{10}“The Enemy of My Enemy”

  ***

  "...and so, the Ascalian Royal Army under Gent's command was met with a volley of arrows from the mercenary troops that Karnin had previously placed in ambush, and at the entrance of the ravine where they had no choice but to form a longitudinal formation, the Royal Army was helplessly..."

  Professor Sven had been drawing complex arrows on the map on the blackboard for nearly an hour. The current topic, 'The Establishment of the Republic of Ascalia,' was Professor Sven's personal field of expertise, and the lecture was clearly going to run longer than usual due to his enthusiasm.

  He had already covered the necessary curriculum within the allotted time, and now he was continuing with tactical discussions he hadn't been able to finish. His class on 'Northern Mixed Continent War History' was among the more popular required courses for first-year students, but most students had left the classroom as soon as the bell rang.

  Basically, all classes at Elvlin Academy have about an hour of interval between them, but according to school rules, students are not obligated to attend beyond the scheduled class time. So Professor Sven continued his explanation regardless of whether students were leaving or not.

  "The Royal Army, thrown into confusion by the ambush of the archers, retreated deep into the ravine to regroup, but this was a Bad hand. The traps that Karnin had set throughout the ravine, having recklessly hired mercenaries with money drawn from the merchant guild, were ultimately successful. Two hours into the retreat, the Royal Army's formation was bisected by an ambush from spearmen lying in wait in the center of the ravine..."

  The lecture hall was nearly empty, with only three people remaining: Rin, Calia, and one more male student whose name was unknown. Rin, who had been diligently taking notes, quietly raised her hand. Professor Sven nodded.

  "Yes, Miss Rin."

  "You just said it was a 'Bad hand,' so what would have been a good move?"

  Professor Sven gave a faint smile.

  "There are no correct answers in tactics. Even if you follow theory precisely, it's ultimately nothing more than reducing mistakes based on accumulated war cases. What would you have done, Miss Rin, and those of you remaining here?"

  The three students were silent for a while. Calia was the first to speak.

  "The information about Karnin's independent army headquarters was a trap from the beginning, wasn't it? If it were me, I would have operated a more reliable information unit from the start. That way, I could have detected the trap in advance."

  Professor Sven wrote two words on an empty space on the blackboard.

  [Information]

  [Intelligence]

  After the students read the words written side by side, the professor spoke again.

  "Good point! The Royal Army at that time did not operate a high-level information unit. If they had, they could have obtained more intelligence and information closer to the truth, couldn't they?"

  Next, Rin raised her hand.

  "But that's advance preparation, isn't it? I think they should have been wary of terrain like a ravine. Wasn't it a mistake to enter such dangerous terrain in the first place when information was lacking?"

  Professor Svetrinaha added another word: Terrain.

  "Good thinking. Information is important beforehand, and judgment is important on the field. And when making that judgment, terrain becomes a very important factor."

  Then the male student, who had been silent until now, raised his hand.

  "I think retreating was a good decision when they were ambushed at the entrance to the ravine."

  Professor Svetrinaha countered:

  "Even though the Royal Army was ultimately defeated?"

  "Yes."

  The male student who looked up had black hair and, unusually, yellow eyes, with glasses on top of that. Seeing this, Rin thought he somehow resembled Headmaster Elvlin.

  "It's just that the direction of retreat wasn't good. If it were me, I would have charged toward the archers."

  Charge? Isn't that too reckless? Wait, that's not even a retreat, is it? Rin and Calia both gave questioning looks.

  "At that time, the archers were lying in ambush in the forest terrain of the ravine. The Royal Army's primary armament included shields. It would have been entirely possible to break through the archers and escape the ravine."

  Professor Svetrinaha countered again.

  "If the goal was to avoid the ravine, they could have turned their march in the opposite direction and escaped that way. Why specifically target the archers?"

  "That's a method for not losing, not for winning. To overturn a situation where you've already fallen into a trap, minimizing damage isn't enough. If they had succeeded in breaking through the archers, they could have leveraged the Royal Army's strength in close combat to surprise-attack the other ambush forces."

  At this confident answer, Professor Svetrinaha narrowed his eyes and asked:

  "Your name, student?"

  "Elrunt, sir."

  "Elrunt... are you sure?"

  "Yes."

  "..."

  Professor Sven stared at him silently before leaving the classroom.

