Side Story – The Secret History of Philnotes Military Academy
1
“Please, Al! Will you join the Siege Battle with me!?”
“…Huh?”
It all started with Steano’s desperate, formal bow on the ground. He had just flunked his final exams.
Philnotes Military Academy, located in the neutral city of Philnotes, is a first-rate military academy where the elite from many nations gather.
Students who will one day be responsible for their nations’ development flock here—royalty, imperial heirs, nobles, knights and soldiers who protect their nations, and even the successors to great merchant families. They are all gathered from surrounding countries, regardless of status or standing.
It’s been a year and a half since I started attending this academy. I was now a second-year in the academy’s middle school division.
“Please! I’m begging you, this is the one request of my life!”
The man staying behind in the classroom after school, continuing to beg in that pathetic voice, was Steano, one of my few friends. He’s an extremely talented knight, but while his practical skills are excellent, his academics are atrocious.
“…Hah. You failed again? Just go to the supplementary lessons.”
“Sorry, sorry, sorry! But I just can’t stand being crammed into the supplementary lessons classroom to study anymore! That’s why I want you to join the Siege Battle with me! It’ll boost my overall exam score! I know I can get a good grade in a practical exam. Come on, please?”
And so, just like that, he was begging me to join this practical exam, the ‘Siege Battle,’ which served as a last-ditch rescue measure.
—Seriously, he’s too desperate. How much does he hate studying?
“Steano… we’re second-years now. If your grades stay like this, you’ll just fail again next term. Don’t you think you should try studying more seriously?”
“Guh, I… I have no comeback for that…”
“Besides, if it’s the Siege Battle, just asking me isn’t enough people. You won’t even qualify to participate. How many people do you need to gather?”
Steano counted on his fingers, his face turning pale as he let out a pained breath.
“A… a minimum… of eight.”
“Eight, huh. I’m fine with joining, but… how are you going to get the other six?”
Unfortunately, I don’t really have any close friends besides Steano.
If we’re recruiting, we should probably rely on his wider social network.
“Have you asked anyone else?”
“I was going to, but everyone who passed the finals gets to start summer vacation a little early… they’ve all gone back to their home countries or territories. There’s no one left…”
“That’s a checkmate, then… Just go to the supplementary lessons.”
“I absolutely refuse! I can only see a future where I fall asleep during the supplementary lectures, fail the re-test, and then get stuck in an endless loop of retakes for all of summer vacation!”
—Stop talking as if you’ve already decided not to take the lecture seriously.
But I’ve known him for a year and a half. I know full well how disastrous his academic performance is. I could somewhat understand why he’d want to use the Siege Battle as an escape route. And besides, it would leave a bad taste in my mouth to just ignore a friend in need.
“…Alright, fine. Let’s see if we can somehow scrape together six more people.”
“Al… you really are a good guy!”
He looked overwhelmed with emotion, his eyes a little watery, and he clasped his hands together like he was praying in a chapel. Now is not the time for that.
“Okay, so no close friends are left on campus… That means we’ll just have to find random people who wouldn’t mind joining a Siege Battle.”
This is already the summer vacation period. For students, vacation is a time of supreme happiness. The number of people willing to give up that precious time for what is essentially just an extension of class is limited.
“Our best bet is other supplementary students…”
“Meaning?”
“We recruit other idiots like Steano.”
“That’s so harsh! Ever heard of sugar-coating?! Isn’t it awful to call your own friend an idiot!?”
“Steano, be quiet for a second. I’m thinking.”
“‘Shut up, idiot,’ is that it? I’m glad you’re helping, but you’re really brutal, you know that…?”
I ignored Steano pouting and put a hand to my chin, thinking.
Not that many students failed this final exam. The students here are all talented people who carry the future of their countries. The ones who fail are almost always the same people every time.
“In our class, you’re the only habitual failure, Steano. We’ll have to check other classes.”
“That one stings, too, in a subtle way…”
Steano clutched his chest and stumbled, his legs trembling like a newborn fawn.
I felt slightly bad, but he was my only lead, so I asked him.
“Steano, do you know anyone else from your supplementary classes?”
“…Yeah. In the next class over, there should be a problem child who fails every test and a gigantic guy.”
He squeezed out the words in a listless voice.
A problem child and a giant.
My first impression from that description was pretty bad, but if this was to help Steano dodge supplementary lessons, I wasn’t in a position to complain.
“Alright. Let’s try inviting those two first. If they’re in the supplementary group, they should be in the supplementary room or their classroom.”
And so, “Operation Save Steano from Supplementary Lessons” began.
Can we really find six other people besides me and Steano? Honestly, I was filled with dread.
2
It didn’t take long to find the ‘problem child’ and the ‘giant’ Steano mentioned.
“Are those them?”
“Yeah, that’s them. Their names are… Mia and Ambros.”
