Became a Strategist with a 100 Intelligence and 100\% Accuracy-Chapter 205: The Price of Choice (2)

Aishus Army Capital, Valharat Castle – Audience Hall

Upon hearing the words "a mage has appeared", Yuri momentarily stiffened.

Then, a voice reached her ears.

"Yes. They revealed themselves while suppressing the rebellion within Serpina’s army—apparently unleashing massive fireballs in battle."

The speaker was Epinnel Rosenkross.

The second-in-command of the Aishus Army and, aside from Yuri herself, the most influential general in the faction.

"Did you hear anything about who they were?"

"A young woman with pink hair, they say."

Yuri, who had been calmly receiving Epinnel’s report, suddenly paled at the mention of "pink hair", her body trembling slightly.

‘Pink hair... That must be Jinor’s adopted daughter, no?’

Among all the people in the Aishus Army, she was the only one Jinor had personally introduced to Yuri herself.

The existence of a mage had been an absolute secret, so she had never spoken of it to anyone else.

Jinor had once told her:

"She has the potential to become a true mage. The moment she steps onto the battlefield, she will change the tide of war, drive out the Brans Army, and establish us as the rulers of the central continent."

Yuri had only half-believed him.

It was not her style to gamble on something uncertain—on something that might happen someday, with no guarantee of success.

She had supported Jinor, provided funding for the girl’s development, but that was all. She had never expected anything truly miraculous to come from it. In fact, when Jinor left, the word "mage" had not even crossed her mind.

And yet.

The very mage who had once been within her grasp—

The existence that could shake the entire continent—

Had ended up in the hands of Serpina von Eingart, the very enemy she and her comrades despised above all else.

‘Wait... Jinor’s adopted daughter has enlisted in Serpina’s army?’

That didn’t make sense.

Jinor had originally been affiliated with the empire. If he had simply remained in Serpina’s forces, he would have naturally been granted a position of considerable power.

It was hard to imagine him willingly submitting to Serpina.

Then why was she there?

The answer came swiftly from Epinnel.

"And... a white-haired man was seen assisting the mage, Reika, during battle."

‘...Swen?’

"It was probably Swen. Honestly, the moment I heard about fireballs being conjured, I wondered if it was him. But apparently, the mage was the woman, not Swen himself. The question is—why is he with her? Or did Swen actually cast the spells himself and disguise it to make it seem like the girl’s doing? There are multiple possibilities, but... Either way, this puts us in a difficult position."

"A difficult position?"

"Have you forgotten? We told everyone that Serpina took Swen to execute him. But now it turns out he’s alive."

Epinnel sighed.

"Of course, we could argue that all we knew was that Serpina took him—we never actually confirmed he was dead. And there are other ways to spin the situation. But young men with white hair aren’t exactly common."

She let out a long breath.

"In any case, don’t worry too much, Yuri. I already spoke with Emma and Anima about damage control. Besides, even if Swen is alive, my statement wasn’t entirely wrong. Most of the people who held a grudge over it have already left, so even if the truth gets out now, it won’t cause too much turmoil."

"Wait. What do you mean you weren’t entirely wrong?"

"I mean, Swen loses his lifespan every time he uses his abilities, doesn’t he?"

Yuri flinched.

"Serpina is likely pushing him relentlessly, completely disregarding the cost to his body. If anything, our previous assumption that she held a grudge and would drive him to ruin... might not be too far off the mark. He’s probably being forced into it."

"......."

No.

Epinnel might think that way because she didn’t fully understand what a mage was.

But Yuri did.

Jinor had told her enough for her to piece it together.

If Swen’s abilities were the same as those of the pink-haired mage—Jinor’s adopted daughter—

Then he wasn’t losing his lifespan at all.

Instead, he was simply using mana—a force that supposedly existed throughout the continent, even if she couldn’t perceive it herself.

Of course, there was always a chance Jinor had lied.

Perhaps it really did consume life force.

She had never tested it.

And after all, his "daughter" was merely an orphan he had taken in.

But there was one more piece of evidence that convinced Yuri Swen wasn’t losing his lifespan.

And, ironically, it was the most damning proof of all.

The commander leading that battle—the one who had been at the forefront of that miraculous victory—

Was the red-haired knight.

The "Siege Specialist."

Airen Juliet.

Yuri remembered the day she first met them with perfect clarity.

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The two had been inseparable.

And Airen—she had looked at Swen with an undeniable expression of adoration.

She had followed him across the deadliest of battlefields.

She had defected from the Brans ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) Army alongside him and pledged allegiance to Aishus.

And the moment Yuri had cast Swen aside,

Airen had betrayed Aishus—without a second of hesitation—

And joined Serpina’s army, simply because Swen was there.

That woman... There was no way she would simply watch Swen burn away his own life force without doing anything to stop it.

