Became a Strategist with a 100 Intelligence and 100\% Accuracy-Chapter 300: Survival Instinct

A massive construction project.

In a nation preparing for war, such an act was easily among the top things you absolutely shouldn’t do.

As I stood there wondering what on earth was going on, Ioline returned after speaking with a few of the laborers.

“What in the world is happening here?”

“They say... they’re building a shrine.”

“A shrine? What kind of shrine?”

“Well, apparently... a structure to enshrine and honor fallen heroes...”

“...What??”

The answer was so wildly unexpected—so impossibly creative—that I couldn’t help but ask again in disbelief.

“I think... it’s for someone named Hernandorf and someone named Emma. They kept muttering those two names over and over again.”

“No way...”

I’d heard that Hernandorf had fallen to Chel, but... Emma was dead too?

Still, the moment I heard those names, I had a pretty good idea of what Yuri was thinking.

If two of the five core members had died...

At first, I suspected this was all some kind of trap.

After all, when a nation does something this absurd, anyone with half a brain would assume it’s part of a calculated deception.

But if this event involved two of Aishus' central figures?

Then maybe—maybe—it really was what it looked like. A foolish, irrational decision made with the simple intention of honoring the dead.

Yuri had already made one incomprehensible mistake before, all for the sake of protecting someone she cherished.

I knew better than anyone—because I had been the collateral damage of that very decision.

After that, Ioline and I, accompanied by a few soldiers, spent hours scouting the outer areas of Valharat’s domain.

But aside from the staggering number of workers and resources being thrown into the construction of this shrine, there was nothing of note. No signs of military buildup. No signs of a trap.

As night fell, we made camp some distance from the edge of the territory and built a small fire.

“What should we do now?” Ioline asked, concern on her face. “Should we keep looking? I still can’t help but feel like something’s hidden out there...”

I shook my head.

“No. Today’s recon is enough. I don’t think there’s anything else.”

“Really...? But didn’t you say something big was likely to happen inside the Aishus Army?”

“I did, but...”

Right now, I was facing a more intuitive problem.

If that was the case—then why, exactly, was launching an invasion now not the most efficient path for our army?

At present, Aishus looked like it could be crushed without much effort.

Sure, Epinnel was a skilled commander, and the Aishus Army had a few decent officers even if none were quite at her level. But when the government itself was making moves like this—wasting morale and manpower on a shrine—there was no conceivable way we’d lose in a straight fight.

Even so, my predictions were never wrong.

If the system declared something inefficient, then no matter what, it wasn’t the best course of action.

There had to be a path that was several times more effective—that’s the only reason the prediction would say this route was inefficient.

What made it even more frustrating was that the result hadn’t been phrased like last time’s: [You will win the battle.]

This time, it had been absolute: [This is inefficient.]

Which meant our army would lose something. Something big.

And if we compared that loss to the gains of an alternate route—it would be a terrible trade.

Was it a rebellion back home, after all?

Was this fate trying to pull Serpina back down again with some cosmic force that couldn’t stand to see her succeed?

—No.

If it wasn’t rebellion, then what was it?

“Um, excuse me...”

That was when I finally noticed Ioline calling me quietly from beside the fire.

“Sorry. I got lost in thought for a moment.”

“It’s okay. I... like it when you’re lost in thought like that.”

“Really?”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

I gave her a slightly puzzled look, but she wasn’t looking at me. She stared at the ground, her head lowered.

Crackle, crackle.

The fire popped softly as her voice floated through the night air.

“Swen...”

“Yes?”

“Did my brother—Irian—ever talk to you about something...?”

“About what?”

She hesitated for a long while. Then, as if making up her mind, she turned and met my eyes.

“About marriage.”

“...Ah.”

“If you already have someone you care about... I don’t mind being the second, or even the third or fourth wife.”

Right. Irian had said something like that once.

He’d asked if I’d consider marrying Ioline.

Back then, he outranked me, so he brought it up in a vague, roundabout way. But now... she was the one addressing me with formal speech, in a lower position than I was.

Marriage, huh.

I had been in this world for quite some time now.

