Became a Strategist with a 100 Intelligence and 100\% Accuracy-Chapter 211: The Return of the King (5)

A vast army of nearly 90,000 troops, the prime territory of Tepello Castle, and an abundance of supplies that could be gathered at will.

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

A fleeting chance that she had earned after tirelessly building Karelia’s trust—one she could grasp only once.

On this continent, where not a single piece of land was left unclaimed, if she truly intended to raise an army, now was the perfect moment.

This perfect moment was something that could vanish from her grasp like a mirage at any time. If, by tomorrow, Karelia suddenly decided, "Lady Luna, step down from your position as lord," then it would all be over. There wouldn’t even be time to hesitate or consider betrayal.

Luna, no matter how weak her current nation, was once someone who had dreamed of conquering the continent.

Naturally, she understood all too well the advantage of this situation.

......

Luna remained silent, contemplating the scenario where she chose not to betray them.

Once battle began, their forces would dwindle, and as her territory expanded, Karelia’s forces would pour in like a flood.

Right now, she was stationed at the farthest edge of the border, where she could cleverly leverage the Ohana forces to prevent Karelia from responding immediately—but as the war progressed, even that would become increasingly difficult.

Moreover, no matter how high her ideals were or how much trust she had earned, it was all limited to this place—Tepello Castle. Even here, if she chose betrayal, there would be far more who would abandon her than those who would stay.

This wasn’t just any army—it was the Karelia forces. The very fact that they had chosen to follow her in this chaotic era meant they were people who valued honor and righteousness above all else.

For now, the only reason resentment had taken root was because Vanessa, Luna’s shadow and second-in-command, had enforced harsh and oppressive rule under the guise of war preparations.

Once the situation stabilized and Karelia regained full control of internal affairs, those emotions would undoubtedly fade just as quickly.

In every way, now was the time to act.

Now was the opportunity Swen had spoken of.

As Luna’s expression grew serious, silence settled over the room.

Everyone knew it—Luna was not the kind of woman to make such a choice.

But at the same time, they all understood—if Luna did have great ambitions, no better opportunity than this would ever come again.

In the end, everything came down to Luna’s decision.

No further advice would be meaningful now.

Everyone tacitly acknowledged this truth.

All they could do was follow the decision made by their true lord.

And as for their true lord, Luna—

...Swen...

Swen.

What am I supposed to do?

In a world like this... is it truly inevitable...? Must I strike down the very one who took me in?

Even if it makes me no different from the tyrant Serpina, will I still be forgiven? Can I stand before those who suffer without shame?

With her eyes slowly closing, Luna asked the question she always kept in her heart—the question she always directed to Swen.

Ever since she had been separated from that man—

Whenever she found herself at an impasse, at moments when choices weighed down on her like a wall, Luna would close her eyes and think:

"What would Swen say?"

The reason she had been able to make so many decisions on her own was because she held onto that mindset.

What would my strategist say right now?

Would my strategist choose what is most efficient or what is most right?

And shockingly—

The moment she thought of that, the fog of hesitation clouding her mind lifted.

Swen’s choice?

That, of course, was—

"...Tifa, and everyone, I understand what you are saying. However."

Luna slowly opened her eyes, gazing at those who wished to enthrone her as their new ruler.

And then, with a voice devoid of even the slightest tremor, she declared—

"I will not betray my lord. I will not break my oath with Karelia."

—What was right.

And, at the same time, what was most efficient.

Swen’s answers had always been that way.

Not once had Luna ever forgotten that.

"Oh?"

"Hm. And since it’s you saying it, then that must be the right call."

"If it’s your decision, then I won’t argue. Understood. Mine is the same."

Unlike Tifa, who accepted it without resistance, Metz couldn’t conceal his agitation.

"But Lady Luna! If you truly hold great ambitions, this is an opportunity worth its weight in gold! Please, I urge you to reconsider—"

"No."

Unlike the increasingly heated Metz, Luna’s tone remained utterly composed.

"Metz, I did not say this solely out of loyalty."

"...What?"

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

"To you, this may seem like a once-in-a-lifetime chance..."

"A ruler must sometimes be willing to reach into filth. There are times when one must stain their hands with blood. Mere noble ideals alone do not make a sovereign. However..."

"What matters more than anything else is legitimacy."

"!!!"

—Because no matter what, their lord’s greatest strength was the unwavering belief that, no matter what they did, they would never lose sight of their noble ideals.

That’s right, Swen.

If it were you, I know exactly what you would say.

No matter how tempting the opportunity, one should not seize it recklessly.

At the very least, to truly surpass Karelia, she needed to accumulate legitimacy far beyond theirs.

That, in itself, was the most efficient approach.

So—

There was no need to rush.

As Swen had said, surely, inevitably, a much greater opportunity would come.

Besides, hadn’t he already said it?

That in the end, they would be the ones to win.

Swen, I believe in you.

Even without resorting to betrayal, things will work out.

