Became a Strategist with a 100 Intelligence and 100% Accuracy

Swen opened the door and approached her, offering a greeting with a touch more sincerity than usual.

"Swen, I have come at my lord’s summons."

The moment she saw him greet her, a satisfied smile graced her lips.

"You’ve arrived well, Swen. Things are proceeding as I had foreseen."

"Another alliance proposal?"

"A messenger from the Hesna Army. They wish to form a nine-month alliance with us."

The Hesna Army.

It was the nation that had taken the lead in disrupting the balance of the southern continent.

There was still no news on what had happened to Elgaim Castle, but it seemed their envoy had arrived here first.

Since they had already made the first move, were they trying to secure control over the southern continent alongside us?

To prevent any interference in the future, they, too, must have seen the necessity of ensuring that we remained inactive.

"So, what are their terms?"

"They’re offering 20,000 gold."

20,000 gold.

12 months for 28,000 gold, and now 9 months for 20,000 gold?

If I considered only the amount, the offer seemed slightly lacking, but in terms of duration, it was actually quite reasonable—just as I was thinking that...

"That’s not all."

"...What?"

"Swen, do you happen to have any particular knowledge of treasures?"

By treasures, she must have meant items.

Well, considering I had played this game for ten thousand hours, there wasn’t a single item I didn’t know...

"Yes, to some extent."

"In that case, you must also be aware of the Holy Sword Rashtar?"

"...What?"

The Holy Sword Rashtar.

It was the strongest sword in this game.

Its effect was extremely simple—Strength +7.

It merely increased strength, but a weapon that raised it by seven was an endgame-tier treasure.

True power often lay in its simplicity, after all.

Sword A: Reduces the probability of falling for enemy strategies by 30%. On a snowy battlefield, increases attack power against enemy units. Something something, yada yada.

And then, the Holy Sword Rashtar: Strength +7.

The contrast made its overwhelming power even more apparent.

No conditions, no special circumstances—it simply boosted strength, and by seven at that. The sheer value of this great sword stood out all the more.

It was an item that spawned in a random location every time. But in this world... had it fallen into the hands of the Hesna Army?

Wait, hold on—don’t tell me...

"Are they offering us the Holy Sword Rashtar as well?"

"Indeed."

...Seriously??

If this was true, then this was a deal that absolutely had to be accepted.

In this game, Strength was, quite literally, power—physical might.

The higher one’s Strength, the stronger they were. Those with lower Strength had a lower chance of defeating those with higher Strength.

Of course, now that this was the real world, it wouldn’t function as an absolute numerical value like it did for me—

But as long as the system still governed the world, this sword would undoubtedly be an exceptionally powerful weapon.

‘As expected of 100 Intelligence.’

This weapon would be particularly valuable for Serpina’s army.

Serpina’s greatest weakness was the complete absence of S-rank warriors.

If the sword was given to an A-rank warrior, it would allow them to approximate S-rank power.

Had I blindly accepted Roland’s offer for 28,000 gold without thinking, this opportunity wouldn’t have presented itself.

‘When they said I’d suffer losses, they must have meant I would have lost the Holy Sword Rashtar. It all fits together.’

Serpina extended her pale, elegant hand toward me.

The grace of the motion was mesmerizing, holding an almost hypnotic allure.

"20,000 gold and the Holy Sword Rashtar. In exchange, a nine-month alliance with the Hesna Army. What do you think, Swen?"

This time, it seemed reasonable to accept the alliance.

Nine months wasn’t a particularly long period, and obtaining the Holy Sword Rashtar would be a huge benefit—

That was my immediate thought. But just before I could voice my agreement, I decided to run a quick calculation in my mind.

‘Would forming an alliance with the Hesna Army be beneficial to our forces?’

I expected the answer to be "Yes"—

But instead—

[In the long term, this alliance will not yield great benefits.]

"...????"

What?

What the hell?

20,000 gold and the Holy Sword Rashtar aren’t great benefits?!

‘Why???’

It wasn’t as though I’d suffer losses, but...

If the benefits weren’t substantial, then there had to be an even better decision available to me.

Even though the alliance would only last nine months, it still wasn’t deemed a major gain?

Could that mean another offer was already on the horizon?

If no other offer was coming, then the answer should have been a straightforward "Yes"—not this vague, "The benefits aren’t great."

And since my predictions were absolute, there had to be a reason.

So... was I supposed to let this opportunity slip by?

"Swen."

"Ah... yes?"

"Your expression has changed."

Had I failed to hide my reaction?

Lowering my head slightly, I adopted a serious tone.

"It’s nothing. I was merely... lost in thought."

"Oh? You mean to say that even with the Holy Sword Rashtar and 20,000 gold, it still warrants further consideration?"

