The Extra Strategist’s Royal Road Chapter 2
Athena War Tales
If I were to talk about the characteristics of this game, it lies in its vast story that is unlike a mobile game.
Due to this, the game had a high entry barrier and initially failed to gain popularity. However, over time, it attracted a dedicated fan base with its excellent gameplay and immersive storyline.
The game company seemed to be aware of this too, strategically dividing the story into portions.
Those cruel bastards. They split up the story to slow down content consumption.
As someone who was quite famous among users, I had once posted criticizing the management for only releasing lucrative gacha events while ignoring the story.
But of course, I was completely ignored.
‘Could the game company really hold a grudge over that?’
I couldn’t comprehend this situation unless I thought that way.
The unfamiliar.… No, in a sense, familiar world that unfolded before my eyes.
It was the world of Athena War Tales that was unfolding.
‘I asked for a story update, not for my life to be spectacularly updated like this…’
I could only be dumbfounded by the medieval scenery so distinctly different from the modern world.
‘Moreover, this face is definitely…’
It was definitely Ars Elaine, the character who assists the protagonist and gets framed.
‘Oh boy. Which means…’
It means I’m going to experience that incident.
―So you were the traitor after all!
―You deliberately guided us to defeat in the war!
―Seize him and throw him in jail!
The comrades who changed their expressions, slandered and tortured Ars.
It was the event where Ars is branded a traitor and faces destruction. Due to this incident, Ars suffers a severe injury, losing his left eye from torture.
‘But Ars wasn’t the traitor.’
With the help of an accomplice, Ars escapes and says he was framed by the real traitor, and the protagonist was also caught in a trap. Ars then organizes a militia with his accomplices to help the protagonist, but they suddenly face an unidentified army in battle.
That was the recently updated story and the Karrlax battle I was writing a guide for.
‘I’ve become Ars… What do I do now?’
Soon, I managed to organize my thoughts to some degree.
If this is a dream, I’ll eventually wake up, so I should accept the situation for now.
The problem is how to live in this world from now on. And how to avoid the predetermined destruction.
***
Adapting to this reality was quick for me.
Being optimistic was my strength. It’s thanks to this that I didn’t have my mentality broken even under the immense pressure of being called a prodigy.
I’m the kind of person who sleeps soundly even on the first day of military training camp.
‘First, let me grasp the situation.’
The character Ars that I knew from the game was an adult character aged 20.
But the one standing in front of the mirror now is a 12-year-old brat.
From the facial features, it was certainly Ars, but the body was that of a child.
The height is probably around 157cm. Since the official setting for Ars in the game was 186cm, I’ll likely grow taller soon.
‘Speaking of which…’
He is extremely Handsome.
In the game, the main character and other major male characters were also good-looking youths and middle-aged men, but those were just 2D illustrations.
Seeing it in actual 3D, this level of handsomeness is unprecedented.
‘If he’s this handsome even as a child, what will he look like when he grows up?’
The same must apply to the main character too. It makes sense why so many female characters flock to him.
‘Female characters? Come to think of it…’
Ars must have had a female character constantly tagging along.
As I recalled that character, there was a careful knock on the door.
“Young master. Did you cough?”
“…Yes.”
“May I come in?”
“Come in… No, come in.”
Creaking, the door opened with the sound minimized as a beastkin female entered.
It was unmistakable. Yumir, Ars‘s partner maidservant character.
Currently 24 years old, 12 years older than Ars. She was quite a frequently used character in the game too.
Initially dismissed as a typical Japanese maid character, she surprisingly played a major role in the story’s development, delivering a big shock to users.
“Is there something wrong with me?”
I must have been staring too intently.
“It’s nothing.”
Despite being a mere servant, Yumir was awarded the highest UR (Ultra Rare) rarity, celebrated as a top-tier support character.
Though criticized as a Japanese-style character, such cliche characters still have a fixed demand and popularity.
‘Speaking of which, she’s a beastkin…’
Seeing it in reality is quite amazing. Without realizing it, I reached out and touched the dog-like animal ears on her head.
“Young master? Why suddenly…?”
“Ah, sorry… No, sorry.”
At a glance, aside from the animal ears, she also had regular human ears.
According to the game’s setting, the animal ears and tails were remnants from intermingling with humans, while purebred beastkin were covered in rough fur in a beast-like form.
“More importantly, you should get ready. You’ll be late for the academy.”
With skilled hands, Yumir prepared my clothes.
“If you don’t hurry, you may not have time for breakfast.”
“Uh, yeah. Thanks.”
I was momentarily flustered as she casually undressed me, but for some reason, I soon accepted it naturally.
‘Huh? Come to think of it.’
How was I able to converse fluently in a language I had never studied before?
The words of this world seemed to automatically translate for me.
