Chapter 2. The Great 1-Circle Mage (2)
Memories poured into Roden's mind.
The amount of memories was immense.
It was an amount that an ordinary person would surely faint from, unable to withstand the overload on their brain.
That's how vast the memories held by a single person were.
It wasn't for nothing that humans were called microcosms.
But should it be called a relief?
Roden was not a person who could be placed in the ordinary category.
A genius among geniuses who had received the respect and envy of all mages with the level of a mere 1-Circle.
For that reason, the vast amount of memories pouring in indiscriminately began to be neatly organized in his mind, as if finding their proper places.
And Roden, who had finished organizing the memories in an instant, recalled the information he needed right now.
Thus, Roden realized that the original owner of this body was the third son of a renowned swordsmanship family, ‘Ernst Glockner’.
A troublemaker of the Glockner family who, like the other bloodlines of the renowned family, was born with the blessing of aura but, due to his timid personality and poor sense, had not reached the level of 2-star even at the age of twenty-three.
What’s more, he was a fool who lived with a bottle in his hand due to an inferiority complex from not meeting the expectations of those around him, praying for an early death, and who really did end his short life with a heart attack.
That was right.
The cause of death for the original owner of this body, Ernst, was a heart attack.
Among the memories Roden had just obtained, there remained one of Ernst feeling a sharp, intense pain in his heart before he stopped breathing.
And it seemed Roden had accidentally possessed the body of Ernst, who had ended his life so shortly.
I, who was a mage, have become the bloodline of a renowned swordsmanship family.
Roden was momentarily flustered by this fact.
But there was a fact more flustering than this.
It was, surprisingly…
‘It's been 100 years since I died?’
This fact.
To close his eyes and open them to find that 100 years had passed.
Roden couldn't help but be shocked.
But soon, Roden understood the current situation.
He couldn't even understand the possession itself, so what was the big deal about 100 years having passed, he thought.
More importantly, he now had to live as Ernst.
A conclusion reached while digesting Ernst's memories.
Roden decided not to reveal the fact that he was a mage who had been active as a magic theorist at the Penitudo mage tower 100 years ago.
He himself couldn't understand how this had happened, so he judged it was nonsensical to expect anyone else to understand.
One wrong move and he was likely to be treated as a lunatic and suffer a terrible fate.
Above all,
‘The Glockner family, who always looked down on Ernst, wouldn't find it strange to throw me into a place like a mental hospital and lock me up the moment I bring up the story of possession, thinking 'good riddance'.’
So, Roden had all the more reason not to reveal that he was a possessor.
And when he didn't reveal this fact.
The best method Roden could choose was to live as Ernst while hiding his identity.
Having quickly organized his thoughts in less than a minute, Roden looked towards Deputy Platoon Leader Chevalier, who was waiting for him, and spoke.
“It seems the alcohol from yesterday hasn't worn off. I was dizzy for a moment.”
Fortunately, Chevalier did not seem to harbor any particular suspicion at Roden’s excuse.
He simply, like this,
“Yes. I'm sure you are. It's not like you only had a small amount of alcohol. Anyway, let’s hurry up.”
only urged Roden on.
‘Hmm.’
They say people die if they do something they don't usually do.
In fact, unlike what Chevalier thought, Ernst had not drunk any alcohol last night.
He had felt that his body was not in good condition due to continuous heavy drinking and had gone to bed early, only to have a heart attack.
For that reason, Roden felt that Ernst's body condition wasn't that bad.
Compared to when he had suffered from Yusupa's mana backlash before his death, it was perfectly fine.
But that didn't mean he didn't feel the effects of alcohol at all.
It was because a considerable amount of alcohol had accumulated in this body from how much it had been drinking until now.
That was why Roden made a resolution as he followed Chevalier out of the barracks.
‘I'll have to stay away from alcohol for a while. To get my body back to normal.’
First, let's get the body back to normal.
At the same time as he set this small goal, the scenery outside the barracks came into Roden’s view.
Soldiers on patrol, soldiers cleaning their weapons, soldiers busily preparing breakfast, and so on.
The area around the barracks was filled with soldiers.
And not just any soldiers, but soldiers in a state of full readiness.
Which meant, this place was the middle of a battlefield.
However, Roden was not flustered by this fact.
It was only natural, as he was already aware of being embroiled in a war through Ernst's memories.
Roden merely lamented as follows.
‘Damn it. To be possessed in a place like this, of all places.’
It was certainly a situation that could only draw a lament from Roden.
Not only was he caught up in a war, but it was a situation where he couldn't even avoid it.
The fact that he was the platoon leader of a unit in the midst of war proved this.
In fact, it was not just Ernst.
The entire Glockner family was affiliated with the Allied Forces and was waging war against the Imperial Army.
It would have been a small relief if the scale of the war was small.
But the scale of the war was also considerable.
The proof was that the flames of war had spread across the entire continent.
A war of annihilation where if one side won, the other would be completely ruined.
This was the true nature of the war Ernst was currently embroiled in.
‘Is the silver lining that this place is in the rear?’
Ernst, who had nothing useful besides the title of a Glockner family bloodline, was currently assigned to the 3rd Corps Transport Battalion, which was in charge of supply missions.
