Became a Strategist with a 100 Intelligence and 100% Accuracy

Chapter 37

We departed from Kelstein Castle, heading north on horseback.

The fortress wasn’t too far.

It had only recently been completed, and from the outside, it looked sturdy—impressively so.

But I couldn’t shake a fundamental question.

Why the hell did they build a fortress here?

No matter how I thought about it, it didn’t seem to have much strategic value.

The surrounding area was just open plains.

Sure, it could serve as a forward base since there was a considerable distance between Kelstein Castle and Cherien Castle, the southernmost stronghold of Serpina’s army.

But if that was the goal, wouldn’t it have been more efficient to build a simple outpost or watchtower instead?

A fortress, once captured, would simply become a stronghold for the enemy.

And that was what worried me the most.

From Serpina’s perspective, acquiring this fortress would be a huge advantage.

Considering the sheer amount of gold, labor, and time spent constructing it, Brans Army was practically handing her a valuable asset if they lost it.

Well, they must have their reasons.

Thinking back to the game, CPU factions tended to build fortifications in any available space without much strategic consideration.

So maybe I was overanalyzing things.

We entered the fortress without any issues and soon met the man in charge—Carlints Brans, the second eldest of the Brans siblings.

He was a handsome man with striking blue hair and a refreshing air about him.

Standing beside him was a middle-aged man with brown hair—someone I didn’t recognize.

Airen stepped forward and bowed slightly.

"I am Airen Juliet. By my lord’s command, I have arrived with ten thousand troops."

Carlints greeted her warmly.

"Oh, General Airen, you’ve arrived. That was faster than expected. And behind you…"

His gaze shifted to the rest of us.

"I am Jack of Brans Army."

"I am Silin, also of Brans Army."

"And I am Swen, likewise from Brans Army."

Carlints acknowledged our introductions, but his eyes lingered on me.

"Hmm… Have we met before?"

Yeah, we had.

Carlints was the first enemy commander I encountered when I arrived in this world.

If the mercenaries hadn’t intervened, he would have taken Zeilant Castle from me.

But—

"I suppose I have a rather common face, General. Perhaps that’s why you’re mistaken."

"Is that so? Hmm… I wouldn’t say your face is that ordinary, but I’m not entirely sure either."

Dodged that one.

There was no need to blurt out, ‘I used to be part of Lunarian’s Army!’

He might hear about it from Lyn eventually, but for now, there was no reason for me to bring it up.

"Ten thousand troops, you say… What about the castle’s garrison?"

"We were only able to bring the additional reinforcements my lord dispatched."

"I see. Rashion, what the hell are you hesitating for? Do you think an opportunity like this will come again?"

Carlints clicked his tongue and slammed his fist lightly on the desk.

A dull thud echoed through the room.

"That aside… Ten thousand troops? Are you saying our lord personally sent them from Kelstein Castle?"

"Yes, General."

"The timing is fortunate, but if only we had more… We could’ve secured a decisive advantage."

Carlints Brans had spent his time overseeing the construction of this fortress instead of attending the war council.

Unlike Rashion, who had heard my arguments against Parfalle firsthand, Carlints had only received the final decisions—not the full debate.

So, to him, the reinforcements arriving at this moment must have seemed like sheer luck.

At that moment, Airen hesitantly spoke up.

"General Carlints… When you say we could have secured an advantage, do you mean—?"

"Oh, yes. We’re gathering these troops to launch an immediate assault on Cherien Castle, where Ian Rashfalt has just raised his rebellion."

"……!"

Wait, what?

Currently, the fortress housed 28,000 troops.

Adding our 10,000 brought the total to 38,000.

Recent intelligence suggested Ian’s forces numbered around 40,000, possibly more.

Even if we deployed everything, victory was uncertain.

And realistically, we’d need to leave at least 3,000 behind to guard the fortress.

This world’s mechanics weren’t exactly realistic when it came to warfare—S-rank commanders could cut down hordes of soldiers like a musou game.

But even then, a successful siege typically required at least 70,000 troops.

Ah…

I suddenly understood Carlints’ plan.

He’s banking on the chaos of a newly raised rebellion.

"General Carlints, has our lord approved this operation?"

The middle-aged man beside him asked cautiously.

Carlints waved him off.

"I, along with my brother, have been granted the authority to act independently without seeking our lord’s approval."

"But for an operation of this scale—"

"And right now is the perfect time for a surprise attack. If we waste time waiting for approval, the opportunity will slip away. Are you willing to take responsibility for that?"

Carlints cut him off sharply.

