Chapter 215

The first practice session after transferring to the prestigious academy was quite an experience.

It was an impressive practice area, fitting for such a renowned institution, complete with all the necessary supplies and personnel.

For those in charge, it was truly a lucky environment. Danyerin was also diligently engaged in practice, clearly satisfied.

However, as time passed, her smile gradually faded. Instead, confusion and despair took their place.

“[B2 zone is under attack by lions. We barely managed to retreat, but the territory has been lost.]

[A3 area shows signs of aggression. Immediate support needed.]”

The messages were sent almost simultaneously. Just looking at them made it clear that the situation was dire.

Despite my efforts to turn the situation around with the strategy-savvy Antonio, it was simply beyond our capabilities.

Did we have less power than our opponents? Perhaps that statement held some truth.

So far, Sivar hadn’t shown his face(?), but the other side had Kara and Luna.

However, this practice required a battle of wits rather than sheer strength.

First and foremost, we didn’t need to fight unnecessarily. It’s like a game of capture the flag—possession of more territories secures victory.

If a battle did occur during that process, it would be detrimental. Yet it could also yield significant benefits.

‘Something feels off.’

But at some point, losing during critical moments became a frequent occurrence.

Initially, I thought it was unavoidable and resolved to seize the next opportunity, but as time went on, things felt increasingly strange.

It was as if I were dancing on the palm of my enemy’s hand. Every plan seemed to be exposed.

‘Have they figured out the code?’

At this stage, that’s the only conclusion I could draw. The problem lay in the beginning.

Even though we hadn’t sent out too many messages, somehow, they seemed to know everything.

On the other hand, we hadn’t been able to decode their messages at all. The shapes and combinations were quite tricky.

‘······If anyone cracked it, there would only be one person.’

The personnel assessment had just been completed. Thanks to that, we learned who was in their command.

Karas. Grace. Sivar. Among these three, Sivar was likely the one to decode the messages.

Karas must be busy giving orders, and I didn’t hold Grace in high regard. However, I had directly experienced Sivar’s abilities.

I understood every word of the language I’d never heard before. Even in a common language, there are distinct nuances, yet he sounded like a native speaker.

Thus, it was reasonable to assume that the writing would be no different. It would be hard to pronounce without learning it, but he would surely catch the meaning embedded in it.

‘But it’s not perfect. He doesn’t know the call signs.’

The terms used to refer to things, like nouns or pronouns, were taken literally.

I noticed this simple fact before practice began when teams had agreed upon it.

To confuse the enemy, we decided to change call signs at regular intervals.

It was Danyerin’s suggestion, and it proved to be a great advantage, like refreshing rain in a drought.

No matter how well they detected our movements, if they couldn’t pinpoint our location, it became meaningless.

“Antonio.”

“What’s up?”

“I’ll change the call sign. For the third time.”

“Isn’t that too often?”

“The code has been compromised. We must at least change the call sign.”

Antonio frowned at the mention of the compromised code. It was something he had suspected himself.

But hearing it out loud seemed to confirm what he felt uncomfortable about. It didn’t make sense otherwise.

“That makes sense. Whenever we send out a message, they respond almost immediately. Who could have figured it out?”

“It’s highly likely to be Sivar.”

“······Are you overestimating him? You’ve barely seen him.”

“This is an objective assessment.”

Danyerin replied, recalling Sivar’s abilities one by one.

If he truly had interpretation and deciphering abilities, he would be a fearsome presence in himself.

That meant that any code or confidential document would be futile before his eyes. It was hard not to covet such a talent.

‘If only I could keep him by my side…’

He would be a tremendous help in acquiring the throne. A talent anyone would desire.

Moreover, for Danyerin, he was her only conversational partner. Drinking together every night, he was the perfect tonic for her mood.

‘I should have come a bit earlier.’

That was a slight regret. If she had entered the academy sooner, she could have met Sivar from the beginning.

But she simultaneously felt relieved. In an absurdly vast world, she had forged a connection.

As Danyerin pondered Sivar, she quickly tucked those thoughts away. The practice was what mattered now.

Since Sivar was currently an enemy and one of the leaders, she had to think carefully to increase their chances of victory.

‘The end is drawing near. I will have to make a decisive move in this battle.’

Even if the code was compromised, they wouldn’t know the call signs. I could cleverly exploit that.

Instead of acting first, the enemy was more likely to respond after reading our messages.

Danyerin closely examined the situation board, then pointed to the territory with her finger, saying, “Let’s defend the uncertain ground. We will establish a foothold for our offense here.”

“Isn’t that a bit too obvious? They must realize that.”

“Which is why we need to capture the opposite side as well. We’ll make them think the other side is the uncertain ground.”

Even if the code was cracked, it didn’t matter as long as they didn’t know where we were attacking.

