Became a Strategist with a 100 Intelligence and 100\% Accuracy-Chapter 137: The Balance Breaks (4)

There was a faint loneliness in her expression.

Luna said nothing, only gazing at Cecil in silence.

After a moment of quiet, Cecil finally spoke again, her voice calm yet firm.

"Our lord, Lady Karelia, cherishes her people with all her heart. She treats even the lowest soldier with the utmost care. Naturally, wielding power itself was something she found overwhelming. She always questioned how she alone could claim special authority when everyone else shared the same love and concern for their people."

The reason why Makana Karelia had been able to rise to such prominence—

It lay in her nature, in her goodness, and in her relentless effort to stay just.

During the era of the old empire, she had been nothing more than the daughter of a fallen noble house. Yet, in the southern continent—a land rife with ambitious warlords—she had managed to establish a nation under her own name.

She was one of the final four who had survived the brutal struggle for power.

And that was largely thanks to the many generals who had gathered around her, drawn to her character.

"As you know, Lady Luna, our military now operates with all authority concentrated in Lady Karelia's hands. Since she is the sovereign, that is only natural. But it was not always this way."

Luna remained silent, listening intently.

"The generals who were drawn to Lady Karelia came together because of their admiration for her. But aside from that, they had little in common. Each had strong individual traits, and many were like oil and water—utterly incompatible with one another. Lady Karelia, with her gentle nature, was unable to reprimand them harshly. Naturally, we fell into disorder, splintering apart in confusion."

'......!'

She can't bring herself to speak harshly to others—

Hearing those words, Luna suddenly felt a strange sense of self-reflection.

'Was this what Lord Swen meant whenever he said a ruler must have the resolve to rule...?'

"It was Lady Vanessa who firmly established the power structure. She implemented the system, ensured swift punishment when internal strife arose, and made it clear that no one but Lady Karelia could stand above others. Once the system was in place, the efficiency of our operations improved drastically."

Cecil took a sip of her tea before continuing.

"And as you know, the results were a great success. We became one of the four surviving nations in the southern continent. To be frank, had it not been for Lady Vanessa, our army might never have united in the first place. The green banners of Karelia would have faded into the dust of history."

"I see..."

So, Vanessa was the one who had contributed the most to building this nation.

And Karelia understood that well.

"Of course... if you ask whether our lord has always made the most rational decisions, the objective answer would likely be no. Even the most skilled generals were dismissed if their vision of governance did not align with hers. In such chaotic times, it would be hard to call that the decision of a wise ruler."

Luna understood what she meant.

In this era, it was not idealistic figures who thrived, but cunning warlords.

In an age where the weak were devoured by the strong, being overly concerned with morality was nothing short of foolishness.

"That is why I do not fault our lord for trusting Vanessa to handle what she herself cannot."

After saying those words, Cecil’s hands trembled.

Was it anger? Fear?

Or perhaps—

Shame at herself for daring to question her lord’s decision?

"...Is this truly the right path...? Is our lord making the right choice? To doubt her as a vassal—

I despise myself for it. Not once have I ever felt this way before..."

"Lady Cecil..."

Luna reached out and gently ran her hand over Cecil’s shoulder, as if to comfort her.

The gaze of a lifelong loyal subject, one who had vowed to serve her sovereign for eternity—

It wavered, as unstable as the storm that had just rippled through her teacup.

And in that moment—

A rather bold thought flashed through Luna’s mind.

'Perhaps... this is the opportunity Lord Swen spoke of?'

"If an opportunity arises, never let it slip away."

It hadn’t been said as mere words of encouragement.

There had been a peculiar certainty in Swen’s voice when he said it.

Of course, he always spoke with absolute confidence.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

But looking back, everything he had ever said had turned out to be true.

'Come to think of it... wasn’t it Lord Swen who told me to seek refuge in Karelia’s army?'

Every word he had ever spoken carried meaning.

Just like when Tifa had discovered the treasure chest—

And just like when he had said it was best to share its contents with everyone.

In the end, following his advice had made everything fall into place perfectly.

Then... should I start preparing myself?

For a brief moment, Luna considered it.

But she quickly put the thought aside.

There was no need to rush such decisions.

If the opportunity truly was coming, then it would arrive eventually.

And she firmly believed that it would.

