Became a Strategist with a 100 Intelligence and 100\% Accuracy-Chapter 97: The Battle of Hisphil Castle (7)

Reika, Jinor, and I, along with a few guards assigned to us, rode in a carriage at full speed toward Hisphil Castle.

All of the guards, having been personally assigned by Jinor, seemed aware that Reika could use magic. They were akin to personal retainers of the Nighhardt family, albeit a small contingent. Perhaps because of their limited numbers, Yuri had chosen not to interfere.

"Wow...."

Reika had been gazing outside the carriage for quite some time.

As if she were trying to take in every detail of the world beyond, her pink eyes reflected the vast blue landscape with clarity.

"......."

I watched her from the side.

She was, admittedly, quite cute.

Soft, delicate features, smooth, fair skin. Unlike Airen, whose warrior’s path had left her with toned muscles, Reika looked untouched by sunlight, sheltered within the safety of her estate.

There were many women in this world, but few who so thoroughly embodied femininity from head to toe as Reika did.

"...Ah."

Reika, who had been staring out of the carriage, finally seemed to notice my gaze.

Her eyes widened in panic, and she flailed her arms frantically.

"T-this isn't...! It's not like that, I mean...! I just—!"

I briefly considered teasing her a bit more—her reactions were amusing.

But I wasn’t one to take things too far.

"You seem to be enjoying the view quite a bit."

"Huh? Ah... Well, um... This is the first time I’ve left Valharat since my father enlisted in the Aishus Army..."

I see.

That explains her fascination.

And then—

—Grrrrrgle.

"...Ah...."

Reika’s face turned red all the way to her ears.

I didn’t make a big deal out of it. Instead, I casually pulled out a piece of hardened wheat bread from my pocket and offered it to her.

"Want some?"

"Ah, um... I...."

She hesitated, covering her mouth with her hand.

I kept my tone light.

"You don’t have to hold back. I’m not hungry anyway."

"...T-then...!"

Reika timidly reached out and took the bread, taking a bite as large as she could manage.

Of course, for her, "large" meant barely nibbling at the edge.

Watching her hold the bread with both hands and chew cautiously, I couldn’t help but think she resembled a hamster.

It was peaceful.

Considering what we were heading toward, almost too peaceful.

"If this were just a leisure trip, it would’ve been nice. The weather’s great. We could’ve packed a nice lunch and had a picnic."

"Ah... no, um... I heard that my father said I have an important role to play...."

"Come to think of it, Jinor agreed surprisingly easily."

Jinor had always been reluctant to let her leave the estate.

Yet, he had agreed to my request without hesitation.

It saved me the trouble of arguing about it—but if he was going to let her out so easily now, why had he been so insistent on keeping her locked away in the first place?

...Well, not my problem.

"I was surprised too... Maybe that means I really do have an incredibly important role to play... Nom."

She took another bite of the bread.

"By the way, do you know exactly what you're supposed to do?"

"I just... heard that I should help you, Sir Swen... So, not really."

"Doesn’t that make you nervous?"

"Huh?"

"You don’t even know how you’re supposed to help, yet you still came."

With her personality, I expected her to start panicking, saying things like, ‘H-how could someone like me possibly...?’

She had always seemed a bit lacking in confidence, despite her clear talent.

But instead—

She looked at me briefly before answering in a way I hadn’t expected.

"I’m not worried... Didn’t you bring me because of my magic, Sir Swen?"

"Hm? Well, yes, that’s true."

"Then... it’s fine. I have confidence in that... Nom."

Oh?

Her voice was quiet, but there was no trace of bravado in her words.

She genuinely wasn’t worried.

Considering that following me meant stepping onto a battlefield, it was impressive that she wasn’t showing any fear.

Even if she was naturally timid, perhaps she wasn’t so ordinary after all.

"I see. That’s reassuring."

"Hehe... If it’s magic, at least, I know I can be helpful...."

"......?"

Something about her phrasing caught my attention.

"What do you mean?"

"...Huh?"

She blinked at me with innocent confusion, as if wondering if she had said something wrong.

"You said you could be helpful if it’s about magic. What about everything else? You’re good at other things too—like baking."

"Ah... no, that’s just... Baking is just a hobby. The only thing I can actually contribute is my magic... my ability to read mana."

After saying that, she smiled—a soft, slightly sorrowful smile.

I had seen that kind of expression before.

Back when Airen was still struggling to let go of Lyn Brans, she had smiled the same way—as if she was on the verge of crumbling.

"Sir Swen... you know I’m adopted, right?"

"Yes."

"Before my father took me in... I was an orphan."

I already knew that.

But my knowledge came from the character bio in the game—the simple fact that she was an orphan.

I had never heard her story before.

"So you were."

"My father adopted me after recognizing my talent. He told me... that my ability to read mana was a sign—that I was meant to save this world. That if I learned to use it properly, I would accomplish something great."

Her voice remained calm, steady.

For someone who usually stammered and fidgeted, she was speaking with unusual clarity, without a single break in her words.

"That’s why... I have to use magic. It’s what my father—and this world—expects of me."

"......."

"I’m truly happy. I was alone, but thanks to this power... I can become a hero. If I can help create a peaceful world... that’s enough for me."

Reika smiled brightly and let out a small laugh.

"Haha... I must sound a little full of myself, huh?"

She scratched her cheek with a finger, embarrassed.

Watching her, something inside me twisted.

"Reika."

"Yes?"

"You’re lying."

"......Eh?"

Reika’s eyes trembled slightly at my words.

But I had no intention of taking back what I said.

"Is that really enough for you? If you become a hero, will you truly be satisfied?"