  "I'll be looking forward to seeing more from you."

  "Thank you."

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  ***

  After the unusually passionate class ended, the remaining students introduced themselves to each other.

  "Nice to meet you. I'm Calia."

  "I'm Rin."

  "Pleased to meet you, Calia. And you... you're the famous Library Fairy?"

  At those words, Calia giggled in amusement, while Rin, the person in question, laughed awkwardly.

  Two weeks had passed since the entrance ceremony. If there had been any slight change during this short time, it was that Haderian's 'Lily of the Valley Knights' had received official approval as a club activity. Nominally, they were a campus security force, but in reality, they were essentially engaged in open fanatical worship of Rin. Thanks to this, Rin was now a celebrity even among the new students.

  "By the way, Elrunt, have you studied war history separately before?"

  To Rin's question, Elrunt shook his head.

  "I've never formally studied it, but we have quite a lot of books at home. I enjoy reading, and I also like games."

  "What kind of games?"

  "Mainly chess. Though I usually play alone since I don't have anyone to play with."

  Rin smiled brightly at that.

  "Chess? You should play with us!"

  "Really? Would that be okay?"

  "Of course."

  Elrunt's expression visibly brightened. Calia also nodded.

  "I like chess too. By the way..."

  She poked Rin while taking out a pocket watch.

  "I think we should be going soon."

  "Oh!"

  Rin clapped her hands as if she had just remembered something. Elrunt observed their expressions and asked:

  "Do you have a class soon?"

  Rin shook her head.

  "No, it's not that..."

  As Rin hesitated and looked at Calia, Calia raised one eyebrow and counted on her fingers.

  "Four, five, six... perfect."

  Just as Elrunt was tilting his head at her inexplicable behavior, Calia suddenly grabbed his wrist.

  "This works out well. You come too!"

  "Huh?"

  The three left the academic area and headed toward the eastern end of the Academy, where the Engineering Department's laboratories were located. Elrunt, who had been following without any explanation, finally spoke up after about 10 minutes.

  "Those sturdy people have been following us for a while now... is that okay?"

  In the direction he pointed, there were indeed five robust individuals. They were Haderian and senior students from the Swordsmanship Department. Calia gently covered her mouth with her finger.

  "Shh. We know."

  Elrunt broke into a cold sweat, realizing he was the only one unaware of the situation.

  "Who are those people?"

  Calia dismissed the question with one word.

  "Enemies."

  "...Enemies?"

  After walking in silence for another 10 minutes, they finally reached the Engineering Department's research building, and the situation suddenly changed. The Swordsmanship Department seniors, who had been maintaining their distance while following them, suddenly started running.

  "Tch. They've caught on. Run!"

  As Calia shouted and ran, Rin followed, and Elrunt, startled, also began running. From behind, Haderian's elegant voice could be heard.

  "Lady Rin! Why are you going to such an evil place? Come back!"

  Despite the considerable distance, the Swordsmanship Department seniors caught up to Rin's group at a frightening speed. In this critical moment of near capture, Rin called out urgently:

  "Senior Ned!"

  At that, the entrance to the Engineering Department opened and three male students dashed out. One of them was Ned, and the other two were people Calia had never seen before. Haderian, who had been pursuing them, drew his sword and rushed forward with a terrifying momentum upon seeing this.

  "So it was you, you evil one!"

  In response, one of the young men who had emerged from the entrance—a sturdy young man with tawny mane-like hair—shouted back:

  "Aha! So you're the fool Ned mentioned?"

  He crossed his fists in an X-pattern and charged at Haderian. Smoke erupted from both his shoulders, and his arms were covered in peculiarly shaped armor.

  "Uaaaah! Justice Enforcement..."

  "Woooah! In the name of the Lily of the Valley Knights..."

  Haderian's sword strike aimed at the young man's crown. The young man raised his left arm over his head and thrust forward his right fist as he charged.

  "Number 13!"

  *BANG!*

  *WHOOSH!*

  An extraordinary collision sound, far from that of two people colliding, was heard as the two were enveloped in smoke. Ned, who had joined Rin's fleeing group, silently gulped as they waited for the smoke to clear.

  "Ugh."

  Haderian clutched his stomach and fell to the ground. The breastplate where his hand was gripping was visibly dented. The remaining four members of the 'Lily of the Valley Knights' froze, unable to react to the swift conclusion.

