Became a Strategist with a 100 Intelligence and 100% Accuracy

Anima had been captured.
No one dared to speak.
Yuri sat with her eyes closed, saying nothing.

"……."
Please, don’t make a rash decision.
Anima wasn’t dead—she was just taken as a prisoner.

Serpina, ever pragmatic, would never kill someone as valuable as Anima without reason. As long as Yuri didn’t let her emotions take over and charge blindly, there was still a way forward.
Time passed.
Yuri slowly opened her eyes.

Her pupils were visibly trembling.
She looked deeply unsettled, as though she couldn’t comprehend how things had come to this.
For a long while, she remained silent, keeping everyone gathered yet unable to utter a single word.

Then, finally, she turned to Jinor, her lips parting hesitantly.
"…Jinor, I’m sorry, but can I ask you to handle this instead?"
So, rather than acting recklessly, she was entrusting it to her strategist.

It was the best choice she could make in this situation—where she couldn’t trust herself to stay composed.
She hadn’t become a ruler among the five by mere chance.
"Understood."

Jinor nodded lightly and began briefing us on the situation in Yuri’s stead.
"Lady Anima Ingram, acting under her authority, led an assault on Hisphil Castle. That much, you all already know. However, the battle did not go in our favor, and she was captured by Serpina’s forces."
"Then… what about General Hernandorf…?"
"……."

Jinor’s expression darkened as he answered the concerned officer.
"He is currently recovering."
"Recovering…? Does that mean—?"

"He was gravely wounded."
Hernandorf Arisian had suffered severe injuries.
A murmur rippled through the officers of the Aishus Army.

"How… How did that happen?"
"He charged into the enemy camp alone in an attempt to rescue Anima."
Hearing that alone, I could picture the battlefield in my mind.

Serpina’s forces, retreating while taking Anima as their prisoner.
And Hernandorf, upon learning of her capture, charging in alone, wielding his warhammer.
The bond between the five was not something as superficial as drinking each other’s blood for ceremony— it was far deeper than that.

It was no surprise that he would throw his life away to save her.
They were the kind of people who exposed the fatal flaw of "deep camaraderie" with striking clarity.
"If the reinforcements had arrived even slightly later, it could have been disastrous."

"Reinforcements…? Ah, you mean the troops that were deployed a few days ago?"
"Yes. You wouldn’t have known since only the commanding officer was informed, but they were sent toward Raklein Castle."
Another wave of murmurs spread through the room.

This time, however, it was different.
"As expected of Lord Jinor…!"
"So Lord Jinor had already anticipated this and sent reinforcements…!"

"……."
Jinor remained expressionless but subtly glanced at me.
I gave him a small nod.

What the officers thought of me was none of my concern.
Even if the credit for my plan went to Jinor, it didn’t matter.
I wasn’t going to be here much longer, anyway.

"Wait… Then, could it be that even Raklein Castle…?"
"As I said, reinforcements were sent. The castle was not lost."
At that moment, a female officer standing beside the man who had asked the question raised her hand.

"There were reports of unusual occurrences at Hisphil Castle. Could that be related to our forces?"
"That, I do not know. Whatever happened, it was beyond our understanding. But since it forced Serpina’s forces to retreat, it worked in our favor."
That was a lie.

Jinor knew exactly what had happened.
I had already told him.
About how Reika’s "abilities" had been amplified and everything that followed.

There was no reason to keep it from him.
'He must have already expected something like this.'
I had heard whispers about him believing I could "see the future" with some kind of foresight ability.

Ever since that day, Jinor had begun placing immense trust in my words.
Once the questions had subsided, a formal explanation of the situation followed.
Reinforcements had managed to save Hernandorf in the nick of time.

There had been significant casualties, but the castle had not fallen, and Serpina had taken Anima as a prisoner.
A simple but heavy conclusion.
"This is where we currently stand," Jinor finished.

