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

8 – Part 8. Laying the Foundation (5)

“Here! Take it freely. Don’t worry!”

“Take the bread! We still have plenty!”

The money inside the box was used to rebuild the village that had collapsed due to a typhoon.

About half of the amount was used to purchase food.

Under Cain’s leadership, the soldiers who were doing odd jobs all came forward to distribute food to the villagers.

While Luna gave the instructions, Cain and I were at the forefront, participating in relief activities.

Among them, Cain was actively helping the people.

Whether he liked it or not, Cain was leaving a strong impression on the villagers during this opportunity.

“Thank you so much…”

“Thank you, elder.”

“We will never forget your kindness.”

Cain replied with a kind smile to the woman who promised not to forget his kindness.

“All of this is thanks to Miss Luna. It would be great if you remembered that.”

“Ah… Yes! I will never forget the kindness Miss Luna bestowed.”

Well, for now, spreading food will boost Luna’s popularity among the city residents, but-

“Is this really the right thing to do?”

I honestly wondered if this was really the right course of action.

Since the city will be abandoned anyway, what’s the use of boosting popularity?

With that money, we could have immediately hired a mercenary group. With a total of 10,000 soldiers, we could somehow defend ourselves. Then we could turn this city into a stronghold instead of abandoning it.

Of course, as popularity improves, public security naturally recovers, and with the recovery of public security, commerce and agriculture will develop simultaneously. As development continues and the population increases, the number of recruitable soldiers will also increase. But for that, a lot of time is needed.

And honestly, in the midst of this chaos, it didn’t seem likely that a small country like Luna’s will be able to enjoy a peaceful time for such a long time.

Well, since I, with an intelligence stat of 100, have come to the conclusion that “this is the right thing to do,” it must be right.

“Look here, sir bookseller.”

“What’s the matter?”

Kane approached me during relief activities with the soldiers and asked, taking advantage of the spare time.

“Did you say it was Lord’s intention to divide this money among everyone?”

“Yes, that’s right. Since we found it in this village anyway, we’ll return it to the village as a gesture.”

“I see. Hm.”

Kane coughed a few times for no reason, then looked straight into my face and asked.

“By the way, did the bookseller not oppose it? The fact that Lord wants to distribute all the money. Well, honestly, it’s a good intention but as you know, our army doesn’t have money. Doing something like this when we have no money to use, one would tend to object.”

The look in Kane’s eyes as he asked was very distinct.

It wasn’t a passive, vacant look, but rather the eyes of a lion ready to pounce.

I replied with a faint smile.

“Kane, do I appear to you as someone who is so heartless and tearless?”

“Well, it’s not like that. Since you’re a bookseller brought by our Lord, I thought you must be a remarkable person, but honestly… I’m just curious why you didn’t try to intervene.”

It seems like he keeps subtly changing his words, as if there is something specific he really wants to ask me.

I couldn’t shake off the thought that he was probably testing me.

Kane… is not a villain.

The fact that he, a noble, is under Luanarian rather than any other small lord is also because she possesses a purity that other leaders cannot find.

Is the country testing my humanity?

I spoke in the most composed tone I could muster.

“I did consider intervening, to be honest, but it seems like Lord’s intention is stronger than ever. As a bookseller, I should express my opinions at times, but I should also be a person who supports Lord’s intentions when necessary, shouldn’t I?”

The reason I didn’t intervene is because when I think with an intelligence score of 100, it’s better to distribute the money.

But it would be difficult to say it outright.

So I add a plausible reason.

I have no choice because even I don’t know the real reason yet.

I will continue to live by adding plausible reasons in the future.

“I see.”

Kane nodded.

“Well, I will follow Swen’s words then. If you hadn’t sent Tifa to the market, we wouldn’t have obtained this amount, would we?”

“You flatter me.”

“Alright then. It seems like things are coming to an end on this side… I will make the report, so you can take a break.”

“Then, I will ask for your favor.”

I accepted the favor.

I was already exhausted from the task of carrying sacks of flour with my weak strength.

I leaned against the city wall and looked up at the sky.

It was a shade of blue so pure.

It was so incredibly blue… I was enveloped in the delusion that it would remain peaceful like this forever.

“But it can’t be true.”

I should start preparing myself mentally.

I watched the flowing clouds and enjoyed a very brief moment of peace.

*

After that, there were days without any special events, spent dealing with internal affairs.

Cain’s recommended mission was [Commerce], and Tifa’s recommended mission was [Training].

When my brain recommended these two, nothing out of the ordinary happened.

Cain, who excelled in politics, participated in commerce, and Tifa, who excelled in strength, focused on training.

Well, it would have been strange if unbelievable luck continued to happen.

During this period, instead of exploring, I followed Luna and helped her in rebuilding the village.

That’s right. Luna Rienne, as the leader, was traveling around and taking direct action to exert her influence.

Knowing that I had entrusted everything to just one person, it was the current situation for me to personally follow along.

“Please gather your strength. Our army will do its best to restore the village to its former liveliness.”

“Oh, goodness, thank you so much. Thank you very much, milady…”

It was the effect of the money I distributed not long ago.

The people of Jeillerant greeted us and welcomed Luna, who was helping with various tasks.

The public sentiment was as sharp as a sword.

In times of crisis, those who dominated themselves could change at any moment.

