Chapter 95 : Truth of Jin
Truth of Jin
"Commander, please listen to me for a moment!"
Just as Walter and Gregory were locked in a tense stare-down, a scout arrived. The scout, who had been sent to investigate the situation in the Blandi Kingdom just in case, had returned.
Since everyone had been pondering Gregory's sense of déjà vu for a while, the atmosphere was one of startled surprise.
Walter spoke.
"Come in."
The scout entered, gasping for breath. Walter calmed him down.
"What is it? Take a moment to catch your breath and then explain."
"Huff... Actually, the situation in the Blandi Kingdom is unusual. Please reconsider your decision to go to the Twilight Knights."
At those words, Gregory and Walter locked eyes for a moment. It wasn't as if their plans were being derailed, since nothing had actually been set into motion yet.
They wanted to know what the fundamental problem was. The scout, sensing the urgency of the situation, continued without pausing.
"In reality... There are widespread rumors that elite soldiers from the Breton Kingdom have joined the Blandi Kingdom, and the Blandi Kingdom is conscripting a large number of soldiers as well."
Gregory now understood the source of his unease. There was no way that the Blandi Kingdom would act so simply. They were the type to do whatever it took—to take any action without hesitation—for their own gain.
"Is your information certain?"
Walter, full of anger, questioned the scout again. His ire was not directed at the scout, but at the Blandi Kingdom.
"They really want to taste tragedy... To think they plan to attack from both sides."
This scout was from the Radiant Order—his information was reliable. Scouts who worked directly with the Radiant Order were as trusted as those recognized by the kingdoms.
Even if this person were a turncoat, his tone, expression, and gestures were nothing less than a sincere warning for their sake.
No, it would be even stranger to suspect him, since he'd already been vetted by the Black Cloud Knights.
Therefore, Gregory responded calmly.
"Thank you for delivering this information. You may withdraw now. We'll adjust our plans and proceed from here."
With those words, the scout dashed out.
As soon as he left, Walter began to laugh like a madman.
"Hahahahaha!"
Gregory was taken aback at Walter's crazed display. No matter what plans the Blandi Kingdom had, they could always be adjusted. He felt a strange sense of bewilderment as he glanced at Walter for a clue.
"Are you all right, commander? Is something wrong?"
Walter's face quickly shifted to a troubled expression. He muttered,
"It was real. Your intuition isn't ever wrong. Was everything making you anxious because of this?"
Gregory himself felt bewildered. Even in his previous life, cases like this were rare, but whenever they occurred, he always felt that sense of déjà vu.
He wondered if perhaps he had some ability to foresee the future.
'If not that... is it simply because I spent so long in the Blandi Kingdom that I can predict their actions? In any case, it seems the scout infiltrated and gathered information. Truly fortunate.'
After thinking to himself, Gregory asked Walter a question.
"Haha... Indeed. Shall we summon the knights again?"
"Of course we must. If those bastards muster their courage and charge again, our front lines could collapse at any moment."
Walter believed they needed to revise their strategy. The Blandi Kingdom's ploy was a deception—to pretend to attack from the rear and make their enemies complacent, then launch a direct assault.
Perhaps this was the legitimate way. Sending that many soldiers to the rear would make it obvious, but charging head-on would only split their forces.
'How little must they think of us, to try something like this!'
Gregory fumed inwardly. Aside from the Ninth Knight, he still hadn't met the others. He'd repelled them using strategy, but meeting each of them individually would be a different ordeal.
Therefore, they also needed to prepare for a direct engagement this time. If only elite soldiers had been sent as reinforcements to the Blandi Kingdom, that meant the existing forces could infiltrate the rear at any time.
There was also the problem that they could no longer mobilize the Twilight Knights.
'There's no helping it. The only choice is to bring along the Black Cloud Knights.'
Still, Gregory considered it good luck. That force, which might have become a fatal weakness, had not.
He credited the scouts' efforts. Without them, they might have been caught utterly unprepared.
At the same time, he resolved that their future strategies needed to involve even more careful and concrete indicators. It was to prevent situations like this from recurring.
'The Blandi Kingdom has several knightly orders and many soldiers, so they can act more freely—but since we don't have many knightly orders, we can't do as we please.'
Gregory once thought that since he had reached the realm of Swordmaster, there was nothing more to learn—but that wasn't the case.
Since possessing this body, he had come to understand and learn even more, and to make the most of what might be his only remaining life, he decided he needed to maintain an unusually humble mindset.
***
A few days later, a notification letter arrived from the Black Cloud Knights.
[All turncoats identified by the Black Cloud Knights have been found and punished. There is no longer significant reason to worry about internal traitors.]
The explanation was brief and clear, and beside it was the bright red seal of the Black Cloud Knight Order commander.
'Was Bram's role really this significant?'
Meanwhile, the Dawn Knight Order left nothing to chance in their preparations, never skipping training. Tough, intensive drills were conducted because, in life-and-death combat, no soldiers dared neglect their preparation.
After the last training session, all the knights gathered in the meeting hall. While there were strategic meetings, this one was more succinct than ever.
As always, sieges favored the defender. But the moment you let down your guard, a breach would occur, and hordes of soldiers would pour in.
Reinforcing the walls and carefully checking all traps had become essential and would likely become part of the daily routine now.
Above all, the most formidable thing was well-trained soldiers.
"All right, everyone. No complaints—keep training."
Walter drilled the soldiers at the Dawn Knight Order' training field. Before long, the novice knights Astia and Krisso joined. They could not yet wield great strength, but the experience gained in war was immeasurable.
Astia and Krisso stood with confident voices.
"Of course!"
"We'll become even stronger knights!"
Gregory watched them with satisfaction, briefly lost in deep thought.
'I think I used to be like that too... when was it? Why does watching them hit me harder than seeing others join the order?'
***
The memory that came to him was a faint memory from his previous life that he thought he'd forgotten.
A battered, shabby wooden door. The reason Gregory's father, despite holding the rank of Swordmaster, lived a poor and humble life.
Gregory's father was more devoted to the knight order than anyone. Didn't that mean he could've lived in luxury, flaunted his status?
No. Gregory's father cared only for the order. Neglecting his family, he showed only passion for the order until the day he died in war. He never easily let any other emotion show.
"Father, I've been accepted into the order!"
"If you're the child of a Swordmaster, that's only natural! You're not expecting praise for that, are you?"
"But... isn't it impressive that I overcame the curse and joined the order at my age?"
"Nonsense! If you bring shame on me in the order, I'll have you expelled at once."
He understood these feelings. He realized how great a status Swordmaster was as he prepared to enter the knight order. He could see, however imperfectly, the path his father had walked. Surely, his father wanted to pass along his achievements.
'Ah... I can't believe I forgot this memory. Or perhaps it's not that I forgot, but that I didn't want to remember?'
Gregory felt that he was gradually learning more about Parsei and his father's character, and gaining insights through his second life.
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