4
Chapter 4
The next morning.
Leonia von Arcadia was getting dressed, dark circles clinging to her eyes.
"Your Highness, you've stayed up all night. Perhaps you should get some rest..."
However, the Princess of Arcadia shook her head weakly.
"Even if I've stayed up all night, there are things that must be done. What is the Academy schedule for today?"
"You have six classes."
With each class lasting two hours, that made twelve hours in total. Today was going to be an exhausting day. With that thought, the Princess rose from her seat.
"Could you at least skip the first class? A little bit of rest would be beneficial for your health."
"I appreciate your honesty, but I am determined to complete every single course at the Academy. If rumors already start spreading that the Princess is frail, won't the talents of the future avoid me?"
"If you insist."
Yuria bowed her head in submission, and the Princess was satisfied.
In truth, the reason the Princess was so sleep-deprived was a certain book.
The book Yuria Russell had brought her last night: [Tactics of a New Era: How to Deploy Gunpowder Weapons? Volume 1].
It was likely delivered to Yuria instead of her because the security around the Princess's chambers was so strict.
This suggested that the author wished to keep their identity a secret.
However, the Princess had a rough idea of who the author might be.
"That short thesis published recently."
The one claiming that gunpowder weapons would change the world. She couldn't help but agree with every word of that thesis.
The author of that thesis and the author of this book had to be the same person. Otherwise, it would be impossible to write with such a consistent tone.
The content of the book was superb.
It covered which weapons should be used alongside muskets and what the ideal ratio of musketeers should be within the army.
The book argued that to protect the slow-match musketeers, a larger number of pikemen were required to fend off enemy cavalry charges.
It was only then that the Princess was struck with astonishment.
Long spears.
She had never imagined that a weapon found only in ancient tactical histories would make a comeback.
Long spears had been absent from the spotlight of the battlefield for quite some time.
This was because, while excellent for defending a specific area, they were ill-suited for active movements like launching an offensive or pursuing the enemy.
Furthermore, they were notoriously vulnerable to enemy gunfire.
But what if they were combined with muskets?
If long spears were used solely to protect the musketeers while the musketeers provided the primary firepower, it would be a perfect division of labor.
The muskets could compensate for the pikemen's weakness in firefights.
For instance, when enemy marksmen advanced, the friendly musketeers would step forward, and when the enemy marksmen retreated, the pikemen would move up.
Realizing this, the Princess felt an instinctive urge to slam her head against the desk.
How had she not realized such a simple principle until now?
She began to feel that other monarchs were fools.
Why had not a single ruler come up with this straightforward logic?
That was it. The weapon that complemented the musket best wasn't the halberd, nor certainly the shield-bearer, but the pikeman wielding a pike with both hands.
The book detailed how to combine pikemen and musketeers and what kind of square formations were most efficient.
Much of the content seemed impossible to know without direct experimentation. It was as if the book had been written by someone from the distant future.
Of course, cross-verification was necessary.
Only after verifying the contents in actual combat would this book truly be proven genuine.
Yet, she had a feeling.
The figures were too precise and accurate to be a fake; they aligned with the recent short thesis on gunpowder weapons at the Academy and her own existing knowledge.
It might have been mere wishful thinking, but Leonia von Arcadia believed that this book, which detailed the specific ways to manage musketeers on the battlefield, could not possibly be a forgery.
"Yuria."
"Yes."
"Gather the soldiers as soon as dawn breaks tomorrow. I intend to test this Tercio square formation mentioned in the book."
"Yes."
"And do not neglect your search for the person who left this book."
"Yes."
Tomorrow morning, she would gather the soldiers and test this Tercio tactic.
If it proved effective in practice drills, she planned to implement and verify it in actual combat.
But there was something far more urgent.
That was finding the author of the book.
The Princess was certain that if she could identify the person who devised these new tactics, she would gain a massive advantage over other powers in the use of gunpowder weapons.
-----
Meanwhile, I was reading a letter.
It was a letter from home, sent by the mother of Charles Jean Rochefort.
Born into a fallen count's house, Charles held a nominal title to his lands, but since they had been illegally seized by foreign nobles, he lived a life effectively no different from a commoner's.
The contents of the letter from House Rochefort were as follows:
To Charles. I read your previous letter. While I admire your desire to leave school and find work, the finances of House Rochefort are not as dire as you think. We can provide enough for your tuition and living expenses until graduation, so please focus on your studies. Our only wish is for you to graduate from Arcadia Academy and bring honor back to our name.
My breath caught the moment I read it. So that was Charles Jean Rochefort's situation. To put it simply, House Rochefort is a fallen noble family living like commoners, and they've sent Charles to Arcadia Academy to somehow revive the house, while he's being bullied by other students for being poor... What a truly desperate situation.
Since Charles was merely a passing extra in the game, I had no idea he had such a backstory. It felt like a much heavier narrative than I had anticipated.
I picked up my pen.
Dearest Mother, please forget what I said in my last letter. It was merely a moment of weakness. As the eldest son of House Rochefort, I will do everything in my power to overcome these hardships.
I figured writing this would put his mother's mind at ease.
Just as I was preparing to send the letter, someone knocked on my door.
-Knock, knock.
When I opened the door, Yuria Russell was standing there. She was the Princess's guard knight, a future duchess of unwavering loyalty, and a future sword master.
'A real big shot has come to visit.'
I asked her with a perfectly calm expression.
"Ms. Yuria Russell. What brings you here?"
"I was undecided until I knocked, but seeing your composed reaction just now, I am certain. You are the one who left the book."
No way. She figured it out already? I thought it would take at least two or three days; she's incredibly fast.
"What makes you think so?"
"First, you were on the list of people who visited the second floor yesterday. Second, there were testimonies that you were carrying a certain book. Third, and most decisively, most people gasp when they see me, the Princess's guard knight, yet you calmly asked why I was here. You likely anticipated my visit."
A brilliant deduction, indeed. And a logical one at that. Since I had no intention of hiding the fact that I left the book, I had been leaving clues all over the place. Still, it was surprising she picked them up in a single day.
"So, what is it that you want from me?"
"I knew it was you."
She said, sounding impressed.
"Her Highness wishes to meet with you. Tonight at 8:00 PM, on the innermost terrace of the banquet hall."
"The hall should be locked if there's no party today."
"Her Highness will ensure it is open."
I suppose it's not a big deal for someone of imperial blood to get a couple of keys from the Academy.
I nodded in admiration.
Then, when 8:00 PM arrived.
I headed to the banquet hall as she had told me.
Located several hundred meters from the Academy, the hall was used to teach nobles social etiquette.
In other words, it wasn't just for actual parties, but for instruction on party manners.
Yet, despite there being no classes today, the hall was open.
Creak.
As I approached, two knights opened the doors.
I entered the hall, escorted by the knights.
The landscaping and flowers were beautifully maintained.
However, the total lack of people made the atmosphere feel somewhat eerie.
Then, I stepped onto the innermost terrace of the hall.
A small table sat in the center of the terrace, laid with expensive tea and sweets.
The Princess was reading my book, completely ignoring the refreshments.
[Tactics of a New Era: How to Deploy Gunpowder Weapons? Volume 1]
Even now, I think the title was brilliant. Just the kind of thing to tempt the Princess.
Watching her ignore me in favor of the book, I picked up one of the sweets.
A sweet, velvety flavor spread through my mouth. It was an incredible taste, rare even in the modern world.
At that moment, the Princess spoke.
"Strange."