SWNOVELXO Chapter 179 - 5×5 Battlet (1)
Chapter 179. 5×5 Battlet (1)
A silver-haired girl with braided hair and red eyes.
Yulia Singh, who had been blinking repeatedly, pointed at her own face with her finger.
“Tactician? Are you talking about me?”
At her response, Yuri chuckled.
“Then who else here could possibly be smart enough to be called that?”
At Yuri’s praise, Yulia gave a small, shy smile.
“Well, that’s true.”
“And besides, you’re the only one who wouldn’t have any complaints about taking on the tactician role.”
“That’s also true.”
Yulia nodded.
In fact, the second and third-year students who knew Yulia’s true identity did not show any resistance when Yuri called her the tactician.
This was also true for the majority of the 50th class.
“…It’s Senior Yulia Singh.”
“When I heard the name earlier, I had my doubts, but there really is someone from the Singh family here.”
“To think we’d see someone from the Hyun Family of Silver Rings up close like this…”
It seemed that the nine months spent in the Cradle had not been in vain, as most of the 50th class recognized Yulia.
Of course, thanks to her name being called during the earlier team selection, more people were now recognizing her.
With Yulia’s appearance, all eyes turned back to Yuri’s group.
No, before anyone realized it, the cadets from the White Army on the Black Ship had gathered in a circle around Yuri and his companions.
Receiving the full attention of their gazes.
Yuri asked Yulia,
“So, does the fact that our brilliant senior joined the White Army instead of the Blue Army mean that you’ve already calculated our chances? The odds of winning?”
At this, the crowd’s gaze on Yulia intensified slightly.
“It’s true… Yulia could have easily gone to the Blue Army, right?”
“Yeah? So why did she join the White Army?”
“Could it be… Does Yulia have some kind of plan?”
As murmurs spread throughout the group, it was Goetz who answered their curiosity, not Yulia.
“The reason she joined the White Army… might be because of me.”
His voice, unexpectedly soft and wet, caused question marks to appear above the heads of the audience.
Their expressions seemed to ask, “What kind of nonsense is this?”
Goetz walked forward a few steps and looked at Yulia with eyes full of melancholy.
With a gaze filled with sorrow, he reached out to Yulia.
“How… How can you still be so tormented because you can’t forget me, White Rose! If that was the case… you shouldn’t have left me in the first place! You shouldn’t have broken up with me!”
Goetz’s desperate cry.
Those who instantly understood its meaning were shocked, and the disbelief spread like wildfire.
Consequently, gazes filled with disbelief were directed at Yulia.
Yulia let out a light sigh.
“Ha… that man.”
Yulia cursed under her breath as she rubbed her forehead.
Upon seeing this, Goetz spread his arms wide once more.
“It’s not too late even now, my White Rose! Hold on to me! I won’t reject your hand!”
He looked as if he was saying, “Come here and embrace me.”
At that, Yulia truly started walking slowly.
Tap, tap-
At some point, she broke into a run and launched herself.
However, the way she moved made it clear that she had no intention of embracing Goetz.
Whoosh-
With the sound of a strong wind, Yulia leapt, positioning her body horizontally.
Flying like an arrow, both of her feet landed squarely on Goetz’s solar plexus.
“Ugh?!”
Preparing to embrace Yulia, Goetz was caught off guard and was flung backward.
Behind him was a circular human wall that quickly parted to avoid the incoming Goetz.
As expected of the Cradle’s cadets, they deftly dodged the flying Goetz with their extraordinary agility.
After Goetz passed through, the human wall closed back up as if nothing had happened.
Arin enthusiastically applauded Yulia, who had fiercely dealt with Goetz.
“Whew… He just never knows when to shut his mouth.”
Yulia stood up, tidying her disheveled bangs.
Yuri, who had been watching her closely, suddenly clapped his hand against his palm as if realizing something.
“Ah! So that’s who it was, senior!”
“…Who?”
“The infamous perverted playboy’s girlfriend from the 49th class.”
“……”
Another sigh escaped from Yulia’s lips.
“Haa… Yes, I was that perverted playboy’s ‘ex’-girlfriend.”
“Ex?”
“That means we broke up. And now that it’s come up, let me tell you—I didn’t date him because I liked him!”