With a tense expression, Danyerin placed her hand on the territory, opening her mouth.

“It’ll be a do-or-die struggle.”

*****

I didn’t immediately reveal my ability to translate the enemy’s messages.

If I could crack it with just one piece of information, it would come off as suspicious. So I waited until several messages had been sent before mentioning it.

At first, even Karas had doubts, but as time passed, he began to rely on me more and more.

Unfortunately, however, we still didn’t know their call signs, making the situation less than favorable.

The overall strategy leaned towards defense and counterattack, which afforded them some advantage; ultimately, this battle was a contest of territory.

Unless we launched an attack, it would be hard to figure out their call signs. Nonetheless, it was still somewhat advantageous.

“We’re defending the uncertain ground… looks like they’ve changed call signs again.”

“They know this is going to be the final battle.”

As time passed, we were nearing the end of the practice session. The battle was on the verge of concluding.

Karas and Grace were split between examining the situation board and the messages I translated, deep in thought.

It seemed like the enemy was gearing up for a final offensive, but the problem was pinpointing where they would strike.

“The most likely target is the central area, but…”

“That’s too obvious. Even if they capture the other side, they would be surrounded.”

Out of the total nine territories, we currently held five, while they occupied four.

Even decoding their code didn’t help much because we were clueless about their call signs.

This tug-of-war is how we found ourselves in such a predicament; it wasn’t due to Karas’ lack of skill, but rather the enemy’s capabilities.

The opponent must have realized the code was compromised. At the same time, they also knew we didn’t know their call signs.

Thus, by changing their call signs frequently, they created confusion among us. Without knowing their location, we could hardly afford to act recklessly.

“Is there no way to find out?”

“Well… attacking our captured territories is certain, but there are just too many of them, which complicates things.”

“Hmm… If we could just figure that out, the game would be over. We’ve only focused on defense.”

Karas wore a rare look of frustration. It was understandable; we had concentrated on defense rather than offense.

However, this exercise’s theme was not war. Even if someone collapsed or became combat-ineffective, they would revive shortly after.

While it might take some time, opportunities would always present themselves. In other words, the one who strikes first holds the advantage.

“First, we need to confirm where the uncertain ground is. I’ll send a comms message to the team leaders of each territory instructing them to secure their locations.”

“Understood.”

“··· ···”

While Karas issued the orders, I stared at the situation board intently. Then I turned to Grace and asked, “Grace.”

“Yes?”

“Is it possible to send a communication from the occupied territories over here?”

“Of course.

Each occupied territory has supplies for sending communications. Since the distances are far, we have no choice but to use them.

Thus, we can share information on what is lacking in the occupied territories.” I pondered for a moment and then spoke.

“I’ll be back in a bit. Is that okay?”

“You seem to have an idea.”

“Yeah.”

“Just be quick.”

As soon as I heard that, I dashed out like a bolt of lightning. My destination was the territory I suspected to be the ‘uncertain ground.’

It was currently occupied by Kara, who was fulfilling her role as a foothold.

‘Pretty far away, but it should be fine.’

The critical point was whether the enemy was monitoring us. However, given that it was our final chance, they’d be squeezing every bit of magic power they had.

After reaching the territory where Kara was stationed, I made my request.

“What? You want me to send a message that supplies are lacking? We have plenty of supplies!”

“Just send it. In five minutes.”

“Hmm… Alright. I assume you have a plan. But who gave you that order?”

“Me.”

When I confidently replied, Kara looked at me with a strange expression. It seemed she was questioning my thought process.

I waved my hand dismissively at her and returned to the command center. Despite my headlong sprint, the round trip took thirty minutes.

“Oh. Sivar! Just in time. The enemy sent a message.”

“Show me.”

Perfectly timed, the enemy’s message arrived. I checked the communication that Grace had intercepted.

If my prediction was correct, there would definitely be something related to supplies. If not, then it couldn’t be helped.

“[Notice: There is a lack of supplies on the uncertain ground. Support is needed before the offensive.]”

“··· ···”

I had been completely had. A smile crept onto my face.

“We won.”

“Huh?”

“The message is coming to Kara’s side.”

“······How do you know? The message only mentions the uncertain ground.”

I began explaining to the puzzled Grace step by step.

The more I explained, the more admiration appeared on Grace’s face.

While the method was simple, she seemed unaware that it could be used in such a format.

“Wow… that’s impressive. Utilizing a messenger like this. The enemy won’t see it coming at all.”

“Exactly.”

“Karas.”

“Yeah.”

Karas wore a satisfied smile, convinced.

“We’ve won. Sivar.”

“Yep.”

“Now go and break their backs.”

It was time for the finishing blow.

******

As time passed, the hour of the offensive approached. Danyerin’s team prepared to move two teams simultaneously for the attack.

