Became a Strategist with a 100 Intelligence and 100\% Accuracy-Chapter 186: Overwritten Karma (1)

After that day.

By Serpina’s command, approximately 13,000 Capital Defense Troops were mobilized to march towards Roze Castle, where Airen was stationed.

Serpina herself led the army, and I was assigned as one of her adjutants. Meanwhile, Jenna, the nation’s chief strategist, was left in charge of managing Eingart Castle.

Jenna was the most suitable person for this role, not only because she possessed the basic abilities required of a chief strategist but also because she had experience overseeing Eingart Castle when Serpina and the occupation forces advanced into the central continent.

From what I heard, she had even given Serpina a highly logical piece of advice—

[“The troops stationed in Roze Castle should be sufficient. Dispatching additional reinforcements may end up being nothing more than a waste of military supplies.”]

Yet, Serpina dismissed her counsel and took action regardless.

In the end, it was clear that she trusted me more than she did her chief strategist.

Whether I should feel grateful for that or guilty, I wasn’t quite sure.

And so, the day of departure arrived.

["Take care. It feels a little unsettling for even me to be leaving the castle."]

["Ah, no...! Please send my regards to Lady Airen, Sir Swen...!"]

With Reika and the maids seeing me off, I joined the unit and immediately set off toward Roze Castle.

After passing through the castle gates and traveling some distance, I turned back to gaze at Eingart Castle.

At the peak of its towering spire, a golden-yellow banner, nearly resembling pure gold, fluttered in the wind—a symbol of Serpina’s forces.

At least on the surface, the castle still maintained its overwhelming presence as the largest and most prosperous fortress of the empire—no, of the entire continent. Watching that grand structure rising from the heart of the river island, I once again pondered my predictions.

Just what kind of event was bound to occur if Serpina hadn’t left the castle?

Why was her life in danger had she remained there?

And more importantly—

Why did the fate of this nation hinge on Serpina’s disappearance for it to achieve unification?

Naturally, my thoughts drifted to the woman named Serpina.

Regardless of personal opinions about her, one undeniable fact was that she was an exceptionally capable ruler.

She did not belittle her generals, meticulously took care of those on her side, had a sharp eye for the tides of war, made mostly sound decisions, and, rather than being swayed by her established officials, she was willing to listen to new voices.

A ruler like that... being incapable of achieving unification made little sense to me.

And even more perplexing—why was the only path to this country’s unification contingent on her stepping down from the throne?

[Am I... missing something?]

My predictions were absolute.

I had felt that most deeply when I served as Luna’s chief strategist.

When Tifa discovered the treasure chest, and the mercenary corps joined us precisely after we distributed the funds, it had sent shivers down my spine.

So there must be a valid reason why Serpina cannot unify the continent.

But what could that be?

I felt as though I was just one step away from uncovering the answer.

Just a little more thought... a few more puzzle pieces, and I could grasp the full picture.

[...Forget it. I’ll sort this out later.]

For now, one thing was certain.

Serpina’s fate had once again been altered because of my interference.

She would survive.

Her nation, on the other hand, would lose another opportunity to become the empire that would unify the continent.

Still, I felt neither guilt nor remorse over it.

Frankly speaking, which country ended up becoming the unified empire was a secondary matter to me.

What truly mattered—was that I wanted to keep Serpina alive.

Several days passed.

Compared to the massive scale of Eingart Castle, Roze Castle was utterly insignificant in size.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by Airen.

["You’ve arrived, my lord."]

Flanked by Irian and several other officers, Airen stood at attention. Seeing them lined up like that, I was once again struck by how much Airen had risen through the ranks.

["You’ve worked hard, Airen."]

["Not at all. I am merely fulfilling my duties."]

From afar, Airen’s composed demeanor was both familiar and foreign to me.

It was difficult to put into words, but...

To be precise, seeing her display such discipline felt slightly odd to me now.

Because the Airen I knew—

["I’d like a full report on the current situation."]

["Yes. I will personally brief you from the watchtower. This way—"]

["Before that, how about a moment for greetings?"]

["...?"]

Serpina, wearing a faint smile, tilted her head slightly backward.

Airen, puzzled, blinked at her in confusion.

And I, hesitating for a moment, carefully greeted her.

["Hello."]

["Ah... S-Swen?"]

["We’ll go ahead. Take your time and catch up."]

After saying that, Serpina brushed past Airen and walked ahead.

It didn’t feel bad.

At this point, I had come to understand that this was Serpina’s way of being considerate.

Besides, even if Airen didn’t accompany her, there were plenty of other officers—like Irian—who could attend to her needs. There was no reason to reject this small gesture.

I stepped closer to Airen, who was still standing there, frozen in place.

