Became a Strategist with a 100 Intelligence and 100\% Accuracy

Rewinding time to a few days before my proposal to Lyn:

"A letter?"

"Yes. I have a destination to send it to. I've just finished writing it."

"Alright. You said you had something to discuss? Just wait a moment."

Having finished the letter, I sipped the tea Airen had brewed as I briefly outlined the upcoming plans.

"You’re sending me back to the battlefield?"

"That’s correct. As the commander of the newly constructed fortress, you will have full authority over approximately 30,000 to 40,000 troops."

"Full authority... But I'm not sure how feasible that is. The lord doesn’t trust me much. After all, my last assignment at the fortress was essentially a death sentence, but perhaps that made it easier to hand over temporary command. Commanding entirely new forces is a different matter."

"We can use that to our advantage."

"How so?"

Airen looked intrigued as she asked.

"Lady Lyn seems unusually eager to eliminate you. If giving you full command is what it takes to remove you, she might just do it."

"Full command as a precondition for elimination? That’s a hard concept to grasp... What exactly does this full command entail?"

"I plan to propose the construction of a fortress in front of Valharat Castle. And I’ll suggest that the full command of the fortress be temporarily granted to you."

"Valharat Castle, as in the capital of the Aishus Army?"

"Yes."

"Why? Even if it’s your plan, Lyn is inherently skeptical. Without solid evidence, she’s unlikely to agree to 'build a fortress to attack Aishus.'"

"I’m thinking about creating a situation she can’t ignore. I’ve prepared something."

"Prepared?..."

Though Airen still seemed puzzled, she soon smiled faintly and said,

"Alright, Swen. If you say you have prepared something, then I believe you. Even if your suggestions seem implausible, I have sworn to take up arms for you."

"I appreciate your trust."

"So, once I have full command, what am I to do exactly? It doesn’t seem like you’re suggesting a straightforward attack on Aishus. Even a rebellion would be unfeasible from a fortress rather than a castle."

Right. It was time to explain this complicated chessboard I had set up.

"Contact Baranga Yuri Aishus of the Aishus Army."

"Contact her to?"

I looked her directly in the eyes and said,

"Surrender to her."

"!!!"

Airen was visibly shaken for the first time.

"Surrender to her?"

"Yes. Our new lord will be Baranga Yuri Aishus of the Aishus Army."

We needed to leave Brans Army. The most important reason was to save the life of Airen Juliet right in front of us. Inevitably, Airen would be in danger if she stayed here, potentially losing her life to Lyn’s machinations. Now that I had managed to turn her loyalty, the fastest way to ensure her safety was to get out as quickly as possible.

But—this was merely my personal justification; outsiders might see it as betrayal, but that was unavoidable. After all, I intended to eventually return to Lunarian’s service, the one who would unite the continent.

So far, so good. However, simply surrendering wasn’t meaningful unless I took Airen with me. If we resigned from Brans Army, Airen and I would inevitably become targets of Lyn’s wrath, no matter her power at the moment. If caught, the worst-case scenario was death.

Therefore, it was necessary to destabilize Brans Army by taking as many surplus troops as possible. That was why I insisted on constructing the fortress and gaining full command for Airen. With full command, we could take all the soldiers with us when surrendering!

Of course, this meant we were transferring entire troops, so we would need immediate support from a neighboring country upon surrendering—but aiding us would effectively be a strategic move against Brans Army, given its border location.

Now, the only question left was, which country should we go to?

Brans was centrally located, surrounded by borders. There were many nations, but essentially, they divided into four directions.

First, the north—Serpina’s territory. Serpina von Eingart was a tyrant. Even if we surrendered, she might just execute us on a whim. We had previously suffered at the hands of Carlints in the north, making it a hard sell to Lyn and a non-starter for us.

Second, two countries to the south, adjacent to our borders. Not a bad choice, but they were likely to avoid conflict with Brans Army by not accepting us. Taking in traitors would make them immediate enemies of Brans, not an appealing prospect given the unsecured southern continent.

Third, the smaller nations to the west. Also a non-option, as this region was likely to fall under Brans’ control given enough time.

Fourth, and finally, the Aishus Army to the east. Though they hadn’t settled their conflicts with Charam and Aleffel yet, Yuri Aishus was the most potent force in the east. With numerous S-rank generals and a strategic location, taking our troops there would significantly threaten Brans Army.

"Baranga Yuri Aishus is a very wise woman. She’ll quickly realize the benefits of having us. Plus, I suspect there’s a very clever strategist in Aishus Army who will see the advantages and drawbacks quickly. They’re most likely to accept us."

