The Sthenios War was created by the great strategist Sthenios to teach the art of war to future generations. While playing this game, one must adopt the mindset of a commander leading their troops in a real war.
'And in actual wars, the most vital thing is gaining the initiative.'
One had to be proactive during a war; they couldn't ensure victory by simply defending against the enemy: they had to attack as well.
This was the first mistake her little brother had made. Despite gaining the first move, he did not push forward aggressively or try to gain any kind of advantage. He created a defensive formation around his commander instead of taking the initiative and moving against her.
His second mistake was that he tried to play defensively.
One cannot achieve victory in a war by simply defending against the enemy's attack. That may prolong the war, but it wouldn't help in winning the war.
She observed the board. Four of her soldiers occupied four corners of the board while the remaining 11 pieces encircled him completely. It was now his turn, but no matter which move he made, the most he'll be able to do is take out three of her pieces.
'But the moment his turn ends, it's over.'
Aristeia spoke in a tone filled with sarcasm.
"Go on, little brother, make your move, don't keep me waiting."
The boy spared her a glance before turning his gaze back to the board. His expression hadn't changed a bit since he entered the room. He was still calm, still aloof. Looking at him made her feel irritated.
'He should know that the game is as good as over, why is he still that calm? Does he not even care?'
Perhaps that was indeed the case; perhaps it didn't matter to him whether he won or lost. Her irritation grew more. She once again felt that she was the childish one between them.
'It doesn't matter. I will still enjoy my victory.'
He reached out his hand, as if to make his move. But instead of grabbing a piece, he reached for the command card. He took a card and placed it beside the board for her to see.
{Morale Boost}
'What…? Why would he use that?'
But before she could clear away the confusion in her mind, he took out another command card and placed it beside the board.
{Assign Traitor}
Her heartbeat quickened as soon as she saw this card. In a hurry, she turned to the board to see her commander's location. Her commander piece was alone by the side of the board; no other piece was beside it.
She let out a sigh of relief.
'That scared me for no reason. He can't do anything, even with the traitor.'
But the move he made next froze Aristeia in shock.
He took a soldier from the defensive line …and used that soldier to kill his own commander.
'...Uh?'
But he didn't stop there; he took another piece from the defensive line and killed the soldier that had killed his commander. Using his last move, he killed one of her own soldiers.
'...What just happened?'
Before she could come to her senses, the boy spoke.
"The match will end in my defeat as soon as my turn ends. That was what you were thinking, correct? Indeed, that would've been the case. But then I simply have to make it so that my turn never ends."
She asked him in a perplexed tone.
"What are you even talking about? And how did you kill your commander with your own piece? Besides, why would you even kill your commander? Do you perhaps not know the rules?"
The boy did not speak; he simply raised the traitor card. Looking at that card, things slowly began to make sense.
"Do I know the rules?" He continued. "Of course I do. The soldier that killed my commander wasn't a normal soldier; he was a traitor, one that I had assigned."
He leaned back slightly, still expressionless.
"Why did I do this? The traitor killed the commander, and my soldiers became enraged. The traitor was swiftly eliminated after killing the commander, with the blade that serves justice. And since my soldiers still maintain their morale, it is time for them to go on a Rampage."
Hearing that, she looked at the game board. All her pieces were near his own; it would be easy to take out the remaining ten pieces. Still in shock, she muttered.
"You can't do this; it should be against the rules. Your own pieces cannot kill each other. Besides, it should also be against the rules for you to assign your own piece as the traitor."
Rampage was a game-changing advantage, but triggering it had very demanding conditions. He shouldn't be able to trigger it this way.
"Sister, it seems you are the one who doesn't know the rules. Any piece present on the board besides the commander piece can be assigned as the traitor; those are the rules. Besides, the traitor piece doesn't belong to anyone; you can only control it due to the command traitor ability."
His words made her pause. She thought for a bit.
'Indeed, he's right.'
He hadn't done anything that was against the rules. That would mean…
'He found a loophole in the game, which was created by the Grand Orchestrator…'
She looked at the board, calculating. Was it still possible for her to win? The answer was obviously no. She had been utterly crushed.
Aristeia gritted her teeth as her body began to itch with irritation. She began clenching her fists. But after a few moments, Aristeia loosened her clenched fists as she took a deep breath.
'Right, that's not what matters.'
This time, her voice was neither shocked nor perplexed. It was calm, much like her little brother's, as she spoke.
"So you found a loophole in the game and won using it? It's impressive, sure. But that's not the point of this game. This game was made to learn about commanding an army in a war and leading them to victory."
She added a hint of mockery in her tone.
"Killing your own commander? Is that the strategy you will use in the war? What a spectacular failure of a strategy."
He tilted his head in confusion as her words reached him.
"Loophole? Sister, if I could find such a loophole, then the creator of this game must've been aware of this loophole as well; he was hailed as one of the greatest minds in history, after all. Besides, I feel that my strategy will work far better in an actual war."
This time, it was Aristeia who tilted her head in confusion.
'Work even better in an actual war? What sort of nonsense is that?'
Indeed, that was complete nonsense. Well, he was a child, so it was not strange for him to spout nonsense. Suddenly feeling refreshed, she asked in a playful tone.
"Is that so? I fear that I can't understand. Please explain how you will achieve victory using this amazing strategy."
Her little brother frowned briefly before he spoke.
"Imagine the soldiers are in a desperate situation, surrounded by the enemy. In a desperate situation when the minds of your soldiers are greatly stressed, your commander gives a speech to maintain the morale of your army. The words of the commander touch the hearts of all soldiers hearing his speech."
Aristeia frowned slightly. She felt strange as she heard him speak.
"The next moment, one of their allies moves in and beheads the commander. What will those soldiers feel as they watch the headless body of their commander fall? They will feel rage, they will feel contempt. The most enraged soldier will move in, kill the traitor, and let out a war cry while raising his sword."
Her frown deepened. She could feel her neck becoming sweaty. What unsettled her was not the strange things he was saying, even though those things weren't supposed to come from the mouth of a small child. What truly unsettled her was his expression and the tone of his voice.
He was still calm, just like he had always been. And his tone was calm and even. It was as though the boy did not think he was speaking something disturbing.
"According to what I've read in the library, soldiers hesitate when they fight in wars. That is because they feel unsettled at the prospect of killing another person. The commander needs to constantly provide justification to maintain morale because of this."
He leaned in slightly.
"But after this event, the soldiers will stop considering the enemy as another person. In their eyes, the enemy soldiers will become despicable scum who use dirty methods in war, which most soldiers consider to be honorable. The result? Your soldiers will go on a rampage, kill—"
"Stop! Stop talking right now!!"
Having been cut off while speaking, he looked at her with an innocent, questioning gaze. Aristeia, meanwhile, was doing her best to calm her wildly beating heart.
She was extremely disturbed after hearing him speak; she couldn't hear a word more from him.
"That… huh… That is not a strategy, that is manipulation." She said that while trying to control her breathing.
He leaned back.
"So? Does it matter as long as you win? The soldiers will die regardless, so it's better for them to be used to achieve victory. Otherwise, they would've died for nothing if the war still ended in defeat. Wouldn't that be such a tragedy?—"
"Get out! You have your answers now, so leave the room."
He stood up, as if he had been waiting for those words. He walked out of the room on his tiny feet.
Silence engulfed the room as the door slowly closed. She sat motionless for a long time, with only one thought on her mind.
'That boy… he's abnormal. I have to talk to Mother about this and tell her everything.'