Chapter 179
Chapter 179
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 179
Chapter Title: 5×5 Battle (1)
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A beautiful girl with red eyes and white hair braided down her back.
Yulia Sing, who had been blinking repeatedly, pointed at her own face with a finger.
"Strategist? You're talking about me?"
Yuri smirked at her reaction.
"Then, out of everyone here, who else would be smart enough to be called by that title besides you?"
At Yuri's praise, Yulia gave a bashful smile.
"Well, that's true."
"And you're the only one who could take the strategist position without anyone complaining."
"That's true too."
Yulia nodded.
In fact, the second- and third-years who knew Yulia's true identity showed no real opposition even when Yuri called her the strategist.
The 50th Cohort was no different.
"...It's Yulia Sing, our senior."
"I couldn't believe it when her name was called earlier, but there really is someone from the Sing family."
"To see someone from Eunhwan's Hyun Clan this close up..."
The nine months spent in the Cradle hadn't been wasted, as most of the 50th Cohort recognized Yulia.
Of course, the number of people who knew her had increased thanks to her name being called during the team assignments just moments ago.
With Yulia's appearance, all eyes in the room turned back to Yuri's group.
No, before they knew it, the White Army cadets who had taken positions in the Black Ship had gathered around Yuri and his group in a circle.
Receiving all their gazes on him,
Yuri asked Yulia.
"Our smart senior came to the White Army instead of the Blue Army... Surely you've already run the calculations in your head, right? The win rate?"
At those words, the gazes directed at Yulia intensified slightly.
"Indeed... Someone like Yulia could've easily gone to the Blue Army."
"Yeah? So why'd she come to the White Army?"
"Could it be... Yulia has some kind of plan?"
Murmurs spread here and there.
But the one who answered their curiosity wasn't Yulia—it was Goetz.
"The reason she came to this White Army... might be because of me."
Question marks popped up over everyone's heads at Goetz's sudden, moist voice.
Faces full of disbelief, as if wondering what nonsense this was.
In response, Goetz took a few steps forward and gazed at Yulia with sorrowful eyes.
With eyes brimming with sadness, he reached out to her dreamily.
"How... how can you still not forget me and suffer like this, my White Rose! If that's how it was going to be... you shouldn't have left me in the first place! You shouldn't have parted from me!"
Goetz's heartfelt cry.
Realization dawned instantly among those who grasped its meaning, and shock spread like wildfire.
Accompanying it were gazes pouring onto Yulia, as if questioning if it was true.
Yulia let out a light sigh in response.
"Ha... that guy."
She pressed her forehead, muttering coarsely.
Seeing this, Goetz spread his arms wide again.
"It's not too late even now, my White Rose! Grab hold of me! I won't push your hand away!"
His eyes beckoned her to come and embrace him quickly.
In response, Yulia really did start walking toward him slowly.
Tadak-.
At some point, she broke into a run and launched herself forward.
But her form was anything but rushing into his arms.
Whoosh-.
With a fierce wind, Yulia flew up horizontally.
Her feet shot like arrows straight into Goetz's solar plexus.
"Guuh?!"
Goetz, who had been ready to embrace her, was hit defenselessly and sent flying backward.
A circular wall of people had formed in that direction.
Whoosh-.
But true to their Cradle cadet skills, they dodged the incoming Goetz with exceptional agility.
After he passed through, the human wall closed right back up as if nothing had happened.
Arin sent enthusiastic applause toward Yulia, who had dealt with Goetz spectacularly.
"Whew... always running his mouth needlessly."
Yulia straightened her disheveled bangs as she stood.
Yuri, who had been staring at her blankly, suddenly smacked his fist into his palm as if realizing something.
"Ah! So that's what it was, Senior!"
"...What?"
"The girlfriend of that pervert playboy from the 49th Cohort."
"......"
Another sigh escaped Yulia's lips.
"Haa... yeah, I was that pervert playboy's 'ex'-girlfriend."
