Became a Strategist with a 100 Intelligence and 100% Accuracy

A Few Days Later

Airen knelt before Serpina, who had come to visit them.
Serpina looked down at her without any hint of surprise and spoke in a detached tone.
"Swen has told me the general details. You wish to serve under me?"

"Yes, Serpina-nim."
As she answered, Airen subtly studied Serpina’s face.
She was truly beautiful.

In fact, among all the women Airen had ever met, Serpina was by far the most stunning.
She had once thought Lyn Brans was a beauty, but compared to the woman standing before her now, Lyn was hardly worth mentioning.
"Airen Juliet… the red-haired knight, a specialist in siege warfare. I’ve heard of you. Having someone of your caliber would certainly be a great asset. I don’t even need to question your skills—you pass without a doubt."

"My reputation is undeserved, but I am honored that you recognize me."
"However."
Serpina’s voice turned noticeably colder.

"I heard that you betrayed the Brans Army and handed over an entire fortress to the Aishus Army. And now, you have abandoned the Aishus Army—your lord, Yuri—to serve me. Wouldn’t that make this another betrayal?"
"…"
"Of course, Airen, I am not reprimanding you. In this age of chaos, every ruler besides myself is merely another warlord. The idea of unwavering loyalty to such figures is laughable. However, I am curious about the reasoning behind your decision to betray your masters twice."

Airen hesitated for a moment before looking directly into Serpina’s eyes.
There was no malice in them, no scheming intent to trap her.
Airen knew better than anyone what it felt like to be stared at with hatred.

She had endured such gazes her entire life.
In that case, there was no need to fabricate a story.
It would be better to simply be honest.
Parting her lips, she spoke carefully.

"My first lord, Lyn, abandoned me. My second lord, Yuri, abandoned Swen. If you call it betrayal, I have no defense. But I simply cannot serve someone who so easily discards their own people. And—"
"And?"
"When I was abandoned, Swen willingly bore the stigma of betrayal alongside me. Now that he has been abandoned, it is my turn to take on that stigma for him. That is all there is to it—there is no other reason."

Serpina listened quietly before a faint smile appeared on her lips.
For the first time, Airen saw her expression change.
That alone surprised her.

And yet, at the same time, she found herself captivated.
How could a simple smile hold such an undeniable allure?
Even as a woman herself, she had to admit—Serpina’s beauty was flawless.

"I do not dislike those who remain true to their own sense of honor, even when unrecognized by others."
With precise, graceful movements, Serpina extended her pale hand toward the kneeling Airen.
"Airen Juliet, from this moment forward, I expect great things from you in my army."

"Yes!"
With that, Serpina turned to leave, instructing Airen to remain in the residence until further orders arrived.
But just as she was about to step out—

"U-uhm…!"
"…?"
A hesitant voice called out from the corner of the room.

It was Reika, who nervously raised her hand, clearly trying to ask a question.
Or rather, she was trying to, but she was stumbling over her words so much that it was impossible to understand her.
"Uh, uh, uh, uh, um!! Th-that, um, uh, S-Serpina-nim…! Uh, I-I, um, h-ha-ha-ha, I-I have, um, s-something to s-say…!"

"…"
Without a word, Serpina slowly approached her.
"Hiiik…!"

The closer she came, the more Reika shrank away, looking exactly like a frightened mouse cornered by a cat.
"Calm yourself. I am not going to eat you."
"A-ah, I-I, um…!"

Serpina’s statement only seemed to fluster Reika even further.
Seeing this, Airen sighed and lightly nudged Reika’s arm, snapping her out of her panic.
After taking several deep breaths, Reika finally managed to force out her words.

"…I-I… I w-would like to send… a letter…!"
"A letter?"
"Y-yes! Um, um… to my father…! I would like to send him a letter, but… I don’t know where to… um…"

In her mind, she had prepared a much more eloquent question—something like:
"I would like to send a letter to my father, but as this is my first time here, I do not know where the postal facilities are located. If it is not too much trouble, could you kindly direct me to the appropriate place?"
But in front of Serpina’s overwhelming presence, her words simply would not come out properly.

Fortunately, Serpina didn’t seem particularly bothered by the awkward delivery.
She responded in her usual composed tone.
"Bring it to me."

"Huh? W-wait, what…?"
"I said, bring the letter to me."
"A-ah! P-p-please wait a m-moment…!"

Ah.
She bit her tongue.
Even after that, she continued stumbling over herself, but somehow, she managed to retrieve the letter she had written and handed it to Serpina.

"I will deliver this on your behalf. That should be acceptable, yes?"
"Huh? Oh, no, you don’t have to—"
This translation is the intellectual property of .

"It is no trouble. This is hardly a favor worth mentioning."
"A-ah… T-thank you very much…"
A Small Bow.

As Reika bowed in thanks, this time, Serpina was the one to ask a question.
"You look surprised."
"…Huh? M-me?"

"Yes."
Reika hesitated, unsure if she should say anything.
But for some reason, she felt that it might be okay to speak honestly.

Carefully, she opened her mouth.
"It’s just… Serpina-nim seems a bit different from what I heard."
"Oh?"

