Became a Strategist with a 100 Intelligence and 100\% Accuracy-Chapter 285: The Departure Ceremony

That night.

Lying in her bedroom, Serpina spent a long time unable to sleep, her eyes wide open, pondering deeply through the night.

Wearing a sleepwear negligee that was slightly see-through instead of her usual uniform, her inner turmoil seemed less like the struggles of a ruler and more like the concerns of a woman. And in truth, that’s exactly what it was.

'Swen...'

The only thing filling her mind at that moment was one man: Swen.

Serpina, hugging her pillow tightly, buried her face in it and cursed herself, recalling the lives that had been lost.

The former generals who betrayed her, unwilling to die under her command.

The traitors who once pledged their loyalty to the royal family but cursed her with their dying breath.

It had always been this way. Not a single person had ever pledged their life to her.

She appeared to have it all, yet she was nothing more than a ruler standing on a sandcastle.

She had not lost power, but no one ever willingly acknowledged her authority. She was a tyrant who deserved to die. A wicked woman who had plunged the continent into chaos.

Despite all of this, Serpina never stopped trusting.

When a new general joined, she treated each one sincerely. She wanted to make them her own.

She was strict with rewards and punishments but kept them fair and just, prioritizing ability over background or lineage. She believed that if she treated others well, someone would eventually recognize her efforts.

She had been betrayed by those she trusted, those she favored, and even when facing traitors from all corners of the land, she never once wanted to sever her bonds with them.

She had to prove herself with results. After bearing the cross of Aingart, she believed there was no way to atone for her sins except by unifying the continent.

But she had fallen apart when an assassination attempt had occurred not long ago.

The experience of almost being killed by a man she had trusted her back to was a massive event that shook the very foundation of her being.

Fortunately, thanks to Airen, who was more of an outsider, and Reika, who could use healing magic, she managed to avoid disaster, but no matter how powerful Reika’s magic was, it couldn’t heal the deep scars that had remained in her heart.

The answers she received from Swen, using his 'insight,' never changed.

“Sernina-sama cannot unify,” Swen’s face, still troubled, echoed in her mind.

——I might be someone who is ultimately unqualified to be a ruler.

The confidence she had as a sovereign, which had remained unshaken even when facing Swen, had crumbled after the assassination attempt.

She had tried her best not to show it, so most of her generals didn’t know, but now she was half-giving up on the idea of building the unified empire.

After all, how could she achieve such a grand goal when no one was willing to die for her?

Realizing this, she had been consumed by a painful loneliness, and at the same time, she began to cling more and more to Swen.

She wasn’t sure when it started, but it was no longer just Swen’s ability to see through things that she «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» needed; it was Swen himself.

She wanted to forget everything for a moment, even if only for a brief while, in his embrace.

Though she knew that this kind of thinking could never lead to a good result, she still wanted to escape. Before Swen disappeared, she wished she could forget this loneliness, even if only for a moment.

If she could forget everything by being with him...

At some point, that weak mindset had taken over, and Swen had said something to her.

He asked her to die with him.

'Would you... die with me?'

It was the first time.

For the first time, someone had willingly entrusted their life to her, someone who had been rejected by everyone else.

Whether as a subordinate, a comrade, or a friend... Swen was the first person to stake his life on her.

And――

The one Swen truly served wasn’t her.

Someone in his heart... wasn’t her.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

That was why she couldn’t hold on to Swen.

Though she wanted him by her side, even if only for a short while, she didn’t desire that he would stay with her forever.

She knew that, eventually, she would have to let Swen go.

At first, yes. At first, she wanted to stay with him no matter what.

She thought she would do whatever it took to keep him by her side.

But now, after everything, Swen had become too precious to her.

A strategist with the power of insight, the man she admired, one of the few she could trust—these three titles all referred to one person.

She couldn’t act spoiled or childish anymore. She was content with him embracing her, even if just for a moment.

And she had to eventually let Swen go.

She had promised herself that she would let him go.

But now, as she said it, the words wouldn’t come.

‘No...’

Tears began to fall from her eyes.

She, who had never cried in front of anyone, was now alone in her dark bedroom, wetting her pillow with tears.

She didn’t want to let him go.

She wanted to look at the future with him by her side.

She didn’t want to lose him. She wanted to be connected to him, in any form.

...No.

Swen, I don’t want to let you go...

If you could just stay by my side, I—

——Maybe I don’t need to unify the continent after all.

