The small castle of Zeilant.
In the central conference room, which was usually only used by four commanders including myself, there were four unfamiliar new faces today.
And all of them were kneeling in a formal gesture before Lord Lunarian.
"I am Gustav, commander of the Raven Mercenaries."
"Vice-commander Karle."
"I am Aaron, commander of the Chilein Mercenaries."
"Vice-commander Yona."
Three men and the last speaker, a woman, were offering their greetings to Luna.
The reason why our interception force of only about 1,300 was able to hold back 8,000 enemy troops—
It was because two archer units had launched a surprise attack on Brance Army's flanks, disrupting their formation and splitting the massive force into three groups.
Then a unit had struck from the rear, encircling Brance Army in a pincer formation and crushing them.
I already knew the source of the archer units—since the vice-commander of the Raven Mercenaries had introduced themself.
But it was only now that I realized the source of the rear unit.
The Chilein Mercenaries!
'Never thought those damn guys would join our side.'
The Chilein Mercenaries were only available to lords of the central continent after clearing a certain quest.
Their unique class, the "Heavy Infantry," was superior to standard spearmen in every aspect, making them an elite and highly desirable mercenary group—but they required control of a specific castle in the central continent.
Because of this, and due to the lack of unclaimed land in the central continent, players who started as random lords often had to give up recruiting them, and even those who started as central lords were usually wiped out by Brance Army before completing the quest.
So unless Brance Army spawned in an outer region instead of the central, recruitment was practically impossible.
As someone who avoided playing the Brance Army because it was boring, this mercenary group always annoyed me!
They were essentially a Brance-exclusive bonus unit, giving wings to the beginner-friendly Brance faction—and now, their leader was kneeling before our lord.
'Can you recruit them without doing the quest?'
Even after the world turned into reality, it still strangely followed the in-game rules.
Considering my INT stat of 100 continued to deliver perfect predictions, it wasn't hard to see.
But things weren't completely the same. These mercenaries helping us, and a war starting less than a year after beginning—there were differences from the game.
'I shouldn't blindly trust in-game knowledge.'
"...You may raise your heads."
At Luna's words, the four of them simultaneously lifted their heads.
"First of all, thank you truly for assisting our army. If not for you, we may have failed to defend Zeilant Castle. And... there is something I must ask you."
"Please, ask us anything."
"Why did you decide to help our army?"
To that, Gustav of the Raven Mercenaries answered.
"Aaron and I were on our way to Zeilant when we saw the war break out. So we decided to assist the Lunarian Army."
"I apologize, but I still don't quite understand. Could you explain your reasons more clearly?"
"That is..."
This time, Aaron of the Chilein Mercenaries continued.
"Our two groups were headed to Zeilant Castle to pledge allegiance to the Lunarian Army."
To pledge allegiance meant they were offering to join our cause.
I had guessed that was the reason, since there was no other logical explanation, but the rest of the Luna troops were visibly shocked, as if they had never even considered the possibility.
"May I ask why?"
"We heard you had provided a tremendous amount of food and used vast sums of money to repair homes destroyed by a typhoon."
After Gustav spoke, Aaron added a line.
"We've met many rulers while operating as mercenaries, but never once have we seen a leader devote so much effort to helping the people. For a large territorial lord, such a deed would still be impressive. For a small city lord, it's unthinkable."
"That's..."
Luna responded as if she hadn't expected it, but Aaron wasn't wrong.
6,000 gold was a massive amount.
You could conscript over 5,000 soldiers and still have enough left to reinvest into domestic policy.
Even with some spare change, you could buy a decent mid-grade item.
Using 6,000 gold purely on the people—no wonder it became a rumor.
Considering that investing just 500 gold per half-year could earn you the title of a benevolent lord, it was even more extraordinary.
"However, we almost failed to assist properly during the battle because we didn't recognize the Lunarian Army's insignia... Fortunately, we noticed an elderly man at the front line who matched the description of the one leading the relief effort. We're glad we could help in time."
Ah.
As soon as I heard that, I realized the whole chain reaction that had occurred.
[Advice] Send Tifa to handle Commerce -* Tifa finds a box full of money using her unique method.
[Advice] Use all of that money for relief efforts -* Gains public favor, and the two mercenary leaders are moved.
[Advice] Place Cain, the most publicly recognized from relief efforts, at the front line -* Mercenaries recognize him and join us at the perfect moment.
There was now not even 0.01% doubt.
