The next morning, when Jefferson came downstairs, he saw his mom and Janice making coffee. They greeted him naturally, and his mom kissed his forehead as usual, saying, "Son, take care and come back early."
Jefferson couldn't help but feel a bit confused. Did nothing happen last night? Was it all just a dream? He scratched his head and glanced at his calm and composed mom and Janice. For some reason, he felt a sense of relief, and the awkwardness he felt upon waking up disappeared completely.
He was now convinced that nothing had happened last night. Even if something had, everything had returned to normal by morning. His mom was still his mom, and Janice was still Janice.
As he ran to the camp and entered the kitchen, seeing that pile of pods made Jefferson's face turn sour. He put on his training armor and half-squatted in front of the pile of pods. Picking up a pod, Jefferson suddenly felt a moment of daze, as if what he was holding wasn't a pod, but a thick labia. Instinctively, he twisted the pod gently with the two thick fingers of his training armor, and the pod opened immediately, revealing the round beans inside, reminding him of a swollen clitoris.
With a slight flick, the beans fell intact into the black palm of the training armor. As they rolled around in his palm, Jefferson suddenly felt like something had been added to his mind. Savoring the sensation, he closed his eyes gently, raised his hand, and tapped his helmet to shut off the sound channel.
Just like last night, losing his sight and hearing heightened his physical senses. He could even feel the beans rolling in his palm through the thick training armor. Bending down, he groped on the ground like a blind man. In the past, the pile of pods would have been crushed, but this time, the iron hands of the training armor brushed lightly over the pods like a butterfly landing on a flower bud, not disturbing a single pod.
He picked up another pod. This time, without using his other hand, he gently pinched it, and the pod opened. With a flick of his thumb, the beans fell into his palm again. Jefferson smiled and stood up. He was very familiar with this kitchen and knew where everything was even with his eyes closed. Opening the cupboard, he carefully took out six eggs, followed by a bowl and a baking tray. The tips Miss Monica had taught him about cake making came to mind.
A sixteen-inch two-layer cake stood in the center of the kitchen table. The rest of the team gathered around it. Eileen, Monica, and Officer Christine smiled slightly. Linda remained noncommittal, while Michelle criticized the cake's flaws. Captain Wallis maintained her usual indifferent demeanor. Miss Tina, who had turned pale from eating beans for two days, was quite pleased but suddenly asked, "Who gets to eat such a small piece of cake?"
By this time, Jefferson had already left. Peeling pods had become meaningless to him, and if he had to eat beans again today, Miss Tina would surely beat him up. So, he slipped away, leaving the problem to Miss Monica.
After being absent from school for a week, Jefferson found that his classmates seemed to have forgotten about him. Even those he had beaten up hadn't shown up. However, by the second class, they had heard about his return.
"Come outside if you dare." The message was delivered by Jefferson's classmate, who had become the class leader since the previous bullies had died in the infirmary's storeroom. Before his bloodline awakened, Jefferson would have avoided this confrontation, and even before today, he would have laughed it off. But now, he felt a sense of eager anticipation.
There was a dark alley next to the school where students resolved their disputes. When Jefferson arrived, he saw that the other side was well-prepared, with over ten people surrounding him. Their leader was a guy named "Tiger," who Jefferson only knew had been held back twice and was despised and ridiculed by the teachers, but a nightmare for the students.
"You're quite bold, injuring my friend and then hiding for a whole week. I thought you weren't coming back!" Tiger waved a thick wooden stick with an imposing manner.
The dozen or so people opposite Jefferson all had weapons, either wooden sticks or belts. Jefferson had heard that these people used to fight with iron pipes and chains, but it seemed the wartime metal confiscation had downgraded their arsenal.
But to him now, iron pipes and wooden sticks were no different.
"I heard you wet the bed until you were in elementary school," Jefferson intentionally provoked the guy.
"Beat him up," Tiger roared, leading the charge and swinging his stick towards Jefferson's head.
With a light hook and a pull, the stick was deflected. Jefferson had come back to school specifically for a fight, so he didn't plan on using his knight's strength. What he lacked now wasn't power, but technique.
When Jefferson emerged from the alley, it was already the end of the second class. Returning to the classroom, all his classmates stared at him in astonishment.
"Are you alright?" The class president was concerned. She had reported the incident to the dean when Jefferson was called out, but the school didn't want to get involved, leaving her helpless.
"No big deal. Don't forget where I do odd jobs. The knights taught me a few moves, which are enough to make them crawl all over the place," Jefferson said half-jokingly.
"That's great," a girl clapped her hands excitedly. She was a beauty coveted by many in the class and a member of the Golden Phoenix Society. "Be our knight. We already have a title for you, 'The Golden Phoenix Knight.'"
Jefferson was noncommittal. He didn't mind being a knight for these girls.
He had heard that these so-called knights were supposed to step in when someone harassed the girls, and the perk was that he could attend their parties. For other boys in the class, this might be a sought-after opportunity, but he didn't care.
"I'm already Mona's knight," Jefferson said. "Find someone else."
"Stingy," the girl pouted but then leaned in. "Be my knight. Mona might not give you certain things, but I can."
Despite the seductive glances, Jefferson remained unmoved. When it came to flirting, his cousin was the real expert. He was quite curious about that extraordinary boarding school she attended and wanted to study how it produced someone like her.
More importantly, what could Mona possibly deny him? They had done everything from intercourse to anal and bondage several times. He had explored every inch of her body, knew all her sensitive spots better than she did. Of course, he couldn't share this with anyone. Mona's only request was that he kept it secret, and he also considered Mona his exclusive, not letting any bad rumors spread about her.
After school, Jefferson headed to the camp with a bit of apprehension. He wasn't sure what awaited him. As he approached the camp gate, he heard the sound of an argument inside.
From the voices, one side was Linda, the "juice girl," and the other side seemed to be multiple unfamiliar people.
As he walked in, he saw everyone had come out, even the usually silent and reclusive Miss Nancy was standing aside.
In the center of the square stood four people. Besides Linda, Jefferson had never seen the other three women before. They all looked young, no older than twenty, with the same brown hair and eyes, and similar facial features, indicating they were likely related. However, their temperaments were different.
The one arguing most fiercely with Linda was clearly the leader. She had a similar fiery and unruly demeanor as Linda but lacked Linda's seductive and wanton air, instead exuding an air of arrogance.
The other two women were also fiery but to varying degrees. One was extremely aggressive, often shaking her fists as if ready to fight at any moment, while the other was more caustic. She was the youngest and spoke the least, but when she did, her words were sharp.
Jefferson quietly approached Miss Eileen and whispered, "Master, what's going on? Who are those women?"
"They're new here, originally from the frontline main knight regiment, reassigned to our second-line squad. They feel a bit wronged and want to assert themselves. They're ostensibly targeting Linda but actually testing the captain's response," Miss Eileen explained.
Miss Monica, who had been standing a bit further away, saw Jefferson and came over as well. "You're lucky. Watch closely and see how real knights fight."