Became a Strategist With an Intelligence of 100 and an Accuracy Rate of 100%

17 – Episode 17. Zeeland Defense (4)

“What…?”

Lin looked at Swen with an expression of astonishment.

It’s not about giving us gold…… You want to take the gold?

“Hey. What did you just say?”

Rin spoke in a low voice, but-

Swen was not swayed by her momentum, and she opened her mouth in the most confident manner she had shown so far.

“If you give me 3,000 gold, I promised that I would never pursue the Brans army, which is retreating after signing an armistice.”

“Do you… Do you know who you are behaving in front of now?”

After hearing those words, Swen bowed his head and said.

“You’re right. I don’t agree with you, Mr. Rin. I just came here for diplomacy.”

“But why are you asking me for money?!”

Rin lost her senses and shouted loudly.

That voice could have leaked out the door of the throne room and upset her subordinates waiting in the hallway, but Rin couldn’t pay attention to that right now.

“Didn’t I tell you? Lin rejected the armistice agreement on the condition that we give 1,300 gold. Didn’t you ask us again and again? And now the situation has changed. Until just now. “Our side may have benefited more, but wouldn’t the Brans Army now benefit much more from the armistice agreement? Then, of course, it makes sense for us to receive compensation.”

“It’s funny. Even if we don’t bring the Zeeland invasion force, we have the troops to stop about 50,000 soldiers.”

“Is that so? Well, I’m glad if that’s the case… But honestly, it doesn’t look that way.”

“Ha!”

Rin snorted her laughter.

She knew this was a bluff – but now she felt like she couldn’t stay sane if she didn’t do this.

Well, when she thought about it calmly, she was right.

The fact that the armistice agreement ironically benefited the Brans military.

The soldiers who fled inevitably had lower combat power than those who fought in camp.

From the perspective of the Brans Army, which needed to preserve its troops as much as possible, the difference between having and not having chasers was likely to be larger than expected.

And this man…… I was acting as if I knew from a while ago that this would all happen.

It seems as if he expected Serpina to invade – no.

Isn’t he acting as if he was sure of the invasion of Serpina?

In front of such a person, if I didn’t show off at least – I couldn’t protect my pride for having been defeated by an unknown person from a weak country.

“What if I say there will be no armistice?”

“What can a lowly bastard like me do? It’s just the same as before. This opportunity will never come again. That’s all.”

That moment.

Lin Brans picked up the decorative sword that lay next to the throne and clattered over to where Swen was kneeling on her knees.

And then-

The sound of a sword being pulled out of its sheath is heard.

When he came to his senses, the silver blade held in Rin’s hand was right next to Swen’s neck and was aimed at him.

Although it was for decoration, it was a true sword with a properly sharp edge.

“…….”

Swen didn’t say anything and just looked up at Lin.

There is no sign of fear or embarrassment on that face at all.

Seeing that very detached appearance, Lin actually felt fear.

‘What the hell is this guy…? … ?!’

Rin bit her lower lip hard again.

She then let it go, putting her life into her voice.

“Hey. I think you’re misunderstanding something, yes. I’ll admit it. Capturing a messenger who came for diplomacy is something only tyrants like Serpina would do. How much less beheading that messenger? ? The moment this fact leaks out, I won’t be able to engage in diplomacy with any feudal lord. People in the world will point fingers at me, calling me a bloodthirsty scumbag. Even my subordinates will be greatly disappointed by my actions. Upright. “Some people with character may be disappointed by this and leave my job.”

Rin said, pushing her knife in a little deeper.

“But, you know what? I’m a bit impatient. I don’t know what kind of trick they’ve pulled, but I’m the type of person who will go to any lengths to kill a bastard who’s acting like he’s somethin’ in front of me. It’s an armistice, it’s stupid, “I could just kill you right here. Even if I think about it later, the damage would be great, but I could probably take care of it. But you would lose your life by my hands. Do you understand? This is the difference between you and me.”

Her voice was so cold that it felt like it was filled with sincerity.

She said, tightening her hand holding her sword.

