Became a Strategist with a 100 Intelligence and 100\% Accuracy-Chapter 252: Proof (5)

Cransis bowed slightly upon seeing Irian.

"My lord, you have arrived."

"Commander Cransis. As I mentioned before, there’s no need for formal speech between us."

Even if he was only an acting lord, Irian still held the authority of a ruler over this territory. From a strict procedural standpoint, Cransis’ response was proper. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

However, from Irian’s perspective, it would have been difficult to casually treat Cransis, the supreme commander of the occupying forces, as an inferior.

Complicated social dynamics existed everywhere, it seemed.

"No, my lord. As your subject, how could I break protocol?"

Irian did not press the matter further. After a simple nod, he turned to me.

"So, Lord Swen. I was thinking of personally joining the relief efforts. What do you think?"

Not just sending out common soldiers, but having the highest-ranking figure take part in the relief work himself—

That should be enough to quell any complaints from the troops.

"If Lord Irian takes the lead, that would be ideal."

"Then it’s settled. I’ll also grant you full authority over the relief efforts."

I bowed my head in gratitude.

"I humbly accept your generosity, my lord."

"Good. Now then..."

After acknowledging my response, Irian turned toward Reika, who had been standing awkwardly nearby.

"It has been a long time, Lady Reika."

"H-Huh? Ah, ah, y-yes...!! H-Hello!"

"Thanks to your efforts, Janis is in good health. I extend my gratitude once again."

"O-Oh, n-no, I just... I only d-did what... w-was necessary...!"

Ah, she bit her tongue again.

From the context, she had likely meant to say, "I only did what I had to do."

Irian, unfazed, continued speaking as if nothing had happened.

"Now that you are officially a mage of our army, I have high expectations for you—especially in this endeavor. I’ll be counting on you."

"Y-Yes... I-I’ll do my best."

Once their exchange was over, I judged it the right moment to step in and bow.

"My lord, if you would excuse us, I would like to finalize our plans in detail."

"Go ahead."

With Irian actively supporting me, there was nothing standing in my way.

The thought crossed my mind that saving Janis back then had been far from just a sentimental decision.

"Come, Reika. Let’s go."

"Ah, y-yes...!"

With Reika in tow, I slowly exited the castle.

It was time to set up the relief camp.

***

In the audience chamber of Kelstein Castle, now emptied of Swen and Reika—

Cransis cautiously approached Irian and spoke in a careful tone.

"My lord."

"Go on, Commander."

"Are you truly certain about this? I, too, am aware that the mage’s abilities are real. However, there is always the possibility—however slim—that something could go wrong. If her magic fails to work properly, or if the worst happens... Having you personally involved seems like an excessively risky decision."

Hearing this, Irian shook his head.

"No. If that were the case, he would have stopped me."

"He...?"

"I mean Lord Swen."

Once again, Swen’s name came up.

From Serpina herself, to the state strategist Jenna, and now even Irian—

It was as if everyone of influence within Serpina’s forces was being drawn toward him, as though caught in the pull of a vortex.

"...You seem to trust him quite deeply."

At Cransis’ words, Irian fell silent for a moment, as if reflecting on something.

Then, he looked directly at Cransis with a serious expression and spoke.

"In many ways, he is an indispensable asset to our army. As you have often taught me, Commander, it is a leader’s duty to give trust where it is deserved."

Having said that, Irian once again gave Cransis a slight bow.

"I do not disregard your concerns, Commander. However, the constant uprisings have left us with a dire shortage of stabilizing forces. I intend to make Swen the axle of our army. I would like you to seriously consider that as well. Now, if you’ll excuse me."

With that, Irian turned and walked away.

Cransis let out a short sigh as he watched him go.

'It is never a good sign when power gathers around someone who is not the ruler...'

Of course, Serpina’s authority had not weakened to the point where she needed to worry about such matters.

However, given the constant waves of rebellion, the fact that Swen was accumulating so much influence made it impossible for Cransis to ignore.

Jenna, Irian—they both seemed to believe that as long as they secured Swen completely within their ranks, he could be used as a valuable tool for the army.

But—

Cransis recalled the gaze Swen had given him earlier in their conversation.

His body was unimposing, but his eyes...

Those were the sharp eyes of a wolf.

Not the eyes of someone content to remain beneath another.

'...No.'

For a moment, his thoughts nearly became tangled.

But in the end, both Irian—whom he deeply respected—and Jenna—whom he trusted completely—placed their faith in Swen.

Especially Jenna.

No matter how much he thought about it, she, a seasoned strategist, would have a much sharper eye for people than a veteran soldier like himself.

If Swen had any ambitions of his own, Jenna would have already drawn a line.

