Episode 59. When You Play a Game, You Should Win
Episode 59. When You Play a Game, You Should Win
Ricoris chose the Human Faction, just as I had selected.
This game begins by selecting one faction among humans, elves, beastkin, the Demon Tribe, and others. Each race has distinct advantages and disadvantages, making the initial faction choice a strategic decision.
The Human Faction was balanced-neither exceptionally strong nor weak in any particular aspect.
Perhaps Ricoris chose the same race I did to exact revenge on my behalf.
"Hire two workers."
Ricoris spent gold coins, the game's resource, to hire workers.
She then ordered them to cultivate farmland on the plains and chop wood in the forests.
The terrain Ricoris started in was easily defensible-surrounded by mountains on three sides, with plains and sea at the rear.
However, the limited plain area meant food shortages would likely plague her after the early game.
Meanwhile, the opponent...
"Just spam Mines. Human Faction is trash-just build a ton of Mines and you win!"
The opponent had chosen the Rock Tribe, a fictional race in the game.
Rock Tribe members resembled golems but were sentient rock beings. They consumed minerals as food, allowing them to mass-produce troops solely with Mines.
While others built farms, pastures, and other food production facilities to sustain units, the Rock Tribe only needed Mines in mountainous areas to solve everything. Convenient, right?
Moreover, their rock bodies granted them overwhelming power and durability from the start.
Their weaknesses were slow mobility and inferiority against late-game advanced factions, but they remained overpowered against beginners.
The man rapidly constructed multiple Mines to produce Rock Tribe warriors, then sent them all to scout and attack Ricoris' base.
Ah, incidentally, the enchanted game board included perception-hindering magic. Spectators could freely observe the game state, but the two players could only perceive their own faction-nothing else.
In short: if you need intel, gather it yourself. No outside help or cheating allowed.
"Dammit, where's this brat's base?!"
"..."
Ricoris brilliantly deceived her opponent, hiding her base's location. First, she had workers build and demolish roads in barren wastelands-pointless busywork.
When enemy units discovered them, she lured foes to irrelevant locations before dismissing the workers, preventing capture.
This bought Ricoris ample time to safely develop her faction without producing soldiers-only hiring more workers.
She cultivated minimal farmland to feed her workers, then rapidly advanced sailing technology to open sea routes.
Once fishing became viable, Ricoris uprooted all remaining farms, replacing them with markets. She began amassing wealth through maritime trade with other regions.
Since neutral territories of unchosen factions existed, trade and diplomacy with them were possible-a viable strategy here.
Players could also trade and negotiate... but this 1v1 match made such tactics unlikely.
"...Hire Mercenaries. Form battalions mixing Swordsmen, mages, and archers. Assign commanders."
After sufficient wealth accumulation, Ricoris finally created her first combat units.
But instead of regular soldiers, she hired Mercenaries.
Unlike standard units requiring barracks training, mineral costs for equipment, and food upkeep, Mercenaries only demanded a hiring fee-no maintenance.
Though elite fighters with no upkeep, Mercenaries were exorbitantly priced-one squad cost as much as a platoon or company of regular troops.
Still, Mercenaries handled their own equipment and meals, making them supremely convenient-an amusingly realistic touch.
"All forces, commence annihilation protocol."
"W-what?! Mercenary units?! This many?! What the hell?!"
"Attack with maximum intimidation. Allow a few to escape-as if by accident. Then tail them with scouts to locate their base."
The opponent, ensnared in Ricoris' scheme, panicked at the sudden elite Mercenary assault.
Sending reinforcements was impossible due to distance, and his sluggish Rock Tribe warriors stood no chance against elite Mercenaries.
Ricoris' army clashed with the Rock Tribe forces-resulting in the opponent's crushing defeat.
The enemy regrouped surviving troops through the escape route Ricoris deliberately left open, while she sent soldiers to stealthily follow them.
"Damn... Damn brat... Since when could Human Faction do this?! Cheating...?!"
"A foolish species that assigns value to glittering rocks, sacrificing lives for worthless stone. That is humanity."
"I can still turn this around... I've built so many Mines... If I hold out until the World Event...!"
"An inferior species-lacking the beastkin's physique or elves' wisdom. Yet they unite to shelter each other's weaknesses, overcoming crises with cunning schemes. That is humanity's way of war."
"Come on... World Event, please...!!!"
"You, a human yourself, presumed to lead other races while ignorant of how your own survives. That arrogance is your true downfall."
