I Became a Strategist with 100 Intelligence and 100% Accuracy

* * *

After the meeting ended, I checked the tasks that had been assigned to me.

“Commerce… huh.”

I don’t know what my political stats are, but regardless, I have to do what’s asked of me.

I’m not sure exactly what I need to do at the market…

Well, in this game, Intellect stats don’t really affect commerce anyway.

And to be honest, I don’t even know what I’m supposed to be doing.

When I was with the Lunarien Army, aside from one scouting mission, I mostly just kept to myself…

It’s embarrassing to admit, but Tifa and Luna handled all the wall repairs while Cain and I just helped out behind the scenes.

“Well, I’ll figure it out when I get to the market…”

Official duties will start the day after the meeting ends.

The Lunarien Army pretty much ran things haphazardly, but I guess big organizations are different.

Anyway, today’s work is done.

And she, Iren Julieat, who came with me…

Once again, she has no assigned duties.

While there are a few commanders in the Brance Army without tasks, they’re all pretty average C-rank officers…

Leaving Iren as the sole high-stat officer with nothing to do.

“…”

I silently followed her home without saying a word.

*

She only spoke once we reached her house.

Her usually expressionless face showed an unmistakable look of apology.

“I’m sorry, Swoen. It wasn’t that I wanted to ignore you, but I was worried about how people might treat you if they saw us getting too close in public.”

“Now you mention it, I already publicly agreed with Lady Iren in front of everyone.”

“Exactly! That’s what I wanted to ask!”

For some reason, Iren excitedly questioned me.

“Just what did you mean by that? About the Charan Army secretly plotting to betray us? Do you really believe that?”

Thanks, Iren, for asking the question I wanted to test.

I mentally inputted “Is the Charan Army planning to betray our army?” into my Intellect 100 system…

But the result came back as “Unknown.”

This wasn’t the first time I’d seen this result.

Back when I was hanging out with that uncle before joining the Lunarien Army, he asked me to predict whether he’d win or lose at gambling and got the same response.

In this game, an Intellect 100 strategist advises on matters of state and battle outcomes, not specific plots.

There must be some criteria I haven’t figured out yet, but once I gather enough data, I’ll understand better.

“And we should attack the Serpina Army’s territory in the north? What does that even mean? Isn’t it too reckless?”

I calmly replied to calm her down.

“Lady Iren, may I ask a question before answering yours?”

“…Go ahead.”

“Why do you believe we need to send troops to fortify the north?”

She sighed briefly before responding.

“Let’s sit down first.”

After removing her heavy armor, she took a seat at the table. I sat across from her, ready to listen.

“Do you know about the several months of intense battles between our army and the Serpina Army in the north recently?”

“I’ve heard about it.”

While I enjoyed peace at Jeilrant Castle, the Brance Army must have been hard at work battling the Serpina Army.

“We managed to defend ourselves somehow… But even in a defensive battle, we couldn’t efficiently repel the enemy forces. Though we won the immediate battle, in the long term, the Brance Army is actually losing ground.”

“So we’re being outspent in terms of resources?”

“That’s right.”

Impressive insight for someone skilled in siege warfare like Iren.

“There are quite a few people living in the north. While the central region, which makes up most of our territory, is good farmland, it’s still chaotic here. Even though things are peaceful around Anel Castle, many of the borderland residents have already been conscripted. With no quick way to raise more troops, I believe mobilizing 56,000 soldiers to suppress the Aishias Army is premature. I’m confident the Serpina Army will seize the opportunity to attack Kelshtain Castle again.”

With that, Iren excused herself to prepare tea, instructing me to “Wait a moment.”

As always, she was thorough. After a short while, she handed me a teacup filled with subtly smoky-scented tea.

“With Parphale supporting the proposal, it’s highly likely to pass. She’s the most trusted person in our army.”

“So that’s why you raised your hand?”

“That’s right.”

Ah, I see.

Knowing it would make her unpopular, she still raised her hand out of concern for the country. Even knowing Lord Lin wouldn’t appreciate it – not that she expects anything now – she still speaks her mind.