Where I looked, I saw a male and female student sitting at their desks, deep in conversation. The blue-haired girl must be Mia… the ‘problem child.’ The sturdy-looking guy must be Ambros… just as advertised, he’s a giant.
“So, what’s the plan?”
Steano whispered, cupping his hand next to my ear.
“What do you mean ‘what’s the plan’? We just go talk to them.”
“Wh… You don’t know? Those two are the really bad ones, even for the supplementary group!”
“No, I’ve never had to take supplementary lessons, so I’m not up on the internal gossip.”
“Ugh…”
He’s making a big theatrical show of being hurt, but it’s just the truth.
“So, what’s so ‘bad’ about them?”
I asked in a flat voice. He got a serious look on his face.
“…Those two are the elite of the elite supplementary students. They’re the ‘Top of the Idiots’!”
“You’re one to talk.”
…I was the idiot for asking.
“I already figured they were idiots from the fact they’re in supplementary lessons. So… why are you so hesitant to talk to them?”
“Well…”
If it was just about their poor grades, it’s strange that Steano would be this reluctant. He’s got decent communication skills and a much wider circle of friends than I do.
“…Did something happen between you and them?”
“—!”
I heard him grit his teeth.
“…You won’t laugh if I tell you?”
“Depends on what it is.”
“Then I’m not telling.”
“…Look, if you don’t tell me, we can’t move forward.”
—This is getting annoying. Maybe I should just go home.
It was obvious from his tense expression that there was some serious history there. But if he didn’t tell me why, I was stuck. Even if he couldn’t stand them, they were still valuable potential recruits.
I just kept staring at him silently. He finally sighed, looking uncomfortable.
“…Fine. I’ll tell you.”
He raised his hands in surrender and looked away.
“Mia and Ambros. Those two… they got insane scores on the practical exams. I saw a glimpse of what they can do, and… I lost all my confidence.”
“…So you’re jealous of their strength.”
“Aargh, yes, fine! I was frustrated that I hadn’t been able to beat them in a single practical exam since we enrolled! Is that so wrong!?”
“No, anyone would feel frustrated after tasting defeat. I get it.”
So basically, he had an inferiority complex toward two people who were better than him. Asking rivals who you’re competing with for help… yeah, that’s probably a high psychological hurdle.
“Steano. Just wondering, what are their practical scores actually like?”
He grimaced, but his tone turned serious.
“First, Ambros. The guy just has absurd power. In any strength-related category, he’s not just the top of the second-year middle schoolers, he’s always at the top of the entire middle and high school divisions combined! —But he’s an idiot, so his overall grades aren’t in the top tier.”
“…I see.”
“Next, Mia. Her agility and reflexes are off the charts. Her combat instincts are sharp, too. It’s like she has a natural-born talent for fighting. —But she’s also an idiot. She seems to be decent at arithmetic, but everything else is a total disaster. A complete disaster!”
He said that last part with a lot of passion.
“…I should probably point out that you’re not one to talk.”
“I know that! It’s just sour grapes!”
Steano let out a frustrated sigh. From his expression, he really didn’t want to do this. But in contrast to him, I was suddenly motivated.
“…If we’re going to do a Siege Battle, we need skilled teammates.”
“—! R-right! So we should probably invite some other, more normal-“
“Those two sound like they’ll be excellent assets.”
“Huh!?”
—I had some expectations, but they sound even better than I thought.
“H-hey, Al… It doesn’t have to be those two, you know…”
“No. We’re definitely inviting them. If we don’t win this Siege Battle, you’re guaranteed a spot in supplementary lessons, right? That’s all the more reason to rely on them.”
Mia and Ambros. The ‘supplementary lessons exemption’ reward should be just as appealing to them. Getting them to cooperate should be easy. And most importantly, the fact that they’ve been able to cover their catastrophic academic holes with practical exam scores is a very good sign.
Philnotes Military Academy gathers elites from all over the world. It’s hard to get in, but it’s even harder to graduate. This is especially true if you’re not a noble who gets special treatment.
Of the new students who enter normally, 40% drop out within the first year. Less than 30% of the total starting class makes it from middle school to high school and eventually graduates. This place is a thorough meritocracy. If the school doesn’t recognize your aptitude, they’ll snatch away your right to graduate. This isn’t just a military academy in name; it’s a genuine world-class educational institution.
In a place like this, students who have been promoted almost entirely on their practical exam scores… that means their combat abilities are far superior to the average student.
“Steano.”
“…Hah, fine. I get it.”
We headed toward Mia and Ambros.
“Excuse me, you two. Do you have a minute? We have something important to discuss…”
We asked them to join the Siege Battle.
3
“Yeah, okay!”
“Mhm. We’ll join.”
We secured their participation in the Siege Battle with no trouble at all.
“…Are you… really sure?”
Mia gave the dumbfounded Steano a light nudge.
“Aww, what’s this? Did you think we’d say no? Too bad! We hate supplementary lessons, too! If it’s to get out of them, we’ll give this Siege Battle everything we’ve got! So, looking forward to working with you!”