  "Geez. Why do you keep coming back when you always lose?"

  The young man who had knocked down Haderian maintained his stance, keeping the remaining four in check. With their momentum broken by his flawless posture and overwhelming first strike, the Lily of the Valley Knights began to back away.

  "Hey! This guy might break something if he doesn't get to the infirmary soon!"

  No sooner had the young man spoken than the Lily of the Valley Knights supported the fallen Haderian and left the scene as if fleeing.

  "Y-you'll pay for this, Leo!"

  "We will definitely repay this debt today!"

  As the retreating Lily of the Valley Knights members each delivered a line worthy of a cheap villain, Calia finally understood the identity of their rescuers. She walked up to the young man and offered her hand.

  "Thank you for your help. You're Senior Leo, right?"

  The young man—Leo—raised one corner of his mouth and shook her hand.

  "And you are... the client Ned mentioned?"

  "Yes. I'm Calia."

  ***

  "Um... will Haderian be okay?"

  In the conference room set up in the Engineering Department's research center, Rin was still restless despite having escaped the crisis. Calia smiled wryly and patted Rin's shoulder.

  "You're still worried about that guy even after all the harassment?"

  "But... it was a strong enough impact to dent his armor."

  "He'll be fine! Hehehe!"

  Leo, who was sitting on the table, spoke with a confident voice.

  "I've tried pretty hard for the past year, but I still haven't been able to find the limit of that guy's endurance!"

  "..."

  "He'll be fine, he'll be fine!"

  Elrunt, who had been quietly listening for a while, discreetly asked Calia:

  "...Isn't that person dangerous?"

  "He'll be fine, he'll be fine."

  "..."

  Currently, there were six people gathered in the conference room: Rin, Calia, and Elrunt who had followed them somewhat unexpectedly; Ned who had gone to the Engineering Department in advance to request help; and two people who had responded to his request—one was Leo, and the other was 'Shulmaier,' a hidden talent in the Engineering Department who, though not well-known, was Leo's constant companion whenever he created something.

  He hadn't said a single word since they first met, and even now he remained silent as he placed cups matching the number of people present and poured a tea-like liquid from an experimental flask.

  "Thank you."

  Even at Rin's thanks, he only nodded in silence.

  *SLURP*

  *SIP SIP*

  For a while, an awkward silence fell as the group drank the liquid that appeared to be tea.

  When Rin and Calia exchanged glances of admiration for the liquid, which was similar to tea but had a peculiar savory taste, Leo noticed this and snapped his fingers.

  "Hmm! This drink seems like a success?"

  Then Shulmaier opened his mouth for the first time. To be precise, it would be more accurate to say he muttered while writing something in the notebook he was holding.

  "...Beverage No. 56 with tea base tasting is successful. A separate survey is needed for a more objective comparison..."

  "So..."

  Leo turned his head toward Calia.

  "I didn't hear much detail from Ned, you know? I heard a loud noise and came out to find the Library Fairy being chased... what exactly happened?"

  In response, Calia unexpectedly looked at Elrunt.

  "What do you think was the secret to Karnin's success in driving out the Royal Army and establishing the Republic of Ascalia?"

  Leo, far from being upset at this seeming disregard, looked at Elrunt with an interested expression. Naturally becoming the focus of everyone's attention, Elrunt appeared slightly nervous.

  "Um... probably the mercenaries."

  Elrunt pulled at his collar, seemingly a bit uncomfortable.

  "He quickly brought the commercial guilds, which were filled with discontent due to the Royal Family's excessive tax increases, to his side."

  "Just what I was thinking!"

  Calia now looked toward Leo.

  "You know about the situation between Rin and Haderian, right?"

  "Huh? Is there anyone at this academy who doesn't know about that? Hehehe."

  "Then you must also know that Rin needs help?"

  Leo grinned and folded his arms.

  "So I'm the mercenary chosen by the Library Fairy? Why?"

  Calia also crossed her arms, facing Leo.

  "The basic method is the same as how Karnin won."

  "The same?"

  "The enemy of my enemy is my friend!"

  "Hmm! Interesting!"

  Leo uncrossed his arms and finally got down from the table.

  "Of course, you must have future plans for this idea?"

  "Of course."

  -To be continued-