Ch.11011. Entrance Exam Simulation

Gilbert immediately raised his vigilance against Team 4 to the maximum when Team 2, led by protagonist Ian, was confirmed eliminated.

While Patrick seemed genuinely happy about this major victory, Gilbert—who had become a veteran in Tactical Combat after countless betrayals—never let his guard down.

Such carelessness was something only newbies would do, and although this was just a mock battle, it was now reality, not a game.

Using his veteran instincts to the fullest while exercising extreme caution would become a good habit for his survival in this world.

While everyone was shouting victory cheers, he quickly established communication with his deputy Angelina, who had remained at their base.

[Deputy Angelina.]

[Receiving. I witnessed your impressive victory, Commander.]

[I only did what needed to be done. More importantly, have you tracked Team 3’s movements?]

[As soon as Team 2 engaged in combat, we detected movement to support their troops and issued orders to delay them as much as possible. However, I didn’t expect Team 2 to be completely annihilated in such a short time.]

[Your commentary is lengthy. What’s the current situation?]

[Currently, all of Team 3 except the minimum personnel needed to defend their base are heading there. Additionally, according to our scouts, Team 4 personnel are also moving toward that location.]

Gilbert sighed at the fact that everything was unfolding exactly as Angelina had predicted.

Perhaps it was inevitable. He himself knew best how much of a threat his presence posed to other teams.

However, it was somewhat unexpected that a forced alliance event would occur immediately after one team was eliminated, just like in the game.

He understood the tactical necessity of an alliance, but emotionally, it felt different. He worried that the situation’s perfect alignment with the game’s storyline might lead to overreliance on game patterns.

Gilbert quickly shook his head a couple of times to clear his mind of these distractions. The intense concentration had led to unnecessary thoughts.

After checking his Divine Soldier’s status, Gilbert determined he couldn’t perform any better in combat. The accumulated damage from the battle with Ian and pushing the mech beyond its performance limits with high-speed and three-dimensional maneuvers had left the magic battery nearly depleted.

No matter how skilled a veteran he was, continuing consecutive battles without resupply was impossible.

However, returning for combat supplies would mean facing the combined offensive of two teams, and it was obvious their base would fall to the enemy during that time.

After pondering briefly, Gilbert immediately contacted Angelina.

[Deputy Angelina.]

[Yes, Commander.]

[I will now explain the operation.]

[Understood.]

Angelina didn’t question Gilbert’s statement about explaining the operation without further context.

They both knew the current situation was unfavorable, and overcoming it required the commander’s leadership.

As deputy, Angelina’s job was to assist and scrutinize Gilbert’s operations and commands.

While she didn’t yet have faith in Gilbert as a person, she trusted the bold actions and cool judgment he had demonstrated in this entrance mock battle.

Therefore, she intended to use all her abilities to fulfill her duties as Gilbert’s deputy in this entrance mock battle.

[From this moment, you will leave minimal forces to defend our base and capture Team 3’s base. If you succeed in capturing Team 3’s base, immediately raid Team 4’s base with the objective of capturing it. I’m transferring all command authority for this tactic to you.]

[…Commander. Are you telling me to abandon the main force?]

[Precisely. Currently, the Divine Soldier status of most of our forces, including myself, is not good. In contrast, Team 3 has suffered minimal casualties except for their initial vanguard. Even if you bring reinforcements, defeating the alliance of Teams 3 and 4 would be merely theoretical.]

Being a veteran meant more than just being skilled at handling a Divine Soldier. If one thought of Tactical Combat as merely piloting a Divine Soldier in battle, they could never even become a stagnant player.

Tactical Combat was about integrating Divine Soldiers into strategy and tactics, and the gamer was the protagonist navigating through it.

Making split-second decisions and finding ways to overcome challenges were prerequisites for becoming a veteran player.

Moreover, Gilbert was the first person to achieve 100% completion of all achievements. Among them was a nearly impossible achievement that required completing the game using only strategy and tactics without ever piloting a Divine Soldier.

Recalling how he had barely managed to complete it after countless saves and loads, Gilbert felt a slight chill. He had restarted hundreds of times due to making wrong choices, and the mere thought of it made him queasy.

[Teams 3 and 4 will have brought maximum personnel to ensure the complete annihilation of our main force. And as Deputy Angelina said, only minimal personnel remain at their bases. Then what we must do is clear.]

In real-time strategy games, when the enemy’s main base defense is weakened, the course of action was predetermined.

