Became a Strategist with a 100 Intelligence and 100% Accuracy

"It has been an honor serving you."
"Not at all. Safe travels."

After exchanging a final farewell with the guard who had always been stationed in front of my lodging, I set off toward my new residence.
For some reason, my steps felt unusually light today.
Perhaps it was because I had packed only the bare minimum, or maybe the anticipation of moving to a new place outweighed everything else.
How long had I been walking along the well-maintained, bustling streets of the imperial capital, Eingart?
By the time the crowds thinned a little, a particularly grand mansion came into view.

‘Wow…’
A wrought-iron gate stood before the imposing structure, reminiscent of the Nighhardt estate I had once seen.
No, it was far more impressive.
It was only natural—Eingart, the empire’s capital, boasted far more sophisticated architecture than Valharat, a simple eastern territory.
As I approached the gate, a guard noticed me and spoke.

"What business do you have here?"
Before I could answer, the other guard beside him quickly intervened.
"You idiot, this is Lord Swen! The young man with white hair!"

"Oh…!"
As soon as the realization dawned on «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» them, both men turned to me and saluted.
"Our apologies, Lord Swen. Please, go ahead."

"You've worked hard."
With a light nod, I stepped through the gate and into the estate.
Passing through a beautifully manicured garden, I made my way down the path toward the mansion.
At the entrance, a young woman dressed in an impeccably neat uniform greeted me.
Her hair was neatly tied up, her attire elegant yet restrained, complete with a pristine white apron dress.

She was unmistakably a maid.
As soon as she saw me, she bowed deeply.
"Welcome, my lord. Are you Lord Swen?"
"Yes."

"Welcome. The master is expecting you inside. Please, come in."
With that, she opened the grand doors.
It was the most formal welcome I had ever received.
The treatment was almost ceremonial, and though it made me slightly self-conscious, I had no reason to feel out of place.
"Welcome."
"Lord Swen, it is an honor to have you."
"The master has spoken highly of you. We will serve you with utmost devotion."

As soon as I entered, maids from all directions greeted me.
At first, it felt a bit overwhelming, but after a few moments, I grew accustomed to it as I walked down the vast mansion’s corridors.
‘Master, huh…’
So she had risen to a position where she was now addressed that way.
For some reason, I felt oddly pleased by that thought.

Finally, I stepped into the reception room where the so-called ‘Master’ was waiting.
And—
"…Swen!"

"Lord Swen, over here!"
A red-haired knight, the deputy commander of Serpina’s occupation forces and the owner of this mansion, Airen Juliet, greeted me.
Beside her sat Reika Nighhardt, who also welcomed me with a warm expression.
"Good day."

"It seems the formalities were completed earlier than expected. You arrived sooner than I anticipated, so I haven’t had time to prepare much…"
"That’s fine. I’ve already received an overwhelming amount of greetings. It almost felt like experiencing what they call an ‘endless handshake request.’"
"An… endless handshake request?"

Reika tilted her head in confusion, and I couldn’t help but smile.
"It’s just an expression."
"I see… Well, if Lord Swen says so…"

"Have you eaten yet?"
"Not yet."
"Then we should start with a meal. You must be exhausted from the journey."

"It wasn’t that far, really."
"It puts me at ease. Swen, if I don’t take care of you, it bothers me…"
"Alright. Thank you."

Airen finally smiled at my response.
Unlike Serpina, who had shown a precarious smile not long ago, Airen’s expression was steady, as if she could face anything head-on.
A hunting dog cruelly discarded by its master had now risen to be addressed as ‘Master’ herself—
If this wasn’t a transformation straight out of a novel, I didn’t know what was.

Starting today, I would be living with Airen and Reika in the grand mansion that Serpina had granted her.
It wasn’t much of a change, really—just a return to how things had been before.
Ever since I met Airen, I had spent more days with her than apart.
When I was in Brans’ army, she was there.
When I was in Aishus’ army, she was there.
Day and night, we had shared the same space.
Only after coming here did I realize that it hadn’t been something I could take for granted.

"Master, the meal is ready."
"Hmm. I’ll be right there."
Following Airen’s lead, I headed to the dining hall.

*
It had been a long time since I sat at a table laden with such an array of dishes.
Perhaps due to the limitations of the era, the cooking itself wasn’t particularly refined.
But wasn’t it a universal truth that good ingredients always made for good food, regardless of the time period?

As expected, a high-ranking general in Serpina’s army would naturally be served only the finest meals.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve had meat this expensive. Feels nice.’
"It’s so delicious… hic."

Seeing Reika tear up while eating, it seemed that this meal surpassed even the ones provided at the Nighhardt estate.
With our meal finished, a slightly inexperienced maid hesitantly stepped forward to serve tea.
However, Airen raised a hand to stop her.
"My apologies, but may I handle this myself?"

"Ah? But—"
"It’s fine."
"T-Then… Please excuse me."

The young maid, clearly flustered, quickly lowered her head and stepped back.
Airen, now in full control of the tea set, expertly brewed the tea.
In that moment, she looked more like a proper maid than any actual maid in the room.
"Here, take it."

