I Became the Strategist the Monarchs Obsess Over

“Isabel de Poitiers. You do not truly know Her Majesty the Princess.”

“What? What do you mean…”

Isabel de Poitiers made a bewildered expression. She seemed to think it was absurd to claim that she, who had been the Princess’s friend since childhood, did not know her. But the truth was, she really did not know the Princess.

“Isabel de Poitiers, you and I are alike. We both care only about the results, regardless of the process. But Her Majesty the Princess is different. She is not a thief but a warrior. Even if she achieves her desired result, if it was obtained through means that go against her principles, she would never be satisfied.”

“…”

How could Isabel not know this? The only difference was the weight carried by the name Charles and the weight carried by the name Leonia von Arcadia. The Princess attended Arcadia Academy to compensate for her lack of power compared to the Crown Prince. She sought to prove her talent and attract other capable individuals to her side.

In such a situation, what would happen if the Princess lost to a fallen noble? People would mock her, saying even her talent was nothing special. Naturally, both talent and allies would drift away from a Princess who lacked power.

Therefore, Isabel could not simply stand by and watch the Princess lose. Anyone obstructing the Princess’s path would be removed by any means necessary—whether through persuasion or coercion.

“So, are you saying you are determined to defeat Her Majesty the Princess?”

Isabel glared at Charles. Isabel de Poitiers was a well-rounded individual excelling in many areas. While she did not reach the level of an A-rank, her swordsmanship and magic skills were sufficiently formidable. She had the power and backing to eliminate Charles right here and now. Thus, Charles immediately denied her words.

“I never said that.”

“Then what exactly…”

“Two hundred ducats is a significant amount of money.”

Isabel looked puzzled at the sudden change of topic.

“To be honest, I want it. For someone like me, a fallen noble, two hundred ducats is a fortune. But what will you do if Her Majesty the Princess finds out later that I accepted the money? Both you and I would only end up distancing ourselves from her.”

“Isn’t that the only option left?”

“There is another way.”

Two hundred ducats. Charles wanted those two hundred ducats so badly it was as if his hands were reaching out from his throat. But there were things more important than money in this world.

“Two hundred ducats is an amount that leaves a trail. How do you plan to hide the fact that your family’s finances are empty?”

“…”

“But what if the payment were intangible?”

“Intangible payment?”

“I will forfeit after reaching the finals. If I fight half-heartedly, Her Majesty the Princess will feel insulted, but if I forfeit outright, she might understand to some extent. In return—”

“In return?”

“Become my patron. That way, there will be no trail.”

Isabel could hardly believe her ears.

“What did you just…”

“Is ‘patron’ not a term used here? Then let me rephrase. Be my backer.”

No, she understood the term ‘patron.’ The problem was that she could not comprehend what kind of backing he was asking for. However, as Charles elaborated, Isabel began to understand bit by bit.

“The Rochefort Family is fallen nobility. As a result, people treat me as little better than a commoner. But if you associate with me, people will regard Rochefort not as [commoners] but as [Isabel’s friends]. Those who would treat me poorly will disappear. You save money, and I gain a reliable ally. Isn’t that mutually beneficial?”

Isabel pondered deeply. Becoming the backer of someone like him was a favor she had not even dared to hope for. After all, Charles had talent. Supporting him would someday bring her significant benefits in return.

“But are you sure about this?”

“About what?”

“Are you really okay with settling for something like this instead of two hundred ducats?”

At her words, Charles smiled confidently.

“Don’t worry.”

For Charles, gaining a reliable backer was far more valuable than two hundred ducats. Because—

“I’ll make good use of it.”

What Charles sought was not to rise spectacularly but to quietly build a solid foundation, unnoticed by others—like Sima Yi, who quietly amassed power in the outskirts without venturing into the central stage.

“Miss Isabel, let’s get along from now on. Since our values are similar, don’t you think we’ll have opportunities to cooperate?”

“Haha!”

At his words, Isabel de Poitiers burst into laughter. It seemed she liked his proposal. She extended her hand.

“I think we could become good friends.”

I thought so too. After all, we were both realists.

—–

In that day’s mock battle exam, Charles faced three opponents. One was an extra character with decent leadership skills, and another was Isabel de Poitiers.

Isabel de Poitiers’s military abilities were inferior to Yuria Russell’s. In terms of military prowess alone, she ranked in the upper B-tier. Compared to A-tier Yuria, she was slightly lacking.

As a result, the battle against her ended without much difficulty. She used a textbook combination and actively deployed a special unit to cut off my supply line, but I hid my soldiers among the trees and intercepted her special unit.

Consequently, she failed to sever my supply line and lost her special unit, leading to her defeat.

