Became a Strategist with a 100 Intelligence and 100% Accuracy

Serpina fell silent at my words.
Then—pfft.

She let out a small chuckle, which soon turned into a full, amused laugh.
"I thought you might say that, Swen."
"…."

"It would be quite enjoyable for me to hear your reasoning. Why do you believe that?"
"Would you grant me a moment to think?"
"Oh? Are you saying you answered without even thinking? That makes it even more intriguing."

Serpina gave me a deeply satisfied smile.
It was just like her to say something like that.
She had already observed me answering her questions multiple times. She had to know that my responses came instantly.

And yet, she still pointed it out—not to provoke me, but because she had begun to understand the mechanism behind my thoughts.
Serpina… at least the current Serpina, trusted me more than ever.
If I gave even a half-baked excuse, she would likely still accept it.

But I couldn’t afford to be careless.
She needed a solid justification for trusting me—not just for herself, but for her entire army.
Her officers wouldn’t accept missing an opportunity unless there was a clear reason.

So, why would mobilizing the occupation forces right now be a mistake?
Even if my answers seemed arbitrary at times, all I had to do was do what I’ve always done.
Otherwise, I’d end up lost—dragged along by the weight of my own compass.

I closed my eyes and visualized the map.
I had memorized the continent’s geography down to the last detail.
Now, I just needed to gather the right information to support my conclusion.
"My lord, before I explain, may ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) I ask—which territories did Carlints and Chel begin their rebellions in?"

"Carlints in the capital city, Arnel. Chel in Heisel Castle, nearby."
‘As expected.’
Neither of the rebel forces bordered our territory.

I quickly organized my thoughts and began my report.
"Both rebel forces are currently surrounded by Brans’ remaining territory.
As long as our alliance holds, even if we successfully seize those castles, they would become isolated enclaves.

To advance into their territory, we would need a military transit agreement with Brans.
However, as far as I recall, no such clause exists in our treaty."
"Correct."

Of course, it didn’t.
Allowing our troops to move freely through Brans’ land would mean allowing Brans’ troops to do the same in ours.
There was no reason for us to grant them that.

Sure, we could have forced them into an unfair agreement…
But even a dominant power like ours couldn’t afford to act like a brute in diplomacy.
If we had conquered four-fifths of the continent, then yes—we could impose whatever terms we wanted, and nations would have no choice but to comply.

But right now, we controlled only about a third.
We weren’t powerful enough to completely disregard diplomacy.
"Even if we temporarily received permission from Brans to move our troops—there’s no guarantee they would accept such conditions.

And even if everything went smoothly, the gains would be minimal at best."
"Yes. That much, I agree with."
"Then the next issue is Aishus."

When it came to siege warfare, we had no general capable of overwhelming Aishus’ defensive commanders.
We had Airen, of course, an expert in siege tactics…
But Aishus had Emma, Epinel, and Hernandorf—all of them elite commanders in their own right.

They might be poor administrators, but they were undeniably excellent generals.
Aishus was designed in the game as a faction with strong commanders and limited territory.
That was their balance.

And war, ultimately, was a numbers game.
Even with our overwhelming manpower, brute-forcing an assault would be inefficient.
Could we win?

Yes.
But it would mean recklessly throwing our entire army at a single fortress.
I summarized my conclusions to Serpina.

She nodded at my assessment that mobilizing all our troops would be a reckless gamble.
And really—if we could easily crush Aishus, the system wouldn’t have told me "No."
Even if we went all-in, we would fail—or, at best, suffer a Pyrrhic victory that crippled our forces.

Because conquering Aishus would be in our best interest.
And yet—I had been given the answer: "No, it is not the right time."
"To summarize," Serpina said, "You are saying that moving against Brans is impossible due to our alliance…

And that, while we could defeat Aishus with time, we would gain nothing in return?"
"Yes."
"…"

Serpina remained silent for a moment.
Then, she gave me a curious look.
"Is that all you have to say, Swen?"

