I Became a Strategist with 100 Intelligence and 100% Accuracy

As I was lost in thought, Serpina made the first move once again.

“As always, it seems something has come up.”

“…There is indeed something, but the fact that we will win has not changed.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“It means the fact that our army will win hasn’t changed.”

“In that case, isn’t there no problem?”

Well, thinking generally, it would be so…

But when such results appear, it usually means we gain victory at the cost of losing something.

Still, one thing was certain—

‘Serpina will surely be unharmed.’

If anything bad had happened to Serpina, the result wouldn’t have been lukewarm like this. Instead, a prediction like ‘an overwhelmingly advantageous outcome for our side’ would’ve emerged.

But then, what exactly are we losing?

Nevertheless—if such conditions have arisen, it’s necessary to understand Serpina’s intentions as the decision-maker.

“My Lord, I’d appreciate if you could explain a few things.”

“I was prepared to do so already. Ask whatever you wish.”

Great.

Let’s try again—fitting the pieces together, just like I’ve done countless times since coming here.

“In that case, it’s fortunate. First question…”

* * *

Alcanwood Castle, which had effectively become the capital of the Chel Army.

After gathering all the troops from various territories into one place, the first thing Chel did was personally take charge of their training.

Though it was unprecedented for a monarch to manage soldiers in the barracks, fortunately, this action played a significant role in maintaining morale within the ranks.

The soldiers of the Chel Army weren’t fools—they knew full well that even with this united force, they couldn’t defeat Serpina’s massive army.

Yet, seeing the man once known as Brance’s greatest swordsman step forward and encourage them meant something special to those who had long served under the Brance Army.

Not hoping for miracles—but perhaps they could deal a heavy blow to Serpina’s forces.

Indeed, as a commander-turned-monarch, Chel was successfully instilling a noble “combat consciousness” among the troops facing an overwhelmingly unfavorable battle.

It wasn’t just the soldiers; the remaining officers felt the same way. After Chel himself declared that if he valued his life, he might as well resign, everyone was resolutely prepared to dedicate their lives entirely to this battle.

If miracles existed, the current state of the Chel Army was perfectly poised to bring one about.

Even so…

Chel remained acutely aware of the present situation, far more coldly than ever before.

“At this level… I can probably deal some damage to Serpina.”

He hadn’t entertained thoughts of winning.

Only inflicting severe damage on Serpina.

And preventing her continental expansion, even if only slightly.

This wasn’t for his siblings like Lin or Kalintz, nor for the continent’s territorial people.

It was simply the last shred of pride of a man who had fought on the battlefield all his life.

Serpina would find him a particularly difficult opponent.

Had she harbored other ambitions, she could’ve pressured the Chel Army in various ways.

There was truth to the saying: the most fearsome ones are those with nothing left to lose.

One day, while boosting the soldiers’ morale through intense daily training…

“Serpina’s army is approaching, correct?”

“Y-Yes!”

At the words of a soldier wearing a red armband, Chel calmly asked,

“How many troops?”

“About 148,000…”

“Hmm…”

On our side, we had gathered a total of 80,000.

Though fewer than the expected 160,000—

“That girl must’ve done her best with what she had.”

Managing a large-scale army wasn’t easy.

Especially for attacking Alcanwood Castle, situated amidst rugged mountains rather than flat terrain.

The more troops, the harder it became to manage supplies, slower the advance speed, and unnecessary with siege weapons anyway.

Plus, they had hidden cards beyond mere numbers, so she likely avoided unnecessarily expanding the scale.

“Well, doesn’t matter. I’ll make her regret not mobilizing 200,000.”

“Who’s the general-in-chief?”

“Serpina as general-in-chief, Swoen as chief of staff, and Cranfis leading the vanguard.”

“Seems like the man I’ll face will be Cranfis.”

Cranfis alone wasn’t enough.

Honest truth? He wanted at least two or three commanders from the occupation force joining him on his trip to hell.

“What do you plan to do?”

“I’ll intercept near the castle walls. Go tell everyone the time has come; prepare accordingly.”

“Understood!”

With the messenger gone,

Chel slowly reached for the sword at his waist.

