I Became the Academy’s Weakest Strategist

Montegro Academy, District 13.
District 13, which could be called the capital of Montegro Academy, was located in the central area of the academy. All important academy facilities, including the central student council, were gathered in this district.
The daily foot traffic alone exceeded 2,000 people – professors, students, and even guilds that had erected buildings in District 13.
The numerous Gothic-style buildings exuding elegance were points of pride for Montegro Academy.
It was said that District 13 was the first place new students visited each year, giving an idea of just how grand and splendid it was.

Among those magnificent buildings, one towered over the rest in imposing height.
After passing through strict screening to enter District 13, this was the building that immediately caught the eye.
It was the central student council office, used exclusively by student council members.
And at the very top of the central student council office, there was a room with a view of all of District 13 that only one person could use.

Inside the lavishly decorated room,
The furnishings and decor were so extravagant that selling them would easily buy a small castle in the outer regions.
Montegro Academy, the continent’s finest where only the most talented geniuses gathered every year.
And this was the office accessible only to the representative of those thousands.
The office used by generations of student council presidents had not lost its luster over time and still exuded an overwhelming aura of reverence.

In the Imperial Year 1432, Princess Bizant von Erje, the new student council president of Montegro Academy, began using this office as well.
With her older brothers having served as student council presidents for generations, it was only natural that she would use this office.

And within that office, Princess Erje was conversing with someone through a magic communication crystal.
“Come to think of it, your words do make sense. I shall be especially mindful.”
“Yes, father. Please take care of your health.”
“Heheh, so my daughter had such talent. I see you in a new light.”
“I am honored.”
“Yes, yes. Let’s meet again at the imperial palace next time.”
“As you wish, father.”
Click.

“…Father praised me.”
The person Princess Erje had just been speaking with was none other than Emperor Bizant von Grewss of this empire, her own father.
After being warned of the dangers of this expedition by the man in the library, Princess Erje had brought a long-distance magic communication crystal and relayed everything she had heard to her father without omission.

At first, the emperor had dismissed the princess’s words, but her arguments were highly persuasive. And being a cautious man, the emperor eventually heeded her advice.
The result was the emperor’s satisfied expression and praise for his daughter’s contribution.
From birth until now, Princess Erje had never received praise from her father.
For her, this praise from the emperor, her own father, held profound meaning.

“…I was praised…”
Princess Erje trembled her cherry-red lips in apparent disbelief, smiling radiantly like a child receiving a longed-for toy from her parents.
Had anyone seen Erje’s smile at that moment, they would have been struck by angina pains all day.

“Finally…”
Princess Erje’s childhood could be described as unfortunate.
Though born from the same mother as her older brothers, they had treated her coldly. And her father the emperor, entranced by his concubines, had paid her no attention either.
Moreover, Erje’s mother the empress had passed away immediately after giving birth to her.
From the moment she was born, Erje had to learn how to survive on her own.

She was raised by maidservants and the chief butler, forced to struggle to survive within the imperial palace.
The princess’s gentle nature was far too delicate to withstand the constant machinations of her older brothers and the concubines.
To survive, she had to hide her emotions.
She could not show her feelings to others.
Only by doing so could she barely stay alive, fleeing from the palace to enroll at Montegro Academy.

And there, she began building her own support base within the academy.
To counter her older brothers and the concubines’ schemes to undermine her.
But it was still far from enough.
Her supporters were mere freshmen who had yet to graduate, while her brothers commanded elite troops hardened by years of battle experience.
Any observer could see the overwhelming power disparity.

Yet she could not give up.
For she was destined to become the emperor of this empire.
Ironically, in order to survive, she had to aim for the very top.

“That man…”
The princess leaned back in her chair, recalling the man she had met in the library.
With his brown hair and distinctive ponytail reaching down his neck.
By relaying that man’s words directly to her father, she had gained her father’s trust.
The princess began to think about the man who had spoken his mind to her so brazenly.

“He is the talent I need.”
The reason humanity could survive among other animals was “wisdom.”
Humans used wisdom to survive in the wild and rise to become the top predators in the food chain.
As the underdog, Erje needed that very wisdom to counter her older brothers.
And that man possessed wisdom.
An unusual encounter at the library.
An extraordinary man.

“I must meet him again right away.”
Having made up her mind, the princess rose from her seat.

“Hello there.”
“?”
When Princess Erje revisited the library, fortunately the man was still seated there, reading a book with a sullen expression.
Erje took a seat opposite the man and took the lead in conversation.

