Became a Strategist with a 100 Intelligence and 100% Accuracy

Chapter 12

The small castle of Zeilant.

The central meeting room, typically reserved for only four generals, including myself, had four new faces today. All of them were kneeling before our ruler, Lunarian Iniang, showing their respect.

"I am Gustav, the leader of the Raven Mercenary Corps."

"I am Kale, the vice-commander."

"Aaron, leader of the Chilein Mercenary Corps."

"Yona, vice-commander."

Three men and one woman introduced themselves to Luna.

The fact that a mere 1,300-strong vanguard had managed to hold off 8,000 enemy soldiers was extraordinary. It was thanks to two archer units ambushing the flanks of the Brans Army, disrupting their formation, and dividing them into three separate groups. Then, the rear attack encircled and annihilated the Brans forces.

I already knew the source of the archer units—the Raven Mercenary Corps, as introduced by their vice-commander. But I had only just realized the origin of the rear forces.

The Chilein Mercenary Corps!

‘Those troublesome bastards... I never thought they’d be on our side.’

The Chilein Mercenary Corps was a unit available only to central continent rulers who cleared a specific quest. Their unique unit, the "Heavy Infantry," was a superior variant of regular spearmen in every way, making them an incredibly powerful asset. However, they required control of a specific central region fortress, which made recruiting them nearly impossible. Random rulers couldn’t hope to secure such territory, and even central rulers often fell to the Brans Army before completing the quest.

As someone who avoided playing as the Brans Army because it was too easy, I found the Chilein Mercenary Corps incredibly irritating. They were practically designed to strengthen beginner-friendly Brans rulers.

Yet now, their leader knelt before our ruler, swearing allegiance.

‘Can they be recruited without completing the quest?’

Even after this world became reality, it still seemed to follow the game’s rules. My 100 Intelligence, with its uncanny predictive accuracy, was proof enough. But there were subtle deviations as well—mercenary corps like these helping us, and large-scale wars breaking out within a year of my arrival.

‘I shouldn’t place blind faith in game knowledge.’

"...You may raise your heads," said Luna.

At her command, the four mercenary leaders lifted their heads.

"First, let me thank you for aiding our army. Truly, we are indebted to you. Without your help, we might have failed to defend Zeilant Castle. However, I must ask—why did you decide to help us?"

"Please, ask us anything," Gustav replied.

"What led you to assist our army?"

Gustav began, "Aaron and I were on our way to Zeilant Castle when we came across the ongoing battle. That’s why we decided to help the Lunarian Army."

"I’m sorry, but I still don’t understand. Could you explain your reasons more clearly?"

Aaron, the Chilein leader, spoke next. "We were heading to Zeilant to pledge allegiance to the Lunarian Army."

"...!"

To pledge allegiance meant they intended to join us. Though I had suspected this, it was still surprising to hear them say it outright. Luna’s other generals, however, were visibly stunned.

"May I ask why?" Luna inquired.

"A short while ago, we heard of your efforts to distribute an enormous amount of food and repair the homes of commoners devastated by the typhoon," Gustav explained.

Aaron added, "In all my years running a mercenary corps, I’ve never seen a leader, especially of a small faction, devote so many resources to helping their people. Even larger powers with vast territories rarely take such measures."

Luna seemed taken aback but didn’t deny it. Aaron’s words were true. The 6,000 gold spent was an astronomical amount, enough to conscript over 5,000 soldiers and still reinvest in internal affairs. It was no wonder such actions had spread as rumors.

Aaron continued, "We weren’t entirely sure what the Lunarian Army’s insignia looked like, so we could have mistakenly aided the wrong side. Luckily, we spotted the elder who led your relief efforts standing at the vanguard and were able to assist in time."

‘Ah.’

At that moment, everything clicked into place.

[Advice] Assign Tifa to commerce -> Tifa discovers a chest of gold in her unique way.
[Advice] Use the gold entirely for relief efforts -> This wins public favor and impresses the two mercenary leaders.
[Advice] Place Kane, the most recognizable figure from the relief efforts, at the vanguard -> The mercenary corps recognizes him and provides timely support.

