The Final Stretch of Tactical Training
Tena removed her heavy helmet after finishing the tactical training.
Once the sweat-soaked strands of hair were freed from the helmet, she felt a surge of refreshment. She shivered with delight, savoring the moment.
But soon the reality of the upcoming martial tournament drained her energy.
In her previous life, she had somehow committed some terrible sin, twisting her second-semester schedule into utter chaos.
Worst of all, she had ended up in the final group of tactical training. She had finished the session, yet she could not even rest before being thrown into the tournament the very next day.
For Tena, the past two weeks had been a living hell.
She had to prepare for both the tactical training and the martial tournament.
Since she could not afford to give up on either, she had practiced and prepared while deliberately cutting her sleep.
She was fortunate to have ended the training on such a high note, but she was so exhausted she wanted nothing more than to collapse into bed for three days and do nothing.
Still, dreams were just dreams. Tomorrow she would have to fight other academy students.
It would be nice if her luck held and she advanced to a high round, but that would mean fighting without rest, no matter the outcome. Whether she won or lost, the thought left her sad.
Still, the tactical training had gone splendidly. All thanks to Cesset, who had served as her deputy.
Tena looked at Cesset, who lay sprawled on the dirty floor after removing her armor.
She looked as if she had been left there to die, utterly exhausted and abandoned on the ground.
Cesset was also an unlucky academy student. She had been placed in Rai’s group for the training, earning not a single commander point.
In the final fierce battle, the score remained a flat zero for everyone until the end.
She had managed to earn a small commander score, but since no units had been destroyed, there were no additional points.
The academy always gave students many chances.
In tactical training, the method of earning points was by capturing other students’ units. Students who lost their units early were forced to accept very low scores, so the academy had provided a way for them to make up the points by becoming deputies to other students.
Students could serve as deputies up to four times, and in theory, a deputy could earn a perfect 100 points if they performed well.
Of course, it was only theory. In practice, the deputies had to work desperately for the scores.
Rai’s group of victims had all become deputies, working themselves to the bone in a manner that deserved the term “shattered and broken.” They had all managed to earn satisfying scores.
Of course, their bodies had suffered greatly.
“You worked hard, Cesset. Thanks to you, I’m still alive.”
“Eh? Deputy again? I’m sick of it now—”
Cesset, who had apparently dozed off for a moment, woke up with a groggy expression. She looked around, then let out a sigh of relief.
“I had a dream where Rai was forcing me to be his deputy.”
“Um… was it a good dream? Or a bad one?”
“Obviously a bad dream. Rai told me to take five soldiers and jump off a cliff. Annoying. I should gather the kids and terrorize Rai’s house.”
Tena felt sorry for Cesset, who was swearing revenge just for having a dream.
Tena could not say it out loud, but she thought it was fortunate that Cesset had not become a deputy. Otherwise, she would not have been able to earn such a high score.
Tena had achieved a perfect score in the tactical training. She had captured three units, and even if her commander score had been low, she was guaranteed at least 15 points, making a perfect score certain.
Tena had not been particularly skilled in tactics, but she had accepted Cesset’s advice enthusiastically, and thanks to her deputy’s tactical genius, she had won.
She had left a spiteful will to the captured students, but it did not matter. She had earned a perfect score.
She had also received a perfect score in an unexpected subject, so Tena was quite happy.
On top of that, there was another achievement.
She had captured the instructor.
The academy had unexpectedly allowed the instructor to participate in what was supposed to be a public event.
Rai had set a precedent by doing so, and now instructors often came to join the training. Tena was curious, but she had been more focused on survival, so she had tried to stay away from the instructor.
Rai’s impact was simply too strong. She had thought it best to avoid trouble before it found her.
Moreover, there had been no merit to capturing the instructor this time. Capturing him would only earn the same score as the other students, so the students had scattered and fled in every direction to avoid him.
The instructor had sent his unit charging aggressively, but the students who had no intention of fighting had simply run away like they were playing tag, refusing to engage with the instructor’s unit.
