Became a Strategist with a 100 Intelligence and 100% Accuracy
Chapter 323: The Red-Eyed Dragon of the South (11)

“Th-The Lord... the Lord...!!!”

“Aaaaaaagh! Our lord!!!”

Caught off guard by the sudden loss of their supreme commander, Roland’s army descended into chaos.

This wasn’t merely the loss of a battlefield commander—something that alone would send morale crashing. What they had lost... was their sovereign. The one they worshipped as an absolute ruler.

“Strategist!! Wh-What do we...?!”

“J-Just... just hold on! This kind of situation, I-I...!!”

Unfortunately, there wasn’t a single person in Roland’s army capable of responding quickly or effectively to this unthinkable crisis.

And so, while they flailed in confusion, Luna’s army—of course—did not sit idly by.

“Now! Move in!”

“Follow Her Majesty!!! Claim your glory!!!”

From the right, Charlotte. From the left, Francis.

With these two young talents at the forefront, Lunarian’s forces surged and swallowed Roland’s army whole.

Luna herself, right after the duel, rode into the heart of the battlefield with her Adina Sword raised high.

“R-Run!!”

“She’s coming!! That woman... she’s a m-monster...!!”

With every swing of her crimson blade, the soldiers of Roland’s army fell like leaves in autumn.

Having indulged in an unnaturally long season of peace—especially given the state of the continent—Roland’s army had no means to withstand the murderous aura and overwhelming force Luna now unleashed upon them.

No, it wasn’t just that they couldn’t withstand her.

Just looking into her ruby eyes emptied their minds completely. And what filled that void, faster than thought—was fear.

“S-Someone save me!!”

With no one capable of issuing clear orders, it was laughably easy to chase down the disorganized enemy and wipe them out.

Luna gave a sharp command, denying the enemy any chance to flee.

“Follow me! Do not let a single one escape! Roland’s army still has plenty of soldiers capable of regrouping. Do not waste this chance!!!”

WAAAAAAAHHH!!!

At Luna’s cry, each and every soldier gave their all to pursue the fleeing enemy.

Having lost their sovereign so unexpectedly, Roland’s army had nothing left it could do.

“H-Hiiiek...!!”

One fallen soldier sat back in fear, looking up at the reaper come to claim his soul.

A woman with blood-red eyes and a sword drenched in gore.

The woman who decapitated Lord Roland with a single blow.

At a glance, she looked like an ordinary woman. But the aura that clung to her was something no ordinary soldier could ever dare challenge. He froze in place, unable even to imagine running.

What... is this?

This is supposed to be war. A battlefield where men cross swords on equal footing.

But I can’t move. I can’t speak. Just meeting her eyes freezes me with fear.

This isn’t man versus man.

This is being hunted by some monstrous, unknown being. The terror, the helplessness, the one-sided slaughter!

Like... like facing a legendary creature. A dragon.

Everyone on that battlefield felt it.

We can’t win. Against that impossible woman with the red eyes—we can’t win... ever...!!!

“I-I...!”

――Thunk.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Before the soldier could even finish his dying cry, the Adina Sword pierced through him.

Luna, without so much as a blink, twisted her blade several times—to confirm he was dead. Efficiency was everything.

She knew.

This pursuit would soon end.

At the path of retreat, the Chilean Mercenaries lay in wait. To herd the fleeing enemy into their trap, Luna had ordered Francis and Charlotte to advance from either side. The plan, built from Jinor’s proposal and Luna’s bold additions, became a complete success the moment she severed Roland’s head.

And the result—

“We did it!!!!”

“Long live Lunarian!!!”

“It’s the age of Lunarian ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ now!!!!”

Lunarian Army: 80,000

Roland Army: 100,000

Enemy losses: 86,000

Our losses: 13,000

An overwhelming exchange ratio nearing 8:1!

This was an even greater achievement than the magic-led defense of Tepello Castle.

With this battle, Luna carved her name deep into the southern continent.

Among those who barely survived, and those who fought by her side, a new title emerged to describe her—

The Red-Eyed Dragon.

