“One enemy unit has advanced to F7.”
“The vanguard 5th unit to E4.”
Acella, after receiving the report, commanded the knights with precision.
“The vanguard 4th unit to D3.”
The opening continues. The strategies each side takes from these moves become evident.
Gunter is quite skilled in strategic theory.
Acella was fully aware of this, and she planned not to waste a single move.
Visualizing the opening’s setup in her mind, Acella considered all possible scenarios.
“It seems they intend to capture the high ground in advance. My vanguard is fast, so I’ll drill in first.”
Clang!
The urgent sound of battle echoed across the valley from afar.
It was a signal that both forces had officially clashed.
It had begun. Acella steadied her breath.
As the five minutes allotted for one turn passed, a report came in.
“The 2nd vanguard has defeated one enemy vanguard unit. We took down three but lost two.”
Since this was a mock battle, the combat was conducted using non-lethal weapons. Knights who fell or were knocked out could not return to the battlefield.
“It looks like they sent scouts. Considering we had five, this is not a significant gain. 1st heavy cavalry, I’ll take the high ground. To H3!”
Following Acella’s command, the heavy cavalry charged up the mountainside with a roar.
As the battle reached the midpoint, Gunter was starting to see a clear flow.
“Thirty enemy survivors, forty-one of ours.”
Gunter felt a rush of excitement as he sensed victory in the scout’s report.
“We’ve captured three high grounds. The Moonlight Palace is holding one. Overextending to take the high ground was a mistake, Acella.”
The knights of the second barracks were generally large and favored heavy armor.
Even with the same number, if they clashed in the open, the Sun Palace would have a disadvantage.
Therefore, Gunter planned to ambush from the mountains with a lightly armed mobile unit, equipped with leather armor and short swords.
“Chess is different. The odds of winning change depending on the direction of attack.”
His strategy was working. If things continued this way, victory was within reach.
It was at that moment Gunter gripped his short sword tightly.
Bam!
Ice walls erupted, surrounding the terrain where Gunter’s unit stood.
“What?!”
The ice wall was several meters high and thick enough to withstand almost anything.
He was trapped.
“Where is Acella’s position?”
“C7, three spaces from the main unit!”
Gunter clicked his tongue.
“I thought the main unit was isolated after being pushed from the high ground.”
It was the opposite; Acella was directly making her way to Gunter’s main army.
“If I’m ambushed, it’s over. I need to move. Main unit, to F10!”
Blocked on three sides, the only way to escape was eastward.
But Gunter had scarcely moved to the next area when—
Boom!
A massive ice wall rose again, shredding through the dense trees.
His options for movement were restricted once more. There was no returning to where he came from, only going the other way.
“Could it be Acella?”
Gunter had caught on to Acella’s intentions.
The next move had to be to the east.
There, the overzealous forward unit of the Moonlight Palace was already established.
“You were trying to trap me in a maze from the beginning…!”
Gunter clicked his tongue.
Each section was at least 200 meters wide. This was a battlefield, not a tiny chessboard.
To encircle two such sections entirely with ice walls was practically cheating.
“How could anyone have anticipated such a powerful spell?!”
For her to continuously cast such intricate freezing magic was monstrous.
He had briefly forgotten he was up against a monster. Sweat dripped down Gunter’s back.
With no options left, now it was Acella’s turn. Her actions were predetermined.
“Oh, they’re coming…!”
He could see a group charging down from the mountainside in the distance.
The knight at the forefront had red hair streaming from under his helmet.
It had to be Tanya, the rumored sword expert.
“May I have a word?”
Tanya swung her sword violently, contradicting her polite request.
Combat began. Acella had three minutes left in her turn.
During this time, Gunter’s main unit could not escape this region.
“Knights, just hold out for three minutes!”
In just a bit, it would be Gunter’s turn again, and they could flee.
He could even call in the mobile unit to defend.
Clang!
Swords clashed. Dust billowed as stones flew in all directions.
“Whoah!”
Tanya’s swordplay was sharp and accurate. There was no waste in her footwork or swinging trajectory.
“Cough!”
The knights struck by Tanya’s skillful swordplay fell one by one, unable to withstand her power.
Her prowess was nearly on par with the Empire’s elite swordmasters, as the rumors had suggested.
As the situation grew dire, a magically amplified horn echoed over the battlefield.
“The turn, the turn has come…! Mobile unit! Run to F7 as fast as you can!”
Gunter shouted urgently. The strategy he had carefully executed lost all significance.
In fact, the wide distribution of his forces to eliminate the enemy created this crisis.
Five minutes later, the mobile unit arrived at the battlefield. They spent the entire time moving due to the distance.
Still, they had overcome the crisis.
Just as Gunter resolved to break through and escape to the next area—
Crash!
An ice chunk exploded against Gunter’s back.
“You look like a fish just pulled from the water, unable to think, Gunter.”
Acella walked in confidently, dispelling the ice wall magic.
Seeing Acella’s expression of assured victory, Gunter’s head grew hot.
“Using any strategy other than knights in a mock battle is cheating!”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. The commander is as much a part of the forces as anyone else; shouldn’t you exert your full capabilities?”
“That… that is cheating! I can’t possibly lose a battle of wits to you, being younger!”
“Pathetic. Sounds like you have nothing to brag about besides your age.”
Acella said coldly, pointing her wand at Gunter.
Ten knights assigned to her main unit simultaneously threw themselves at him.
As he watched his knights falling one by one, Gunter clenched his fists tightly.
“Are you saying I have nothing to boast about besides my age?!”
He ground his teeth in anger.
