Became a Strategist with a 100 Intelligence and 100% Accuracy
Chapter 317: The Red-Eyed Dragon of the South (7)

The capital of the Roland Army—Dophel Castle.

With Luna’s declaration of war, the conflict between the newly formed Lunarian Army and the Roland Army had officially begun.

The southern continent was rocked by the outbreak of war.

The moment when the fragile peace of the south had truly shattered was arguably when the rebellion broke out within Karelia’s ranks—

But even then, it had been viewed as an internal disturbance, rather than a crisis threatening the entire continent.

The Roland Army and Hesna Army, which bordered the central continent, had indeed taken advantage of the Brans Army's collapse to slowly expand their borders—

Yet within the southern continent, none of them had taken concrete military action. The Ohana Army, of course, had merely doubled down on defensive positioning.

In other words, this war between the Lunarian and Roland Armies could be seen, without exaggeration, as the first full-scale war to erupt in the southern continent during the age of chaos.

And so, for the ill-fated lord who had suddenly found himself swept up in this first “southern war”—

"This is bullshit! A war...? And before we’ve even reclaimed Arkan Castle from Brans—what kind of cursed nonsense is this?!"

Naturally, it felt like a bolt from the blue.

With short black hair and a somewhat brutish appearance,

Setta Roland—lord of the Roland Army and once deputy commander of the 3rd Knight Order of the old Eingart Empire—was staring over his map again and again, trying to assess the current situation.

The southern front.

Naturally, the area was heavily fortified with well-trained soldiers. They weren’t lacking in manpower or resources.

The mere presence of that front was meant to deter conflict, and they had spared no expense in its upkeep.

Still, he had never imagined a war would actually break out here.

From Karelia’s perspective, dealing with the Ohana Army had always seemed like the easier option.

There were various opinions on the ranking of military power within the southern continent, but the general consensus was:

Hesna’s army was the strongest. Then came their own Roland Army. Beneath that, Karelia and Ohana.

Given that Karelia had suffered losses during the rebellion and transformation into the Lunarian Army, it wouldn’t be surprising if Ohana now outmatched them.

In fact, during Karelia’s days, they had originally intended to target Ohana as their first opponent. So Setta’s logic hadn’t been wrong.

If the Lunarian Army were to seize Ohana, it would place them directly on Hesna’s border, making northern advancement more difficult—

But even then, that path was likely far less challenging for them than targeting Roland.

So he’d expected a war to break out between those two first.

He’d even prepared a set of contingency plans for that very scenario—

And yet—

‘If they struck first... it means they’re confident!’

The problem was this: Luna wasn’t thinking of a long, drawn-out war. She intended to seize the southern continent swiftly.

And unlike the former Karelia Army, she possessed something that could easily compensate for her lacking national power—

A devastatingly powerful asymmetric force.

A mage. Just like the one who had appeared with Serpina’s army in the north and shaken the entire continent.

The second mage to appear in the south had, upon her arrival, utterly consumed what was once Karelia.

And if that power were used against Roland...?

What made magic so terrifying wasn’t just that it defied the natural order—

It was the uncertainty of what it could or couldn’t do. Without knowing its limits, there was no way to prepare countermeasures.

The only thing Roland could do now was scrape together as much intel as possible.

"Hey! Is the report not ready yet?!"

"Please wait a bit longer. We’ve deployed agents in every direction. You’ll hear something soon."

And before long, bits and pieces of information about the Lunarian Army began filtering in.

"Lunarian herself seems to have secured the people’s loyalty at remarkable speed. Inciting internal unrest appears nearly impossible."

"Unlike the mage from Serpina’s forces in the north, the mage in the Lunarian Army has never been seen using ranged attacks!"

"The Raven Mercenaries and Chilean Mercenaries appear to have formally submitted to the Lunarian Army."

What all the intel had in common was this:

For a nation born of rebellion, their public support was shockingly high, and the loyalty of their officers was even higher.

They’d also tried investigating the critical Battle of Tepello Castle, but since it had been an internal purge, there was little public information available.

The only thing they knew—was that the mage had played a massive role in the outcome.

And more recently, another report had come in—

"So it’s true... there’s no mage on the front lines?!"

"Yes, that's correct! How could I ever lie to you, my lord?!"

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

According to the spy, the most troublesome element of the Lunarian Army—the mage—had been stationed at Tepello Castle, along the border with the Ohana Army.

‘So they intend to defend against Ohana with minimal forces and the mage... while throwing their entire military strength at us?’

Roland summoned his state strategist and laid out the situation.