The man hesitated, then lowered his head apologetically.

"…I see. I apologize for my insolence."

Carlints patted the man’s shoulder reassuringly.

"I appreciate your concern. But trust me—I have a plan."

Then—

Airen raised her hand cautiously.

"General Carlints, with all due respect, this operation seems reckless."

"Hmm? And why is that?"

Airen chose her words carefully.

"In a siege, the attacking force must outnumber the defenders. Attempting to capture a castle with fewer troops than the defenders is… highly unwise."

Carlints nodded as if he understood her point—

But then, with a confident smirk, he replied—

"Under normal circumstances, I’d agree with you. But this isn’t a normal situation."

"And how so?"

"Ian’s forces only just declared their rebellion. The castle is in complete disarray.

The soldiers who once swore allegiance to Serpina woke up to find themselves serving a new lord.

They must be utterly demoralized.

Even if they outnumber us, demoralized troops are no threat.

If we strike fast, before they regain their footing, we can shatter their defenses before they even know what’s happening."

I knew it.

In the game, when a rebellion took over a castle, the defenders’ morale would drop drastically.

It made sense—if your ruler suddenly changed overnight, confusion and unrest were inevitable.

And morale was a huge factor in battles.

I had seen it play out countless times—

A force of 30,000 demoralized troops crushed by 10,000 elite soldiers led by an SS-rank general.

But.

Not this time.

Carlints assumed Ian’s forces were suffering from a morale drop.

He was wrong.

There were two key reasons why.

First—

Ian Rashfalt wasn’t just some random opportunist.

In the game’s lore, he was the ruler of an independent northern faction known as Ian Army.

His background?

He was a fanatical devotee of Algott von Eingart—the older brother that Serpina had killed.

I didn’t know why this timeline had him under Serpina’s command initially, but it didn’t matter.

The fact remained—his faction had roots.

That meant his troops weren’t just confused conscripts.

They were loyalists.

Second—

In the game, the only time a rebellion didn’t cause a morale drop—

Was when the uprising was led by a designated ruler character.

It was a minor detail, but my perfect intelligence stat had never steered me wrong.

If the game’s logic applied here, Ian’s forces wouldn’t be weakened at all.

And Carlints had no way of knowing that.

Because to him, this wasn’t a game.

He was simply a man acting on what he believed to be the best course of action.

But of course—

Carlints was too caught up in his own reasoning to consider any of this.

"If we account for morale, a difference of five thousand troops won’t matter.

I wouldn’t try this with just 28,000.

But with 38,000?

We can leave 3,000 behind and hit them with 35,000 in a swift surprise attack—before Serpina’s forces even realize what’s happening."

So that’s how it is.

If no reinforcements had been sent at all, Carlints wouldn’t have risked a battle he was sure to lose.

But because Lyn had sent an uncertain amount of troops, it had fueled his belief that this fight was winnable.

Of course, in the game that this world was based on, it wasn’t entirely impossible for 35,000 troops to seize a castle defended by 40,000.

With the help of the Jerome Mercenary Corps, a siege-specialist unit, and at least three commanders with the Siege Warfare trait—

And if those commanders were all SS-rank with high leadership, equipped with an overwhelming number of siege weapons—

Then, sure, it would be as easy as cutting a cake.

But that wasn’t the situation we were in.

"And fortunately," Carlints continued, "we have a siege warfare specialist among us."

He directed his attention toward Airen, speaking as if he were complimenting her.

It was true—she was a siege specialist.

But one person alone wouldn’t be enough to change the tide of battle.

"Even so…"

"Enough debating. My mind is made up. This is an opportunity! A chance to claim victory at Cherien Castle and secure my place in this war!"

Carlints' voice grew more passionate, his eyes gleaming with ambition.

I sighed inwardly.

He’s obsessed with earning merit.

Thinking about it, I could now guess why he had even built this fortress here in the first place.

Was it just to prove that he was doing something?

Carlints Brans—the second son of the Brans family, positioned between Lyn Brans, the heir, and Chel Brans, the Strongest Sword of Brans.

Compared to his aggressive older brother, Carlints was seen as more manageable.

Unlike Lyn, he was not a ruler.

Unlike Chel, he was not an overwhelming force on the battlefield.

While undeniably skilled, among the three Brans siblings, he was… the most ordinary.

He was useful in the game—stable, reliable, immune to cheap tricks.

A good standard unit.

But seeing him act so desperate now, I was reminded of something—

No matter how detailed a game’s lore was, it could never fully capture the depth of a real person.

