Chapter 110

Our hideout meeting room.

We went all out and even bought a blackboard to hang there.

It looked quite impressive now.

I tossed the chalk up and caught it again as I opened my mouth.

“Have you all memorized the map?”

“Yes.”

“Yes.”

The two confident voices in front were Elaine and Riviera.

“Well… I think I’ve memorized it…”

Allen answered in an uncertain tone, using the vague phrase “I think.”

But I knew.

For Allen, that level of response was 99% a positive affirmation.

He was naturally timid, and that was something that couldn’t be helped.

“Good, no problem then. You all did well. Now…”

I smiled broadly as I continued.

“I will now reveal the completed strategy.”

The three of them looked ahead with shining eyes.

They seemed curious about how good a strategy the confident me had come up with.

I had to meet their expectations.

“First, the battle starts at exactly 2 PM. The starting positions are: Elaine here at the fortress, and the rest of us in this forest.”

I tapped the two parts of the map I had drawn on the blackboard with the chalk.

It was a simplified map of the wide rectangular plain.

There was a line drawn in the middle.

The line divided the first-year and second-year territories.

They could freely choose their starting positions as long as they didn’t cross that line.

If they wanted, they could position their troops at the front and engage in a fierce battle right from the start.

But that rarely happened.

Most mock battles began with cautious reconnaissance to observe the enemy’s deployment and movements.

Rushing in recklessly could lead to being surrounded and wiped out in an instant, so it was a natural choice.

This time, the second years had chosen to defend, so there would be no immediate frontal clash.

“Actually, the starting positions don’t matter much. What’s important is here.”

I tapped the spot on the map labeled ‘Sa0’ with the chalk.

0.

This was essentially our real starting position.

It was a dense reed field, the perfect place to hide.

“Make sure to be here by at least 10 minutes before 2 PM. Got it, Elaine?”

With the battle starting at 2 PM, we had exactly 10 minutes.

Considering the distance, it would be a tough mission, but she was Elaine.

“Yes, I’ll be there.”

Elaine nodded immediately.

She seemed to have figured out a way to get out without any problems.

“Alright, we’ll get there on time too. Now, assuming we’ve all gathered here.”

I circled the ‘Sa0’ position with the chalk.

“From here, we’ll start moving as a guerrilla unit. But the important thing is to predict the enemy’s movements beforehand.”

Prediction.

Almost all strategies are based on predictions.

If the prediction is accurate, the strategy becomes brilliant. If it’s off, it can lead to complete failure.

My prediction?

It was beyond the level of a mere prediction.

“Now.”

I grabbed a yellow chalk.

I drew a large yellow circle on the lakeside in the middle right of the first-year territory.

“This yellow represents the first-year Common class. They will position themselves here and move cautiously.”

The three of them looked puzzled as I spoke with certainty.

It was something no one could guarantee, yet I spoke with confidence.

Riviera asked bluntly.

“Is that a prediction or a certainty?”

“Certainty.”

“Is that possible?”

Allen’s eyes widened.

“Of course.”

“How?”

This time, Elaine asked.

“Because I bought this.”

I flicked a gold coin up and caught it again.

It looked impressive.

“Bought… you mean…”

Elaine’s eyes widened as she seemed to realize something.

“Ho.”

Riviera’s eyes sparkled with interest.

Only Allen seemed clueless, blinking in confusion.

Well… that’s understandable.

“…What do you mean, Leader?”

But he asked the right question at the right time.

I answered as if I had been waiting for it.

“I bought information with money.”

Of course, that wasn’t true.

I didn’t need to buy information since I already knew everything.

But I had a reason for saying this.

I needed a logical way to convince them.

I wasn’t some miracle prophet who could just say, “The Royals will be here, the Nobles will be here, the Commons will be here, and they’ll appear here and here, so we’ll move like this and do this,” and expect them to accept it.

If everything I said turned out to be true later, they would start looking at me with suspicion.

To avoid that, I needed a believable logical explanation.

It also made me look impressive.

A cold strategist who would use any means necessary for victory.

It was a good image.

Considering what I had to do in the future, even more so.

“…Huh?”

Allen’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Is that possible? You’re on the opposing side…”

Allen wasn’t a strategic thinker, so he probably never even considered this.

And someone like him, who only knew the straight path, couldn’t even approach such an idea.

“Of course, it’s possible. Do you think everyone values their class’s victory and their own score above all else? Not at all. People’s values are more diverse than you can imagine. Do you know what they call people who believe money is the highest value in life? Golden Rule believers. I happen to have a good habit of identifying and recording such people in the academy. Do you know what that means?”

I smiled slyly as I spoke.

“Why do you record that?”

Riviera asked curiously.

“Because they’re the easiest to use when needed.”

“Ho.”

Riviera nodded in admiration.

It seemed like the perfect answer for someone in an evil organization.

On the other hand.

Elaine and Allen looked shocked.

It was clear who represented light and darkness here.

Allen’s reaction was expected, but it might have slightly tarnished the positive image Elaine had been building of me.

But I couldn’t cater to every little thing.

This game wasn’t easy enough to live while pretending to be a good guy.