The man wasn’t known for brilliance, but he had at least earned a reputation in the Roland Army as someone who had read a book or two.

"What do you make of it, Miel?"

"W-Well... I must speak carefully, my lord."

At that, Roland slammed his fist on the armrest of the throne.

"I gave you time, and yet you can’t even come up with a single idea?!"

"M-My lord, please calm yourself. That’s not it—it’s just that... there are so many unknowns when it comes to the Lunarian Army..."

"Unknowns, you say?"

"The Battle of Tepello Castle, where the Lunarian Army first appeared, was essentially an internal suppression of rebellion within the former Karelia Army.

As such, the details of what actually happened on the battlefield remain mostly hidden from the outside world.

You, too, have only heard fragmented reports like ‘the mage’s intervention utterly crushed Karelia,’ haven’t you?"

Roland scowled deeply, but didn’t rebuke him further.

He was hot-tempered, stubborn, and lacked caution, yes—but he wasn’t so stupid as to belittle a subordinate who spoke honestly.

"The intelligence is too lacking.

We don’t know what kind of person Lunarian is, who her officers are.

We don’t even have confirmed information about the mage—who supposedly isn’t even on the front.

If she had gone to war with someone else first, we would’ve had far more data to work with, and preparing countermeasures would’ve been easier..."

"In other words, we’re the ones being used as the test subjects?"

"Precisely.

Navidos Ohana and Aski Hesna are probably relieved that we’re the ones going to war with the Lunarian Army first."

"Damn it!"

Clang!

"That coward from Ohana, fine. But that fox of a bitch from Hesna—why the hell do I have to do her a favor with my own two hands...?!"

He slammed the armrest again—but that didn’t change the reality of the situation.

"Fine. Forget preparations. Let’s focus on what’s right in front of us. What’s the size of the enemy’s forces?"

"Approximately 80,000."

"We can’t leave the northern front that borders Brans or the eastern front near Hesna undefended, so we’ll be able to mobilize a maximum of 100,000."

"Wouldn’t it be fine to pull forces from Brans’ side? They don’t seem to have any troops to spare for deployment anyway."

"No.

Brans didn’t station many troops there to begin with.

That region is practically functioning as Hesna’s support line—so it makes sense to leave it as is.

We never know when Lyn Brans might strike us from behind.

Didn’t those Brans bastards throw away their pride and kneel like dogs to that Serpina bitch?

Which means, from Lyn’s perspective, we’re the only front she needs to keep her eyes on.

You understand what I’m saying, don’t you?"

"I... I believe so, yes..."

Roland straightened his posture and spoke with a more serious tone.

"Still, it’s fine. We don’t know what tricks the enemy might pull, but without a mage on the front lines, a 20,000-man numerical advantage will carry serious weight on the battlefield.

If they had one or two brilliant generals, it might be different. Like that Epinnel woman who got herself killed resisting Serpina, or that fool Chel who died because of his idiocy.

But I doubt the Lunarian Army has anyone of that caliber."

"Then, does that mean...?"

"We crush them at the start.

They dared to raise their swords at the Roland Army—I’ll make them regret that decision to their bones."

Roland clapped his fists together with a sharp crack.

"Even if it means gathering more troops, I’ll shatter their momentum in the very first battle.

If we lose even one of our three fortresses, our front will collapse.

Besides, it’s been a while since I’ve had a good fight, and my body’s itching for it."

"W-Wait a moment, my lord! Are you saying... you intend to personally enter the battlefield?"

At the strategist’s alarmed tone, Roland nodded ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Miel. According to the reports, Lunarian herself often appears on the battlefield, doesn’t she?"

"Yes, that’s correct.

It seems she does so frequently—possibly to raise morale.

But the actual combat is reportedly handled by the female general known as the mage, and the mercenary corps.

There are rumors that Lunarian is a capable warrior herself due to her frequent presence on the front lines, but that’s not fully confirmed."

"Hah!

Even if she’s some impressive warrior, she’s still just a young girl no one’s even heard of.

She’s no match for me.

Wouldn’t you agree?!"

"Yes, my lord!"

This wasn’t just empty bravado.

Roland was confident.

Especially when it came to one-on-one combat, he was certain he wouldn’t lose to anyone.

He knew exactly what had gotten him to where he was.

"First, we toss out bait.

If she dares to take it—"

Roland curled his lips into a grin.

At the end of that smirk was the unshakable confidence of a seasoned warrior.

"I’ll personally take the field as supreme commander,

and teach that little brat the true terror of war!"

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