Became a Strategist with a 100 Intelligence and 100\% Accuracy-Chapter 307: Blind Spot of a Hardcore Player (7)

After the fortress collapsed, just as I predicted, the first strange rumors started spreading—among our own troops.

“They say the Aishus side built an altar.”

“Is it true they communicated with the heavens?”

“There’s no way an earthquake would strike only one tiny area! If it weren’t for the tactician, we’d be dead!”

Realizing that they would have died if they hadn’t pulled back in time, the soldiers were noticeably shaken.

Especially those in our army. They had witnessed firsthand how magic affected the battlefield—how enemies collapsed without even being able to raise a hand.

They had always been the ones wielding that overwhelming power. Now that they were on the receiving end of it, it was only natural that the fear hit harder than it ever could for those who’d never held power to begin with.

And sure enough, it wasn’t long before a few deserters began to appear.

Of course, that too had been part of my calculations.

Desertion in a conscription-based nation was practically a death sentence.

But I had quietly asked Serpina to merely pretend to catch them—without actually doing so.

Then I gave instructions to spread rumors. Added some vivid details—“a nightmare where a blue knight appears,” for example.

They say rumors travel faster than disease. And that was no exaggeration.

Thankfully, the number of deserters hadn’t reached a truly dangerous level.

I had been slightly worried that we might end up paying more than we’d gain from deceiving Yuri.

But on that front, it was fair to say luck was on my side.

Even amidst all this, I never neglected to gather intelligence on Valharat Castle.

The scouts I sent in waves finally brought back the exact report I had been waiting for.

“They’ve mobilized all personnel to expand the altar! It looks like they really did manage to commune with the heavens, just as you predicted, tactician...!”

A few days later, more reports came in.

“Because of the continued miracles, enemy morale is through the roof! The situation is completely reversed from ours.”

“Are they conducting drills or preparing for war?”

“We see no signs of that... They’re still expanding the altar.”

“I see.”

I answered with the most serious expression I could manage.

Honestly, I wanted someone to pat me on the back. It was hard not to laugh.

I felt a little sorry for Yuri... but I never expected her to dance so perfectly in the palm of my hand.

I don’t resent her. But if I don’t do this, we’re the ones who’ll be in danger.

And that was the truth. I had no hard feelings about her selling me out. Like I’d realized before, it meant nothing to me.

Sure, at first I was surprised she could do such a thing to her own subordinate—but when I thought about it, I’d been under her command while constantly thinking of leaving.

Getting abandoned by her... what right did I have to complain?

What really bothered me was the potential losses our army might suffer if we simply attacked head-on.

It might turn out to be nothing, but if even one of our soldiers were to die because of it, I’d rather not take the risk.

Even now, Cransis—who had been gravely wounded in the war against Chel—still hadn’t returned to active duty.

Considering the severity of his injury and his age, it was entirely possible we’d already seen the last of him on the battlefield.

Given the repeated rebellions and how thinly stretched our resources were for such a vast country, every single officer mattered.

So this time, I had no choice but to trick Yuri.

In times like this, I couldn’t act like some lofty sage. If this were a game, maybe I could’ve played a character like that.

But this world was vivid, living reality to me now.

Yeah. No room for guilt. I have to do this right.

Once the Aishus Army had exhausted their national resources on overbuilding the altar—

That would be the moment to strike.

Time was always on our side, the side of the great power.

Alright. Time for the next step.

***

“Greetings.”

“Hello...!”

“You’re here, Swen. Reika.”

Airen greeted Reika and me as we stepped down from the carriage.

This place was a small outpost fortress, hastily constructed right after the previous one collapsed.

Calling it a fortress was generous—it was more like a barracks hastily thrown together, the barest shell of a building.

Of course, we had already stationed soldiers here and then withdrawn them, just as I’d planned.

Now we could only hope the Aishus side had a spy watching this scene.

“They say this one will collapse too.”

“Yes. I plan to bring it down myself. You have the rough idea, don’t you, Airen?”

“Hmm. More or less. But I still don’t understand why you asked for those.”

Airen pointed with her finger behind her—at the barrels.

The barrels were filled with rotten pork and fresh pig’s blood.

The meat had been intended for supplies, but improper storage left it spoiled. The blood, on the other hand, I’d specifically requested to be fresh.

Even from here, the stench was strong. Reika, who wasn’t used to this sort of thing, was visibly cringing.

Next to them were old, rusted suits of armor—damaged beyond use and ready to be scrapped.

“This is enough. You two, please step back.”

Wearing gloves, I stuffed the rotting meat into the suits of armor, then splashed fresh blood over them.

The process was even more mentally exhausting than I expected.

But if I wanted to stage a convincing enough scene, there was no room for hesitation.

If this were the modern age, forensics would catch this instantly—but in this era, it would work.

No one would be able to tell whether the flesh buried under the rubble was human or animal.

And since this place wasn’t even their own military’s graveyard, but a ruin deep in enemy territory, no one would investigate it too closely anyway.

If they did, and got caught in an ambush, they’d be risking their lives.

Just then—

I heard a rustling sound behind me and turned to look.

There they were—Airen and Reika—doing the exact same thing I was.

“You didn’t have to help, you know.”

“How could I just stand and watch Swen suffer alone?”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“Y-yeah...! It takes a long time if you do it alone... Let’s just finish quickly—together!”