[Strike the enemy’s base.]

Operation Empty House Raid begins.

***

Lily Roseus Nobilitas glared murderously at Gilbert, who was holding his ground despite being vastly outnumbered.

Meeting him again after more than a decade, he looked quite different from before. His height, once similar to hers, now towered over her, and even through his cadet uniform, she could see the rippling muscles that matched his stature.

To someone who knew nothing about him, with his golden earring, un-aristocratically tanned skin, and imposing impression, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say his appearance had developed admirably enough to be attractive.

However, his infamous personality had deteriorated even beyond his childhood state. Mistreating commoners was just the beginning; though hushed, rumors suggested he routinely harassed women. He was particularly known for his sense of entitlement that led him to pursue women who were already committed—truly the worst kind of trash.

Lily gripped her control stick tightly and looked down at her large chest. Despite her efforts to minimize its size, her cadet uniform was still stretched to its limits. Her breasts had developed unusually early, becoming a major complex for her since childhood.

Ever since she first attended a social party with her sister, the countless lustful gazes from men had always been a source of stress for her. This was the decisive reason she became psychologically withdrawn and developed an aversion to men.

The person who had turned this into a major trauma was none other than Gilbert Lion Hart standing before her. When they were around the same age in social circles, Gilbert had shown a boldness beyond his years, which appeared admirable to the young Lily, unlike her own demeanor.

Unlike now, his bright, round eyes and childlike round face had made him somewhat of an object of admiration for Lily back then. So she had mustered courage she didn’t have and approached Gilbert, which became the biggest mistake of her life.

Even back then, Gilbert’s personality was already broken, and he didn’t hesitate to mock her large breasts. In their few subsequent encounters, his behavior only worsened. Deeply hurt by Gilbert, who was so different from what she had imagined, Lily began to shudder at the mere thought of men and devoted all her efforts to becoming a knight.

Her beloved sister worried about her, but Lily was already focused solely on becoming a knight.

And now, after more than a decade, the man who was practically her nemesis stood before her.

It would be strange if Lily wasn’t furious.

[Commander! We can’t stop Team 1’s commander!]

[Block him somehow! Without that bastard, the entrance mock battle is ours!]

[Ugh! No!]

One of her team members reporting to her was lost to Gilbert’s iron sword, cutting off communication. Gritting her teeth, Lily assessed the situation and charged at Gilbert, who was in the midst of a fierce battle. She could see that the accumulated damage from combat was bringing Gilbert’s Divine Soldier closer to its operational limit.

Despite this, his piloting skills that inflicted such damage were admirable, but Lily refused to acknowledge him. Even now, his words and actions from the past were coiled deep in her heart, tormenting her. Acknowledging him, Gilbert, was something she couldn’t do even with a knife at her throat.

For Lily, it was her last line of defense.

With the fear that all her efforts would crumble and she would return to that small, young self, she swung her iron sword fiercely at Gilbert.

[Commander! Team 1’s forces have invaded our base!]

[…!]

As Lily was fighting desperately to bring down Gilbert’s Divine Soldier, she had an “oh no” moment when she received communication from a team member remaining at the base. Blinded by her hatred for Gilbert, she had overlooked the fact that a significant portion of Team 1’s forces were at their own base.

She glared at Gilbert, who was still handling her allies with monstrous piloting skills. She could guess why reinforcements hadn’t arrived and why he hadn’t retreated from an unfavorable battle. He had targeted the weakened defenses of both teams’ bases while Teams 3 and 4 had mobilized to deal with him.

The realization that he was using even himself as a piece on the chessboard sent chills down Lily’s spine. Seeing a different kind of genius than the rumors suggested felt like being doused with cold water.

[Commander! Please give further instructions! The enemy is right in fr—!]

With those words, communication with the team member guarding the base was cut off. She could no longer assess the current situation.

Team 4 seemed to be in a similar predicament, showing signs of confusion.

But the battle had already intensified, and retreating now would leave them in a no-win situation. The correct decision was to resolve this situation as quickly as possible and return to the base.

‘Gilbert Lion Hart!’

Silently shouting the name of her sworn enemy, she charged like a wounded beast. Having received training from her sister, who was already a renowned knight, Lily’s piloting skills were superior compared to other cadets.

