Unsettling Omens (3)
When they first entered the Academy, the students had been brimming with enthusiasm. After all, they'd clawed their way through an absurdly grueling exam—one that made you seriously question whether this was even an educational institution—and claimed their spots as Academy cadets. Then came the praise and encouragement from the continent's most famous hero: "Become the sword that protects humanity." Even Chrome, whose past-life memories had left him largely indifferent to patriotism or national pride, had felt his hands tremble at the words. Among the boys and girls at that sensitive age, some had wept openly, while the older students struggled to contain the swell of emotion rising in their chests.
Once the semester began in earnest, everyone threw themselves into their classes without exception. It was common to see students voluntarily training their bodies or studying on their own. Of course, as with any burst of zeal, a few gradually started slacking off—but whether by fortune or misfortune, the Academy's three combat professors possessed an uncanny talent for lighting a fire under people's feet, regardless of their personalities.
'Ah, I want to rest. But if I don't build up my stamina and fall behind during the group run, I'm dead… I absolutely refuse Istal Professor's special training course!'
'Bottom five on the last pop quiz. I heard the results and comments are being sent straight to our families as a set. Does Professor Neville even have a heart?'
'Professor Emilio covered for me!'
'No, he was just looking at the clock behind you!'
'I'm getting scared—the girls in our class are starting to look at me weird.'
Whether physically, mentally, or through the sheer destruction of their social lives, the students were forced to keep running without rest. Even the supplementary classes, which had once felt like casual club activities—though the concept barely existed in this world—grew increasingly specialized and difficult, bringing exhaustion in their wake.
Half a year had passed since they became Academy students. For those who had come to see Sundays not merely as days off but as sanctuaries for the soul, Istal's announcement was nothing short of the gates of hell swinging open.
As everyone's expressions rapidly soured, one male student raised his hand.
"By 'depending on the outcome of the match,' do you mean we should just do our best even if we lose?"
'Ah, now that I think about it, she never actually said we had to win.'
'Yeah, realistically, how are we supposed to beat the regular army—let alone the Empire's elite regular forces?'
'Have I been running myself ragged so much that my judgment's slipping?'
The students let out sighs of relief, but moments later they realized Istal von Lebenstein was staring intently at the boy who had asked the question, her head tilted in confusion.
With an expression that clearly said, "What on earth is this idiot babbling about?" Istal replied matter-of-factly.
"Huh? What are you talking about? Is that the excuse of a defeated pig? If you lose, it's over."
"……."
It was a single sentence that shattered the military's common sense that victory and defeat were part of the soldier's lot.
"B-but the opponents are active-duty soldiers. No matter how you look at it, we don't stand a chance, do we?"
"It's fine. You never know until you try."
"Professor, you must be busy. There's no need to go so far as to hold special classes…"
"Oh my, I'm touched that you're worried! But don't worry—two hours of sleep a week is plenty for me!"
'We're doomed. This woman is serious!'
'What? Two hours a week? Is she even human?'
'We're going to die. We're actually going to die!'
While the students were drowning in shock and terror, another student raised a hand.
"Professor, we understand the penalty, but isn't there some kind of reward?"
Istal pondered for a moment before answering.
"Well, this isn't like an internal Academy ranking where we can sort things out with assignments. Is there something you want?"
The student replied.
"How about a group holiday? If we win, all three days with combat classes become holidays, and we're free to go outside as well."
"Aha, like soldiers' overnight passes. That much is fine."
"Understood, Professor."
With a slight bow, the boy with the monocle naturally concluded the exchange. The conversation had been brief, but its impact was anything but small. At Istal's single remark, the faces of the students—who had been drowning in despair just moments ago—began to light up with renewed vigor.
Watching them, the boy—Chrome Midas—narrowed his eyes sharply.
Desirable rewards and penalties to avoid. People move for either one alone, but when the two are properly combined, efficiency reaches its peak. Win and earn a reward vacation. Lose and even the few holidays you have vanish. It was no surprise that the students' motivation blazed like oil poured on fire under such an obvious carrot-and-stick approach. This alone might have boosted their chances of victory by a good twenty percent.
Of course, several practical problems remained. The joint training between the Academy and the Southern Army was a scenario players of Planetarium could experience if they enrolled as Academy students or, conversely, enlisted in the military early—though in the military route, you could participate through personnel support even if you weren't assigned to the Southern Army. Though called joint training, it was essentially a head-on clash of pride between the two organizations.
The exercise had the Academy on offense and the Southern Army on defense. If the Academy could take down three or more of the Southern Army's five "generals" within the time limit, they won; otherwise, the Southern Army won. It was a drill that seemed to perfectly replicate the skills demanded of Academy students—dealing with powerful individual threats and striking at enemy command—but in truth, this scenario was extremely difficult when played from the Academy side.
Strictly speaking, defeating even one Southern Army general was quite manageable. Though called generals, they weren't actual Imperial generals—just officers playing the role. The Southern Army also held back at first to avoid damaging their own reputation by going all-out against students. Other Academy students would handle the soldiers protecting the generals, while the Planetarium player and their main party took down the general. Then, riding the momentum of victory, they'd move on to another general. That part went smoothly.
But even with this method, only two generals could be defeated. If you focused all your forces on eliminating targets one by one while ignoring the rest, the neglected units would merge and grow in size. Soldiers were trained to fight in groups, while students were fundamentally accustomed to small elite operations. The larger the scale, the more disadvantageous it became for the students. Moreover, once two units fell, the Southern Army would start getting serious, making it impossible to defeat them as easily as before. No matter how hard the player tried, they would run out of time before taking down the third general and lose.
Yet splitting forces too thinly meant the player's party couldn't defeat the enemy generals at all. Most players developed their parties with clear role divisions, so dividing the party only weakened their overall strength. Therefore, the tactic most players chose was the pinning strategy. They would still break through to eliminate the enemy generals one by one, but send some students to other units to prevent the enemy from merging. This also required careful force allocation—too few and the pinning force would be overwhelmed, too many and the main assault would lose its breakthrough power—but it was possible to win this way.
Yes, three enemy generals could be taken down if you tried. The problem was four and beyond. By then, the Southern Army's pride was on the line, so they would go all out. Unless you were the player's party members or the top aces of each subject, the average student's skill fell short of the soldiers'. Once both sides fought in earnest, victory became nearly impossible. Occasionally, a third-year player who had entered the Academy late could brute-force their way through with raw levels, but that wasn't an option for someone who had entered in their first year.
Even so, it had to be done. Just as the special route had opened during the Academy entrance scenario thanks to Princess Lyla's presence, this joint training scenario also had a special route—an event that only triggered if all five enemy generals were defeated. This was the opportunity Chrome intended to use to keep the continent's second hidden mastermind in check.