But—

If this truly was the opportunity she had been waiting for...

"I will never let it slip away."

Luna swore to herself once more—

She would keep her promise to him, no matter what.

***

Inside the carriage returning to Tepello Castle—

"I'm glad we were able to find the military strategy book you wanted."

"Yes. Thanks to you."

Violet nodded, her tone unusually serious. But a faint flush on her cheeks betrayed her excitement.

That look—she was thrilled at the thought of acquiring new knowledge.

The fact that I could recognize it at a glance... I suppose I've truly spent a lot of time with these children, Luna thought, realizing it anew.

"I'm sorry I couldn't go to the market with you. It took longer than I expected..."

"It's fine. I'm old enough to manage on my own now. A simple marketplace is nothing I can't navigate."

"You say that, but didn't you get lost and wander around until I came to find you?"

"......."

As Violet lowered her head in silence, Luna smiled naturally.

"It's okay. No matter where you are, Violet, I'll always come and find you."

"...Thank... you."

Even though she was in her late teens, in ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) Luna's eyes, she was still just a young girl.

Still, teasing her too much might make her sulk, so Luna changed the subject.

"What did you think of the capital’s marketplace? Was it very different from Tepello Castle’s?"

"Yes. There were so many books I had never seen before. Not only that, but the variety of shops specializing in books was astonishing. I think I could easily spend a day or two there without getting bored."

"I see. It sounds like more time would have been ideal. Oh, by the way, in the northeast part of the market square, there's a fantastic restaurant. They specialize in seafood, and since I know you love seafood, I'm sure you'd enjoy it."

"Really? ...If only I hadn't gotten lost, I might have had time for a meal... I apologize."

"It's alright. We'll be going again soon anyway."

"What? Really?!"

She spoke before she could stop herself, then, realizing what she'd done, slowly covered her mouth, her face turning red.

"Of course. Next time, we’ll take it slow and have a meal together. We'll bring Charlotte and Francis along too. It'll be a fun outing."

"Ah, yes. Well, if that's the case..."

Luna reached out and lightly stroked Violet's head.

She didn’t resist the gesture at all.

At some point, it seemed, she had begun to truly trust Luna, and that realization filled Luna with warmth.

"Was there anything else interesting? It is the capital, after all—I imagine there were plenty of shops that caught your eye."

It was meant as simple small talk.

Getting closer to Violet certainly wasn’t a bad thing.

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But—

The answer she received was something she had never once considered.

"Come to think of it... there was a strange rumor going around."

"A rumor?"

"Yes. Lady Luna, are you familiar with the Aishus Army?"

"The Aishus Army... that’s the nation in the eastern part of the continent, correct? Yes, I know of them."

"I heard that in Aishus, a ruler recently sold one of his own vassals to Serpina’s army."

"...What? Sold a vassal...?"

Luna urged her to explain further, and Violet recounted the details smoothly.

"I'm not certain, since it was just something I overheard, but... it seems Serpina’s forces demanded a hostage in exchange for the release of prisoners. And Aishus agreed to hand them over."

"...I see."

It was a hard story to believe.

Baranga Yuri Aishus, the ruler of Aishus, was known as a wise leader who deeply cherished her subordinates. Her reputation for valuing and protecting her vassals was widely acknowledged.

Someone like that—

selling off her own vassal?

It was more likely that Serpina had orchestrated a smear campaign to tarnish Aishus' reputation.

Serpina was certainly capable of such tactics.

...And then—

Violet, in the most casual voice, uttered that word.

"The one who was sold to Serpina’s forces was a man known as the White-Haired Mage."

"...What?"

What... did she just say?

"The rumor says he once performed a miracle, which is why they call him a mage... but aren’t mages just fairy tales? I was actually going to ask you about—"

"......."

"...Lady Luna?"

Violet’s words trailed off into silence.

A white-haired mage.

She had heard that term before.

"A young man with white hair. They say he performed a ritual toward the sky."

"Ah, you must be talking about that rumor. Yes, from what I’ve heard, it was indeed a white-haired man. He supposedly conducted a ritual toward the sky."

"After the ritual, the sky darkened, and a massive boulder—like divine punishment—came crashing down upon Serpina’s forces."

'Lord Swen...???'

Why...

Why was he in Aishus?