It left no room for doubt. My Intelligence of 100 ensured my predictions were always correct. This world’s laws bent themselves to make my advice a reality.

"..."

Next to Luna, Kane and Tifa stared at me in disbelief. Their expressions practically screamed, "Did you plan all of this?"

Of course, from their perspective, it must have seemed that way. Following my guidance had led to an impossible mission being cleared.

What I needed to do now was simple—adopt a confident expression and slowly nod, as if I had anticipated everything.

The key wasn’t actually predicting every detail but making others believe I had. If the outcome was correct, the rest could be rationalized. This perception reinforced the credibility of my advice and ensured that even seemingly illogical suggestions would be followed.

"Lord, accept their pledge," I advised Luna. "They will undoubtedly be a tremendous asset to our army."

"Swen..."

Luna considered my words before addressing the kneeling mercenaries.

"Thank you for aiding our army. I will not forget this act of loyalty. Under the name of Lunarian Iniang, your path is now our path."

Her declaration signified the acceptance of their allegiance. The mercenary leaders bowed deeply.

"We swear our loyalty!"
"We shall be your sword and shield, Lady Lunarian!"

With that, the Raven Mercenary Corps, 7,000 strong, and the Chilein Mercenary Corps, 6,000 strong, joined the Lunarian Army.

A combined force of 13,000 elite mercenaries—an absurdly fortunate outcome for the cost of 6,000 gold.

*****

This was the fortress of Arnel, the Brans Army’s headquarters.

Carlints knelt before his ruler, Lyn Brans, his head bowed low as he pleaded.

“I have no excuse. It’s entirely my fault. Please, take my life.”

“...”

The invading force of 8,000 had been obliterated. Countless officers had perished. Only around 120 soldiers and their general, Carlints Brans, had survived.

It was an unprecedented and catastrophic defeat in the history of the Brans Army. And it wasn’t against a renowned nation like Aesios, but a minor power that Lyn hadn’t even considered worth remembering: the Lunarian Army.

Deep in thought, Lyn asked calmly, “Brother, what happened? If you’re so ashamed, at least explain it in a way I can understand.”

“...We were ambushed. Upon further investigation, it appears mercenaries joined the battle.”

“Mercenaries?”

“Yes. One of the soldiers recognized their insignias—Raven Mercenary Corps and Chilein Mercenary Corps. It seems they fought alongside the Lunarian Army.”

“...What?”

Lyn couldn’t hide her shock. She was familiar with both mercenary groups. The Raven Mercenary Corps was a known elite force, and the Chilein Mercenary Corps was a group her faction had been struggling to recruit.

‘They allied with that insignificant ruler instead of me?’

The absurdity of the situation left her incredulous. But Lyn, as a ruler, knew better than to dwell on the past. Dwelling on disbelief wouldn’t change anything.

“An ambush is unavoidable if you lacked the necessary intelligence. But the scale of this loss is severe. For now, I want you to stay away from the front lines and focus on logistical support. Take some time to cool your head.”

To an outsider, Lyn’s words might have sounded like those of a benevolent ruler consoling a defeated general.

But Carlints understood the truth. This was a demotion. His survival was likely only due to the circumstances of the ambush and his position as a member of the Brans family.

Even so, there was no room for excuses from a defeated commander.

“...Understood.”

“Good. You’re dismissed.”

As Carlints left, Lyn fell into contemplation.

‘If the Lunarian Army has secured two mercenary groups, we’ll need to take this seriously to defeat them... but I can’t pull Chel from the south.’

She mulled it over for a long while before letting out a heavy sigh. A particular person came to mind.

‘Do I really have to use her?’

She hated the idea. Truly, deeply hated it. But for the sake of the greater good, she had no choice.

Turning to the soldier standing guard by her side, she gave an order.

“Hey.”

“Yes, my lady.”

“You know the second barracks, where the recruits are being trained? Go there and bring Airen to me.”

“Understood!”

Even though Lyn herself had sent Airen to that post as a demotion, the current situation left her with no alternative. Right now, she was the only blade Lyn could wield.

‘Well, being a ruler means doing things you hate sometimes.’

Lyn rationalized her decision as best she could.