"……."
Silence fell over the chamber once more.
Jinor glanced at Yuri before turning back to the gathered officers.

"If anyone has suggestions on how to proceed, speak freely."
Then—
The sound of the audience chamber doors opening echoed through the room.

A woman’s voice followed.
"I’m late. My apologies."
A knight clad in armor with prominent blue fabric strode inside.

Emma.
"Emma…!"
"You’ve only just arrived, it seems."

Yuri and Jinor greeted her briefly.
Emma had been stationed at Zelstrom Castle with Epinnel.
Naturally, as I had predicted, our side had won the battle there.

After all, my foresight had never been about Hisphil Castle—it was about the defense of Zelstrom.
Upon hearing the news, she must have rushed over.
It made sense.

Epinnel, as the lord, had responsibilities to manage, so Emma coming instead wasn’t surprising.
"Yuri. What the hell happened?"
"That is…"

"I will explain."
Jinor gave Emma a concise rundown of the current situation.
Emma listened intently before nodding and giving her assessment.

"There is only one course of action."
"And what would that be?"
"Isn’t it obvious? We have to rescue Anima."

As expected, Emma didn’t hesitate in the slightest before proposing the most aggressive course of action.
"Everyone here, not just the strategist, understands what the name 'Anima' means to the Aishus Army. Yuri, you agree, don’t you?"
"I… I…"

"…What’s with that hesitation?"
Emma stepped closer to the trembling Yuri.
Then, in a sharp voice, she shouted—

"We don’t have time to waste! Issue the order already!"
"……!!"
"You can’t just stand around like this! Anima has been captured! Why haven’t you given the order to rescue her yet?!"

Unbelievable.
No matter how deep their camaraderie was, how could a mere general speak to their lord like this? And in front of everyone, no less?
"General Emma, what is the meaning of this? Show some respect!"

"……."
Only after Jinor’s sharp reprimand did Emma bite her lip and fall silent.
Even then, the other officers remained speechless.

It was Jinor who took control of the situation.
"General, this will not go unaddressed. Once this meeting is over, your actions will—"
"Jinor, it’s fine…"

Yuri’s voice was faint, calming the furious Jinor.
"It’s fine… for now, let’s focus on what we should do…"
"……."

Then—
"I have something to say."
A voice I hadn’t expected.

It was Airen.
"Speak, General Airen."
"Mobilizing our army and launching an immediate attack is an extremely dangerous option in the long run. With the forces at Raklein Castle already depleted, making the first move would be an unwise decision."

Airen’s words made Emma’s expression harden.
"General Airen, are you suggesting we do nothing because it’s too dangerous to fight for Anima?"
Her voice was sharp—enough to make anyone hesitate.

But Airen was not just anyone.
She had endured the constant underhanded tactics of Lyn Brans without ever backing down.
Just as I expected, she remained poised, her tone steady and respectful.

"Lady Emma, I would never suggest that. Anima is an invaluable figure to the Aishus Army. What I am saying is that fighting is not our only option."
"If not battle…?"
"Negotiation."

Airen’s violet eyes glowed with conviction.
"If we can bring Lady Anima back with words alone, we can avoid unnecessary bloodshed."
"Negotiation, huh…"

As expected, Airen was an exceptionally sharp individual.
Not just in her reasoning, but also in her battlefield prowess—there were few generals as capable as her.
"But what would Serpina’s army even demand in return?"

"Regardless, it is still a preferable alternative to war. Please consider this, my lord."
Finishing her words, Airen bowed toward Yuri.
Yuri, however, still said nothing—her body was trembling.

One of the five had been taken prisoner, and she was shaking like this.
‘So this is why she can’t become a ruler who unifies the land.’
Jinor stepped closer to the unstable Yuri.

"What will you do, my lord?"
"……."
"My lord, please regain your composure. Lady Anima is still alive. If we are to rescue her, it is you—our ruler—who must remain strong."