Cesset had suggested catching the instructor from behind.
Tena, seeing the instructor’s back as he was surrounded only by his own unit, had charged forward and wiped them out.
She had expected a hard fight since he was an instructor, but the result had been surprisingly weak.
The instructor’s unit, exhausted from chasing students, had lacked the strength to fight. They had not even managed to form a proper formation against Tena’s surprise attack.
The instructor had shouted at them to straighten up, but the unit had remained disorganized and collapsed.
After that, Tena’s unit had pursued and defeated the weakened instructor’s unit one by one, finishing the training with a good score.
“Elbert instructor seemed really angry.”
“I don’t listen to losers. That’s the winner’s right.”
“Don’t quote the tyrant.”
Cesset, posing with the king’s famous quote about tyrants, had her head playfully tapped by Tena. She was smiling too.
“But now, are instructors going to keep participating in tactical training?”
“I don’t know. If Rai shows up again, I’ll forfeit.”
“You got hit a lot.”
Tena smiled as she changed out of her sweaty clothes. She had a body that was attractive without an ounce of fat, and as she changed, something occurred to her. She asked Cesset, who was slithering into her clothes like a slime.
“But has Elbert instructor been strange lately? No expression or something?”
“About that? Rai challenged the headmaster and vice-headmaster, and they both scolded me double.”
“Really? Why did they stop the match?”
“Well, only the parties know.”
Cesset spoke in a disinterested tone and crawled into the top lying on the chair. Tena thought it would have been easier if she had helped, but instead she approached and dressed her properly.
“Thanks, thanks, very grateful.”
“Thanks to you today, I’ll help.”
After dressing Cesset in her underwear, Tena changed her own clothes and continued.
“I wanted to see the match between Rai and… Pure mage Elbert instructor in a magic duel. Rai must have used some trick to win, right?”
Tena kept talking about him, the excitement from beating Elbert still not having faded.
Cesset, lying on the long bench and listening to her words, said quietly.
“Rai uses magic well.”
“Eh? He’s an instructor, so he’s better than us. But there’s still a difference with pure mage Elbert instructor.”
“No, I bet he’s even better than Elbert instructor.”
Cesset, a pure mage with more magical knowledge than the knight or commander students, had high praise for Rai’s skill.
Especially his strange pranks. The spells he made so easily were quite complex.
Even Cesset, who had learned magic from her grandfather, the court mage, found them difficult to replicate.
“Eh? Rai isn’t a knight?”
“Doesn’t mean he doesn’t learn magic.”
“No no, that’s impossible. If a knight has higher magical knowledge than a pure mage like Elbert instructor, that means his swordsmanship or other skills are much higher. Then he’d be on the level of Georg or Edelian?”
“I don’t know about that since I’m a pure mage, but I know magic well. Rai’s magic is all high-level.”
Tena found it hard to believe that high-level magic could send students flying high into the air or shoot out colored fireworks.
But Cesset’s eyes were serious.
Tena, staring quietly into Cesset’s eyes, shrugged and turned her head.
“Yeah, mana control is originally taught by pure mages. Rai might even be a pure mage.”
Usually, he only did weird things, but his skill was believable.
Tena did not care. As long as Rai taught well, it was fine.
***
“Rai rai rai~ how are you doing?”
Rai, who had been watching the tournament, turned his head at Cesset’s greeting.
Lin, who had been carrying Cesset on her back, bowed with an awkward smile at the smiling Cesset.
“You’re not a child anymore, so stop acting like one.”
“It’s all because of Rai. Don’t blame me.”
Cesset got down from Lin’s back and sat next to Rai, looking at the duel field where the academy students were competing.
“Why because of me?”
“You stirred up the kids without noticing and made me suffer. You don’t know how hard it was to make up my score?”
“Then why didn’t you do better? Don’t hit Eisen’s back. Target me.”
“Hah, I deliberately reduced the number of soldiers to focus on only one student.”
Rai looked at her in surprise at Cesset’s words.
He had been screwed over in the tactical training, but the academy was full of elites.