“If you don’t know the difference, keep talking. If you don’t value your life, you’ll be able to kill one or two envoys from a weak country like you over and over again. Reputation? What’s there to know? Isn’t that right?”

Lin pushed the knife ever so slightly closer to his neck.

Now, the distance was close enough that if I just grazed my hand a little, I could wound his neck.

I pushed it to this level.

So, there was a chance that the momentum would be lost now, but-

Swen looked up at Lin and calmly parted her lips, not once showing any signs of fear.

“You will do that.”

“…What?”

“Kill me.”

Rin spoke confidently, but she couldn’t hide the fact that her pupils were trembling.

“Are you serious?”

“What should I do? If Lin-sama is the kind of person who would kill a Shinigami just because he’s a little angry right now, it’s obvious to anyone that he won’t sign a reasonable armistice agreement. What more can I do? Just.”

In her trembling voice, Swen began her explanation as if it were pounding into her ear.

“What you will lose by killing me will not only be your reputation among the lords or the loyalty of your subjects. Since there is no place to draw soldiers right away, you will naturally lose Kelstein Castle. From the north to the center You will face great difficulties in organizing your future front lines as you lose the castle that serves as a bridgehead for advancing into the North. Naturally, your ongoing conquest of the central continent and expansion into the south will be in vain. As long as the north is breached, it will continue. So Serpina army will attack.”

“…!”

“Is that all? Will the Brans army, which is so busy blocking the Serpina army in the north, have time to worry about the southern or other feudal lords? From that moment on, the Brans army will be the northern lord’s enemy to the other feudal lords. It will be a breakwater that will block the Serpina Army. It will be a very good thing for the Aishous County, which has been unable to develop due to being blocked by the Brans Army. The country that was almost the only real threat to them is now their own. “Wouldn’t it be like protecting our country from a bigger threat?”

‘This man…’ … Now, what to say…… ?’

Lin was very surprised.

Why on earth…… How could a nameless man from a small and weak country know this much about the situation on the continent?

“Perhaps the southern feudal lords will all unanimously praise Lin. While Lin defends the Serpina army, they will grow and establish their own order. When that moment arrives, “Aren’t you curious as to how different the status of Brans’ army, which is only focused on preventing the Serpina army’s major offensive, will differ from its current status?”

“That…Thing.”

“Lin, you can kill me. At the same time, an armistice agreement will not be reached, but all of our soldiers will chase the 20,000 soldiers who are withdrawing to protect Kelstein Castle until the end. Bravery The Raven mercenaries and the Chilean mercenaries, who are known to do so, will inevitably follow the retreating soldiers of the Brans army until the end and kill at least one more of them. My lord Runarien thinks the same way as me. “There you are.”

Swen said, looking at Lin’s trembling eyes.

It was clearly Rin who was aiming the sword and was in an overwhelming position of power in this situation, but-

It was already Swen who was leading this conversation, not her.

“Of course, our army won’t gain anything from that, and we won’t be able to kill all 20,000 people. In fact, our army may suffer greater damage. However, from the perspective of a weak country, we can just lose troops. But what about the Brans army? What if they lose many of the valuable troops that could have been quickly sent to Kelstein Castle in pursuit and are unable to defend the enemy in a timely manner? What if Kelstein Castle is attacked before the soldiers stationed on other borders even arrive? “What if it gets taken away?”

“……!!”

Lin’s eyes became four hundred eyes.

At this point, she no longer felt any sense of dignity as a monarch.

She was overcome with emotions she had never felt before.

It was fear.

The fundamental fear that comes from the fact that no matter what I do, I cannot beat this man with words!

“…Rin, you said that we could somehow resolve it, but I would lose my life. But that’s only half true.”

Swen slowly-

At the same time, she spoke in a tone as if she was going to eat Rin.

“What I have to lose is my life. However, Rin, in exchange for my life… The world Will be lost.”

“!!!”

“My life, an envoy from a weak and small country, is extremely worthless compared to the world that Brans’ army may conquer in the future. Don’t you think so?”

Swen said with a slight smile.

