Jill and her students selected to reside in the estate on the back side of the mountain up until the start of the match.  As it hadn’t been caught up in the incident, it could still be used as before.  They didn’t have time to carry out any new training, but this also applied to their opponents.  Thus, deciding to use that time for a strategy meeting, she had all the students gather in the widest place in the building, the lobby on the first floor.

“Making memories with a match?  Isn’t that… usually done around a campfire or something?  Like with everyone working together to prepare a feast.”
“It’s the circumstances.  There’s no room for extravagance.”
“Isn’t it fine?  That match got swallowed up by that messy revolt and now a lot is being said about it.  We can have another match, for sure.”
“Except, is~n’t our opponent the Dragon Emperor?”

As they had gathered in the same way for the strategy meeting before the previous class competition, the students were relaxed and each of them occupied whatever place they liked.  Jill sat in her fixed seat, at the center of sofas lined facing each other with several tables in between.  She was in a position where she could best look around at her students.

“Just because His Majesty is leading doesn’t mean you need to be excessively cautious.  Your opponent is the Gold Dragon Class, that has not changed.  Moreover, they can’t use dragons this time and their weapons will be the same as yours.”
“You mean they are weaker than before, right?”
“You can think that.  This time, we’ve also been given a map, although it’s a bit simple.”

Spread open on a desk was a large map.  The students leaning over it saying, “let’s see, let’s see,” were the ones chosen to serve as group leaders for the competition.

“This time, only the initial positions have been decided.  From the central high ground to the west side is our territory…  This is where we are to deploy our forces before the start of the match.”
“Looks like we’ll have to reorganize the squads, too.  We won’t need countermeasures against dragons, so should we go with an all-out offense?”
“As for our numbers, didn’t that become the same with the Gold Dragon Class?”
“…Lutiya, what’s your opinion as class leader?”

Gazes gathered on Lutiya at the vice-class leader’s urging.  He, however, didn’t readily answer.  It reached a point that even Jill, who had intended to allow her students to act independently, ended up interjecting.

“By any chance, do you feel reluctant to oppose His Majesty?”
“It’s nothing like that.  It’s just, I feel like we already lost from the moment we agreed to the match, and that’s making me feel uneasy.  Will this really be an ordinary match?”
“His Majesty will not cheat.  That said… this is His Majesty.  He will come up with some sort of scheme.  However, the ones to enact it will be the Gold Dragon Class, and His Majesty isn’t exactly a tremendous strategist himself… at least, I think.”

Back when Jill faced him as the emperor of an enemy nation, and when he was running a bakery in Radea, she had no memory of being trapped by some awe-inspiring stratagem.  Rather, she herself was who had desperately devised strategies against his enormous magical power which blew everything away.

“It would be out of the question if His Majesty himself were to come out onto the field, but in terms of experience as a commander, I probably come out on top.”
“For sensei to be above him at that age… how should we take this…?”
“His majesty is neither a commander type nor a strategist type. Fundamentally, he is a person on the side of being protected.”
“In the first place, an emperor serving as an instructor is strange.”

Jill, seeing her students nodding in agreement with each other, decided it would be best not to tell them that he once ran a bakery.  As a wife, she wanted to be considerate of her husband’s reputation.

“His Majesty is practically meeting the Gold Dragon Class for the first time.  He may have the authority of the emperor, but there is no trust between them.  How much the Gold Dragon Class can grasp His Majesty’s intent and move according to his plan, I believe they are at a disadvantage in that regard.
“Just from hearing this conversation, it sounds like this time we are the ones with the overwhelming advantage.  The Gold Dragon Class has won once, so they also have momentum.”  (*This may have been a typo by the author)
“However, this time the Gold Dragon Class will also be coming at us seriously.  Their Class Leader Noin is strong, it’s something I recognize as well.”

As Lutiya’s expression tightened, Jill nodded.

“That’s right, we must not misjudge the opponents we’ll be fighting by overly worrying about His Majesty.  So then, Lutiya, do you have a plan for victory?”
“—Before anything else, I believe that for us, what’s important is act as we always do.  Even if the Dragon Emperor is making a plan, neither the magical power of the Gold Dragon Class nor their way of using it will change.  Since they lost once and cannot use dragons, they might try something eccentric, but we just need to respond calmly, nothing more.”
“Yes, I am of the same opinion.”

Jill felt a sense of relief that the child who would become the commander on the field had the same policy as her.  At her smile, Lutiya quickly averted his eyes.  As always, he is not an honest child.

“F-for the time being, let’s just recall as much as we can about what kind of formation they had last time. Since they were all riding dragons, the positioning shouldn’t be too different, right.”
“Their vanguard, does a~nyone remember who the members were?”
“Wait, notes, get some paper.  It’ll be more efficient if we all compare together.”

The students began moving of their own accord as they called out to one another.  Jill couldn’t help but smile.  This has become a good class.

Although I worry whether His Majesty might teach the Gold Dragon Class something strange…

“Ah.”
“What’s wrong, Jill-sensei?”
“…I want to take His Majesty’s class.”

A faint, awkward silence spread within the room.  Clapping their hands together with a pan was a girl.

“Alright, bragging-about-your-lover is ba~nn~ed!  Everyone, let’s get back to our discu-ssion.”
“I-I’m not bragging about that!”
“Sense, we’ll listen to all that tonight.  We’ll listen a while lot.”
“I’m telling you, this isn’t bragging!  I mean, aren’t you curious!?  This is the Dragon Emperor’s military strategy meeting!  Right, Lutiya!?”
“Not in the slightest.”

Coldly cut down, Jill drooped with dejection.  With the other students soothing her with, “There, there,” the strategy meeting continued.

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