"Ex?"
"It means we broke up. And since it came up, the truth is, I didn't even date him because I liked him!"
"Then, why?"
"It was just to gather some info on the Roetern family!"
"Is that pervert's family really worth that much effort?"
At his mutter, the shocked gazes that had been on Yulia now turned to Yuri.
Eyes as if asking how he could not know about the Roetern family.
Yuri shrugged in response.
"Hey, it's possible to not know just a family name."
Hearing that, Gunther muttered in disbelief.
"How could you not know the Roetern family? It's one of the houses always mentioned when picking the continent's top swordsmanship clans."
"You can if you're too busy surviving. Unlike you, Gunther."
"...Kuh!"
It wasn't exactly an insult, but Gunther felt oddly irritated, as if he'd been cursed at.
As his fist trembled, Poppi patted his shoulder to calm him.
Having sunk Gunther in one blow, Yuri turned his gaze back to Yulia.
"So, what do you think?"
I'm not expecting the White Army to lose, but what about you?
You've joined because the calculations are done, right? An extension of his earlier question.
Yulia answered in an emotionless voice.
"...48th Cohort: 42, 49th Cohort: 8. And 50th Cohort: 100. That's the White Army's full strength."
As if she had already gathered all the intel beforehand.
Yulia poured out the information without hesitation.
"On the other hand, the Blue Army has 48th Cohort: 59, 49th Cohort: 57, 50th Cohort: 34. Their main forces, the 48th and 49th Cohorts, are all top-rankers, and as mentioned earlier, they even have that Raider Gunter. Factoring in all those conditions, the White Army's chance of victory is......"
Everyone focused as Yulia trailed off.
It was a calculation from none other than Eunhwan's Hyun Clan, one of its members.
There could be no better indicator of the current situation.
Gulp-.
Someone swallowed, and Yulia continued.
"...a mere 1%."
And sometimes.
Such precise figures could bring despair.
"......"
Her voice was so resolute, brimming with confidence in her own calculations, that no one in the room could even groan.
Only one person.
Yuri alone looked at Yulia calmly.
"1%? That's all?"
"Yeah, just that much."
"Well, better than 0%. But......"
"......?"
"Why'd you come to the White Army, Senior? To a place that's obviously going to lose?"
By now, Yuri had switched to casual speech with Yulia.
The change was so natural that only Theresia noticed it.
The others were too focused on what answer Yulia would give to Yuri's question.
Yulia was the same.
Hearing Yuri's question, her mind fixated on why she had come to the White Army.
'Yeah... why did I come to the White Army?'
She didn't need complex calculations to know she'd win easily with the Blue Army.
Yet she had joined the obviously doomed White Army.
Why?
'Because Yuri Holland is that man's disciple?'
To cheer on the disciple of the Sword Lord who challenged her master's pupil?
Yulia shook her head.
'No, that's not it. I......'
After quite some deliberation, Yulia found her answer.
And it was an unexpected one.
"Just... just because."
Yuri blinked at that.
"Just because... that's a pretty emotional answer."
At his words, Yulia made a slightly bitter face.
Honestly, Yulia knew it too.
Joining the White Army was unlike her usual self.
If she had judged rationally and calculatively as always, joining the Blue Army would have been the absolute right choice.
But she didn't regret joining the White Army.
Yulia nodded faintly.
"Yeah, like you said, it's not a rational answer. But... sometimes that happens."
"What kind of sometimes?"
"When intuition hits better than calculated odds."
Yulia's lips curved into a bashful smile.
"For some reason... I have a hunch that the 1% miracle will happen."
Yuri smirked at her smile too.
* * *
The Black Ship, flying a fluttering blue flag, approached the island and docked at the pier.
Creak- thud.
Soon, people wearing blue armbands signifying the Blue Army poured out from the ship moored at the wharf.
The Blue Army cadets began assembling neatly on the nearby white sand beach.
