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

We won! We actually won!

When word spread that an army of two hundred thousand was marching upon them, each soldier had steeled their resolve, but none could deny the despair that crept into the corners of their hearts.

Many had fought with the grim acceptance that they might die in this war. But if they could lend even a fraction of their strength to Luna's cause—to her stand against Vanessa’s tyranny and Karelia’s blind obedience—then they would have fulfilled their duty as soldiers.

And in this battle, against all odds, they—had won. Victory was theirs. With an overwhelming disadvantage in numbers, they had crushed an army of two hundred thousand. The celebration belonged to them!

And at the forefront of this life-or-death battle... the soldiers had witnessed, with their own eyes, Luna’s unmatched strength—her dominance that allowed no one to stand in her way.

Despite being a ruler, she had thrown herself into the fray, risking her life at the vanguard, cutting down enemy soldiers—quite literally—one after another.

To the Karelia Army, she must have been a nightmare.

But to the Lunarian Army...

She was nothing less than the Goddess of War.

Anyone who had fought beside her that day would have no reason to contest that title. novelbuddy.cσ๓

"Lunarian Iniang forever!!!"

"For Lady Lunarian!!!"

Seated atop her horse, Luna surveyed her surroundings.

...They had won.

The soldiers’ victorious cheers hammered the reality home—she had defeated the Karelia Army.

After such a grueling battle, it would have been natural to roar in triumph alongside her men, swept up in the wave of emotion.

And yet—Luna heard none of their cries.

The only voice that echoed in her mind was his.

"If we make it to the final stage, we win."

"We won... Swen, I... I did it...!"

Luna closed her eyes and clasped her hands tightly together.

His words had been her only guiding star.

Nothing—absolutely nothing—had influenced her decisions more than his voice.

He was the man who had thrown away his own life to save them.

The one who, even in his final moments, had told her to never give up.

The man who had promised her that if she trusted him, he would place the world in her hands.

Tears spilled silently from Luna’s eyes.

The soldiers standing at a distance would not notice.

Not that it mattered.

Because more than anything—she was happy that she had proven him right.

I did exactly as you told me.

I haven't forgotten our promise, Swen.

I miss you... so much...

Luna lifted her gaze to the sky.

The sun was rising again, chasing away the darkness of the long battle.

It was time—to move forward.

***

The battle was over.

And yet, the one who received the most attention afterward was not Luna, but rather—Tifa, the general who had suddenly awakened an immense new power.

Normally, Tifa would have spent an entire day bragging about her accomplishments, grabbing anyone within reach to make them listen.

Instead, she lay motionless in bed, drenched in cold sweat.

"Are you alright?"

"Oh, look who it is—old man Cain. Or should I be calling you Lord Kyle now?"

"‘Lord’? Hardly. Call me whatever you want. I’m not ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) used to hearing fancy titles from you."

"Heh, fine then, you stubborn old man. Cain or Kyle... you’re still just a grumpy old geezer to me."

"I suppose so."

Cain observed Tifa’s pale face and the beads of sweat forming on her brow.

"You used magic."

"Yeah... I guess it must’ve been magic, huh?"

"When did you first become aware of it?" Cain asked, his tone unusually serious.

"Not sure... I always felt like there was some kind of energy inside me during training, but... this was the first time I actually felt it flowing through my body."

"Then that must have been mana...?"

"Most likely."

A new voice interrupted them.

Both Tifa and Cain turned their heads to see an elderly man approaching—the chief strategist of the Lunarian Army, Jinor Nighhardt.

"Mana exists, just as mages do."

"Strategist Jinor...?"

"It seems, General Tifa, that you have awakened to magic. And as proof... you’re now lying helpless in bed, unable to move."

"What?"

"Mages deplete their physical strength in proportion to the mana they expend."

Cain narrowed his eyes. "You seem rather knowledgeable about mages."

Jinor paused for a moment, contemplating his answer.

"...You could say that."

"You speak as if you’ve seen one in action before."

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

"That can wait for another time. Right now, the important matter is General Tifa’s condition." Jinor’s gaze settled on Tifa, his tone carrying no trace of humor. "A mage who overexerts themselves and wields magic beyond their capacity will pay the price in vitality."

Tifa scowled. "So that’s why I blacked out after the fight...?"

"Exactly. If you wish to use magic again, you must rest properly."

A bitter laugh escaped Tifa’s lips.

"Hah... Just when I thought I finally got stronger... it turns out I’m back to square one."

"That’s not true, General Tifa." Jinor’s voice was firm. "Without you, we would have never won this battle."

"Yeah, right. The mercenaries joined as reinforcements anyway."

"And yet, the enemy still had an overwhelming numerical advantage. Do you think I’d praise you just for the sake of flattery?"

Tifa stared at him for a moment, then smirked. "...Heh. When you put it that way, I guess I believe you."

But Jinor’s next words were far from reassuring.

"General Tifa. When I said ‘you need rest,’ I wasn’t just saying it as a suggestion."

His voice grew even more serious.

"If you keep recklessly using magic without proper recovery... the excess mana flowing through your body will eventually kill you."

"...!!!"

Jinor was the most knowledgeable man on the entire continent when it came to magic.

He had scoured countless ancient texts, collected folk tales that had long since faded into legend, and investigated every surviving record that spoke of mages.

For one reason alone—because mages were real.