Even a "calm" man could be pushed into recklessness if put under pressure.

And of course, the fact that he had once failed to capture Zeilant Castle with 8,000 troops against only 3,000 must have weighed on his mind.

Maybe I shook him up more than I realized.

Still, that wasn’t my problem.

What mattered now was not making an enemy out of him.

Siding too openly against him could put me in an unnecessarily dangerous position.

Unlike Luna, he wasn’t someone who trusted me unconditionally.

And people who felt threatened had a tendency to lash out.

Better to keep quiet.

"We must strike before Serpina’s forces have time to react. An opportunity like this won’t come again.

I’ll give you 10,000 troops, so start preparing to move. I’ll follow shortly after."

Carlints clearly intended to send Airen to the front lines.

I could care less if he wanted to charge into a doomed battle and waste troops—

But I wasn’t about to let him use Airen as his sacrificial pawn.

If this battle went as I predicted, she’d be the one taking the fall for the failure.

It was time for me to step in.

"General Carlints, if I may."

"What is it?"

"I would like to offer a brief suggestion."

"Go ahead."

"Sending General Airen into battle at this moment is not the wisest decision."

Carlints' eyebrow twitched.

There was something sharp in his tone when he spoke next.

"Oh? And what was your name again?"

"Swen, sir."

"Swen.

Are you saying that my plan—Carlints Brans’ plan to seize Cherien Castle—is wrong?"

Under normal circumstances, I would’ve thought he was being overly defensive.

But right now?

Perfect.

"Not at all, General."

I put on the most apologetic expression I could muster.

"It’s just that this is a highly difficult battle.

Rather than placing General Airen, who has spent much time in the rear and lacks experience in the north, as the vanguard—

It would be far more effective to have you, General Carlints, leading the charge.

After all, you are well-versed in the situation in the north."

"Hmm… Is that so?"

"Yes.

As a loyal member of Brans Army, I have kept track of your exploits in the north.

If anyone deserves the glory of this victory, it should be you."

Carlints’ demeanor shifted instantly.

His sharpness vanished, replaced by satisfaction.

"In that case, I shall lead the charge myself."

That worked.

Lyn Brans—talented, but arrogant and indecisive.

Chel Brans—powerful, but reckless and impulsive.

Their common trait?

Arrogance.

Carlints, though calmer, shared their blood.

A man like him was easy to manipulate.

All I had to do was flatter his pride.

Especially since he was currently desperate to prove himself.

"Swen, was it? Would you like to fight alongside me and earn merit?"

"No, sir.

As you can see, I am physically weak and wouldn’t be of much use in battle."

"Hmm. I see."

Carlints didn’t push the matter further and instead turned away.

"Then I will begin preparations immediately.

Parke will be left in charge of the fortress while I’m away."

"Understood, sir!"

The brown-haired man finally spoke up—so his name was Parke.

Didn’t ring a bell. Probably not an important character.

"As for those who came with General Airen, you’ll stay behind to help defend the fortress.

Airen, I’m sorry, but I’d like you to remain in the rear this time.

You’ll assist General Miguel in overseeing the battle."

""Understood!""

So, Jack, Silin, and I weren’t being taken into battle.

As Carlints exited the room, I followed Airen as she prepared to leave.

Then, in a low voice, I whispered—

"General Airen. Keep at least 5,000 troops in the rear to secure an escape route.

More, if possible."

"…Swen."

Airen hesitated, glancing around before lowering her voice.

"Do you think… we’re going to lose?"

"Yes."

I didn’t just think so.

I knew it.

I had already predicted it.

Airen seemed to share my doubts, because she didn’t question me further.

Instead, she simply nodded.

"And about… the vanguard position—"

She seemed to realize something and was about to ask—

But then she took a slow breath and stopped herself.

"…Understood.

I’ll find a way to persuade General Miguel instead.

General Carlints wouldn’t listen to me directly, but perhaps Miguel might."

"Please do.

And one more thing.

Something even more important than everything else I’ve said."

I spoke with absolute seriousness.

"Whatever happens, General Airen—make sure you survive."

"…!"

Whether Brans Army suffered another defeat, whether its generals died—

None of that was my burden to bear.

That was for Lyn to deal with.

The only thing I cared about—

Was Airen’s resolve.

She was someone who stood firm, even when everything about her existence seemed to deny her.

She was worth protecting.

Airen stood there for a moment, silent.

Then, at last, she nodded.

"I promise."

"I believe in you, General Airen."

She said nothing in return.

But as she turned away—

I saw it.

A faint but unmistakable smile on her lips.