Became a Strategist with a 100 Intelligence and 100\% Accuracy-Chapter 309: The Aishus Army Disappears from the World (1)

"What?"

"The Aishus Army is finished. The war's outcome has already been decided. We... can never defeat them."

"What are you saying?! And why did we even launch a surprise attack in the first place?"

"I'm sorry. I don't have time to explain everything from start to finish. But I’ll tell you what matters most. ...Anima, you were right about everything."

"Huh...?"

"What looked like Yuri’s prayers reaching the heavens—it was all likely fabricated by Serpina."

"......!!!"

Anima was shaken. And of course she was.

Her returning friend was suddenly bringing up the very thing she'd once wanted so badly to hear, the thing she had buried away.

If the situation allowed, she would’ve wanted to sit and talk at length about it.

But Epinnel’s expression was far too grave and serious for that.

Swallowing the countless questions welling up in her throat, Anima forced herself to ask the one question that couldn’t wait.

"What proof do you have?"

Without a word, Epinnel handed her a map.

It was the one Anima herself had marked before the attack—detailing the strange formations and evenly spaced gaps in Serpina’s army.

"This is..."

"Serpina's army kept acting in ways that made no sense. Considering everything that’s happened, I figured it was Swen’s doing—trying to stop us from connecting with the heavens and pushing the front lines. It would explain why they kept wasting supplies, advancing and retreating, and why now, suddenly, they're attacking us with overwhelming force."

"But now I think... it was the opposite. They wanted us to think that way. And look at what’s happened—even now, nothing has occurred. If this continues, we’re finished. And from here, there’s no way to stop it."

Anima, listening intently, asked with a hardened expression:

"Then... the soldiers who went out for the ambush?"

"They’ll be wiped out soon. Their numbers are outmatched more than two to one. How could they win? Maybe if they’d been prepared, they could’ve at least fought back. But as it is, they walked into an ambush while trying to launch one themselves. In that chaos, they can’t do anything. It’ll be a massacre."

"You... you knew all that and came back here alone?"

"Because I have something I need to do."

"......!!!"

"It’s okay. I’m not doing this to save my own life. I didn’t run away for that. You understand what I’m saying, don’t you?"

Anima was sharp. Of course she understood.

From everything Epinnel had said, it wasn’t hard to piece together what she was really planning.

"Anima. When everyone else turned away from the truth, you alone refused to abandon it. Even now, you don’t agree with Yuri’s alliance proposal with Serpina, but at least you’re still by her side. That gives us a tiny sliver of hope. More than I ever could."

"That’s—"

"I’m not saying you were right to propose peace. Even if I went back and knew everything from the start, I still wouldn’t change my decision. I would’ve just fought harder from the beginning. But now isn’t the time for stubborn pride. To be deceived like this... to die like this... it wouldn’t be fair to those who died before us."

"......"

"Don’t worry about fleeing. I’ll take responsibility. I’m the one who ignored your warnings. Do you understand what I’m saying?"

Anima didn’t answer.

No—it was more accurate to say she couldn’t.

Did she understand? Of course.

Epinnel was telling her, take Yuri and run.

She was saying, the Aishus Army is over.

It was such a simple statement.

"You..."

—You’re going to die.

You’re going to stay behind and lay down your life so we can escape.

Before she could even speak the words aloud, Epinnel gently placed both her hands on Anima’s shoulders.

Blood ran down from her fingers onto Anima’s uniform.

"This isn’t a sacrifice. I’m not doing this just to save you all. From a military standpoint, this is the most rational decision for our army. For the sake of those who died before us... Yuri can’t be allowed to fall. ...Please, Anima. We don’t have time. You need to get Yuri now."

Yuri.

Anima imagined her, still praying, still hoping for a miracle.

She’d lost Hernandorf. Then Emma, while sick and defenseless. And now—she’d lose Epinnel too?

Maybe Anima could endure that. She was cold by nature.

Out of all five, she was the only one who could seriously consider an alliance with Serpina.

She’d lost the most—her arm—and yet, she always moved forward instead of clinging to the past.

But Yuri?

Yuri, who still hadn’t recovered from losing two of her dearest comrades?

If she realized she had lost Epinnel, too—because of her own poor judgment?

She would collapse.

Their childhood friend, their leader, the noble woman born of the purest blood—she wasn’t as strong as people believed.

Epinnel closed her eyes.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

"Sorry, Anima. This is both a request and a command. I have full authority right now."

"Epinnel..."

"I know. There’s no real power behind that command anymore. But even so, I’m going to Yuri now. If you ignore me to the end, so be it... but I’d like you to grant me this last request."

With that, Epinnel let go and started walking away.

The moment had come.

No—maybe the decision had already been made long ago in Anima’s heart.

But still—

There was one last thing she absolutely had to ask.

