My eyes opened wide as I abruptly sat up. Sweat soaked my body and I was panting.
"Haa… haa… haa…"
"Ian?"
I turned my head to the side and felt some sort of déjà vu. A blonde-haired man with blue eyes appeared. My brows furrowed involuntarily.
"Grand–"
However, before I could finish my words, Gideon hugged me.
Luckily, my eyes caught the interior of this place, and fortunately, this was inside a tent and not something like a cave or underground.
"Grandpa?"
He released me and cupped my face, he looked at me intently.
"Tell me, are you hurt somewhere?"
I tried to feel whether there was something wrong with my body, but I couldn't find any and I shook my head.
"Umm… no?"
"Haa…"
Gideon let out a sigh of relief and released me, then sat back down on the chair next to my bed.
"Your Highness, please."
Fedel approached and offered me a goblet. I received the glass and without much thought, I drank it.
"Fedel, call a doctor here, please."
"As you wish."
I returned the cup to Fedel and he placed it on the table before exiting the tent. I leaned my back on the headboard and started a light conversation.
"Grandfather, why are you here?"
"After Sir Ulrich's message reached the Capital, His Majesty immediately assigned me and Sir Rudr to bring the Princes back."
My eyes widened.
"Sir Rudr? Count Caelum? A Marshal? Come here?"
"Yes."
I couldn't help but scoff inside and massaged the bridge of my nose.
Although Gideon was a Commander, he was my Grandpa, so it would still make sense for him to go get me.
"His Majesty sent you here without your Corps or a Field Army, right?"
"Of course not, His Majesty doesn't want his citizens to panic."
I nodded in agreement and breathed out deeply, I was just relieved. Without a doubt, a chaotic situation would ensue if Dariush dispatched Sir Rudr and his Field Army here.
If a Corps contained 20,000 to 50,000 or more soldiers, then a Field Army combined two or more Corps! Just imagine what the citizens would think if they saw hundreds of thousands of knights marching here!
'People will start to think that Dariush wants to erase some Kingdoms off the map.'
I knew he was worried, but still, I thought sending a Commander and a Marshal to fetch his sons was way too much in my eyes.
'Now that I think about it, is that one of Dariush's hobbies?'
He assigned Sir Ulrich, who was originally his Knight Escort as my temporary Knight Escort. Now, he ordered a Commander and a freaking Marshal just to pick up his sons.
'He's crazy, isn't he? I mean–yea, I know, he loved his sons but, can't he just do things in moderation?'
Before I could think further, Gideon's voice interrupted my thoughts.
"I heard about your heroic story."
I turned to him with a frown.
"What story?"
"That you risked your life to protect the refugees."
The wrinkles on my forehead deepened.
"I don't think exhausting my Mana Core counts as risking my life."
"Regardless–"
His hand reached out and stroked my head.
"–you did a great job, Damian."
I gripped my blanket. To be honest, I didn't know how to react, the only one who always praised me was my mother.
Something warm swirling in my heart, just like Alexander said his gratitude to me. Even in my previous life, no one had ever complimented me as purely and sincerely as they had.
I felt weird. Nonetheless, I drooped my head and answered with a low tone, barely inaudibly.
"Thank you."
Gideon smiled and patted my shoulder. I asked him other questions to change my mood.
"When did you get here?"
"Today, at dawn."
Gideon withdrew his hand from my shoulder.
"Do you perhaps know how long I have been unconscious?"
"Three days."
"I see."
I nodded. Soon, Fedel's voice filled the room and we turned to the tent entrance.
"Your Grace. I have brought a doctor."
"You may come in."
The fabric lifted and Fedel entered with the doctor. She walked toward me and bowed.
"I greet the future sun of the Empire."
"You may rise."
"Thank you."
She straightened her back and switched to Gideon to make another greeting. After the pleasantries ended, the doctor started to examine me.
It didn't take long for her to let go of my hand and explain the results of her analysis to Gideon.
"His Highness' conditions appear excellent."
"I'm delighted. Thank you, Doctor."
"It is my pleasure."
With that, he left and Gideon got up from his chair.