Of course, this path wouldn’t be easy, but it was the only way to save Airen.

"We’ll be seen as traitors by Brans Army, but as part of Aishus Army, we won’t be easily messed with."

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"There’s a strategist there? Can you tell me the basis for that?"

"They tried to deceive our army using Aleffel and Charam, remember?"

This 'betrayal' strategy required an intelligence of at least 95 and no [Betrayal] skill.

"Somebody smart is definitely there."

"Ah... Baranga Yuri Aishus."

After a moment of thought, Airen asked me cautiously,

"But the endpoint isn’t really with Aishus Army, is it?"

"That’s right. If Lunarian ever mobilizes, we’ll head there."

"I see..."

She looked serious, and I knew why.

Airen was inherently loyal. Even if misguided, she placed great importance on the feudal relationship. Changing lords like a wanderer must have been troubling for her. Following me meant roaming from place to place.

I bowed slightly to her.

"I’m sorry, Airen."

"Huh? What for?"

"For making you continuously change lords because of me. I know it’s not pleasant for you. I wanted to apologize for that."

Hearing this, Airen started to wave her hands dismissively.

"Uh... no, Swen, it's okay."

"Airen...?"

"I’m just worried about how Aishus Army might suspect you. I might have a plausible reason for being disliked by my lord, but you don’t. They won’t just welcome a general who suddenly wants to surrender... I’m worried that you might end up being seen as a traitor because of me, and how to safely bring you to Lunarian."

"...."

"Isn't that true? You could easily make a name for yourself here in Brans. No, rather it would be more comfortable since you have already shown and proven so much. So... leaving here would be an action not for anyone else, but for me, it's quite obvious."

Hearing this, she spoke to me, who was shocked and stiff, as if stating the most natural thing in the world.

"I'm fine, Swen. My conviction is to protect you. Who I serve at that point means nothing."

With those words, she smiled warmly at me. Her face, illuminated by the lantern, looked more beautiful than ever... and unwittingly, I blurted out my true feelings.

"Airen, as long as you protect me, I will also protect you, no matter if I have to bear a worse name than that of a traitor. And when that time comes..."

"When that time comes...?"

"..."

I scratched my cheek.

Just as I was about to speak,

"Swen."

Airen reached out her hand and placed it on mine. With a very tender smile, she said to me,

"It’s okay if it's not now. When everything is over... make sure to tell me. I'll be waiting."

"...!"

My face was burning hot. Whenever I talked with Airen, I always strangely felt I had the upper hand. Not because I felt superior, but because she had an oddly whimsical side. Her expressions were more varied than I thought, and whenever I said something, she always seemed to be drawn to me... I thought.

At this moment.

I couldn't deny it.

At this moment, she was dominating this conversation.

Do you realize that, Airen?

I am...

"Well then, I just wait for my lord's command?"

"What? Ah... Yes, that's right."

"Good. It seems I’ll be saying goodbye to this house soon. I had grown quite fond of it."

She stood up and began to tidy up the table.

"It's late. Better go to sleep soon. We’ll be busy in the future."

With that, she sat down against the wall as she always did, without using the bed. I turned off the lantern and did not go to the bed but instead moved to sit beside her.

"Swen...?"

"Let’s sleep together tonight, Airen."

"...!!!"

Even in the dark, I could tell her face had turned red. She flustered for a while and then,

"...Okay."

She said, and then leaned her head on my shoulder. I too rested my face on top of her head. We spent the night together like that, feeling each other's warmth in the fleeting moments we had left in Brans Army.

"..."

Unlike Swen, who fell asleep early, Airen stayed awake for a long time, her face still flushed as she watched him sleep.

"Airen, as long as you protect me, I will also protect you, no matter if I have to bear a worse name than that of a traitor. And when that time comes..."

Thump, thump.

Her heart was still pounding as if it might burst. Her chest was hot. She felt ticklish inside. That’s why... she hastily cut him off. If he had blurted out the words she anticipated... it might have distracted him from the important tasks ahead. Of course, half of her thoughts were different. It was just... her heart felt like it was going to burst from embarrassment, so she quickly changed the subject.

"Swen..."

She knew.

Swen was planning to leave this place to protect her. A man who had risked his life for her was now ready to throw away a confirmed prosperous position for her sake.

She remembered the moment in the fortress, how he had held her after their defeat, saying how relieved he was that she was alive.

"..."

A feeling she had never experienced before continued to stimulate her. But if this was truly what her heart desired... Airen had no intention of going against it.

Thus— Airen spent the night restless, feeling his warmth beside her.