“Uh, right…”
She was very casual and friendly with me and Steano, and then she crumpled up what was probably her supplementary lessons homework and threw it full-force into the trash can.
—Whoa, even if we join the Siege Battle, we still have to win to get out of supplementary lessons. To throw away her homework without hesitation… she’s way too decisive.
“Come on, Bro-suke, you throw yours out, too. We’re gonna get out of supplementary lessons anyway.”
“Nn. Okay.”
Urged on by Mia, Ambros also shoved his stack of papers into the trash.
“…Uwah. They really threw it out. And it doesn’t even look like they answered the first question.”
Steano stared at the casually discarded homework with a strained look. The tragic wad of paper was crumpled, and of course, every answer blank was empty.
“Hehe! I don’t wanna study! We’re just gonna polish our fighting skills! All right, let’s totally win this!”
“Mhm! If you need a meat shield, leave it to me.”
“Yeah! The walking deserted island!”
“That cheer is so roundabout it’s insulting… hey, don’t you stick your chest out proudly, either!”
The three of them seemed to have decent chemistry.
As I watched them trade jokes, I thought about how to get the rest of the members.
“…Well, that’s four of us for now.”
“Which means four more… at this rate, if we just keep recruiting other supplementary students, we’ll have a team in no time!”
Steano’s mouth relaxed. He was completely in ‘easy mode.’
But gathering members was just to meet the requirements to join. The real goal was to win.
I had no problem bringing Mia and Ambros on board, but from here on out, we had to think about team balance. Which means Steano’s idea of only recruiting supplementary students was a bad move.
“…No, we’re not inviting any more supplementary students.”
“Huh? But…”
“Yes. Because they’re bad at academics, it’s a given that their practical skills are high. The more we add, the better our chances in the Siege Battle should be.”
“Then-!”
“…or so it’s easy to assume.”
“””—!”””
Yes. We can’t forget.
Even if supplementary lessons students are good at practical skills, they are the absolute bottom of the barrel academically.
“Listen. It doesn’t matter how many strong people you gather, that doesn’t guarantee a win. In a group battle, organization is the most important thing. You have frontline soldiers and a tactician in the rear… an organization only starts to function when both sides mesh.”
I looked at the three of them, one by one.
“From the right, we have: muscle-head, muscle-head, muscle-head, and muscle-head… In other words, we have no one who can use their brain.”
I stated the most brutal fact in the room.
“Th-that’s right… We’re a pack of idiots.”
“Kuh… I can’t deny it! We are idiots…!”
“G-guooooooh!”
The three of them turned pale and hung their heads.
“What we need now is a strategist. Someone smart who can plan for the Siege Battle.”
“So… now we have to find someone who’s good at studying?”
“Simply put, yes.”
—And if I can add another condition, I’d prefer a magic-track student, not a knight-track.
This team has another flaw besides academics: everyone is a frontline fighter. For a Siege Battle, we’ll need good rear support, too.
“Do you two know anyone smart?”
I asked Mia and Ambros. They looked at each other and nodded.
“I do!”
“I do!”
They spoke at the same time, pumping their fists.
“He’s a noble, but he’s a really good guy!”
“Yeah. I’m sure he’ll help us.”
The ‘noble’ part is a bit of a red flag, but if they trust him, I’ll keep my mouth shut.
“Okay, you two go explain the situation to him and ask for his help. Steano and I will look for someone else.”
They exchanged glances and immediately ducked out of the classroom.
“Alright, let’s get moving! Let’s go, Bro-suke!”
“…Then let us begin negotiations with him.”
“Ahaha! We don’t need to negotiate. Let’s just gag him, tie him up, and bring him here! ♪”
“I see! So sometimes, such forceful tactics are acceptable!”
“Yup yup. He’s probably in that mansion anyway, so when he comes out, we just… grab him! Oh, I’ll get the supplies, so you be the one to grab him, Bro-suke!”
“Acknowledged!”
They were discussing something awfully dangerous in cheerful voices.
Is it really okay to leave it to those two?
I hope they don’t do something stupid to a noble and get sued… But despite my worries, they disappeared. I should probably start thinking of a contingency plan for when they get into trouble.
“Al. Let’s go find our new teammate.”
“Yeah.”
Steano grabbed my arm, but he sighed, his brow furrowed.
“…But I can’t think of anyone who would help us.”
“Really? I’ve got someone in mind.”
“Huh? Who!?”
“You’ve met her before, Steano. She’s in the magic track, a top honors student. On top of that, her combat skills are a cut above everyone else’s in this school. A real prodigy.”
A female student we’d helped before when she was cornered by a group of noble girls.
Her name is—
“Petra Farben, a second-year in the middle school magic division.”
A commoner girl with exceptional magic skills. And a kid with more pride than anyone, a typical lone-wolf type who doesn’t do ‘friendly.’
Steano must have remembered her, because he shook his head with a dubious look.
