From the Rite of Fire (5)
The terrain provided for mock battles at Sponheim Academy is known to be summoned almost arbitrarily. To be more precise, it's the kind of landscape where "the two armies are likely to clash." For instance, if the setup pits beastkin from the frigid northern reaches against elves from the western forests, it summons terrain somewhere in between the two races.
Of course, this is just the basic setup, so it can be tweaked otherwise if desired... but that's not something I need to worry about right now. What matters is the geography and climate of the place where my chosen army from the Ruticia Margraviate would encounter the army of Darko, son of Siemobit, from the Benet clan.
"......"
The cold, damp air I feel with every exhale is all too familiar. The northern sea winds that alternate between mild warmth and biting chill, scattering snow and rain, and the lush forests they nurture upon settling. Right now, the autumn breeze is shaking loose the leaves, but in full summer green, they must look not just verdant but almost black.
Even in this harsh environment, the traces of cleared paths snake through like grid lines, and with the faint autumn mist settling in, making everything hazy white—this battlefield replicates the borderlands between the margraviate and the orcs' territory so perfectly, it feels like I passed through them on that scouting trip not long ago.
Feels like home.
This atmosphere, this battlefield—it's embarrassingly nostalgic. Tactically speaking, though, it's something to welcome. Not a single soldier in the Ruticia army is unfamiliar with this climate and terrain.
Well, the same goes for the enemy.
Especially for the orcs, who dwell in far more unforgiving lands. No real environmental advantage either way. Even so, fighting orcs on what feels like home soil—fake as this mock battle may be—leaves a strange, bittersweet taste.
Doesn't change a thing, though.
All I have to do is execute what I already know in reality. So, let's start by moving my forces and see how they respond.
"Advance."
"Advance!"
────Bwooooooo!!
Unlike the seamless obedience up to now, with no real reaction, the messenger beside me shouts loudly, and the trumpeter blasts the signal. Only then do they slowly fall into step and march. The sight of them clearly transmitting and receiving a command structure, rather than just following orders like soulless puppets, catches me off guard.
Is this the 'additional feature'?
There were trumpeters and drummers before, but they were mostly ornamental. So, this must be where Sponheim Academy's mock battles truly shine—expanding from game-like simplicity toward real-world command, teaching us realistic leadership.
Definitely a variable.
Of course, Professor Bisbaden mentioned adding 'military discipline' to the settings, but you can't really feel it until you try it. And while it's unfamiliar to me, used to one-touch game commands, my senior opponent must be well-accustomed to it already. That's a pretty big gap.
Well, I'll get the hang of it as I go. But Darko-senpai apparently has no intention of letting me; instead of hiding in the mist and autumn woods, he deploys right out in the open.
Swamps that look tough for marching troops up front, forests at his rear, dug in on a hill forming a defensive line. Seems like he's anticipating an aggressive push from me.
Even if not, at this range, I'd strike first.
Still, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of puzzlement.
Orcs defending in such an exposed spot?
It ran completely counter to every orc tactic I'd read or heard about. I confirmed the oddity in the wall of long pikes I'd never seen orcs use before.
*
The most defining trait of orcs as a race is that everything revolves around dominant individuals. In a typical orc force, mid-tier leaders are interspersed among the rank-and-file lower-tier orcs who follow their command. As long as those leaders hold, the lowers fight fiercely; if they flee or die, the army crumbles into a rabble.
In game terms from my past life, orc leaders aren't just captains or sergeants—they're essential buffers you must deploy.
Naturally, the traditional margraviate strategy targets them ruthlessly, while orcs do everything to protect them. The two sides have twisted around each other for ages, each finding counters that work.
Historically, the orcs' most effective response has been avoiding pitched battles outright. Their size makes cavalry mounts scarce—unlike humans—a fatal flaw despite their bulk.
But their natural camouflage blends seamlessly with forests, letting them guerrilla even at that size. Plus, the absolute sway mid-tiers hold over lowers perfectly suits hit-and-run tactics that demand tight coordination.
