9
Chapter 9
Glacia was waiting for me when I finished washing my face.
"Let's go."
As we headed back to the testing ground, Glacia spoke up.
"Have you been hiding your strength?"
"Huh? No, I haven't."
Despite my answer, she didn't seem to believe me. It felt like I was becoming a hidden powerhouse in the eyes of not just the Third Princess, but Glacia as well.
When I returned, the tournament was still in full swing. Soon, it was my turn. My opponent for the second round was a capable fighter with B-rank potential in leadership. He was a playable character who, with a favorable bracket, could have potentially made it to the semi-finals.
Unfortunately for him, he met me in the second round. After being completely crushed by me, he remained in an OTL position for a while, unable to get up. He only regained his senses after being helped by his peers. I watched his retreating figure with pity.
The third and fourth rounds weren't particularly difficult. As usual, I set up camp in the mountains. The enemies either died while circling around trying to cut off my supply lines without finding the Supply Unit, or they died charging up the mountain.
Then came the long-awaited fifth round. I finally faced a named character: Yuria Russell. She was the Princess's Guard Knight and had the makings of an outstanding general. Yuria was by no means an easy opponent, as she was destined to become a Duke leading an army of tens of thousands. However, that was the future Yuria Russell. Against the current Yuria, I had a chance. In fact, I actually had the advantage.
Before the match began, Yuria spoke.
"You've only faced easy opponents so far. But from now on, it won't be so simple."
Her expression was burning with competitiveness. Honestly, I had expected this. While the Princess suffered from a talent obsession, unable to resist any useful person, Yuria Russell suffered from a puppy complex, wanting her master's undivided attention. She grew jealous of any other talent the Princess noticed. Knowing she wasn't actually a bad person, I simply nodded with a smile to acknowledge her.
The simulation began. Yuria's roster consisted of 30% Light Cavalry, 10% Heavy Cavalry, and the rest were Infantrymen and Archers. Unless it was a Nomad army, it was rare to include this many Light Cavalry. I could discern her strategy just by looking at the roster.
'I see, she's going with the standard approach.'
Her plan was to use the Light Cavalry—the fastest unit among all available types—to infiltrate the rear of my army.
I barely resisted the urge to applaud. Unlike previous opponents, Yuria was the smartest yet. Breaking through my formation in a frontal assault was impossible. Since my formation was entirely focused on defense, aiming for the rear was actually a very sound strategy.
There was something Yuria didn't know: I was an authority on the 'Modified Dublin Tactic.' I had no intention of letting her get the upper hand so easily.
Meanwhile, Yuria Russell was eyeing Charles. He had won four matches in a row using the same tactic. Did he only know one strategy, or was he simply arrogant? Either way, Yuria found him distasteful.
The teachings of military science dictate that a tactician must never relinquish the initiative and must keep the pressure on. Yet Charles climbed a mountain and forced his opponent to make the first move. To Yuria, who had studied orthodox tactics under a prestigious teacher like Dian, such a method was nothing short of underhanded.
She believed it was finally her turn to crush someone who had succeeded using such unorthodox means. She would do it by adhering strictly to the orthodox path.
Thus, Yuria deployed the Woodpecker Tactic. While the main forces faced off, a detachment would swing around to destroy the supply unit and encircle the enemy for total annihilation.
It was a strategy inspired by the way a woodpecker strikes the back of a tree to shock insects into emerging from the opposite side!
There were few better tactics for dealing with an opponent who simply sat on a mountain waiting forever. Yuria felt confident, but she couldn't possibly imagine what Charles was thinking.
Meanwhile, Charles had already predicted everything. Yuria knew nothing about him, but Charles knew Yuria. More than that, she was one of his favorite characters he'd played multiple times. She was charming in both personality and skill, and while not all nobles liked her, they all respected her. Though, at the moment, her jealousy made her look a bit pathetic.
Since he knew exactly which tactics Yuria would employ, Charles licked his lips in anticipation of how he would handle her.