Jinor’s words finally made Yuri let out a long sigh.
"Everyone… I’m sorry. To Jinor, to Emma, and to all of you who have gathered here… I’ve shown you all a disgraceful sight."
What could we say?

All we could do was lower our heads and wait for her next words.
She still looked shaken, glancing around with uncertainty—
But, at least, her voice had regained some steadiness as she posed her question.

"First… Who believes we should go to war? Raise your hand."
Emma and a few others raised their hands.
But the numbers were few.

The reality of the situation was that launching a war over this was reckless.
With that settled—
It was time for me to do what I had to do.

‘Is war the correct course of action?’
[It is not.]
As expected.

Then negotiation really was the answer.
Still, if negotiation was not the answer, what would the correct course be?
I barely had time to wonder—

"…Who believes we should attempt negotiation?"
‘Is negotiation the correct course of action?’
[It is.]

The answer came immediately.
I had already expected this.
Before we had even faced Serpina’s army, the most efficient choice had been negotiation.

Just as I was about to settle with that—
[However,]
‘Huh?’

For the first time—
The response didn’t come instantly.
There was a slight delay, a tiny hesitation before the next words appeared.

[It depends on the will of the heavens.]
‘…What?’
What was that supposed to mean?

Surprised, I asked the question again.
‘Is negotiation the correct course of action?’
[It is. However, it depends on the will of the heavens.]

Negotiation was the right answer, but it was dependent on an unknown factor.
Once again, the compass pointed in a strangely mystical direction.
What was this supposed to mean?

"The will of the heavens" didn’t literally refer to divine intervention.
It referred to something beyond prediction—
An outcome that depended entirely on how I acted.

Did that mean the success of this negotiation… was something I could determine?
‘…How?’
How could I decide the fate of a negotiation?

I wasn’t a ruler.
I held no authority.
I was just a strategist.

Serpina’s army was the negotiating party, so how could it possibly depend on me?
‘Wait.’
Wasn’t this similar to my last prediction?

[Negotiate personally.]
That had been the answer before—essentially the same as sending me.
But back then, it hadn’t said, "It depends on the will of the heavens."

Why not?
‘What’s waiting for me there that keeps pushing me to go personally?’
At this point, I almost wanted to go out of sheer stubbornness.

While I was lost in thought—
The discussion continued, and Yuri finally spoke with firm resolve.
"…Emma, I’m sorry, but I will follow the majority’s decision. I know this is frustrating, but… I don’t think launching an all-out war is the right choice. And I believe Anima would agree with me."

"……."
Emma still looked displeased—
But, eventually, she nodded.

"You’re the lord, Yuri. As long as we can save Anima, I don’t care how we do it."
"…Thank you for understanding."
A ruler asking for their subordinate’s understanding.

Normally, I’d find the sight ironic.
But my mind had no space for such meaningless observations right now.
"Then, we will proceed with negotiation. As for the envoy… Rutz, are you listening?"

"Yes, my lord!"
A man responded loudly to the name "Rutz."
"I’d like you to handle this mission… Will you do it?"

"If that is your command, then of course. I will ensure Lady Anima is safely returned from Serpina’s forces."
"Good. Now, the terms… Jinor, what do you think?"
"The simplest option would be gold. Given our current finances, we could offer up to 7,900 gold."

"7,900? Will that really be enough? Serpina’s army isn’t exactly struggling financially."
"A larger sum is always preferable. It is a significant amount for a ransom, and Serpina’s forces will find it difficult to refuse."
As they continued the discussion—

I suddenly raised my hand.
"Excuse me, may I say something?"
"?"

"Swen?"
At that moment, not just Yuri and Jinor—
Everyone’s attention turned to me.

But… since the fate of this negotiation was "dependent on the will of the heavens," I had no choice but to speak up.
"It’s about the envoy for the negotiation."
"Is there a problem?" Yuri asked.

I nodded.
"Instead of the one currently selected… may I go as the envoy?"