episode_0005

A flanking strike.

The effectiveness of this simple yet clear tactic has been proven through countless examples.

A prime example would be the Battle of Jingxing during the Chu-Han Contention, famously known for the “burning the boats” strategy.

Even the so-called “hammer and anvil” tactic is, in essence, a strategy of pinning the enemy down as the anvil before striking from the flank with the hammer.

Of course, this tactic requires two major prerequisites.

The existence of an anvil that won’t break before the hammer strikes, and the existence of a hammer that can reach before the anvil shatters.

The anvil wasn’t hard to achieve. No matter how you look at it, holding the line has always been the dwarves’ specialty.

But the problem was the hammer.

The only mobile strike force the dwarven race could muster was that ragtag mountain goat cavalry.

If those barely passable cavalrymen were recklessly sent out, they’d either be turned into pincushions by enemy archers or slaughtered in a clash with the enemy’s cavalry.

If they were at least fast, one might consider them a bizarre unit that relies entirely on charge bonuses, like in Total Wr—but…

Mountain goats can’t possibly be faster than horses.

Yet, if this simulation recreated the countless races and military units throughout history, then the dwarves must have had a reason for using this seemingly useless unit.

Why? Because riding them looked cool? That might be part of it, but…

Historical records show it was precisely because they were a race that inhabited rugged mountainous terrain.

In the mountains, horses were useless, while mountain goats could freely traverse steep slopes, allowing dwarves to ambush enemies from unexpected directions.

This tactic greatly mitigated their disadvantage of being lightly armed.

So, the strategy I devised was a surprise ambush and decapitation strike using the cliffs.

I exploited the simulation’s rule that defeat occurs if the commanding officer is killed or captured.

‘I was worried since the terrain was a plain… but thankfully, we managed to secure that uneven hill.’

And then, we endured the Imperial Princess’s fierce assault until the goat cavalry could circle the battlefield.

Until the Princess committed even her heavy cavalry reserves.

By the time she had deployed nearly all her forces, leaving herself almost defenseless—

The dwarven goat cavalry, under my orders, charged from behind the Princess, wielding axes, hammers, and short spears.

In that single strike, the Princess’s royal guard suffered heavy losses and fell into disarray.

The Princess would desperately recall the cavalry she had sent to the front to protect herself, but I, who had waited for this moment, wouldn’t allow it.

“Enough holding the line. Charge at the enemy.”

As the dwarves, who had maintained their formation even in the chaos, surged forward in unison, the Princess’s lines—already disrupted by frequent positional shifts between cavalry and infantry—collapsed into confusion.

Until now, the two forces had been shifting positions to hammer at the dwarven lines, but now that the situation had reversed, that very tactic became their poison.

If I just buy time like this, I’ll win. I was absolutely certain of it.

At least, until the Princess abandoned most of her army as a shield and charged toward the front with only a handful of royal guards.

“What the—?”

Of course, a few heavy cavalrymen remained in the rear besides the royal guard. But they had already taken significant damage from repeatedly crashing into the dwarven shield wall.

No matter how poor their equipment was, there was no reason 200-odd dwarven goat cavalry couldn’t overpower fewer than 100 heavy cavalry.

So, the Princess chose to gamble.

Rather than being surrounded and defeated by the dwarves, she would counterattack here.

But how?

“Rally to me!”

As the Princess raised her sword, a handful of the heavy cavalry entangled with the dwarves at the front managed to break free and retreat to the rear.

Even so, they numbered fewer than 40. What could they possibly do? The dwarven shield wall had withstood the charge of over 200 heavy cavalry without breaking.

But then, a realization flashed through my mind.

‘Damn it, I gave the attack order and disrupted our formation…!’

Of course, the gap that had formed was minuscule.

It wasn’t even an empty space—just a thinner line that could’ve been reinforced by pulling in other units.

But the Princess had clearly identified it as a weak point.

“──Charge!!”

Without a moment’s delay, the Princess’s heavy cavalry surged straight toward that exact spot.

The dwarven line, thinned to just a few defenders, was instantly shattered by the heavy, disciplined assault of the heavy cavalry.

‘……She was aiming for this.’

There’s no way this was a coincidence.

An enemy suddenly appearing behind her, her forces thrown into chaos as they faced a full assault—

Yet she immediately ordered the cavalry in the rear to buy time, rushed to the front herself, gathered whatever cavalry she could in an instant, and pierced through the dwarves’ weakest point.