“Then why?”
“I was just gathering information on the Röthen family!”
“Is that pervert’s family so important that you had to go that far?”
Yuri’s mumbling caused the bewildered gazes previously aimed at Yulia to now shift to him.
They looked at him as if wondering how anyone could not know about the Röthen family.
Yuri simply shrugged.
“Hey, it’s not a crime to not know the name of a family.”
Hearing this, Gunther muttered incredulously.
“How could anyone not know the Röthen family? It’s one of the top families always mentioned when talking about the greatest swordsmanship houses on the continent.”
“If you’re too busy trying to survive, you might not know. You Gunther-like bastard.”
“…Ugh!”
Although it didn’t sound like a curse, Gunther felt strangely insulted and his irritation spiked.
As he clenched his fist, Poppy patted his shoulder, telling him to calm down.
Yuri, who had utterly floored Gunther, shifted his gaze back to Yulia.
“So, what do you think?”
Basically, he was saying that he didn’t think the White Army would lose, but he wanted to know her thoughts.
Since she had already calculated the odds, he assumed that was why she had joined the White Army.
Yulia responded in a flat voice.
“…Forty-two from the 48th class, eight from the 49th class, and a hundred from the 50th class. That’s our White Army’s strength.”
As if she had already gathered all the necessary information, Yulia confidently laid out the details.
“On the other hand, the Blue Army has 59 from the 48th class, 57 from the 49th class, and 34 from the 50th class. Their main forces, the 48th and 49th classes, are all higher-ranked, and as we discussed earlier, they also have that Gunther Ryder. Considering all these factors, the probability of our White Army winning is…”
Everyone focused intently on Yulia, who paused mid-sentence.
This was the analysis of a member from the Hyun Family of Silver Rings, no less.
There was no more accurate indicator of the current situation.
Gulp—
Someone swallowed nervously, and Yulia continued speaking.
“…Just 1%.”
And sometimes, figures that were too precise could lead to despair.
“……”
The crowd couldn’t even manage to let out a groan at Yulia’s firm voice, so confident in her calculations.
Except for one person.
Yuri was the only one who looked at Yulia calmly.
“One percent? Just that?”
“Yeah, just that much.”
“Well, it’s better than zero percent. But…”
“…?”
“Why did you join the White Army, senior? When it’s obvious we’re going to lose?”
Before anyone knew it, Yuri was speaking to Yulia informally.
The change was so natural that only Theresia noticed it.
Everyone else was solely focused on what Yulia’s answer to Yuri’s question would be.
Yulia was no exception.
After hearing Yuri’s question, she was lost in thought, pondering why she had joined the White Army.
‘Right… Why did I come to the White Army?’
Going to the Blue Army would have meant an easy victory, something she didn’t even need to calculate to know.
Yet, she had joined the White Army, where defeat seemed inevitable.
Why had she done that?
‘Because Yuri Holland is that person’s disciple?’
To cheer for the Indomitable Sword’s disciple who would challenge the Sword Master’s son?
Yulia shook her head.
‘No, that’s not the reason. I…’
After thinking it over for quite some time, Yulia finally found her answer.
And her answer was surprising.
“I just… just felt like it.”
Yuri blinked at her response.
“Just felt like it… That’s quite an emotional answer.”
Hearing this, Yulia made a slightly bitter expression.
Honestly, she knew it too.
Joining the White Army was unlike her usual behavior.
If she had made a decision as she usually did—rationally and logically—joining the Blue Army would have been the correct choice.
However, she didn’t regret joining the White Army.
Yulia gave a small nod.
“Yes, like you said, it’s not a rational answer. But… sometimes, there are those moments.”
“What kind of moments?”
“When intuition aligns better than calculated odds.”
Yulia’s lips curled into a small smile.
“I have this feeling… that a 1% miracle might happen.”
Yuri couldn’t help but chuckle at her smile.
The Black Ship, fluttering a blue flag, approached the island and docked at the pier.
Creak—Thud.
Soon, people wearing blue armbands indicating they were part of the Blue Army poured out from the moored Black Ship.
Afterward, the Blue Army cadets began to gather near the pier’s white sandy beach in a well-organized manner.