"Tomorrow we will leave at dawn, you better rest more before then."
"I understand."
I saw how Gideon walked to the entrance. However, he stopped in front of the curtain.
"Ah, I almost forgot."
He turned his head towards me.
"Please call your mother as soon as possible for the sake of my ears."
I titled my head in question.
"Ears?"
Unbothered to answer, he exited the room.
"It seems Her Majesty has been pestering His Grace with Tele-calls."
Fedel helped in answering the question.
"Ah, I see."
I nodded my head several times. It was understandable, though. Just letting me be here already gave her endless anxiety, and now she received the news about the attack–I hope she didn't faint.
"Your Highness, would you like a light meal?"
"Yes, please."
After being in a stupor for three days, I was without a doubt starving.
"If you'll excuse me, I need to prepare your light meal."
"Ah, sure."
Fedel left the tent and now I was all alone. However, the thoughts about the dream kicked in and my mind drifted. I immediately put my feet down and–
–Thud!
I kissed the ground. Dammit.
"Tsk."
I clucked my tongue in annoyance, I forgot to recharge my Mana Core, and wasting no more time I hurriedly replenished some of my Mana.
Done with refilling some Mana, I strode to a desk and pulled a chair to sit in. I took out my stationery from the Magical Sphere and started mapping the information I got from the dream.
First, the world that other Damian lived in was doubtlessly aligned with the novel.
Second, that Damian and I shared the same age.
Third, as my mother was still alive, and Gideon hadn't joined that shady organization, the event that occurred in that realm; I believed to be the future here.
'And what I have to do is, prevent that black-robed man from destroying the castle watchtower at Gideon's fiefdom.'
Because that was the turning point of the fate that chained me. I must destroy it if I want to break free from the damned plot that dictated my life.
But things were bugging me.
Even though I knew the two worlds were in sync with the novel, unlike there, I didn't have that kind of brotherhood with Alexander.
'Is it because I was a transmigrator?'
Well, that might be true, but, seeing that and this Alexander, both of them have polar personalities. The one that best matched the novel's description was Alexander in that realm, not this one.
The last was the war with the Yovanny Kingdom.
The novel started when Alexander returned to the Chrono Empire at the age of 17 as a 'War Hero' after completing the order that Dariush gave him to exterminate the remaining Yovannians.
Yet, what I didn't understand was, the Yovanny Kingdom had surrendered from the war and I witnessed it with my own two eyes. Then, why did Dariush behest such a mission for Alexander? Did the Yovanny Kingdom do something that angered–
Ah, I see. It seemed I caught a glimpse of it.
'It's the raid, isn't it?'
Now everything started to make sense. However, I stopped writing.
'What if…'
My mind went blank, I was baffled at the scenario that just played in my head. I put my fountain pen down and massaged my temples.
If that was the truth then it was pure madness, I dare not imagine.
"Crazy."
I breathed out a long sigh to calm my turmoil head. With that, I picked up my pen and began to write again.
The last one was Alexander.
The first thing he did once arrived here was check the Knights, weaponry, provisions, and everything that related to war.
In other words, he knew about the raid that would happen here, yet, that damned bastard said there wouldn't be any raid and freaking ditched me in the–I sighed.
'Let's not mix feelings into this, I need to think straight.'
The question was, how did he get that information? Where? Or perhaps, from whom? I believe Dariush also had no idea about it.
Nonetheless, my forehead frowned.
'What if… Alexander is a transmigrator like me?'
Since I was transmigrated here, it was a plausibility.
But–
–Tuk –Tuk –Tuk
I tapped my index finger on the desk.
It didn't explain how he got the information about the surprise attack. I clearly remembered that the novel I read was Volume 1 and there was no such thing as a prequel to that novel.
In the end, I could only clutch my head in frustration. My head hurts so much from thinking about so many things. I thought it would be best if I confronted Alexander.
Besides these questions, I also had a bone to pick with that asshole anyway. I glanced at the pocket watch lying on the table. It was 2pm.
I put my pen down and switched my attention to the Telesphere on my wrist when I recalled that I had his Tele-code.
'Let's settle things with him.'
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