“Let me begin by expressing my gratitude, for thanks to you, an acquaintance of mine was able to preserve their life.”
Of course, that ‘acquaintance’ happened to be the emperor of the empire.
“It seems my words reached them, I’m glad to hear it.”
Despite the princess’s gratitude, the man responded with an expressionless face.
Would he have reacted the same way if he knew the woman before him was the imperial princess?
However, the princess was not offended.
Rather, she wanted to acquire this man for herself.

Having been pushed aside by her older brothers from a young age, the princess was greedy, having been deprived of so much.
So despite the man’s indifferent reaction, the princess continued to lead the conversation.
For now, it was Erje who felt the lack.

“May I ask your name?”
“Griff Rommel.”
“Griff…Griff…”
The man sitting opposite the princess was a nobleman. In this world, only imperial and noble families were permitted to use surnames.

“You must be the son of the Griff family devoted to serving the empire in the south.”
“The third son, but yes, that’s correct.”
At the mention of his family, the man finally closed his book and met the princess’s gaze.
“My name is Edinburar Rose, you can just call me Rose.”

Edinburar Rose was one of Erje’s people.
With no time to come up with an alias, the princess hastily borrowed the name of one of her close aides.
‘I’m sorry, Rose. I’ll buy you some candy later.’
Erje silently apologized to Rose, who was likely practicing swordsmanship somewhere in the training grounds.
Of course, Rose would probably say, “It’s alright, Your Highness.”
But the princess chose not to reveal her identity for convenience’s sake.
If she revealed she was the princess, the man before her might flee from her presence.

“…So you are the daughter of Duke Edinburar.”
Though the man widened his eyes in apparent surprise, he showed no intention of leaving.
Seeing the situation unfold favorably, the princess smiled faintly and spoke.

“Yes, that’s right. I am the beloved daughter of the Duke of Edinburar.”
“I see. It is an honor to meet the beloved daughter who holds swordsmanship in such high esteem.”
“Oh my.”
The princess covered her mouth with her hand, offering a sweet smile.
A smile of goodwill, yet devoid of any artifice.
The princess sincerely wanted this man for herself, so she decided to employ her beauty.
For a woman’s beauty was another form of weapon.

As the atmosphere relaxed slightly, the princess shifted her gaze to the book Rommel had been reading.
Rommel was still reading ‘What is War?’

“Seeing you continue reading that book, you must be well-versed in such matters. If you have the time, could you impart some of your wisdom to this young lady?”
“Impart wisdom?”
Rommel tilted his head quizzically, but the princess continued.
“As a knight, one must effectively lead troops. But regrettably, this lady is ignorant and in need of guidance. Please lend me your esteemed wisdom.”

“Effective, effective…”
Rommel seemed to ponder for a moment before smiling and accepting the princess’s request.
“My wisdom is insignificant, but I shall try my best to impart it.”
“I am grateful for your consideration, Lord Rommel.”

Thus, Erje and Rommel began a series of questions and answers.

“Do you know what makes the nomads so formidable?”
“Is it not that most of their forces are cavalry?”
“Correct, cavalry has always been a formidable arm in any era. According to records, a single cavalry battalion could turn the tide of war.”

Erje nodded quietly at Rommel’s words.
In an era before the development of gunpowder and artillery, cavalry were like tanks.
Swift mobility, superior range.
Cavalry were the flowers of the battlefield, the grim reapers of infantry.
When cavalry charged, infantry could only raise their pikes or fire arrows from afar.

“The nomads have lived together with horses since birth. Rumor has it they can even sleep on horseback.”
“Good heavens.”
It was true that Mongols would sleep on horseback to minimize travel time.
By reducing travel time to the extreme, the Khwarazmian Empire was crushed before they could react.

“Then is there a way to defeat the nomads?”
“It is not impossible.”
The princess gazed at Rommel with keen curiosity.
Responding to her anticipation, Rommel raised three fingers and continued speaking.

“First, naval warfare.”
Rommel lowered one finger.
“Naval warfare is…”
“Difficult, as they would not engage in such battles.”
It was historically proven that nomadic peoples were weak at naval warfare.
The Mongols had attempted to cross the sea with Goryeo’s aid to invade Japan but failed after encountering a storm.
After that, the Mongols abandoned their plans to conquer Japan.

“Second, prevent them from riding horses.”
“Ah…!”
If cavalry was too powerful, the simple solution was to dismount the riders.
Vietnam provided an example of this.
In 1284, when the Mongol Yuan army invaded Vietnam, the country’s infamous jungles constantly harassed them.
Being jungles, the Mongols could not properly ride horses, while the Vietnamese employed guerrilla tactics to continuously harass the Mongol soldiers.
Add the sweltering, humid jungle weather and various venomous creatures lurking about, and it was a nightmare for the Mongols.
Moreover, the Vietnamese army led by Tran Hung Dao numbered a staggering 250,000 men.
Imagine 250,000 men waging guerrilla warfare day and night – it must have been a living hell for the Mongols.

