Became a Strategist with a 100 Intelligence and 100% Accuracy

Chapter 16

"The ceasefire agreement, you say? ...Excuse me for a moment."

Lyn scoffed at the suggestion, then covered her mouth with her sleeve, her body trembling as she let out a burst of laughter. It was as if the mere mention of the term was absurdly amusing to her.

I kept my composure, meeting her gaze directly without flinching. Lyn continued laughing for a while longer before finally sighing and speaking.

"Ha. That was amusing. A ceasefire agreement, you say. And the price is 1,300 gold?"

"That is correct."

In an instant, Lyn Brans's expression, which had been playful and mischievous like that of a young girl, turned icy cold. It was as though her face had frozen over in a blink. She looked down at me with half-dead eyes, exuding a regal air that only someone sitting atop a nation's throne could muster. It was a stark reminder that she was the leader of the Brans Army.

"And why should I?"

Yes, that was the attitude I was waiting for. It made her a worthy opponent.

I smiled as I replied, "Because my proposal is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Brans Army."

"Is that so?"

She began twirling a strand of her long blue hair around her finger. By this point, she wasn’t even looking at my face anymore.

"Tell me, what’s your name?"

"I am Swen, an envoy from Luna’s Army."

"Ah, Swen from Luna’s Army, was it? You do understand what a ceasefire agreement entails, don’t you?"

"Indeed, I do."

And then, with eyes as cold as ice, she glared at me as if she were about to devour me whole.

"I’ll admit it. Last time, your army ambushed us and crushed our forces. We were careless. With 8,000 soldiers, we couldn’t take your country. I’ll concede that much. But now? The forces I’ve sent to your country this time number 23,000. You’re aware of that, aren’t you?"

"I am well aware."

"Whether you manage to scrape together more troops or plan another surprise reinforcement like last time... it doesn’t matter."

She rose from her throne and slowly approached me. With every step she took, it felt as though the air grew heavier, suffocating me under an almost palpable pressure.

Killing intent.
Her mere presence radiated an overwhelming aura of murderous intent. It was as if a blade-sharp chill was cutting through me.

So this is what it means to face the ruler of a powerful nation?
An ordinary person would have been utterly crushed by this oppressive aura, unable to even voice their opinion.

But so what?
I am a man with 100 Intelligence.
Even in this moment, I was confident. She had no choice but to accept this ceasefire agreement.
I did not avert my gaze from her approaching figure for even a second.

"Your army is finished. Even if defense has the advantage over offense in a siege, the difference in troop numbers makes victory impossible for you. Not even the greatest general could turn the tide. Oh, by the way, do you know who our vanguard commander is?"

"That would be the illustrious General Airen, correct?"

"Exactly. So whether you offer 1,300 gold or 3,000, I have no intention of agreeing to this ceasefire."

With that, she crouched down, meeting me at eye level as I knelt before her.
The scent of her perfume pierced my nose sharply, an aroma both enchanting and chilling.

‘So they have perfume in this world too.’
A stray, idle thought crossed my mind, though the gravity of the situation was undeniable.

"Am I crazy? Hmm? If I behead your master, Lunarian, not only would I get more than 1,300 gold, but Zeilant Castle would roll right into my lap. Why should I settle for pocket change and make peace with you?"

She stared at me intently, waiting for my response.
Even with an overwhelming beauty like hers so close, I felt no distraction.
This was a dangerous moment, without a doubt, but I remained unwavering. My predictions were absolute.

I fell into a brief moment of thought.
If this ceasefire agreement was destined to happen, then it meant that Lyn Brans, with her unyielding stance, would have to change her attitude.
In other words, the agreement must also benefit the Brans Army in some way.

While I could predict outcomes, I couldn’t foresee the exact process.
But if the result was certain, there had to be a path leading to it.
That meant I had to carve out that path myself.

I raised the brush of my tongue and began to paint.
"This ceasefire agreement will, in the end, benefit the Brans Army."

"...What?"

"Let me repeat. Accepting this ceasefire agreement will ultimately be advantageous to your army."

"..."

Lyn stared silently into my eyes for a long while, as if we were locked in a battle of wills. The quiet stretched on for what felt like an eternity.

"...Ha."

Lyn sighed, her expression that of a child who had grown bored with a new toy. She finally spoke.

"So that’s it. Just bluffing. I thought you had something substantial."

"It’s not a bluff."

"You know, if it weren’t for your pretty face, I’d have thrown you out by now. Let me explain logically. 1,300 gold doesn’t hold any appeal for our army. Even if you offered 3,000, I’d still refuse. Why would I abandon a war we’re guaranteed to win for such a measly sum? Unless..."

She leaned in, grabbing my chin with two fingers and tilting it upward. Slowly, she ran her tongue across her lips, her gaze appraising me like one might inspect an object.

"Unless you offer yourself to me. I have a thing for delicate, pretty boys. Hmm? How about it? Care to serve me for a night?"

"I refuse."

"Ugh. How dull."

She rose slowly, returning to her throne with an air of finality.

"I have no intention of agreeing to a ceasefire. Go back to your master and relay that message. Though, I can’t guarantee your lord’s head will still be attached by the time you return."

She waved me off dismissively.
At that moment, I instinctively realized that if there was a decisive turning point for this "inevitable" agreement, it was now.

"Are you truly refusing the agreement?"

"Yes."

"You will regret it. Mark my words."

"Sure, sure. Whatever you say. It’s still a no."

"Declining this ceasefire agreement is your decision, Lyn Brans. You’re the one throwing away this opportunity. Do you agree?"

"...Hey."

Lyn glared at me with irritation.