Ricoris' army tracked the retreating forces to the enemy stronghold, immediately besieging it.
"Siege" was an overstatement-enemy troops were slaughtered upon emerging, creating a massacre.
Ricoris attacked only to whittle down enemy forces, toying with them rather than conquering the base.
Just as her victory seemed assured, Ricoris did something incomprehensible.
"Sell all food reserves. Hire additional workers."
She suddenly liquidated all food resources.
Why? Even if Mercenaries didn't require food, other units still needed sustenance...
"What's this? Taunting me beyond reason."
"Tsk. Kids learning only the worst traits..."
Spectators assumed Ricoris was merely humiliating her opponent, reacting with confusion.
Moments later, a transparent window-like my Status Window-appeared above the board, reversing their assumptions.
- - -
<World Event Triggered!>
A Great Famine strikes the world.
All factions receive penalties:
-Crop growth halted
-Current food reserves -50%
-Food consumption +50%
-Market food prices +15%
- - -
The chattering crowd fell silent at the sudden food-related World Event.
From my observation, Ricoris hadn't foreseen the future-she'd sold food purely by judgment.
How did she know? Before I could ponder, Ricoris acted.
"Pay extra gold to instantly construct the Court. Then-"
"Bwahahaha! Luck's on my side! Rock Tribe eats minerals-no loss here! But that brat will starve! Now's my chance to counter-"
"Enact the 'Cannibalism Law' under current special circumstances. Convert all workers into food resources."
Ricoris legalized cannibalism, solving her food crisis instantly.
She butchered her loyal workers like livestock, turning them into meat.
The opponent, unaware, launched a full assault-only for his army to be annihilated by Ricoris' intact forces, sealing the game's outcome.
"Th-this can't be."
"..."
"I lost... No winning this... Ugh, damn it...!"
The man stared devastated as his soldiers fell, finally conceding defeat through gritted teeth by sending a surrender envoy.
However-
"Envoys get no exceptions. Kill any unit leaving the enemy stronghold."
-Crunch!
She ordered soldiers to slaughter the white-flag-bearing envoy.
The opponent panicked, perhaps thinking Ricoris didn't know accepting surrender meant victory, and sent another envoy.
Ricoris killed them again, maintaining siege pressure without attacking.
"Damn it, I lost! I said I lost! End it already!"
"Who granted you authority to end this? Ricoris has no intention of stopping."
"What more can I even do here?! Stop toying with me and finish it!"
"Ricoris holds the advantage, thus the right to decide when this ends. Struggle until then."
The opponent had no remaining troops or minerals to produce more.
All Mines were captured by Ricoris; those remaining in his base were depleted long ago, leaving him unable to continue.
Still, Ricoris refused to end the game.
Five minutes passed. Ten. The board's world fell entirely into Ricoris' grasp.
She spent the extra time conquering Neutral Faction territories, annexing them as vassals, and passing laws to diplomatically isolate the Rock Tribe.
She infiltrated spies to destabilize the enemy from within, inciting rebellions to sway some Rock Tribe members to her side.
Throughout, Ricoris never delivered the final blow. She left her opponent to wither, observing every step of his downfall without striking.
Her actions seemed to declare:
I won't spare you, but won't dirty my hands either. Die on your own.
Finally, after twenty minutes-when everything but the enemy base belonged to Ricoris-the opponent spoke.
"...I was wrong. I admit... my mistake..."
As the man's barely audible whisper escaped, Ricoris-who couldn't possibly have heard it-finally crushed his stronghold.
The victorious second daughter turned to me.
"I won, Mother."
"...Did you enjoy it?"
"Disappointing compared to expectations. Some aspects felt realistic, others immersion-breaking."
"But how did you predict the World Event without foresight? That intrigued me."
"I noticed anomalies right before the Great Famine. Normally, sunlight, wind direction, speed-countless subtle factors affect food production. But right before the World Event, all values stabilized unnaturally."
"Hmm... Such a flaw. Amazing that nobody else noticed."
"Likely patched soon. The creator isn't as smart as Ricoris, but clever enough to fix this oversight."
Leaving the stunned spectators behind, we swiftly exited the tavern.
Revenge sufficiently served. Why mock a beginner so cruelly?
Proudly, I smiled and ruffled Ricoris' hair.
The ruthless commander melted under my touch, reduced to an adorable daughter instantly conquered.