Became a Strategist with a 100 Intelligence and 100% Accuracy

Serpina sat in her chair, deep in thought as she watched Swen leave to settle the commotion.

Yes.
That man’s name was Swen.
And she knew him.

Of course, knowing him meant she had seen him in her dreams, but—
Deep within her heart, she felt that it went beyond that.
Had she… always known Swen?
She didn’t know why that thought occurred to her.

But it was enough to come to a conclusion—she had to keep him by her side.
Even if she set aside the connection from her dreams and looked at the situation purely from a pragmatic perspective, securing this silver-haired young man as her subordinate was immensely beneficial.
After all, even Jenna, the state strategist currently managing the capital in her stead, had acknowledged that Swen might actually be a mage.

The incident at the northern fortress.
The event at Hisphil Castle just days ago.
Everything pointed to the strong possibility that he was a mage.

A man like that under her command was worth more than a single fortress.
Regardless of how it happened—
Serpina wanted Swen.
And she never lost what she set her sights on.

"If I win this wager, I will serve you."
Looking back, those words carried a deeper meaning.
He spoke as if this was just an opportunity to choose his master, but Serpina had encountered people like him many times in her conquest of the northern continent.

Men whose loyalty to their rulers was not absolute.
That much was obvious.
Only a person with shallow loyalty would propose such a wager.
A truly devoted general would rather rot in a dungeon than gamble away their allegiance.

Not that she held it against him.
In these chaotic times, those who stubbornly clung to a single ruler were the real oddities.
Brans, Aishus—their armies were nothing more than warlord factions with no real history.

Devotion to such factions was nothing but a fairy tale.
Serpina understood this better than anyone.
That’s why, rather than enforcing legitimacy, she built her rule by ensuring her subordinates never felt the need to leave her side.

And that led to a new question.
"He was in Brans’ army before, wasn’t he?"
For some reason, he had left Brans and joined Aishus.

And now, he was about to change allegiances yet again.
If his goal was simply to serve a powerful ruler, then why didn’t he come to her army in the first place?
Did that mean he wasn’t actually seeking the strongest master?

It was an amusing thought.
Serpina smirked.
"There is no reason for me not to serve you."

That also meant—
There was no compelling reason for him to serve her, either.
And yet, he had said it so casually, so smoothly.

What was going on inside that man’s mind?
All the people she had met so far fell into three categories:
First—those who were terrified of her power.
Second—those who openly opposed her.
Third—those who were completely crushed by her presence and swore their undying loyalty.

Swen, however, fit into none of those groups.
"He’s the man who shook me in my dreams. There’s no way he’s just some ordinary fool."
Now, it was up to Yuri.

If it were her, she would never trade Swen, no matter how valuable Anima was.
Regardless of Serpina’s involvement, sacrificing one general to save another would shake the faith of the army.
Yuri Aishus wasn’t stupid.

She would make the rational choice.
In that case, she would release Swen.
But Serpina had already decided.

She never lost what she set her sights on.
"Even if he leaves me now… he will come back to my hands soon enough, Swen."
She let out a soft, amused chuckle.

And if Swen had heard it, he would have realized something.
He had just missed the chance to see Serpina’s most enchanting, breathtaking smile.
***

"Kuhk!"
Five soldiers collapsed.
Airen, showing no signs of exhaustion, looked around at the Serpina soldiers who were still standing, her sword held firmly in her grasp.

"If you still want to fight, by all means, come at me."
"General Randolph was taken down? Impossible…!"
"Damn it… Why the hell is an escort this strong?!"
The soldiers stared in disbelief at the last man who had fallen.

The way they referred to him made it clear—he wasn’t just some ordinary soldier.
He was a ranking general under Serpina’s command.
Airen wasn’t sure why these men had suddenly decided to attack them—

But if this was happening, then Swen must be in trouble as well.
That meant there was no backing down.
She had to cut through these men and get to the palace as fast as possible.

Airen raised her voice.
"If you wish to defeat me, I highly suggest bringing reinforcements. Otherwise, you will only be wasting your lives."
"W-what…?"

"If you let me into the palace now, I will overlook your offense. I advise you to make the wise decision."
The soldiers hesitated.
Then, from behind them, a man’s voice rang out.

"What are you fools doing?! The lady has given an order! Capture them!"
"B-but we don’t have enough men!"
"Reinforcements are on their way! Get into formation!"

The Serpina soldiers, though still panicked, began to reorganize themselves.
Airen let out a quiet sigh.
"…So you do insist on more bloodshed."

She had given them a chance to retreat, but she had never planned to surrender.
The real problem was—
Reika.

Airen was a warrior, someone who lived and breathed on the battlefield.
But Reika—she was not.
She was a noble lady, the daughter of the Nighhardt family.