My INT is 100. My predictions are always correct.
The laws of reality themselves will bend to fulfill my advice!
"..."
"Huh..."
Beside Luna, I felt Cain and Tifa staring at me in disbelief.
Their expressions were easy to read.
They were thinking something like, "Did he actually predict all of this?"
And of course, from their perspective, that's how it looked. We had followed my advice and cleared what seemed like an impossible mission.
So what I had to do now was simple.
Make an incredibly wise-looking expression and slowly nod.
As if I had seen it all coming.
The important thing wasn't that I had predicted everything.
It was that others thought I had predicted everything.
As long as the outcome was correct, you could piece together the rest.
That appearance would lend credibility to my infallible advice and make others follow my ideas without resistance.
As a strategist, not a monarch, establishing that kind of internal authority was crucial.
Of course, since our lord was Lunarian Iniang, she was likely to listen to me anyway...
But in turbulent times, who knows what fate holds.
Like a wise sage, I approached Luna and offered my counsel.
"My liege, accept them. They will surely become a great strength to our army."
"Swen..."
Luna stared at me and pondered for a moment.
Then she turned to the kneeling commanders and vice-commanders before her.
"Thank you for aiding our army. I will not forget this. In the name of Lunarian, your cause is now our cause."
Placing them under her name was a declaration of allegiance.
The commanders understood and bowed.
"Yes! We pledge our loyalty."
"We shall be your sword and shield, Lady Lunarian."
The Raven Mercenaries, 7,000 strong.
The Chilein Mercenaries, 6,000 strong.
A total of 13,000 mercenaries had joined the Lunarian Army.
Given that they weren't ordinary troops but elite, well-trained units, the return on our 6,000 gold investment was far more than favorable.
* * *
This place was Anel Castle, the home base of the Brance Army.
Karlinz, with his head bowed and kneeling, pleaded before his liege, Lynn Brance.
"I have no excuse. This is all my fault. Please, execute me."
"..."
The invading force of 8,000 was annihilated.
Countless adjutants lost their lives.
The only survivors were about 120 soldiers and their commander, Karlinz Brance.
It was a catastrophic defeat, one that had never occurred in the history of the Brance Army.
And it wasn't even against a renowned country like with Aishas—it was against the Lunarian Army, a minor nation so insignificant it hadn't even registered in Lynn's mind.
Lynn Brance, deep in thought, asked.
"Brother… What happened? If you're truly remorseful, explain it in a way I can understand."
"...We were ambushed. Upon further investigation, it appears mercenary-level troops joined the fight."
"Mercenaries?"
"Yes, one of our soldiers recognized their insignias. It seems the Raven Mercenaries and the Chilein Mercenaries... joined the Lunarian Army."
"...What?"
At that point, even Lynn couldn't help but be shocked.
She had heard of both the Raven and Chilein Mercenaries.
Especially the Chilein Mercenaries—they had been a group the Brance Army had been struggling to win over.
'Not me, but some minor lord gets their support?'
The situation itself was absurd, but...
As a sovereign, she knew that dwelling on the absurdity of what had already happened would solve nothing.
"If it was an ambush, it can't be helped. We lost due to a lack of information. Still, the defeat was quite severe. I'd prefer you stay away from the front lines for a while and help with logistics in the rear. Step down from your position as vanguard and take some time to clear your head."
To an outsider, Lynn's words might sound like those of a kind ruler comforting a failed general.
But Karlinz could feel it clearly. This was a demotion for his failure.
The only reason he was still alive was likely because the loss stemmed from an ambush and because his last name was Brance.
Still, what excuse could a defeated general possibly offer?
"...As you command."
"Good. You're dismissed."
Once Karlinz left, Lynn fell into thought.
'If the Lunarian side has gained two mercenary groups, then we have to respond in kind... but there's no way I can summon Brother Chel from the south.'
She continued pondering before letting out a long sigh.
Then she recalled a certain person's face.
'I suppose... I have no choice but to use her.'
She hated it.
She really, truly hated it. But for the greater cause, she had no choice.
Lynn turned to the soldier standing guard beside her.
"Hey."
"Yes, my liege."
"You know the secondary barracks where the recruits train? Go fetch Irene from there."
"Understood!"
Even though she had demoted that woman with her own mouth, she had no choice now.
She was the only usable tool left.
'Well, a sovereign must be able to do unpleasant things too.'
Lynn justified her decision that way.