“No, no. Impossible. We’ll never convince Petra!”
“Why do you think that?”
“The day we say ‘Please help us, we don’t want to go to supplementary lessons,’ she’ll just laugh in our faces and tell us to get lost! More importantly, I’m scared I’ll say the wrong thing and she’ll blast me with magic!”
—Did she give him some kind of deep-seated trauma?
His words felt all too real. But we don’t have time.
“Steano. Do you know what the deadline is to apply for the Siege Battle?”
“…Uh, by closing time tomorrow.”
“Right… We don’t have time. So shouldn’t we at least ask her instead of complaining? This doesn’t affect me, but for you supplementary guys, this is your only way out.”
“Y-you’re right… Okay. I won’t complain anymore. Let’s go find Petra.”
I get why Steano is worried.
At first glance, Petra seems to treat everyone with a harsh attitude.
She constantly gets top grades and is relentless in her self-improvement. It’s no exaggeration to call her a candidate for the strongest, most flawless mage of her generation.
But she’s still human.
Once, Steano and I helped her when she was facing off against the noble girls from the magic track and was struggling against their numbers. It sounds bad to say ‘return the favor,’ but if she sees that as a debt she owes, there’s a good chance we can get her to join.
“I want to find her right away, but I have no idea where she’d be.”
“If she’s a magic student and not a noble, she’s probably in the student dorms or somewhere on campus. Or… maybe she’s already left Philnotes for the break.”
Let’s ignore the possibility that she’s not here.
“Assuming she’s on campus…”
“The dining hall?”
Idiot. The dining hall is closed for summer vacation. And I can’t even picture Petra eating and laughing with friends in the dining hall anyway.
“I’d think Petra would be somewhere quiet.”
“Quiet… Oh! Like the girls’ bathroom in the annex!”
“Why can you only think of the most random, irrelevant places… Normally, you’d think of the library or the chapel.”
“Oh, right. Al, you’re a genius!”
“No, I’m just using common sense.”
Steano’s off-the-wall thinking never ceases to amaze me.
His first association for ‘quiet place’ is the bathroom in the annex. That’s just unbelievable. Maybe the root cause of all his failing grades is this bizarre, out-of-left-field thinking he sometimes displays.
“…Hah. Okay, so library and chapel. Which one first?”
“Hmm… Why don’t you check the library, Al, and I’ll check the chapel? That’d be more efficient.”
“…Good idea.”
—He really can be quick-witted.
It was a moment where I realized just how extreme the swings in Steano’s thought process were.
4
The way she tucked her hair behind her ear, her face lit by the light from the window, was very striking.
She silently scanned the pages of a thick history book, then let out a heavy sigh.
“…Do you need something?”
She closed her book and turned her spring-green eyes toward me. It was Petra, studying hard in a corner of the library.
The same unsociable attitude as always.
There were a few other people scattered around the library, but not a single person was sitting near her.
“…Sorry, were you studying?”
“I was. But it’s fine. I just reached a good stopping point.”
She said, pulling out the chair next to her.
“…You can sit, at least.”
“Ah. Thanks.”
It had been a while since I’d seen Petra, but she was surprisingly willing to talk.
“So? You were looking for me. What’s it about?”
“It’s a long story if I get into the details…”
“Be brief.”
She tapped her pen on the desk, resting her chin on her hand and pouting slightly.
“…Actually, there’s something I need your help with, Petra.”
When I said that, her eyes shot open in surprise.
“You… need my help? A guy like you?”
“Yeah. Did I say something weird?”
“N-no! So, what do you need me to do?”
She flinched and turned her face away.
Did I say something to offend her?
Trying not to upset her, I spoke again, consciously softening my voice.
“Petra, are you at all interested in the Siege Battle?”
“The Siege Battle?… Ah. You mean the mock battle held at the mansion on the mountain behind the annex.”
“That’s the one.”
“Hmm. Well. I’m interested, but it’s impossible to get the numbers, so I’ve never once thought about joining.”
“…If we could get the numbers, would you want to join?”
“Huh? Well, yeah… getting a rare chance for practical experience is nice, so I’d probably want to. Wait, don’t tell me…!”
It seemed Petra had figured out what I was getting at.
“Petra. Will you join the Siege Battle with me?”
No need to beat around the bush. If she has even the slightest desire to join, I just need to ask her directly.
“How many people have you gathered?”
“Including me, four so far.”
“Four? …Hah…”
That wasn’t a good reaction.
She put her head in her hands, then pointed a finger at me.
“Listen. Do you even understand the participation numbers for the Siege Battle?”
“Of course. You need a minimum of eight, right?”
“Yes. But in the last ten-plus years, there hasn’t been a single case of a team with only eight members winning. Do you understand what that means?”
The maximum number of participants is twenty.
Obviously, if an eight-person team fights a twenty-person team, they’ll be at a disadvantage.
