Chapter 105 : The Truth Surfaced
The Truth Surfaced
Gregory stared into space in a daze even on his way back to the knight order. The air around him had grown calm, but inside, his heart still churned violently.
The one he had once admired and followed from behind—
Had died by the sword held in his own grasp.
The flow of time was changing, and from now on, those changes would only become more drastic.
"......"
Gregory closed his eyes briefly. Even in the heavy fatigue weighing him down, he repeated to himself:
"It's not over yet."
***
"Everyone, treat the wounded first. Those able to move, maintain vigilance!"
At Kylas's command, the knights of dawn scrambled into action.
Leonics and Amelia had fought to their utmost.
But, unable to sense true progress, they swallowed their frustration.
Contrary to the confident words they had spoken, deep wounds marred their bodies.
Seria and Garneth applied bandages themselves.
Soon after, Gregory entered an operations meeting with Kylas and Walter. The lieutenants spread out a map that organized the front lines and continued their explanation.
"The enemy's supply line has been completely cut off. The forward base previously commanded by Jehar is now isolated. Rear support also appears to have been annihilated."
"What about the remnants of their forces?"
"Some stragglers have scattered, but most are likely to surrender as their morale is broken."
Walter closed his eyes for a moment, then raised his head.
"Good. You've done well enough. Then what we need to do is simple."
He touched the map with his fingertip.
"Jehar's frontline has collapsed. What remains is for us to strike decisively at this opening."
Gregory felt the discomfort of being watched. His comrades, aware of the dangers he faced clashing with Jehar, were staring at him.
But none of them spoke up. They were worried Gregory might be put in an awkward position.
No, perhaps it was more accurate to say they felt afraid of Gregory's presence.
Kylas hesitantly spoke.
"Defeating the Fourth knight and the 7th and Eighth knights all at once was truly an achievement."
Walter frowned at this—he had not been informed.
"What do you mean? Explain further."
Walter understood his comrades had suffered great wounds; since they were powerful warriors, if even they were injured, it meant a strong enemy was present.
Still, no one had died, and it was unclear why most faces were so grim. But Kylas's words seemed to hint at it.
"The supply line did have formidable opponents. We fought the Fourth knight, as well as the 7th and Eighth knights."
Gregory, meanwhile, grew uneasy.
He'd never wanted his comrades to doubt his strength.
'Kgh... this isn't good.'
Even though Gregory had fought to protect them, that act now became the root of their suspicion.
Hiding one's true strength and not revealing one's weapon—
That might be a core strategy in war.
Kylas continued:
"... Anyway, we completely destroyed them and cut the supply line. We removed all supplies stationed there. Now the enemy vanguard should be isolated."
Still, Kylas chose loyalty to Gregory.
He, too, had no shortage of questions about Gregory,
but regardless, Gregory was a precious comrade to him.
'He covered for me... Thank you, vice-captain.'
Walter realized Kylas was hiding something, but his trust in Kylas made him decide there must be a reason for that secrecy.
He was also relieved to find his comrades weren't simply intimidated.
If the heavy mood had been caused by fear of the enemy's strength, that could have led to disaster on the battlefield.
"I see. Then we can devise our strategy with confidence."
Walter quickly shifted the topic and began outlining their operations.
Now that the enemies were isolated, he judged that they could seize the advantage by eliminating them one after another.
He explained the method for doing so.
No one disagreed. Unless the enemy regrouped, there was little threat for now.
With the supply line reclaimed, the only major concern was enemy kingdoms sending additional resources.
Thus, the meeting concluded.
Everyone returned to their rooms.
***
Ernest, Gregory, Adrian, and Alessandro had always shared their assigned room.
When Adrian and Alessandro tried to celebrate their victory, Ernest approached delicately.
"Gregory. Could we speak for a moment?"
Gregory could guess what Ernest was feeling. He would likely ask about Gregory's unbelievable achievements and the source of his strength.
Gregory disliked the situation, but since Ernest could be a strong ally, he accepted.
"That's fine..."
Ernest moved with Gregory to a secluded spot to speak privately, and with a troubled look, asked:
"What are you hiding?"
Gregory wanted to evade the question. He knew how devastated Ernest would be if he learned Gregory was actually his younger brother in a different body and that he had returned from the past.
Nothing good would come from this conversation.
But, it seemed there was no alternative.
Not only had he overcome the curse, but it was impossible to explain how his skills had advanced so rapidly in such a short time.
Not even the greatest genius could have experienced such leaps.
"I'll ask instead. Can you tell me how much you know?"
Ernest narrowed his eyes.
Gregory's response made it clear—
He was definitely hiding something.
"I knew it... So there was something. I'm your hyung; can't you tell me everything?"
Gregory was deeply conflicted.
Even if he said nothing, with time things would become clear.
But as soon as doubts arose, trust could shatter and resentment fester.
For Ernest to harbor such persistent suspicion and find no resolution might eventually end their camaraderie.
All Gregory's belief in true comradeship and the effort he'd put into protecting it would have been in vain.
The answer was obvious.
Even if it killed him, he didn't want to lie to him.
If he was truly a comrade, and if he truly trusted him, deceiving him would be morally wrong.
"Where should I start... I'm not Gregory."
"Huh... What do you mean by that?"
In the end, Gregory decided to confide only in Ernest. Seeing Ernest's wisdom and his actions, he thought that if Ernest chose to be an ally, nothing could be more reassuring.
Besides, what had happened couldn't be undone. His frantic efforts to save his comrades had become arrows pointed at himself.
If he didn't bear this burden, his comrades would inevitably suffer emotionally.
Gregory started to share the whole story, and as Ernest listened, his face grew ever grimmer. Ernest shook his head vehemently, cutting Gregory off with a loud voice.
"That's impossible. You can't expect me to believe that!?"
It wasn't betrayal toward Gregory that Ernest felt. It was a desperate outcry at the fate of his real younger brother and this inexplicable situation.
Ernest continued.
"Yeah... I knew something was off from the beginning. When you left Kailo and Reino in ruins, when you helped me reach 4-stars, when you inexplicably knew everything, when you executed those impossible strategies with confidence and succeeded... even your seasoned manner—all of that wasn't the Gregory I knew. But still...! You could have told me at least!"
Gregory could not answer. He could imagine the enormity of the sense of loss.
Still, he hadn't desperately wanted to live in this way, either.
Why he'd possessed this body and what his story was—he was only just now starting to understand.
He still felt burning revenge toward the enemies of Meren and the Blandi Kingdom.
There was no greater loss than being betrayed by a cherished junior he'd raised.
Gregory, in a departure from his usual manner, spoke sharply to Ernest.
"You didn't think something like this could happen? You knew, and you asked, having steeled yourself to some extent. Nothing is going to change now."