‘Could it be…’
That hunch was right.
I had all of young Ars’s memories and experiences.
As if I was dreaming Ars’s dream. Or perhaps Ars was dreaming my dream.
As a test, I asked Yumir about past events, and the previous memories naturally resurfaced.
Thanks to this, I didn’t need to forcibly pretend to know things, which was fortunate for me.
***
As I went down to the dining room, I saw my family members sitting there.
“Come here, little brother. Today is your first day at the academy, isn’t it?”
It was my eldest brother Max Elaine who said that. He is currently working as a low-ranking official in the royal capital.
Next to him, my second eldest brother Miller Elaine let out a hearty laugh. “Haha, Ars, you too. Aspiring to be a knight cadet. What are you thinking?”
Brother Miller was also a low-ranking official, and he was about to be dispatched to a rural area.
“If you simply thought being a knight cadet looked cool, it’d be better to change your mind now. It’s not such a romantic place.”
“If Julia put that idea in your head, tell us brothers. We’ll give her a stern talking-to.”
Though they said that, they still looked at me admiringly.
This atmosphere seemed to show the gentle character of the Elaine family.
“Be quiet, both of you. Ars is now of an age to have his own thoughts.”
It was my father, baron Berial Elaine.
Although not highly renowned as a frontier baron, he was highly trusted by the people of his territory due to his incorruptible territorial administration abilities.
‘How peaceful.’
I had inwardly thought there might be some sibling rivalry, but there was none of that.
The heir had already been decided as my eldest brother Max, and the other siblings had found their own paths.
“Still, for Ars to be going to the academy. You’ve really grown up before I knew it.”
Brother Max patted my head affectionately.
Enduring the embarrassment, I read the academy introduction that Yumir had given me.
‘Yes, the academy….’
About 7 years from now, it will be the place where the protagonist and Ars meet, marking the beginning of the story proper.
My course of action was already decided.
First, I would proceed with the story as planned until meeting the protagonist.
The reason I want to follow the story is because knowing the future gives me a huge advantage.
‘If I follow the story, I should also see the outline of the traitor. I need to prepare countermeasures until the point of meeting the protagonist.’
If Ars’s downfall was a false accusation, then it means there is a traitor among the protagonist’s closest allies.
I decide to lay low building up strength until the start of the story, then take out that traitor.
That way, I can avoid Ars’s downfall and also greatly aid the protagonist.
One might say it doesn’t matter to go as far as the downfall story since Ars doesn’t actually die, but that’s a bit different.
Not only does he lose an eye from harsh torture, but Ars’s family is also accused as traitors, tortured and killed.
Ars’s embedded memories were screaming at me, ‘Be sure to find the traitor and protect your family!’
To Ars, his family before his eyes was that precious.
“The academy won’t be any different. Learn with an open mind like you did in the territory. If it gets too difficult, you can always find another path.”
“I will keep that in mind, Father.”
After a moment’s pause, I said to my father, “But regarding that, I have one request.”
“A request? Let’s hear it.”
“It is…”
Students in the knight cadet course at the academy must take martial arts classes, but there is flexibility in this martial arts education.
“I want to learn martial arts not just at the academy, but also from a private instructor.”
“…Hmm.”
At that, my father closed his mouth, and brother Miller furrowed his brow and spoke instead.
“Do you know how much a private instructor costs? It’s a burden for a rural family like ours.”
“I’m aware. But I don’t think the cost will be that high.”
“Not that high?”
“Because what I want to learn is not swordsmanship, but spearmanship.”
“Spearmanship?”
The Calliper Kingdom here is known for its highly developed swordsmanship. So while sword instructors are expensive, spear instructors are more affordable.
Brother Miller also nodded at the mention of spearmanship.
“For a spear instructor, we may be able to find one relatively cheaply. But Ars, why the sudden interest in learning spearmanship?”
“Well, it just looks cool, you know.”
“My, how childish. You should carefully reconsider. In our kingdom where it’s not the norm, you’ll just be looked down upon for learning spearmanship as someone other than a commoner…”
Truth be told, it was because of knowledge from the game.
Ars was treated as trash, leading a unit of spear soldiers with low defense and low damage output. But in a recent update’s hidden quest for the Karrlax Battle, one fact was discovered.
It turns out Ars has talent in spearmanship and commanding spear troops.
By completing that hidden event, he can change class to a spear troop commander, and his personal combat abilities also rise to the upper-middle ranks.
Of course, his base skills are still inferior to gacha characters, so reaching the top tier would be difficult.
“Hmm.”
After pondering, my father nodded.
“Very well, I shall look into finding you a spear instructor soon.”
“Thank you, Father.”
The first time utilizing my knowledge from the game.
For now, I could only hope that Ars truly had a talent for spearmanship, as the game suggested.