8
Chapter 8
Most students expected Andre to win effortlessly. The professors felt the same. That was how low the expectations for Charles were.
Furthermore, Charles had more archers than infantrymen. To believe he could win with such a dysfunctional composition was considered utter nonsense.
"As I thought, he really is incompetent."
Yuria Russell was pleased. She had felt a twinge of jealousy because the Princess had given so much attention to someone so unremarkable, but now it was proven that he was indeed incompetent, contrary to the Princess's beliefs. However...
"It's too early to tell."
Princess Leonia alone held a glimmer of hope. She hoped that Charles truly was the author of [Tactics of a New Era] and possessed exceptional tactical skills.
This left Yuria Russell feeling slightly slighted. She, too, had excelled in many ways as the Princess's right hand and a skilled knight, always maintaining top marks at the academy.
Yet, the Princess didn't seem to notice her efforts. It felt as though she was viewed merely as a guard or a friend, which left Yuria feeling disappointed.
Regardless of Yuria Russell's feelings, the battle began.
"Charge!!!"
The battle commenced with a roar from Charles's opponent, Andre Gomes. Andre's heavily armored infantrymen and cavalrymen began struggling their way up the mountain. Only then did Charles start deploying his troops.
First, Charles divided sixty archers into three units, positioning them in a V-shape on the left, center, and right. Then, he placed twenty infantrymen between each unit, as if to link them together.
It looked as though he had arranged the archers, who made up sixty percent of his army, in a V-formation and connected the gaps with infantry.
"Pfft!"
Andre sneered at the enemy's formation, something he had never seen in his life. The other academy professors watching via the monitors also looked on with confusion. But there was one...
-Slam!
Princess Leonia was the only one who stood up, slamming her hand onto the table.
"Your Highness? Why on earth..."
"That's it."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm saying that man really is the author of [Tactics of a New Era]!"
While Yuria looked on in confusion, the battle continued to unfold.
Charles's archers ruthlessly cut down the enemy's heavy cavalry and heavy infantry as they struggled up the mountain, forcing Andre to swallow a groan of frustration.
"Once we just clear this mountain..."
Andre was grinding his teeth. He believed that once his troops successfully scaled the peak, he would crush the enemy in an instant.
However, the reality was far from his expectations.
By the time Andre's soldiers reached the top, only sixty to seventy percent of his force remained.
In other words, thirty percent of his army had been wiped out by arrows!
But since they had finally made it up the mountain, only close-quarters combat remained. Believing he held the advantage with his superior numbers of infantry and cavalry, Andre immediately charged toward the nearest enemy.
"Charge at those foolishly exposed archers!"
Andre lunged toward the sharpest tip of the V-shaped archer formation.
He targeted the closest enemy—archers in relatively light armor rather than heavy infantry. For any tactician, this would have been the obvious choice, but the problem was that his opponent was Charles.
The archers, suddenly under assault by the entire enemy army, began to retreat, and as they fell back and created a gap in the line, the infantry waiting behind them surged forward to execute a Three-sided Encirclement.
In an instant, Andre found himself semi-encircled from three sides, with only his rear remaining open.
Andre's troops began to dwindle rapidly, leaving the spectators in a state of collective shock.
However, the Princess was the only one who had foreseen this situation.
"Charles deployed three archer units as bait and kept two infantry units in reserve. That formation allows him to counterattack from the flanks regardless of which archer unit is targeted."
After pondering this for a moment, Yuria Russell asked, sounding perplexed.
"Then... should he have attacked the infantry instead of the archers?"
"No, if he had intentionally attacked the infantry in the rear, he would have been showered with arrows from the three protruding archer units."
"Then is there no solution? How on earth could one have broken through such a strange formation?"
"The moment they decided to fight, their defeat was already sealed. The correct answer was to refuse the fight and instead organize a detachment to find and crush the enemy's supply unit. Once the supply line is cut, the enemy is stranded on the mountain without food or water and will simply waste away. There is no other way to win."