If they were that determined, there was no reason to stop them.

“Alright. Let’s finish up.”

And so the three of us repeated the process—

All around the fortress, we placed old, blood-soaked suits of armor filled with rotting pork.

Airen removed her blood-splattered gloves and, surveying the scene, spoke with a bitter expression.

“Looks like a battlefield where a brutal fight just ended. Grim.”

“That’s exactly what I was going for.”

“This? This grotesque scene of scattered corpses...?”

“Yes. Once the place is reduced to rubble, it’ll look even more convincing.”

“Well... I don’t know exactly what you’re preparing, but my role doesn’t change.”

“What is it?”

“To stay at your side and help you, Swen.”

I smiled back at her, then turned to Reika.

“Miss Reika. Just like last time, please.”

“Y-yes...!”

Once again, she placed her hands over mine,

and together, we slowly drove the rapier into the ground—

Ruuuuuumble...

The hastily built outpost shuddered and crumbled instantly.

“So... it’s true. You really can cause earthquakes...”

Even though I’d explained it beforehand, seeing it with her own eyes was different.

Airen stared at the scene for a long while.

Then, for some reason, she muttered quietly, her eyes filled with deep sorrow.

“To possess such power, and yet...”

“Airen?”

“...It’s nothing. Come on, let’s go.”

I thought about pressing ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) her for more, but in the end—I chose not to.

I trusted that when the time came, she’d tell me herself.

And so, without another word, I turned and quickly left the scene.

***

And at last, the decisive moment arrived.

News came in that the Aishus Army had finally depleted even their immediately available funds.

I immediately summoned Airen and Irian.

“Prepare for deployment. We’ll be launching an invasion.”

“Invasion, sir? But, tactician... isn’t it dangerous to rashly attack the Aishus Army now that they’ve supposedly communicated with the heavens? Of course, I have no doubt in our victory, but... we can’t rule out the possibility of suffering greater losses than expected...”

“I agree with Irian. And that’s exactly why I’ve called you both here.”

I spoke with a confident smile once again.

“I’ve found a countermeasure. A perfect one.”

“...!”

“So trust me. And—”

At that moment, the sound of heels echoed beside us, and our sovereign approached slowly.

“We greet our liege!”

“We greet our liege.”

Serpina waved lightly to Airen and Irian, then placed her hand on my shoulder.

“And you may trust in me as well. You’ll be safe. The soldiers will be safe. Swen and I will ensure it. As proof, I shall personally join this battle.”

“Pardon?! You intend to take the role of commander-in-chief?”

“No. Airen will retain that position. I’ll join the ranks mid-formation. I won’t be a hindrance.”

She wasn’t an exceptional commander, but everyone knew Serpina wasn’t the type to disrupt her own forces.

“But, my lady, that may still prove dangerous...”

“It won’t be. If I don’t take the field myself, I cannot ease the fears of the soldiers fighting in my name. And—”

Serpina’s tone sharpened with resolve.

“I will not die. As long as Swen is at my side, I become immortal. So there’s no need to worry, Irian.”

“My lady...”

“Yes. Understood. I’ll begin preparations for deployment immediately.”

With Airen nodding quickly—unlike the hesitant Irian—our army, 198,000 strong, began its advance on Valharat Castle.

***

As I prepared for this campaign, I repeated the same pattern as before—actions that looked convincing enough to those who didn’t know better.

First, I deliberately spaced out the soldiers’ formations.

Then I instructed a few of them to march while drawing peculiar symbols on the ground.

When I said these meaningless gestures were “to block the Aishus Army’s heavenly path,” the soldiers accepted my reasoning without question.

I do feel a bit bad for making them run in circles...

Still, I couldn’t afford to relax now.

In fact, this was the most crucial part.

For the Aishus Army—Yuri, Epinnel, those I had been observing—to fall into my trap, this “spacing out” strategy mattered more than anything.

A deliberately unnatural formation, as if we were baiting an ambush. And that was fine.

The enemy would surely notice.

Convinced that their prayers had opened a path to divine miracles, they might think that Swen’s bizarre actions were a ploy to block those miracles.

And that was exactly what I wanted them to believe.

From what we’d learned, Yuri had stepped back from state affairs—meaning Epinnel was effectively commanding the Aishus Army.

Deceiving her was the most important part.

If Epinnel—or someone like Anima—is smart enough, they’ll fall for it. I’m sure they will. The rumors I’ve planted, the miracles that have occurred, these inexplicable actions... they’ll absolutely misinterpret it all!

—The blind spot of a veteran. The flaw of the experienced is that they know the result their own behavior produces.

But in this world, I’m the only true veteran.

Everyone else is stuck guessing, unable to predict what these actions will lead to.

They’ll hesitate.

Even if they try to be logical, logic tends to place too much faith in what one sees and hears firsthand.

Maybe Anima would realize it’s all a ruse.

You don’t get to be a national strategist by being an idiot.

But I was confident—confident that even she wouldn’t be able to prove why Serpina had done all this.

I was certain she wouldn’t be able to convince Epinnel or Yuri.

Which meant—

It’s going to work just as I planned!

——And it didn’t take long to realize I was right.

“T-Tactician! At the exact spot you mentioned, the Aishus Army launched an ambush—!”

...Gotcha!

The moment all our meaningless movements finally paid off—

It was also the moment we began shattering the Aishus Army’s will with our own hands.