I Became the Strategist the Monarchs Obsess Over

Chapter 37

"Today, after asking several questions to Charles Jean Rochefort's army, I realized something. Your knowledge of strategy and tactics is no less than that of a professor. No, considering that many professors are merely armchair strategists, Charles, with his real-world experience, might even be better. So, I thought, I want my students to attend your lectures."

"Thank you for the kind evaluation, but I'm not sure if I can teach. Knowing something and teaching it are entirely different matters, aren't they? While I can answer Professor Mercatz's questions, I don't have the confidence to teach what I know to students."

"Hmm..."

Professor Mercatz sighed as though troubled. And after a moment.

"Then how about this?"

"What is it?"

"I will conduct the lecture, and Charles, you will be my assistant, only answering the questions I ask. That shouldn't be too difficult, right?"

Indeed... if it's like that, it might not be too hard. However, I need to consider the merits and demerits of attending as a guest lecturer.

One merit would be that I could leave a good impression on Professor Mercatz. Professor Mercatz is a useful talent. Although his power and reputation currently surpass mine, as he is a free talent, the day may come when I can subordinate him under me. For now, it seems wise to build a good rapport with him. And above all...

"Professor Mercatz."

"Yes, Charles."

"Are there any friends at Petrio Academy that I could get to know?"

As far as I know, there are two top-tier strategists at Petrio Academy. It might not be a bad idea to establish connections with those strategists in advance.

And soon.

"Huh? How did you know?"

Professor Mercatz said.

"Actually, I was planning to introduce you to one of my students. They aspire to become a strategist like you someday, Charles. I thought it would be good for you to know each other."

It seems that Professor Mercatz and I share the same thought. This is something I must do.

-----

The next day, Charles and Mercatz headed to Petrio Academy. Petrio Academy had a slightly different atmosphere from Arcadia Academy. While Arcadia Academy had an overall antique and aristocratic vibe, Petrio Academy was somewhat more liberal and open.

This was because Petrio Academy was not only for nobles but also accepted the children of wealthy merchants, commoners, and even foreigners, as long as they had money and some talent.

Charles, along with Professor Mercatz, headed straight to the lecture hall. And when they stood on the podium, the students began to murmur.

"Who is that?"

"Wearing an Arcadia Academy uniform?"

"Transfer?"

"Couldn't they at least change their uniform before coming..."

And as the murmurs began to subside, Professor Mercatz spoke.

"Let me introduce you."

Professor Mercatz grabbed Charles' arm and raised it.

"Today's guest lecturer, Charles Jean Rochefort, the key figure of the Imor River Battle and the Seiz Castle Chase!"

As Professor Mercatz introduced Charles, exclamations began to erupt from all around. Being a strategist who had distinguished himself in the war between the Crown Prince's forces and the Chronor Army, which the whole world watched, his name was widely known.

"Charles? Isn't he the War Hero?"

"Our academy is at the level to bring a War Hero as a guest lecturer?"

"When I heard 'War Hero,' I imagined a huge figure, but he's surprisingly cute."

And cheers began to erupt from somewhere.

"Ooooh!!!"

The cheers, which began with a few male students, quickly spread to the female students.

"Waaaaaah!!!!!"

The students' reactions were enthusiastic. Meanwhile, Charles could only feel flustered. While he expected some people to welcome him as a War Hero, he never imagined such passionate reactions.

'They're students, and so am I. Is it okay for me to receive such cheers?'

Just as Charles was thinking that, Professor Mercatz spoke.

"How about waving your hand?"

"Pardon?"

"The students are all looking at you."

Hearing that, Charles awkwardly raised his hand and waved. Having hardly experienced such attention before, he was flustered. And then...

"Waaaaaah!!!!!!!!"

The cheers grew even louder. The cheers continued for a while until Professor Mercatz raised his palm to quiet the students.

"I believe everyone is well aware of Charles Jean Rochefort. He was the key figure in a major battle that occurred not long ago. To commemorate his visit today, we will be having a lecture on the Imor River Battle and the Seiz Castle Retreat Battle."

Meanwhile, Charles' expression showed signs of embarrassment. It was because he never imagined that a lecture about battles he played a major role in would be conducted in front of him.

'Was this the plan from the beginning?'

It seemed that Professor Mercatz had brought him here to properly embarrass him. Although Charles thought so, Professor Mercatz continued speaking as if oblivious to Charles' thoughts.

"Then, let us begin the lecture."

A peculiar tension filled the lecture hall. This was because the Imor River Battle and the Seiz Castle Chase had just occurred not long ago. Moreover, it involved the world's most powerful force and a foreign power. In short, it was a huge international issue that naturally drew attention.

"Could anyone here elaborate on the context of the Imor Battle?"

For a while, no one raised their hand. Then Professor Mercatz called on someone.

"Let's have Bertolf von Ruitbert explain this part."

At that moment, Charles couldn't help but be surprised. Brown hair slicked back with oil, a confident smile, and a handsome face. The man who stood up, Bertolf von Ruitbert, was the third-strongest strategist in the worldview. Although Charles knew he attended Petrio Academy, he hadn't expected to meet him so soon. And he realized something else.

It was that Professor Mercatz preferred assigning presentations to outstanding students. Calling on Bertolf from the start showed that he liked relying on excellent students for presentations, and the presentation bomb he dropped on Charles the day before was not out of malice but because he held Charles in high regard.

Realizing everything, Charles suppressed a bitter chuckle and began listening to Bertolf's presentation. Bertolf's presentation was generally clean. His voice was decent, and his pronunciation and articulation were good. Above all, the content was excellent.

"When the Crown Prince's Army advanced toward Caliuse Castle, the Chronor Army made a very smart maneuver. They set up camp by the wide Imor River and waited for the enemy. In that situation, for the Crown Prince's Army to advance north, they had no choice but to cross the river. However, forcing their way across in heavy armor caused frost to form on the armor and mud to seep in, resulting in a one-sided massacre. That was why the Chronor Army won at the Imor River."

Hmm, that's a decent analysis. Especially noticing the frost and mud in the armor—he must have referenced the testimonies of surviving soldiers. He studied quite well. But at that moment, Professor Mercatz interrupted Bertolf.

"But isn't that strange?"

Bertolf, startled, asked back.

"Pardon? What's strange?"

"According to Bertolf's explanation, since the Chronor Army was camped across the river, couldn't the Crown Prince's Army have bypassed them and targeted another castle further away? Why didn't they do that?"

"Well, that's, um... haha..."

Bertolf laughed awkwardly, unable to give a proper answer. And Charles couldn't help but be surprised.

'Huh? He doesn't know? That's strange. Bertolf is supposed to be an incredibly smart figure as the third-strongest strategist in the worldview.'

At that moment, Charles realized. Bertolf being the third-strongest strategist in the worldview was only in the 'future.' In other words, while Bertolf was a top strategist at his peak, the current Bertolf was merely at the level of a smart high school student. And at that moment.

"Charles Jean Rochefort."

Professor Mercatz called Charles.

"Could you explain instead?"

Aha... so that's why he brought me here. Thinking so, Charles stepped forward.

"The answer lies in the initiative of mobile strategy."

At those words, all the students' eyes focused on Charles.

"Bertolf's analysis was very accurate. However, the key point is not tactics but strategy. From a strategic perspective, His Highness the Crown Prince made one major mistake. That was..."

The lecture hall began buzzing. Students whispered here and there. The fact that Charles, who had worked under the Crown Prince, dared to point out the mistake of the world's most powerful authority created a stir. Waiting for the commotion to settle, Charles pointed to a part of the map Professor Mercatz had laid out with a pointer.