Became a Strategist with a 100 Intelligence and 100% Accuracy – Chapter 21

Episode 21. Three Predictions

—

The weather was getting colder.

It had been quite some time since I had come to this world.

And I- for some reason, instinctively felt enveloped by the feeling that it was about time for an incident to erupt.

“Too peaceful.”

According to intelligence, the battle between the Serpina army and the Brans army had roughly concluded with the Brans army successfully defending.

Moreover, the situation on the southern and eastern fronts was reported to be quiet without any incidents.

Then, inevitably, they should have targeted our side again- our castle in the west, but somehow time continued to pass without any incidents.

Of course, we hadn’t been idly waiting.

Our army had done everything it could.

We conscripted as much as possible without lowering the morale of the people. The number of troops defending our castle, including the mercenaries, totaled 31,000.

Even if we conscripted all the men in the castle without caring about morale, we would only gain an additional 2,000 or so, so we did not proceed with further conscription.

Instead, we focused on training. I ordered Tifa, who had recovered, to train the troops, and I instructed Cain to continue repairing the walls under the assumption that no other predictions would come true.

Not just Cain, but myself and even our lord Luna, all three of us continued the repair work together.

As a result, somehow we were able to increase our defense capability more robustly than ever before.

All these commands required the approval of our lord Luna, but- she trusted me completely, believing in me to the extent that she would back me up even if I said I could make soybean paste out of beans, and thus, it was no exaggeration to say that the person leading and governing this nation was not her, but me.

And one more thing.

We had sent messengers to sign a six-month non-aggression pact with the small neighboring countries bordering us.

This included the Garammil army, which had once invaded us by aiding the Brans army.

After all, in this arena, there were no lifelong allies or lifelong enemies. Plus, the Garammil side, rather than bearing a grudge against us, had mostly been coerced into their actions by the Brans army to some extent.

It was a preemptive measure against being targeted similarly.

Fortunately, the small nations, being busy dealing with their internal affairs, signed the treaty without much fuss.

The most pressing issue for our army was still the lack of talented individuals.

Despite utilizing a brain with an intelligence of 100 to its fullest, a satisfactory result had not been achieved.

Searching for talent had proven that we wouldn’t be able to find anyone, meaning it wasn’t a waste not to search unnecessarily, but it seemed there had never been a time, even when playing the actual game, that recruiting talent was this difficult.

Gustav and Aaron, the leaders of the mercenary groups, were working for our army, but they were independent entities as mercenaries, so commands could not be issued except during battles.

Therefore, only Cain, Tifa, myself, and Luna herself were managing internal affairs.

The situation was desperately in need of talented individuals, but time was quickly passing without even a single C-class general being found.

“I’ve done everything I could.”

In the game, playing as a small country, even after doing everything possible, there were often times when one would face insurmountable odds and game over without being able to do anything.

I wasn’t worried about ruin, given that it was predetermined that Lunarien would become the unifying monarch… but why couldn’t I shake off this strange feeling of unease?

“Enough. If something happens, it’s not too late to think about it then. My predictions are probably right anyway.”

Feeling somewhat lighter, I headed towards the wall for repairs today without much thought.

After walking for a while,

Cain was hurriedly walking towards me for some reason.

Since I came from the direction of the royal castle, he seemed to have been heading there.

“What’s the matter?”

“Oh! Swen, I was actually looking for you.”

After reaching me, Cain caught his breath and said,

“We need to go to the royal castle right away… the lord has summoned you. It’s urgent.”

“An urgent matter?”

“I heard a messenger has arrived.”

“!!”

A messenger had arrived.

There was only one thing that meant.

“It’s here.”

“Am I the last to receive the news?”

“That’s right. I’ve already informed Tifa, who was in training.”

“Understood.”

I quickly moved with Cain towards the Jelant Castle.

*

Cain, Tifa, and I,

Including Aaron, the leader of the Chilean mercenary group, and Gustav, leader of the Raven mercenary group.

All five of us were gathered in front of Luna, surrounding a table.

“……Thank you all for coming.”

Luna said with a serious expression.

“What’s the matter? Is it the Brans bastards? Have they moved?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Luna nodded at Tifa’s question.

Given that we had signed a non-aggression pact with the neighboring countries, there was no one else but the Brans army that could target us.

“Good. Is that red-haired knight not coming again? I really want to get revenge this time.”

Tifa said eagerly, slamming her axe on the floor.

After the agreement was signed and inspected, her injuries had healed faster than expected… but it was still a dangerously close call to losing her life.

Tifa, a character with potential to be a king-slayer, couldn’t be lost so easily here.

“But didn’t we prepare as much as Swen instructed? The walls are sturdier than ever, and the number of soldiers is not to be underestimated at this point…”

Cain asked Luna, who looked worried, a question.

Right. We had done everything we could.

We knew that the Brans army would invade again at some point.

From our army’s perspective, we didn’t just sit back and not think about forming an alliance with the Brans army. But the prediction before sending a messenger was always impossible.