Truly, she’s a loyal subject. Unfortunately, in most timelines of this game, her loyalty ends tragically.

Will she die eventually because of her steadfast nature?

The one fact I know: “Lin Brance personally kills his incompatible subordinate commander, Iren Julieat.”

The pieces are slowly falling into place.

I cautiously asked the woman staring blankly at her teacup.

“…Lady Iren, forgive me if this is impertinent…”

“It’s fine. If a subordinate can’t hear criticism, there’s no room for growth. Speak freely.”

“If I may cut to the chase: do you know you’re disliked by your lord?”

“…”

She gave a wry smile.

“Yes, I’m aware.”

“Yet you remain loyal?”

“Yes.”

“Is there a reason?”

“…”

Iren Julieat.

S-rank commander. Red hair, purple eyes. Siege specialty and high martial prowess. The tragic commander eventually beheaded by her lord, Lin Brance.

That’s all the game tells us about her.

The tips are equally sparse: “If you want to use Iren, either play as Lin Brance directly or destroy the Brance Army quickly! However, even if the Brance Army falls, Iren rarely joins other factions, so patience is key!”

But…

Despite all that, Iren waits daily for her lord’s summons.

Knowing she’s disliked, she still gives sound advice for the country.

She’s kind to her subordinates, doesn’t overestimate her abilities, and never takes out her frustrations on others.

I find myself wondering:

Why does Iren remain so loyal to Lin Brance despite his dislike?

Not because of some generic “deep loyalty” character trait, but because the Iren sitting across from me – making tea, performing her duties diligently every day – doesn’t seem like someone who would betray her lord.

And I want to save her.

The fragile smile on her face makes me want to protect her.

“…This might get personal.”

She traced the rim of her teacup with her fingertip.

“It’s because of my father’s request.”

“My father?”

“Yes. When the empire fell and everyone scrambled for the prime real estate in the central region, the first to claim Anel Castle was none other than Orlend Brance, known as the imperial guardian.”

You must know Orlend Brance.

Though I’ve never played as him, he was already dead by the start of the game, leaving his third daughter Lin Brance to inherit the Brance Army.

“Orlend’s royal guard was my father, Kafka Julieat.”

I’ve never heard that name before.

Unlike Lin Brance, a major faction leader in the game, Iren was just a capable commander.

The game didn’t bother with detailed backstories for characters like her.

“The first day I picked up a sword, Father always said the same thing: we live for the Brance family. Our very existence is thanks to them. When Orlend was alive, our family prospered under his protection.”

I listened silently to her story.

“Father sacrificed himself protecting Orlend’s life.”

“What happened?”

“There was an assassination attempt on Orlend.”

Ah, I can picture it now.

“At that time, right after the empire’s collapse, people still identified as imperial citizens and many remained loyal to the Einhardt family. After Father died, Mother became ill and passed away shortly after.”

“So you’ve continued your father’s legacy… until now?”

“Yes.”

Iren looked at me more clearly than ever before.

Even faded, her pride shone brightly in her eyes.

“Serving the Brance family, living for the Brance family – working for Lin Brance, Orlend’s successor, feels completely natural to me. Don’t you agree, Swoen?”

“…”

Rather than reply “I disagree,” which wouldn’t convince her anyway, I silently sipped my tea.

In this game, Charm stat is crucial for recruiting officers.

With my plain appearance, my Charm is probably around 50-60.

The methods I used in-game to recruit top-tier commanders with Loyalty 100 come to mind:

1. Maximize Affection

2. Develop a special relationship

3. Use schemes to lower their loyalty to their current lord

Three options immediately spring to mind.

Though I have no idea how to apply these button-pressing strategies in this world, doing what I can is probably best.

Even if she has her reasons, there must be a way to bring Iren to our side.

“Let’s focus on increasing Affection first.”

With that decided, I carefully chose my words.

“I understand now. I comprehend why your loyalty to Lady Lin remains unwavering.”

“While I appreciate your understanding, I worry I might have burdened you with overly personal matters after only knowing you for a short time.”