"I-I mean! I-I don’t mean anything by it…! I just… um, my father told me you were… very scary… But now that I see you, um…"
"I see. So I am currently holding a letter from your father, the same man who described me as a terrifying person?"
"Huh? Ah, n-no, that’s not what I meant…! I-I mean, you’re not a… d-devil or anything…!"

Serpina let out a quiet chuckle, the corners of her lips curling up slightly.
"I do not concern myself with what others say about me. A person who cannot endure such rumors has no right to wear a crown."
With that, she lightly raised the letter in her hand.

"I will ensure it is delivered. You need not worry."
And with those final words, she quietly left the room.
Airen and Reika stared at the door she had walked through for a long while.

Like Swen, they too were starting to realize—
Serpina was different from the rumors.
Valharat Castle, Nighhardt Estate

After Reika had left, the estate had become quieter than usual.
Jinor found himself spending his days in idleness—a rare occurrence.
Anima had returned.

But there had been no tearful reunion.
The moment she learned that Yuri had traded Swen in exchange for her freedom, she had lashed out at her.
She had been furious, demanding to know if Yuri had lost her mind.

As the most intelligent strategist in the Aishus Army, Anima fully understood the long-term consequences of such an action.
However.
With Epinnel and the founding retainers mediating the situation—and with Anima ultimately at fault for miscalculating in the first place—the matter had entered a temporary lull.

In the end, she would likely accept it.
They were fated to stand together, even in the face of death.
And from that moment—

"You’re resigning from your position as National Strategist?"
"Yes."
Jinor bowed deeply before Yuri.

"I have grown old, and my mind no longer functions as sharply as before. I would like to spend my remaining years writing. Please allow this old man to have this final request."
"But Jinor, if you leave—"
"Anima-nim is still here, is she not?"

Jinor smiled kindly.
"As long as Anima-nim is here, I can step down with peace of mind."
Jinor had stepped down from his position as National Strategist.

With his heart no longer aligned with the Aishus Army, there was no reason for him to continue exhausting his intellect for their benefit.
Yuri seemed reluctant, but there was nothing she could do to stop him.
The moment Airen defected, twenty thousand soldiers abandoned the army alongside her.

Yuri could technically punish them, but doing so would only destroy her people's morale.
She was caught in a dilemma.
Even though Epinnel had managed to contain the flames, the damage had already been done.

It was only a matter of time before other officers also left her side.
This was the price Yuri had to pay for saving Anima.
And then—

"Jinor-nim."
A maid entered the study where Jinor was seated.
"What is it?"

"A letter has arrived."
"A letter?"
"Yes. It’s from Lady Reika."

So, she was safe.
He had expected as much, but hearing it confirmed still brought a sense of relief.
He had only taken her in because of her magical talent, yet somehow, he had grown fond of her.

Perhaps he truly was getting old.
Opening the letter, he read its contents.
It was brief.

[I'm doing well.
I will be staying with Swen-nim and Airen-nim.
Please don’t worry about me.
I wish to remain with them, so I hope you will grant me permission.]
"Permission, huh."
What an amusing request.

Permission had nothing to do with it.
This was exactly what Jinor had anticipated from the very beginning.
If Serpina was willing to send a letter, that meant the situation wasn’t as dire as it could have been.

Even Serpina wouldn’t want to provoke Swen unnecessarily.
In that case, he might as well ask.
Jinor immediately drafted a reply.

It wasn’t so much a letter to Reika.
Rather, it was a message directed at Swen.
A Few Days Later, Serpina’s Army

It had been several days since they joined Serpina’s forces.
She was busy managing the front lines near Hisphil Castle.
She had said she would summon them soon, so in the meantime, Swen was enjoying a rare moment of free time.

Knock, knock, knock.
Hearing the knock, Swen thought it might be Serpina.
But when he opened the door—

"A-ah, hello… Swen-nim…!"
"Reika?"
The visitor was Reika.

After seating her on the sofa, Swen prepared a small tray of refreshments.
"Th-thank you…!"
"It’s nothing. I don’t have much to offer, though. I wish I could at least make some tea. But aren’t you eating the same things as I am?"

"Huh? Well… yeah, but this is from you, Swen-nim, so… yum."
Since they were living in the same residence, they obviously had the same refreshments.
Still, seeing her munch on the snacks so cutely, Swen found himself watching her for a moment before asking—

"What’s the matter?"
"Ah! Well… I, um, received a letter."
"A letter?"

Reika nodded.
Apparently, she had exchanged messages with Jinor.
That was fine, of course.

But there was something in the letter that she needed to show Swen.
"For me?"
"Yes. It seems… my father wants to ask you something."

Swen had initially thought it might be about the marriage proposal.
But if that were the case, Reika would have been much more flustered.
"Alright. What’s the question?"

"Ah, here…!"
She handed him the letter.
Most of it contained advice for Reika, reminding her to be mindful of her actions around Swen.

But at the very end, there was a clear question directed at him.
[Is Serpina the lord you have chosen to serve?]
"Oh?"

As expected from someone with 99 Intelligence.
Jinor truly was an old man with an exceptionally sharp mind.