I Became the Academy’s Weakest Strategist

There is a saying that an ignorant person clinging to beliefs can be terrifying.
Because no matter what advice others offer, an absolutely ignorant person stubbornly adheres to their baseless convictions.
Such people tend to inhabit their own insular world, their obstinacy extraordinarily entrenched.

And now, right before my eyes, was someone whose mind had clearly gone completely off the rails.
This guy casually suggesting, with a simpering grin, that we aim to claim the individual championship at the Inter-Class Tournament.
In that moment, the sweet taste of bread in my mouth instantly dissipated.
Had Kurz bribed us with this treat solely to peddle his harebrained scheme?

Quietly setting down the bread in my hand, I felt uneasy about consuming anything further, lest I inadvertently enable Kurz’s fanciful notions.
Louis, seemingly sharing my wariness, also gently placed his half-eaten bread aside.
Good, Louis – you’re picking up what I’m putting down here.
Mercifully, he seemed to have grasped the gravity of the situation.

“Well? Doesn’t the prospect pique your interest even a little?”
“Are you truly being serious right now…?”
“Quite sherioussh indeed…!”

Kurz’s proposal was met with incredulous rejections.
The individual championship was no trivial matter to be entertained so casually – certainly not an accolade a remedial student could simply aim for on a whim.
We were vastly outmatched in both skill and connections compared to the elite advanced classes.

“Why not? I believe we have a fair chance.”
Child, one must view the world through sober, uncompromising eyes at times.
Some endeavors are achievable, others utterly impossible.
Your suggestion was akin to claiming Descartes arose at 5 AM daily.

“We lack any real unity as a group.”
Cohesion – the remedial class students possessed none whatsoever.
Most didn’t even know each other’s names, let alone make any effort to understand one another’s circumstances.
A deeply ingrained defeatist mentality permeated their very cores.

To be fair, the advanced students hardly displayed exemplary solidarity either.
Those ranked among the elite few at the prestigious Montegro Academy tended to be consumed by arrogance and self-importance.
Reveling in their own bloated sense of superiority.

However, they at least possessed robust connections.
Ambitions and desires driving them higher.
Greed and cravings to ascend.

In stark contrast, the remedial students completely lacked such drives or yearnings.

“For the weak to overcome the strong, unity is an essential prerequisite.”
“Those are wise words indeed.”
My words, now hardened into a grim monotone, prompted Kurz’s solemn nod of affirmation.

“To be frank, it does seem rather far-fetched for the lowest-ranked remedials, lacking both ability and unity, to entertain such notions…”
Louis too shook his oversized witch hat in resigned agreement with my assessment.

Strategy and tactics meant nothing without cohesive unity as the underlying bedrock.
Dissenting opinions inevitably led to infighting, rendering any strategies or tactics utterly moot.

“I can persuade a few lads from the knights’ battalion, at least.”
Undeterred by our doubtful rejections, Kurz remained adamantly confident in his proclamation.

Just what was the source of this unshakable self-assurance?
I couldn’t help but feel deeply perplexed by his attitude.

“Elaborate on precisely what you mean.”
“Indeed, do enlighten us…”

“Simple.”
Adopting a measured, self-assured tone, Kurz began explicating his thoughts.
“You’re both familiar with Edinburar Rose, the second-year knights’ top ranker, are you not?”

“…”
Why was her name being invoked here, of all places?
A deeply unsettling premonition gripped me as a name that should never have arisen emerged.
Somehow, the subsequent scenario began unfolding in my mind’s eye with uncanny clarity.

“Why yes, that senior is quite renowned, is she not?”
Oblivious to the circumstances surrounding Louis and me, he listened raptly with a mere “Oh?” as Kurz continued undeterred.

“As you both know, senior Rose is an object of admiration for all first-year knight cadets. Some even seek her out daily, yearning for her tutelage.”

Was this senior truly so remarkable?
The aspiration of all first-year knight cadets?

“Truly, senior Rose must be extraordinary indeed.”
Louis flashed Kurz an approving thumbs-up in response.
Meeting Louis’s enthusiasm with a slight smile, Kurz seemed to imply that he had only just begun.

“You see, I happen to share a personal familiarity with senior Rose. Perhaps through her, I could sway some of the lads to our cause?”

“You claim a personal connection to the esteemed senior Rose?!”
“We crossed blades during our youth, you could say.”
“Marvelous! I too would dearly love to meet her!”
“Hahaha, we’ll have to arrange an introduction then.”
“I would be most grateful!”

Louis readily accepted Kurz’s words at face value.
No Louis, you cannot simply gloss over this so readily!
This was a grave matter requiring serious contemplation!

