Became a Strategist with a 100 Intelligence and 100\% Accuracy-Chapter 176: Regular Meeting / Serpina’s Army (1)

Having finished preparing to leave early in the morning,

"Then, we shall be on our way."

"I'll be going now."

"Have a safe trip, Master. Swen."

"G-Good luck...!"

After bidding farewell to the head maid and Lady Reika,

Airen and I walked side by side toward the royal palace.

"It's been quite a while since we've done this, hasn't it, Lady Airen?"

"Hm?"

"You know, do you remember back then? When you asked me to walk a little farther away from you?"

"Ah..."

Airen smiled slightly at my words.

"Yes, I remember. Back then, I thought that if I didn't, I might become a burden to you. Ah, good morning."

As we walked, many people recognized her and greeted her first.

Ever since she became the vice commander, she had apparently solidified her standing within Serpina’s Army. She even had a number of officers who followed her.

As for how I felt about it—

Watching Airen as she exchanged greetings with so many people brought back memories.

Back then, no one had even acknowledged her presence.

It was a bit of a shame seeing the remnants of the shattered Brans Army and the broken expression of Lyn Brans, but looking at Airen's smile, I felt no guilt.

I had only protected the person I needed to protect.

"I have never once regretted my decision."

As she turned to look at me, I met her deep violet eyes directly.

"Choosing to stand by your side, Lady Airen."

"Swen..."

"Even if the same situation happened a hundred times, I would make the same choice. Every single time."

Airen didn't say anything. She just stared at my face in silence—

Then, with a soft smile, she nodded and answered in a small voice.

"Mm."

Not long ago, I thought I'd never escape the charm of Serpina's captivating smile.

Yet now, looking at this maddeningly lovely expression of Airen, I was reminded of how unpredictable life could be.

She was truly beautiful.

Her beauty was in no way inferior to Serpina’s.

And so, we arrived in front of the royal palace.

As the vice commander of the occupying army, she had places to be.

Her position was naturally different from that of a regular officer like me.

"Swen, I’ll see you later."

"Yes."

After parting ways with Airen, I arrived alone at the meeting room.

The room was already quite crowded.

Noticing how many faces were still unfamiliar to me, I wondered if I needed to get more involved in central politics.

"Ah! Lord Swen!"

"Hm?"

Someone called my name. Turning my head, I saw a familiar woman standing before me.

"Silin?"

"You remember me? It’s been a while!"

She greeted me with a bright smile, though, honestly, I wasn’t particularly happy to see her.

Back in the Brans Army, we had only briefly been acquainted.

Still, as a functioning member of society, it was only polite to act appropriately pleased.

"I didn’t expect to see you here, Miss Silin."

"Actually, I already knew you were here, Lord Swen."

"Oh?"

"I heard from Lady Airen!"

After listening to her explanation, I realized that Silin had been Airen’s roommate.

What were the odds?

It almost felt like a Brans Army reunion.

I never expected to run into her like this...

"Anyway, it’s good to see you! If we ever get the chance to work together, let’s give it our best!"

After exchanging a few more pleasantries with Silin, time passed.

The meeting room was now filled with people, and I noticed that Airen was seated among the key figures at the front.

‘She’s really moved up in the world.’

After a while—

The sound of footsteps echoed through the silent meeting room.

A golden-haired sovereign slowly walked toward the throne—Serpina.

Behind her followed Jenna.

Serpina’s elegance was enough to captivate everyone’s attention.

""Welcome, my lord.""

"Yes. Thank you for waiting."

Serpina turned to Jenna, the state strategist by her side.

"Is everyone present?"

"Yes, my lord."

"......"

Without speaking, she looked around the room, then rose from her seat and extended one hand.

"Then, let us begin the regular meeting of Serpina’s Army."

""Yes!!""

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

With the resounding voices of countless officers, the meeting officially commenced.

"First, we shall begin with the reports from the lords."

One by one, the lords came forward to present their status reports.

This segment always took the longest—

After all, Serpina’s Army controlled more territories than any other nation I had ever been in.

The entire northern continent and even parts of the central continent.

At this moment, Serpina’s Army was undeniably the continent’s dominant power.

After the lords’ reports concluded and a few minor merits were rewarded,

the true agenda finally emerged from Serpina’s lips.

"Now, we shall determine the course of action for our army. If anyone has a good proposal, feel free to speak."

At that moment—

"May I present my opinion?"

A middle-aged man in the front row on the left raised his hand.

‘That man...’

His face looked familiar.

He had frequently appeared when facing Serpina’s Army.

If I remembered correctly, his name was Cransis.

"Speak, Cransis."

See? My memory’s still sharp.

I mean, I did spend over ten thousand hours playing this game.

"Our occupying forces have been sharpening their blades in anticipation of this moment. I believe now is the time to act.

We must mobilize all available troops and seize four territories of Aishus.

My lord, I implore you to make the decision!"

Cransis lowered his head after making his statement.

So, he was suggesting an immediate southern invasion.

It wasn’t an unreasonable proposal.

