Became a Strategist with a 100 Intelligence and 100% Accuracy

Chapter 10

"You want to put that old man in charge of the vanguard? Then what about me?"

Tifa asked while staring at the map of Zeilant and its surrounding areas spread across the table.
I tapped the spot marking the castle and replied.

"Lady Tifa, you will stay within the castle and defend the territory with 2,000 soldiers."

"Wait… just a moment," Kane interjected, wiping cold sweat from his brow.
"If Tifa is given 2,000 soldiers for defense, then what about me, leading the vanguard?"

"You will go out with the remaining troops," I said.

Kane’s expression turned to one of sheer disbelief as he asked,
"If 2,000 soldiers are stationed in Zeilant for defense, then even if we scrape together every available soldier for the vanguard, there’ll only be about 1,300 left. Am I mistaken?"

"No, you’re correct."

Which meant, essentially, that I was proposing:

1. Assign a mere 1,300 soldiers to Kane, an administrator-type general not suited for battle, to face an army of 8,000.
2. Station 2,000 soldiers within the castle as a defensive force, led by Tifa, our strongest fighter.

Even a child could see how nonsensical this strategy was.
Honestly, I didn’t understand it myself.

But my mind—my 100 Intelligence—kept insisting: "This is the optimal course of action."

"Swen," Kane said, his voice tinged with suspicion, "do you hold some kind of grudge against me? Because all I’m hearing is that you want me to act as bait and die out there."

"Yeah! If Kane is on the vanguard, he’ll definitely get killed! I’ll take the vanguard instead!" Tifa exclaimed.

"That won’t do. Lady Tifa, you must focus on defending the territory," I said firmly.

"Why not?!" Tifa shouted, visibly frustrated.

"You owe us an explanation! If you have a plan, say you have a plan! If you have a strategy, lay it out for us. We’re on the same side, aren’t we? We should be sharing information, not keeping each other in the dark!"

She wasn’t wrong. She was absolutely, 100% right.
I wanted nothing more than to tell them everything, to reassure them: "Trust me; it’ll all work out somehow."

But what could I say?
I only knew the outcome, not the process. My Intelligence didn’t provide me with the specifics of how things would play out.

As a strategist, my job was to make the process sound convincing.
The problem was, I wasn’t a master tactician.
If I made something up and the situation deviated from my assumptions, it could lead to disastrous consequences.

Still, Tifa’s reaction was understandable.
If a strategist told their commander, "Just trust me; it’ll work out somehow," they’d likely be executed for insubordination.

This was my first battle in this world. I had yet to prove my worth.

"…"

Luna’s sorrowful gaze fell on me, her expression full of hesitation. She wanted to trust me, to support me, but even she seemed unsure.

'How do I convince them?'

This wasn’t a situation where I could simply say, "Trust me and go to the marketplace."
This was war. Lives were on the line.

If they went into battle without fully understanding or accepting the plan, it could spell disaster.
Even though my Intelligence predicted a positive outcome, I wanted to minimize variables as much as possible.

So, I made a decision.

"Understood."

"Good. Then tell us, how are you planning to stop 8,000 soldiers with this distribution of troops?" Tifa pressed.

Closing my eyes briefly, I replied,
"For now… I can’t give you the details."

*"What?! Are you kidding me?!" Tifa shouted.

"However!" I cut her off firmly.
Tifa, taken aback by my sudden assertiveness, froze for a moment.

"I will join the vanguard myself, alongside Kane, with 1,300 soldiers. Is that acceptable?"

"W-what?"

"I cannot reveal the plan, not even to allies. The stakes are too high, and I need to ensure absolute security. But I also understand that if I issue commands while sitting safely behind the lines, I won’t earn your trust. So…"

I pointed at the position where the vanguard would intercept the enemy.

"I will lead the vanguard alongside Kane. Will you trust me now?"

"You’re… serious?" Kane asked, his voice filled with doubt.

Meeting his gaze, I responded with utmost sincerity.
"Kane, do you really think I’d send you to your death? If I believed this mission was a death sentence, I wouldn’t accompany you."

"Well… that’s true, but…"

"Trust me and follow my orders. I promise we will defend Zeilant."

Turning to Luna, I said,
"Commander, I need your decision."

Luna hesitated, her expression a mixture of uncertainty and trust. After a long pause, she nodded.

"We will proceed with Swen’s strategy for the defense of Zeilant. If anyone has objections, speak now."

"Fine!" Tifa growled, glaring at me. "But if Luna dies because of this, I swear I’ll take your head myself!"

Her threat might have sounded intimidating, but given her personality—and perhaps her grudging confidence in me—it didn’t carry the weight it might have otherwise.

"Do as you wish. But during the operation, you must follow my orders to the letter. No rushing out of the gates with your troops, understand?"

"Who do you think I am?! I won’t do something that reckless!"

"I hope so," I muttered.

Kane still looked uneasy but didn’t voice further objections. He wasn’t the type to shirk his duties.