“You were probably thinking ‘Oh, as long as we get eight people, we qualify’… but unless you have the maximum number of people, just winning is next to impossible, even if you can participate.”
Petra finished her long explanation, put a hand on her chest, and caught her breath.
“…Sorry, but I’m not free enough to join a losing battle. Find someone else.”
Her eyes, now devoid of interest, clearly spelled out “No.”
But I couldn’t back down here.
“…Hey, Petra. Aren’t those noble girls still giving you trouble?”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“If we win the Siege Battle, they’ll be afraid of your strength, and I guarantee that annoying harassment will stop. This proposal has benefits for you, too.”
“—!”
If Petra doesn’t join, winning will be difficult.
Conversely, even with only eight people, if she acts as our commander, our chances of finding a path to victory increase dramatically.
“…Please, Petra. We need your strength.”
“Th-that’s just flattery…”
“I don’t know any student who can use magic better than you. Please, I’m begging you!”
I bowed my head deeply. She placed a hand on my shoulder. And she spoke, as if admonishing me.
“…The Siege Battle is open to all grades and divisions. That means high school students, who have studied here for years longer than us, will be participating.”
“I know.”
“We’ve only been at this school for a year and a half. No matter how talented you are, you can’t easily overturn a gap of years. …Even after hearing that, can you still say I’m the best mage here?”
We’re still just second-years in middle school.
Like she said, in this academy, we’re still just beginners.
The high school students are bigger, and their combat experience is higher. Trying to fight them knowing that… maybe it is reckless.
—But.
“Even so, I still think you’re the best. If you help us, I promise we will win this Siege Battle! You’ll make your name as the strongest mage in this school, in both name and reality!”
Of all the mages I’ve seen, Petra being the best is an undeniable fact for me. I’d much rather bet on her strength than on some upperclassman I don’t even know.
I had no choice but to bow my head.
It’s a little weird to be this desperate just to save a friend from supplementary lessons, but now that I’ve taken on the request, I want to see it through.
“…You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“I am.”
I looked Petra straight in the eye. She smiled, as if in resignation.
“Aargh! Fine. You’ve got a deal!”
“So…”
“It means we’re going to win this Siege Battle. And I won’t forgive you if you put a stain on my record!”
“—Yeah! We’ll definitely win. With you on our side, I don’t see how we can lose!”
The handshake we shared was firm, and it became a major catalyst for our friendship for the rest of our time at the academy.
5
The day after Steano asked for my help.
Having successfully convinced Petra, I brought her to the meeting spot we’d agreed on.
Steano, Mia, and Ambros were already there.
“H-hey! Untie me, dammit!”
“Ahaha!”
…And so was a pathetic, handsome, blond-haired guy, whose hands and feet were tied with a rope.
The muscular Ambros was firmly holding down the young man struggling on the floor, while Mia watched and roared with laughter.
—Did they really just kidnap him?
“…What is that. I’m seriously creeped out. That’s terrifying.”
“It seems those two… forcefully… brought their friend.”
Mia and Ambros didn’t look guilty at all, and beamed at our arrival.
Faced with their psychotic behavior, Petra’s face twisted in genuine disgust as she pressed her temples.
“Wait, wait… these are our teammates? I’m already getting a very bad feeling about this.”
“Don’t worry. I feel the same way.”
“How is that reassuring? That just makes me more anxious.”
The antics of these two, who seemed to be missing more than just a few screws, made even my mind go blank.
—Did I make a mistake teaming up with them?
The look of pure despair on the blond man’s face was strong enough to make me think that.
“Aah! C’mon, Al-chi, you’re late!”
“M-Mia… who is that?”
“Hm? Oh, right! This is Flegel! He’s a noble from the Margenoire viscount house. He can use magic and a sword. And he’s super smart, too!”
“I see. Thanks for the explanation.”
—Although, what I really wanted to know was why he’s tied up.
Mia finished her intro and looked down at Flegel.
“Flegel. You can’t run away anymore, ‘kay?”
She said the exact line a kidnapper would use.
“Don’t mess with me! What’s the big idea, shoving a burlap sack over my head!?”
“Ehh? But, you know…?”
“It was the result of prioritizing efficiency.”
“WHAAAAAT!? Don’t screw with me, you idiots!”
“Bro-suke. Flegel seems angry.”
“Mhm. He is angry!”
“Aaaaaaaargh! Is it impossible to talk to idiots!?”
In contrast to the yelling Flegel, Mia and Ambros started explaining as if it couldn’t be helped.
These two are scary. Their values are completely warped.
I felt bad for him, so I put my hand on Ambros’s shoulder.
“Ambros. Let him go.”
Flegel was finally untied and his freedom of movement restored.
“Hey, Mia! Ambros! What do you mean ‘friends’!? I’m not some tool you can just use whenever you want!”
Once freed, Flegel didn’t try to run. He just confronted them.
“Well, it’s your fault for never coming out of your mansion!”
“We were in a hurry, so it was a necessary measure.”
