Chapter 20: The Burden of Strategy

The next class was “Strategy.”

Unlike “Understanding of Mana,” which had a basic, introductory vibe, with a professor’s kind explanations that made it feel like a typical school lesson, this class had a much more stern name.

The person who walked in didn’t seem like a teacher but more like a drill instructor.

I mean, why was the person coming in wearing full plate armor?

They even had a short red cape draped over their shoulders.

The steel armor was clearly visible, and there was a patch in the shape of a shield on the chest. Inside the shield was the image of a lion’s head, which marked the symbol of the country’s most prestigious knight order, the “Lionheart Knights.”

“Greetings, everyone.”

The man with brown hair, neatly split into a 2:8 ratio, who had a slightly rounder build, said as he scanned the room.

Despite wearing armor, he appeared to be a bit portly… kind of like a medieval drill sergeant.

Even when he briefly made eye contact with the prince, his tone remained stiff, treating us with professional discipline.

“I am Barus Garmel, the instructor for the strategy course. Feel free to drop the ‘sir,’ but I’d prefer you call me instructor.”

Clearing his throat, he placed his hands behind his back and began walking in front of the chalkboard. Every step he took was accompanied by the rustling of his armor.

“First of all, the word ‘strategy’ might sound like it covers a vast range of topics. Strategy itself has many types. Anything happening on the battlefield can be considered strategy or tactics. An advance, a retreat, it’s all part of strategy.”

Clink.

Garmel raised his index finger.

“But! The most fundamental part of all strategies! If you know just this one thing, you’ll realize that all the other tactics and strategies follow from it. You- there.”

He pointed at the Blackwood noble sitting in the front row.

“What do you think is the most important foundation?”

“0+…….”

The Blackwood noble, who had been suddenly called on, hesitated for a brief moment, but then smiled and crossed her arms, giving her answer.

“Strength.”

“That’s not wrong. As expected of Lady Baegunbaek’s answer.”

But it seemed that it wasn’t the answer he was looking for.

“Soldiers’ combat abilities? Of course, that’s important. A strong force can defeat another. But what defines that strength? You’re talented, I know. But do you trust that your party members are equally skilled? Or do you think your strength surpasses that of the Demon King you’ll face someday?”

The Blackwood noble didn’t answer.

But she didn’t look particularly displeased either.

As the class representative sitting in the front row, her expression was as serious as ever.

“Not every soldier can be strong. But we must lead those soldiers to defeat far more powerful enemies. So, what’s the method to bridge that gap? You.”

Garmel raised his hand to point at the princess sitting in the front row.

“The key is logistics. If not every soldier is strong, then equip them with excellent weaponry to standardize their strength.”

“Excellent answer. You’re quite close to the right answer.”

But it seemed that it still wasn’t quite right.

“However, you know, sometimes the best equipment can actually be a hindrance. You can’t equip thousands or tens of thousands of soldiers with weapons and armor created by the country’s top artisans, who spent days or weeks crafting them. Unfortunately, the lifespan of frontline soldiers isn’t as long as you might think.”

Garmel shook his head sadly, as though genuinely regretful, and continued.

“In that case, you need to create equipment that’s appropriate for the situation. It doesn’t need to be excessively high-quality, but it shouldn’t break easily either. The goal is to create weapons and armor that can be mass-produced in a short amount of time, without sacrificing too much quality. But even if you make all that equipment, it doesn’t end there. After making tens of thousands of weapons and armor, what comes next?”

He looked directly at me.

“What is the one solution that can resolve all these problems?”

I… was he asking me?

I racked my brain for an answer.

Even if it was wrong, saying something was better than staying silent.

“Supply… maybe?”

“Supply?”

“Yes. If we’ve made the equipment, then we… would need to supply it, right? Not just weapons, but also provisions, like food for the troops?”

It was an answer I could easily guess from the previous responses, but if he had asked me first, I probably would’ve been stumbling and unsure.

“Excellent answer.”

Garmel smiled as he said this.

