2
Chapter 2
First, let's get one thing straight.
Charles Jean Rochefort, the character I've possessed, was a complete loser who lacked any means of combat—no swordsmanship, no magic, no divine arts, no archery, nothing.
His family background wasn't exactly impressive either, meaning I was in a truly desperate situation.
There was no way I could survive in Arcadia Academy, a place where the nobility and elites from across the continent gathered.
"What are you spacing out for, you punk! Can't you hear me?"
And the guys in front of me were no different.
Three of them stood there. I didn't recognize their faces, so they were definitely extras, but they seemed hostile for some reason.
The problem was that since I wasn't the original Charles Jean Rochefort, I had no idea who they were.
"Ah, sorry. Who were you again?"
"This little..."
Thwack! With a loud sound, my glasses flew off my face.
'Ah, these are broken.'
Glasses must be expensive in this era. While I was worrying about that, the three of them lunged at me and started kicking me.
"What? You don't know who we are? You really want to die today, don't you?"
"You brat, did you think we were pushovers just because we've been easy on you lately?"
"If you don't know who we are, we'll have to make sure you remember."
Indiscriminate violence poured down along with dialogue straight out of a third-rate villain's playbook. Other students just frowned as they passed by, but no one tried to help.
'Judging by the situation, this isn't the first or second time this has happened...'
Setting the pain aside, my uniform got filthy. I needed to go to the library, but at this rate, that seemed unlikely.
Even after that day, the violence continued frequently. It seemed Charles Jean Rochefort had been marked as easy prey, as I was subjected to intense abuse, and my body—Charles Jean Rochefort's body—was never free of bruises.
'They're absolute scum.'
I had no idea such people existed at Arcadia Academy when I played the game. I had simply thought of it as a breeding ground for the most talented elites in the Empire.
'I was far too naive.'
Even in a breeding ground for the elite, there are always relative pieces of trash, and thus, violent thugs. I just hadn't realized it.
One day, I asked them.
"Why do you keep hitting me?"
"What?"
"I asked why you're hitting me. It's not like you gain anything from it."
In response, they dusted off their clothes and replied.
"Arcadia Academy is for those who have proven their exceptional value or those born to noble parents."
"And?"
"What do you mean 'and'? You're not a noble, are you? You lowly peasant."
As he spoke, one of them ground his heel into my leg. The pain was excruciating, but I managed to stifle my scream. He didn't seem to like that.
"But House Rochefort is definitely a noble house, isn't it?"
Charles Jean Rochefort should be the son of a Count, if my information is correct. So why are they saying he's not a noble?
"Wait, House Rochefort is a noble house?"
The thugs burst into laughter, finding it hilarious.
"House Rochefort isn't a noble house."
Huh? Was my information wrong? But if they weren't nobles, there's no way Charles Jean Rochefort could have entered the academy.
"If they aren't nobles, then what are they?"
"Fal.len. No.bles. They're already fallen. Just the shell of nobility—basically commoners now. Did a fallen noble really think he could pretend to be one of us?"
"Repeat after me. Fal.len. No.bles!"
They cackled and snickered among themselves. I see. No matter how useless Charles Jean Rochefort was, I now understood why he was being bullied. He was the son of a fallen noble.
'So that's how it is...'
No wonder I had no servants for a noble, and my clothes and lodging were so subpar. That explained everything.
Now that I knew why Charles Jean Rochefort was being targeted, I began to get a general idea of how to punish these three.
After the violence ended, a woman looked at me with disdain and walked right past.
The woman with black hair and red eyes had a cold impression; fittingly, she had grown up in the back alleys and was a talent destined to become a Sword Master.
"Miss Glacia Ehrenberg."
As I spoke her name, she looked genuinely surprised that I even knew who she was.
"Why didn't you help me after witnessing their violence? With your skill, you could have dealt with those small fry in an instant."
She let out a soft smirk.
"Why should I help you? Their parents are rich, so they might become my employers one day, but you have no value as a connection, do you?"
Her logic was sound. I was weak, and they were strong. It was the law of the jungle.
"Glacia Ehrenberg. A sword genius who grew up in the back alleys of Kruzenshtein, taught herself the blade, and became a Mana User."
"You've got some decent intel. And?"
"You entered the academy after being knighted by a certain patron, but you still pay your own tuition. The reason you aren't bullied despite your poverty, unlike me, is your overwhelming skill. Am I wrong?"
She replied, sounding amused.
"And your point is?"
"You aren't being bullied, but you're desperate for money, aren't you?"
According to the plot, Glacia Ehrenberg eventually drops out of Arcadia Academy to make a living. Right about now, she should be nearly broke.
"Starting next month, I'll pay your tuition in full. In exchange, keep those pests off me. Consider this a request for a guard."
"..."
She looked stunned, but that shock quickly morphed into a sneer.
"How is a fallen noble going to pay an annual tuition of 250 ducats? You'll be lucky if you can even cover your own."
"I'll have the money by next month."
"How?"
"That is for me to know."
She smirked once more.
"Then come back to me once you actually have the gold."
With that, she vanished from my sight. It seems the first step to clearing this game is to secure a tragic genius who couldn't spread her wings due to her humble birth.
-----
Here is a question. Where were penguins first discovered?
Most people would answer Antarctica, as that is where modern penguins reside. However, the original penguins first discovered by Europeans actually lived in the Arctic.
Antarctica and the Arctic. How could the same creature live in two places located at opposite ends of the globe?
The secret was convergent evolution. In reality, the penguins of the south and north are entirely different species that have never encountered one another, yet they evolved with the same appearance and habits.
This happened because the environments of both poles were similar! Even different species will evolve similarly if their surroundings are the same. This is called convergent evolution.
The reason I am bringing this up is that the military strategy and tactics of the Arcadia continent closely resemble those of Earth.
Both Earth and Arcadia are inhabited by humans, and in both worlds, humanity's greatest enemy is other humans.
Consequently, the same weapons and tactics developed. This, too, could be called a form of convergent evolution.
However, development on the Arcadia continent is far slower than on Earth. If I had to compare, it would be around the late 15th or early 16th century.
Simply put, they possess a civilization on the level of the late Middle Ages to the early Modern era.
The same goes for their strategy. They utilize military tactics equivalent to Earth's pre-modern era.
And what exactly are those tactics? The answer is simple: using overwhelmingly powerful cavalry to simply crush the enemy.
This was the representative tactic of Earth's Middle Ages as well. Cavalry, rather than infantry, was the main force, and in regions rich in iron, the most efficient method was to steamroll everything with heavy cavalry.
So, what comes next? The answer is gunners.
In Earth's history, after the Battle of Pavia in 1525, gunners began unilaterally slaughtering knights; one famous knight lamented, "The era has come where the bravest are slain by the lowliest."
Just as Earth's history shifted from cavalry to gunners, the history of this world is destined to follow the same path.
Yet, there is one reason why no monarch has properly utilized gunners yet. And that is...
'The tactics required to operate gunners simply haven't been invented yet.'
Guns have been invented, but the tactical knowledge to use them in a military capacity has not. That is the secret behind why guns haven't yet dominated this world.
'It will be another fifteen years before gunnery tactics are fully developed in this world.'
That means I have fifteen years to hijack this technology for myself.
I knew exactly one person who would search tirelessly for any information on gunnery strategy and tactics.
With that thought, I published a short essay at the academy.