The Brans army would never form an alliance with our army, no matter what.

All I could do was predict. I couldn’t change the outcome of those predictions.

So, we prepared for the defense to the best of our ability, didn’t we?

Then why-

Why was Luna wearing such a desperate expression?

“……You’re right, Cain. We did everything we could.”

“Then, what does that mean…?”

I slowly asked.

By now, I somewhat had a guess.

And her response to my question confirmed my guess.

“……The Brans army is advancing towards us, towards Jelant Castle. Their number is……”

She let out a short sigh.

Then, with a resolved expression, she continued.

“81,000.”

“……!!!”

“What, what……!”

“81,000……?”

Excluding me, who had somewhat guessed the reason for such an expression, ‘because of the overwhelmingly large number of enemy troops,’ everyone else uttered their disbelief upon hearing the number.

Yes.

Even with all the preparations, facing an overwhelming force of 81,000 was disheartening.

An overwhelming army of over 81,000!

It seemed like they had gathered all the soldiers from all fronts except the north, and I

was already feeling dizzy from the sheer number.

The walls of Jelant Castle were sturdier than ever.

The number of soldiers was also greater than ever, and their morale was sky-high after two victories.

But what could we do about it?

We couldn’t stop 81,000 soldiers.

There were ways to stop them. If we had several SS-class warriors, it would be possible to mow down the enemies like a vacuum cleaner. The game wasn’t exactly known for its realism in strategy and tactics.

But we didn’t have such warriors in our army. Tifa was strong, but she was only about A-class at the moment. Even if the special forces of the mercenary groups were stronger than ordinary soldiers, in the end, the number of soldiers was overwhelming.

So- the Brans army was coming to crush us.

“Then why?”

There must be a reason for the Brans army’s invasion, right?

Jelant Castle and this small territory were not strategic military locations. It was just one of the many castles of lesser importance in the central region.

With such a large army, they would inevitably have to prepare a lot, meaning this land wasn’t worth the effort.

Then,

“……Swen, what should we do?”

Cain naturally directed his question towards me.

No one objected to his words. They just looked at me, seeking an answer.

Luna also closed her eyes for a moment as if pondering… then slowly opened them and asked me.

“Swen. Light our path. Can we win this battle?”

“……”

[Can we win this battle?]

As always, the conclusion was reached very quickly.

[We cannot win.]

“……!”

Absolutely, we cannot win.

“Winning this battle is nearly impossible.”

“Then, then……!”

Despairing, Cain’s neighbor Tifa tried to maintain a hopeful expression and asked.

“But, why? It’s nearly impossible, but isn’t there something you can do?! Haven’t you always found a way until now!”

“……I need to correct my statement. It’s not nearly impossible, it’s absolutely impossible.”

“That… what does that mean! You’ve always found a way until now! Isn’t there a pact we can’t make this time?”

“That’s correct.”

If that were possible, a prediction to make a pact would have come up.

“How can that be! Think of something! I hate to always ask, but… among us, you’re the smartest, right?”

The smartest, huh.

If intelligence was the measure of being smart, then perhaps.

But in this world, intelligence only increased the accuracy of predictions, not the ability to come up with groundbreaking ideas.

Of course, the ability to make accurate predictions itself was an overpowered skill… but still, it was impossible to make the impossible possible.

“Then… are we at the end of our journey…? Without any other options, are we to simply succumb to fate and perish?”

Luna looked at me with a face about to crumble.

It was just the beginning.

Lunarien’s kingdom was just starting to stretch its wings.

And yet… were we destined to be quickly removed from the stage of history by a powerful lord?

Was there no way to reverse that fate?

The castles around us were owned by different leaders.

It meant there was no escape for us.

“……Wait.”

Out of curiosity, I input her last question- “Are we left with no other option but to perish here?” into my mind.

And as expected- the conclusion came very quickly.

[No. Leave Lunarien Kingdom.]

“……???”

What?

Leave Lunarien Kingdom? Me?

Does leaving mean to resign?

…Wait a minute.

I input the same question that had been giving the same result until a few days ago once more.

“Can Lunarien Inieng become the unifying monarch of the continent?”

[Yes.]

This hadn’t changed.

She still had the destiny to become the unifying monarch, but we couldn’t win this battle.

And to prevent Lunarien Kingdom from perishing… I had to leave?

“Swen……?”

Noticing the change in my expression, Luna asked with a concerned look.

For now, I looked at her and answered as calmly as I could.

“My lord. I deeply apologize, but please give me a little time. I need to think.”

“……Understood.”

Luna nodded, then looked at me cautiously.

I turned away from her gaze and quickly re-entered several key questions into my mind.

“Can Lunarien Inieng become the unifying monarch of the continent?”

[Yes.]

Next question.

“Is there a way to win this battle?”

[We cannot win.]

This was the same. We couldn’t win this battle no matter what.

And the last one.