And with their superior physique—fast legs, tough hides—they're hard to pin down even lightly armored.
Our counter: heavy skirmish cavalry and crossbowmen to snipe leaders. No time for archery finesse like the central empire, so we lean on crossbows, entrenchments, and local engineering to grind them down.
This framework has held through history's gear tweaks and minor shifts. Yet here, Darko-senpai brings the polar opposite.
Lower-tier orcs form a pike wall, mid-tiers lurking between with bardiches, greatswords, mauls. Rear: crude bows, javelins, meager wolf cavalry as reserves. Textbook setup for a wheel battle.
Have orcs ever made pike phalanxes their mainstay?
History books say yes—150 years back, before imperial subjugation, when orc clans formed a loose federation with mobilization power for proper battles. But even then, it was hoplite-style: big shields, short spears thrust forward, like ancient Greek phalanxes.
What they're doing now? Roughly 4-meter pikes, closer to medieval southern empire styles. Past-life vibe: samurai fencing with Western longswords. If this mock battle "recreates historical formations," it means this setup existed somewhere, sometime...
...not in the history books I've read, but in the annals of antiquity.
If it's not from some obscure tome I skipped, the answer's obvious.
A currently existing, little-known formation.
In other words—my guess: a new unit his clan, the Benet, has devised or trained.
Registered and input here at Sponheim? Not that strange...
...but if true, isn't this a military secret?
Past-life gamers sold out prototype specs for a W to win. Not hyper-developed like modern tech, so maybe not that secret...
Still, if my hunch holds, it's absurd.
Fine debuting it against me?
Either way, if this is Darko's gambit—
I can dismantle it easily. Assuming my troops obey properly.
"Cavalry, listen up!"
"What is it, Baron Hebel?"
"We obey the commander's word!"
"......"
Better than mindless snarls, but this formal back-and-forth feels awkward... Would real troops under His Highness respond like this? No way to know without trying.
Shoving aside the embarrassment, I bellowed as deeply as I could.
"Lead the charge—there's work for you ahead!"
*
"They're moving."
From his hill across the swamp, Darko welcomed Baron Hebel's prompt advance. He'd planned to strike first if they dawdled.
Heard about the guy from the underclassmen.
Spreading centaur swarm tactics like a fad, beating that rumored 'princess'—fine. But entering the department proper, his debut mock battle: gambling by shooting his own troops? Hard to overrate that.
Frankly, Darko found it hard to even tense up.
Common type: flashy opener exposes the whole hand.
Just a year behind, experience gap minimal—but Darko judged him so. Plenty of peers like that: book-smart or connected, one odd win, then flop.
Entertainment gamer barely weeks in—can he command in this realistic setup? Some rebound and excel, sure.
But not this 'Baron Hebel,' it seemed. Perfect timing, then, to test his father Siemobit—Benet head's—'clan reforms': imperial-style restructuring, army overhaul.
Father doesn't aim to defy the empire, of course.
He rose sorting internal clans via margraviate wars. Even if Father doesn't seek it now—
Darko believed testing empire limits ensured Benet survival. Life's unpredictable; why not expand options effortlessly?
Bonus: opponent brings Ruticia textbook setup. Ideal to gauge reformed army vs. Ruticia pros. Father must be curious too, approving the mock battle test.
Though no one foresaw this matchup.
"Two drumbeats—form the circle! Enemy cavalry incoming!"
Dong, dong──!!
The mid-tiers bellow in response.
"Circle formation!"
"Circle formation!"
Lower orcs raise pikes, huddling into a spiny hedgehog ring. Mid-tiers hidden within, wolf cavalry—the orcs' sole mount, massive 'epikion' wolves—hold breath for the charge.
Dudududu────!!
Ruticia knights bypass the swamp from both flanks, thundering not at the wolves but straight ahead.
This mock battle previews potential real clashes. Hoping it changes much, Darko swung his weapon and roared.
"Crush them, lads──!"
