Became a Strategist with a 100 Intelligence and 100\% Accuracy-Chapter 292: Battle Against Chel’s Forces, Alkanwood Castle (3)

“Then that’s good to hear. Now, first question—”

The first thing I asked Serpina was how she planned to conduct the invasion.

Without delay, she slowly laid out her strategy.

“Roughly 180,000 troops. Cransis as the commander, and Lady Airen as his deputy.”

“That’s correct.”

“What about siege weapons?”

“We’ll bring them. Wouldn’t the enemy dig in and defend the castle?”

Exactly. Logically speaking, they’d opt for a defensive stance. Chel might lead around twenty thousand soldiers in a charge, but they’d eventually be overwhelmed by sheer numbers. So if they wanted to last even one more day, their best bet would be to destroy the siege weapons quickly and lock down the gates.

—That, up until now, had been accepted as common sense.

However—

“My lord. Isn’t there something you’re intentionally leaving out?”

“...!”

At my words, Serpina looked genuinely startled—then gave a bitter smile.

“You mean Reika, don’t you.”

“If a mage is involved, there’s a high chance the enemy will respond in an entirely different way. She’s a wildcard they can’t ignore.”

“I’m not so sure. I really don’t know.”

“Any reason for that?”

Serpina gave a rather surprised expression.

“Hearing you ask that... it seems Reika hasn’t told you.”

“...Sorry?”

“It was shortly after she returned from the relief camp. She collapsed while working in the library, just like always.”

...What?

I was caught completely off guard. Serpina continued calmly.

“I happened to be making inspection rounds nearby, so I got there quickly. Her breathing was shallow, and she was drenched in cold sweat. Like someone seriously ill.”

“That... really happened?”

“Yes. She tried not to show it, but I could tell. It was clearly a side effect of using magic. The symptoms were almost identical to what I experienced after she treated me.”

Wait a minute...

She’d been perfectly fine while riding in the carriage, so why did she collapse after arriving at Eingart Castle?

—Then it hit me.

The magic she used at the relief camp, according to her explanation, was “something that makes you healthier.” In other words, a buff-type spell.

No way...

Had she used a buff spell on herself during the return trip, just to hide the strain she was under?

Was the backlash from using up all her mana simply delayed?

A bit of a stretch—but if that was the case, it all made sense.

“Swen. I don’t know much about mana, or how magic even works. But I do know this—it eats away at her lifespan.

If I were to close my eyes and rely on her power, perhaps we could win more easily in future battles. But—”

—I don’t want to.

I don’t want to climb higher by planting my feet on her sacrifice.

“My lord...”

“That’s why I had no intention of deploying the mage.”

Hearing her say that sent a sharp pang through my chest.

What was this emotion?

Seeing someone face an impossible goal with such unshakable seriousness—

Frankly, it didn’t feel like something a human being should have to endure.

Reika was the same.

Even if she didn’t want to worry me, hiding something so important like that was a problem.

This wasn’t just about a mage pushing herself too far.

I didn’t want to lose Reika.

“...I understand your decision, my lord. And I agree with it.

However, I believe you also understand that in the question-and-answer session we’re about to start—your will matters above all else.”

“Indeed. After all, it’s your inner eye that discerns the path to truth.”

“Then, I must ask that you set aside your personal will—and decide exactly as I instruct.

This is about checking the future outcomes of your decisions.”

Telling a sovereign to follow my directions to the letter.

It could easily be taken as deeply disrespectful, but Serpina simply nodded with graceful composure.

Then—

As if to show she had no intention of being flustered by my brazen request, she casually spoke words that were completely disarming.

“Understood, Swen.

My body and heart, both—I’ll decide everything according to your will. Whatever you command, I shall obey, completely and sincerely, from the depths of my soul. Give the order.”

...!

Maybe it was just the sheer directness of her phrasing.

I suddenly found myself speechless, swallowing hard.

She was speaking so seriously, so solemnly—it was ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ clear this wasn’t one of her usual jokes.

And maybe because she was so serious, it struck something deep in me.

My gaze drifted—unintentionally—to her chest, something I usually tried not to think about.

Not just that. Her beautiful face, those golden eyes, her rose-pink lips, the scent that clung to her like yuzu blossoms—

All of it.

Not Serpina the ruler, but Serpina the woman was beginning to dominate my thoughts.

What the hell is wrong with me lately...

Ever since I kissed Airen the other day...

These past few nights, I hadn’t been able to sleep properly—distracted by thoughts of women.

Was it just stress building up in all kinds of ways?

Sure, if it was just physical desire, I could take care of it on my own...

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

But what I was craving now—this feeling of wanting something and being constantly left with the sense that it was missing—

“...Swen?”

“Ah, yes.”

“Is something wrong? Did your inner eye see a poor outcome...?”

Serpina’s words snapped me back to reality.

Right. Now wasn’t the time to be thinking about women.

“...Anyway, would you now consider deploying Miss Reika in the battle?”

“I will.”