"Huh? W-well... That’s... my reason for existing, so—"

"No, Reika. People don’t have a predetermined reason to exist. You were born, and you exist—that alone is enough."

"......!"

Reika’s eyes widened in shock.

Perhaps in this era, such an idea was far too radical.

But still—I needed to tell her this.

"You're an incredible mage—there’s no doubt about that. If your power is as great as Jinor claims, then yes, you might be able to bring peace to this land. But that doesn’t mean you have to be a mage. If there’s something else you want to do, that’s okay too. No one has the right to criticize you for choosing a different path. Even if you aren’t a mage, you’re still Reika. That alone is valuable enough."

"Ah...."

After saying that, I let out a quiet laugh at myself.

What a joke.

I was the one who approached Reika precisely because she was destined to become a powerful mage.

Yet here I was, telling her that she didn’t have to follow that path.

Why?

Why did I feel such a lump in my throat when I saw that expression on her face?

Was it because I saw a reflection of Airen in her?

As confusion flickered through my mind—

I heard Reika’s soft, trembling voice.

"A-ah... um... t-thank you."

"......."

I had meant to say something casual, like ‘No need to thank me, it’s nothing.’

But for some reason, the words wouldn’t come out.

Instead, I just lowered my head slightly, doing nothing.

An awkward silence settled inside the carriage—

Until, at just the right moment, a soldier called out.

"We’ve arrived, Sir Swen."

I exhaled, wiping away the sweat that had somehow formed on my forehead, and turned to Reika.

"Shall we?"

"Ah, y-yes...!"

*

"This place is...."

We stood before a watchtower on the outskirts of Hisphil Castle’s outer walls.

These towers were normally used by archers during a siege. But since there was no battle at the moment, they were empty.

Hisphil’s walls had many such towers, but this particular one was in a location too awkward to station guards, which was why I had suspected it would be left unoccupied.

If there had been people stationed there, I had a backup plan.

But this worked out perfectly.

"Reika, do you see that watchtower?"

"Ah, y-yes...!"

"I need you to destroy it."

"...What?"

That was the real reason I brought Reika.

I needed to create the illusion that something was wrong inside Hisphil Castle.

For false information to be effective, it needed at least one believable truth to support it.

Misinformation alone wasn’t enough—it had to be a carefully blended mixture of truth and deception.

[The watchtower at Hisphil Castle collapsed] → [The castle’s soldiers panic and report it to the capital] → [We plant a spy among them, who carries the news to the enemy] → [After cross-referencing the report from Hisphil with our planted misinformation, the enemy senses something is amiss and withdraws.]

This was my Feigned Report Strategy.

Technically, since a watchtower was actually going to collapse, it wasn’t entirely false.

A single collapsed tower wouldn’t normally be enough to force a retreat.

That was why the spy’s role was crucial.

By exaggerating the situation—claiming that an internal rebellion was brewing inside Hisphil—we could create enough uncertainty to force them to reconsider.

‘With my Intelligence at 100, I really wish that translated into a higher success rate for strategies like this.’

It probably wouldn’t.

It never had before.

I briefly explained the plan to Reika.

She nodded, glancing at the tower a few times before speaking.

"...I can do it. Bringing down a tower like that should be... no problem...!"

"As expected from you, Reika. That’s reassuring."

"R-really? Hehe... Thank you."

Next, I explained the operation to the guards.

Once the tower collapsed and the commotion began, they would infiltrate the enemy’s ranks.

They were dressed in armor marked with Serpina’s insignia—so unless someone scrutinized them too closely, they would pass as genuine soldiers.

"We understand. We’ll carry out the plan as instructed."

Good.

With everything set, all that remained was to execute the operation.

"Reika, I’ll leave it to you."

"Y-yes...!"

She nodded, then closed her eyes.

Extending her hands, she focused—and a fireball formed above her palm without difficulty.

I expected to wait a bit longer for her to build up the flames to an appropriate size.

But then—

‘Huh?’

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Something caught my attention.

A dazzling light.

It was coming from—

My rapier.

The ornate green rapier at my waist was glowing.

‘What the hell? Why is it doing that?’

This had never happened before.

Frowning, I drew the weapon from its sheath—

The moment I did—

"Uh—uh...?!"

Reika gasped, visibly startled.

The fireball in her hands—

Was no longer in her hands.

It was moving.

Or rather—

It was being pulled toward me.

No.

It was being drawn into my rapier.

"W-wait, Sir Swen?!"

"W-what the—?!"

Fwooooosh!

I staggered backward in shock.

Or perhaps it was more accurate to say I had to stagger back.

The fireball, now attached to the tip of my rapier, wasn’t just hovering there.

It was growing.

Expanding exponentially.

"B-b-but why—?!"

I panicked, instinctively shaking the sword.

At that moment, I really didn’t know what was going to happen.

And I definitely didn’t expect what did happen.

Fwooooosh!

The enormous fireball shot forward.

Straight at Hisphil Castle’s outer wall.

Wait—no!

It was supposed to hit the watchtower, not the wall!

Even if Reika’s magic had gotten stronger, it had only reached the point of knocking over trees.

At worst, the fireball should have barely scorched the castle wall.

If I had been calm enough to think about it, I might have reassured myself that nothing drastic would happen.

Of course.

Reality had no intention of giving me that luxury.

BOOOOOOOOM!!!!

"......!!!!!"

The massive fireball collided with the castle’s outer wall.

A deafening explosion erupted.

Thick smoke billowed, momentarily obscuring everything from view.

Time passed.

Slowly, cautiously, I opened my eyes—

And saw something I couldn’t believe.

"Th-this is...!"

A perfectly circular hole had been blasted through Hisphil Castle’s once-imposing wall.