No one could pull that off with split-second judgment alone.

At least, that’s what my common sense told me. Even with the simulation’s adjustments.

If the Princess who just did that wasn’t what people casually call a “genius,” then what else could she be…?!

“……Royal Guard!”

The dwarven line, which no Imperial heavy cavalry had ever broken through, had been pierced. Now, the only force left to stop them was my royal guard.

Dwarven royal guards, wielding tar-coated shields, immediately brandished their weapons and sprinted toward the heavy cavalry.

But the momentum-driven heavy cavalry trampled some underfoot with their remaining force, and the following wave of heavy cavalry slammed into the royal guard, entangling them in chaos.

The next moment, amidst the disarray of heavy cavalry and dwarves, I saw it.

A woman dressed in the most out-of-place attire on this battlefield, charging straight at me with a sword in hand.

‘Is the Princess even allowed to engage in melee…?’

Of course, there’s no law in this world forbidding women from martial arts. And she didn’t seem overwhelmingly powerful—just spirited.

But seeing a heavy cavalryman charging at me, sword raised, it’d be weird not to freeze in fear.

Especially for someone like me, who barely knows how to wield a weapon properly.

So, left utterly alone, I had no cards left to play in the chaotic battlefield.

Just as the Princess couldn’t withdraw her troops, neither could I in this situation…!

That left only one option—a last-ditch, joker play.

“Sto──op──!!”

I spurred my horse to evade the Princess, who had broken through even the royal guard. But the shabby pony provided by the dwarven race was no match for the speed of the Empire’s warhorses.

Just as she was about to catch up, her blade nearly grazing the back of my head—

I leapt off the pony and tumbled headlong onto the ground.

“Gaaah…!!”

Even though I braced myself, it hurt. The sensation of my entire body being pulverized between iron plates was unbearable. As long as I didn’t die from the fall damage, though…!

“Wha…?!”

Fortunately, I survived the fall, and a confused voice reached me as I writhed in agony (even if it was virtual, the pain was horrifying).

Then came the sound of a horse’s scream, followed by an explosion, and finally, a woman’s shriek.

“Guh…!”

After a series of dull thuds, the faint sound of wheels spinning soon followed.

It was the overturned hull of a goat chariot that had been riddled with arrows earlier by the archers.

Since catching me alone would end the match, there was no reason for her to slow down when she saw me fleeing.

So, in desperation, I lured the Princess toward the hull, leapt off to evade, and let her crash head-on into it.

“Haa… Haa…”

“Huu… Huu…”

For a moment, exhausted breaths hung between me, sprawled on the ground, and the Princess, rolling from the collision.

And the outcome was already decided.

In the brief chase that unfolded in the heart of the dwarven formation, the delayed response of the dwarven troops had surrounded the Princess.

Of course, there was only one thing left for her to do.

“I… surren…der…!”

With the Princess’s strained voice, everything froze, and the word “Victory” appeared plainly before my eyes.

I won.

Against the Princess.

“Hah… Hah…”

As my consciousness resurfaced from the virtual space, my body exhaled a heavy sigh while staring at the crystal screen.

Though my body felt no pain, my mind was utterly exhausted, forcing me to take deep breaths repeatedly.

My throat ached from the forced gasps, and cold sweat dripped down. It was a bizarre sensation.

“The winner is… Baron Hebel, Werner von Hebel.”

As Professor Wiesbaden, overseeing the event, solemnly announced, my tension dissolved so abruptly that I nearly collapsed.

“Are you alright?”

“Your Highness, are you unharmed?!”

Of course, my condition was no one’s concern. The students had already swarmed toward the Princess, rushing onto the stage.

Only one person came to me—my ever-kind and devoted lord and backer, Margrave Albert von Belletia of Ruticia.

“Are you alright, Werner?!”

“I-I’m fine… Just a bit dizzy. Must’ve moved too violently at the end.”

“You gave me a fright when you suddenly jumped off the horse. But thank goodness it was just a match…”

As the Margrave sighed in relief, patting his chest, I let out a dry laugh.

But before the encounter could conclude, the Princess pushed through the crowd of students and reached me—just as she had broken through the dwarven shield wall.

“Baron Hebel!”

“Yes…?”

Her swift, stomping footsteps somehow radiated frustration.