Their movements were disciplined, reminiscent of the Black Sword Corps.
This was unsurprising, given that the 48th class members were leading by example.
With the seniors setting the pace, it was only natural for the 49th and 50th class cadets to pick up their speed.
Especially for the 50th class, consisting of just 34 members, they all appeared tense, their eyes darting nervously.
Their mouths were dry, unsure when or where a senior’s harsh reprimand might come.
Among them, Schleiman Hans nervously fidgeted with the notebook in his arms.
‘This is… a rare opportunity.’
A quest that allowed a glimpse into the skills of not only the 49th class but also the elusive 48th class.
He had to do his best to gather all the information he could.
Schleiman’s eyes sparkled.
‘These seniors will eventually graduate one day.’
Upon graduation, they would likely secure good positions within their respective families or prominent factions.
They could become powerful adversaries or reliable allies in society.
Schleiman didn’t want to miss the chance to gather information on such talented individuals.
‘Especially, I need to prioritize gathering information on him!’
The individual for whom he was collecting information above all else.
The person for whom he had practically joined the Blue Army.
Schleiman scanned his surroundings, looking for that individual.
And finally, he spotted him.
Step, step—
Like a king receiving protection, he walked, surrounded by five members of the 48th class.
Gulp—
Gunther’s group, the last to disembark from the Black Ship.
Their presence made the atmosphere on the sandy beach almost suffocating.
Gunther, having entered the sandy beach, gave a light nod toward the forest ahead.
In response, two men and one woman from his escort dashed forward.
However, their speed was anything but ordinary.
Tap—
The three of them quickly climbed trees and disappeared into the forest.
About 30 minutes later.
The three scouts reappeared at the exact same moment they had entered the forest, as if they had planned it.
They returned swiftly to Gunther’s side.
Despite their incredible speed, the three scouts showed no signs of being out of breath.
With cautious eyes, they reported what they had seen.
“We discovered a square terrain sectioned off into a grid using trees inside the artificial island. It appeared to be a captured area, and we observed multiple Black Sword Corps members standing guard. They seemed to be preventing any unauthorized actions.”
“We found a small device that looked like a sand clock inside the captured area, but there were Black Sword Corps members guarding it, so we couldn’t get close.”
“If we cross the island directly, we can reach the opposite side in 10 minutes, or 15 at the latest. We also spotted the White Army waiting on the other side, but we couldn’t determine their formation.”
Gunther nodded slightly at the flood of reports.
He gave an order to the red-haired boy beside him.
“Everyone, prepare for the starting signal. Follow the existing plan for the formation.”
“Yes, understood.”
The red-haired boy nodded slightly and ran toward the assembled Blue Army.
He quickly gathered the 48th class members and whispered something to them, causing a flurry of movement among the 144 cadets.
Gunther’s plan, which had already been communicated to the 48th class.
Following this plan, the 48th class members were directing the actions of the clueless 49th and 50th classes.
This command structure was only possible because Gunther had complete control over the 48th class.
Once the formation of the 144 members was roughly completed—
Whiiing—
A strange sound echoed as something shot up from the center of the artificial island.
It reached a high altitude and exploded.
Bang!
With the explosion, red smoke billowed into the sky but quickly dissipated as if it had been a fleeting illusion.
Nevertheless, it succeeded in capturing the crowd’s attention.
This was the original purpose of the first burst of red smoke.
As the Blue Army cadets watched the sky with tense eyes—
Whiiing—Bang!
A second burst of yellow smoke followed.
Tension soared to its peak, and the cadets’ muscles tensed, ready to spring into action.
And finally—
Whiiing—Bang!
The green smoke, the true starting signal announced on the Black Ship, painted the sky.
“Go.”
At Gunther’s command, 150 Blue Army members simultaneously rushed toward the forest.
Step, step—
Gunther, surrounded by his five guards, slowly followed.
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the island—
“Alright, let’s go make that 1% miracle happen.”
Yuri, who naturally took the lead.
With him at the forefront, 150 members wearing white armbands began to move in unison.
Thus, the White Army and the Blue Army entered the forest.
The movements of the two groups, each consisting of 150 members, unfolded—
In strikingly different ways.