"Yes, my lord."
"Then may I share my opinion now?"
‘…Huh?’

Serpina’s opinion?
Curious, I met her golden gaze, signaling for her to continue.
"You just said mobilizing all of our forces would be dangerous."

"Yes. Or rather, it would be inefficient."
"To me, it seems more dangerous than inefficient."
"Well… I suppose leaving our lands unguarded would be a risk, but—"

"No. Not just risky."
Serpina’s voice grew firm.
She spoke with absolute certainty.

"If we do, a rebellion will break out."
"…A rebellion?"
Because a rebellion was breaking out within the country, advancing onto the continent under the current circumstances was dangerous—

Of course, it wasn’t a thought I hadn’t considered before.
This translation is the intellectual property of .
However, I simply believed that another rebellion occurring mere days after we had just suppressed one was highly unrealistic.

It was like expecting lightning to strike the same place three times in a row.
So, I hadn’t bothered to voice it.
After all, I had no confidence in persuading Lady Serpina, let alone the commanders under her, with nothing more than "a rebellion will break out."

"Then, Swen, I’d like to ask you a question."
"A question…?"
"What do you think? Do you believe a rebellion will break out in our army?"

'……??'
I wasn’t sure why she was suddenly fixating on the word "question," but regardless, I entered her query.
As expected, the result was predictable.

[Unknown.]
As always, when asked a direct question about whether a specific event would occur, I received no answer.
I couldn't provide her with a satisfying response, but at the very least, I needed to say something.

"It’s not entirely impossible… but even though the north is in chaos, the blood of dozens of officers who harbored futile ambitions has yet to dry. Given the circumstances, I find it unlikely that rebels would willingly reveal themselves at such a risk."
"Oh?"
"If I were plotting a rebellion, I wouldn’t act now—I would wait for a more opportune moment. Wouldn’t you agree, my lord?"

I began persuading her while watching her amused expression.
But—
She spoke about something entirely unrelated to what I had been trying to convince her of.

"So, you think they wouldn’t reveal themselves?"
"…Pardon?"
"And that they would wait for a more opportune time?"

"My lord?"
"Swen, let me ask you once more. I am considering leading the occupying army south—what do you think?"
'……???'

Why was she asking that question again?
Regardless, my answer remained the same.
"I have already stated that now is not the appropriate time."

"Then what about the likelihood of a rebellion?"
"…There is a high probability that it will not occur…"
…Ah.

Only then did I realize why she had been asking me those questions.
"I see. You speak with absolute certainty when declaring that it is 'not the appropriate time' to move the occupying forces, yet when discussing whether a rebellion will break out, you hesitate and speak in probabilities. No—"
"Every time you have ever spoken with certainty, it has been about outcomes. 'Moving the occupying forces is not efficient'—that was the only claim you made with confidence. And every single reason you provided was based on predictions and assumptions."

"Not just this time, either. You always speak with certainty about results, but the reasoning leading up to them is mere speculation."
She stood up and slowly walked toward me.
This situation—

It wasn’t the first time.
Yes.
Long ago, the one person who had come the closest to understanding my abilities through our philosophical exchanges—

The ill-fated strategist of the Aishus Army, once called the Sage of the Former Empire, despite his old age, his mind had remained astonishingly sharp—
Jinor Nighhardt.
That man had, for even a brief moment, made me feel this same chilling sensation.

And now—
From Serpina, I was feeling that same coldness…
"Swen, I have only one question to ask. It is a question that will resolve every doubt I have about our conversations. You don’t have to answer, but I would appreciate it if you at least indulged me."

By the time I regained my focus, her face was already inches from mine.
Foolishly enough, in this situation, the memory of the lips we had once shared surfaced in my mind, and my heart began to race once more.
Lady Serpina stared straight at me, her cheeks slightly flushed, her eyes glimmering with curiosity—like an inquisitive young girl.

And then, she asked,
"Tell me, Swen… is it possible that you can only perceive the outcome… and nothing else?"