I Became the Strategist the Monarchs Obsess Over

Chapter 35

"What do you think? At first glance, the Flos Duchy may appear to be a better option than me, but it ultimately has clear limitations. To achieve more than the unification of the Tasphilia Peninsula, the keyword 'Empire's successor' is necessary. The Flos Duchy doesn't have that."

"But Your Highness does."

"Of course. I am the third daughter of His Majesty the Emperor. The Galatia Duchy that I lead is commonly known as one of the successor states. While we may lack the wealth of the Flos Duchy, it's advantageous to side with me if one aims to seize the entire continent."

That's... true. Whether one possesses the inheritance rights to the Arcadia Empire will become a significant issue in the future. If someone with the Arcadia Empire's succession rights takes the continent, it's called a 'succession,' but if someone without those rights takes it, it's labeled a 'revolution.' The level of difficulty is fundamentally different.

"Is that why you interrupted my conversation with the Duchess of Flos?"

"Hmm? I won't deny that it played a part. However, there's another true reason."

"The true reason?"

"My villa is tailored entirely to my tastes. You'll like it."

What is this? Is the interior really that good? No matter how great it is, a villa is just a villa. I was never interested in villas to begin with, so I didn't think much of it. But when I got off the carriage and stepped into the Princess's Villa, I was utterly astonished.

"This is..."

Where the garden should have been, hundreds of wooden puppets stood, all dressed in various types of armor available in the market.

"What on earth is this?"

"This is both my villa and my research lab. Follow me."

And so, I followed her.

When we reached the warehouse, I was even more surprised. There was a hand cannon that seemed to be an earlier model than the current musket, and even matchlock guns that looked like their predecessors!

"Wow..."

"Fascinating, isn't it?"

"It's like the entire history of firearm development is here."

The princess chuckled softly. She seemed pleased with my reaction.

Meanwhile, I was enthusiastically exploring the princess's warehouse. It contained not only the history of firearms but also the entire evolution of armor, from ancient types to the present. Swords were categorized and arranged by usage and classification, and there were plenty of spears, halberds, and even bows.

What stood out the most, however, was the abundance of weapons and armor from the Eastern Continent, far away from here. Seeing the uniquely ornate armors of the Eastern Continent, I couldn't help but be astonished.

"How did you acquire these?"

"I personally requested them from an envoy of the Eastern Continent."

"And they complied?"

"In exchange, I disclosed the weaknesses of the Crown Prince and the Second Prince."

So, she not only suppressed her competition but also acquired items—a win-win situation.

"Look at this bow. It's completely different from the bows of the Arcadia Continent. Isn't it fascinating?"

The bow she handed me was curved like a recurve bow. I tried to pull its string, but with my strength stats, it was impossible.

"It's not just about strength; your posture is wrong. Watch."

Saying this, the princess snatched the bow from me and pulled the string herself. Standing straight and firmly, she drew the string back.

"Wow..."

"It may look small, but its tension is no joke. It's on par with the longbows of the North. This bow is said to belong to a peculiar race of long-eared people living in the Eastern Continent. I attempted to adopt it but eventually gave up."

"Was it due to difficulty in obtaining raw materials?"

"Raw materials could have been obtained with effort. The biggest issue was the buffalo horns, but that could have been resolved by importing and breeding buffaloes. It would've been costly, but it was doable. The real issue, however, was its lack of utility."

"Lack of utility?"

"This bow was designed with compactness in mind. It's made by bending wood and attaching refined buffalo horns. As a result, it offers significant tension for its size. Now, what do you think this bow would be used for?"

"Hmm..."

I wasn't sure. This kind of weapon didn't appear in the original 'Era of Gunpowder and Magic,' so I couldn't grasp it well. Should I base my answer on historical knowledge?

"It would be convenient to shoot from horseback, wouldn't it?"

Nomads were known to favor such small, curved bows.

When I answered, the princess looked startled.

"Who are you..."

"Oh, it was just a guess. Don't be so surprised."