Now that I thought about it, I had caused her to take a nasty fall. A belated sense of guilt crept in, and I braced myself for whatever she might say.

Instead, a white-gloved hand—not the gauntleted one holding the sword—was suddenly extended toward me.

“……That was a truly entertaining match!”

“……Ahaha. I’m glad to hear that. I enjoyed it too.”

“I knew you’d pull off things no one else could. How many times did you send chills down my spine in such a short time? Ah…!”

Her gushing review made me laugh helplessly, like a noble girl riding a rollercoaster for the first time. I glanced at the Margrave, expecting a warning look, but even he couldn’t help but chuckle this time.

Well, as long as it was fun.

“There were many improvised moves only possible in a match, but I think it was an excellent bout.”

Meanwhile, Professor Wiesbaden descended from the podium, a papyrus scroll tucked under his arm.

“Baron Hebel, I have a question for you.”

“What would you like to know?”

“If the terrain hadn’t been suitable for the goat cavalry, how would you have utilized them?”

Wiping the cold sweat beading on my forehead, I answered.

“I don’t believe there’s terrain where they’d be unusable.”

“Why is that?”

“If it had been an open plain without hills, I would’ve used them to harass the enemy archers while my infantry pressed the attack.”

“But wouldn’t they have been countered by heavy cavalry?”

“Then that alone would’ve been an advantage. A small force could’ve tied down the Princess’s larger one through misdirection.”

“Though I doubt it would’ve been that easy to fool me?”

Princess Charlotte, who had neatly composed herself despite the match’s aftermath, interjected confidently—unlike me, still reeling from the ordeal.

Even though her injuries from the match must’ve been worse than mine… Her mental fortitude was impressive.

“Hmm… Then I’d have had to try harder.”

“Of course. And next time, tricks like this won’t work.”

If there is a next time. Instead of saying that, I just laughed again. The Professor, momentarily speechless at our odd dynamic, finally spoke.

“Fascinating answer, Baron Hebel. You’ve done well today. Until next time.”

After exchanging pleasantries, Professor Wiesbaden walked away.

If only he hadn’t added, “I’ll assign a report analyzing today’s match as homework,” it would’ve been a heartwarming conclusion.

With nothing else left, as people groaned about the extra assignment and began leaving, the Princess turned to me again.

“Ah, right. We did have a wager, didn’t we? The winner gets to ask a small favor.”

“Yes… Your Highness. Then, may I make one request right now?”

“My, how eager. What might it be?”

“Could I have something to wipe my face…? I keep sweating from earlier.”

“Oh dear, all I have is a handkerchief.”

“That’ll do.”

“Oh my, really?”

The sensation of sweat on my fingertips as I wiped my forehead was unpleasant, so I nodded immediately.

“Yes.”

“……Pfft.”

Princess Charlotte, who had been making an enigmatic expression, burst into a mischievous laugh.

Then, from her person, a luxurious violet handkerchief emerged.

“Here.”

“Thank you…”

As I committed the sacrilege of staining such an obviously expensive, embroidered handkerchief with my sweat, the Princess kept giggling, and the Margrave beside me stared in stunned silence.

“……Huh?”

Confused, I glanced between them until the Princess beamed and said:

“It seems Baron Hebel has either forgotten what a lady’s handkerchief signifies or is making an absurd request under the guise of a small favor. Margrave of Ruticia, what are your thoughts on this matter?”

“I shall ensure my vassal learns proper etiquette… Please return the handkerchief…”

“No, since Baron Hebel asked for it, let him keep it. He’s beaten me twice now—he deserves at least that much, no?”

The Princess, unable to contain her laughter as if she’d seen something delightful, seemed to make the violet hue in her eyes even more vivid.

“See you again, Baron Hebel.”

“Wait, the handkerchief—”

As I belatedly tried to return it, the Princess waved goodbye and vanished, leaving behind an air of amusement.

Meanwhile, the Margrave massaged his temples.

“……Just so we’re clear, Baron Hebel. Even if you were to propose to Her Highness… I wouldn’t be able to help you. You understand, yes?”

“……? Oh, right.”

The handkerchief—that’s what it meant.

By the time I realized what I’d done, the Princess was already far away, her retreating figure radiating sheer delight.

“I’m in trouble…”

And so, my dazed mutterings dissolved uselessly into the empty air.