And most importantly—

Serpina had not taken Swen by force.

Serpina had given Yuri a choice.

She had made an offer.

One that Yuri could have accepted or rejected.

And Yuri had chosen.

She had made the unprecedented decision to give up Swen—

To sell him, in exchange for Anima’s safety.

Because she had believed that, as long as she could shoulder all the responsibility,

She could endure the consequences.

And then—

As Yuri followed her own line of thought, the terrible realization finally struck her.

"!!!"

A white-haired man.

And the girl Jinor had raised, who had resigned from Aishus the moment Swen was gone.

It wasn’t hard to put the pieces together.

Yuri felt cold sweat trickling down her spine.

――So, because I sold out Swen...

The mage that was once in my hands... ended up in Serpina’s army instead?

The reports were absurd.

No matter how well-trained the rebels had been,

They had been outnumbered over three to one.

And yet, in a matter of days, Serpina’s forces had utterly annihilated them.

The casualties on Serpina’s side?

Zero.

The outcome was impossible—

Unless a mage had been involved.

And that was what Yuri had thrown away.

She had discarded power beyond imagination.

An overwhelming force that had once been within her grasp—

A force that could have turned the tide of war in her favor.

‘...No.’

She didn’t regret it.

She wouldn’t allow herself to regret it.

If the same moment came again, she would make the exact same decision.

She was sorry for Swen, but Anima was an irreplaceable asset.

Even if it wasn’t the most strategic choice,

Yuri could not abandon Anima.

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And yet—

For the first time, as the weight of her choice fully sank in,

Yuri realized just how much she had lost.

Jinor.

His adopted daughter—Reika, the mage.

Airen Juliet—the legendary siege commander.

Countless soldiers and officers who had abandoned Aishus after the decision.

All of them had once been hers.

And all of them could have changed history for Aishus.

Yuri had never regretted choosing Anima.

But now, for the first time—

She truly understood the price of that choice.

***

With the rebellion suppressed, a brief period of peace followed.

Serpina had now fully recovered, even from the minor wounds that had lingered.

Everything had returned to how it was before.

Everything—except for one thing.

"Then, we’ll be going now...!"

"Have a good day, everyone."

Every morning, all three of them now left the mansion together—without leaving anyone behind.

"How are you adjusting, Lady Reika?"

"Me? Well... I-I think I’m managing. Organizing old manuscripts is actually quite enjoyable... And my colleagues are all very kind. Hehe."

Reika, now dressed in a robe adorned with the Eingart crest, gave a shy smile.

She had taken on the role of a librarian at the Eingart Grand Library, spending her free time organizing its archives.

For a warrior, it might have seemed like an insignificant task.

But it was a necessary one.

And for Reika, it seemed to suit her perfectly.

Besides, as long as she fulfilled her role in battle by using magic, she was already contributing more than enough.

She was a valuable asset—so no one objected when Serpina granted her certain privileges.

After all, she had expended a significant amount of magic in recent battles.

Her body required absolute rest. Assigning her to physically strenuous work would have been unreasonable.

In the end, she was recognized as a precious talent under Serpina’s rule.

And as a result, she was given the luxury of stability.

"I’m relieved to see you settling in well."

Airen, watching her fondly, smiled warmly.

Reika was like a younger sister to her—

Seeing her happy and safe put Airen’s mind at ease.

And there, across her chest, was the same crest—

The symbol of the Eingart Imperial Family.

Of course.

The brooch clasping my cloak bore the same insignia.

All three of us—

We had become subjects of the Eingart Empire.

"......."

I swallowed down the weight in my chest.

That familiar, suffocating weight.

"See you both tonight, then."

"Y-Yes! Do your best, you two...!"

After bidding them farewell, I immediately headed toward Serpina’s office.

What kind of news awaited me today?

I closed my eyes, recalling the time I had spent with her lately.

Since that day, Serpina had not explicitly asked me to stay by her side.

She had not brought up her proposal again.

But I could tell.

She was not giving up—

She was simply waiting patiently for my answer.

Instead, we had mostly discussed state affairs and internal governance.

She often sought my counsel—

Relying on the power of my "foresight" to guide her decisions.

These were the duties of a state advisor—

Yet Jenna had still not returned from her inspection tour.

But that would change soon.

By next week, she would return to Eingart Castle.

And then—what would become of me?

I didn’t know.

I only hoped nothing unexpected happened today.

But the moment I arrived—

‘...Huh?’

I froze.

Because standing there—

Serpina was ashen-faced, her expression blank with shock.

Her pupils were unfocused, her hands trembling.

She looked as though she had just witnessed the impossible.

"...Swen."

"My lady?"

And then, with a voice trembling with disbelief—

"Something... truly unbelievable has happened."

At that moment—

I felt it.

The flow of this continent’s fate—was moving, unrelentingly, toward a predetermined future.