["How have you been?"]

["Huh? Oh, well... I’ve been fine."]

Airen’s face flushed red as she lowered her head, looking flustered.

...Hah.

Why is she so adorable?

A woman who was as firm as steel in my absence would melt into the softest form of herself when standing before me.

It was unbearably cute.

I made no effort to hide my feelings.

["I missed you."]

["W-what?! Oh... ah, um, I... I missed you too..."]

["I’m relieved to see you’re doing well. I was worried you might be overworking yourself again."]

["I’m fine. Swen, the promise I made with you—I haven’t forgotten it for even a single moment. I swore I wouldn’t put myself in danger."]

["Good job."]

I felt so proud of her that, without hesitation, I reached out and gently patted her head.

Airen did not reject my touch. Instead, like a well-behaved puppy, she slightly moved her head in response, letting me stroke her hair.

...Adorable.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

For a while, she simply enjoyed my touch. Then, as if suddenly regaining her senses, she cleared her throat a few times before speaking in her usual composed tone.

["By the way... may I ask you something?"]

["What is it?"]

["The rebel forces aren’t that large, and even if you hadn’t come, we could have won without issue. So why did you send reinforcements? In fact, there are some concerns that this has actually put our operations at a disadvantage."]

Airen’s words were logical.

The occupation forces already had enough troops, and considering that Serpina’s elite units made up the bulk of those forces, taking down a mere rebel force that had captured a single castle should not have been a challenge.

This decision was made solely to ensure Serpina’s survival—nothing more, nothing less.

To an outsider, it probably looked like an unnecessary waste of supplies.

For a moment, I considered persuading her with logic. But in the end, I decided against it.

There was no need to overcomplicate things.

Especially not when the person I was speaking to was Airen.

["I suggested it."]

["Oh?"]

["Yes. Because I judged it to be the right choice."]

Hearing my words, Airen nodded without hesitation.

["If it was your suggestion, Swen, then there must be a reason behind it. Understood. I will ensure the troops cooperate. I will also explain it properly to my subordinates."]

After that fateful day when the meteor fell, Airen had come to trust me unconditionally.

At times, I even thought—

If she were a ruler, she might have been able to make only the best possible choices without difficulty.

...

Since she trusted me so deeply... perhaps I should tell her.

Rather than keeping these thoughts to myself and reaching conclusions alone, it would be better to share them with someone I could rely on.

And that person was Airen.

The idea of her betraying me was something I couldn’t even imagine—nor did I want to.

I refused to factor in the possibility of her trust wavering. If I ever had to weigh that as a variable, I would rather stand and die where I was.

["Lady Airen."]

["Hm?"]

["There’s something I need to tell you. Do you have a moment?"]

Airen, seeing the seriousness in my expression, glanced around.

Everyone else was occupied following Serpina, leaving us enough space to talk in private.

["What is it?"]

["I believe that Lady Serpina is in danger."]

["...!!!"]

Yes.

From the moment I left Eingart Castle, this thought had dominated my mind.

‘If Serpina had stayed in Eingart Castle, she would have been in danger.’

Unification of the empire meant that she would die.

She was not fated to become the ruler of a unified nation. This situation was the same as before.

Then why would she die?

What kind of death was she avoiding simply by marching here?

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One possibility was an earthquake striking Eingart Castle.

If the royal castle collapsed, it would be no surprise if Serpina, who worked inside, perished as well.

So far, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, which lowered the likelihood of that scenario.

But it couldn’t be ruled out entirely—not even on our way back.

It was similar to that landslide from before.

Of course, this was only one possibility, and the probability was incredibly low.

It was called a natural disaster for a reason.

The meteor, the landslide—

They had been so conveniently placed, perfectly timed, that I couldn’t help but consider them. But I reminded myself not to forget just how low those odds were.

And if an earthquake truly were to occur, Serpina wouldn’t be the only one to die. The damage would be catastrophic.

In that case, my prediction could have been slightly off.

It wasn’t an illness or a sudden outbreak of disease either.

If that were the case, moving her «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» here wouldn’t have helped avoid it.

If I had to force the ‘disease’ scenario into my predictions, it would be something like—

[‘After she leaves, a sudden plague sweeps through Eingart Castle.’]

But, like the earthquake theory, this was something that needed further observation.

And, like the earthquake, the chances were incredibly low.

So, what was the most likely explanation given the circumstances?

What conclusion made the most sense when considering all the events leading up to this moment?

["I can’t say for certain..."]

["...?"]

["But I believe there are forces inside the royal castle plotting to assassinate Lady Serpina."]

Airen’s eyes widened in shock.

["What... did you just say?"]

The conclusion I had reached.

["If she had remained in the castle... Serpina would have been assassinated."]