For the first time since taking the throne, Serpina strongly longed for something other than unification.

***

A short time later.

The formation of the occupation army to officially invade Chel’s army began.

Before the departure ceremony, Serpina called Airen to commend her for her efforts.

"Airen. Not only have you been reappointed as Vice Commander, but you’ve also worked hard to protect me. I will never forget all that you’ve done for me."

"It’s nothing, my Lord. Without you, I would already be dead. I will consider it my lifelong honor to have served you. I will repay my debt to you with actions."

Upon hearing those words, Serpina smiled and looked at Airen.

"No. You’ve already done everything you needed to do... you don’t have to feel indebted anymore."

‘...!’

"So, whatever decisions you make from now on... I will bless your future."

Airen quickly picked up on the implication of Serpina's words.

It was a message that, even if she were to leave her side one day, there would be no resentment.

In other words, Serpina-sama... had realized that someday she and Swen would part ways, hadn’t she?

Although Airen didn’t know exactly how Serpina reached this conclusion, she could understand it quickly, having grown familiar with Serpina’s exceptional intuition during her time as a bodyguard.

I... can’t lie.

The person I will follow, whenever it happens, is Swen.

Even so, my gratitude toward her was sincere.

"I will remain unwaveringly loyal to you, my Lord, for as long as I serve you."

Airen closed her eyes, dedicating her loyalty to her Lord.

Since Lyn, this was the first time she had pledged her loyalty to any ‘sovereign.’

"...I trust you, Airen."

With that, their light conversation ended.

Not long after, Janis, who had arrived at Aingart Castle after a long time, had an audience with Serpina.

"Janis al Kasky, having received my Lord’s summons, has arrived at the Aingart Imperial Castle."

"I see, Janis. You must already know the details from the messenger, correct?"

Janis bowed deeply and spoke.

"Though I didn’t take part, I will never forget the grace shown to me, as great as the heavens themselves, for sparing me when I almost strayed. I may not be as capable as my brother Irian, but I will serve you to the best of my ability."

"The past is just that—past. No need to discuss it further. You’ve already been punished enough."

"My Lord...!"

Janis was moved, and tears welled up in her eyes as she gently wiped them away.

"I will do my best...!"

After Janis was officially appointed as the new bodyguard, the formal departure ceremony was held in the afternoon.

This departure ceremony wasn’t held with much fanfare.

Had Serpina not been personally involved as the commander, the ceremony would have been a grand one to boost the morale of those heading out. However, with the sovereign herself taking part, the grand ceremony would have been a luxury.

Nevertheless, even though it wasn’t grand, the ceremony was still dignified thanks to the presence of the ruler.

In front of the royal palace, Serpina stood on a slightly raised platform, with Swen, the new strategist, standing beside her.

In front of them were the current leaders of Serpina’s army.

And behind them, numerous soldiers lined up, standing in formation.

Serpina stretched out her white hand and addressed them.

"Soldiers! We will once again march into the central continent. Many things have happened, and the results haven’t been favorable, but still, we must take this step again for the sake of peace on the continent and to continue the history of the Aingart Empire!"

With so many people gathered, there was not a single sound of chatter other than Serpina’s voice.

Naturally, everyone present turned their gaze to her.

With her graceful gestures and compelling voice, many found it easy to focus on her speech.

"For this campaign, I, as the commander, will fight alongside you. This may be a difficult battle. No matter how favorable the situation is for our army, a battle can take a completely different turn if even a single thing goes wrong. A one-sided battle without sacrifices is impossible, so I expect that many will fall."

"But! I will not stand idly by while you die for the empire! I too will die for you, for the ones who fall for the empire! Aingart! I, Serpina, will die for you!!"

At Serpina’s declaration of dying for them, Swen’s pupils briefly shifted, but she didn’t notice it and continued her speech.

"No matter what happens, I swear here that I will stand by you! So follow me! Let us wipe away the remnants of Orlando Brans, the first to rebel against the Aingart royal family, and raise the empire’s flag once more over the central continent! Let us erase the legacy of the incompetent Brans family, whose repeated wars have driven the people of the territories into misery, and bring true peace to the central continent!"

As Serpina shouted with a clenched fist, the thunderous cheers of the soldiers rang out.

The soldiers, all wearing Aingart’s emblem on their armor, responded passionately.

Immediately after the speech,

A large occupation force set out toward Chel’s territories.

Once again, war had begun.