"Do you know what the most glorious battlefield is, soldiers?"

On the first day of class, Jennifer had taken all the students outside, and today was no different. As soon as her lesson began, she led us out to the field again. It seemed that the concept of a “curriculum” didn’t exist in her mind.

Although we had received textbooks when we started school, we never once opened them. If we didn’t need them, why hand them out? It just made our bags heavier every morning.

But I wasn’t surprised by this behavior. I knew Jennifer’s character well. She served as a device within the game to facilitate the player's experience by offering opportunities to fight during class.

Of course, students are supposed to study. But in the game, having characters study all day would make things unbearably dull. This wasn’t a dating sim or a trivia game, after all. To keep the game engaging, the developers minimized the study portions and injected more “combat time” into the lessons.

Jennifer Winterfield was one of the characters who facilitated these moments of conflict and rivalry, which served to fuel character development and drive the story forward.

However, it wasn’t just about having duels every class; as the story progressed, incidents and events would naturally escalate. The initial introduction of the characters set the stage for more explosive conflicts later on.

"Hmm."

None of the students raised their hands to answer her question. And I already knew who Jennifer would call on.

"Leo Grace!"

Of course, it was Leo Grace. The protagonist. According to the backstory, Leo’s father, Baron Grace, had been a role model to Jennifer when she was younger. Though her favoritism wasn’t overt, the game subtly hinted at the bond between them.

Naturally, Leo had no idea about this backstory, so to him, it just seemed like a random selection from the teacher.

Come to think of it, there was even a point in the original game where Leo could choose to duel with Jennifer, depending on the choices made. Given the sparring session they had a few days ago, this scenario didn’t seem like a coincidence. It wasn’t random at all.

"Ah, yes."

Leo stood up with a resigned expression, clearly not thrilled about being picked, but Jennifer didn’t seem to care.

"What do you think is the most glorious battlefield?" she asked.

"Uh…"

At this point, the game presented the player with multiple-choice options.

It didn’t really matter which one was chosen, as none of them fully matched Jennifer’s intended answer. Each option had a valid reason behind it, but none of them were entirely correct.

"The northern front, isn’t it?"

Leo, being diligent, thought it over carefully before giving his answer.

So, he chose the first option.

The other options were the southern and western fronts. The south was still underdeveloped, with skirmishes against local tribes occurring frequently, while the west was along the coastline, where trade ships heading to the New World were constantly harassed by pirates.

All three options cited the need to maintain Imperial security, but the choice regarding the southern front had an imperialistic undertone, leading some players to jokingly refer to it as the "imperialism route" in online forums. Not that it affected the game's ending or plot progression.

In one of the sequels, there’s a storyline focusing on the conflicts in the Empire’s south, but in that installment, Leo actively helps the native people instead.

"Hoh."

Jennifer, who had served on the northern front herself, seemed intrigued by Leo’s answer.

"And why do you think that is?"

"Well, the north shares a border with the Riklant Autonomous Region, but that region’s internal security is highly unstable, leaving them unable to properly manage their side of the border. This allows warlords to occasionally invade Imperial territory. Therefore, the soldiers who vigilantly defend the border against these threats must be serving on the most glorious battlefield."

"Hmm."

Jennifer nodded approvingly.

"Indeed. Those warlords are little more than mercenaries without masters, willing to do anything for the right price. They don’t care about the morality of their actions. Facing such adversaries is undoubtedly an honorable task. However," she added, looking Leo in the eyes, "that glory is only realized once you’ve returned alive, or after your body has been sent back. The battlefield itself holds no glory. But still, a good answer. You may sit."

Leo, visibly relieved, sat back down.

"And now—oh, right."

Jennifer paused mid-explanation.

Hmm.

Normally, this would be the part where she explained her philosophy about the battlefield. But she never paused like this in the original storyline.

Her gaze shifted to me.

"Sylvia Fangriffon. Stand up."

"…"

Why me?

Of course, I didn’t say that out loud. It wasn’t that unusual for a teacher to call on a student, at least not compared to having a fourteen-year-old girl serve as the Emperor’s representative in an international meeting.

I stood silently, and Jennifer stared at me for a moment before asking, "What do you think? Where is the most glorious battlefield?"