"Should I crush her completely to earn her respect, or go easy on her so she doesn't have a total meltdown?"
Which one should it be? After pondering for a moment, Charles made his decision.
"Yeah. Let's just crush her completely."
Having decided, Charles recalled all his scouts. The enemy had a significant amount of Light Cavalry, who specialized in reconnaissance. He had little chance of winning a scouting war.
Therefore, the key was not to read the enemy's movements, but to read their psychology.
Wondering why there had been no scouting clashes for a while, Yuria reached a conclusion.
"Does he think scouting is unnecessary since he's just going to hole up in the mountains anyway?"
Misjudging his intentions, Yuria felt a wave of disappointment in Charles. At the same time, she became convinced that this battle would be an easy victory.
Yuria separated the fast Light and Heavy Cavalry to form a detachment and positioned the main force just out of the enemy's sight. If the main force's numbers were exposed, the flanking maneuver of the detachment would be discovered instantly.
Yuria vowed to swiftly neutralize any enemy scouts with her own to keep her strategy a secret, but the enemy sent none. They simply remained stationary on the mountain, as if observing a vow of silence.
At that moment, a sudden downpour began.
"Gah, what's this!"
"Everyone, get inside! There are monitors indoors as well."
The students watching the scene on the outdoor monitors were quickly ushered inside by the staff.
Meanwhile, Yuria and Charles, caught in the middle of their exam, were suddenly left looking like drowned rats. Despite being soaked, Yuria let out a triumphant laugh.
"The gods are on my side."
Rain restricts visibility and shortens the distance one can see, meaning her hidden detachment would be far harder to spot. Yuria simply hoped they would successfully flank the enemy's rear...
Then, one of the Wooden Dolls sent for reconnaissance came rushing back. The summoner controlling the doll spoke in a panicked voice.
"Enemy sighted in the front! Approximately 100 troops!"
"Huh?"
Yuria froze for a moment, unable to process the meaning of those words.
"What do you mean? Enemies in the front?"
"Exactly! There are enemies right in front of us!"
"At what distance?"
"1,000 feet!"
1,000 feet was roughly 300 meters. In a clash between two armies, 300 meters was...
"That's practically right on top of us!"
No sooner had those words been spoken than the silhouettes of the enemy began to emerge from the downpour.
The enemy had brought their entire force right to the very doorstep of her own. In that moment, only one thought crossed Yuria's mind.
"Why...?"
Why had Charles, who had been holed up on the mountain waiting for the enemy to approach, suddenly led his entire army down? What could have possibly caused such a change of heart?
Of course, Charles had simply acted on the 'strong suspicion' that someone like Yuria would inevitably deploy a detachment, despite giving up on the reconnaissance war, but there was no way Yuria could have known this.
But there was something far more urgent at hand.
"At this rate, the battle will begin! Please give us your orders! Do we fight or retreat?"
Yuria snapped back to her senses at the summoner's words. If this continued, the battle would start. Should she flee? No, she'd be caught from behind and slaughtered. Should she stand and fight? No, the enemy had a hundred troops, while she only had sixty, having sent forty away as a detachment.
"Damn it, neither option works!"
It was checkmate. Yuria clicked her tongue in frustration and shouted.
"Everyone, into battle formation! Buy as much time as possible!"
A hundred against sixty. She couldn't win, but stalling might be possible. If she could hold them off long enough for the detachment to strike from the rear, the tide would turn. Since the enemy consisted mostly of archers, the cavalry-heavy detachment would be the key to victory. With that thought, Yuria Russell yelled once more.
"Everyone, hold the line at all costs!"
In a real battle, she would have drawn her sword and led from the front to inspire her troops, but that would be pointless against Wooden Dolls. Moreover, the rules of the simulation forbade students from personally wielding blades against the dolls to prevent anyone from winning through sheer brute force.
Yuria Russell could only groan in frustration as she waited for the enemy to close in. Then, a minute later...
-Boom! -Crash!
The Wooden Dolls at the vanguard of both armies collided.