Became a Strategist with a 100 Intelligence and 100% Accuracy

Valharat Castle, the Military Hospital
Inside the hospital wing of Valharat Castle, Hernandorf lay in bed, still recovering from his injuries. Surrounding him were all the founding retainers of the Aishus Army—except for Yuri and Anima.
"…There was no need for you to come, Epinnel."

Hernandorf’s weary eyes flickered toward her, but Epinnel only clicked her tongue in annoyance.
"Shut up. How’s your condition?"
"Still breathing. Barely."

"Don’t waste expensive food just to whine, Ern."
"……."
Hernandorf’s hands trembled slightly.

It wasn’t from pain.
It was suppressed rage.
"I… couldn’t save Anima."

"We heard. There was nothing you could’ve done. You did your best."
"My family was taken away, bound in chains… and I returned alone, just to stay alive."
"Ern…"

Emma looked at him with a pained expression.
She and Hernandorf had served Yuri together for years, sharing the same battles, the same struggles. Their perspectives often aligned.
"Didn’t you hear me? Stop talking nonsense."

"Epinnel, go easy on him. If it were me, I’d feel the same way."
Epinnel’s scowl deepened.
"And how exactly does sitting around, whining, solve anything? Shouldn’t we be marching in there to rescue her instead?! What is Yuri even doing?!"
"He sent an envoy. He’s negotiating."

"Negotiating?! That’s bullshit!"
Bang!
She slammed her fist against the table.

Using such vulgar words toward the lord of Aishus should have been unthinkable.
But no one objected.
If Jinor had been present, he might have told her to hold her tongue.

But he wasn’t.
"Hey, Ern. How long until you can fight again?"
"…The injuries are severe. It’s pathetic."

"So you’re out for a while. Got it."
Epinnel turned toward Emma.
"Time to prepare."

"Prepare…?"
"For war, obviously. Anima’s being held captive, and we’re just sitting around waiting? Don’t tell me you actually want to ‘wait and see how negotiations go’?"
"Calm down, Epinnel. You’re too agitated."

"Like hell I am!"
Even after her outburst, she sank into a chair, still fuming.
"…Damn it, this pisses me off."

"We sent 7,900 gold. Unless Serpina is unbelievably greedy, she should accept it and release Anima."
"That damn witch? She wouldn’t even blink at money. If she doesn’t demand a fortress, I’d be surprised."
"And what if she does?"

"……Haah."
Epinnel covered her face with her hands.
"I can’t face Anima."

"……."
"She’s fought so hard for our westward expansion, and yet… what if she finds out we traded away our hard-won territory just to save her?"
Emma couldn’t answer.

"You know how hard Anima worked. She wasn’t some once-in-a-generation genius—she made up for it with pure effort. She barely slept, always pushing herself, just to improve. You saw it too."
"I know… I know."
When Jinor was chosen as the nation’s chief strategist, Anima’s sense of loss must have been overwhelming.

From a purely rational standpoint, Yuri’s decision had made sense.
Jinor was objectively brilliant. A ruler had to make big-picture decisions.
But that didn’t change the fact that Anima had given everything to establish the Aishus Army’s foundations.

If not for her, their entire military structure wouldn’t even exist.
"That’s why we need to rescue her ourselves. So we can face her without shame."
"I understand your feelings, but… it won’t be that simple."

Emma bit her lower lip.
"I thought the same. I wanted to take our forces and storm in there to save her. But… if we move recklessly and Serpina kills Anima out of spite, it’ll truly be over."
"So your brilliant plan is to beg at the negotiation table instead? What a wonderful idea. I’m sure Anima will applaud us for it."

"What did you just say—"
"Enough."
At that moment—

Yuri entered the room, stepping toward Hernandorf’s bed.
"……."
"Tch."

Even if the five of them shared an unbreakable bond, Yuri was still their leader.
Both Epinnel and Emma fell silent.
Once the tension settled, Yuri finally spoke.

"Ern. Are you alright?"
"…I survived. Barely."
"Sorry for not visiting sooner."

"It doesn’t matter. You need to focus on what you have to do."
Once, Yuri had been merely the heir of their noble house.
Now, she was their leader. Their comrade.

With a quiet kindness, Hernandorf acknowledged that.
"What I have to do…"
Yuri repeated his words, then turned to the room.

"I have news for all of you."
"What is it?"
"Serpina has declared that she is willing to release Anima Ingram."

"!!!"
Everyone was momentarily shocked by Yuri’s explosive declaration.
But soon enough, they understood the hidden meaning in her words.

"She’s ‘willing’ to release her, huh?"
"That means she won’t do it for free."
"Exactly."

Yuri nodded at Epinnel’s words.
"So, 7,900 gold wasn’t enough? That witch. She’s really going to try and extort land from us? Yuri, I’ll say this now—we’re not giving up territory. If Anima finds out we traded land for her, she’ll just blame herself all over again."
"Ignore Epinnel, Yuri. Giving up one fortress isn’t the end of the world. We can take it back later."

"……."
Yuri glanced back and forth between Epinnel and Emma.
Their eyes, each burning with a different perspective, reflected their opposing views.

"…No, you two."
She let out a deep sigh—a rare moment of vulnerability that she only showed in front of those she truly trusted.
"If this was just about giving up land—whether it was Zelstrom or Raklein—I wouldn’t even be hesitating."

"Then what the hell did she ask for?"
"…An envoy."
"?"

"If we hand over an envoy… then she’ll release Anima."
Rather than being outright shocked, Emma and Epinnel tilted their heads in confusion.
Some things were too ridiculous to even comprehend.