Of course, targeting the supply line didn't guarantee victory. It simply meant that it was the only way to create a chance of winning. If the enemy discovered the detachment, they could descend the mountain and attack. Ultimately, the outcome depended on how stealthily one could move without revealing information and how effectively they could scout the enemy's movements.
From Leonia's perspective—someone who detested losing the initiative on the battlefield—such tactics were not to her taste, and she had no intention of learning them. Yet, that was precisely why she was drawn to Charles; he could employ strategies that she herself could not.
After witnessing the battle, the Princess was certain. Seeing that he could not only conceive of such a tactic but execute it flawlessly, Charles must be the author of [Tactics of a New Era]. This mock battle was the exact moment the Princess decided to recruit him.
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Meanwhile, Charles wore a satisfied smile. The tactic of camping on a mountain or hill to lure the enemy into a charge and then obliterating them with archers was a strategy the English had successfully used against the French three times during the Hundred Years' War. While it didn't have a formal name, some called it the Dublin Tactic because it was first used at the Battle of Dublin and Moore. Since his approach was a slight variation, the name Modified Dublin Tactic seemed fitting.
However, there was another name for it on the internet.
"It's called the Nigawa Tactic."
It wasn't Japanese. It was called the Nigawa Tactic to signify that he had no intention of coming out, so the opponent had to come to him. For the record, using such a formation in online matchmaking usually earns you insults for playing dirty. Not that such a thing would happen at Arcadia Academy.
Regardless, having won the first round with a clever trick, Charles gave Andre a refreshing smile as he watched the other man's frustrated expression, and then began preparing for the next battle.
The Third Princess Leonia and her right hand, Yuria Russell, continued their winning streak in the tournament. It was only natural. Setting aside the fact that their leadership stats were far higher than others, both were nobles with their own territories and private armies who had already seen combat several times.
The gap between those who have experienced the battlefield and those who haven't is vast. Leonia and Yuria Russell were unlikely to lose under normal circumstances.
This meant that, given the nature of the tournament, they would have to face everyone who had won their way up. In other words, Charles would eventually have to fight both Yuria Russell and Princess Leonia.
Charles felt a headache coming on. No matter how he looked at it, these two were among the top tacticians in the world; could he really win?
Yet, a competitive spark ignited within him. He saw this as an opportunity to gauge the level of the command skills he had honed through gaming.
With that thought, Charles headed to the restroom to wipe away the cold sweat caused by the nerves of the first trial.
As Charles left, Glacia Ehrenberg followed behind him.
However, on the way to the restroom, someone called out to Charles.
"Charles Jean Rochefort."
Charles knew exactly who that voice belonged to.
"Your Highness."
Standing behind him were Leonia von Arcadia, the Third Princess of the Arcadian Empire and the protagonist of this game, and her right hand, Yuria Russell.
As Charles bowed according to etiquette, the Princess gave a slight nod in return.
"Are you planning to win this mock battle?"
The Princess's sudden question caught me, Glacia Ehrenberg, and Yuria Russell completely off guard. Everyone except the Princess was stunned.
"Pardon? What do you mean by..."
"Did you think I wouldn't notice? You have been hiding your true abilities until now, haven't you?"
What kind of creative logic is this? I've never hidden my skills in my life.
I was bewildered at first, but after a moment, I understood why she thought that. Until now, Charles Jean Rochefort had been a total failure—to the point of failing every single subject.
While his swordsmanship and magic were still trash, he was showing aptitude in other areas, leading her to 'misunderstand' that he had been concealing his talent for some reason.
"Political Science, Diplomacy. You received nearly perfect scores. How bold of you, considering you failed the previous exam. Moreover, based on the first round, you'll surely achieve great results in the mock battle. How much will you reveal in this test? Do you plan to defeat me and win? Or will you stop at a reasonable point?"
"..."
"I see you intend to play dumb. I won't press you further, then. However, let me tell you one thing."
As I bowed my head to show I was listening intently, she continued.
"You can rest easy. Even if you bring out every bit of the power you've hidden, I will crush you. I shall show you that there is always a higher sky."
With those words, the Princess departed, her white cloak fluttering behind her. God, she's so charismatic. Come to think of it, Princess Leonia was my favorite character in the game.