Became a Strategist with a 100 Intelligence and 100\% Accuracy-Chapter 283: Such a Simple Thing...

Luna stared blankly at the broken quill pen in her hand, her eyes lifeless.

Right.

What was I doing here...?

I feel like I just had a conversation with someone.

...Ah. It was Violet. But why...?

Right... Jinor had been dispatched, and Violet had been acting as the temporary national strategist.

But...

Is that really so important?

Does it even matter?

Why did I rebuild the country?

To save the citizens who had fallen into despair?

Because I couldn’t let Serpina take the continent after killing my sister?

There were reasons for that, but... the real reason was because I wanted to be with that person again.

With that person, I thought I could build an ideal nation.

I wanted to repay that person because they saved my life. They were the only one who ever chose me when no one else would.

That person knows.

They know that Serpina is the one who killed my sister.

They must know, so why... why make that choice?

――I was the first to be chosen by Swen.

I was the first.

I was the first to meet Swen, the first to make him my strategist... Everything was supposed to be mine!

The broken pen doesn't answer.

The broken heart doesn't answer.

It's not that it can't—it's that it won't.

'Why...'

Why.

Why, that word keeps stabbing at her mind like a needle.

'Why did you accept her offer...?'

A position he could have easily refused... why did he take it?

Why... Why would someone who should only be my strategist take that hateful woman's side...?

Crack.

'...!!!'

Only after the quill broke in her hand, shattering into pieces, did Luna begin to regain her senses.

Once her reason returned, a painful conclusion began to form in Luna's mind.

'Did you... decide to serve Serpina as your lord?'

Even though our army had resurfaced on the map.

Even though we had defeated Karelia.

The fact that he became Serpina's national strategist instead of coming back— when Luna considered the information she had, it seemed like the most likely explanation.

She had hoped it wasn’t true.

Someone like Swen would never willingly serve a wicked woman like Serpina, she had thought.

So, she thought he must have been threatened. That explanation fit with Luna’s understanding of the situation.

Still...

The fact that he accepted the position of national strategist meant it wasn’t just a matter of being coerced—Luna could tell that much.

Serpina wasn’t a fool.

Of course, Luna knew there were women like Yuri, {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} who, despite seeming fine on the surface, made irrational decisions. But if Serpina had been such a woman, she wouldn’t have been able to conquer the northern continent. Luna knew that much for sure.

If Swen had made the decision to serve Serpina...

Then she had to respect it.

Of course, he had promised to return. But when she thought about it, all she had done was receive things from Swen.

It was him who had saved her life when she nearly died.

It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that Swen had already done everything he could for her.

It was Swen who had given her another chance to aim for the world.

She had received everything, literally everything.

Her life, her opportunity, her will to move forward.

So—

He had saved her life and the lives of Tifa and Cain.

And through his advice, he had helped create the "new Lunarian Army."

Just those things alone should have been enough for Luna to support Swen’s new decision.

That’s what any person would do, and it was her duty to accept and support him. ƒrēenovelkiss.com

'I... I... I can't let go of Swen.'

Luna couldn’t release the thread that was Swen.

If she accepted that he had chosen Serpina over her, she would truly break.

She would feel as though everything she had worked for was crashing down.

As a ruler, she would feel utterly helpless, unable to do anything.

The one light she had looked up to as she climbed to this position—

She had never once imagined a future where someone other than Swen was her strategist.

That’s why...

She shifted her thoughts elsewhere.

'...Wait.'

If Swen really did decide to serve Serpina, why would he send Jinor here?

Someone like Jinor would have naturally been guided to serve Serpina, right?

But instead, he had sent him to serve her. Thanks to that, they were able to capture the remnants of Karelia in time.

A small doubt sparked inside her, swirling in her mind like a whirlwind.

It was hope. A tiny hope.

A self-defense mechanism created by Luna's instinct to maintain her sanity and her absolute trust that "Swen must have had a plan."

'So... originally... wasn't he planning to come back to our army?'

Jinor and the mercenaries—everything pointed to a large picture that Swen had drawn.

"Don’t miss the opportunity"—that phrase had been part of the plan. It was because of that advice that Luna had been able to seize the opportunity and absorb the Karelia army.

So, when they first made a promise, Swen must have been determined to return to her side.

With that conclusion in mind, Luna began to understand Swen’s actions.

From Brans’ army to Aishus, then to Serpina’s—moving from one nation to another seemed natural. Swen had planned to return to their army.