“When you won because of talent gifted by your mother?!”
“Ha ha.”
Acella replied with genuine laughter.
How painful the price of talent could be, how much her biological mother Camilla had caused her suffering, how hard she had strived to learn magic—
Such things were easily overlooked by others.
In the past, that would have been an outburst fueling her hatred toward the imperial family, but now Acella remained confident.
Someone understood all of it now.
She dismissed the insult and instead provoked Gunter with her words.
“Weren’t you and Heike supposed to be siblings?”
“That…!”
With Acella’s overt comparison, Gunter’s jealousy flared.
‘With my mother watching…!’
Infuriating, yet there was no way out.
One by one, the knights of the Sun Palace fell to the Moonlight Palace.
As the commander of the order lost consciousness, burying his head at his feet, Gunter thought it was time to resort to his last measures.
“I am not incompetent!”
Gunter pulled a vial from within his cloak.
It was the item Livio had handed over.
Using this would allow him to defeat Acella directly.
“The imperial family is the problem! If I were born into an ordinary family, I would have been hailed as a genius! How can I compete with monsters like you?!”
Gunter’s hand trembled uncontrollably.
Acella smirked at Gunter.
“Did you think I was born a swan in a den of monsters? You need the ambition to rise, even if it means staining your feathers with ink. If I were in your place, I would have devoured this imperial palace long ago.”
“Ugh…!”
Gunter gritted his teeth.
“I can’t take it any longer!”
Shatter!
He clenched the hand holding the vial, shattering it into pieces.
Swirl!
The dark energy inside spread, wrapping around him.
“I will return your words as they are. I’ll make you swallow those words, Acella!”
The spell enveloped Gunter.
In an instant, he felt a burning power ignite from within.
“Wow…!”
It had to be the ultimate spell prepared by Livio, so the effect would undoubtedly be tremendous.
With this power, even Acella, armed with her strong knights and magic, wouldn’t stand a chance.
Gunter was filled with confidence, soaring to new heights.
“Eh…?!”
Something was amiss.
Gunter’s hand, gripping his sword, wriggled grotesquely.
His muscles tightened as if they could explode, expanding rapidly.
He was growing to the point his clothes threatened to burst apart.
“Gunter, what did you use?”
Acella narrowed her eyes. He had clearly used a forbidden spell he shouldn’t mess with.
“Acellaaaaa!”
Gunter’s body swelled, his eyes glowing red.
In that grotesque state, Acella felt a flicker of fear.
“I knew this would happen.”
A middle heavy knight standing next to Tanya blocked Acella’s path.
*
I was drenched in sweat from wearing heavy armor and holding a shield.
Nonetheless, thanks to Tanya leading us, I was able to operate smoothly within the vanguard.
Facing the monstrous, transforming Gunter, I stood ready.
Tanya had quickly realized the situation and came flying in to assist.
“Teacher, what is this?”
“It’s sorcery. A curse that has enhancement effects.”
Before I could finish my words, Gunter’s fist, now as thick as an elephant’s leg, came barreling toward me.
Bam!
Fortunately, Tanya quickly reacted and deflected Gunter’s arm, surprising me.
“Whoa!”
Gunter, still unaccustomed to his enhanced body, stumbled.
Taking advantage of that gap, I pushed Acella back.
“Your Majesty, please evade for now. It’s dangerous.”
“Prince?! What are you doing here?!”
Acella gasped in surprise.
“How did you know? I changed my voice.”
“Do you think I wouldn’t notice that level? Prince, you need to get out of here right now!”
“I’m sorry, but the circumstances—”
“I told you to back off this time! Why do you keep acting on your own?!”
“Actually, I have become necessary to you. Save the scolding for later.”
Whack!
Acella, clearly displeased, struck my head with her wand.
“I won’t forgive you, so get out of here immediately. Why is a doctor in the middle of a battlefield?!”
“No, please don’t fight. You both escape.”
Tanya leaped in front of us, taking a defensive stance.
Boom!!
Gunter hurled his body at us.
The ground shattered where his foot struck, sending dirt flying like it was an explosion.
But thanks to Tanya, both Acella and I remained unscathed.
Other knights rushed in to separate Gunter from us.
While they bought us time, I persuaded Acella.
“Your Majesty, Gunter is almost under a curse, just like an enchantment. I can help resolve it.”
I explained calmly, but Acella’s expression remained fierce.
“Why won’t you listen? Are you the only one who can do this? Should I subdue him myself?”
“I know how.”
“If we take him down, it’s over. Do you think I can’t do that?”
“No, why is the conversation twisting like this?”
“What if he dies?!”
Acella screamed in a way that sounded like she was in a panic.
I was slightly taken aback, not expecting such a strong reaction.
Well… as her subordinate, my life belonged to Acella, so I shouldn’t use it recklessly.
‘Even so, is there really a reason for her to be this upset?’
Could it be that Acella truly worried about me?
The Acella von Württemberg?
If that were true…
‘Has Acella become someone different from the Emperor I know?’
Her golden eyes seemed to glisten as they met mine.
I felt that there was not just simple anger, but also resentment.
Boom! The storm of battle raged around us.
Now was not the time for idle thoughts.
I pulled out the equipment Hugo made from my waist pouch.
“You won’t die. With this, I can identify the type of curse.”
“What do you plan to do after identifying it?”
Clink!
I reached into my pocket and took out the artifact I always carried with me.
[Amulet of the Dark Avatar].
Once I infused mana into it, two lines appeared in the skill window.
[Special skill available]
[Spell: Create Curse]
[Spell: Curse Control]
I answered Acella.
“I will play with it.”
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