Became a Strategist with a 100 Intelligence and 100\% Accuracy-Chapter 231: Against the Aishus Army, the Retreat from the Border (2)
"Did you just say there was an order to withdraw all troops?"
"Yes, sir."
Cransis, the supreme commander of the occupying forces and the current acting lord of Hisphil Castle, responded in a tone of disbelief.
"I distinctly remember reporting to our lord that the Aishus Army's movements were unusual, did I not?"
"That’s correct, I did deliver the message..."
"And yet, the response I received was to pull back the troops?"
"Yes, sir."
"Hah..."
Cransis sat back on the lord’s seat, his expression growing grave.
'Of all people, my lord is not someone to issue meaningless orders. However...'
To retreat from a battle where we have a solid chance of victory in a siege defense?
Does this mean... my lord does not trust me?
If the one currently serving as the castle’s lord were deemed unreliable, then such an order wouldn’t be entirely surprising.
However, that hypothesis collapsed far too easily.
If she didn’t trust me, why would she assign me as the acting lord of such a crucial strategic position as Hisphil Castle?
If we lose Hisphil Castle, we will be forced to retreat north once more.
The territories above are too small to mount a successful defense, which means...
There’s a high chance we’ll be pushed all the way back to Kelstein Castle.
Wouldn’t that mean everything would return to how it was before we ever set foot on the central continent?
The central continent was conquered through the blood of countless soldiers. No matter how many times he thought about it, Cransis did not want to retreat like this.
'Or... is this because of that white-haired man again?'
Swen, the white-haired tactician who had grown increasingly close to Serpina lately.
Since he joined our army, Serpina’s inexplicable orders had increased.
Cransis was somewhat acquainted with the man. He had opposed the idea of an invasion.
Back then, a rebellion had just broken out, so his reasoning made sense. But even then, it felt like mere coincidence at best. And now, he was once again advocating against an invasion.
To the extent that he seemed completely uninterested in unifying the continent.
From the beginning, Cransis had been one of those who did not trust Swen.
How could anyone trust a man who had changed his allegiance so many times?
Moreover, he remembered it clearly. The decisive battle at the northern fortress of Kelstein Castle, the one that ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) left Julian so exhausted and broken that he was no longer able to serve as a general.
It was that man who had ordered the boulders to be dropped in that battle.
Of course, in turbulent times, switching allegiances wasn’t necessarily a grave flaw. But even so, how could he be trusted?
The man who had joined our forces yet constantly insisted we remain in the northern continent.
Honestly, Cransis did not believe Swen was truly working for Serpina.
He kept delaying any moves toward continental expansion. Could it be that he had another master he was truly serving?
Cransis had not simply sat idly by. He had even gone as far as investigating Swen, wondering if there were any signs of secret meetings.
Yet, not only did he fail to find evidence of such meetings, but the man didn’t even exchange letters with outside contacts. He actively avoided communication.
With no proof at hand, Cransis had no choice but to watch as the female knight Airen and the magician Reika, whom Swen had seemingly discovered, became key figures in Serpina’s army.
It was an uneasy situation... but Cransis had no grounds to object.
'I’d like to discuss this with the tactician...'
Just as Cransis was deep in thought—
"Ah, there’s another message I need to deliver."
"What is it?"
The soldier standing before him bowed his head deeply before answering.
"Along with the troop withdrawal, there was an order to relocate the territory’s residents to the unclaimed lands of the northern continent."
"...What?"
At that moment, all the calculations in his mind became useless.
This wasn’t merely an order to avoid battle?
"Did you not receive any reasoning behind this?"
"They only said it was to develop the unclaimed territories..."
"Hah."
Forcing long-settled residents to abandon their lands would inevitably lead to a sharp decline in public morale.
Of course, there was some strategic merit to this decision. The new ruler of this land would be left with a ghost town, its population completely wiped out. From a tactical standpoint, it wasn’t entirely foolish... assuming the castle was truly being abandoned.
'But the losses are far too great to justify it...'
Was Swen somehow connected to this bizarre command as well?
He considered it further, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized this problem was beyond his own understanding. Cransis quickly turned to the soldier.
"Where is the tactician now?"
"I believe he is at Kelstein Castle at the moment."
Fortunately, that wasn’t too far away.
"I apologize, but could you head there immediately? If possible, let him know that I wish to speak with him as soon as possible. I will personally report to our lord about the response."
