Became a Strategist with a 100 Intelligence and 100\% Accuracy-Chapter 247: Proof (2)

Time Reversed, Just as the Plague Was Finally Subsiding.

Some soldiers from the Aishus army were burning the bodies of comrades who had died senselessly, not because of war but because of the plague.

The stench of rotting corpses had become so familiar that frowning at it felt like part of daily life.

"Everyone! In the end, it is the gods. The gods will save us. The reason such a tragedy has befallen us is because our faith has weakened. Yes! This all means that the gods exist! Let us rebuild the cathedral. Let us worship the gods every week, once a week. Even during wartime, we must not abandon our faith, for only through faith will we be saved! Everyone! Let us proclaim to the gods that we still have faith!"

The stench of corpses that could pierce the nose.

The acrid smoke and foul odor that came from the flesh burning.

The land ravaged by endless small-scale skirmishes before the plague hit.

And the fanatical zealots, who, despite having already perished, tried to ride upon the flimsy authority of the dead church.

Is there really any place worse than hell?

This place, the one where we are breathing right now, is hell.

A hell where those who survived are punished for not having perished.

"Dave, looks like he’s finally dead."

One of the soldiers, who was handling the corpses, spoke to a man nearby.

"Really? That guy, all he did was talk about women all day, and in the end, he couldn’t even get rid of his virginity and died."

"He’ll be a rake even in the afterlife, what else can you do?"

"Shit. Why didn’t he just pay for a prostitute? What’s the point of holding it in when he had that much of an urge?"

"He’s back home. The woman he liked since he was a kid."

"...What a shitshow. No, it’s probably more shit that Dave couldn’t even properly use his cock before he died."

"What the hell are you talking about, you bastard?"

They continued with their rather unamusing jokes, forcing their lips to move.

If they didn’t, if they realized what they had been doing for the past few days while trying to keep their sanity... it would only make it harder to endure.

"What can we do? Even healthy people are dropping dead."

"Sigh..."

"If there wasn’t a war, we could have handled this."

"At this point, what difference would that make? You know well that wishing for a world without war in times like these is futile."

"Yeah... damn it."

Once again, silence fell.

The man, more than wanting to continue the conversation, spoke just to keep his sanity intact, muttering anything that came to mind.

"Have they taken care of Dave’s body?"

"They’ll burn it, I guess. After he went to the isolation ward, who knows what happened to him."

"Really?"

How many more lives will be claimed?

Will we ever return to the lives we once had?

Of course, it was easy enough for a soldier to predict that they would eventually return to their old lives. The diseases that were far more lethal and contagious in the past had eventually disappeared, after all.

However, the present reality—being stuck in this situation—only made things feel suffocating.

"By the way, have you heard the news?"

"What news?"

"General Emma... she’s dead."

"Ah... yeah, I heard."

Emma Adlen.

She had never fought in the frontlines as the vanguard. She was a soldier mostly under General Epinnel.

Of course, as she worked within the Aishus army, he knew who she was and could recognize her face—but perhaps she didn’t even know who he was, just a lowly soldier.

He didn’t particularly regret this fact. Given the circumstances, it seemed that the aristocracy had crumbled, but until the division, he too had lived within that firmly entrenched social hierarchy.

"I heard they still haven’t dealt with her body."

"Huh?"

"They haven’t burned it yet."

"Really? Why? A body infected with the plague should be burned as soon as possible."

"It’s the lord’s order."

"......"

When Heinrich, a general, died not long ago, didn’t they just burn his body?

Heinrich, from the soldier’s perspective, wasn’t exactly the most trustworthy general, but still, he had struggled under her command as a general.

The soldier frowned for a moment but then let it go, exhaling deeply.

In the end, lives have value depending on their position.

He hadn’t had any affection for Heinrich.

Being just a regular soldier with no capacity to think of rebellious thoughts, what could he do anyway?

As they continued burning the bodies, something suddenly came to mind.

"By the way, this plague... it never spread to Serpina's army, right?"

"They issued a quarantine order, didn't they?"

"Quarantine order?"

"Yeah. I believe they prevented it from spreading to the north by issuing the quarantine order before the disease could reach them."

"Why did they issue a quarantine order?" freewebnσvel.cѳm

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

"I don’t know either. Serpina’s not the type of person who moves based on what others think."

The soldier, after thinking for a moment, spoke again.

"Isn’t it... kind of strange?"

"What do you mean?"

"They issued a quarantine order before the disease could spread... and now, they're saying they're safe? Does that make sense? Serpina may be a tyrant, but she’s part of the royal family, and after killing all her brothers, she's no fool."

"So what? What are you trying to say?"

"Don’t you think... she knew the plague was coming?"

"......??"

The soldier talking didn’t understand, his face showing confusion.

"Hey, does that even make sense? Serpina’s not a god, how could she know?"

"No, think about it. There’s magic!"

Only then did the soldier, who had been going along with the conversation, suddenly widen his eyes.

"......Huh?"

***

The plague spread across the central continent.

The northern continent, having issued a quarantine order early, suffered no harm.

