Became a Strategist with a 100 Intelligence and 100% Accuracy

"Is that so? I would very much like to understand the reasoning behind it. If you don’t mind, could you explain?"
At Sika’s request, I nodded slowly.
"It’s simple. Because that location needs troops."

"…I mean no offense, but that just sounds like you’re repeating the obvious."
Sika wasn’t wrong.
To be honest, I also didn’t fully understand the reason.

The only fortunate thing was that Amin had brought a map earlier.
"Amin, may I borrow the map?"
"Huh? …Here you go."

Amin handed over the map with a skeptical expression, clearly unsure of my intentions.
As I spread it out on the table—
"……."

Both Serpina and Jenna, who had remained seated until now, stood and approached.
It seemed they were also curious about what I was about to say.
Just their movement alone caused a visible stir among the other officers.

"Please, take a look at the map."
While everyone’s attention was focused on the table, I quickly scanned the layout.
Mair Castle.

An isolated fortress at the far eastern edge, near a river and a mountain range.
If stationing troops here was the correct answer, then… it wasn’t to suppress a rebellion.
Right. A rebellion.
If placing troops in the rear was the most effective decision, then it could only mean there was an internal threat to be dealt with.

If someone had suggested reinforcing the capital, that meant the northern continent wasn’t fully under control yet.
It was a logical assumption.
However—

"Do you believe a rebellion will occur in this area?"
Serpina, who had been silent until now, pointed at a castle near Mair Castle.
Heiser ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) Castle.

But… that wasn’t the answer.
"No, I do not."
If Heiser Castle was the source of an uprising—

Before I could even explain, Serpina spoke first, answering for me.
"Indeed. If a rebellion were to break out in this region, the optimal placement for troops would be here, not Mair Castle."
She pointed to Chorel Castle, located to the lower left of Heiser Castle.

Stationing troops directly inside a rebellious castle was dangerous.
There was too great a risk that they would join the rebellion.
So the best strategy was to preemptively position forces nearby—not far away at Mair Castle, but closer, at Chorel Castle.

Which meant—rebellion was not the reason.
"In that case…"
This time, it was Jenna who spoke.

She tilted her head slightly, causing her brown hair to sway gently.
"Are you worried about a bandit invasion in this area?"
To the upper-right of Mair Castle, there was a cluster of mountains.

When public unrest was high, it wasn’t uncommon for disgruntled citizens to turn into bandits and attack nearby settlements.
But… this logic also didn’t hold up.
"That is not the case either."

Jenna studied my face.
She looked as if she was already anticipating my answer.
"If bandits were to emerge from this region, they would most likely target Herder Castle, which is directly north of Mair Castle.

"Herder Castle has weaker defenses, fewer stationed troops, and—most importantly—it’s closer to the mountain cluster."
"…That is certainly true."
Jenna nodded in agreement.

"In that case, I must ask—why should we station troops at Mair Castle?"
Not a rebellion.
Not bandits.

And yet—the most effective strategy was to place troops in the rear, rather than on the border.
"……."
I studied the map, exhaling softly.

Then, I deliberately forced a composed, confident smile onto my face.
As if I had known all along.
‘What’s missing? What am I overlooking?’

Why was placing troops here the right answer?
With 100 Intelligence, my mind had already predicted it.
That meant something was about to happen, and stationing troops at Mair Castle was the only way to prevent it.

It wasn’t an internal rebellion.
It wasn’t a bandit uprising.
The only notable feature near the castle was…

A massive river.
"…Huh?"
A river?

I quickly traced its flow on the map.
The **large river snaked through the mountain range, eventually extending toward the central continent.
However, the map Amin brought only covered this region.

This translation is the intellectual property of .
It focused exclusively on Serpina’s northern territories, leaving out everything beyond.
"Excuse me, Swen? Could you answer—"

"Wait. One moment. I need to think…"
Jenna had spoken, but I instinctively cut her off.
However, it seemed Serpina had stopped her first.

Her pale hand extended in front of Jenna, pressing lightly against her chest.
…Regardless.
Even if the map was cut off, I knew exactly what lay beyond.

I had played this game for 10,000 hours.
I had seen this exact map layout hundreds—no, thousands—of times.
Whenever the game was open, the map was always in view.

Whether I liked it or not, I had memorized it.
‘Stay calm.’
I mentally reconstructed the missing portion of the map.

The river wove through the mountains, flowing southeast into the central continent.
At the very end of the river’s path…
There was only one castle.

And that castle was—
"Zeta Castle."
My eyes widened.

Zeta Castle.
It had once been the capital of Aleffel Army—but now, it was part of Aishus Army.
It was Aishus Army’s fourth and easternmost fortress.

Located above Valharat Castle and below Zelstrom Castle—a completely isolated outpost.
Aishus Army’s entire domain was structured around four castles:
Capital: Valharat Castle
North: Zelstrom Castle
West: Laccline Castle
East: Zeta Castle
"……!!!"

And at that moment, I finally began to understand what this prediction meant.
‘They’re using the river… to send Aishus Army forces upstream?’
It would require considerable logistical support, but I couldn’t completely rule out the possibility.

After all, in the game, it was possible to transport troops using rivers—it was just highly inefficient.
Troops moved much slower, consumed significantly more turns, and suffered crippling morale loss during transit.
That was why I had almost forgotten about it—because it was an impractical strategy in the game.

But this wasn’t just a game.
This was reality, even if it followed the game’s logic.
I couldn’t dismiss the possibility outright.