After their retreat, the Mongols launched a third invasion in 1287. Traumatized by the jungles, they entered Vietnam via water routes instead.
But Tran Hung Dao had driven stakes into the riverbed, and when the Mongol ships were halted by the ebbing tide on the pre-planted stakes, he attacked and forced the Mongols to retreat again.

“But…”
“They are not fools to simply comply. In fact, the nomads were the ones who moved to the Hipkas Mountain Range first.”
While the nomads’ reasons for moving to the Hipkas ranges were unclear, some deduction was possible.
Their abandonment of cavalry’s advantages meant they had a sure means of victory – a gambit thrown against the empire.

Rommel slowly lowered his second finger, leaving only one raised.
And he began lowering that last finger as well.
“The final third option is to simply meet their attack head-on.”
“A head-on attack? But with their cavalry…”
Seemingly dissatisfied with Rommel’s words, Erje puffed out her cheeks slightly.
She had asked for a way to easily defeat the cavalry, but his suggestion was too broad.

“In which case, you must devise effective tactics.”
“Tactics being…?”
“Lure the enemy in, establish an asymmetric balance on the battlefield, then encircle and annihilate them.”
“…”
Erje tilted her head, seemingly not understanding Rommel’s explanation.
Rommel scratched his head slightly, then took six coins from his pocket and placed them on the table to better illustrate his point.

“Let’s say the silver coins represent the nomads, and the gold coins are our imperial forces.”
To aid Erje’s understanding, Rommel arranged the silver coins on his side and the gold coins on Erje’s side.
“If we engage them on the plains where they are most confident, the nomads will leverage their cavalry’s advantage to press towards our lines.”
Rommel pushed three silver coins towards the gold coins.
The silver coins, the nomads, were already charging towards the imperial forces.

“…”
Thanks to Rommel’s vivid explanation, Erje was already focused on the simulated battlefield he was commanding and manipulating.

“To start, we position the infantry with shields and pikes who can withstand the cavalry charge at the front.”
Rommel pulled forward the middle gold coin of the three.
In an instant, the battlefield took the shape of an arrowhead formation.
The nomad cavalry charged the imperial forces, who raised their shields and pikes to somehow stop the cavalry charge.
And the two sides clashed, resounding with the screams of men and horses.

“On the left, we position cavalry, but like the infantry, their aim is to withstand the nomads’ attack as much as possible.”
The imperial cavalry on the gold coin’s side charged the incoming nomad cavalry.
Thus began the cavalry battle, with the nomads roaring as they tried to break through the imperial cavalry, who refused to properly engage and constantly withdrew and counterattacked instead.
Feinting in and out, the battlefield became a stalemate.

“But…just defending has no meaning, does it?”
“Indeed, no matter how well the left and center hold out, they will eventually be breached.”
Erje voiced her doubts about Rommel’s simulated war, but Rommel simply smiled and firmly pulled back the remaining gold coin on the right.
This caused the silver coin in front of Rommel to be pushed far back.

“On the right, we position the elite of the elites.”
“You can’t mean…!”
“While the cavalry on the right crushes the opposing nomad cavalry, the left and center hold out for as long as possible. And the imperial right-wing cavalry continues pushing forward.”

The battlefield had taken on a strange shape.
The left and center were being pushed back, but the right kept advancing.
An asymmetric battlefield.

“And once they reach a certain point, the imperial right-wing cavalry turns left, continuously enveloping the enemy until they meet the left-wing cavalry. If that happens…”

Erje gazed at the battlefield Rommel had created with disbelieving eyes.
The nomads were now encircled by the imperial forces.
Horses skewered by pikes, riders thrown from their mounts, the imperial cavalry mercilessly massacring the nomads.

“Checkmate.”
“This is…unbelievable…”
Rommel slowly pocketed the three silver coins.
Only the gold coins representing the imperial forces remained on the table.
Rommel slowly raised his head to meet Erje’s gaze.
And his mouth opened, speaking slowly.

“While the anvil holds out as long as possible, the hammer strikes down the enemy. This is the Hammer and Anvil Tactic.”
“…Just who are you?”
Erje’s eyes were now filled with nothing but awe and respect for Rommel.
“Griff Rommel, the third son of the Griff family.”
And Princess Erje made up her mind to acquire this man, no matter what.
Her eyes brimming with reverence and respect for him slowly became tinged with a hint of greed.