Even so, my modern-day sensibilities still lingered somewhere within me, drifting in the corners of my heart.

Just like now.

As someone accustomed to the idea of free love, political marriage always felt... wrong. It simply didn’t sit well with me.

“Ioline.”

“Yes?”

She looked at me with a calm, composed expression.

It was definitely a different kind of gaze from the ones I’d received from Lady Airen or Miss Reika.

I figured I should respond politely. That was the least I could do.

“You don’t have to marry someone you don’t love for the sake of your family. Besides, I’m not exactly a great catch compared to the al Kasky family.”

“...Excuse me?”

“I know it must’ve been hard to say no directly. It's not easy to go against the will of your household, especially in a world like this.”

Even in a time like this, even in this world, I still wanted to marry someone I genuinely loved.

Whether it was Lady Airen or Miss Reika, I felt something beyond a simple connection with both of them—as a man and a woman.

With both of them, when we had conversations like this, I could feel real chemistry.

My heart would race.

Their cheeks would flush crimson, on the verge of bursting.

It was clear.

But with Ioline... she felt calm.

Almost clinical in her speech.

Her face wasn’t red, either.

I could only assume this proposal was less about her feelings, and more about Irian trying to link our families—just like how Jinor once tried to do the same with Reika.

“I just...”

“In any case, please don’t feel pressured. I’ll make sure to explain everything properly to Irian—”

“W-Wait, please!”

She suddenly cut me off, bowing deeply with a flustered expression.

“I’m so sorry! I must’ve said something terribly inappropriate...”

“No, it’s fine. But... what’s wrong?”

“...I’ll tell you everything.”

And in that moment—

It felt as though the sound of the crackling fire had vanished.

As if the entire world had gone quiet.

“I’m not saying this because of my brother.”

“...What?”

“I genuinely think you’re an incredible person, Lord Swen. That’s why I brought up the idea of marriage. If I have to marry someone anyway, I believe it should be someone I can truly admire.”

She met my gaze head-on, without flinching.

And only then did I notice it.

Under the orange glow of the fire, her cheeks were faintly flushed.

“When I was younger, during my noble etiquette lessons, I always dreamed of serving a husband I could respect wholeheartedly. Someone like my father.

And though the time I’ve spent with you has been brief... I can tell. You’re not like the other men, Lord Swen.”

“So if you’re okay with it—

I would gladly serve by your side.

If you have other wives, I would be more than willing to support them as well.

You don’t even have to take the al Kasky name. Once I marry you, I’ll belong to you anyway, right?”

“Is that... so?”

I wasn’t quite sure if I believed in that kind of marriage, but her expression was so resolute, I couldn’t bring myself to say otherwise.

“Yes.

But, as I said before—if you already have someone in your heart, I won’t push.

I don’t want to be the kind of woman who becomes a burden.”

“...I see.”

She’d just repeated the same thing as before, albeit with different phrasing.

Still, she smiled as she said it.

“You can ask me a hundred times, and I’ll tell you the same thing every time.

If there’s still a place left in your heart... I’d like to be the one to fill it.

What do you think?”

Even if there was room left, this world allowed up to four wives.

If you weren’t already in love with four women, there was technically always an open spot.

So why...

Why did she phrase the question like that?

No.

That wasn’t the real issue right now.

The real issue was—

I hadn’t immediately responded with “No, it’s not like that.”

...!

I barely swallowed a dangerous thought that had sprung up uninvited.

Breathe. One step at a time.

I liked Lady Airen. I wanted to marry her. That was one spot filled.

My relationship with Reika was complicated, but... I didn’t want our kiss to be meaningless. I likely wanted to marry her, too. Two spots filled.

Those two were not a problem.

I was already emotionally prepared for that outcome.

The real problem was twofold:

First, while thinking of Airen and Reika... I also found myself picturing someone I absolutely shouldn’t—Serpina.

And second, even if I added Serpina to the list, that only made three. Meaning I still had one spot left.

And for some reason—

I instinctively felt that accepting Ioline into that {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} final spot would lead to something unimaginable.

Why...?