directed at him.
"Her real name is Tina. It's best to avoid her if you can; I can't guarantee she won't harm you," Miss Eileen had said, confirming Jefferson's suspicions and making him anxious.
However, Jefferson soon found that Tina wasn't the most troublesome member. That title went to someone who constantly played pranks on him—pinching his cheeks and arms under the guise of testing his physical potential. This woman caused him much distress, but her aura wasn't intimidating. In fact, Jefferson realized she was genuinely kind to him and probably the only one in the camp who truly welcomed his arrival.
This woman was named Michelle, and though she was over twenty, she acted like a little girl, leading Jefferson to question her maturity. She had short, slightly messy golden hair and bright green eyes, making her the most charming in the squad.
The only member who left no strong impression on Jefferson was a quiet woman. When Miss Eileen introduced her to him, she barely acknowledged him with a nod. She didn't seem cold, just silent, with no detectable aura, almost as if she didn't exist. She had melancholic black eyes and long black hair down to her waist, her beauty hidden in the shadows, making her look like a dust-covered jewel.
Her name was Nancy, and she was actually quite beautiful, but her perpetual presence in the shadows obscured her true appearance.
The last place Jefferson visited was the logistics office, managed by a woman in her mid-twenties. She wore glasses, giving her an aged appearance, yet adding a touch of intellectual beauty. She was the only non-knight in the camp. However, Jefferson had been warned by his mentor not to underestimate her. Miss Christine was a powerful telepath, responsible for the squad's equipment and serving as the medical officer. Injured personnel had to seek her help.
Jefferson always had a deep respect for doctors. He had once dreamed of becoming a doctor because it was a noble profession that also paid well.
"Since you are nominally a laborer here, you will follow Miss Christine's instructions and do whatever she asks," Miss Eileen said.
Jefferson felt disappointed; he hadn't come here to be a laborer. "Aren't you going to teach me anything?" he asked.
"Get used to the place first," Miss Eileen said, releasing a bit of her aura, making Jefferson feel suffocated and causing his heart to race.
...
After leaving Jefferson, Eileen headed to the captain's office. "You've given me quite a task," she complained upon entering.
The cold woman was writing, but she set down her pen when Eileen walked in.
"How am I supposed to teach him? A knight awakened later in life has weak abilities, and with the possibility of being sent to the front lines at any moment, his current strength would be a death sentence," Eileen fumed.
"There is a way," the captain, Wallis, said, eyeing her deputy. Although she was cold, she never sent her subordinates to their deaths lightly. "Our squad is strong in offense but weak in defense, with only Monica skilled in defense. I've been looking for a heavy shield defender."
"A heavy shield?" Eileen was puzzled.
"A heavy shield defender needs strength and stamina, not speed and technique. They can be useful in a short time and have higher survival rates on the battlefield," Wallis explained, hesitating before revealing the true reason. "Most heavy shield defenders are robust men. With his physique, he can never meet the standard, but as a heavy shield defender, he will be relatively safe. In wartime, a weakling can survive longer—he won't be sent on reconnaissance or thrust into the vanguard to become cannon fodder."
Eileen fell silent, knowing the captain was right. On the battlefield, survival often depended on being either an ace or a useless burden. Those with middling abilities were the most likely to die.
While these two discussed Jefferson's future, Jefferson was in the equipment room talking with Miss Christine.
"Why did my mentor only introduce people by their first names?" Jefferson asked, finding this habit peculiar.
"It's a tradition. The knight's world is small, and many surnames are well-known. Knowing someone's surname reveals their family, adding pressure on the leaders. So we use first names or nicknames," Miss Christine explained while repairing armor.
Jefferson watched enviously, knowing he wouldn't have such armor anytime soon; only official knights wore it. He had seen knights in armor before but never the intricate inner workings.
"What are these?" Jefferson asked, pointing to what looked like a bundle of hemp ropes inside the armor.
"Magical tendons," Miss Christine said, pulling out one. It was like a spring, but tightly wound with fine metal wire. She stretched it, and it tripled in length. "These are the muscles of the armor. Knight armor mimics the human body, with muscles and a powerful heart." She opened the chest cavity of the armor, revealing a complex mechanism glowing with multicolored light.
The sight of the crisscrossing cables made Jefferson dizzy. "What does it do?" he asked.
"It powers the armor. It also amplifies the knight's attack techniques," Miss Christine said, closing the panel and resuming her work.
"Those techniques aren't the knight's own skills?" Jefferson asked.
Miss Christine felt a headache coming on. For a knight, this was common knowledge, learned in childhood. She didn't mind teaching but found such elementary questions tedious.
"The armor is an amplifier, boosting a knight's strength and speed by dozens of times. But it amplifies techniques the most. A shockwave that could break an inch-thick stone plate could penetrate a foot-thick steel plate with the armor," she explained.
Jefferson touched the armor, filled with longing, but his expression grew somber, remembering what he had heard while unconscious.
"What is an incomplete knight?" he asked, having wanted to ask his mentor but never getting the chance.
Miss Christine paused, realizing that Jefferson must have heard this term from others and that it likely referred to himself. "An incomplete knight is one who, during awakening, experienced a mutation. Most are partially awakened or have some abilities lost," she said, trying to console him. "But it's not all bad. Incomplete knights often excel in certain areas."
"Like a blind person having sharper hearing and touch," Jefferson said, his analogy spot on.
Miss Christine didn't have the heart to confirm his comparison, so she pretended to be fully engrossed in her work.