“Your ethics are post-apocalyptic… At least ask me like a friend. This is going to give me trust issues…”
Surprisingly, he didn’t complain any more than that.
He was tied up and forcibly dragged to the school, but he was being remarkably tolerant.
“So, what’s the reason you kidnapped me and brought me here?”
—They didn’t even tell him the most important part?
“Actually… we need you to join the Siege Battle. Please. Save us.”
The one who bowed his head to Flegel with a grave look was none other than Steano.
“Save you…?”
“This is very sudden. I don’t understand. Why are you all so desperate?”
Following Flegel, Petra, who also didn’t know the full story, stepped forward with her arms crossed.
“Aldia. You’re hiding something from me, aren’t you?”
Apparently, her intuition is terrifyingly sharp.
“I wouldn’t say hiding…”
“Just ‘didn’t mention it’?”
“Well…”
—If I had said, “I want you to lend me your strength so my friend can use the extra credit from winning the Siege Battle to get out of supplementary lessons,” she definitely would have said no.
Oh well. I’m busted now.
After that, Steano explained the real reason we were joining the Siege Battle.
The two prodigies who had been dragged into this listened to the ridiculous reason with cold expressions.
“Hah… To think I’d get roped into helping a supplementary student’s selfish request. This is exhausting.”
“Knowing Mia and Ambros, I figured it was something like this…”
Petra and Flegel aimed looks of exasperation at the three supplementary students.
“”Hah…””
And let out a magnificent, synchronized sigh.
6
The Siege Battle team members were decided.
Me, Steano, Petra, Mia, Ambros, and Flegel.
I thought we were still two people short, but that was sorted out.
“I’ll bring two of my underclassmen for the last two spots. They’re probably free anyway…”
With that one line from Petra, we had our minimum of eight people.
Steano wrote down all eight names on the application form and managed to submit it to the staff room before the deadline.
Now, all we had to do was wait for the real thing.
“…Hey, Al. Can we really win this?”
Steano asked nervously as he walked beside me on the way home at dusk. It was probably because our opponent was decided at the same time we applied.
“Why are you getting scared now? Don’t worry. If we don’t win, the supplementary group just has to study.”
“So cruel! You’re acting like this has nothing to do with you!”
“Because it doesn’t.”
“Can’t even argue with that…”
His footsteps seemed heavy.
“Aargh, you’re so spineless! We already decided to join, so stand up straight!”
The one whacking him in the back with a school bag was Petra, who for some reason was walking home with us.
“B-but…”
“We knew from the start our opponent would be stronger. At least, I did.”
Petra had been reluctant at first, but now she seemed to have resolved herself. Her expression was much more positive than Steano’s. She looked over the list of opponents.
“Our opponent is the Republic Team, led by Raquel Nova. The leader, Raquel Nova, is only a second-year middle schooler, but she’s called the next genius chairman of the Roscheld Republic’s council. Most of her team members are high-achieving second and third-year high school students, and they’ve filled the roster with the maximum of twenty people. They’re not an opponent to be taken lightly.”
“The more I hear, the worse our chances sound…”
“Yep. We’re just an eight-person team of first and second-year middle schoolers. No one thinks we can win this.”
She added, “…except us,” and stared at me.
“…You do have a plan to win, don’t you?”
Her gaze was filled with expectation.
I’m not so clueless as to shake my head here.
“Yeah. I’ve got the rules down. If we make full use of the battlefield and our team’s strengths, a win is theoretically possible.”
“Whew. Reassuring.”
“Well. If we lose, I’ll just give you all trauma that’ll last a lifetime.”
“You really are scary… Hey, Al. We’ve got an extremist on our team. Is that gonna be okay?”
“It’s not a problem if we win.”
“The ends justify the means, huh… Seriously, I’m counting on you.”
We’ve come this far. Losing isn’t an option. Our experience and knowledge are shallow, but our individual skills are high. No matter how strong the opponent, we can create a path to victory with the right strategy.
“If Petra, the magic genius, and the practical-skill powerhouses from the knight track can all use their full strength, we can win this easily, even at a numerical disadvantage.”
“I’m itching for a fight.”
“Alright! I don’t wanna do supplementary lessons! We’re absolutely gonna win!”
“Your motivation is impure, but you’ve got guts, I’ll give you that.”
“Yeah! My motivation is second to none!”
“Steano, I don’t think that was a compliment.”
“Wha!? No way!”
“Yes, yes. You idiots should go study strategy for the battle. You’re the ones who’ll be in the most trouble if you screw up.”
“Wait, she really was insulting me!? Al! She’s being way harsher on me!”
“Haha…”
Petra’s verbal assault was relentless, but the atmosphere was somehow lighthearted. I could feel their motivation.
Mia and Ambros should be fine. The only remaining concerns are Flegel, who was forced to join… and Petra’s two first-year underclassmen.
Flegel was friends with Mia and Ambros and seemed to be a commander-type who could handle both magic and swords.
