The rewards of the quest only fueled Jules's resolve to survive.
They also brought a wave of memories from the novel's plot.
Before his transmigration, Jules had read every available chapter of the story. Unfortunately, it had been left incomplete when the releases stopped abruptly.
Still, it had covered enough for him to know one crucial thing: the original Jules's story… and the eventual destruction of the clan.
The backstory of Jules Evanava was briefly mentioned, revealed through the words of a survivor of the clan's fall.
According to the novel, Jules did survive this mission. But that survival came at a steep price.
He was scapegoated, entangled in the schemes of a hidden traitor, and eventually cast aside—his fate pitiful as he watched everything crumble from the sidelines.
This particular mission was vaguely explained in the novel.
All Jules knew now was that the original had survived it and obtained an artifact—only to fall into a living hell afterward.
This whole situation was maddening, but Jules had decided to go through the simplest way.
I only need to survive and I'll obtain this, right?
Thinking back to the survivor of the clan, Jules realized that person could help!
Without hesitation, Jules left his room, walked through the brightly lit corridor and approached his mother in the common room.
"M-Mother…" Jules said, suppressing his trauma, "I need your help. Help me contact Captain Freya."
Jules's mother, Cattleya, evidently surprised about this, replied, "W-what? What's wrong?"
Why this all of a sudden? She wondered.
"I have a foreboding. Please, we don't have time."
Seeing his determined eyes, Cattleya refrained from asking questions as she got up.
"Alright, darling… I'll do that immediately."
In the guest room where Jules decided to wait, a woman, looking younger than her age, walked in.
She barely has any wrinkles. Her short white hair complemented her dark blue eyes beautifully.
Within twenty minutes of being contacted, Freya left her post at the frontlines and arrived at the Evanava Family house.
She looked towards the center of the room, where two couches were facing each other, a table between them.
Jules sat on one, his gaze fixed in place as his thoughts drifted.
Freya sat in front of him, saying, "Jules, what's wrong? I heard you wanted to talk to me urgently."
This woman…is meant to kill me in the novel. Oh well, here goes nothing… Jules thought before he replied, "Captain, you might not believe what I say, but hear me out.
"The mission I'll be going on… I will be targeted during it."
Freya furrowed her brows as the room's temperature began to drop.
"Explain."
"My mother must have told you that I said I had a foreboding. During the past two missions, I have felt constantly watched and all of a sudden, I felt like I'd die today."
"Jules," Freya said, her voice dripping with annoyance. "I left the Edge for this. Are you being serious right now? Is this what you've come up with because of fear?"
The pressure was becoming suffocating, but Jules forced himself to stay calm as he spoke.
"Why will I joke with my life? I'm telling the truth!" In desperation, Jules added, "I think there's going to be a betrayal within the clan!"
Freya seemed to lose control of her anger at that moment.
The mana-charge light sources flickered as Jules fell from his chair.
He looked up to see Freya staring absentmindedly, then yelled in a muffled tone.
"C-captain!"
Freya stared out of it and with a hint of realization, she retracted the pressure and exhaled deeply, rubbing her temple.
"Damn it... Sorry, some things get on my nerves." She stated in a solemn tone.
'Oh, yes. How did I forget this woman is a family woman to the end! That's the main reason why I'm trusting her. She's protective of us!'
Rising back up to the chair, Jules heaved a sigh and shrugged.
"I understand."
Putting that aside, Freya seemed to hesitate for a moment, before she said, "For years now, I have suspected something like that…"
Her face seemed to darken as she added, "Since your father's death actually."
After possessing this body and learning what caused the original's trauma ten years ago, Jules had pieced some things together and suspected that the clan's betrayal was connected to his father's death.
He could only reciprocate her expression, "I see."
"You are reacting to this better than I expected," Freya stated, her lips curling up a bit, "In fact you are acting differently from usual. You must really be scared of something to leave your comfort zone."
Jules's eyes twitched as he realized he was acting poorly.
My current mental state is to blame! I'm a very good actor, not only because of talent, but because I did it a lot to face that bastard.
Ignoring her observation, Jules said, 'We need a plan to save me first. I'll join forces with you to expose the betrayal after.
Freya nodded, knowing the severity of the situation.
"You seem to have something in mind. Tell me."
Ah… thank goodness. This went smoothly. The captain is the only person in this world that I can comfortably interact with right now!
This was because of how he perceived her from the novel's description and her personality.
As Jules and Freya discussed, they realized that the betrayal's plans weren't simple.
The day they chose to attack Jules was the same day Freya was pressured more at the Edge!
Things were becoming intricate.
- - -
By the time Jules and Freya finalized a plan to ensure his survival, only an hour remained before his departure.
He quickly got dressed and spent a few minutes practicing his spellcasting.
Soon after, he wore his leather armor and tied a small bag to his belt, light enough to not hinder him. In it were potions, bombs and other rations.
His shortsword was also fixed to his belt.
The team assembled and set out on their mission—to scout the northeastern border for potential infiltrators targeting the clan.
But Jules believed the real danger wasn't from outside the borders. It was the betrayal he anticipated from one of his teammates.
Facing a backstabber within the group felt far more dangerous than any ambush from outsiders—especially in the Northeast, a relatively secure area close to the main squads.
He remained calm, keeping his suspicions hidden, knowing the plan with Freya was his only hope right now.
He watched his four teammates and took mental note of them.
Ryan, the ever-cheerful teammate, seemed loyal, but Jules couldn't shake the feeling that his true intentions were hidden.
The others, Mark and Joel, were more distant, and Jules held them as prime suspects.
The Captain, Cid, stoic and unreadable, had been placed on this team by Freya herself, but he was only aware of Freya's prior suspicions and not the actual plans.
In fact, no one was aware of it because of Jules and Freya's agreement.
After hours of trekking through hostile terrain, the group reached a clearing where they had just fought a beast.
Jules kept his distance, watching, waiting, and carefully analyzing every movement.
Suddenly, Jules heard a voice like it was right by his ear.
"Young master, listen to me carefully. Don't be startled."
Of course Jules was still startled, but after recognizing it as Ryan, he composed himself and acted like an insect startled him.
Joel, the joker, mocked Jules slightly, and Jules pretended to laugh dryly while he listened to Ryan.
"I found out that this mission was actually made to target you."
Listening to Ryan, an idea spawned in Jules's head.
Was it Ryan that was responsible for saving the original Jules?