Among them, Danyerin was included, fully entrusting the command to Antonio while adding her strength.

Although she wasn’t keen on stepping onto the front lines, the circumstances left her no choice.

‘As much as I’d like to call in additional teams…’

If so, it would endanger other occupied territories. The moment they were raided, the practice would conclude.

‘But why do I feel so uneasy?’

Danyerin looked around. They were even bringing in carts for supplies as they advanced.

This was because they had intercepted a message stating that supplies were lacking in the uncertain ground.

If we were to be ambushed in such a state… just imagining it was horrifying.

Fortunately, a message from Antonio had arrived, saying there were no unusual movements from the enemy.

Still, the silence felt too quiet. Surely, the enemy would know this was going to be their last stand.

‘Are they confident?’

With Kara and Luna on their side, it was understandable. Exempting Sivar, who remained in the command post.

“By the way, Sivar wasn’t there for this practice.”

“Is he really in the command post? Why’s that?”

“I don’t know. But that’s a relief for us.”

While Danyerin pondered, the students around her were all chattering noisily.

Everyone seemed relieved by Sivar’s absence. This illustrated just how significant his presence was.

Danyerin quietly listened to their conversation but soon grew curious and discreetly asked, “Is Sivar really that dangerous?”

“Huh? Oh… I see. You wouldn’t know, princess. That guy is a beast, a beast. Unstoppable.”

“Unstoppable, huh…?”

“Especially adept at ruining others. I heard a student was waterboarded during the midterms last semester.”

She was well aware of that. It was one of the many bizarre behaviors she’d learned about Sivar while gathering information.

The most shocking was the bomb vest incident. It’s a famous anecdote that after that incident, the professors had to submit ten written apologies.

Other shocking stories, such as the attempted rape of Professor Delphoi and the recent incident involving a cutoff tongue, were equally impactful.

‘I would love to see his power firsthand…’

Just as Danyerin had that thought, a sharp sound filled the air.

Shiiing!

A sound akin to slicing through the wind was heard, followed by—

Bang!!!

A student walking in front of Danyerin staggered and collapsed dramatically.

“What, what is happening?!”

“It’s an ambush! Everyone be careful!”

The shout of alarm rang out. Danyerin’s expression showed clear surprise.

‘How? How can they know our call signs?!’

Bang! Crack!

While floundering, more people began to fall. The accuracy was such that they barely had time to scream.

Danyerin saw something drop beneath the collapsed figures.

‘·····A stone?’

It was indeed a small pebble.

Briefly pausing her panic, she turned her head in the direction the stone had come from.

As she looked, someone slowly emerged from the bushes.

“·····Oh, damn.”

“T-Tiger…! It’s a tiger!”

Students who recognized the identity of the ambusher erupted into panic. It was only natural since the most dangerous individual had appeared.

The tiger, presumed to have been lurking in the cave, had now emerged from it.

Danyerin fixed her gaze on Sivar, the tiger approaching her, and hardened her expression.

“Everyone remain calm! There’s only one enemy!”

Yes. Only one.

Yet, that thought changed in less than five minutes.

“Now, who’s the one?”

“··· ···”

Danyerin wore an expression of exasperation. Around her lay the students who had just stood moments ago.

As expected, they had all been taken down by Sivar. No matter the attack, it bore no effect.

Meanwhile, they hadn’t even been able to counterattack. One down, one out; it was all too simple.

In that moment, she realized why the students feared Sivar and why the professors were troubled by his very existence.

“······I surrender.”

“Good choice.”

The practice was over. With the offensive having fallen through, it was reasonable to say there were no chances left.

Before heading back to the command center, Danyerin faced Sivar.

As always, his expression was blank. His red eyes looked particularly menacing.

‘To think a man like him comes out every night…’

He was indeed a curious individual. By behavior and personality, he seemed like someone you’d classify as a cat.

But just now, he had clearly manifested as a tiger. An animal revered and feared in the Eastern Empire.

As an ally, he’d be reliable and someone you’d want to confide in; as an enemy, he’d inspire sheer terror.

And Danyerin wished to have Sivar as an ally.

“Sivar.”

“Yeah?”

“You’re becoming increasingly appealing.”

Though she spoke in the Language of the Eastern Empire, Sivar would probably understand.

Sivar blinked at Danyerin’s direct statement and clearly replied.

“Give me candy.”

“What?”

“I like people who give me candy.”

At those words, Danyerin momentarily froze, then—

“·····Puhuhuh.”

She burst into a fit of laughter. It was a response of pure joy, evident on her face.

“Really…”

Danyerin, amused for a while, looked at Sivar.

Her eyes brimmed with a deep affection.

“It’s so much fun being with you.”

With a hint of covetousness as well.

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