Became a Strategist with a 100 Intelligence and 100% Accuracy

On the way back to the royal capital, Karelia turned her head to look at Vanessa.
"Vanessa."
"Yes, my lord."

"Would you not say we have observed enough by now?"
Vanessa did not answer. She merely lowered her head in silence.
"There is growing discontent with your policies. Even I am beginning to think that your hardline measures may be excessive. Many have voiced their opposition. Perhaps it is time for you to reconsider your stance."

"My lord. Do you remember General Sade?"
"……!"
Sade Astron.

Back when Karelia’s forces were still a wandering army, he was one of their most distinguished generals. The last she had heard, he was no longer affiliated with any nation and had since become the leader of a mercenary group.
"He was a man of unparalleled talent, surpassing any of our generals at the time. He willingly sacrificed an eye to become your shield. No one can deny the crucial role he played in the capture of Madralan Castle. And yet, my lord, what did you do to him?"
"……I told him we could no longer continue together. Because he plundered the lands of innocent people."

After that incident, several thousand soldiers had followed Sade, abandoning the country alongside him.
"If he had not pillaged at the time, we would have suffered defeat due to a lack of provisions. Madralan Castle would not have been ours. In fact, this nation itself might never have come into existence. It was an unavoidable decision."
"But if we wage war by stealing from innocent people, how would we be any different from Serpina's forces?"

"At the time, they were not our people. They paid taxes to the enemy nation. They grew food that fed the enemy's soldiers."
"Even if they were under another nation's rule, commoners are still commoners. Only a few decades ago, we were all part of the same country. Even if they are citizens of an enemy nation now, how can we treat them as expendable?"
"That, my lord—"

Vanessa's voice took on a firmer edge, as though making an impassioned plea.
"That is precisely the weakness I am referring to."
"What did you say……?"
"My lord, these are chaotic times. You cannot expect to rule the world with nothing but kindness and virtue. Do not mistake me—I, too, deeply sympathize with your ideals. I do not deny that many have gathered here because they were drawn to your great cause. However, even if your ideals are enough to build a nation, they will not be enough to bring down Serpina."

Overwhelming military strength, exceptional decisiveness, and, above all, the undeniable legitimacy of the old empire—Serpina had them all.
Unless there existed something that could clearly surpass her, Vanessa was convinced that defeating Serpina and uniting the continent under a single ruler would be nearly impossible.
"Our soldiers have not experienced prolonged warfare. Compared to the other southern nations, where conflicts have broken out from time to time, we have enjoyed a relatively peaceful era for far too long. And peace, paradoxically, is what rots an army from within. If we do not establish strict discipline under these conditions, we may find that we cannot even unify the south, let alone stand against Serpina's forces."

"But…… isn't collective punishment too extreme? Not only that, but this standard for military governance—shouldn't we at least overlook minor mistakes?"
"Minor mistakes pile up into grave errors, and once a grave mistake is made, there may be no way to undo the damage."
"!!!"

Vanessa lowered her head once more before speaking.
"I will be frank, my lord. Before I took command of the military, our army’s discipline was in absolute shambles. Can you imagine soldiers using personal circumstances as an excuse to skip mandatory drills—drills that were led by their own generals? There was even one soldier who protested, claiming that since you, my lord, cared for each soldier individually, I had no right to be so strict."
"……."

"This is not how a proper army functions. If we were in a time of peace, perhaps it wouldn’t matter. But [N O V E L I G H T] now, of all times, such attitudes cannot be tolerated. In a nation and in an army, there must be hierarchy. Without it, neither can function as they should."
Karelia could not deny Vanessa’s words.
"In order to establish lasting peace across the continent, we must ensure that this land does not fall into the hands of the tyrant Serpina. And to do that, we need an army that wins. We need a nation that triumphs. Blood may be spilled along the way. But my lord, do you not believe that once you stand as the sole ruler of a unified continent, that day will mark the arrival of true peace for all?"

"……."
"My lord. If blood must be shed in this process, then let me be the one to be stained by it. When the time comes to crawl through the filth, I will do so willingly. Even if others call me an arrogant woman playing at being a sovereign, I will bear that disgrace without hesitation. I only ask that you understand my resolve."
"Vanessa……."

Karelia met Vanessa's gaze.
And for a long moment, she was unable to say anything.
Because she knew, better than anyone, just how much Vanessa had done in her place.

A long silence passed between them.
Then, Vanessa bowed deeply.
"Forgive my impertinence, my lord."