He even had the perfectly fine title of 3rd Corps Transport Battalion, Infantry Company, 3rd Infantry Platoon Leader.
Originally, Ernst was in no position to receive such a title.
This was because it was rare for a 1-star knight to be a platoon leader, even in a rear transport battalion.
One had to be at least a 2-star knight to receive the title of platoon leader, even in the rear.
A 1-star knight would normally receive a title like Deputy Platoon Leader, just like Chevalier.
But Ernst had secured the position of platoon leader thanks to his family's halo.
And such an Ernst was, of course, a troublemaker in the transport battalion.
It was a natural result, as he was drunk day after day and did not fulfill his duties.
The reason the Infantry Company Commander had summoned Ernst was not out of any expectation.
It was simply to fill a seat at the back since it would be awkward not to call him.
Sure enough, even when Roden arrived at the large barracks where the meeting was in full swing, no one gave him a single glance.
Chevalier also took a seat in the darkest corner of the barracks, as if he were used to this reaction.
Roden also followed Chevalier and stood next to him.
In the meantime, the Infantry Company Commander, the Infantry Deputy Company Commander, the 1st Platoon Leader, the 2nd Platoon Leader, the 1st Deputy Platoon Leader, and the 2nd Deputy Platoon Leader were having a conversation.
“Recently, the 1st Transport Unit was attacked by the elusive Imperial Army and lost over half of its supplies, so the situation is not good.”
“How many times has this been… I’m worried sick because all the transport units from the 1st to the 3rd keep losing supplies.”
“If we fail to deliver the supplies safely this time as well, the front line will be pushed back significantly, putting us in a disadvantageous position. We need a countermeasure.”
The ones who spoke first were the Infantry Deputy Company Commander, the 1st Platoon Leader, and the 2nd Platoon Leader.
The Infantry Company Commander, Havier Navarro, nodded and took up their words.
“Right. That’s why I called you all. We must devise a way to succeed in delivering the supplies this time for sure.”
Thus, various opinions to solve the problem began to come out of the mouths of the people there.
And among them, the most useful and common one was the following opinion from the 2nd Deputy Platoon Leader.
“Wouldn't the only way be to surround the supply wagons with layers of soldiers and do our best to protect the supplies, even if it's slow?”
“Who doesn’t know that? But unfortunately, the Battalion Commander opposed that method.”
“Why is that?”
“The Battalion Commander’s intention is that we must deliver the supplies quickly, as we have failed to deliver them to the main battalion several times.”
“Hah…”
“So.”
At Havier's answer, sighs erupted from everyone gathered in the barracks.
It was because it was clear that if they hurried like this, they would lose their supplies to the Imperial Army's cavalry, which was called the strongest on the continent, once again.
Certainly, the 3rd Corps was currently experiencing great difficulty with supplies.
This was especially true compared to the 1st or 2nd Corps, and the reason was simple.
It was because the difficulty of supplying was exceptionally high.
The supply front was longer than that of other corps, but the fact that there were exceptionally many plains on the supply route was what made logistics for the 3rd Corps difficult.
Many plains meant that it was easy for the already strong Imperial Army cavalry to employ guerilla tactics.
What was even more frustrating was the fact that there was no proper way to block these attacks that used the terrain, as they were both straightforward and very effective.
It was not for nothing that the 3rd Corps Transport Battalion kept losing supplies.
The 2nd Platoon Leader asked Havier.
“By any chance, did the Archery Company or the Light Cavalry Company say they had no solution?”
“The Archery Company Commander suggested delivering the supplies by crossing the Baral Mountains.”
“That’s absurd! If we go across the Baral Mountains, famous for being treacherous, we will lose not only the supplies but also the soldiers of the transport battalion!”
“Don’t worry. The Battalion Commander also rejected the Archery Company Commander's proposal for the same reason as you.”
“Then what about the Light Cavalry Company Commander?”
“After bravely clashing with the Imperial Army cavalry last time and then fleeing with his tail between his legs, he’s become completely tight-lipped.”
“In the end, it means no one has been able to propose a suitable method.”
As the 2nd Deputy Platoon Leader finished muttering, the expressions of everyone there darkened.
It was the same for Chevalier, who was standing next to Roden.
In fact, at this rate, it was a situation where it was clear they would lose their supplies to the Imperial Army once again.
But it was also a situation where they couldn't just sit on their hands.
In the end, the meeting that day continued from the morning until Havier was summoned by the transport battalion commander.
But what was despairing was that even after holding such a meeting, no one could come up with any particularly good method.
The only small relief was,
‘No one is talking to me?’
that no one asked Roden if he had any good ideas.
He was treated as if he didn't exist, like an invisible man.
And at first, Roden did not think badly of this atmosphere.
***
The meeting continued the next day, and the day after that.
As the meetings went on, Roden’s genius brain digested all the vast amount of information that was being exchanged haphazardly in that space at a frightening speed.
And on the fifth day since the meeting began.
“How about doing this?”
Roden, who was standing in the darkest corner of the barracks, quietly raised his hand and opened his mouth.
His expression was not one of satisfaction that no one was talking to him, like at the beginning.