But I had zero information on Petra’s underclassmen, other than their names.
“Hey, Petra.”
“Hm?”
“I didn’t ask before, but about those two underclassmen joining us…”
“You mean Addy and Tredia?”
“Yeah. Why did you decide to have them join?”
‘Defeat’ isn’t in her dictionary.
She’s the type to do everything she can to win. There must be a good reason she put two brand-new first-years on the team.
“The reason? That’s simple.”
She tossed her glossy, translucent blond hair and smirked.
“Because if they’re my underclassmen, I can make them do whatever I want!”
“”…Huh?””
My and Steano’s dumbfounded voices were in perfect harmony.
I thought there’d be a deep reason, but what came out of her mouth was completely self-serving.
“Th-that’s the real reason you added them to the team?”
“That’s right. If an upperclassman joined, they’d definitely try to take charge. I hate being ordered around or nagged. But underclassmen… I can work them like cart horses. It’s very convenient.”
Steano stared at her, deadpan.
“…I think I’m starting to understand why so many people see you as an enemy.”
He stated the brutally rude, but accurate, truth.
7
“I’m Addy, first-year, middle school magic division.”
“L-likewise… Tredia, first-year, middle school magic division.”
We held a meeting for all the Siege Battle participants.
Addy and Tredia, whom I was meeting for the first time, stood next to Petra and bowed deeply.
Unlike Petra, they both seemed rather quiet.
“Addy is smart, and his magic skills are pretty good. Tredia has deep knowledge of magic tools. What do you think, Aldia? Think they’ll be useful?”
She talked about them as if they were her personal belongings. But if she was proud enough to introduce them like that, they were exactly the specs we desperately needed.
“Yeah. They’re exactly the kind of people we needed.”
Addy and Tredia could fill the rear-guard roles our team was missing. And if Tredia knows a lot about magic tools, our strategic options just expanded dramatically.
“Alright! So this is it! The eight of us are taking on the Siege Battle!”
“I’m starting to get pumped!”
“Mhm!”
The supplementary group—Steano, Mia, and Ambros—were all smiles. In contrast, the one with the darkest expression was Flegel, who looked deep in thought.
“…Hah.”
“Hey, what’s wrong, Flegel? You’re not looking so hot.”
“On the contrary, how can you be so excited? Our opponent is Raquel Nova’s hand-picked elite. They’re a team of Siege Battle veterans. A thrown-together team like ours doesn’t stand a chance.”
“Whaaat? Are you scared?”
“Yeah. All I can see is a future where we lose miserably.”
Flegel’s expression remained dark, unfazed by Mia’s bright tone. He stared at the opponent roster and the mansion blueprints, putting a hand to his forehead.
“…A 15-minute time limit is a tricky, too.”
He kept muttering to himself, lost in thought.
Of the eight of us, Flegel knew the most about the Siege Battle’s rules. And he, after looking at all the factors, had determined this would be an extremely tough fight.
“…Is it looking that bad?”
When I asked, Flegel nodded slightly.
“Yeah. I don’t see many paths to victory. Our only saving grace is that the win condition isn’t total annihilation, it’s ‘officer elimination.’ It gives us a chance for an all-or-nothing gamble, so our odds aren’t zero.”
Looking at the blueprints, I could see it was a spacious, three-story Western-style mansion.
“…And if we’re going to win, we should be on defense, not offense.”
“But there are a ton of rooms, right?”
“It’s impossible to defend the whole mansion with our numbers. But if we can just lock down the key choke points, we can run out the clock and win on defense. Attacking is hard, even with superior numbers.”
I processed Flegel’s thoughts and looked around at the team.
Frontline is me, Steano, Mia, and Ambros.
The ‘officer’ we have to protect should be one of the other four. Someone who’s good at rear support, but can also fight stubbornly if the enemy breaks through.
In that case…
“…Petra is the best fit for the leader role.”
She’s the only one who can give precise orders, has a stronger sense of responsibility than anyone, and has combat aptitude beyond just her magic.
“Petra. I want to ask you to be our leader for this Siege Battle.”
“Oh? You do get it. Choosing me as leader… you’ve got a good eye.”
She stuck out her flat chest, her eyes wide with a smug look.
Watching her, Mia and Steano looked at each other.
“Hey, Steano.”
“Hm?”
“Don’t you think Petra-chan is, like, super overconfident?”
“I totally get it! That seems to be her one and only flaw.”
They were whispering back and forth.
No, your voices are way too loud. Petra can hear every word.
“You two… It seems you don’t value your lives. I’m the leader, you know?”
“”Ugeh!?””
“Say one more insolent thing, and I’ll freeze those empty heads of yours with magic.”
“”S-sorry!””
…If you’re just going to apologize, maybe don’t say unnecessary things in the first place.
8
After that, we held a detailed strategy meeting for the Siege Battle.