"......."

I hadn’t even voiced any opposition yet...

And yet, she somehow already knew I was considering rejecting the alliance.

There were times when I genuinely suspected Serpina could read minds.

Was she simply perceptive, or did she have an uncanny ability to read people’s expressions?

‘Regardless.’

How should I handle this?

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

To be honest, I was tempted to just accept the Holy Sword Rashtar.

It might not be the absolute best decision, but avoiding another "This is the optimal answer" situation—where I’d have to scramble for justification—was appealing.

And regardless of whether there was a greater benefit to be had, the Holy Sword Rashtar was still an incredible weapon.

It wasn’t as if I’d be making a wrong choice.

But two things held me back.

"Fufu..."

First—Serpina was watching me closely, her alluring smile tinged with amusement.

Even if I tried to play it off, would she really just accept my reasoning?

She was far too perceptive, and she’d already demonstrated her ability to see through deception.

Second—what had just happened earlier.

Serpina had personally taken Airen’s side.

I didn’t know the full details, but she was using her authority to shield Airen from the disapproving gazes of other officers.

Serpina had been treating both me and Airen, as well as Reika, with a level of kindness.

It didn’t sit well with me to only chase after pure efficiency when I considered her actions.

‘...No.’

This wasn’t just about gratitude.

Supporting Serpina outright might actually be the correct move.

Though I was set to return to Lunarian’s Army, there was no telling when Luna would rise again.

Even if she was fated to unify the continent, I wasn’t given an exact timeframe.

And most importantly—

"Fufu... even with the Holy Sword Rashtar and 20,000 gold, you hesitate?"

Serpina had already predicted my answer.

If I contradicted her expectations, she would only press further.

‘There’s no need to challenge her here.’

The best way to avoid raising suspicions was simply to say what I had already decided.

"Would it not be better to wait a little longer?"

"You believe a better offer will come?"

"Yes."

"......."

Serpina paused in thought, then nodded.

"I expected you to say that. Very well, Swen. I will follow your judgment. Though I regret losing the Holy Sword, it will not decide our army’s fate... and given all you’ve done so far, I will trust you."

‘I succeeded in choosing the right answer.’

Lowering my head in silence, I could only hope that whatever came next wouldn’t be something absurdly worse.

*

Time passed once again.

The Roland Army sent another envoy.

This time, the offered sum had decreased to 15,000 gold.

However—so had the duration. Only three months.

A mere three-month alliance in exchange for 15,000 gold—a quick and easy profit.

Twelve months might seem short in the grand scheme of things, yet it was still a considerable span of time.

And the result?

[This alliance would provide no benefit whatsoever.]

"...Hah."

Even though the sum was smaller, I thought this might actually be the correct choice, given the short duration.

After all, the longer an alliance lasted, the longer we would be tied down.

Of course, rejecting the Holy Sword Rashtar for something like this would have felt absurd.

But still—this wasn’t the right answer either?

"I understand. Once again, I will follow your judgment."

Serpina spoke with a knowing "kuhuhu", covering her mouth as she chuckled.

It was strange.

She usually demanded explanations, yet lately, she had been following my advice far too easily.

It was beginning to bother me.

Still—ultimately, the decision was hers to make.

I simply did what I had to do.

And then, a few days later—

This time, an envoy arrived from the Ohana Army, a force subordinate to Hesna.

It seemed that every faction in the southern lands was scrambling to join forces with the tyrant Serpina.

It was a stark reminder that in times of chaos, values like honor and law became meaningless luxuries.

"An alliance of twelve months for 8,900 gold, you say?"

"That is correct."

...There was no need to even consider this one.

This was, without question, the worst offer so far.

'...Wait.'

However—

Considering the pattern of my predictions so far...

Wouldn’t this be the moment when I suddenly got an answer like:

[This is an efficient decision.]

Wasn’t this exactly how it always played out?

I would see an absurdly bad deal, input my prediction, and then break my head trying to understand why it was considered the best option.

'No way... Not this time too, right?'

A strange sense of foreboding crawled up my spine.

Serpina locked eyes with me and asked,

"So, Swen, what do you think of this offer?"

Even though it was clearly the worst proposal so far, she still went out of her way to call me here and ask my opinion.

It was a relief that she valued my judgment, but...

I had absolutely no idea what she was thinking.

Still—time to input the question.

[This alliance would result in severe losses.]

"...Whew."

Without even realizing it, I let out a deep sigh of relief.

Finally—a reasonable answer.

Now this was what I called a proper prediction.

It was just common sense, wasn’t it?

If the predictions had suddenly told me that 8,900 gold for 12 months was somehow the most efficient deal, after rejecting: