I Am Being Mistaken for a Genius Strategist

---

“Haa.”

Nobogord and the Empire. The new talks between the two nations had begun.

The participants were Rundis, a member of the Demon Tribe Council, and the Chief of Staff of the Empire, Kael Clausewitz.

And not to forget, Charlua Estania, the daughter of the council chairperson.

“This doesn’t look good. This is really not good.”

With a sigh, Charlua gazed at the Rundis council member sitting across from her.

They were a prominent figure among the Demon Tribe, just like her father, who was the chairperson.

At present, they were maneuvering to leverage more of Nobogord’s advantages.

Thanks to that, they were receiving significant support from many council members and ordinary demons.

The war had ended. With an overwhelming victory for the Empire too.

Thank goodness for that. They had secured their shares in the process.

Perhaps—just perhaps—this could be the last time.

From now on, they would no longer be able to discuss matters with the Empire on equal footing.

So, now was the time to secure whatever they could, as firmly as possible.

No unreasonable demands. Just rational, logical requests. This way, the Empire wouldn’t be able to ignore them.

But why are they so eager to gain advantages? Well, the reasoning is quite simple.

“They need to prevent the emergence of a second hard-liner in the future. They can claim that the Empire has given Nobogord enough. They must be sure there’s no justification for conflict against the Empire. You see, Council Member Rundis, I’m not oblivious to that.”

She understood. This wasn’t solely driven by their political interests.

Objectively, it was clear that Nobogord had shed a significant amount of blood.

They were leagues apart from the three kingdoms in the east or the Southern Kingdom that came from far away.

They had been responsible for an entire theater, constantly clashing with the Empire’s legions in just as many or more battles.

The damage sustained was undeniably considerable. One could not call it trivial.

Amidst that, the demons also grew filled with doubts and worries.

What if they had done their utmost only to find the Empire casting them aside?

Of course, such worries evaporated as the Empire took care of the east and south.

The problem was that it led the demons to raise their expectations even higher.

Having fought harder and endured greater losses, they felt entitled to more.

Political factions inevitably cater to the tastes of their supporters.

Rather than overturning things with swords, they have to guide and hold their supporters with words.

Not the king, but the council. In Nobogord, filled with numerous tribes, this was only natural.

“Given the domestic mood, the council can’t ignore that entirely.”

The moderates simply recognizing the Empire’s superiority would lose popularity.

Those who aimed to get all they could while still maintaining synergies would gain support.

Thus, the newly strengthened factions had decided to ask for the royal capital of Atria.

“Though, of course, there are ulterior motives.”

They knew the Empire coveted the royal capital. Nobogord intended to use that.

By legitimately requesting the royal capital and appearing to ease off when the Empire showed discomfort.

But all they truly wanted were farmlands and a port—all for themselves.

They had their expectations. Surely, the Empire would have to concede one of the two.

But considering both demands would be seen as excessive, they were recalibrating their calculations.

In the midst of that, they began to think about a scenario where they received both instead of just the royal capital.

It could indeed be an overreach, but given the current situation of the Empire, it didn’t seem so.

The farmsteads were preferable to hand over, and for the Empire, giving or not giving a port didn’t really matter.

Even if Nobogord got an unoccupied port, it would ultimately lead to nothing but the Empire.

They sought what they desired. But even if they got it, they could never surpass the Empire’s advantage.

The Empire remained the Empire. No one could challenge its status as a superpower.

They thought that perhaps, by taking those steps, Nobogord would become somewhat more harmless.

To Kael, the person who fought alongside the Empire, it was a sad affair, but Charlua herself was a demon in the end.

Considering various factors, she would inevitably lean toward whatever benefitted Nobogord.

And in this situation, she had no choice but to assist Council Member Rundis.

To help here meant to remain silent about Nobogord’s true intentions…

“Very well. Since you mentioned it, the Empire will have no choice.”

“Chief of Staff?”

“I will grant Nobogord the royal capital of the former Atria territory.”

“…E-excuse me?”

“The blood Nobogord has shed is by no means negligible. The Empire acknowledges this as a necessity. Thus, seeing how Nobogord has ‘firmly’ requested, it would be only right to acquiesce.”

Uh… uhhh. Wait. Hold on. This can’t be happening!

Dismay gradually spread across Council Member Rundis’s face.

Are they really giving away the royal capital? Just think of the significance of that!

No, more than that. They don’t need the royal capital! They should give it to the Empire!