More importantly—she was currently engaged in marriage discussions with Swen.
That meant Airen had to protect her, as well.
At that moment—

"Um… Lady Airen…."
"If you have something to say, save it for later. Do not move. It’s dangerous."
"But, um… I…"

"…?"
Reika took a deep breath.
Then, with a resolute expression, she spoke.

"I appreciate your concern, but… I will not be a burden to you, Lady Airen. So it’s okay."
"…?"
"So… could you please… step aside for a moment?"

…What?
If she moved aside, Reika would be exposed to the soldiers’ attacks.
But—

Her voice was too serious.
"Are you speaking the truth?"
"In a situation like this… I wouldn’t lie."

Did she have a plan?
Airen hesitated, then slowly stepped aside, just enough to clear Reika’s line of sight.
And then—

"……!!"
The sight before her was unbelievable.
The soldiers hadn’t noticed yet.

But from Reika’s hand—
A sphere of pure, burning red flame began to take form.
‘That’s—!’

"Charge!"
Reinforcements arrived, and the soldiers rushed toward them.
There were too many.

Would Reika really be okay—?
"Haaaaah…!"
Behind her, Reika let out a determined cry.

And then—
"That’s quite enough, gentlemen."
A familiar male voice echoed in Airen’s ears.

***
"Swen…!"
"Ah, S-Swen, sir…!"

Fortunately, my words immediately drew the attention of all the soldiers.
Seizing the moment, I pressed on to convey my intentions.
"It is Lady Serpina’s command. Do not attempt to restrain us any further."

"What? How can we possibly believe—"
Just as the lead soldier was about to react with hostility toward me—
"He speaks the truth."

A tall man with jet-black hair, starkly contrasting my own, stepped forward from behind me.
"Sir Irian…!"
So, his name was Irian.

We had briefly crossed paths on the way out of the royal capital. I had suspected that the soldiers wouldn’t listen to me, so I explained the situation to him and asked for his help. He had readily agreed, but I hadn't even thought to ask his name at the time.
As the soldier respectfully acknowledged Irian, he responded with a curt nod before raising his voice to address the troops.
"The order to restrain the Aishus envoy has been rescinded! This is the will of our lord! Return to your posts immediately!"

With Irian’s declaration, the situation swiftly de-escalated.
In the end, all the soldiers who had surrounded Airen and Reika withdrew from the scene.
"There are injured among you."

"It was self-defense."
At Airen’s remark, Irian gave a calm nod.
"I understand the situation well enough. You need not worry."

I stepped closer to him.
"Thank you for your assistance."
"Think nothing of it. If you’ll excuse me."

And with that, Irian turned away, tending to the injured soldiers as the ordeal came to a close.
Only then was I finally able to return to Airen and Reika.
"Swen, what happened? Are you alright?"

"Swen, sir…!"
The sheer worry evident in both their expressions made me feel oddly guilty.
"I’m fine. I made it back alive, at least… though I won’t be able to return to Valharat Castle anytime soon."

"Huh…? You won’t be able to return? What do you mean…?"
At Reika’s question, I explained everything that had transpired.
"I see. So, you were about to be imprisoned in the underground dungeons, and that’s why they attacked us as well."

"U-Underground dungeons…?! But Sir Swen was only here as an envoy…!"
"Of all people, it was Serpina von Eingart. It seems the rumors about her weren’t entirely unfounded."
At Airen’s words, I shook my head slightly.

"Not necessarily."
"Why do you think that?"
"I don’t know all the details, but at the very least, she accepted my proposal, didn’t she?"

Airen muttered, "I suppose," before quickly nodding in understanding.
Lately, I’d been getting the impression that she would believe me even if I claimed the sky was green.
"Anyway, I’m sorry. The two of you got caught up in this because of me."

"No, Swen. There’s nothing for you to apologize for. Honestly, I’m just glad I could follow you. If I had wasted time wandering around without knowing where you were, I would’ve felt terribly lost."
"I-I’m fine too…! I was prepared for this…! I talked everything through with my father beforehand, so… I think he’ll understand."
That was a relief.

I turned back toward the royal capital.
There was nothing more I could do now.
For better or worse, this battle’s outcome was no longer in my hands—or Serpina’s.

It was up to Yuri to make the final decision.
All that remained was to wait.
"I suppose I’ll be resting for a while."

Waiting had never been an issue for me.
Hadn’t I spent endless days idly biding my time before Luna had recommended me for my position?
With Airen and Reika at my side, I began walking back toward the royal capital.

And as I did, I let a silent question drift into the wind, one that would never reach its destination.
Lady Yuri.
What choice will you make?