"Therefore, everyone—I deeply apologize, but for now, I must ask you to withdraw your proposal. However, I promise you this: I will never forget the ideals you have spoken of."

"..."

No further objections were raised.

Karelia, in the name of war, had chosen to push Vanessa forward despite their misgivings, violating their own principles.

And now, Luna, despite standing before the perfect opportunity, had chosen to uphold her beliefs.

This contrast was enough to shake the heart of someone present to its very core.

***

After that—

The conversation with Luna flowed into an ordinary discussion of war preparations, and no further extreme topics were brought up.

However... there was someone whose heart had undeniably changed because of that discussion.

"Induce Lunarian to betray Karelia."

"Induce her, you say?"

"She is not a woman who will remain satisfied under Lady Karelia’s rule forever. If we shake her, she will undoubtedly respond. The moment she makes up her mind, report it to me immediately."

"But... what if she does not betray her?"

"...Surely, the sky cannot have two suns, can it?"

"!!!"

"I trust you understand what I mean."

...

Metz—a man now unmistakably recognized as part of Luna’s faction.

But in truth, from the very beginning, he had been secretly instructed by Vanessa to approach Luna.

Vanessa had insisted that Luna was an ambitious woman.

On that point, he agreed. Both from his own observations and from the reactions of those around her, it was clear that Luna was not someone content with merely being the lord of a single castle.

However, as he spent time by her side, something within him had begun to change.

It was inevitable.

Even from an objective standpoint, Lunarian was far more suited to rule than Karelia.

The two were of similar character—but Karelia was a woman rigidly bound by principles.

One who would never take a path she deemed unjust.

One entirely unsuited for a time of chaos.

She hesitated at critical moments.

She wavered before major decisions.

She was frequently swayed by sentiment and made the wrong choices as a result.

If her beliefs were truly unwavering, if she were truly steadfast, then perhaps he could die alongside her without regret...

But when she silently approved of Vanessa’s tyranny, despite the woman having her absolute trust, Metz found himself questioning his loyalty.

And at that moment, Lunarian had come into view.

An unparalleled opportunity had fallen into her lap, and even though she undoubtedly had ambitions of her own—

Unlike Karelia, she had chosen to uphold her beliefs.

She had claimed it wasn’t solely out of loyalty—

But the fact remained that she had not been the one to abandon Karelia first.

Yes.

Perhaps this woman...

Perhaps this woman would not be swayed as one-sidedly as Vanessa had been.

Perhaps this woman would make ruthless and decisive choices when the time came, without hesitation.

Metz reconsidered the situation.

Contrary to Vanessa’s expectations, Luna had not chosen to stab her lord in the back.

Then—what was to be done now?

The sky could not have two suns.

One of them would have to fall.

And in that case—

Was Lunarian truly the one that needed to be cast down?

Was Karelia truly the sun he was meant to serve?

...

After deep contemplation, the conclusion Metz reached was—

***

In the audience chamber, Luna was discussing the upcoming battle with Tifa and Violet when an unexpected report arrived, causing her to widen her eyes in shock.

"You’re saying... I was given an order to be killed?"

"Yes."

Kneeling on the floor, Metz confessed everything.

Luna’s body trembled slightly.

Metz had made his choice.

No matter how many times he thought about it—

Between Karelia, who blindly let herself be controlled by Vanessa, unable to uphold her own beliefs, and Lunarian, Metz had no doubt as to which of them was truly meant to rise.

Luna fell into momentary silence before carefully asking,

"That... that order did not come from Lady Karelia herself, did it?"

"No. It was a covert command from Vanessa."

"Then why are you telling me all of this?"

"Because I refuse to let you die here under false charges."

Metz closed his eyes and lowered his head.

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"I wished for a united continent under Karelia’s rule. But... does it have to be her specifically who accomplishes that?"

"...!"

"What I want is for an exceptional, wise, and benevolent ruler to unify the continent. And as I have said before, there is no reason that ruler must be Lady Karelia.

Rather... If the goal is to stop Serpina’s tyranny, then I believe you are far more suited for that role, Lady Luna."

"May I ask why?"

"I don’t know ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) if you realize it yourself... but you always speak with unwavering conviction."

"......!"

The reason she could make every decision with such certainty—

It was because of him.

Even now, it was the same.

She had firmly believed in Swen’s words—

That if they endured until the end, they would win—

And in the end, legitimacy had practically fallen into her lap, as if by fate.

"That is why I, Metz, wish to entrust my fate to you, Lady Lunarian."

The moment Metz finished speaking, Tifa’s voice rang out in frustration.

"Luna. You’re not seriously thinking of letting this slide, are you? No matter what we choose, they are only thinking about how to tear you down!"

"I agree with Lady Tifa, Luna. It is time for you to make a decision."

"......."

A few minutes of silence passed.

And then—finally—Luna broke it.

"Tifa. Violet. I’m sorry, but... could you please summon everyone here at once?"