No.
If stationing troops at Mair Castle was truly the optimal choice, this had to be the reason.
If my prediction was correct, then Aishus Army was attempting a flanking maneuver, striking us from behind.

Under normal circumstances, this might not have been an issue.
But right now, our main forces had been redeployed to the central continent’s borders.
If Aishus succeeded in ambushing our rear, they could cause serious disruption.

Even if we recaptured Mair Castle afterward, it would still be a worthwhile risk for Aishus.
‘Whose plan was this? Jinor? Anima?’
Given our prior correspondence, it was unlikely Jinor’s doing.

That meant… this was Anima’s strategy.
For someone who had once served as Aishus’ chief strategist, she was proving to be remarkably shrewd.
"……."

I slowly raised my head, scanning the room.
Serpina, Jenna, the other officers—all of them were waiting in silence, their eyes fixed on me.
Now the question was…

How do I explain this?
"Everyone, please listen carefully."
I nodded slightly, gathering my thoughts.

"There is a river that flows near Mair Castle.
"While it serves as a vital lifeline for the surrounding territories…
"It also acts as the only direct passageway to this otherwise isolated fortress."

Serpina’s piercing gaze lingered on me, making it hard to ignore.
I could tell that my theory was unusual at best, but at least she was willing to listen.
That was enough.

"This river eventually flows eastward into the open sea.
"But before reaching the ocean, it inevitably passes by one particular fortress along the way.
"Jenna."

"…Yes?"
"Do you happen to know which castle that is?"
Jenna paused for a moment before nodding.

"…Are you referring to Zeta Castle?"
"Yes. You’re familiar with it, then."
"I am. But… what exactly are you implying?"

Jenna furrowed her brows in confusion.
"Are you suggesting that the enemy will use that treacherous river route to launch an attack on Mair Castle?"
"That is precisely what I’m suggesting."

"…Excuse me?"
Jenna blinked, visibly startled by my response.
Even Serpina raised an eyebrow ever so slightly.

"Aishus Army is highly likely to advance via the river, launching an attack on Mair Castle."
"……???"
Jenna frowned, as if she couldn’t comprehend what she had just heard.

And the other officers?
They stared at me in disbelief.
I understood why.

Even to me, this theory sounded ridiculous.
A covert waterborne invasion?
A strategy so outlandish that it had never once been used before?

Only one person maintained a neutral expression.
Serpina.
Unlike the others, she remained perfectly composed, just as she had during Amin’s and Sika’s proposals.

Her voice carried the same measured tone, betraying neither skepticism nor amusement.
"An interesting theory," she said.
"In this Strategy Proposal Meeting, anyone is free to voice their ideas.

"So then… everyone, feel free to share your thoughts.
"What do you think of Swen’s proposal?"
The first to respond was Miles.

"It seems rather far-fetched. The idea that they would use the river as a route of invasion is highly improbable."
"I wouldn’t say it’s a bad idea to prepare a contingency plan… but surely, there are more efficient ways to deploy our forces."
Sika chimed in as well.

Judging by their responses, it was clear that most people dismissed my proposal outright.
Well, that was to be expected.
Even I didn’t have solid evidence to support it.

I was merely working backward from the answer—trying to justify what my 100 Intelligence had already determined.
And so, the 28th Strategy Proposal Meeting concluded.
"Everyone, you’ve all worked hard today.

"I assure you that every suggestion will be carefully reviewed."
""Yes, my lord!!""
So this was the end of the meeting.

It really wasn’t a decision-making council.
It was just a forum for proposals.
If Serpina chose not to deploy troops to Mair Castle, she would likely suffer some level of losses.

But that was beyond my control.
And realistically, even if the northern continent suffered a temporary setback, it wouldn’t drastically alter the course of the war.
After all, my predictions only identified the most efficient strategy available at any given moment.

That was all.
With that thought in mind, I left the castle, preparing to head outside—
"Excuse me."

"…?"
I felt a hand on my shoulder.
Turning around, I saw—

Jenna.
She looked slightly out of breath, as if she had hurried over to catch me.
"Swen," she said.

"Could you return to the audience chamber for a moment?"
"Huh? Why?"
"It’s an order from the lord."

"……."
Serpina was calling for me.
I already had a guess as to why.

But I feigned ignorance, silently following Jenna back inside.
"Welcome back, Swen."
Serpina greeted me as I stepped into the chamber.

She extended her delicate white hand, as if she had been expecting this moment all along.
Her expression was utterly captivating—a bewitching smile that seemed almost ceremonial.
"Your proposal was… truly fascinating," she mused.

"A surprise riverborne ambush… even I never considered such a tactic."
"……."
"Very well.

"You presented your argument—so surely, you must have evidence to support it?"
The fact that she was asking for proof meant she was actually considering my idea.
She wasn’t treating it as a random suggestion—she wanted verification.

…Just like she had done when interrogating Irian earlier.
So now…
She was about to grill me the same way.

How should I play this?
Should I just give a vague answer and be done with it?
No.

If I was going to operate under Serpina’s command, I needed her to take my words seriously.
One day, I might be able to use that trust—just like I had done with Lyn Brans.
If that was the case…

It was time to face her head-on.
As if she had sensed my resolve, Serpina’s voice took on a sultry, honeyed tone.
"I want to hear it from you, Swen.

"Tell me…
"On what grounds are you so certain that Aishus Army will attack through Mair Castle?"