The surrounding mountains were eerily quiet, as if no one had ever been there, let alone fought. Only the white egrets, startled and now circling in the sky, indicated that something had happened.
A light rain began to fall, drenching Jefferson. Although his armor shielded him, he still felt cold. This sudden winter rain did not wash away much of the killing intent but instead added a chill.
Jefferson looked around nervously. Only he and the officer, Miss Christine, were there. If the enemy found them, the consequences would be disastrous.
Although he had killed two novices, Jefferson wasn't arrogant enough to think he could stand against real knights. Unfortunately, he had already boasted heroically, and lacking the thick skin to go back on his words, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and go along with it.
Suddenly, the vehicle stopped. Ahead was a canyon, and there was no road forward. After waiting for a moment, there was a light "clang" as one of the car doors lifted.
"Give me a hand and help me move these things out," Officer Christine said, clearly unaccustomed to giving orders. In this squad, she might be the most important member besides Captain Wallis, but her rank was the lowest, only slightly higher than Jefferson's. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't command the squad.
Christine was driving the last vehicle, which was loaded with essential repair parts. She asked Jefferson to move several large, iron-gray boxes, each two meters long, one meter wide, and half a meter high.
Using a crowbar from the toolbox at the back of the vehicle, Christine pried open the boxes one by one. Inside were neatly arranged red crystals, each about the size of a washbasin and as thick as a brick.
These were all energy crystals.
"We have to abandon the vehicle here; it can't go any further. I need your help to carry these. We can leave the other parts, but without the energy crystals, the others can't fight for long, or even escape," Christine said as she counted the crystals, calculating how many they needed to take.
"But..." Jefferson hesitated, "I don't have much carrying capacity left."
Christine straightened up, frowning. Her first time giving orders had indeed flustered her, causing her to overlook something so important.
Glancing at Jefferson's damaged armor, Christine's eyes settled on the weak spot. The armor's only advantage was its thickness; if it were any other armor, it would have been penetrated already.
"I have an idea," Christine said, clapping her hands. "Seventy-five percent of your armor's weight is in those plates. I'm sorry, but I need to remove some of them."
If he could, Jefferson would refuse. As a defensive heavy knight, he lacked speed and explosive power. Without his heavy armor, he would be a sitting duck. But having already made his boast, backing down now would be disgraceful.
On second thought, he realized that if they were discovered, facing enemy knights with or without armor would make little difference. So, he might as well go along with Christine's modifications.
Removing the armor was simple. In battle, knights' armor and weapons were the most easily damaged. Within minutes, the front and side armor plates were removed, leaving only the main backplate. Removing this would be too dangerous if attacked from behind.
Energy crystals were then hung in place of the armor plates. Though lighter than steel plates, they couldn't carry many. Heavy knights were clumsy and slow, unsuitable for mountain terrain, so they had to lighten their load to move through the mountains.
"Help me take this thing down," Christine pointed to a large disc on the roof.
The disc, about a meter in diameter, had a thick iron plate on top and intricate patterns etched on the bottom, inlaid with various crystals. It was heavy and cumbersome to handle, but essential for communicating with and locating the others, and avoiding battle zones.
Only Officer Christine could use the disc, as it was designed for psions. Every knight squad had to include a psion because many devices could only be used by them, and this disc was one of those.
Once the disc was removed, Jefferson found that the best way to carry it was on his head. However, this limited his vision since he needed to hold it with at least one hand. With a large shield on each arm, using one hand to hold the disc meant he couldn't see on that side.
Although it seemed dangerous, there was no other way. The disc was delicate and had to be kept flat, so carrying it on his head was the only option despite its drawbacks.
Everything was ready, but Christine hesitated. She needed a place to sit. As a psion, she lacked the strength and stamina of a knight, making it impossible to keep up on foot. Plus, she had to operate the disc and couldn't stray far.
Jefferson's armor was just a bit larger than him, so Christine, being similar in height, could manage to find a suitable position within its dimensions.
After considering for a long time, they realized the most suitable way for Christine to sit was in Jefferson's lap, facing him. However, this position was quite intimate. Christine blushed slightly, recalling the rumors about Jefferson. "Put me on your shoulders," she suggested.
"That's a bit too low, isn't it?" Jefferson initially didn't understand Christine's reasoning. "Besides, that's too dangerous. If someone attacks from behind, you'll be the first target. You should sit in front."
This was a fact, but it made Christine blush even more. She spat lightly, "Sitting in front would be even more dangerous."
Jefferson was taken aback, but after a moment's thought, he understood Christine's meaning, and his heart started to race.
Carrying the energy crystals on his body and the large disc on his head, Jefferson cautiously made his way through the shadows of the mountains. To conceal the faint glow of the energy crystals, he covered himself with a rain tarp and adorned himself with leafy branches to avoid detection.
At this moment, he resembled a tree monster.
In the end, Christine had to sit in his lap because the space on his shoulders was even smaller than expected due to the disc. There was simply no room for her to sit there.
Jefferson was no longer nervous but was now struggling against the rising desire in his heart. Christine's current position was too alluring. She had said that sitting in front would be more dangerous, and she was absolutely right.
In the camp, he probably spent more time with Christine than with his master Eileen, as his official role was that of a handyman under Christine's supervision. But he had never paid special attention to her.
Christine always wore glasses in the camp, which gave her an intellectual beauty but also made her look somewhat old-fashioned. She reminded him of the strict dean of his school, who was a forty-something-year-old spinster always wearing glasses.
But now, without her glasses, Christine, holding onto his shoulders and straddling his lap, looked incredibly enchanting.