The analysis had been completed, and Cesset had known about it during the training.
“I only had the sin of listening well. But to backstab me there. This is the first time I’ve felt this kind of betrayal. Now I can’t trust people. It’s all Rai’s fault.”
“If you knew, you should have stopped it. What kind of thing is biting the bait thinking you’ll gain something?”
“Ah, I thought you would fight among yourselves and run. Fight? Let me join? Kids? Why intrude there?”
Rai laughed and put a cookie in Cesset’s mouth.
Cesset complained but ate it well, then watched the students’ match end.
Eisen, who had been hit in the back by her all through the training, fell.
By now, Eisen had become the icon of defeat, but he still shook hands happily with the opponent student and descended the stage.
Tena felt guilty for backstabbing kind-hearted Eisen like that, but Cesset watched without any change in expression and asked Rai.
“Where did you bet?”
“I’m not telling.”
“Don’t be sneaky. Tell me one high-probability, sure thing.”
“Is he a gambling addict? Should I stop him? He might sell it later.”
To Lin, who was standing nearby, she answered with a sweet smile.
“If it’s from the Eliza family, I’m sure she’ll do well on her own.”
“Lin and I are united in trust. Don’t think of splitting us with some trivial gossip?”
With Lin’s support, Cesset raised her chin arrogantly.
Rai, blocking her mouth with a cookie, turned his gaze to Philia ascending the stage.
Despite the many spectators, Philia looked calm as she drew her usual red greatsword.
Her opponent was a one-year senior, but not particularly strong.
Cesset cheered comfortably for her in a sure-win match, but when they actually fought, Philia kept losing to the upperclassmen.
Her attacks were not effective, and her defense was poor, so she dodged desperately many times.
Still, she knew how to use the wide stage and did not get cornered, but the disadvantage was clear.
Philia swung her sword awkwardly, then frowned and looked at her own sword. It seemed she was not doing as well as she had thought.
Cesset, staring blankly at Philia’s uncharacteristic skill, looked at Rai.
“Rai, that…”
“Caught? I specially ordered it.”
“Match-fixing? That’s a crime.”
“Not match-fixing, you brat.”
Rai slapped Cesset’s forehead with the palm of his hand, looking disgusted.
Cesset grabbed her painful forehead and wriggled for a long time before standing up and saying aggrievedly.
“Then what is this? Why is Philia so weak? Is there an answer besides match-fixing?”
“Is she a person who listens to me?”
“Ah, right.”
Cesset immediately agreed and nodded.
Philia Tena knew was an upright and honest person. Even if Rai begged and blackmailed her, she would not deliberately lose to gamble.
“But Philia isn’t that weak?”
“She learned new swordsmanship. But it seems she hasn’t had it long.”
For curious Cesset, Lin answered instead.
Lin looked at the stage, then at Rai, and back again. Busy Cesset did not know much about swordsmanship but felt that Philia’s fighting style had changed slightly.
“Yeah. More movement than usual. It used to feel heavy, but now it looks lighter.”
“Miss, no.”
Lin whispered quietly to Cesset.
Cesset asked with a puzzled expression, “No?” and Lin shook her head.
Explaining for the embarrassed Cesset who was checking her surroundings, Lin said,
“Originally, Philia uses various styles suited to her opponent. But the swordsmanship she’s using now, she hasn’t mastered it yet and is struggling. Philia, who doesn’t spare effort in learning, looks awkward using it, so it’s probably either the very first time she’s using it or a very high-level swordsmanship.”
Skilled for escorting Cesset alone, Lin knew about Selma’s swordsmanship level and said so.
Rai nodded at the answer and smiled confidently while looking at both of them.
“She’ll get stronger in the tournament. By the end, she’ll be unrecognizably different.”
Rai bet on her with certainty.
And as expected, Philia descended the stage coolly after losing.
“…”
Rai and Philia stared at each other. Rai did not meet her eyes and said quietly,
“I didn’t do it now.”
“…”
Philia descended with a refreshing expression despite the loss, but Rai’s expression grew harder.