And above all—

Cransis knew better than anyone that Serpina was not the type of ruler to be swayed by a single man.

'Enough. As a soldier, my duty is to obey my liege’s will. And if my liege places her trust in Swen...'

With that thought, Cransis set aside his doubts and followed after Irian.

——Though in truth, if there was one flaw in his assessment, it was this:

The ambition lurking within Swen’s heart...

Was something entirely different from what Cransis had imagined.

***

A few days later.

The relief camp had finally begun operating in earnest.

It was nothing grand—just a collection of hastily built structures, guarded by a handful of sentries ensuring strict control over entry and exit. The total number of people stationed at the camp was no more than twelve.

Since this wasn’t a war effort but merely a facility for distributing supplies, we didn’t require a large number of personnel.

Of course, having more people would have been ideal, but this was the maximum number Reika could safely support with her magic on a weekly basis.

"Alright, please close your eyes...!"

Reika spoke softly as she cast her buff magic one by one on the soldiers and Irian.

With this, every person present—including Reika and me—would be completely immune to disease for the next seven days.

Most people would struggle to believe such a thing, but since I had fundamental knowledge of this world, I knew with absolute certainty that she was right.

"This is... rather incredible. It feels different from just hearing about it."

Irian flexed his fingers, stretched lightly, and marveled at the sensation.

"Yeah, I understand what you mean."

I knew exactly what he was experiencing.

When magic was cast on you... it truly felt as though your body was 'buffed' in the most literal sense.

According to Reika, all she was doing was spreading mana from the atmosphere across our bodies like a coating.

"Very well. From this moment on, we will begin relief efforts for those afflicted with disease! Thanks to our mage’s blessing, we are protected—so work without fear!"

""Understood!!""

The soldiers responded with energetic shouts.

Blessing magic, huh.

Not a bad name.

It certainly sounded much more grand and reassuring than 'buff magic,' which earned it some bonus points in my book.

"Alright, let’s move. Six of you, follow me. Those assigned to security, head to your designated areas!"

As Irian busied himself organizing the men, I turned to Reika, who was dozing off in a chair.

"Reika, are you okay?"

"Huh...? Ah, y-yes! I-I’m fine. I can handle this much..."

I wasn’t sure if the analogy made sense in this world, but—

Magic wasn’t like turning on a faucet and letting water pour out.

Even though mana was freely available in the air, as long as Reika was the one casting the spells, her body would inevitably bear the burden.

No matter what happened, the strain on her was unavoidable.

That meant the entire responsibility fell on her shoulders.

And looking at her now, sweating and exhausted...

It was painfully clear how fragile she was.

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"Still, if you ever feel like you can’t keep going, tell me. The plan is to run this for about a month, but if we need to shorten it, I don’t mind."

"No...! I want to help Lady Serpina, my liege... and you, Swen...! I won’t step back, no matter what. And—"

She looked up at me and smiled warmly.

"I was the one who set the number at twelve in the first place... I want to take responsibility for what I can handle!"

She was speaking with such determination—what more could I say?

Besides, Reika wasn’t just saying this now.

She had always been the type to insist on 'wanting to be of help.'

So this time, rather than telling her to rest, I chose to say what she wanted to hear.

I took her hand and held it firmly.

"Alright. I’m counting on you, Reika."

This time—

She no longer flinched when I held her hand.

Instead, she tightened her grip and smiled brightly, her eyes curving into soft crescents.

"Hehehe... L-Leave it to me...!"

"..."

In that moment.

...Thump. Thump.

A strong heartbeat echoed in my chest.

A sweet scent drifted from her, lingering in my nose.

For some reason... my face felt warm.

Ever since that lap pillow incident a few days ago—

I had started noticing things about her that I hadn't paid attention to before.

Her slender thighs.

Her full chest.

Her soft, feminine voice and the gentle way she spoke.

From that moment on, the way I perceived Reika had subtly shifted.

Not in a simple, textbook sense.

But in a different way entirely.

It was strange.

Lately, my thoughts had been constantly disrupted by the presence of women.

I had always been good at controlling myself.

But now—

'...Maybe I’ve been holding back too much lately?'

I let out a dry chuckle at the ridiculousness of the thought.

This was an absurdly self-indulgent concern to have in the middle of wartime.

Now was not the time to be swayed by fleeting hormones.

I cleared my mind and refocused on the task at hand.

'In about a week, I’ll know for sure.'

One way or another, the die had been cast.

It was time to throw a question back at Yuri, the one who had been spreading rumors.

——While we risked our lives to provide humanitarian aid to the afflicted, what exactly were you doing?

***

Not even a full week had passed—

It had only been three days.

Yet already, the ripples of our actions had begun to spread.