Why wouldn’t they request different conditions instead of just handing over the royal capital?!

The Empire’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had surely been operating under that very mindset.

If they gave up the royal capital, they’d toss in a few more gifts in return.

Since they already had a glimpse of what they wanted, Nobogord had kept up the smoke and mirrors.

Just a little more. Just a little longer. Until the Empire opened its mouth, just a bit more.

Honestly, the Empire is overflowing with farmland. They wouldn’t care about giving up a bit of Atria’s land.

And a port? The Empire is overflowing with enormous port cities along the southern coastline.

Nobogord acquiring one unoccupied port wouldn’t shake the continent’s order.

So, they envisioned a future where their Empire warmly said, “Sure, take it.”

“Then I will hand over the royal capital of Atria. However, maintaining public order and humanitarian policies, as well as reconstruction plans in the royal capital area, will have to be communicated to the Empire from Nobogord. If the chaos in the royal capital spreads to the surrounding regions, it would greatly inconvenience the Empire, wouldn’t it?”

“…”

This is a problem. If Nobogord truly manages to claim the royal capital of Atria?

The future is glaringly clear. There would be chaos unlike anything they’ve seen before.

Currently, the residents of Atria are far more cautious of Nobogord than of the Empire. Because they’re demons.

Even before this war, the conflicts between the two nations were precariously balanced.

The reason Nobogord ultimately allied with the Empire despite their frictions was that Atria was even less favorable to them.

This viewpoint applies vice versa regarding Atria.

They had collaborated with Dedorant because the Empire’s alliance with Nobogord was evidently a significant factor.

Their resistance was not borne out of hatred for the Empire but rather a refusal to submit to the demons.

“At the time Atria surrendered, they made a point of seeking the Empire’s legions to deliver their intent to surrender, not Nobogord. That shows how poor the relations between the two nations and their residents are. If we truly claimed the royal capital during these times….”

The internal turmoil troubling the Empire due to Dedorant would seem like nothing.

There would be unrest—a wildfire that would undoubtedly spiral out of control.

The bigger issue is that this wouldn’t end there. What if that chaos spread across all of Atria?

Undoubtedly, the Empire would reclaim the royal capital it had relinquished, citing Nobogord’s blunder as a reason.

They would likely apply diplomatic pressure, lamenting the losses incurred because of them.

The residents of Atria would also likely shout that they’d rather side with the Empire than submit to Nobogord.

“This is going to be quite troublesome, isn’t it, Council Member?”

Beside her, Charlua couldn’t hide her sympathy as she looked at Council Member Rundis.

It seemed Rundis was staring at Kael, bewildered. “Has he already caught on?”

But she had suspected this all along. Underestimating someone like Kael was a mistake.

“Perhaps due to his impressive battlefield prowess, he might appear slower in calculating political maneuvers. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs could have offered hints at the last moment. And… honestly, he’s been rather careless. He’s been dealing with a strategist of the Empire, after all.”

Half a year had passed since the war ended. Is that why some people were already starting to forget?

That man sitting right in front of them had orchestrated all kinds of strategies and tactics until now.

*

“He’s figured it all out. What Nobogord truly wants. I’m dying from the boredom of it all.”

“The royal capital was just a pretext, a way to keep our Empire’s attention focused there.”

What they actually desired wasn’t the royal capital. It was everything the Empire offered.

A large expanse of farmland. An unoccupied port. Not choosing one or the other but seeking to gain both.

They likely thought the Empire would understand if they painted a picture of relinquishing the royal capital.

How did he come to this realization? As mentioned before, the timing was too ambiguous.

What good would it do to chime in with the Empire now? It would only cool the atmosphere.

Plus, they weren’t being stubborn but were indeed preserving a reasonable line.

In situations like these, showing impropriety is almost a given.

Yet, Nobogord avoided provoking outright anger; they could instead maneuver during negotiations to maintain flexibility.

In that realization, he knew. Ah, they’re wanting something different.

The royal capital was merely a pretext. They intended to use it as leverage to gain something else.

“These guys. Ugh. If it weren’t for the hardship endured across all of Atria, I would’ve gone off on them by now.”

As Chief of Staff, he understood. He knew how much blood they had shed.

That’s why the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had been continuously negotiating with Nobogord.

But if they come with such intentions, they can’t be treated nicely.

“The Empire will relinquish the royal capital for Nobogord. If you wish, feel free to take it.”

“Take it if you want. Do as you please. I won’t stop you.”