“In strategy, the most important thing is supply, first and foremost. Second is supply. Third and fourth—supply. Even if there are a hundred or a thousand things, it’s always supplies. Whether a war is won or lost depends entirely on whether or not you can supply your forces. Whether you retreat or advance depends on the situation with your supplies and supply lines. A war ends the moment one side can no longer supply its forces.”

Garmel spoke with passion.

“Big and small operations on the battlefield are ultimately tied to logistics. If there’s a need to quickly advance and destroy the enemy, that usually happens because their supply lines have been cut. You need to resolve things before you run out of supplies. On the other hand, the reason you can hold your ground behind closed doors is because your supply lines are secure.”

The instructor raised a finger.

“The reason for sending scouts, the reason for planting spies inside the enemy’s ranks, it all comes down to finding their supply lines and cutting them off as efficiently as possible. A military without supplies has only one end—encirclement and annihilation. It’s like walking straight into the enemy’s heart with nothing.”

Garmel then lowered his finger and placed it behind his back.

“However, there’s one entity on our side that can ignore all of this strategy.”

Following Garmel’s gaze, the eyes of the class turned toward me.

“Wielding an unbreakable sword, capable of facing an army of 10,000 with just one person’s worth of food. This is the kind of person who, 200 years ago on the battlefield, was able to slay the Demon King.”

Why was he saying this so dramatically?

It was kind of overwhelming.

“That person is the Hero.”

Garmel’s face grew a little stiff as he continued speaking.

“And this is also a burden that comes with being a Hero. It’s like telling someone to jump into a fight with 10,000 enemies. There may be 10,000 soldiers on the battlefield, but after the war ends, the Hero won’t be able to do all the things that 10,000 people could accomplish.”

“I had planned to teach this strategy course in the same manner as last year, but this year, a special student has joined my class. So, I’ve decided to base my lectures on an analysis of the strategies used 200 years ago, when a Hero wielding the Holy Sword appeared. Not long after, a war broke out. There’s no reason to think it won’t happen again.”

Garmel gave me a small nod.

“I hope you don’t take offense to this.”

I found myself at a loss for words.

***

For the fourth time today, my forehead hit the cafe table.

I couldn’t even manage a sigh.

If I had been born the eldest son of some noble house or a knight of the Marquess’s family, maybe it would have been better.

I would’ve had the opportunity to learn many things from a young age and would have been more prepared mentally.

I knew through Siwoo that I was going to become the Hero, so I prepared myself for the future, but it seems I didn’t prepare as much as I thought I had.

No, maybe it’s because things didn’t unfold the way Siwoo told me they would.

***

After hearing all that from Garmel, my party members didn’t seem to know what else to say.

It made sense.

Of course, it made sense.

Am I really qualified?

Even so, wouldn’t it have been better to appoint someone who’s more… Hero-like to the Hero’s seat?

“Lila.”

“Huh?”

While I was slumped over the table, Siwoo’s voice called to me.

I turned my head toward him. Looking up at Siwoo from where I rested my cheek on the table, he smiled bitterly and said,

“Whatever happens from here on out, don’t worry too much. I’ll do everything I can to help you.”

***

Well, that was somewhat comforting to hear.

“Oh my, oh my.”

“See, they must be dating, right? If they’re not lovers, then they’re totally lying.”

“Ugh…”

Now is really not the time for comments like that.

Of course, it wasn’t that I wanted Siwoo to come to my room or for me to go to his… but maybe we should find a place where we can talk alone?

Well, whatever.

I straightened up from the table and said,

“Anyway, the goddess chose me, right? If anything goes wrong, I’ll just blame the goddess. Whether I’m qualified or not, if she picked the wrong person, it’s the goddess’s fault.”

“Haha…”

Chloe gave a weak laugh.

Being a candidate for the Saintess position, she should have some objections to blaming the goddess, but the problem is… the goddess is the one who directly chose the Hero.

Still, I suppose this one thing is somewhat comforting?