Pausing briefly, he drew it out, recalling the days when he roamed the continent to conquer the central lands.

“Likely, this will be my final battle.”

Being born a warrior was good.

Enjoyed staining enemy blades with blood far more than dealing with complicated politics.

Even ending up like this against all odds, thinking this final journey would end in a clash with the infamous Serpina brought him a strangely satisfying feeling.

“…Let’s go.”

Muttering quietly, Chel slowly exited the royal palace.

* * *

Outskirts of Alcanwood Castle.

Amidst the battlefield thick with tension, Cranfis, leading the vanguard and acting as commander of the occupying forces, was making the final assessment of the enemy situation.

“Commander.”

Addressing him was Irian, standing guard beside him. Since stepping down from her temporary ladyship role, she had resumed formal address toward Cranfis.

“Our lord has ordered us to charge whenever the time comes.”

“…How about the ‘siege weapons’ mentioned by our lord?”

“They’re ready.”

Irian cautiously offered her opinion.

“What do you think about the possibility of interception?”

“There’s a high chance they’ll send out a small force to counter our siege weapons. But I believe they’ll resort to a siege.”

“Are you sure?”

“Chel isn’t stupid. Though he may seem reckless at times, he doesn’t throw himself into disadvantageous battles lightly… Miss Reika?”

“She’s reportedly prepared, but I doubt she’ll need to step in this time.”

“I agree with your assessment.”

Reika’s magic was effective only within a certain range. Though powerful, exposing her position recklessly was problematic, especially against a mobile tactician like Chel, who might target her relentlessly. Also, pinpointing enemy buildings amidst the chaos of battle wasn’t easy.

Of course, considering our own ‘preparations,’ Reika didn’t need to step forward.

“Our lord also instructed us to focus mainly on the siege weapons he prepared.”

“Understood. Where is General Iren?”

“He seems to be handling a separate mission… Beyond that, I’m not sure.”

“I see.”

Our deputy commander handled his duties admirably, so there was no need to worry too much. Intercepting forces were almost guaranteed to include Chel, resulting in considerable sacrifices, but if we could eliminate that small interception force, we’d have free rein to use magic or siege weapons against the besieged troops—

Having completed his rough calculations, Cranfis nodded slowly and looked at Irian.

“General Irian, please proceed as planned.”

“Yes!”

Just as Cranfis was preparing to commence the formal siege with the siege weapons at the forefront—

“…Huh?”

“The gates are opening!”

Despite the siege preparations being incomplete, troops were pouring out of Alcanwood Castle.

“…So the interception force is coming out earlier than expected?”

This itself was within expectations, but there was one key difference—

“The number of troops…!”

“They’re swarming out!!”

The number of troops exceeded expectations!

* * *

Outskirts of Alcanwood Castle where the battle began.

WAAAAAAAH!!!

“CHARGE! Burn them all to ashes!”

“Damn!!!”

Among the chaotic battlefield, none shone brighter than Chel Brance.

Chel was cutting down Serpina’s soldiers at the very front lines of the vanguard.

“Don’t run!”

“Don’t lose your cool!”

Despite the efforts of Serpina’s officers to maintain control, the sight of a death-bringer slashing through enemies on horseback was pure terror.

While clearing the vanguard, a Chel soldier quickly approached.

“General!”

“What is it?”

“It seems… the mage hasn’t appeared!”

The one thing Chel was most concerned about was the mage.

Though he hadn’t witnessed the mage’s combat style directly, based on rumors, it was reasonable to assume the mage couldn’t cast spells from outside a certain distance.

During a siege, the mage would likely pose a greater threat than siege weapons. How could anyone counter a barrage of fireballs?

Facing such overwhelming asymmetric power, Chel chose an absurd strategy:

Instead of holding a siege, he mixed all his troops with the enemy’s.

In short—Chel abandoned defending Alcanwood Castle!

Determined solely to inflict damage on Serpina’s forces!

Since losing it was inevitable, mixing all troops with the enemy was the only way to minimize losses from magic.

Thus, a defense force with no intention of defending was born.

This bizarre strategy of Chel’s effectively disrupted Serpina’s formation.

—Up until now, everything had gone according to Chel’s plan.

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