If I didn’t have my intelligence stat of 100 guiding my predictions,

I might have suggested something similar.

The once-feared Brans Army had been shattered into three fragments.

The southern nations were still in turmoil.

The Aishus Army was purely on the defensive.

Would there ever be a better time to strike?

"Does anyone have a different opinion?"

‘Show me what you’re capable of.’

That was what she meant.

I let out a small sigh and slowly raised my hand.

"My lord."

As my voice resonated through the hall, the gazes of many gathered here turned to me.

Serpina locked eyes with mine. Then, with a barely perceptible smile—so subtle that hardly anyone else would notice—she spoke.

"Speak, Swen."

To me, it felt as if she was telling me she trusted me—

Which is why I confidently responded.

"Deploying the occupying forces across various parts of the continent for patrol duties while focusing on internal affairs would be the most prudent course of action."

At my words, quite a few people, including Cransis, who had spoken earlier, looked at me with curiosity.

But I paid them no mind and only met Serpina’s gaze.

"...I see. Does anyone else have a proposal?"

One might have expected more opinions to emerge, yet the room remained surprisingly quiet.

Perhaps it was because no one wanted to openly oppose Cransis, or maybe it was because the only two reasonable proposals at this point were either to wage war or to refrain from war.

Either way, the situation had now boiled down to a one-on-one confrontation between me and Cransis.

"If there are no further proposals, I shall now ask for a general vote. First, those in favor of Cransis’s plan, raise your hands."

Most of the officers standing with the occupying forces raised their hands.

Fortunately, at first glance, their numbers didn’t appear to be a majority.

It seemed like roughly half had voted in favor, but it wasn’t a clear majority.

A noteworthy detail—Jenna, who stood by Serpina’s side, had also raised her hand.

Since she was none other than the state strategist, Serpina regarded her with a curious expression and asked,

"Oh? Jenna. Do you support Cransis’s proposal?"

"I do."

"I would like to hear your reasoning."

"Before that, may I make a request?"

"I shall listen and then decide."

"After my explanation, please allow for another round of voting."

She was coming in aggressively.

Serpina remained composed and responded in a calm tone.

"It seems you intend to persuade them?"

"That is correct."

Serpina nodded.

"However, it would be unfair to grant such an opportunity to you alone."

Jenna glanced briefly in my direction before speaking.

"Then how about offering the same opportunity to the opposing side?"

"It seems that’s the arrangement, Swen."

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The ball was suddenly in my court, but I didn’t waver. Instead, I smoothly returned the serve.

"I have no objections."

Only then did Jenna nod and begin her explanation.

"The biggest concern in launching an occupation is, of course, the defensive lines of the Aishus Army.

They are led by highly renowned and capable commanders, and their fortress defenses are formidable—this is an undeniable fact.

However, with the Brans Army currently in disarray, their lands are not beyond our reach.

It is true that our forces might suffer some losses in the process,

but we may never again have such an opportunity to invest significant time into dismantling the Aishus Army.

If we can completely annihilate them, the balance of power on the continent will shift dramatically.

Once the Brans Army regains stability, our chances will dwindle significantly.

Therefore, the optimal time to launch an invasion is now. I ask that this be considered carefully."

With her explanation concluded,

"Then, I shall ask once more. Those in favor of Cransis’s proposal, raise your hands."

Once again, many officers raised their hands.

The difference this time?

Now, it did look like a majority.

In other words, Jenna’s persuasion had swayed the room.

Serpina, having assessed the situation, then spoke again.

"Very well. Now, those in favor of Swen’s proposal, raise your hands."

At Serpina’s words—

The majority of the remaining officers raised their hands.

As expected, Lady Airen also voted in my favor.

I could feel her trust in me even from here, and for that, I was quietly grateful.

"Then, I assume it is now my turn to persuade?"

"Please wait a moment."

At that moment—

Just as I was about to formulate my argument, Jenna intervened.

"Since Lord Swen is the original proposer of this argument,

I believe it would be fair to hear someone else’s thoughts instead."

"...Excuse me?"

"After all, I am not the original proposer of Cransis’s argument, am I?"

‘Ah.’

Jenna’s logic was as follows:

Since Cransis himself had not delivered the second round of persuasion,

then likewise, someone other than °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° me should deliver my side’s rebuttal.

Why go to such lengths?

The answer came to me rather quickly.

‘She’s wary of me.’

Just as many people kept an eye on Airen,

I, too, had become a target of scrutiny.

On top of that, rumors had started to spread about me and Serpina.

It wasn’t strange for someone like Jenna—the state strategist—to be cautious of me.

Now, the question was, how should I respond?

After all, they were the ones who introduced this ‘persuasion’ method.

There was no need for me to comply with every condition they set.

Serpina would likely back me up,

so I was just about to nudge the conversation in a way that would prevent them from pushing unreasonable demands—

But then—

"Strategist. In that case, may I speak on his behalf?"

"...???"

A voice unexpectedly rang out from within the crowd.

The one who raised his hand—

A young man with black hair, a promising spearman, and a strikingly handsome face—

Irian al Kasky.