Loser System and Berserker Me-Chapter 93: Charlemagne
【I refuse to concede defeat!】
System 12345 was on the verge of fainting.
I am a Galge System, not a War System!
If other Romance Systems find out that my host has eliminated all of the capture targets, not only will I be unable to graduate, but I’ll become a laughingstock for the rest of my Systemhood!
What? Why don’t I change my course of study?
Absolutely not, I am a Galge System! It’s absolutely not because only the top three scorers have the right to change their course of study!
【Erk. Let me think what else can I do.】
System 12345 pondered hard on the issue. He turned his eyes to the final portrait.
It depicted a tall and beautiful woman wearing a crown, holding a scepter and a golden sphere. She emanated a regal air.
【Should we just go after the final boss?】
【My host seems to be fond of fighting wars. Maybe he’ll give up on fighting and focus on dating if I give him an impossible opponent.】
【All right, let’s do it then!】
【My host, this is the final boss—Reincarnated Emperor Charlemagne.】
【She’s the reincarnation of Emperor Charlemagne, the man who united the Western Central Europe. She aspires to unite the world and becomes its sole ruler.】
【Sounds cliche, I know, but that’s the setting. The plot doesn’t matter in dating sims as long as the capture targets can be simped over.】
System 12345 started explaining the situation to Shu Yichao.
【Charlemagne has a holy artifact that allows her to control minds to some extent, and she uses it together with some drugs to build a ferocious army that will fight to their dying breath. On top of that, her strength is on the level of a demigod.】
【That’s why, my host, I advise you to focus on conquering the capture targets instead.】
System 12345 revealed a gleeful smirk.
【You were supposed to lead the femme fatales and tap into their strengths, such as economy, politics, or religion, to conquer the final boss, but now… Tsk tsk, that isn’t possible anymore.】
【That’s why, my host, why don’t we conquer the final femme fatale villain together?】
【She’s much taller than you, so when the two of you get down to it, it would be like a little horse pulling a massive carriage… Oh ho ho!】
System 12345 chuckled to itself before quickly continuing on.
【Don’t worry, my host. Everything will go smoothly with me around.】
【Charlemagne might look arrogant, but she’s also very meticulous and sensitive. Deep down, she’s still a young woman. She’s suffocated by a tremendous pressure, to the point where she dares not even step out of the Eternal City.】
【That’s why, my host, you can find a way to ask her out. First in the Eternal City, then Italy.】
【Scale the mountains to watch the sunrise, row a boat on a lake, explore the lush forests… After you have explored the world, you can wrap things up with a moving confession.】
【To me, you aren’t any great emperor but a beautiful woman whom I’m willing to devote my entire life to. You don’t have to shoulder such heavy burden on your shoulders…】
【You’ll definitely take her down with that!】 𝑓𝓇𝘦𝘦𝔀𝓮𝒷𝘯𝓸𝓋𝓮𝘭.𝓬𝓸𝘮
System 12345 was all hyped up.
【My host, I have indicated all suitable mountains, rivers, roads, and scenic spots in Italy and Eternal City Rome for you!】
【Go and get her, my host!】
【So what if she’s the final boss?! So what if she’s a demigod?! You’ll conquer her the same!】
System 12345 sent the message out. Seconds later—Read.
【Great!】
【No, wait a moment…】
System 12345 analyzed his plan once more.
It’ll cost an astronomical sum if he brings her out on date around Rome and Italy. He’s courting a demigod, after all! Cutting corners is not an option!
【Give me a moment, my host. Let me send you money… 】
…
“Esteemed Caesar.” Sophia approached Shu Yichao with a letter in hand. “The Genoese have sent a letter to inform us that the Crusade has been formed.”
She looked worried.
The truth was that the world war had long commenced.
It started with the Patriarch and the Pope cursing each other from afar, accusing each other of straying from the Lord’s teachings and being heretics and demons who would go to hell.
Then, the battle escalated to each other’s religious belonging. Both the Pope and the Patriarch excommunicated each other from their respective Churches, making it quite a development.
The Roman Catholics declared that they had formed a Crusade with over 2,000,000 troops to exterminate the heretic.
The Eastern Orthodoxy claimed that Shu Yichao was the prophesied one, and he had come under the Lord’s orders to punish the sinners.
Those who were in neither religion quickly picked a side, fearing that both sides might go after them otherwise.
Meanwhile, Shu Yichao was busy dyeing the nearby areas on the map, slowly making his way toward Italy. It wouldn’t be long before he clashed with the Crusade.
“The Crusade has around 400,000 soldiers. Of them, we estimate that 150,000 to 160,000 are able to fight on the frontlines. Caesar, how should we go about it?”
The Apennine Peninsula was different from the vast plains. Up north was the lofty Alps, whereas in the center were the Apennine Mountains that divided the peninsula into two.
Other than a few flat areas, the region was practically made up of hills, making it difficult for cavalrymen to fight in the area.
“How should we go about it?” Shu Yichao was baffled by the question. “How else? We’ll charge in and beat them up.”
After spending some time studying the map, he quickly noticed something amiss about the Crusade’s deployment.
Large armies had been stationed in around Milan, the Po Valley, Eternal City Rome, and Venezia Giulia. These armies were sizable, but it was baffling why the Crusade had chosen to split up at all.
It’s like they are luring me in to eat them one by one!
Shu Yichao had overlooked a crucial detail—humans needed to eat.
It was logistically impractical to gather an army of 400,000 troops in a single place, let alone lead them off to war. Even feeding the soldiers under current circumstances was a huge strain on Italy.
Charlemagne had dropped quite a bit of hair trying to distribute rations to the armies.
While her holy artifact allowed her to superficially control the kings, she couldn’t alter their long-standing beliefs.
For instance, she could make her targets lean toward one of the multiple options they were hesitating over, but she couldn’t make them do something they weren’t already thinking of.
Similarly, she also couldn’t resolve some conflicts. The English and the French had just concluded their ‘hundred years of friendship’. Even if they had a common goal between them, there was no way they would be willing to stand in the same ditch.
It didn’t help that there were cities she struggled to take control of, such as Genoa. To this day, Genoa still hasn't sent any representatives to Eternal City Rome.
To make things worse, the soldiers of this era had little discipline. They had no qualms killing, robbing, and plundering from civilians, especially when they were facing a shortage in supplies. Many cities were becoming increasingly dissatisfied toward the Crusade due to that.
It would have been hard to deploy such an army out of Italy.
Fortunately, Charlemagne didn’t have to take this army out of Italy at all, for she knew that arrogant fellow would come on his own accord.
So, she exhausted herself till her eyes turned bloodshot to construct an encirclement net.
“Come!” Charlemagne looked at the map while resting her chin on her arm as if a hunter watching as her prey slowly walked into her trap. “Let’s see how the Scourge of God snaps.”
—
Starve’s Map Visualization Aid:
Shu Yichao has previously headed all the way up north to Poland, and he went ahead to attack the Holy Roman Empire afterward, specifically Austria’s Vienna)
Right now, Italy is south of him (meaning that the Alps stand between him and Italy).
The highlight region below is the Alps, and Italy is below that.