I ran the same question again.

[The battle itself will be won.]

No change.

The mage’s participation clearly didn’t affect the outcome.

Even after that, I kept presenting Serpina with all sorts of different scenarios, asking the same question over and over to draw out every possible result.

What if we changed the commander? What if we altered which officers took part in the battle?

I kept feeding in every variable I could think of in order to reach the most optimal conclusion— ƒгeewёbnovel.com

But the result never changed:

[The battle itself will be won.]

...What is this? What exactly is Chel preparing that’s leading to such consistent outcomes?

No matter how we adjust our side’s response, the result doesn’t change?

Or am I missing something critical...?

“Swen.”

“Yes, my lord?”

“You’ve been saying the outcome—a victory for us—is assured, correct?”

“That’s right.”

“Then why do you continue questioning it? From where I’m sitting, all your inquiries seem like you’re trying to find a way for us to win—as if you believe we can’t.”

Well, now that we’d come this far, I decided to be honest with her.

“I see. So, we do win, but something about it... might come at a cost to our forces?”

“Yes. Something like that.”

“...A loss, then.”

Serpina rested her chin on her hand, deep in thought.

“Rather than working backward from the result, why don’t we try starting with the loss itself?”

...Huh?

“Even if we win the battle, perhaps it’s worth considering what kind of damage Chel Brans could inflict on our army. We might find the answer that way.”

“...You’re right.”

It wasn’t even a hard conclusion to reach—but I’d gotten so locked into my usual process, trying to deduce cause-and-effect through questioning, that I hadn’t even thought to frame it that way.

“Thank you. Every time we talk like this, I realize just how well we work together.”

“If you’re only realizing that now, I must say I’m disappointed.”

Serpina smiled faintly. There was a trace of her usual regal sternness in it—but she looked a little cute, too.

“So then, what losses might we be talking about?”

“Well... one of our commanders could fall in battle. Or maybe we come out with a worse-than-expected casualty ratio.”

“I don’t think a commander dies. I ran the roster several times—if a particular death was ‘locked in,’ removing that person should have changed the outcome. But it didn’t.”

“Then there’s only one possibility left.”

We overpower them—but with heavy losses?

But with this difference in troop numbers, assuming the enemy takes a defensive stance, I can’t imagine us taking that much damage...

Wait...

A thought brushed through my mind.

“The enemy... might not defend the castle at all.”

“What did you say?”

“What if they don’t hole up in the fortress, and instead... come straight out to intercept us?”

“You’re saying Chel would willingly abandon the only fortress under his control?”

“Yes. But if we’re looking for a situation where we suffer ‘unexpected’ damage, then I can’t think of anything else that fits.”

The possibility of some surprise mage appearing out of nowhere felt far too implausible.

“...Still, if he’s willing to burn down his own domain and flee, he clearly has no attachment to it as a feudal lord... Yet I still find it strange.”

“If he really did make that decision, what would his reasoning be? Pure hatred for me? Chel Brans is no fool. He wouldn’t make such a reckless move without a proper reason.”

True.

Abandoning the fortress and launching a full interception would basically be suicide for Chel.

Our forces would take more casualties, and our siege weapons would likely be destroyed.

The first explanation that comes to mind is hatred toward Serpina.

The whole reason the other lords raised their banners was because they couldn’t tolerate her rule.

So deciding to strike at her, even at the cost of his own life, isn’t that far-fetched.

But... is that really all?

Would he move solely for that reason?

When drafting a strategy, you need a firm grasp on your enemy’s mindset. But here... I felt that certainty was missing.

...Alright.

Let’s think from Chel’s perspective again.

If he had to march out with his forces—what would compel him to do it?

—Ah.

“You’ve realized something, Swen?”

“This is only a possibility... but if the enemy is aware of Miss Reika—that is, the mage...”

“...!”

“Then if they assume holding the fortress means being struck down by a mage anyway... coming out to intercept us might not be suicide. It could feel like the more logical choice.”

The more I thought about it, the more it made sense.

If they fear being annihilated by magic, they’d launch a preemptive interception before it happens—catching us off guard.

“So this time... you’re sure?”

“...Yes.”

“Then let me ask again: do you still believe we will win this battle?”

And the answer that formed in my mind was—

***

Struck by a sudden ambush, Chel quickly took in the face standing before him.

Swen.

Why was he here?

And that pink-haired girl with him... she had to be a mage.

Shhk!

As the green rapier withdrew from Chel’s chest, a fountain of red blood gushed from the charred wound like a waterfall.

He collapsed from his horse, barely clinging to consciousness, his voice trembling.

“Wh-what the hell... is this...”

...No.

That didn’t matter.

What mattered wasn’t the what—it was the who.

He had been brought down... by Swen.

That meant... even the fact that he followed Airen here—

“...It was all... part of your plan, wasn’t it...?”

Chel stared up into Swen’s emotionless gray eyes and realized it.

The fear his sister, Lyn Brans, must have felt...at some point...toward this man.