"Epinnel, wait! I’ll do what you want. Just one question."

"...Make it quick."

"Why did Serpina go through all this trouble? Wasting her own supplies, staging this entire farce?"

"Serpina’s army... maybe they did it to drain our national strength. It's a weak reason, I know. But at this point, does the reason really matter?"

No.

Compared to the damage they did to Aishus, Serpina’s own side probably lost far more resources putting on this show.

That’s why Anima couldn’t argue back.

The most efficient route for Serpina would have been a straightforward invasion.

They would have fallen anyway.

And yet—she hadn’t.

Which meant there had to be a reason.

And if there was a reason, then logically, Epinnel must have been a major part of it.

"Then you! What was your goal?! What’s this resolve of yours to fight until the end? Are you just throwing your life away? Or do you have an objective? Like taking Serpina’s head—something like that!"

"......??"

"This is my final question."

Epinnel looked confused for a moment—

But she [N O V E L I G H T] knew Anima wasn’t the kind of person to ask something meaningless at a time like this.

"I was trying to kill the mage."

"What...?"

"The mage in Serpina’s army. I was going to kill her. Even if it cost me my life, I thought it would be worth it if I could take her down. If you want to call that my goal, then I suppose it is."

And with that, she turned again—heading toward where Yuri was.

She tried to kill the mage...?

As soon as Anima heard those words, something in her mind started to click together—

But now wasn’t the time to dwell on it.

She emptied her head for the moment and followed Epinnel without another word.

***

"......!!"

Yuri, who had been praying to Emma and Hernandorf, gasped when she saw who entered the room.

"Epinnel...? What’s going on? Is the siege over?"

"......."

"We won, right? That foolish witch Serpina. No matter how many troops she brings, Emma and Hernandorf are protecting us. Aishus will never lose. I’ll make sure she pays for not realizing such a simple truth."

She kept rambling on, caught up in her delusion, when Epinnel silently approached her.

"Are you here to pray with me? Good. I’m sure they’ll be happy to hear how well we’ve held out again today. Come, over here—"

"I’m sorry."

—Thud!

Epinnel knocked Yuri out with a single clean strike.

A subordinate using force against their ruler.

Under normal circumstances, it would’ve warranted execution.

But right now, they had no time to spare.

Cradling Yuri’s unconscious form, Epinnel placed her gently into the carriage Anima had prepared.

"Zeta Castle is out. Laccline Castle is even worse. You’ll have to hide as far as possible on the outskirts of the territory. Somewhere in Brans land or the southern continent should be safe. Don’t show yourselves for at least six months. Got it?"

"...Got it."

"Anima."

Epinnel turned to her, and for the first time—she smiled.

"Thank you... for guiding your useless teacher all the way here."

"......!!!"

"Goodbye."

Before Anima could say a word, Epinnel was gone.

She knew—

If she sat here crying, it would only make Epinnel’s death meaningless.

So Anima, with just one tear falling down her cheek, turned to the soldier.

"Take us away."

"Yes, ma’am!"

Just before Serpina’s army surged in—

In that single fleeting moment,

Yuri and Anima successfully escaped from the capital, Valharat Castle.

***

After wiping out the ambush unit, taking Valharat Castle was, without a doubt, easier than any battle they had ever faced.

Their army had more than double the manpower.

Morale was sky-high. The enemy’s will to fight had all but vanished.

Their soldiers were well-fed and paid on time—

The enemy's weren’t.

It was almost unbelievable,

how utterly and pathetically the Aishus Army collapsed.

――WAAAAAAAHHH!!!

As our forces stormed Valharat Castle, I dispatched two separate reinforcements—twenty thousand soldiers each—to advance toward Zeta Castle and Laccline Castle.

According to our intel, almost all of Aishus’s remaining forces had been gathered at Valharat.

There wasn’t much to worry about in the other areas. They’d fall easily.

So this is how it ends.

As I stood atop a hill, watching the smoke rise from Valharat Castle,

I found myself thinking back—

To when I’d first defected to the Aishus Army with Airen.

"We’ve won, haven’t we, Swen?"

My liege, standing beside me, spoke gently.

"My lady."

"So this is what you meant by ‘the most efficient’ path, isn’t it?"

"Yes. I believe so. No—I’m certain of it."

"I see."

Serpina didn’t press me any further.

From the outside, it may have looked like we wasted more than we gained.

But my predictions never miss.

If we’d waged this war without any of these preparations, I’m sure we would’ve suffered a critical loss.

I don’t know what exactly it would’ve been—

But perhaps... we would have lost someone irreplaceable.

Then—

"My lady!"

Irian and Airen came galloping toward us from the distance.

As soon as they arrived, they dismounted, saluted, and spoke with grim expressions.

"...We have something to report."