"Yes, sir!"
After sending the soldier away, Cransis leaned back against the throne.
What exactly is Lady Serpina thinking...?
At some point, Cransis had begun to find it difficult to read her thoughts.
***
How many days had passed since then?
"I heard you were looking for me, Lord Cransis."
"You’ve arrived, tactician."
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
Cransis greeted the nation's tactician, Jenna, with a handshake as she entered the audience chamber.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, he laid out his concerns to her.
"Our lord has ordered all troops to withdraw beyond the border, is that correct?"
"That is correct. In addition to that—"
"The order also includes relocating the territory’s residents, doesn’t it?"
"...Yes."
"..."
Jenna fell silent, deep in thought.
As far as she knew, there was no need to relocate people to the unclaimed lands of the north. The land was barren and undeveloped for good reason—no matter how many settlers were sent there, it was unsuitable for farming.
It wasn’t particularly viable for mining operations either.
It was an order that seemed to make little sense.
As she pondered, Cransis’s voice broke through her thoughts.
"Could this be Swen’s influence?"
"You mean Lord Swen?"
"You are well aware, are you not? Our lord has been keeping Swen unusually close."
There was no way Jenna, as the nation’s tactician, was unaware of the rumors surrounding Swen.
Indeed.
When Cransis first raised the question, he had expected Jenna to help him figure out how to convince their lord to allow them to hold a defensive battle against Aishus instead.
However, the answer she gave was entirely unexpected.
"In that case, we have no choice but to withdraw."
"...What? Tactician, what are you—"
"Lord Cransis."
Jenna nodded as if she already understood what he was about to say.
"I understand. However, now is not the time to keep him in check. Now is the time to use him to our advantage."
"Use him? But... is this truly using him? We’re abandoning a battle we have a solid chance of winning. Are we truly going to hand over Hisphil Castle—obtained at the cost of our comrades' blood—without so much as a fight?"
"I cannot provide you with definitive proof... but based on past experiences, I do not believe he is deliberately acting against our army. If his goal was to harm us, wouldn’t there be far more effective ways to do so than simply abandoning a couple of territories?"
"More effective ways?"
"If Lord Swen truly held a hostile stance toward us, and if Lady Serpina were blindly following his every word, then surely you, Lord Cransis, would be able to think of a far more efficient way for him to bring about our downfall."
"That... well, you’re right, but..."
"Furthermore, General Airen and the mage Reika maintain a close relationship with him. Rather than carelessly provoking him in this situation, it would be far more beneficial to actively support him and solidify his place as an essential figure within Serpina’s army."
"Even so, is abandoning this battle truly the right decision?"
"No."
Jenna’s response was firm.
"If this was merely about retreating from battle, I would be in complete agreement with you, Lord Cransis. However... hearing that the residents are being relocated has changed my perspective."
"...What?"
"I suspect that our lord’s true intention is not simply to abandon Hisphil Castle."
"...???"
"Apologies. I would like to explain in detail, but I have yet to organize my thoughts on the matter. Still, there’s no need to worry too much."
Cransis wanted to press for more details, but...
Well, it wasn’t Swen saying this—it was Jenna, the nation’s tactician, someone who had been devoted to their cause from the beginning.
Her words could be trusted.
"...Understood. I will follow our lord’s orders."
"That would be wise."
Cransis had only been hesitant because of Swen’s involvement, but he had no intention of opposing Serpina.
He was well aware of how tirelessly she worked to fulfill her duties.
As she left the audience chamber, Jenna fell into thought.
'Perhaps...'
Perhaps Serpina was once again about to create a miracle that no one had anticipated.
And if this was not Serpina’s plan, but rather something influenced by Swen—if she was acting based on his counsel—
'...No need to jump to conclusions. The results will come first.'
She had already visited Kelstein Castle. It was time to return to Eingart Castle.
Whether she liked it or not, once she returned, she would be able to grasp the full picture of what was happening.
She had been away for too long—there would be much to catch up on.
"Oh, tactician."
As she exited the castle, Meri was there to greet her.
It seemed she had been waiting the entire time Jenna had been speaking with Cransis.
"Sorry for the wait, Meri."
"It’s alright. This is my duty."
"Shall we go?"
"Yes!"
And so, Jenna finally completed her long deployment—
Taking her first steps back to where a nation’s tactician belonged—right beside her lord.