“Not at all. Learning about Lady Iren is a wonderful experience for me.”

“…”

Iren’s pupils widened slightly before she turned her reddening face away.

Is she embarrassed?

Good reaction, considering it was meant to increase Affection.

“Hem… Anyway, my story is unimportant. Let’s move on to the main topic.”

Covering her mouth with her fist, she cleared her throat a few times before continuing.

“I’d like to know the reasoning behind the conclusion to attack the Serpina Army’s territory in the north.”

“Reasoning…”

Honestly, I don’t know either.

I just made deductions based on previous results – Parphale conveniently asked the right question at the right time, and the answer matched.

However, something significant must happen if that’s the optimal outcome.

“…”

I considered fabricating an explanation, but decided waiting until I have more certainty would be fine.

We’re not debating now, the plan has already been decided, and even if Iren understands, there’s nothing she can do about it.

“If it’s unclear, I still need more time to think. Could you give me a bit more time?”

“That’s fine.”

“Then that’s fortunate.”

No immediate answers needed – excellent.

I need to think about this alone.

At that moment.

“Swoen.”

“Yes?”

“…Thank you.”

She blushed slightly as she spoke.

Why?

Her previously formidable warrior demeanor now felt like that of a woman simply seeking support.

“Thank you for supporting my opinion… It’s the first time anyone has.”

I responded seriously.

“Lady Iren, please understand: I didn’t raise my hand out of pity for you. I did so because I genuinely believed your opinion was the most reasonable. Please keep that in mind.”

“…Understood.”

She smiled again.

This time, it wasn’t a fragile expression.

*

That Night.

After finishing her duties and leaving Iren to sleep,

I spread out the map of the northern region I had drawn and stared at it under the dim lantern light, lost in thought.

“Certainly, something will happen in the north.”

The optimal result predicted by my Intellect 100: attacking the north.

But no matter how I look at it, the angles don’t add up.

The northern castles are heavily garrisoned, and moving our troops there would create perfect opportunities for attacks on Kelshtain elsewhere.

Checking for variables related to newly constructed fortresses yielded nothing useful.

“Parphale had good reason to look confused.”

Even having cleared this game thousands of times, I find this scenario absurd.

Though using cheats to bring SS-ranked warriors and several castle-specialized commanders could make it feasible…

Such assumptions hold little meaning now.

Still.

If attacking the north truly is the most efficient method – then impossible events must occur.

I recalled every possible variable within the game.

Every conceivable event in the game.

From those, I selected situations where the Serpina Army encounters difficulties yet remains worth invading.

First, eliminate scenarios where invading wouldn’t significantly benefit our army.

Many “variables” disappeared at this stage.

I organized the remaining possibilities. Three in total.

First possibility: Natural disasters strike.

This game features natural disasters.

During gameplay, extremely unlucky players might experience earthquakes destroying their own castles – ridiculous compared to meteor impacts causing destruction, though meteors are technically possible in this magic-using world with its whimsical setting.

However, the probability is too low. Despite basing predictions on Intellect 100, recalling events I’ve rarely encountered during gameplay lacks credibility.

Unless this is the only possibility.

So let’s discard this one.

Second possibility: sudden death of the ruler.

Without naming successors, when rulers die, large nations often split into three or four parts.

Some players exploit this by repeatedly saving and loading to assassinate leaders of major countries.

National division naturally creates good timing for northern expansion.

But… Serpina dies?

She’s a key character surviving throughout the scenario, essentially the game’s representative.

In most timelines, she’s the absolute ruler unifying the continent.

Besides, she’s young and healthy.

Thus, this feels almost as improbable as natural disasters.

Alright.

Only one option remains:

Increased fronts requiring Serpina Army’s attention.

Meaning…

I marked O symbols on the two castles in the north.

Chorel Castle in the northwest, and Cherryen Castle in the northeast.

One of these two locations.

Somewhere among them…

“‘A rebellion… will break out?'”

Third possibility.

Coups leading to rebellions and uprisings within castles.

This feels like the correct answer.

* * *

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