Became a Strategist with a 100 Intelligence and 100% Accuracy

Serpina let out a soft "kuhuhu", gazing at me with glimmering eyes.

A face designed to ensnare others.

That expression. That smile.

There must be a line of people willing to throw everything away just for her.

"So... an alliance with the Brans Army.

An alliance with a nation we've been at war with until just recently."

Breathing—

Her breath was too close.

My head felt hot.

The yuzu scent enveloped my mind.

It wasn’t a bad feeling.

If anything, it was a warmth that stirred my heart.

It wasn’t about the intoxicating thrill of physical closeness with such a breathtaking woman.

No, what I felt was—

Longing.

‘Why...?’

I couldn’t quite grasp why I felt this way.

But regardless, she had asked me a question, and I had no choice but to answer.

"Yes."

"I see."

Serpina slowly stepped away.

Then, as she gazed into my eyes, she spoke in a low, measured voice—almost like a chant.

"I shall follow your judgment.

We will form an alliance with the Brans Army."

"Understood."

"However—one last thing."

I simply bowed once in response.

She immediately understood what that meant.

"Your reasoning..."

She studied me carefully.

"Can you tell me why you are so certain that this alliance will benefit us?"

"......."

So after all that talk about "inner sight", she still wanted a reason?

Unfortunately, I had nothing I could explain to her logically.

Of course, if I spent some time thinking, I might be able to construct something—but I couldn't pull an answer out of thin air right now.

My stats were fixed at 100 Intelligence, but that didn’t mean I had actually become a genius.

However—

"This alliance with the Brans Army... You believe it presents an opportunity for us, do you not?"

'I can at least turn her words back on her.'

I felt a little bad for doing this, but—

This time, I would use her own logic against her.

"My lord. I believe you will be able to find the reasoning."

"Me...?"

For the first time today, her pupils contracted slightly.

"Yes. You already said it yourself—that this is an opportunity for our forces.

Surely, you must already know the reasoning?"

"I told you—I only read the changes in your expressions."

"No. My lord, I believe that you can already deduce the reason.

If you stand at the top, there are things that you must inevitably perceive."

I couldn’t guess what it was.

But if this alliance was truly beneficial, then—

Wouldn’t a ruler who understood her nation better than I did be able to see the reasoning far more clearly?

At those words, Serpina’s expression froze.

"......!!!"

"My lord. I am certain you will quickly realize the answer.

I place my trust in you."

Looking at the flow of events so far, she had already been inclined to accept my judgment.

She had agreed to the alliance first, then asked for a reason—not the other way around.

And from what I had observed, for some reason, she placed deep trust in my words.

There was no need to say anything unnecessary.

Trust carried a certain weight, after all.

And then—

As if she had suddenly realized something, she looked at me and smirked.

"...I see now, Swen. I understand exactly what you are doing."

Her gaze intensified as she whispered—

"You are testing me, aren’t you?"

'...Huh?'

"You once told me—"

Her voice grew softer, yet carried a profound weight.

"That truly winning someone's heart is no easy feat.

I did not expect, however, that you would go so far as to test me directly... Swen, you truly do bring me endless delight."

'??????'

Wait, hold on.

That time, I had just said whatever I could to avoid being thrown in prison—

...No.

'Maybe... I should just stay quiet.'

Something told me that if I just let her run with this, things would resolve themselves.

So I simply held my gaze, maintaining a carefully composed expression.

It was the ultimate "I'll let you figure it out yourself" look.

"In my life, many have offered themselves to me—"

She slowly ran a hand down her own cheek.

"—but never once has a man dared to test me."

...That was dangerously seductive.

If she was doing this on purpose, then it was incredible.

And if she wasn’t—

Then this woman possessed an unconscious power that could bind men to her will effortlessly.

"Truly... Swen, I find myself growing more and more fond of you..."

She let out a low, delighted chuckle.

And for the next few minutes, we simply held each other’s gaze in silence—

Until—

"...Very well."

She finally conceded.

"Swen."

"Yes, my lord."

"I wish to have you.

And so, I will show you my sincerity.

This alliance, too, shall be a part of that.

"Watch closely—

For one day, I will carve out a place for myself in your heart."

She smiled—

A knowing, confident smile.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

As I walked through the palace corridors, my mind drifted back to that dream.

The golden-haired woman—Serpina.

I had dreamed of conversing with her, smiling together, sharing joyful moments.

We had wandered hand in hand, whispering to each other amidst a land of blue-roofed buildings.

