Chapter 96 : Forgotten Past
Forgotten Past
'Why is it that I'm starting to understand his thoughts more and more?'
Unknowingly, Gregory was becoming influenced by his own father.
Even though, in his mind, he knew that the method was wrong. He couldn't help but wonder if his father simply didn't know any other way. After all, he too was probably new to the role of being a father.
So, Gregory thought that if he had been in his father's place, he might have acted the same way. At that moment, a memory he had forgotten suddenly flashed through his mind. His head began to ache.
'Ugh, what kind of memory is this?'
Gregory had once—only once—seen his father's tears. It was when the woman he cherished most, Gregory's mother, had passed away.
Even at that young age, her death brought Gregory immense pain. After crying himself to exhaustion and falling asleep, he woke up vaguely some time later.
That was when Gregory saw his father silently wiping away tears. He realized then that his father hadn't looked down on him, but was just awkward at responding. If he had been someone without emotions, he wouldn't have been sad. There was an indescribable tenderness in that silent weeping.
'Is this memory real? It was so long ago, I can't recall it precisely. So why did it suddenly come back now?'
And one question led to another.
'But... why me? Why did I reincarnate into the body of this Gregory? Did God really answer the desperate wish of someone who recklessly killed so many in a previous life?'
Even after his possession, Gregory never relinquished his doubts about his existence. Yet, the mystery remained unsolved—until now.
The moment the doubt was about to be resolved, Gregory snapped out of his thoughts and collapsed right where he stood. This happened after Astia and Krisso had been appointed knights, while everyone was mobilizing to discuss the issue regarding the Blandi Kingdom.
Fortunately, there were people around. Ernest, always sensitive to noise, was the first to notice. He rushed over, seeing Gregory collapsed and struggling to breathe.
"Gregory, are you alright? Wh-what's wrong!"
However, Gregory only covered his mouth with his palm, retching and gasping for breath, unable to speak.
He was feeling repulsed—because he thought he was starting to understand the reason he had come to possess this body.
Why had he returned to the past, into the body of this same Gregory? As he reached the end of this question, one idea flashed across his mind.
'If this is the past, before I was ever born, doesn't that mean the current swordmaster of the Blandi Kingdom is my father from my previous life?'
It was all to exact revenge on Meren and the king of the Blandi Kingdom. Was it to prevent the war? To save the lives of cherished comrades? No, those were merely ancillary wishes he held.
Yet, if he was to carry out revenge on them, he would have to defeat his father, the swordmaster of the Blandi Kingdom, as well. Gregory felt as if his head would explode.
***
A few hours later, an emergency meeting was held without Gregory. Even though Gregory was supposed to play a crucial role in this matter, he couldn't participate after suddenly losing his composure.
Alessandro, feeling anxious, asked:
"What's going to happen to Gregory...?"
Adrian lashed out at Alessandro, raising his voice.
"What do you mean, what's going to happen! He'll be fine, so let's just deal with the urgent matters first. Our opponent is the Blandi Kingdom!"
Ernest cleared his throat. He was deeply worried about Gregory, but at this moment, he judged that the issue of the Blandi Kingdom was of utmost priority.
"Ahem... I was taken aback too, but thinking rationally, the security of the Arme Kingdom comes before Gregory's wellbeing."
However, Walter looked pitiful as he spoke.
"Does anyone know why Gregory suddenly ended up like that?"
Meeting Walter's gaze, garneth conveyed what the medic had reported.
"They said he felt something strange and then experienced difficulty breathing."
"Something strange... Could it be that he noticed the Blandi Kingdom is up to some new scheme?"
"I don't think so. If he were his usual self, he'd already have found a way out of that kind of situation. So please, don't worry too much. It's just a simple case of shortness of breath. With some herbs and rest, he'll recover quickly."
Ernest cautiously attempted to shift the group's focus.
"Let's not lose heart. The war hasn't even started yet, has it? There's a reason we called this emergency meeting, so let's focus on coming up with countermeasures."
While some might have found Ernest's attitude cold, it was a situation where, if they failed to hold the front lines, mass slaughter would surely follow.
Everyone seemed to agree.
Alessandro nodded at Ernest's words and continued.
"That's right! He'll definitely be fine. Let's focus on the meeting for now!"
Walter, regaining his composure, tried to keep the mood from getting gloomier.
"You're absolutely right. Let's proceed with the meeting first."
Kylas looked at Walter with concern.
"What is the subject of this meeting? Our own issue seemed resolved, but if you've called such an urgent meeting, something must have happened?"
"Well, the truth is, we received a report from the scout."
"A report... What kind of report are you referring to?"
Walter hesitated before speaking.
"We've received word that the Blandi Kingdom has received reinforcements from the Britain Kingdom's elite forces, preparing for an all-out war."
The room was soon in uproar. That meant the Britain Kingdom was joining forces with full military strength to wage war against the Arme Kingdom.
Everyone was left reeling from the shock—not only from Gregory's sudden collapse but also from the aggressive posture of the Blandi Kingdom.
Some even speculated that maybe Gregory's collapse was triggered by the shock of these developments.
Walter carefully continued.
"Therefore, we'll be withdrawing all support for the Twilight Knight Order stationed in the rear, based on the scout's information. If the Blandi Kingdom truly plans to strike on all fronts, we need to come up with a cunning strategy."
Then Ernest spoke.
"If that's the case, what about support from the other kingdoms? Didn't you say that in the event of an unavoidable all-out war, they would offer assistance?"
"I understand your concern. But you should know that the commander of the Radiant Order wouldn't just stand by. I've already destroyed the original letter and sent out a new one outlining a revised plan. Chances are, they'll come to help."
But this also meant the war would only escalate further. The Britain Kingdom, the Tarierre Kingdom, and even other kingdoms willing to provide support.
War would become ever more frequent, and countless people would die.
"Huu... Is there really no good way? Even with reinforcements, if we go into a full-scale battle, we'll be outnumbered."
As Ernest feared, the Silver Knight Order, tasked with defending the royal family, had their own strategies and defense tactics. However, even though the Black Cloud Knight Order was individually skilled, deploying them in battle was not easy.
It was too much for the Dawn Knight Order and the soldiers to handle all that manpower alone. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they could launch an assault at any moment.
And with Gregory—the one who could come up with effective strategies—lying ill, they had to devise some method, whatever it took.
Walter gave a meaningful smile.
"We've all seen what Gregory can do, haven't we? There's no shortage of methods."
Ernest nodded. He too was worried, but he speculated that the strategies Gregory had shown so far could provide clues.
"I have plenty of ideas coming to mind as well. Gregory has shown us what real strategy is."
Walter explained the upcoming operation. First, terrain was one of the most important things in war.
The second point was to cut off the enemy's supply lines. The more enemies there were, the more effective it became the moment their supply lines were severed.
On top of that, the enemy must feel acutely the lack of provisions. As soon as their food supply was cut off, morale would drop, and chaos would follow.
"So... We really have no choice but to win using strategy, right?"
Ernest continued, filling in what Walter's plan lacked. The most suitable place to lure a large number of soldiers was, classically, a valley.
To gain the advantage of terrain, if they could use the valley well, it would be a great advantage.