Ever since the day he met young Reika, who could summon flames in the palm of her hand, he had known. If this power truly existed, it could shake the continent to its core. And so, he had secluded himself, pouring every ounce of effort into amassing knowledge.

"But—"

"No more discussion. If you truly wish to be of aid to your lord, do not push yourself recklessly. More than anything, she needs you."

"She... needs me."

Had he—had he finally become someone that Lunarian needed?

Tifa had always known the truth.

As a warrior, she could never hope to match Luna. The only reason she had fought at the frontlines so often was because Luna was a ruler who couldn't always afford to risk herself.

But now, she had awakened the power of magic.

And if that meant that she—too—could truly support Luna, could become someone who mattered to Lunarian’s Army—

"...Alright. I won’t be stubborn. I’ll take it easy like you said, old man strategist."

"Well, don’t worry. Feeling guilty about resting lasts only a day or two. Doing nothing can be surprisingly enjoyable."

Kyle’s teasing remark made Tifa relax slightly.

"Did you hear that, strategist? This guy’s supposed to be royalty, but he’s honestly pathetic. Weren’t you a chancellor or something back in the day? Let’s ask—are you really sure this old man was someone important—"

Tifa suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

She stared blankly at the empty space before her.

"...He’s gone."

She had only just realized that Jinor had already left the room.

"He’s like a ghost," Kyle muttered. "Even back in the day, he always had a way of appearing and disappearing without a sound."

"...Was he always like that?"

It seemed she’d have to find someone else to ask.

***

General Tifa was a mage.

Or rather, to be precise—she had awakened the power of magic.

Jinor organized his thoughts as he stepped out of the room.

A newly awakened mage—one with power far greater than young Reika’s first sparks of flame—was highly likely to burn out if they wielded magic without proper knowledge.

If Tifa continued to use magic recklessly, she would die.

However, if someone was there to guide her—to warn her of the dangers—her chances of survival would increase exponentially.

Someone like himself.

...Hah.

It was almost frightening, how everything seemed to fall into place for Lunarian’s Army.

More than fear—it was awe.

Regardless, they had done it. They had defeated Karelia’s army of two hundred thousand.

And this wasn’t just any battle.

Karelia had gambled its very existence on this war, mobilizing nearly all its forces.

On their side, too, there had been no room for failure. If they had lost, every single one of them would have been executed.

But they had won.

And that victory meant the end of Karelia’s reign.

All that remained was to clean up Karelia’s now virtually defenseless territory.

"Looks like things are about to get busy."

Jinor let out a quiet sigh, then posed a question to someone who could no longer answer.

"Swen, was all of this part of your plan?"

If so... then he...

***

Tepello Castle – The Royal Hall

Before Luna knelt four figures, their gazes fixed upon her.

"Gustav, Aaron. And Kale, Jonah... It is truly wonderful to see you all again."

Before her were Gustav, commander of the Raven Mercenaries, and his deputy, Kale.

Beside them stood Aaron, leader of the Chilean Mercenaries, and his second-in-command, Jonah.

These were the people who had once vowed to return to Lunarian’s Army when it rose again—

And they had kept their promise.

"We have awaited this moment, Lady Luna."

"The debt we owe you—we will repay it in full."

By debt, they likely referred to the troops Luna had granted them at no cost.

For mercenaries, the size of their forces determined their survival.

And to them, troops trained under a nation’s military discipline were invaluable.

"Had you not aided us, we never would have won that battle. You have my deepest gratitude."

Luna stepped forward, closing the distance between them.

"However... there is something I must ask of you all."

"Please, command us as you see fit."

"For the time being, I must ask you to continue fighting. I know you are already occupied with your mercenary duties... but I promise you will be compensated accordingly."

Gustav and Aaron exchanged glances.

They already knew what Luna was asking.

The clean-up of Karelia’s lands.

It wouldn’t be a particularly difficult task.

But it would take time—and blood.

After a brief moment of silent understanding, both mercenary captains turned to Luna and spoke in unison.

"Lady Luna. Please—"

"Permit us to officially join Lunarian’s Army."

"...What?"

Luna’s eyes widened in shock.

But unlike her, Gustav and Aaron remained composed.

"A mercenary’s livelihood depends on war. But if you—Lady Luna—can bring order to this continent..."

"Then we would rather dedicate ourselves to your cause than to continue profiting from chaos."

"This is a decision we have considered for a long time. Please, grant us this request. We will not be a burden to you."

"A burden?!"

Luna took a step forward, her expression firm.

"Having you by our side would be the greatest strength we could ask for... but are you truly certain?"

"All of our men are in agreement. We will fight for Lunarian’s Army."

"......"

For a brief moment, Luna hesitated.

Should she decline once more?

No—this was an opportunity.

One she couldn’t afford to miss.

Because she had made a promise.

She had to grow stronger.

She had to crush Serpina—the woman who still held him captive.

Luna clenched her fists.

Then, with unwavering resolve, she spoke.

"...Thank you. Then, I shall entrust this to you."

At her words, Aaron, Gustav, and their lieutenants knelt once more.

"Yes, my lord!"

"From this moment on, we pledge our loyalty to you!"

They had won the battle.

They had secured the mercenaries.

Now, there was only one thing left to do—

To move forward.

And the next step was clear.

They would erase Karelia from the map.