The match went to a decision due to time, but the score was 6.5 to 3.5 in Charles’s favor—a larger margin than against Yuria Russell.

In the next round, Charles smoothly defeated the extra character and advanced to the finals.

The opponent who advanced to the finals was, of course, Princess Leonia.

Princess Leonia felt her hands trembling. Facing a newly emerging strong contender—how thrilling could it be?

She anticipated it. She hoped this hidden dragon, who had concealed his talents until now, would be a worthy opponent. Someone who could fight her on equal footing.

However, when the mock battle began—

“I forfeit.”

Charles said this to Dian.

At that moment, the Princess nearly lost her balance.

How much had she looked forward to this fight? She had even devised special tactics just to defeat him.

Yet, without even getting the chance to use them, he forfeited so anticlimactically?

At that moment, one person came to the Princess’s mind.

“Isabel! Isabel de Poitiers!”

The Princess ran to Isabel and immediately grabbed her by the collar. She thought Isabel had schemed behind the scenes to make him forfeit.

But Isabel answered like this:

“It’s true that I negotiated with Charles. But his decision to forfeit was not the result of our negotiation—it was entirely his own choice.”

The Princess glared at Isabel for a while before striding quickly toward Charles. Once she was close, she asked him:

“Why did you forfeit?”

“If I deliberately lost, you would despise me, wouldn’t you?”

“That’s correct.”

“So I thought outright forfeiting would be a less contemptible option.”

The Princess thought for a moment, then sighed and said:

“Was fighting with all your strength never an option?”

That option had never existed in the first place. The Princess had the backing of royalty, her own martial prowess, and loyal retainers. She could freely display her talents.

But Charles Jean Rochefort could not afford to do so. He had no money, no strength, no backing. Thus, he had to lie low and quietly build his foundation. That was the difference between the Princess and Charles.

“Your Majesty, not everyone is born into royalty.”

That was all he said, but the astute Princess understood his mindset entirely from that brief statement. She nodded knowingly.

“Someday.”

“Pardon?”

“Someday, will you fight me with everything you have? In a quiet place, without an audience or distractions.”

At her words, I smiled.

“Call for me anytime.”

It seemed the resolution with the Princess would have to wait for another day.

—–

The mock battle officially came to an end. The Princess, Isabel de Poitiers, and I took first, second, and third places, respectively.

I couldn’t help but feel sorry for Yuria Russell, who had bad luck with the matchups. If she hadn’t faced me so early, she could have easily placed in the top ranks. After all, wasn’t her leadership superior to Isabel de Poitiers’s? Her command stats were higher too.

Professor Dian de Balboa presented the Princess with a gold medal. As she accepted it, the Princess spoke in a low voice:

“Dian de Balboa.”

The Princess was a student, and Dian was a professor. Yet the Princess addressed him informally. This was because Dian had once been her vassal.

“You betrayed me and went to the Crown Prince.”

Professor Dian silently bowed his head.

“Do you have any intention of returning? I believe that someone with your talent should serve a competent ruler.”

“I have already sworn loyalty to His Highness the Crown Prince Leonhardt.”

“The Crown Prince is less capable than I am. Surely you know that?”

“But he has a stronger faction than Your Majesty.”

Indeed, while Leonia surpassed Leonhardt in talent, the Crown Prince currently held the strongest faction in the world.

“Hmm. I look forward to the day we fight on the same side again.”

Her words implied that she intended to crush the Crown Prince and reclaim Dian, but Dian merely bowed his head.

After bowing to the Princess, Dian pinned the medal onto her chest. Their relationship was complex—not just professor and student, but also duke and count.

Having awarded the Princess her medal, Dian now approached me with a silver medal in hand.

“Charles Jean Rochefort.”

“Yes.”

“Congratulations on being the runner-up. You’ve succeeded in proving your talent.”

It wasn’t such a big deal. I just won because I deserved to win, that’s all.

“If this were the Era of Order, you would have lived a poor life as an ordinary fallen noble. This society was too rigid to overcome what you were born into. But the Era of Chaos is different. Chaos is an equal hell for everyone, and those with the talent to navigate it naturally gain everything.”

He was right. The Era of Order and the Era of Chaos were entirely different worlds. In the Era of Order, those born into good families rose to the top, but in the Era of Chaos, those born with great talent rose instead.

“I hope your talent shines brightly in the chaos that lies ahead.”

With Professor Dian de Balboa’s highest praise, a silver medal was pinned to my chest. It was a medal that proved my runner-up position in the mock battle.

Finally, Dian pinned a medal on Isabel, who had placed third, and with that, the mock battle officially came to an end.