"…"

I hated giving presentations.

Back in university, I’d rather design all the slides by myself than present them. Even if it meant not getting the highest grade possible, I avoided public speaking at all costs.

It’s embarrassing if you mess up.

Of course, I knew exactly what Jennifer wanted to hear. I had seen this event multiple times, especially during my second and third playthroughs. I even rewatched the scene while translating the dialogue to make sure I had it right.

"I don’t believe there is a glorious battlefield."

That’s the answer Jennifer was looking for. If Principal Abraham Winterfield had been present, he would have exploded with rage.

"Hoh."

Jennifer’s eyes narrowed.

Her lips curled into a smile as she watched me. Did she like my answer?

It was an answer I had chosen knowing it would embarrass me either way—whether I got it right or wrong. At least if I got it right, the embarrassment would be worth it.

Part of me was also curious to see what would happen if I gave a fourth, unlisted answer.

"And why do you think that?" Jennifer asked again.

"Because the battlefield is hell. There is no glory in hell. You may be honored for surviving, but the battlefield itself cannot be glorious."

This world was still transitioning from the era of lined infantry formations to more modern warfare tactics, where troops stayed behind cover and fought from a distance.

They had modern tanks and aircraft, but no precision-guided smart weapons. This was a world of barbed wire, trenches, and soldiers charging into machine gun fire, only to be shredded into pieces. Artillery shells and mortar fire rained down, and if you were unlucky enough to take a direct hit, there wouldn’t even be a body left to recover.

No-man's land between the trenches was littered with the corpses of fallen soldiers.

Flamethrowers, poison gas, land mines, machine guns… weapons far too terrifying for any human to face head-on, yet with limited means to counter them effectively.

The modern warfare of Earth was hell in its own way, but in this world, it was all-out, unrelenting war—a different kind of hell.

"…"

Jennifer’s expression softened slightly.

She walked over to me, staring directly into my eyes.

"…I see."

She nodded, as if understanding something on her own.

"Yes, you’re right. The battlefield is hell. The days of knights clashing with swords are long gone."

Even those old wars, where knights clashed, were hell in their own way.

"Take your seat."

I sat back down, feeling the eyes of the other students on me, but I did my best to ignore them.

"You cannot truly prepare for the battlefield. No matter how much I teach you, it’s impossible to fully master survival. Out in the field, your actions will adapt to whatever keeps you alive."

Jennifer’s expression became more serious as she continued.

"I don’t know how many of you will become soldiers, but I do know that my role is to train those of you who will. And the most important skill a soldier needs is the ability to survive any unforeseen trials."

That’s why she had us sparring from day one. She meant every word she said.

She spoke as someone who had experienced the battlefield firsthand.

"And today, you’ll learn how to face such unforeseen challenges."

Jennifer’s smile returned, bright and wide. With the flair of a showman introducing the cast, she spread her arms dramatically.

"Today, your sparring opponents will be the commoners of Class C."

At that very moment, the students from Class C were emerging from the building, perfectly timed.

They were late because Jennifer had spontaneously changed the schedule. Instead of taking away their lesson time, she had coordinated with another instructor to make sure both Class A and Class C had overlapping sessions.

"…Instructor?"

"What is it?" Jennifer responded, turning to a student who had raised their hand timidly.

"Those kids… they’re commoners, right?"

"Yes, they are. Is that a problem?"

The student, looking uneasy, glanced at the approaching Class C students and asked again.

"Commoners… haven’t they been trained in less formal schools? Can they really pose a challenge to us?"

A few students chuckled quietly at that remark.

"Hoh."

Jennifer seemed amused.

"Is that so? Even though Princess Sylvia here doesn’t wield any ‘formal’ weaponry?"

"…"

Jennifer’s sarcastic tone silenced the class instantly.

That’s right.

Very few commoners had formal training in swordsmanship, spear fighting, or magic.

In other words, most of them used weapons that required little formal training to operate.

As the Class C students came closer, it became clear what they were carrying.

Most of them had rifles or hunting shotguns strapped to their backs. Though many of them were civilian models rather than military-grade—

"…"

That was more than enough to shut the noble students up.