“Will you protect your pride and lose the world, or will you put aside your pride and continue to look for opportunities to take over the world? What path you will choose as a monarch, it all depends on Lin’s decision.”

Rin freezes on the spot.

As if the world had stopped.

Will this man’s life be taken and the world lost?

Or will they quickly sign an armistice agreement and plan for the future?

Lin Brans was the one who proved her abilities and rose to the top of the Brans army.

It was quite obvious what she would choose.

Wow!

Rin threw away the sword she was holding in her nervousness.

Her face turns red, and her eyes become increasingly red. She desperately swallows the tears that threaten to burst out of anger.

Then, she looked at Swen, who was still motionless…… She opened her mouth in a trembling voice.

“What is your name?”

“It’s called Swen.”

“Yes. Swen. Swen…”

She chewed the sentence ‘Swen’ over and over with her mouth.

And then he spoke in a slightly calmer tone.

“I will never forget you, Swen.”

And then-

She shouted to the guard standing behind her, managing her expression.

“Hey, you!”

“Yes, four!”

“Prepare 3,000 gold. Right now.”

“3,000 Gold… Do you mean?”

Lin shouted back at the soldier who asked the question.

“What are you doing? Get ready quickly!”

“Ah, I understand!”

“…….”

Rin let out a sigh of relief.

She somehow swallowed the tears that were welling up.

Eventually, she slowly turned her head, looked straight into Swen’s eyes, and spoke.

“…I’ll prepare it outside the castle.”

Only then did Swen nod her head and slowly stand up.

“Lin’s wise decision, I would like to thank you on behalf of our lord Runarien. As I promised, I will not disturb even a single hair of the retreating Brans army. Then.”

After he slowly walked out of the throne room.

Rin trudged back to the throne and sat down.

‘Swen…… Swen. It’s Swen…….’

Swen.

This is my first time hearing this name.

It was a name that had never come up at any moment in history, at least until today.

Such an unknown, even a mere subject of a weak country-

It was as if he, the monarch of Brans County, had been completely slandered.

‘To Lunarien Army…… ‘You mean there was a man like that?’

The puzzles began to fall into place one by one in Lin’s mind.

An unexpected surprise attack by a mercenary group.

I was convinced that the man behind the recent actions of the Lunarien army was Swen.

Besides, I don’t know how he found out…… It was clear that the Serpina army had already known that it would invade the Brans army.

Because only then could his consistent confident attitude be explained.

I don’t know how Runarien, a worthless monarch, discovered such a man-

On the one hand, it was fortunate.

The fact that a man of that caliber only serves Runarien Inian.

‘Swen.’

How Brans raised his weight class in the central continent.

Based on its overwhelming background, it absorbed the surrounding weak countries at random – but among them, it prioritized the weak countries with outstanding talent and collected them without losing them to others, which greatly contributed to the foundation of the nation. There was.

Not long ago, Gurupa, who was in Walnut County, was also one of the top recruitment targets.

Even though she couldn’t get Gurupa’s hand, she could sense it instinctively.

Gurupa is nothing more than a worthless commoner compared to that man named Swen.

Lin thought of Swen, who was staring at her clearly even as her sword entered her throat.

The confidence filled in the eyes of a handsome man.

When I actually faced it, I was filled with surprise and fear, but-

In hindsight, I thought about it and realized that there was no other man as appetizing as this.

That expression…… He wanted to paint it with his own colors.

‘Swen. What kind of expression will you make when you come under my control? … ? hehehehe…… ♡’

Yes.

Let’s postpone the conquest of Zeeland Castle until later.

First, protect Kelstein Castle, take care of preventing trouble elsewhere, and then Zeeland Castle…… No.

What she wants is not a meaningless piece of land like Zeeland Castle.

What Lin really wanted to target was a man named Swen.

‘I will make sure you obey me like a dog. Swen…… ♡’

Her face turned red again.

But- this had a slightly different meaning.

It’s not something like anger or hatred, but an emotion that’s a little more fundamental and sticky than that.

That subtle feeling of wanting to reign over the head of the opponent who defeated you.

This was an obsession.