The moment the Crimson Dragon of the South was born.

***

“......”

Amid the carnage, surrounded by mountains of corpses, Luna stared at her hands.

Blood. Bright red blood soaked them to the wrists.

Her Adina Sword was painted entirely crimson, dripping with fresh blood.

But what filled her deadened eyes wasn’t the weight of all the lives she’d taken.

No. Luna had long since abandoned the burden of mourning over death. Such sentimentality was not efficient for a sovereign in an age of chaos.

Ever since she faced Karelia’s smiling, severed head, Luna had vowed never again to hesitate to stain her hands with blood.

“Your Majesty!!”

From afar, a horse galloped toward her—Charlotte, the young general who’d charged the front with her.

“There you are! Everyone is waiting. It’s a complete victory! We’ve won overwhelmingly!”

Her eyes sparkled as she spoke.

This wasn’t some rebel uprising—this was a victory by an official army of a legitimate state.

For a young general, the thrill was unmistakable.

“Do you hear them, Your Majesty? Everyone is chanting your name! This is it! Just as my uncle said—this is the first step for Lunarian to unify the continent!”

Luna looked at Charlotte.

But she didn’t see a young general celebrating her first major victory.

Or rather—there was no room for that sight in her gaze.

With a gentle, distant smile... Luna simply replied in a soft voice.

“Charlotte. As soon as we return, begin preparations for the next battle. Tell everyone.”

“...Excuse me? Wouldn’t it be better to rest the troops and hold rewards ceremonies?”

“No.”

Luna slowly shook her head.

“We can’t keep the strategist waiting any longer.”

“...What?”

“Roland’s army was just the beginning. We must unify the southern continent as quickly as possible, then move to deal with Lyn Brans... and then, face Serpina’s forces.”

She raised her head toward the sky and murmured.

“I can’t let him wait any longer.”

I can’t keep him waiting.

Swen. My strategist.

Deceived by Serpina, humiliated under her rule—he needed to be rescued.

He had thrown himself into danger to save her.

Now it was her turn to do the same.

“I won’t let you suffer under that witch any longer...”

Her empty, red eyes contained no trace of her comrades. Not Charlotte, not the soldiers she fought alongside, not even the lives she’d taken.

All they held—overflowing, consuming—was one man.

Swen.

Everything was for him.

Spilling all this blood, killing without hesitation—it was all to save him as fast as possible.

Luna raised her eyes to the sky again and whispered questions that would never reach.

When we meet again, will you...

Will you hold me tight, like you did after the battle with Brans?

If you would just do that, I...

I’d do anything.

Then, a horrifying thought flashed across her mind.

What if...

When they meet again, Swen says, “I’ve decided to serve Serpina, not you”?

Then—

“Your Majesty...?”

Charlotte started to speak, then closed her mouth.

Because the look on Luna’s face was not that of a victorious ruler.

It was far too sorrowful. Far too empty.

***

The one who succeeded Setta Roland was Miel, the state strategist of the Roland Army.

Roland had no wife. No heirs.

So by default, the highest-ranking official—Miel—became the new lord of the army.

But...

No one could’ve expected it. A mere civil officer, barely known outside the Roland Army, suddenly thrust into power.

Unsurprisingly, Miel was utterly incapable of salvaging the situation.

After the interception battle, the newly renamed “Miel Army” surrendered all three border territories to Lunarian almost immediately.

He tried everything—racking his brains to leverage their numbers. But it was as if fate had already been decided.

The Miel Army couldn’t score even a single minor victory against Lunarian.

Loss after loss, until finally—

Miel collapsed from overwork and stress. Dead.

Another general took his place, someone who’d once had a voice in command.

But by that time, only three territories remained—including the borderlands.

By then, everyone understood.

The former Roland Army... was already extinct.

While the Aishus Army was finally erased from the central continent—

In the south, Lunarian had shattered the balance that once held four great powers in check.

Only five nations remained now, not counting the husk that was Roland:

Serpina’s Army, Lunarian’s Army, Hesna, Ohana, and Brans.

The era of warring lords was coming to an end.

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