Young Master's PoV: Woke Up As A Villain In A Game One Day

Chapter 457: Mock War Begins [I]

After knocking the two spies unconscious, we strictly forbade everyone from talking about what just transpired here.

I did not want the rest of the army to find out there was a security breach. Besides, Juliana assured me there were still more spies in our ranks. And I agreed.

It would be better to blindside them, letting the remaining leaks feed my sister whatever sanitized data we wanted them to have.

A known spy was a liability. But a known spy who thought they were invisible was a direct line into the enemy’s tactical planning.

Also, Thalia seemed to have taken the exact opposite approach from me.

Instead of keeping her espionage attempt a secret and planting limited but invaluable assets in the midst of my troops, it was as if she had sent an entire flock of disposable scouts disguised as volunteers.

Either that… or she had planted fakeouts that she knew we’d easily find, distracting us from the actual snakes coiled deeper in our grass.

Unfortunately for her, there was a living lie detector in our corner.

We had to wait an hour for Alexia to return from the front lines, having selected the members for her platoon.

The poor girl was probably tired, but I didn’t even give her time to breathe. The moment she trotted to the clearing at the base of the Ebony Castle, I made her interrogate every single Cadet in the lineup one by one.

Another spy wasn’t found.

“They’re all clear,” Alexia told me loud enough for everyone else to hear. They all immediately relaxed. “Now can I please rest? My head is absolutely hammering.”

“Of course!” I clapped my hands together. “After all, you’d need to get up early and prepare your team for the raid at the bridge tomorrow!”

The blind girl glared at me. “Once this is over and we win, I’ll bleed your wallet dry. You’ll buy me that expensive tea from the North, treat me to whatever I want, and carry my shopping bags.”

“Of course, I would!” I would not. “Oh, and can you help Juli take away those spies? Use them as meat shields tomorrow or throw them in the water, I don’t care.”

Alexia’s glare didn’t falter even as she turned on her heel, grabbing Toby by the collar of his tactical vest with one hand while helping Juliana hoist Darian with the other.

Once they disappeared into the shadow of the monolith’s entrance, I turned my full attention back to the remaining eighteen Cadets standing before me.

Then I explained to them the details of why I had summoned them. Six of them were going to be my Officers. Honestly, I didn’t even remember the names of the people I chose for the job.

Hey, it’s not my fault none of them were particularly memorable! And they were soon just going to be pieces on my board anyway!

The only exceptions were my last two choices.

My second Knight and the guy I would make the King.

As I had explained, the position of Knight was going to be very important. They were my vanguard, and their soldiers would be the key to controlling the flanks of the Great Divide.

Naturally, it was a tough decision. There were plenty of good options, many capable combatants.

But most of them, as I said, weren’t memorable.

Some I had seen in the Ace Tournament, others I had heard of in the Academy. They were all good, yes. But I didn’t need just another heavy hitter. I needed someone stubborn.

My gaze drifted around aimlessly, past the eager faces and expectant alike, until it fell onto the same tall, lithe girl with the striking silver eyes from earlier — the one who had just pinned Darian into the mud.

“Uh, you,” I said, pointing a gloved finger at her. “What’s your name?”

“Sylvia, sir,” the girl stepped forward an inch.

Sylvia! Right.

She called me sir. So most likely an Eastern commoner. People there don’t refer to foreign nobles as lords and ladies.

Of course, they also don’t carry that tradition outside of their homeland. It meant she was proud of her heritage, then, I guessed.

“Sylvia,” I watched her posture lock into a perfect, rigid stance. “You were the one who got completely played by that nobleman in the Tournament, right? Your ex who cheated on you with your sister. What’s his name, Mark?”

A few cadets gasped. A few snickered. Mostly everyone pretended to not hear anything. They started murmuring amongst themselves, talking and nodding.

Sylvia’s silver gaze didn’t budge from the space between my eyebrows.

“Yes, sir,” she said simply, unashamed. “Marcus.”

I smiled. “Same thing. So, why did you join my faction?”

“Because Marcus and my sister joined Lady Thalia’s,” Sylvia replied honestly, her voice as level as a sheet of ice and just as cold. “They wanted the favor of the Central Royals. And I want to crush her and tear him apart.”

Ah. Spite.

Such a toxic motivator. It breeds the kind of stubbornness that doesn’t know how to yield. But I wasn’t done yet.

“Tear him apart, you say? The last time you tried that, it didn’t go very well for you,” I mused. “If I’m remembering right, you overextended on one of your lunges, lost your blade to him, and fell shortly after.”

She couldn’t hide the apparent shame.

The silver in her eyes flared and the skin over her knuckles turned pale as she balled her hands into fists.

“He caught my blade because I hesitated, sir,” she said, equal parts resolute and angry. “I won’t hesitate again.”

“Hmm,” I hummed. “Weakness and hesitation. What’s the difference, Sylvia?”

Her jaw locked. She closed her eyes, realising I was right.

I was. And I was also disappointed.

Sighing, I nearly decided to move onto the next candidate when she spoke up again.

“None,” her eyes opened again, clearer in their intensity this time. “There is no difference. Except, a weak person is held back by the limits of their flesh. A hesitant person is a coward who shackles their own soul. Marcus didn’t beat me because he was stronger, sir. He beat me because I was a coward. I… won’t be that again. It doesn’t matter whether you give me a Medallion or not. When I cross that river, I won’t see an ex or a sister. I will only see my targets.”

Loud murmurs rippled through the line.

I chuckled, thoroughly amused. “Okay,” I agreed. “You’ll be my second Knight.”

“Thank you,” she said, bowing.

Now, for the King…

​I looked around until I found a sheepish-looking boy, the same one whose legs Alexia had threatened to break during our initial strategy.

​”You,” I barked, ​”What’s your name and innate ability?”

​”Ahh, Terry, my lord!” he straightened, rubbing the back of his neck. “And my ability is Absolute Anchor. When I activate it, I basically become an immovable object. I can anchor my body to any solid surface, and no physical force or kinetic impact can budge me until I turn it off. The downside is… well, I can’t move either while it’s active.”

Aha! A glorified paperweight!

​”Perfect,” my voice was full of malicious satisfaction.

Terry looked slightly unsettled by my reaction. “M-My lord?”

​”Terry, buddy,” I said, walking over and placing a companionable hand on his shoulder. “How do you feel about sitting? Do you like comfortable chairs? Do you enjoy staying indoors, far away from the terrifying, bone-snapping violence of the front lines?”

​”I… I actually love sitting, Lord Samael,” Terry said.

“Well, there we have it. All hail the new king! King Terry!”

“…E-E-E-Excuse me, my lord?!”

“Congratulations! You’re royalty now.”

•••