Longing.

The yuzu scent from earlier—it had stirred something deep within me.

"......."

Quietly, I reentered the question my roommate had once asked me.

"Can Serpina von Eingart become the ruler who unifies the continent?"

[No.]

The answer remained the same.

Honestly, I hadn’t expected it to change.

No matter how many times I asked, this prediction had never wavered.

"......I..."

No.

I wouldn’t let pointless thoughts shake me.

I simply had to walk my path.

With that thought in mind, I silently left the royal palace.

***

After sending Swen away—

Serpina sank into deep thought.

"If you are in my position, you should inevitably know."

It was a vague and difficult-to-decipher statement.

But—

Serpina had come to realize something about Swen.

He enjoyed speaking in these cryptic metaphors.

Back when he had uncovered rebels hidden in the ranks, he had said, "You must see what is unseen."

And now, once again, he had given her a riddle to solve.

Serpina was convinced—

This was a test.

A trial she needed to pass.

And that meant—the answer had to be hidden within his words.

"The last survivor of the Eingart family.

The ruler of the Serpina Army.

And... a tyrant."

She recalled the titles attached to her name.

Her position as ruler.

"Something that can only be known when standing where I stand..."

She thought for several more minutes, but no clear picture emerged.

"No—focus.

Don’t get caught up in the wording.

Look at the bigger picture."

The two sides forming this alliance—

The Serpina Army and the Brans Army.

The Brans Army had swallowed their pride to seek an alliance.

But why?

"Surely... their own people wouldn't accept it so easily."

Her own position, her relationship with Brans, their recent war—

Yet Lyn Brans had personally requested this alliance.

That meant it was her will—

And little by little, Serpina’s mind began to turn.

She wanted to pass this test.

A subordinate daring to test a ruler was outrageous, but—

That didn’t matter.

She wanted—needed—to show him her sincerity.

If the rumors about him were true—

If he truly had something akin to an 'inner eye'—

Then she needed him more than anyone else.

What she lacked, what even Jenna, her strategist, couldn’t provide—

Swen could fill that void.

"No matter what it takes... I will make Swen mine."

No matter who resided in his heart.

She would make him give himself to her—

In body and soul, until he looked up at her alone.

And so—

For the first time in a long while, Serpina found herself thinking so hard her head ached.

The feeling of deep thought.

She didn’t hate it.

In the past, when she had nothing to bear, she often indulged in such moments.

—How nostalgic.

The longing that had arisen ever since she saw Swen’s face—

It must have been a memory of her childhood.

And so—

Piece by piece—

She began to unravel the puzzle Swen had left her.

Since meeting Swen—

Serpina had stopped dreaming.

But at the same time—

She had gained a single, vivid dream.

Not a dream that faded upon waking—

But a dream that drove her forward.

***

"AAAAAHH!"

The moment I stepped into my room, Janis let out a startled scream.

I frowned.

"What’s wrong, senior?"

"Uh—ah, no, it's—uh..."

...Huh?

Something felt off.

"...Why are you speaking so formally?"

"Huh? Oh—uh... w-well, it’s nothing! Just a little out of it...!"

Janis waved his hands, forcing an awkward smile.

"What, were you reading some erotic novel or something?"

"W-WHAT?! No! No, no, no! It’s not that! I was just... um... # Nоvеlight # t-tired... yeah..."

His face flushed red, and he fumbled for words.

...Okay, what the hell was going on?

Why was he acting so weird?

"?"

...He looked seriously suspicious.

But whatever.

I didn’t need to pry.

Janis had his own life, after all.

"Oh—right, uh..."

"You're usually fine calling my name. What's with the hesitation?"

"Oh? Uh... w-well... Swen."

‘...Why does he feel like a completely different person?’

"You got a messenger bird. I took it for you."

"Oh? Thanks."

I took the letter from him.

The sender was—

"...Lady Airen?"

As I opened it, the writing was full of elegant phrasing.

She asked if I had been well, mentioned how much time had passed since Saint Valentino’s Day, and—

Even the way she wrote felt like something out of knightly literature.

Classic Airen.

But to summarize—

"She wants to meet."

Perfect.

I felt mentally drained from my audience with Serpina—

But when I was with Airen, I could finally relax.

"I’ll be heading out for a bit."

"Huh? Oh—uh, yeah. Be safe."

Janis still seemed off, but—

Meeting Airen was more important.

So without further thought, I left for our meeting place.