A formation centered on Mia for counter-attacks. To make up for our numbers, Tredia would prepare a large number of trap-style magic tools, and the magic students would command the mansion’s defense.
The knight-track students all have exceptional physical abilities, so in contrast to the magic students defending a tight area, we decided on a deployment that would let them move freely throughout the mansion.
“Okay, so to sum it up: Al-chi is on the third floor, watching for intruders from the roof and listening for advances from the lower floors to alert everyone. Everyone but me and Bro-suke will be on the second floor, protecting Petra-chan and thinning out the enemy. Then, me and Bro-suke, the last ones, will trick the enemy who are watching the upper floors, launch a surprise attack from the basement, and take out their leader… That’s about right?”
—
TL Note: Mia is referring to Ambros as ‘Bro-suke’.
—
“Yeah. We’ll confirm the finer movements and practice our coordination later.”
“Okey-doke!”
It’s obvious we can’t win in a fair fight. This plan hinges on the efforts of Mia and Ambros, hiding in the basement for a surprise attack.
“Bro-suke, did you understand all that?”
“…Yeah! So we just have to beat the enemy!”
“In a nutshell, yup! ♪”
…Hearing Ambros’s over-simplified answer, I’m starting to get a little worried.
This is a battle we could easily lose with a single mistake.
“Hah. I’ll handle Mia’s and Ambros’s training somehow. You two, come here.”
“Ah!”
“Okay!”
Flegel pushed them both forward, looking annoyed, and went to confirm their movements.
After seeing them off, I exchanged a look with Petra.
“Well, I’m going to go lecture my two underclassmen on how mages fight. It’ll be hard to drill perfect movements into them, but it’s better than nothing.”
“Got it. In that case, I’ll teach Steano some of the defensive procedures.”
To prepare for the real thing, Petra and I also split off, taking the people we needed to train.
9
“Hey, Al.”
“Hm?”
“Thanks.”
Steano said with deep emotion as we were heading to the library to grab some textbooks.
“What’s this all of a sudden?”
“Well. I was just thinking, if you hadn’t been here, I probably wouldn’t have even been able to gather the team.”
“Probably. If you had recruited, it would’ve just been a chaotic mob of supplementary students.”
“You say that so casually… but you’re not wrong.”
This whole Siege Battle thing started as a way to help Steano get out of supplementary lessons. Looking back now, I never dreamed it would become such a huge ordeal.
“Gathering the team was important, but it’s all meaningless if we don’t win.”
“Totally! Making the exemption conditional on winning… this school is too harsh on its lost little lambs.”
“…If that ‘lost little lamb’ had just decided to study seriously, we wouldn’t have had to go through all this trouble.”
“…Let’s just pretend you didn’t say that.”
Steano put his hands together and closed one eye.
“Hah. From now on, just study so you don’t need supplementary lessons.”
“I will consider it, and after consideration, I will positively consider it.”
“…That’s what people say when they’re not going to do it.”
—I probably shouldn’t spoil him just because he’s my friend.
I’m seriously worried if Steano will actually be able to graduate.
Worrying about my friend’s future, I borrowed the necessary textbooks from the library and headed to an empty classroom. And then…
“Alright, Steano—it’s time to study.”
I announced the start of a special lecture on the one thing he hated most.
“Huh? Why? I decided to join the Siege Battle so I wouldn’t have to study…”
“A Siege Battle isn’t a one-on-one duel. It’s a large-scale battle. You have to learn how to fight accordingly, right?”
I held the textbooks and advanced on him, step by step. His face went pale and he collapsed onto the floor, holding his hands out as if begging for his life.
“St-stop… Come on, Al? We’re friends, right?”
“Yeah. You’re my important friend.”
“Th-then maybe just a little less studying…”
He’s so stubborn. He’s the one who invited me to the Siege Battle in the first place. I’m not letting him get away with it now.
“Steano, don’t hold this against me. This is all a result of respecting your desire to win the Siege Battle. Now, let’s begin.”
“Gya…”
“Gya?”
“Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah—!!”
During the quiet summer vacation, a scream loud enough to be heard in the nearby city streets echoed through the academy.
“Ah, hey, don’t run away!”
“Aargh! This completely defeats the purpose of getting out of supplementary lessons!”
“It can’t be helped! You can’t fight properly with zero knowledge!”
“Even so, this amount of material is no joke! I really don’t want to do thiiiiis!!”
—After this, Steano was forced to write in his notebook until the sun went down.
Steano, after having all sorts of tactical knowledge crammed into his head, had a vacant look in his eyes, but we all agreed to overlook it as a necessary sacrifice for the Siege Battle.
It was just a trivial incident at the academy. But joining that Siege Battle is what brought our group together.
In the process of all eight of us banding together for the main event, many friendships were built.
Meeting them was a precious thing that colored my school life.
—And this Siege Battle of ours would later be passed down through the school’s history as ‘The Greatest Underdog Victory in Philnotes Military Academy History.’ But that is another story.
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