Their movements were disciplined, almost like watching the Black Sword Soldiers.
It was only natural, as the 48th Cohort was taking the lead.
With the seniors setting the example, the junior cadets of the 49th and 50th Cohorts moved briskly.
Especially the mere 34 from the 50th Cohort—they all rolled their eyes tensely.
Unsure when or where a senior's reprimand might come, their mouths went dry.
Among them, Shleman Hans fidgeted nervously with the notebook in his bosom.
'This is... a golden opportunity.'
A quest to glimpse not only the 49th Cohort but even the usually distant 48th Cohort's skills.
He had to gather every bit of information with all he had.
Shleman's eyes sparkled.
'These seniors will graduate someday too.'
And upon graduation, they were talents likely to snag prime positions in their families or prestigious factions.
People who could become powerful rivals or staunch allies in society.
Shleman didn't want to miss the chance to collect intel on such talents.
'Especially on him—I need to prioritize that!'
The top priority target for intel gathering.
The one man for whom it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he'd joined the Blue Army solely because of him.
Shleman scanned the surroundings to find his target.
And finally, he spotted him.
Step step-.
The black-eyed king, walking as if escorted, surrounded by five from the 48th Cohort.
Gulp-.
The group led by Raider Gunter, who had disembarked from the Black Ship last.
Their appearance made the air on the beach so heavy it was suffocating.
Raider Gunter, entering the beach, lightly nodded toward the forest ahead.
In response, two men and one woman from his escorts dashed forward.
But their speed was extraordinary.
Tadak-.
The three left the beach in an instant, climbing trees and vanishing into the forest.
About 30 minutes later.
The three reemerged simultaneously, as if by prior agreement.
They quickly gathered by Gunter's side.
Despite their blistering speed, their breaths weren't ragged at all—the scouting trio.
They reported what they had seen with careful eyes.
"We discovered a square grid terrain divided by trees inside the artificial island. Confirmed as occupied territory, with numerous Black Sword Soldiers on watch. They seemed to be policing illicit attempts."
"We spotted a small mechanism using an hourglass inside the occupied zone, but Black Sword Soldiers were guarding it, so we couldn't approach."
"If we go straight through the island, it would take 10 minutes—15 at most—to reach the other side. We spotted the waiting White Army on the opposite side, but couldn't confirm their formation."
Gunter nodded slightly at the flood of reports.
He ordered the red-haired boy beside him.
"Everyone await the start signal. Formations as previously planned."
"Understood."
The red-haired boy bowed slightly and ran to the assembled Blue Army.
He quickly gathered the 48th Cohort and whispered something, and soon the 144 began bustling about.
The plan Gunter had relayed to the 48th Cohort in advance.
Accordingly, the 48th Cohort was directing the clueless 49th and 50th Cohorts.
This command structure was possible only because Gunter dominated the 48th Cohort.
As the 144's formations wrapped up,
Whiiiing-.
Something shot into the sky from the center of the artificial island with a eerie sound.
It reached high altitude and exploded.
Boom!
Red smoke billowed out with the blast but dissipated almost disappointingly quick.
Still, it succeeded in capturing everyone's attention.
That was the original purpose of the first red smoke signal.
As the Blue Army cadets stared tensely at the sky,
Whiiiing- boom!
The second yellow smoke.
Tension peaked, their muscles taut as if ready to burst.
And finally.
Whiiiing- boom!
The real start signal announced in the Black Ship, green smoke painting the sky.
"Go."
At Raider Gunter's command, the 150 Blue Army cadets charged toward the forest in unison.
Step step-.
Raider Gunter followed slowly, surrounded by his five escorts.
And at the same time.
On the opposite side of the island.
"Alright, let's go make that 1% miracle happen."
Yuri naturally took the lead.
With him at the front, the 150 White Army cadets with white armbands began moving.
Thus, the White and Blue Armies entered the forest.
The movements of the two forces, each numbering 150...
unfolded in starkly different fashions.