6
Chapter 6
When Andre was hit, his subordinates turned around to glare at the person responsible. Glacia Ehrenberg stood there. Since she was a commoner famous for always ranking at the top in swordsmanship, the thugs began to back away.
"Glacia...? What are you doing here?"
"My apologies. It seemed my client was about to be subjected to violence."
"Client?"
"As of today, I am tasked with guarding Sir Charles Jean Rochefort. If you wish to freely inflict violence upon him, I suggest you offer a higher price than he did."
"A guard? Where on earth does this fallen noble get the money for...?"
Money? It was the money from selling the book to the Princess, of course. But since there was no way these small fry would believe that, I simply let out a low chuckle.
"Oh, Miss Glacia."
"Yes."
"This wasn't part of the original contract, so I'll pay you extra."
As I spoke, I tossed a pouch I had prepared in advance to Glacia.
"What is the mission?"
"Beat these three up, but only to the point where their families won't make an issue of it."
"In other words, you want me to inflict pain without leaving any visible wounds."
I grinned. Glacia certainly catches on quickly.
"D-don't hit me! I'll pay double what he did!"
Glacia opened the pouch of gold coins.
"How much are you willing to pay?"
"One ducat! I'll pay one ducat!"
"That's far too little."
"Two ducats! Fine! I'll pay five!"
"Sigh... we are clearly not on the same page."
The bonus I paid was ten ducats alone; there was no way she'd break our contract for a mere five. It was almost insulting to my pride that I had been beaten by such a pathetic lowlife until now.
Soon, Glacia began swinging her wooden sword at them.
"Aagh! Why do you keep hitting the same spot!"
"I must strike the areas that heal the fastest and leave the fewest lasting effects."
"You... you crazy bitch!"
The thugs drew the real swords from their waists and swung wildly, but their skills weren't even in the same league as a future Sword Master; they had no choice but to take a one-sided beating.
Fifteen minutes passed like that.
"P-please! Have mercy! I promise I'll never bother you again!"
They began clinging to me, sobbing.
'Hmm... should I let them off now?'
Seeing them beg while clutching my pant legs made me feel a bit of pity. I tried to tell Glacia to stop, but...
"If you intend to stop me here, I will have to reconsider my contract with you."
That was what Glacia said.
"What? Why?"
"Gratitude and grudges must be settled decisively. Human nature is such that if you stop after a moderate beating, they will only think of revenge. When wielding violence, you must be thorough enough that they cannot even conceive of retaliation."
I suppose she might be right. I may have more knowledge of the game, but she likely has more knowledge of life. After all, she was a relentless soul born in the back alleys who would eventually rise to become a Sword Master.
When I nodded, she continued her assault, until the fear of her was deeply carved into the hearts of those thugs.
-----
From then on, Glacia and I spent the whole day together.
While I felt like just another nameless Extra in this game, Glacia was so famous for her swordsmanship that people actually started taking an interest in me because of her.
"Who is that guy hanging out with Glacia? Is he a commoner too?"
"I heard he's some kind of client she's guarding."
"Being guarded by a swordsman of Glacia's caliber? His family must be incredibly powerful."
"No, I heard he's a fallen noble."
Whenever I walked with Glacia, I could hear the whispering all around me. I ignored it and kept walking.
"I'm getting a lot of attention just by walking with you, Miss Glacia."
When I was alone, I was basically invisible.
"Is this your first time receiving such attention?"
I'd received plenty of attention as a game ranker, but this felt different.
"Pretty much."
"In that case, let me give you a piece of advice. Do not let the attention go to your head."
"Go to my head?"
"When someone receives attention for the first time, they naturally become intoxicated by it. They start to feel special, as if they are superior to the masses who are ignored. But attention is more potent than alcohol. If you aren't careful, it can be lethal. If you begin to crave the attention of others rather than your own growth, you will inevitably fall."
I see; she's telling me not to become an attention seeker. I nodded.
For the first time in a long while, I was able to go to school without being bullied. However, the problem was that midterms started that very day. Much like the midterms in Korea, these exams evaluated one's capabilities as a noble. And today's subject was swordsmanship.
The swordsmanship exam was a long ordeal lasting two hours; you passed if you could land a valid hit on the instructor within the time limit. And...
"Charles Jean Rochefort! Get up! Charles!"
I was sprawled on the ground, gasping for air.
"Ugh... I can't do it."
"What do you mean you can't! Get up this instant if you don't want to be hit!"
"I surrender! I surrender! This is my white flag! Please adhere to the Geneva Convention!"
"Geneva... what on earth are you talking about! If you don't get up right now, I'm bringing out the club!"
After two hours of struggling.
I failed my swordsmanship exam.
The magic exam the following day, and the archery exam the day after that, both ended in failure as well.
I had failed every single test.
The bullying had stopped, but my school life had reached a critical breaking point.
I'm likely not getting promoted.
-----
Meanwhile, Yuria Russell was delighted to hear from the Thieves' Guild that Charles Jean Rochefort had failed. It seemed the talent the Princess prized above all others was proving to be nothing more than an empty shell.
'Just as I suspected.'
Yuria Russell thought. The Princess was far too enamored with 'novelty.' While it was true that gunpowder weapons were used in the east of the Empire, they weren't exactly capable of shifting the tides of war. That was the belief of most monarchs, including Yuria herself.
Yet, the Princess was wasting an enormous amount of resources on a useless man simply because he possessed some knowledge of gunpowder. Three thousand ducats—a staggering sum. It was enough to build a small fortress or purchase a grand mansion in the capital with a thousand to spare. To Yuria, the fact that the Princess would pay such a price for a book and even employ the Thieves' Guild to spy on him was utterly repulsive.
However, if Charles continued to fail his exams, proving he was a fraud, the Princess would inevitably stop paying him attention and return her focus to more established talents. That was Yuria's plan.
Thus, for the first time in a while, Yuria approached the Princess with a light heart. She reported that Charles Jean Rochefort had failed every single exam so far and was completely powerless.
After listening in silence for a while, the Princess finally spoke.
"What is the list of the exams conducted so far?"
"Swordsmanship, archery, spearmanship, elemental magic, and divine magic."
"So, all of them were combat-oriented."
The Princess nodded. She had already suspected that someone as frail as him would be terrible at physical combat. But to lack magic as well... it meant his actual combat capabilities were practically nonexistent.
If Charles were truly the author of 'Tactics for a New Era,' he couldn't be this useless. He must be hiding a secret trump card.
"And the remaining exams?"
"Political Science, Diplomacy, and finally, the Mock Battle."
Politics and diplomacy were written tests. While important, they paled in comparison to the final subject.
"A mock battle..."
It was a wargame where cadets commanded wooden dolls controlled by summoners to fight enemies under identical conditions. It was the primary test for evaluating a cadet's potential as a general.
In that moment, the Princess had an epiphany.
"If he really is the one who wrote that book."
Then he would surely be a master of strategy and tactics. Since the mock battle was a tournament, Charles would have to show brilliant strategic insight to defeat his peers and climb to the top if he were indeed the author.
The Princess still wasn't entirely sure if Charles Jean Rochefort was the author of 'Tactics for a New Era.' But if he was, he would undoubtedly distinguish himself during the mock battle.