The instant that key phrase ‘Edinburar Rose’ emerged, the conversational reins had already slipped into Kurz’s grasp.
Any attempt I made to interject or reframe the discussion would likely fall on deaf ears, as Louis had already ceded control to Kurz.

Watching them prattle on excitedly about this ‘senior Rose’, my head began throbbing painfully.
During my earlier encounter with the princess, senior Rose had indeed witnessed a potentially compromising situation unfold.
Flushing red, she had swiftly exited, prompting the princess to rush out after her.

In all honesty, I felt rather hard done by through that incident.
I had clearly expressed my refusal to the princess, only for her to disregard my wishes and force herself upon me.
I was the absolute victim in that scenario.
If anything, the princess owed me an apology, not the other way around.

“Let’s assume you can indeed sway a few individuals. What of the rest?”
However, a critical flaw remained in Kurz’s overly confident proposal.
Namely, that the number he could potentially persuade amounted to a mere handful at best.
Just Louis, myself, Kurz himself, and those few he could sway.
Barely ten individuals total – was he truly suggesting we endeavor to orchestrate a miracle at the Inter-Class Tournament with such paltry numbers?

Utter insanity.

To even stand a chance against a single advanced student typically required a concerted effort from three to five remedial students simultaneously.
The skill disparity was that pronounced, the odds that unbalanced.

“That’s where I’m counting on you, Rommel.”
“What in blazes are you on about?”
“I believe you possess the ability to rally the rest of our remedial comrades to our cause.”

Kurz’s sudden, sly smile in my direction left me momentarily unmoored.
That the born loner and perpetual outcast could somehow unite the entire remedial class?
Just what exactly did he see in me?

Voicing my bafflement, I raised my tone slightly as I addressed Kurz.
“You actually think I have that kind of ability?”
“I do – which is why we’re even having this discussion here today, is it not?”

While his logic seemed flawed, his words didn’t strike me as outright delusional either.
Momentarily robbed of any rejoinder, I fell silent, furrowing my brow skeptically.
Undeterred, Kurz pressed on, appending his rationale.

“You dealt that professor a decisive blow against hidebound dogma, did you not? I’m certain there were quite a few touched and inspired by your words.”
“I fail to comprehend the source of your conviction.”
“Let’s just say I pride myself on having a discerning eye for people.”
Gesturing to his azure eyes, the sunlight glistened brilliantly off Kurz’s deep azure irises, evoking the vast oceanic depths.

“I’m hardly some extraordinary or admirable person.”
I flatly refuted Kurz’s high appraisal of me.
Objectively evaluating myself through an impartial third-person lens, I saw nothing particularly remarkable or praiseworthy.
So why did Kurz insist on regarding me with such esteem?

While I struggled to even comprehend my own characteristics, those around me invariably assessed me favorably – the princess, senior Rose, and now this Kurz as well.
Just what hidden qualities did I unknowingly possess to elicit such fervent fixation?

“I perceive an admirable soul.”
Louis, please remain silent for now.
Or I may simply mash that hat down over your head again to muffle you.

“Well, I suppose you could say my judgement is something of a gamble.”
Exhaling deeply in response to my staunch rebuttal, Kurz spoke in a pensive murmur.
“Rommel, the way I see it, we have nothing to lose regardless.”
“I suppose that much is true – we have nothing to lose.”
“If we don’t try seizing an opportunity, we’ll simply continue being treated as nobodies by this academy until graduation.”

Kurz’s typically lighthearted, buoyant tone gradually deepened and grew heavier, as if being inexorably drawn into the ocean depths.
His lowered timbre and solemnity imbued the atmosphere with profound gravitas.

“Instead of resigning ourselves to such incessant denigration, why not go down swinging? We cannot allow this deplorable state to persist, can we?”

Objectively considered, Kurz’s words also rang true.
The advice ‘Try before giving up’ existed for good reason, after all.
Surrendering and fleeing without even attempting anything first was merely an act of cowardly fear.

Having spent my days avoiding any real endeavors, fully intending to live out my cowardly ways – that had been my chosen path thus far.
Yet here was Kurz, dreaming of an underdog rebellion, his mindset diametrically opposed to my own resigned stance.

Regarding this mirror image of my antithesis, I couldn’t help but crack a wistful smile at the blazing determination searing through Kurz’s impassioned pleas and exhortations.

So perhaps…
Just this once…
It might not be so bad to indulge in a bit of defiant idealism, could it?

“…Very well, I shall consider it for now.”
Ultimately, I found myself temporarily swayed by the sheer force of Kurz’s unyielding conviction.