Even genuine expressions of gratitude like this would not be seen if all I did was talk about working hard.

“My lord. That should be enough for today.”

Confirming that the sky was getting dark, I approached Luna and spoke.

“But… we haven’t gone around that corner yet.”

“We can stop here. Besides, won’t you continue to help the people by going around the territory tomorrow? It’s better to rest well at night.”

“… You’re right. I will follow your advice.”

Luna was not a strong-willed person.

For the most part, she would listen to what I said.

Perhaps, there was a high possibility that she wanted to distribute all the money in the box to the villagers – if I hadn’t told her not to as the book merchant.

From the beginning, it was a condition she set when she scouted me thoroughly following my words… Nevertheless, as long as she was the master and I was just one of the servants, no matter how much of a book merchant I was, I couldn’t push my opinion if she continued to be stubborn.

Thinking about it like that, it could also be her temperament.

Her temperament.

When I recalled that word, a curiosity arose within me and I asked her a question.

“Master. I have a question I would like to ask.”

“What is it?”

“I have a rough idea… but I still want to hear the detailed story now that we’ve come this far. How did you end up raising an army?”

“….”

Luna hesitated for a moment after hearing my words.

Then, she raised her head and looked at the darkening sky as she spoke.

“I… I lost my older sister, who was my only family, in a war.”

Her story, Luna Ryan Inyang’s story.

Not properly explained in the game, the reason why the ruler of a small country with a weak concept of the king was able to raise an army.

She, who existed in this world as reality and not a game, began to tell her own story.

“Five years ago, when the emperor died without choosing a successor and the declining empire took advantage of the opportunity to collapse, numerous members of the imperial family rose up with weapons. The nobles who managed the territories also became independent, and in the process… many people really… really died. My older sister was one of them.”

“What did your sister do?”

“….”

Luna stared at the sky for a while without saying a word-

Then, she looked at me with a slightly sad smile.

“Ahahahaha. Normally, I wouldn’t tell anyone about this… but I think it’s okay to tell you, Swen. It’s strange.”

Without giving a specific answer, I focused on her voice.

“My sister… she was the unofficial concubine of Algot von Einhardt, the eldest son of the royal family.”

“If it’s the eldest son Algot von Einhardt, then…?”

She slowly nodded her head.

“He’s Serpina von Einhardt’s… destined person. Because of her low status, she couldn’t be incorporated into the royal family and just received Algot’s favor. Even when I was young, I could see that they truly loved each other.”

A cliche romance story.

However, the setting of ‘my sister’s connection to the royal family’ adds more intricacy to the setting of ‘why did a noble like Kane secretly come under Luna Ryan’s command?’

The information available in the game was only about trusting Lunarien’s innocence and entrusting oneself to it.

I suddenly feel that this world actually exists.

“And…….”

“You don’t have to say anything more.”

Serphina von Einzgart.

She wasn’t the eldest child among the numerous nobles, nor was she a male, so how did she become the most influential clan group with great influence on the continent?

It was because she subjugated her older brother and younger siblings.

The Lord of Blood, a tyrant.

It was widely known that the blood of Einzgart remaining on the continent now flowed only from her.

But that wasn’t actually true.

“So… in the end, it’s not about revenge? Regarding your sister?”

“Yes. I may not know if it’s revenge.”

She smiled bitterly, as if coolly admitting it, but-

She soon raised her head and looked into my eyes.

“But I want to end this war with my own hands. I want to establish a system in the same family to prevent such bloodshed from occurring. I want to bring peace to the continent and honor my sister’s spirit. If it’s just for revenge, it would be quicker to become subservient to someone else. …But I don’t want to take the easy way out.”

‘This young lady seems to have her own reasons.’

I nodded and said.

“I understand. Thank you for telling me.”

“No, it’s not just anyone, it’s Swan-nim.”

“What makes you think I’m so great?”

Luna smiled and said in response to my blunt words.

“Well, as I mentioned, you were the first person to join our army. No one, not one person, accepted my proposal.”

‘….’

Turning away from her, I said.

“You can become the unified monarch.”

“….Is that so? Can I become the unified monarch?”

As the question came up once again, I entered it into my mind once more.

The result was the same.

Yes.

It’s you. The person who will unite this continent.

I don’t really believe it either.

No matter how many times I think about it, the conclusion remains the same.

She, Lunarien Inyang, was the one who would unify this continent.

I said with a confident tone.

“Who am I? Of course, I am not just a servant of Lunarien’s army. Please trust my words.”

“Huh.”

It has been about a month since we met.

Although it hasn’t been a very long time, maybe it feels that way because I am a founding member of a small country like her.

Being together all day, I strangely developed feelings for her.

Our ages were similar too.

“The wind is getting cold. Shall we go inside?”

“Okay.”

Just as we were about to return home without thinking much.

“My Lord!!!”

From beyond there, towards us–

No, to be precise, a soldier was running towards Luna.

“…What’s going on?”

Luna quickly switched into leader mode and responded.

I observed the soldier’s attire.

The plain silver armor was similar to other soldiers, but… what caught my attention was the red band on his right arm, a costume I had seen somewhere before.

This man… a messenger, perhaps?

“Oh no.”

In this game, there was only one moment when a messenger appeared.

That was–

“Brans’ army, led by about 8,000 soldiers, has marched towards Jeillant!”

When someone called Inishi.