Ch.15015. First Combat Rule. The God-Machine Soldier is Not Omnipotent.

What Alexander had learned from his ten years on the battlefield was that war doesn’t begin and end with Goliath Knights.

In his immature days, he thought all wars were driven by Goliath Knights. This made sense, as a Goliath Knight operated by an excellent knight was destructive enough to change the course of war and had tremendous influence. In fact, his numerous victories through Goliath Knights served as proof of this.

However, operating a Goliath Knight incurred enormous costs, and the limited operational time was a major weakness. In his younger days, when Alexander recklessly danced with his sword, he reached his operational limit in the middle of enemy territory and found himself in mortal danger. Fortunately, he was able to save his life with the help of Marquis Lucas and Count William who had deployed with him.

The long scar across his face now was both a lesson learned that day and a reckless mistake of his youth.

After that day when he nearly lost his life, Alexander no longer blindly trusted Goliath Knights. A weapon was just a weapon, and it was humans who wielded and controlled them.

And because humans are imperfect, one should not blindly trust Goliath Knights.

“The Goliath Knight is considered the culmination of magical engineering on the current continent. One of the latest Goliath Knights can replace what would require hundreds, perhaps thousands of knights to accomplish. That’s why the emergence of Goliath Knights changed the landscape of continental warfare. There is no war on the continent where Goliath Knights are not deployed, just as there is no country that hesitates to deploy them.”

Operating a Goliath Knight requires a lot of money. Countries that couldn’t afford this cost invariably walked the path of downfall or became provinces of other countries, disappearing into the annals of history.

“The nature of territorial wars has also changed from the past when private armies clashed. There’s no need to unnecessarily spill soldiers’ blood, it prevents wasteful expenditures like hiring mercenaries, and it prevents needless destruction of territory. This is the era where such conflicts can be resolved through decisive battles using Goliath Knights.”

Unlike territorial wars of the past that were conducted with private armies and mercenaries, today’s territorial wars have transformed into decisive battles using Goliath Knights. No matter how much capital goes into operating a Goliath Knight, it was a matter of winning the territorial war.

Winner takes all.

War has always been about extracting the maximum gain.

“Well then, Cadet Gilbert. I have a question for you.”

“Yes.”

Alexander became curious to learn more about this wayward heir of a count’s family who had eyes similar to his comrades. It was personal curiosity about what kind of person he was to have such eyes.

“Everything this professor has said about Goliath Knights so far has been positive. I’ve spoken about their strategic value and necessity. However, this professor began the lecture with the first rule of engagement being that Goliath Knights are not omnipotent—a negative statement. Why do you think that is?”

Alexander’s question fundamentally had no correct answer. One could find and create any number of negative reasons that would suffice.

Nevertheless, there was one reason why Alexander mentioned this rule of engagement in his first lecture: to prevent misguided situational judgments from blind faith in this advanced magical engineering product. When carelessness meets unfounded confidence that a Goliath Knight can solve any problem, it tends to result in fatal wounds in situations where death should be impossible.

Gilbert recalled a memory from long ago at Alexander’s words. When he was Kang Do-jun, there was something his instructor always used to say.

Don’t fall into missile omnipotence.

There was once an incident that recorded the worst combat ratio in history because people thought air combat could be conducted solely with early-stage guided missiles. The weapons hadn’t been properly verified and lacked performance, and unrealistic engagement rules caused missile hit rate predictions to miss the mark.

Of course, as time passed, air-to-air missiles achieved remarkable technological advancement. Just looking at missile kill cases in air-to-air engagements, the status of missiles in air combat had clearly changed from before.

See first, shoot first.

It was a dazzling technological development enough to change the paradigm of aerial combat.

However, the gun never lost its place. The biggest reason was the number of missiles that could be carried. Even at maximum capacity, 14 missiles was the limit, and that number decreased for practical mission execution. Moreover, as missiles developed, fighter performance developed just as much, so guaranteed hits were nonexistent.

The instructor told Kang Do-jun that a pilot uses the fighter aircraft as a weapon to complete missions, and should not optimistically think that something will solve everything. He added that even the fighter is just a tool for the pilot to complete missions, not everything.

He took his instructor and mentor’s words to heart, and for his final mission, he crashed his fighter and went in personally on foot. Though it left him with a body that needed to be discharged, those words may have saved his life.

He thought that perhaps this was what Professor Alexander was talking about.

“No matter how much magical engineering essence has permeated the Goliath Knight, it’s ultimately humans who operate them. Even with the assistance of artificial spirits, it’s the knight who makes decisions and directly controls it. Nothing in this world is perfect. Therefore, Goliath Knights also have problems. If you blindly trust a Goliath Knight beyond what’s necessary, you’ll surely become arrogant and careless. And on the battlefield, that directly leads to death.”

“Then is there a need to use Goliath Knights at all? It sounds like they could be dangerous.”

“However, only a fool would let an excellent weapon go to waste. Technology continues to advance, and we never know when an improved Goliath Knight might appear. Even a revolutionary improvement in operational limits would change the course of war once again. But despite all that, the important fact remains unchanged.”

For someone who had experienced World War III, there was one unchanging truth. Unmanned aircraft that didn’t need pilots began to appear, and all kinds of weapons and powered suits that were once only in science fiction poured out. Nevertheless, the center of what always ended wars was one thing:

People.

Because there are people, there is war, and because there are people, wars end.

That’s why nuclear weapons weren’t used in World War III. If you engage in all-out war with everything at stake, what remains is mutual destruction—the kind of mutual destruction where everyone dies, friend and foe alike.

“It is humans who start wars, and it is always humans who end them. What’s important to consider during engagement is not the Goliath Knight, but yourself and your allies. The Goliath Knight is merely a means and should not be the center of blind faith.”

Although Alexander thought there was no correct answer to this question, paradoxically, he thought Gilbert’s answer was correct. As he said, it was always regular soldiers, not Goliath Knights, who ended wars and planted flags in enemy territory.

He found Gilbert, who had finished his answer and now wore a stern expression, even more strange. That answer contained everything he wanted to say.

Alexander thought he should send his regards to Count Lithuania, who had been his superior, after a long time. Asking about his troublesome son would be a bonus.

“Cadet Gilbert is correct. That’s exactly what this professor wanted to convey to the cadets. The Goliath Knight is undoubtedly a remarkable weapon. The emergence of Goliath Knights was significant enough to mark a turning point in the continent’s long history. However, even if a Goliath Knight can be autonomously controlled by artificial spirits, a knight is needed to bring out its perfect performance. And knights are humans like all of you. I’m not saying don’t trust Goliath Knights. I’m saying don’t blindly cling to them. That will be a lifeline that can save cadets from death on the battlefield where life and death are determined.”

Alexander sincerely hoped that based on these words, the cadets before him would return safely if they ever went to the battlefield.

Unlike his other comrades who had fallen.

***

The first lecture after entering Demia Academy gave the cadets a great shock while providing an opportunity for a paradigm shift. It mercilessly shook their fixed mindset that Goliath Knights were supreme.

Among them, some actively embraced this view, while others held firm to their own thoughts. This division didn’t discriminate between high nobles, lower nobles, or commoners. The groups were formed solely by personal judgment.

Among those who broke free from fixed ideas were Angelina and Hans, who had formed a team with Gilbert, and even Lily, who despised him. Although Lily shuddered at the fact that she shared the same opinion as Gilbert, she wasn’t foolish enough to let emotions ruin everything.

On the other hand, Ian, whom Gilbert called the protagonist…

“Tsk.”

He merely clicked his tongue and slightly glared at Gilbert as he left the lecture hall.