As I took a sip, a warmth spread deep within my chest.
But it wasn’t just the tea’s warmth or its rich aroma that comforted me.
No, it was something else entirely.
For the first time in a long while, I felt like I had come home.

The time I spent with Janis hadn’t been bad.
But whenever I returned to my lodgings, I never truly felt like I was coming home.
It was just… a place to sleep for the night.
‘Home doesn’t feel complete without Airen’s tea.’
As I took another sip, the familiar taste lightly coated my throat.

"Oh? This is that one, isn’t it? The black tea with a slight smoky aroma."
"You remember, Swen."
"Of course I do. We drank a lot of this at Arnel Castle, didn’t we?"

"Fufufu."
"Wow… It smells even richer than the last time you brewed it."
Reika, clearly enjoying the tea as well, flushed slightly as she took small sips, gently blowing on it to cool it down.

"Say, Swen."
"Yes?"
Airen, her cheeks slightly flushed, spoke in an unusually serious tone.

"Brewing tea for you like this… It finally feels like I’m home."
"I feel the same way."
"…Really?"

"Yes."
Hearing my response, she smiled—a radiant, star-like smile.
"…I’m relieved."

In a calm voice, she carefully, deliberately expressed her emotions.
"I’m really… so happy to be able to drink tea with you again, Swen."
Airen always spoke with a measured, formal tone, deeply rooted in etiquette.
But when she was with me, moments like these revealed a more youthful, almost innocent side of her.

Honestly, it was impossibly endearing.
"Do you remember?"
"Remember what?"

"What you told me… back at the fortress north of Kelstein Castle?"
"Ah…"
Thinking back on it now, it was a little embarrassing.
But still, I had to say it.

"If there’s an ember that refuses to go out, use it to boil tea."
"Yes."
This translation is the intellectual property of .

As soon as I said it, Airen smiled softly.
Back then, she had been like a lone candle flickering in a storm, ready to be snuffed out by the slightest gust.
She had suffered under Lyn’s oppression, denied recognition for her achievements, demoted, and ultimately thrown into a death trap.
It was only natural that she had been on the verge of breaking.

And yet, the woman who once seemed so fragile…
Now, she could smile like this—so beautifully, so warmly.
Why, then…

Why did the image of a certain golden-haired ruler, teetering on the edge, flash through my mind?
Would Serpina ever be able to smile like this one day?
‘…No.’

This wasn’t the time to dwell on that thought.
"You made me a promise, Swen."
"Hm?"

"You said you’d let me make tea for you again one day. And now, finally… we’re here, doing just that."
It seemed that Airen, too, had felt lonely in my absence.
And realizing that—knowing that I hadn’t been the only one feeling that way—filled me with a quiet, deep happiness.

"I’m glad, too."
"…Mhm."
"…"

As I turned slightly to the side, I couldn’t help but notice Reika, her face completely flushed, looking utterly lost in the moment.
Well.
What could I do about it?

Airen was speaking from her heart, and I was being just as sincere.
"Thank you for waiting for me. I’m sorry I was late, Airen."
"…It’s okay, Swen. Welcome home. I’ve been waiting."

And so, the memories of sharing tea together at Arnel Castle, at the northern fortress, and even in Valharat—
Were now joined by a new memory.
The one we created here, in Eingart.

***
And Then.
"Wow..."

A girl, unable to hide her amazement, watched the scene unfold before her.
Reika glanced nervously between the two of them, uncertain of where she stood.
‘They… really like each other, don’t they?’

Would she be able to fit in between them?
She hoped so.
Airen was an incredible person—strong, yet gentle. As a fellow woman, there was so much to admire and learn from her.
To share the same husband meant becoming family.
If Reika could choose someone to walk alongside in life, Airen would be the kind of woman she would want to be with.

—But.
Reika’s heart was starting to beat in a different rhythm.
She hadn’t always felt this way.

Was it because Swen, her long-time mentor, seemed even more impressive than before?
Or was it the exhilaration she felt just days ago when they worked together as partners, using magic to solve a crisis?
A quiet loneliness crept in.
‘If only I could share a moment like that with Swen too…’

Her thoughts drifted to the marriage proposal.
It was still valid, wasn’t it?
Swen had only told her to take her time and think about it.
That wasn’t a rejection. It wasn’t a refusal.

But… what if his feelings had changed?
After all, when he looked at her, he never wore that same affectionate expression.
Reika liked Airen. And now… she found herself thinking about Swen more and more.

She didn’t know if she was just caught up in the atmosphere, or if it was simply the loneliness speaking—
But she envied Airen.
A daring thought crossed her mind.

What if she were the one sitting beside Swen?
For the first time, Reika felt something toward Airen that she had never felt before.
Something completely natural—something any human, at least once in their life, was bound to experience.

—Jealousy.
Reika was jealous of the woman she had always admired.
‘…I have to express my feelings more clearly…!’

And so, as the two who had braved death together exchanged glances filled with the weight of their shared history—
A single girl, caught in between, finally began to realize her own emotions.