“Is this the end for Lunarien Kingdom? Is there no other option but to perish?”

[No. Leave Lunarien Kingdom.]

Three predictions.

What I had to do now was to figure out what picture these three “100% accurate predictions” were painting-

And squeeze out a plausible process as much as possible.

*

Finding out the exact process to reach a predetermined result was difficult.

But thinking about “this result means this process must happen” was easier.

Lunarien Kingdom will not completely disappear at this moment.

Why? Because she still has the destiny to become the unifying monarch.

As long as that destiny doesn’t change, doing something for Lunarien Kingdom means doing it for myself.

After all, I can return to my original world as a vassal of the unified nation.

But there’s no place to escape right now, so the immediate disappearance of the state from the map is inevitable.

Why? Because we cannot win the battle.

If we cannot win, losing Jelant Castle is almost certain, and our forces do not own any other territories.

A force without any territory cannot even be called a lord in name.

Combining these two facts leads to one conclusion- “Lunarien Kingdom will temporarily disappear but will reemerge on the stage of history later.”

Monarch Lunarien Inieng will not die.

She will survive somehow.

Somehow, she will raise an army again.

The problem is the rest of my companions.

Tifa and Cain, whose potentials have not yet been unleashed, could die if captured in this battle.

“Lynn Brans.”

I remembered from the 10,000 hours I invested in the game, how the CPU Lynn Brans treated prisoners.

She tried to recruit useful prisoners, but if they refused to serve, she killed them.

If she couldn’t have them, she preferred to eliminate them. That was the type.

However, she was relatively lenient with prisoners who were not useful, sparing their lives.

Of course, there were exceptions.

There were times when she freed useful prisoners or did something similar, but not without exception.

But if there was a consistent case where she always killed, it was when the prisoner was a leader.

In that case, the likelihood of execution was very high.

Perhaps she viewed potential competitors as threats.

Playing as a minor country, how many times did I have to restart because of Lynn Brans?

No matter how capable, not using someone who has already ruled once under someone else’s command might be because they believe such a person would not serve under another lord.

Anyway, excluding Luna, if Cain and Tifa were captured as prisoners, what would happen?

“Both would die.”

Cain had a fairly high level of administration. He had been assigned to wall repairs instead of internal management due to our army’s special circumstances, but he had the capability to significantly improve commerce or agriculture.

Tifa was close to an S-class general, even if not quite there, certainly at least A-class.

And both of them, not being Lunarien but rather under another lord, seemed unlikely to surrender.

Cain, given his hidden status, might not want to serve under a powerful lord, and Tifa’s personality being what it is, seemed unlikely to yield.

While Cain might possibly surrender and live quietly, Tifa would surely be executed.

“Not one can be lost.”

Even if Lunarien’s kingdom’s future as the unifying kingdom is predetermined-

Losing even one companion would significantly change the difficulty of that path.

Therefore, not only Tifa but also Cain must not be killed. For the future king-slayer, everyone must be protected.

So, the conclusion is one.

It’s best to make everyone, including Luna, escape from this castle.

Ensuring Luna’s safety, who is almost guaranteed safety, should follow her.

Here, if the monarch leads a small force and flees, wouldn’t they naturally form a pursuit force- one might naturally wonder.

But that won’t happen.

The basis for this thought was the answer to the third question.

[No. Leave Lunarien Kingdom.]

If I leave Lunarien Kingdom, it means Lunarien Kingdom can avoid destruction.

Then- why does ‘my leaving’ become ‘a way to avoid destruction’?

The answer came surprisingly easily.

“Lynn Brans’s goal isn’t the complete destruction of Jelant Castle or Lunarien Kingdom.”

“Her goal is… ‘me’.”

This realization shifts the entire strategy. My departure could potentially distract or even neutralize the Brans army’s immediate threat, allowing Lunarien Kingdom and its inhabitants a chance to escape and regroup.

It’s a risky, almost paradoxical strategy, but given the dire predictions and the lack of alternatives, it might just be the only way to preserve the future potential of Lunarien Kingdom and its people, including Luna, Tifa, and Cain.

As for me, leaving might not only save the kingdom from immediate destruction but also set the stage for a counterattack in the future, one where I could rejoin them under more favorable circumstances, or perhaps influence the situation from afar.

“Swen…… what are you thinking?” Luna’s voice breaks through my contemplation, a mix of hope and desperation in her tone.

I take a deep breath, ready to share a plan that feels like a leap into the unknown, yet strangely, the only path forward illuminated by the complex tapestry of predictions and destinies laid out before us.

“It’s time for a bold move. To ensure the survival of Lunarien Kingdom and its future, I must leave. But this is not the end—far from it. It’s a strategic retreat, a way to deceive our enemies and buy us time. We’ll regroup, rebuild, and when the time is right, we’ll reclaim what’s ours and fulfill the destiny that’s been predicted for us. For now, we must survive, adapt, and prepare for the day we rise again.”