"If you say so, let's leave it at that. You're correct. This bow is used for shooting from horseback, from trees, or while moving through forests without getting in the way. In summary..."

"Although small, curved bows are useful in specific conditions, larger bows are better suited for large-scale battles on plains?"

"Exactly. They're easier to make and offer greater destructive power for the same amount of effort. In short, the effort-to-reward ratio isn't favorable. Most of the Galatia Duchy consists of plains, and we're not nomads, so there's no reason to produce such bows."

That made sense. The differences between Eastern and Western bows might stem from geographical differences.

"This was my first setback. My plan to adopt the bows of the Eastern Continent ended in failure."

"If that was your first setback, is there a second?"

"Yes. The second setback was the introduction of elephant cavalry."

"Ah~"

That one was bound to fail.

"Hmm? You speak as if you're familiar with elephants."

"They're large, have long trunks, are intelligent, and use their trunks like hands."

"Strange. How does a fallen noble from the countryside know about such rare animals from the East?"

"Let's just say I studied hard."

"If you say so, I'll leave it at that. Then do you also know why elephant cavalry failed?"

Elephant cavalry. It was widely used in ancient times. But in the medieval era, even Islamic countries didn't use elephant cavalry much. That was because...

"Elephants are surprisingly timid animals. If their composure is broken, they trample both friend and foe alike."

"You're... peculiar. You already know things I've spent years uncovering."

"Do I?"

"If I had met you earlier, I could've avoided such failures entirely."

That might be true. I knew a fair bit about real-world history, not only about successful strategies and tactics but also about failed ones.

"I've studied countless strategies and tactics, and I've faced numerous failures. The traces of those failures are right here in this warehouse."

"I see..."

For something labeled as 'traces of failure,' it was quite beautiful. This warehouse felt like a museum, showcasing various items from around the world. If failure looked like this, I wouldn't mind experiencing it once or twice.

"The reason I brought you to this warehouse today is..."

"Yes."

"To share this warehouse with you."

I was a bit taken aback by her unexpected words.

"Share it?"

"As you can see, this warehouse is filled with countless weapons and armors from around the world. Follow me."

She picked up a state-of-the-art musket from the warehouse and stepped outside. Then she aimed at a wooden puppet dressed in the latest armor.

"That armor looks extremely expensive."

"13 ducats, 3 thalers, 20 groschen."

That's ridiculously expensive... more than a year's wages for an average laborer.

Then the princess lit the matchlock.

-Ssssshhhh

Soon, the matchlock burned down.

-Thud!

The princess pulled the trigger.

-Bang!!!

With a loud noise, the musket pierced the expensive 13-ducat armor and embedded itself into the wooden puppet behind it.

"Did you see that?"

"Yes."

"The high-quality armor that knights wear is so easily penetrated by a musket. This means the era of knights will come to an end. And the only ones who know this fact are you and I from Arcadia Academy."

"Yes."

"You possess knowledge about new weapons that surpasses even mine."

That's... honestly true. That's because I'm from the future.

"Yes."

"For that reason, I thought this warehouse would also be beneficial for you. Here, you can experiment with most of the existing weapons anytime."

"..."

The princess took a key from her pocket and handed it to me.

"This is the key to the villa. I'll inform the guards to let you access this place whenever you wish."

"What?"

"From now on, this villa is our shared property."

"..."

For me, this was truly a blessing. No matter how knowledgeable I was, testing things in reality was a whole different matter. By locking myself in here for just a few days, I could familiarize myself with the range of various weapons and the defensive power of armors. But...

"Why are you doing so much for me?"

I couldn't understand why Princess Leonia was going to such lengths for me. I knew her personality well. She loved new things and didn't dwell on the past—a cool-headed demeanor. While she would grow somewhat cynical later due to repeated betrayals, Princess Leonia in the early stages was a warm and kind-hearted individual. Still, none of these traits explained why she was being so generous to me.

"That is..."

That is?

And the next words were something I had not expected.