Although she might be inferior to Gilbert, there was no reason she couldn’t defeat him with his Divine Soldier nearing its operational limit. Seizing a momentary opportunity created by her allies’ attack, she approached Gilbert’s Divine Soldier with high-speed movement and thrust her iron sword mercilessly toward the cockpit with both hands.

Bang!

That was the final blow. Gilbert’s Divine Soldier received a lost judgment as its magic barrier reached zero.

Lily wanted to cheer inwardly, but the situation was too serious, so she held back and opened the team channel communication magic to gather her forces and return to the base.

[Everyone, quickly return to the base…!]

[Teams 3 and 4’s bases have been captured by Team 1. Team 1 wins the entrance mock battle. All cadets who participated in the entrance mock battle, please gather in the auditorium. Thank you all for your hard work.]

But as Gilbert was lost, their base had also fallen. Lily couldn’t hide her frustration as she watched the blonde man emerging from his cockpit.

She had achieved a tactical victory by defeating Gilbert, but the strategic victory ultimately went to Gilbert.

Lily found this hard to bear and felt her anger toward Gilbert intensify even more.

Someday, I will definitely have my revenge.

Lily made a firm resolution as she somehow swallowed her anger.

***

At Demeia Academy, when you achieve excellent grades or record outstanding achievements, you receive an Honor Emblem, similar to receiving a medal for military service. In the game, these Honor Emblems serve various functions depending on their type, such as increasing stats or experience within the academy as equippable items.

Beyond their game element functions, Honor Emblems are used to evaluate cadets. Higher-grade emblems or those earned in special circumstances significantly influence the future Apprentice Knight Selection. Additionally, they grant various privileges such as monetary allowances or the right to borrow artifacts stored in the academy.

The entrance mock battle held for new cadets was also one of Demeia Academy’s major events, so all members of the winning team would receive Honor Emblems.

Therefore, Gilbert and Team 1 became recipients of Honor Emblems and were gathered in the auditorium where the entrance ceremony had taken place to receive their rewards for winning the entrance mock battle.

In particular, Gilbert, who had volunteered as commander, would receive an additional Honor Emblem. However, this wasn’t automatically given to every victorious commander. The Commander Honor Emblem for the entrance mock battle was only awarded if the academy faculty judged that the cadet who volunteered as commander deserved it.

That’s why, despite the entrance mock battle being held annually, recipients of this Commander Honor Emblem were extremely rare. The last person to receive it before Gilbert was Seraphina, who had been called a knight even before entering the academy and had participated in actual battles, and that was already several years ago. Going back before Seraphina, one would have to count on both hands how far back to go, making the Commander Honor Emblem particularly significant.

“I cannot hide my joy for you all who have admirably fulfilled your duties,” said Academy Director Lucas.

After personally pinning Honor Emblems on everyone, Academy Director Lucas let out a hearty laugh. This time, there were many outstanding talents, and Team 1’s performance was among the most impressive during his tenure as director.

His gaze was particularly drawn to the man with the strong impression who had earned the Commander Honor Emblem for the first time in years.

‘They say he is the son of the Iron Blood.’

Lucas thought back to the days when he roamed battlefields with William. Meticulous in everything, William had excellently fulfilled his duties as his adjutant, and when the war ended, he returned to his territory and faithfully carried out his duties as a Margrave.

He had clicked his tongue at the news that such a ruffian son had come from under William, but now it seemed that wasn’t entirely the case. Setting aside the matter of character, he could not overlook the accusation of being an incompetent waste.

The three-dimensional maneuvers shown in his first battle using a Divine Soldier and the strategy of using even himself as bait gave Lucas the feeling of seeing the boy’s father. William’s creed that even oneself must be used as a chess piece to secure victory was reflected there.

Lucas concluded the awards ceremony for the entrance mock battle, looking forward to seeing what the son of Iron Blood would show in the future.

Meanwhile, Gilbert, who had garnered Lucas’s significant interest…

[You have successfully completed the Tutorial Entrance Mock Battle.]

[Your reward has been enhanced for achieving an overwhelming evaluation in the entrance mock battle.]

[You receive a special stat increase bonus for being the first to volunteer as commander in the entrance mock battle.]

[You have achieved the achievement “Before Anyone Else, Faster Than Anyone.”]

[A skill is being created for satisfying special conditions in a special situation.]

…was using all his mental strength to suppress the corners of his mouth from rising at the jackpot that had just hit all at once.

***

Entrance Mock Battle Final Victory.

Team 1.

Commander Gilbert Lion Hart.