However, for some reason, Swen had decided to stay by Serpina’s side.

Receiving the position of national strategist must have been his decision. But why?

Had he been deceived by Serpina? No, Serpina was clever, but she couldn’t fool someone like Swen.

If he wasn’t deceived... then the reason was...

'...He’s being used.'

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Swen’s kind and gentle heart is being exploited by the wicked Serpina, who uses her sly tongue to manipulate him.

At least for Luna, it was a given that Swen was kind. No one who wasn’t kind could throw their life away for another.

Swen, feeling pity for Serpina, could not bring himself to abandon her, so he stayed by her side, but...

Did he really want to return here...?

'...!!'

Luna jumped out of her chair and stood up quickly.

The lifelessness in her eyes began to slowly return.

'Yes! Swen is being used! For some reason, he must have felt pity for Serpina... He couldn’t leave her side, and now he's stuck there!'

She must have used every method she could think of.

Serpina was an infamous villain, but if there was one thing to acknowledge, it was that she was an extremely charismatic woman.

Luna remembered hearing from her late sister that Serpina was the most beautiful woman she had ever met.

Of course, Luna didn’t believe for a second that Swen would be swayed by something as shallow as a woman's beauty. But if Serpina was pretending to be a tragic woman, Swen’s kind heart might have been moved by that.

So, after trapping him with pity, she kept him by her side?

Of course, Swen’s extraordinary abilities were her true aim.

As Luna thought this, the tangled mess in her mind cleared up in an instant.

Yes.

It was all her fault.

The wicked demoness, Serpina von Eingart, who would never be cursed enough.

'Serpina...!!!'

Luna clenched her trembling fist tightly.

For her desire for the throne, she killed her brothers with her own hands.

She slaughtered countless citizens, plunging the continent into the deepest pit of despair in no time.

Not only did she kill her own sister just because she was related to her brother, but now she’s after my Swen...?

'I won’t... I can’t let her do this...!!'

When she thought about it, the answer was painfully simple.

Luna had killed Karelia, who was like her benefactor, to seize the opportunity and show herself again on the continent.

Karelia was the one who had kept Luna from becoming who she was. If Luna had saved her, the chaos might not have been solved so quickly. Perhaps she would have been pushed back and ended up dying in defeat.

It was the same thing.

Just like she killed Karelia to seize the opportunity, if Luna wanted to keep Swen by her side,

She only needed to kill the one standing in her way— Serpina von Eingart.

This was much easier than dealing with Karelia. Karelia was a benefactor, but Serpina was a villain who deserved to die.

Thud.

Luna collapsed back into her chair.

Yes.

If she wanted to obtain what she desired... she could simply kill whatever stood in her way.

Why did she waste time thinking about such a simple thing?

She opened her mouth and laughed loudly.

Tears, for reasons she didn’t understand, started to well up in her ruby-colored eyes.

"Swen... just wait a little longer, just a little longer. I’ll kill that wicked witch who’s confusing your heart with my own hands, and I’ll bring you back... just like you saved me..."

If anything stood in her way, whether it was anyone...

She would kill them all.

Muttering to herself, tears continued to roll down her cheeks.

At this moment, Luna realized the "very simple truth."

One undeniable fact was that this made her a ruler who was getting closer to unifying the continent.

--- Everything was going exactly as predicted by the terrifying intelligence of 100.

***

In the royal hall of the Eingart kingdom,

I was discussing the full-scale occupation plan of Chel’s army with Serpina.

"Are you talking about replacing Airen?"

"Yes. I think it would be more efficient to return General Airen to his original role as deputy commander of the occupying forces."

While she was the most suitable person to protect Serpina,

Frankly speaking, using her only as a bodyguard was extremely inefficient, and Serpina understood that better than anyone.

"I agree with that, but... well, I’m still cautious about who to trust."

Serpina said that while resting her chin on her hand.

It was understandable. A woman who had almost been killed by someone she trusted would likely never fully understand what it means to trust again.

"If you don’t have anyone in mind for the successor, perhaps I should appoint someone myself."

"You, Swen?"

"Yes."

There was one person I had in mind.

Someone with decent swordsmanship, who probably wouldn’t betray, and someone who wouldn’t be a problem even if they didn’t participate in the occupying forces.

"Not anyone else, but if it’s your recommendation, Swen, I trust it. Tell me."

I answered without looking away from Serpina's gaze.

"Appoint Janis al Kasky as a bodyguard."