I Am Being Mistaken for a Genius Strategist

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About the first month or so, yeah. I remember things were going smoothly.

The Empire wasn’t full of fools, so they made various preparations, but they couldn’t keep it up forever.

Reports kept pouring in that our attack had repelled their Transportation Units and seized and burned their supplies.

Every time that happened, King of Dedorant, Cassius II, sighed in relief, thinking things were going his way.

Targeting their supplies could weaken the enemy offensive we were currently facing.

If they turned their heads toward the rear, an opportunity for a counterattack would arise anytime.

—Or so I believed, until just yesterday.

“…Another communication has been lost.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Upon hearing this report, Cassius II slammed the armrest of his chair.

Something, something is happening. Something that absolutely should not be happening.

The number of Dedorant Army infiltrators in their rear was about five thousand.

All of them carefully selected elites, split into units of a hundred.

There was only one objective: to attack the enemy’s Transportation Units and cut off their supplies.

I believed it was going quite well. And indeed, it was.

But suddenly, seven units failed to report in overnight.

We sent one of those expensive communication devices with each of them to report daily.

Their reports were essential for our command to grasp changes in the war situation.

So there was no way they could have forgotten. Even if something happened, they would have contacted us later.

“Seven units fell to the Imperial Army overnight? Could they have diverted their legions to attack the entire rear area?”

“Reports from each defensive stronghold and castle indicate there’s been no easing or weakening of the enemy’s offensive. The forces we were facing in Dedorant are still there, Your Majesty.”

It doesn’t seem like the enemy’s elites and veterans moved silently to the rear.

Thus, the strength they could mobilize must be little more than reserves or conscripts.

I acknowledge that our supply strike force is small—at most five thousand.

And they’ve been split into units of a hundred, so if they engage wrongly, they’ll just crumble.

But they are all the best of the best, thoroughly selected for their capabilities.

Fighting within Dedorant gives them a better knowledge of the terrain and geography than the Empire.

What’s most important to them is not cutting down enemy soldiers but cutting off supplies.

I even gave orders that if it looked like a tough battle, they should retreat without hesitation.

These are not people who would easily perish. I took measures to prevent that.

Utilizing dozens of ambush-friendly locations and targeting the overly lengthy supply route made them like a predator hunting prey. They could strike their targets and retreat anytime.

‘But how did they suffer seven hundred losses overnight?’

Even if Cassius II himself were in the Imperial Army, that level of damage would be impossible.

No matter how many troops are attached to a Transportation Unit, if the ambushers simply don’t attack, it’s over.

Besides, there must be areas where the paths are narrowed, so numerical superiority cannot be absolute.

Even from the enemy’s perspective, this amount of damage just doesn’t add up.

“Your Majesty, there might be a spy among our ranks.”

“A spy? Are you saying there could be a traitor?”

“This supply strike operation required significant effort from you and the military command personnel. Just a month ago, the Empire had lost a certain number of Transportation Units and supplies. Yet how could we lose so many soldiers overnight?”

Gruber’s words certainly carried weight. Yeah, no matter how you think about it, this doesn’t make sense.

Kael Clausewitz, even if he’s recognized as a formidable foe by Cassius II, doesn’t seem possible.

How could one target and annihilate those who were aiming for supplies without knowing their location?

“Gruber.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Investigate all the commanders involved in this supply strike operation discreetly.”

“All of them, Your Majesty?”

“Yes. Regardless of their rank, whether they have done many or few deeds until now, investigate all of them thoroughly.”

The nobles of Atria were trying to abandon the glory of the Deo Ethnicity.

In the meantime, those from the south under Benito had cut ties and surrendered to the Empire.

Just two years ago, they were shouting long live Dedorant, and now look at how they’ve turned their backs.

How can anyone be trusted in this situation? Surroundings are increasingly suspicious.

‘No, at least this is a rational suspicion. Without our information leaking, there’s no way things could happen so accurately and swiftly.’

Cassius II’s view was somewhat valid. In fact, others thought the same.

For such instantaneous damage to occur, it’s clear that information leaked from within.

And as time went on…

The more reports came in about the increasing losses and slowing down of operations, the stronger this suspicion grew.