"Lady Tifa, gather the defensive forces. Kane, organize the vanguard. Time is of the essence. Move quickly."

"Got it!"
"Understood. See you soon."

As the two left, I turned to Luna.

"Commander."

"…Yes?"

There was one thing still nagging at me.
Why had my Intelligence insisted on stationing 2,000 soldiers within the castle for defense?

It meant that they would likely be needed here—that there was a high chance of an attack from an unexpected direction.

Leaning closer, I whispered to her.
"There’s a strong possibility this castle will be ambushed. Perhaps by one of the minor states to our rear, or maybe even a mercenary group hired by the Brans Army."

Luna’s eyes widened.
"That’s why you stationed 2,000 soldiers here…?"

"Yes."

"But… wouldn’t it be better to bolster the vanguard with those troops? The ambush force is unlikely to be large."

I hesitated, unsure how to explain. Before I could respond, Luna shook her head slowly.

"No… I trust you, Swen. You don’t need to explain further. As you said, the biggest danger is disrupting the plan."

Trust.

It was a strange feeling to be trusted so completely.

"We will survive this. I promise."

"I’ll survive. Swen… you must come back alive too."

Nodding, I left to join the vanguard as it prepared for battle.

*

Zeilant Castle was not far from the Brans Army’s stronghold, Arnel Castle.
From Kihara Castle, the nearest Brans territory, it would take only a day’s march at a brisk pace to reach Zeilant.
If they hurried, they could quickly close the distance to the castle gates, but—

"Slow the march!"

Carlints Brans deliberately ordered a reduction in their marching speed.

The strategy he had devised was a feint operation.
While 8,000 soldiers advanced as the vanguard to attack the castle, the Garmil Army, one of the factions behind Luna’s forces, would strike Zeilant Castle from the rear.

The "negotiations" Carlints had mentioned earlier were with the Garmil Army.
Terrified of the Brans Army, the Garmil Army had quickly agreed to the deal.

By coordinating their attack with the Garmil Army, Carlints intended to throw Luna’s forces into chaos. Slowing their march ensured the timing of the two attacks would align.

This strategy offered multiple advantages to the Brans Army.
If Luna sent out a significant number of troops to intercept, the Garmil Army could easily capture the defenseless castle.
Losing their castle would shatter the morale of Luna’s soldiers, making them easy to eliminate.

Conversely, if Luna’s forces opted for a siege defense, the Brans Army would still benefit.
By delaying their march, the Garmil Army would engage Luna’s forces first, weakening them significantly before the Brans Army arrived to take the castle with minimal effort.

Given the circumstances, the enemy was highly likely to defend the castle.
With only 3,000 soldiers, it was unthinkable for them to send out a vanguard.

"This is a perfect plan," Carlints thought, grinning.

It felt excessive to go to such lengths against a mere 3,000 soldiers, but after the humiliation of having a territory briefly reclaimed by the Walnut Army, Carlints had resolved to always use at least twice the enemy’s numbers in any operation.

He couldn’t afford another mistake. Compared to his eldest brother and his brilliant younger sister, Carlints already felt overshadowed.

As these thoughts crossed his mind—

"Enemy sighted!"
"The enemy vanguard has appeared!"

Shouts erupted from the front of the formation.

"A vanguard?"
Carlints frowned in surprise.
"They sent out a vanguard with just 3,000 soldiers?"

He was caught off guard by the unexpected move, but it didn’t change his plan.

"They must have a death wish."

It would only add a touch of excitement to what would otherwise be a dull and straightforward victory.
Carlints smirked confidently and issued his command.

"All units, prepare for battle!"

*****

"That flag…"

"It’s definitely the Brans Army’s flag," Kane confirmed.

I nodded.
"Indeed."

As expected, it hadn’t taken long for the enemy to arrive.
Kihara Castle, where I’d stayed before joining Luna’s army, wasn’t far from here.

In fact, considering the distance, they’d arrived slightly later than anticipated.

"So, what’s the plan, strategist? Are we charging into battle?" Kane asked, his tone half-joking, half-serious.

"…"

1,300 against 8,000.

In this game, it wasn’t entirely impossible to win with such odds.
With an SSS-rank general, it was possible to carve through enemy troops like cutting a cake.

But all we had was Kane, who was far from a combat expert, and me, whose strength stat was practically nonexistent.

…

The battle was about to begin.
If things went as they seemed, we were going to die.
I wouldn’t return to my original world, nor would I live to see Lunarian Iniang unify the continent.

But then I reminded myself:
My Intelligence is 100.
A perfect score.

It doesn’t lie.

That meant we were going to win.

With that conviction, I slowly opened my mouth to give the order.

"All troops, charge—"

But before I could finish—

"Fire!!!"

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The sound of countless arrows tearing through the air suddenly erupted.

"What the—?!"
"Is it the enemy?"

"No, look—over there!"

As if divine intervention had arrived, a torrent of arrows rained down on the Brans Army from an unexpected direction.