Not long ago, a mysterious figure known as a wizard appeared within Serpina's army on the northern continent.

It wasn't only the soldiers of Aishus' army who picked up on the oddities in these three truths.

The people who had lost their families, the generals of Chel's army, and even those within Carlints' domain began to realize.

And finally, one conclusion was drawn.

--- Serpina intentionally used the wizard to unleash the plague.

If one thought about it seriously, it would be an utterly ridiculous claim, but to those who had lost loved ones to a natural disaster and wanted to direct their anger somewhere, Serpina became an all-too-suitable target.

The notorious villain who killed her own flesh and blood.

A tyrant devoid of mercy.

The cause that led this continent into turmoil!

There was no better target for their stones, and so this cruel rumor began spreading at an unprecedented speed.

***

And that rumor eventually reached Yuri, who had lost Emma and was unable to eat or drink.

"It can't be... This doesn't make sense. How could she do something so cruel...?"

"It's still just a rumor, but the possibility is very high."

"Serpina... I’ll never forgive her... She was my enemy at the academy... and now, she’s taken Emma’s life...!!!"

Epinnel looked at Yuri, who was crying inconsolably, and said with a voice filled with anger,

"Yes. In the end, it’s her doing. Think about it. That quarantine order, which seemed meaningless, was like a brilliant move from their perspective. From the moment they decided to withdraw their troops, they must have planned to kill everyone in a cruel way...?"

As Epinnel was explaining in agreement with Yuri, she suddenly fell silent and lowered her head.

The anger began to cool down.

Wait a minute. Didn’t Serpina move the people from the territories...?

Why would she do that?

When she thought about it, it didn’t make sense that she would commit such an act just to kill everyone.

Something... was off.

There was something she didn’t understand.

Though she wasn’t sure what exactly it was... her intuition, more than ever, was warning Epinnel.

"...Epinnel."

"Uh, yes?"

"I’ll make it public."

Yuri wiped her tears with the sleeve of her robe and spoke with a voice full of resolve.

"I’ll say that the wizard from Serpina’s army is the one who caused the plague."

"Wait. What do you mean make it public...?"

"I’ll tell the continent. Since they’re our enemies, there’s no need for a declaration of war."

Making it public carried great significance.

Just like when Lyn and Serpina publicly declared their alliance before... the news would spread quickly to surrounding nations.

If Serpina truly did spread the plague, Aishus' army could gain the goodwill of neighboring nations. The public sentiment among the people of the territories might also rise. After all, with the long war and the plague, if they could turn the tide against Serpina’s army, it might be a stroke of genius from Aishus’ perspective.

But, if it turned out Serpina hadn’t done such a thing, or there was no concrete evidence...?

The position of Aishus’ army could rapidly decline, both among the people of the territories and the other nations of the continent.

"Calm down, Yuri. It’s not certain yet."

At that moment.

"...What?"

Yuri looked at Epinnel with a look of disbelief.

"...Epinnel. Are you serious? In a situation where we know exactly what our enemy has done to Hernandorf... and Emma... are you telling me to just stand by quietly?!"

"No, that’s not it. Anima will be back soon. Her condition has improved, and she’s passed the critical point... So, at least, we should ask Anima's opinion first—"

"Epinnel."

Yuri interrupted Epinnel in the coldest tone she had ever used.

"I am the ruler of this country."

"...!"

"You have a problem with that, Epinnel? You’ve said it yourself. The ruler of Aishus' army is me. I make the decisions, and I bear the responsibility... it’s me."

"That... that’s..."

Yuri turned her back on her.

"...For Emma’s sake, don’t tie me down. Do you understand?"

With those words, Yuri left the royal castle with an expression colder than ever.

Epinnel quietly watched Yuri’s retreating figure.

In a situation where two out of five had already died, there was no way she could stop Yuri.

'...Anima, please come back quickly...!'

***

"Ah, hello...!"

I greeted Reika Nighhardt, who was bowing her head, unsure of what to do.

"We had breakfast together this morning. You don’t need to greet me again."

"Ah, no...! I-I just thought... since it’s a consultation... I should greet you."

She was so nervous that it was almost painful to watch, but, perhaps because we had spent a lot of time together, I found her nervousness somewhat endearing.

"It’s alright."

I gently ruffled Reika's hair.

She quietly accepted my touch and lowered her head, and then, in a very small voice, she unintentionally spoke.

"...I like this. Hehe."

"What?"

"Ah? Ah, no! It’s nothing!"

Although I had already heard, I pretended not to have and sat down opposite her on the couch.

"So, what would you like to consult about?"

"Well... do you remember what happened a little while ago?"

"A little while ago?"

"When I talked with Lady Serpina."

"Ah, I see."

It was not long after we heard about Hernandorf’s death.

"I remember."

"I wanted to talk about that..."

"Talk about it?"

Reika ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) took a deep breath before speaking.

"...Master!"

She called me by the title I hadn’t heard in a long time, then said,

"Is there... magic that can heal diseases...?"

She asked, in a tone filled with hesitation.