"Be thankful I’m the leader of the Brans Army. If this were Serpina’s nation in the north, you’d already be dead. Got it? Now leave. We have nothing more to discuss."

"........."

To be honest, I couldn’t fathom how this agreement would come to pass in this situation.
What should I do?
For a fleeting moment, doubt tried to creep in. But—

"What are you waiting for? Get out. Or should I send you to the dungeons?"

‘It’s fine. Things will go as I predict. This ceasefire agreement will happen. I don’t need to worry.’

She began to twirl her hair with her finger again, a peculiar habit of hers.
I rose from my seat under her impatient glare and spoke slowly.

"You’ll regret this."

"Yeah, yeah. Run along. I’ll be here, full of regrets."

I turned my back and walked out.
It’s fine.
No matter what happens, this ceasefire agreement will be signed.

It will go as I predict.

My words are absolute.

After all, I am—

"Master!!"

---Because I have 100 Intelligence.

"What is it? I told you not to barge in during an audience."

Lyn glanced at the soldier who stormed into the audience chamber, her voice sharp.
But soon, her expression began to darken.

"...What is it? You?"

Her gaze was fixed on his right arm.
I turned my head slightly to check the attire of the soldier who had intruded upon this place.

Though his armor was different from our army's, there was a distinctive feature I recognized.
The red cloth tightly wrapped around his right arm.
That alone made it clear to me who this soldier was.

He was a messenger.

And there was only one reason a messenger would come running to the sovereign in such a frantic manner, regardless of the situation.

It was when—

"The Serpina Army has...!"

—someone had made a decisive move.

"The Serpina Army is advancing with a force of 55,000 troops toward the Brans Army's territory of Kelstein Castle!"

*****

"...What?"

Lyn's eyes widened in shock, and she stopped twirling the strand of hair around her finger.
But even her surprise didn’t change the situation.

"You must act quickly! Master, please give your orders!"

‘Serpina? At this moment? Why?’

Since the Brans Army shared a border with Serpina, they constantly monitored its movements.
Recent intelligence indicated that while Serpina had subdued the northern region, resistance groups that refused to acknowledge its authority kept appearing. It was expected that Serpina would focus on internal stabilization for the time being, without any plans for external expansion.

‘Was the intelligence faulty? Or did they deliberately feed us false information?’

Whatever the case, the situation was already unfolding.
Currently, Kelstein Castle, located near the Serpina border, only had about 20,000 soldiers stationed.
There used to be more, but many troops had been redirected to the siege of Zeilant Castle.
The forces engaged in the southern war couldn’t be moved, and the troops in the east were tied down due to concerns over the eastern Aishas Army.

The most reasonable decision was clear—
They had to recall the 20,000 troops sent to conquer Zeilant Castle.
The western front was the closest, and there was no other option to stop Serpina's army.
Even if they failed to take Zeilant, it wouldn’t significantly impact the Brans Army.
However, if the fortress-like Kelstein Castle fell, it would be disastrous.
Every castle between there and Arnel was little more than a weak outpost.
And with the northern conqueror, the Serpina Army, as the opponent, a rapid blitz was all but guaranteed.

At that moment, a chilling sensation ran down Lyn’s spine as if a ghost had climbed up her back.

‘No way...!’

She slowly turned her head to look at the envoy from Luna’s Army, who was walking away with his back turned.
He had said this with certainty:

"This ceasefire agreement will, in the end, benefit the Brans Army."

‘That bastard... did he know this would happen?’

His strangely confident demeanor.
His repeated assertions that the agreement would benefit the Brans Army.
If he had known everything, his actions made sense.
Yet one question remained unanswered.

‘But how?’

How could the envoy of a minor nation know about the Serpina Army’s advance?

Regardless, the priority now was to secure the ceasefire agreement.
They needed to withdraw safely and deploy as many troops as possible to the northern front.

"Hey! Stop right there!"

"..."

The white-haired man—Swen—stopped at the entrance to the castle and slowly turned his head to look at Lyn.
With an infuriatingly nonchalant expression, he asked, "Is something the matter?"

"...That..."

Lyn bit her lower lip.
It wasn’t exactly a dignified move for a sovereign to call back the envoy of a minor nation she had dismissed.
But she knew all too well that letting her pride get in the way and losing Kelstein Castle would be foolish.
That was why she had risen to her current position.

"...Fine. I’ll do it. The ceasefire agreement. For 1,300 gold. Lucky you. You’ll go down as the envoy who brokered the agreement that stopped a war. When you return, your country will probably shower you with—"

"Lyn."

The envoy from the minor nation cut her off mid-sentence.
Under normal circumstances, such an interruption would have enraged her, but the knowledge that the Serpina Army was advancing at this very moment unsettled her too much to care.

"Did you say 1,300 gold?"

"Uh... yes. That’s right. 1,300 gold. I’ll accept it, as a special favor."

"That condition will not suffice."

"...What do you mean?"

Swen stepped closer to Lyn and knelt before her again, his voice steady and resolute.

"It must be 3,000 gold."

"...What? 3,000 gold? ...Well, I don’t particularly care, but do you even have the money?"

"Us? Why do you ask that all of a sudden?"

Swen tilted his head, as if genuinely confused by her question.
And then—
Lyn realized what Swen was getting at, her eyes widening in shock.

"...You... you’re not suggesting—"

Once again, Swen’s voice echoed in her ears.

"Declining this ceasefire agreement was your choice, Lyn Brans. You’re the one who rejected this opportunity. Do you agree?"

‘...!!!’

With the same calm tone as before, Swen presented slightly altered terms.

"We will accept 3,000 gold. If you pay us, we will sign the ceasefire agreement and promise not to pursue your retreating forces."