If necessary for survival, I could make any cold decision and use anyone.

That was my resolve.

“How did you identify and record such people?”

Allen asked.

“Oh, that? I’m the eldest son of a wealthy family, remember? Growing up in a rich household, I was surrounded by people who craved money. I’ve seen them countless times. Their eyes, expressions, actions, everything. So I naturally developed an eye for identifying them.”

I answered without hesitation.

I had prepared for such questions.

“Oh…”

Allen seemed convinced.

Of course, he should be.

“…So you found such juniors in the first-year Common class and bought information from them?”

Elaine spoke up.

Her expression looked complicated.

“Yes. Not just in the Commons, but in the Nobles too.”

“Even in the Nobles… Surely not in the Royals?”

Even in any class, the pride of the Royals was immense.

They wouldn’t think their pride could be swayed by money, but Elaine asked because she was impressed by my resourcefulness.

“That’s right. But it’s a bit different. I happened to have some who owed me their lives. I used that.”

I dropped a hint here.

A hint that would allow me to handle encounters with Camian and Annette smoothly.

With this hint, I could claim they were Royal informants and avoid conflict.

This would allow me to leave Camian alone for as long as possible to protect his score.

“A life debt…? How did that happen?”

“There’s such a thing. I can’t reveal the details due to personal privacy, but it’s a fact.”

This was indeed true.

Camian and Annette owed me their lives twice.

Elaine, seemingly convinced that my words weren’t lies, didn’t press further.

Instead, she sighed softly and said,

“…I understand how you got the information. But this is a bit…”

It probably didn’t sit well with her personality.

Strong, but soft-hearted.

That was her weakness.

She needed to understand that she couldn’t let emotions cloud her judgment on the battlefield, especially with the harsh future ahead.

I deliberately gave a cold smile and spoke.

“Normally, I might partially agree with you. But this is war. A war where you live if you win and die if you lose. Think about it. If this were a real war and not a mock battle, and I, as the commander, just stood by with emotions like yours, what would happen? Innocent soldiers would be slaughtered.”

“….”

“If it’s a battlefield, I will always use any means necessary to achieve victory and save my soldiers. This mock battle is no different.”

“….”

Elaine closed her eyes, deep in thought.

While her emotions were one thing, she knew logically that I was right.

She was capable of making that judgment.

She opened her eyes.

“Sorry. I was short-sighted. There’s no problem with what you did.”

Elaine admitted readily.

It might seem easy, but it was far from it.

It showed the depth of her character.

“No need to apologize. Friends often have disagreements.”

I responded with a light smile.

Elaine looked slightly embarrassed and averted her gaze.

She seemed to recall the incident during the reconnaissance when I called her a friend.

“Alright, let’s continue.”

“Good.”

Riviera said curtly.

I chuckled and continued my explanation.

* * *

After the Commons, it was the Nobles’ turn.

I drew a blue circle on the map next to the yellow one.

The Commons could be ignored, but not the Nobles.

It would be beneficial to reduce their numbers, but there was no time for that.

The focus was on the Royals, the greatest threat.

The Nobles were just a bonus if they happened to be in the path of attacking the Royals.

“Now, focus.”

I finally grabbed the red chalk.

This time, I drew three red circles.

The three of them looked puzzled.

“Why three?”

Riviera asked.

“Because they’ve split into three factions.”

“What? What does that mean?”

Elaine asked.

“I heard some interesting information…”

I began to explain.

About the subtle power dynamics within the first-year Royal class.

The divided Royal class.

This was a clear task for the protagonist to resolve, but this time, I would use it to my advantage.

“The class is that divided?”

Elaine looked incredulous after hearing the explanation.

It was understandable since such a thing hadn’t happened in the second year.

“Yes. It’s reliable information.”

“Even with the Princess and the Kingdom’s Grand Duke, how could that happen…”

“Because of them.”

“Because of them?”

“Having influential figures creates factions around them. That’s how I see it.”

“Ah.”

Elaine seemed to understand.

The influential figures were the cause of the factions.

“Anyway, this is an undeniable opportunity for us. I’ve crafted a strategy to take advantage of it.”

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

I tapped various spots on the map with the red chalk.

Then I did the same with the blue chalk.

“Here, these are the predicted movements of the Royals and Nobles based on the information I gathered.”

As soon as Elaine saw the positions of the dots, she widened her eyes and placed a hand on her forehead.

“…I see. So, you already knew the information before the reconnaissance. It wasn’t just preparation.”

She realized that the locations I had emphasized during the reconnaissance matched the red dots representing the Royals.

“Victory in war is determined by thorough preparation.”

I smiled.

“Did you think of forming a guerrilla unit because of this?”

“No, not initially. It was a strategy to compensate for the lack of chances in a direct confrontation.”

“I see. Anyway, you’re really amazing. It’s almost scary.”

Elaine’s honest admiration.

It felt like I had earned points, but the word “scary” had a strange ring to it.

“Haha, I just did my best. Now, listen carefully. There are some crucial movements we need to make.”

I continued with the necessary explanations.

* * *

And soon, the day of the mock battle arrived.