"No. Impertinence? Between you and me, such a thing does not exist."
"……It may be inappropriate of me to say this while asking for forgiveness, but if you had simply called my words insolence and ordered my execution, I believe I would have found some peace in heading to the afterlife."
"You truly have quite the sharp tongue."

Seeing Karelia smile at her remark, Vanessa renewed her resolve once more.
No matter what it took, she would see Karelia rise as the sun that ruled over this sky.
***

"Thank you so much just now, Lady Luna. You saved me."
"It's nothing. Even if I hadn’t done it, someone else surely would have."
"That’s not true! Really… if it hadn’t been for you, Lady Luna, who else would have dared to stand against Lady Vanessa?"

After the regular meeting had ended, Luna had come to visit Cecil at her home at Cecil’s request—she had wanted to spend some time together after a long while.
They were simply sharing tea and casual conversation, but—
For both of them, this moment felt special.
Back when Luna had first joined Karelia’s forces, the one who had helped her the most to adapt was none other than Cecil. Ever since then, Luna had always wanted to repay that kindness. In a way, this visit allowed her to ease some of the weight she had been carrying in her heart.

"By the way… the girl beside you?"
Cecil glanced at Violet, who was quietly standing next to Luna.
"She is a child under my guardianship."

"Greetings."
Cecil responded with a warm smile.
This translation is the intellectual property of .

"You have received the support of someone you can learn a great deal from. I hope you make good use of such a fortune."
"Thank you. I will not forget your words today."
After offering her brief words of encouragement, Cecil gave Luna a knowing look.

Luna understood what that glance meant and turned to Violet with a smile.
"Violet, I’m sorry, but could you step out for a moment?"
Among the three children in Luna’s care, Violet was the sharpest.
She quickly picked up on the subtle shift in atmosphere within the room, then bowed gracefully.

"Yes. Please, take your time with your conversation."
With that, Violet stepped out.
"She’s quite a poised one. There’s strength in her eyes—she seems like a child who will accomplish something great."

"Thank you. Though from my perspective, she doesn’t need to accomplish anything in particular. I just hope she lives a healthy life…"
And then, Cecil finally brought up what she truly wanted to discuss.
"What do you think, Lady Luna?"

"……."
She was asking about what had just happened.
No—more than that, it would not be wrong to say she was referring to Vanessa’s reign of fear.

Luna hesitated, wondering how to respond, before deciding to probe first.
"What is the atmosphere like in the capital?"
"The public sentiment is turning hostile. Not just the conscripted commoners, but even among our officers… the voices of those who cannot accept the tactician’s decisions are growing louder."

"Is that so…."
Luna stared blankly at her teacup, lost in thought.
"At a glance, it may seem like a strong army with firm discipline is being forged—"

Cecil spoke as she lightly tapped Luna’s teacup with her finger.
A world that had been still and silent within the cup trembled at the touch.
"But I can’t shake the feeling that the slightest trigger will make all that discontent explode."

"…Has no one spoken to our lord about this?"
"Do you think no one has? I myself have pleaded multiple times. Not just me—General Mirion and General Gide as well."
Mirion and Gide were some of the most veteran commanders in Karelia’s forces.
Calling them founding contributors to the nation would not be an exaggeration.

"We told her that while we understand the tactician’s intentions, she’s taking things too far. That if this continues, we won’t end up with a powerful army, but a disorganized mess torn apart by internal strife. That you cannot rule over commoners with fear alone."
"And our lord…?"
"……Haah."

Cecil let out a deep sigh.
She had always taken great pride in being part of Karelia’s army, but at this moment, her trembling gaze betrayed her genuine concern.
"It’s just as you heard earlier… She has delegated military authority. It seems she has decided to trust Vanessa for now, at least."

"But is our lord truly just standing by and watching this reign of terror unfold? The lord I know would never allow this—"
Luna’s words made Cecil close her eyes and slowly nod.
"Yes. I think so too. However… our lord must be feeling a sense of debt."

"A debt…?"
"Lady Vanessa has always been like our lord’s shadow. A ruler in times of chaos cannot simply recite lofty ideals. A ruler must hold their ideals in their heart, yes—but they must also have the decisiveness to act, the resolve to make choices, and the willingness to stain their hands with blood."
And the one who was willing to stain her hands—

No, the one who had already submerged them deep into a pool of blood,
was none other than the nation’s tactician, Vanessa Trinity.
After saying that, Cecil let out a bitter smile.