It was like hearing a madman claim the world would end tomorrow—people wouldn’t believe it, because it was simply beyond the realm of possibility.
Even in Emma’s, Epinnel’s, and Hernandorf’s understanding of war, the idea of trading an envoy was completely unthinkable.
"What the hell do you mean?"

"She’s demanding that we hand over the officer we sent as an envoy. If we do that… she’ll let Anima go."
"…What?"
Now understanding the words, Emma and Hernandorf visibly froze in shock, their eyes widening in disbelief.

Epinnel, on the other hand, let out a frustrated scoff.
"What kind of bullshit is that?"
"It’s exactly as I said. …She refuses to accept anything else—not gold, not treasures, not even land."

"Hah."
"Who exactly is the envoy…?"
At Hernandorf’s question, Yuri answered with a shadowed expression.

"Swen."
"Never heard of him. Does he have some connection to Serpina?"
"You know, the white-haired mage. The one with a sharp mind."

"…Ah."
Hernandorf had no reaction to the name, but the mention of a white-haired mage immediately jogged his memory.
"Maybe they’re targeting him for his magic?"

Emma’s question made Yuri frown.
"I don’t know. I have no idea why they would make such a demand."
"Could it be that Swen has a personal grudge against Serpina?"

"A grudge?"
Epinnel nodded.
"What other reason would there be to specifically ask for him? If they wanted to capture him, they would’ve done it already. But instead of doing that, they’re offering us a trade. That means Serpina has some unfinished business with Swen, and as long as we don’t interfere, she’ll give us what we want."

"That’s true. If there wasn’t some grudge involved, there’s no way she’d make an offer like this."
Emma agreed with Epinnel’s analysis.
Could that be it?

Was it not just a case of him running off with Airen?
Had he been fleeing from Serpina this entire time for another reason?
Now that she thought about it—Swen had dropped those boulders on Serpina’s army.

If Serpina held a grudge against him, it wasn’t surprising at all.
"……."
As Yuri fell into thought, Emma cautiously spoke.

"Isn’t this an easy decision, Yuri?"
"…What?"
"Keeping someone who has a personal feud with Serpina in our ranks is a long-term risk. And the longer Anima stays a prisoner, the more dangerous it becomes. We don’t know when they might execute her—we need to get her back while we still can."

"But if we do that, we’d be selling out an officer who loyally carried out his diplomatic mission and pledged his allegiance to our army."
"……."
Yuri’s blunt truth left Emma unable to respond.

Because she knew—her words were, without a doubt, suggesting that they betray Swen.
"…Yuri."
Then—

Epinnel spoke in an unusually serious tone.
"The final decision is yours. It’s your choice, but let me say this—not just my opinion."
She slowly glanced at Emma and Hernandorf, locking eyes with both.

It was a silent agreement between the three of them.
"Our stance is simple—life is just a series of choices. If we look at this rationally, the decision should be obvious. You already know what the answer is, don’t you?"
"……!"

The choice that would benefit Aishus the most.
The choice that was the most important for Yuri, for them all.
"We live in a chaotic era. Morality? Ethics? Even blood ties—nothing matters anymore. Everyone moves for their own gain. Swen is a decent officer, but his talent is also highly limited. From what I’ve heard, every time he uses magic, he shaves off his lifespan. If we keep him, we’ll just be using him up until he dies. In that sense, we’re already sacrificing him."

"That’s… that’s…"
"Just think it through. Who is truly more important to us? …No matter what decision you make, we’ll follow your lead. But you need to show responsibility as our ruler."
‘Responsibility as a ruler…’

Yuri repeated those words in her mind.
Everyone was simply choosing what was most important to them.
Leaving the hospital, heading toward the royal palace, Yuri found herself picturing Anima.

The moment she had sacrificed her arm to protect her.
The moment her brilliant tactics had saved them all.
She had suffered so much for this army.

No matter how she thought about it—she couldn’t lose her here.
"Responsibility is…"
Yes.

Responsibility.
A leader had to carry the burden.
Anima might curse her for this decision.

She might hate her for it, call her a disgrace.
But if Anima died, she wouldn’t be around to say anything at all.
"I’ll take responsibility."

With that resolution, Yuri’s footsteps became heavier.
***
By the time she arrived at the royal palace, Jinor and several officers were already gathered in the audience chamber.

Judging from the atmosphere, they had already heard the news.
"My lord. I’ve been informed."
Jinor naturally approached the throne.

"There’s nothing to discuss. Reject the offer."
"Why?"
"There’s no need for an explanation. I’ve never heard of a ruler sacrificing one officer to save another. It’s unthinkable."

Yuri slowly nodded.
"You’re right… I thought so too, Jinor."
Jinor let out a small breath of relief.

Honestly… he had been worried.
If Yuri had actually considered trading Swen for Anima—he didn’t know what he would have done.
The logic was simple, but Anima’s value to Aishus was immense.

However, seeing Yuri’s reaction, it seemed she wasn’t about to make an irrational decision.
"Do you hear my voice?"
"Yes, my lord."

The envoy bowed deeply.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. I had to think things over."
"It’s no issue. What should I tell my lord?"

Yuri exhaled softly.
Anima.
My childhood friend, my eternal shadow.

Even if the whole world curses me for this…
Even if you yourself despise me…
I will carry this burden.

"Go and tell her—I accept Serpina’s offer."
"…Excuse me?"
Jinor’s pupils dilated in shock.

"What do you mean…?"
"We will hand over Swen. In exchange, release Anima Ingram."