[ The movements of the Empire are suspicious. They seem to know all our moves. ]

[ Just when we thought we got ambushed and moved, the Empire’s Mobile Strike Forces were quietly tightening their noose from the opposite side. Moreover, the Transportation Units had fully prepared for battle long before. ]

[ They even seem to know the routes we’re retreating on, as they relentless pursued us. We barely escaped by widening the distance. ]

[ We can’t even touch their supply routes; just shaking them off is a hassle. Other nearby units have already lost all communication. ]

The more I heard the reports, the stronger the suspicion that information had leaked.

If not, it would be impossible to know the enemy’s hiding places, movement routes, and unit strengths.

We thoroughly investigated, but we couldn’t find any traces of betrayal.

At this rate, we couldn’t even make a move, let alone perform any operations.

We had only just begun to actively disrupt the Empire.

After only a month of torment, the front-line situation became quite unfavorable.

Ultimately, we cut communications to make them move independently.

We instructed them to prioritize safety and survival over supply raids.

If there’s a traitor in our command, then isn’t it enough not to share that information?

But after a month, we realized that seventy percent of the forces we sent had vanished, leaving Dedorant in shock.

This wouldn’t do. Forget about imperial propaganda or traces of betrayal.

It’s best to swiftly retrieve the remaining forces. This is a failure.

In the end, even Cassius II nodded in agreement with the decision of the Dedorant command.

In the end, all they gained was the fact that the Empire’s supply routes were operating smoothly.

There was still concern that a traitor might be among them.

*

“Thank you for your hard work, everyone. Thanks to you, we could completely shatter the will of their resistance.”

Our wizards, who were abruptly pulled from their work in the laboratory.

To implement the level of detection magic I wanted, they had to have a certain level of skills.

And all those who struggled alongside the Transportation Units were all my seniors in life.

Although their ranks in society are the highest, it’s appropriate to treat them right due to their age.

After all, I have been utilizing them, so it’s only polite to say something.

“No, Chief of Staff. I’m genuinely pleased to have contributed to the Empire’s victory.”

“So when can we expect support for the research funds—cough! No, I’m sorry.”

“Minister of Magic told me to help the Chief of Staff diligently, you see. Hahaha!”

I think there was some other conversation in between, but let’s skip over that.

That’s not a problem for me but rather for our Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Magic.

Additionally, there’s one more character to show gratitude to the wizards.

“Thank you all for volunteering for the Empire. May all your future endeavors, especially in magical research, be blessed by God.”

As the Princess said that, the wizards burst into laughter.

I felt a bit left out. When I said something, they only smiled faintly.

I’m feeling neglected! I gave them good words too!

“By the way, Chief of Staff. Are we required to maintain secrecy about our return as well? It seems it’s about time we could reveal that we were part of the Transportation Unit.”

“No. Regardless of the route back to the Empire and even after returning, I’d appreciate your cooperation in keeping things confidential.”

“Hm. If Chief of Staff says so, there’s no helping it.”

I suspect the Dedorant interior is probably a mess by now.

We fully prepared and indeed inflicted damage for about a month.

While we might face some damage, they’d surely have to endure an equal amount of bloodshed.

But what now? The next Transportation Unit seems to read their position like a book.

Moreover, the Empire’s Mobile Strike Forces are swiftly approaching all the ambush sites.

No matter how well we hide, it’s as if they’re saying, ‘Yep, we know exactly where you are,’ as they pursue to the end.

When situations unfold like this, naturally, one seeks to find the cause.

First, check if their operations went awry.

Or see if the Empire used a strategy to divert legions from the front to the rear.

If that doesn’t yield answers, then inevitably comes the classic line:

“There’s a traitor among us!”

In fact, the nobles of Atria were planning to do just that, and those from the south under Benito genuinely betrayed them.

With this precedent, despite the praises of the excellent Deo Ethnicity, they could only suspect one another.

“Chief of Staff.”

Just then, news came in that would further ignite their suspicions.

“Defensive strongholds in Dedorant are sequentially surrendering and giving up all resistance.”

The path toward their heart was beginning to open one by one.