Became a Strategist with a 100 Intelligence and 100% Accuracy

"……Um."
As I was staring at the letter, Reika hesitantly asked me a question.

"Yes?"
"Why would my father ask such a question……? I mean, what I’m trying to say is, well… Since you’re here, Swen, isn’t it only natural that you serve Lady Serpina? I don’t really see why he would need to ask that."
"Ah."

Right.
If you were just looking at the wording alone, it was a perfectly reasonable question to ask.
I was currently at Hisphil Castle, and Jinor, as the strategist of Aishus' army, would already have a rough understanding of what had happened here. Given his position, he would have been fully informed.

If his daughter was able to send letters freely, that meant the situation wasn’t too dire, and that alone would have been enough for him to deduce that I had joined Serpina’s ranks.
But someone capable of making that deduction wouldn’t have asked such a question just for the sake of confirmation.
This meant—he was really asking whether I ultimately intended to serve Serpina.

"It’s a simple matter. He’s just asking whether I intend to continue serving Lady Serpina in the future."
"Is that so……?"
Reika tilted her head slightly, still seeming unconvinced, but she didn’t press any further.

I was worried it might take some time to explain, but thankfully, that wasn’t the case.
Jinor was one of the people who had come the closest to understanding the true nature of my abilities.
His assumption that I could use magic to see the future was incorrect, but he had accurately pinpointed the phenomenon of me knowing the result but not understanding how it was reached.

And since I had volunteered to come here myself, he must have concluded that I believed joining Serpina’s army was the most efficient future.
In other words, his question meant: Is Serpina the correct answer?
Well… Considering my current affiliation, it wasn’t as if I could openly debate the matter.

But based on everything I had experienced so far, the real answer was something else.
To me, the correct answer was—Luna.
So then.
Should I share that answer with Jinor?

Revealing my true intentions would essentially mean acknowledging that we were bound to the same path.
In that case, was Jinor someone I could trust?
If I were to ask whether he was a useful person, the answer was obvious. The fact that he had chosen me over Yuri, his own liege, meant that he had the ability to think critically.

But was he trustworthy?
I turned my gaze toward Reika, who had shown me the letter.
Jinor had assigned her to me. Judging from the letter’s content, it didn’t seem necessary for her to stay by my side at all times.

That said, she wasn’t here to keep watch over me either.
So, let’s draw a conclusion.
Jinor—wanted to establish a connection with me.

And when someone asks for something, a relationship is formed by fulfilling that request.
That meant it wasn’t unreasonable to consider him trustworthy.
"Reika, do you have a quill?"

"Huh? Oh… Wait a moment. The rooms here are all structured the same, so there should be one in this room too…."
Reika rummaged through a drawer and soon returned with a quill and ink.
I took the letter and wrote a single line before folding it and handing it back to her.

"This is my reply. Would you mind delivering it?"
"Of course……! I’ll make sure he gets it. But… isn’t it a little short?"
"I could add a few more words if you’d like, but I think he’ll understand just fine."

"……?"
Reika tilted her head in confusion, but—
Jinor would get the message.

Wanting to change the subject, I turned to Reika and asked,
"Reika, do you have any plans later?"
"Me? No… Well, I do have tea with Lady Airen this evening. Other than that, not really…."

"Tea? Do we even have tea leaves?"
"Lady Airen always carries them with her."
That was true. Airen had a habit of keeping tea leaves on hand.

She always looked so serene while drinking tea—it was a sight that put people at ease.
Come to think of it, Reika was quite skilled at baking.
This translation is the intellectual property of .

If she could make a full cake, she must have been fairly experienced.
For a moment, I imagined a peaceful scene of us having Reika’s homemade pastries alongside Airen’s tea.
I had no ability to see the future, but… If I did, I would hope that this was the kind of vision I’d see.

"Reika."
"Yes…?"
"Until then, why don’t we meditate for a bit? It’s been a while."

Considering how my rapier had flared up last time, meditation seemed like a good idea.
Better to recharge when I had the chance.
"Oh, um, shall we…? This place doesn’t seem to have much mana, but… still."

Reika gave a small, bashful smile.
It was a simple and innocent expression, free of any ulterior motives.
"Swen, it’s been a while… It makes me happy to spend time with you."

"I feel the same way."
"…What? W-w-wait, what do you mean…!!! I-I mean, it’s not that I don’t like it, b-but…!"
Seeing her face turn red, I let out a lighthearted laugh—

And thus, I spent a rare, peaceful afternoon with her.
***
Valharat Castle.

The sudden rush of resignations from several high-ranking officers had finally settled down.
The Aishus Army had lost all those who intended to leave, yet in Jinor’s opinion, it was remarkable that the situation had been contained to this extent.
The founding retainers, including Epinnel, had fiercely defended Yuri’s authority, and their efforts had paid off.

Moreover—
Anima had succeeded him as the new state strategist.
Well, "new" was a bit misleading—Jinor had merely interrupted her tenure, filling the position for a time.

The longer one had served in the Aishus Army, the greater their trust and affection for Anima. Some soldiers were simply relieved that she had returned.
It wasn’t strange. After all, the reason the founding retainers held such sway was because there were enough people in this nation who revered them.
Or perhaps, it was simply a matter of knowing how to navigate court politics. One of the two.

At that time, Jinor had been assigned to oversee commerce.
Yuri had initially intended to let him take it easy, focusing solely on writing his books. However, he had insisted on taking on the role himself.
It was a position he planned to leave behind, but there was no reason to make a messy departure and invite trouble in the future.

No matter how many times he thought about it, Yuri was not a ruler fit for unification. But how many people in this world could claim with absolute certainty that something was impossible?
Unlike Swen, who seemed to foresee the future, Jinor had no such luxury. His only option was to consider every possible scenario and act accordingly.
And so, after making his rounds at the marketplace, he returned home and spent his time reading a newly published military treatise.

One day—
"Master."
The head maid entered, carrying a letter.

It was a reply from Reika.
"Thank you."
"It’s nothing, Master."

The head maid’s face was beaming with a broad smile, which piqued Jinor’s curiosity.
"You seem to be in a good mood."
"Huh? Oh, that’s…."

"I’m not scolding you. No need to be concerned."
"……It’s just, despite everything, I can tell that you truly care for Lady Reika. That’s a relief."
"……I do?"

The maid nodded firmly.
"Yes. The moment you saw Lady Reika’s letter, your expression brightened as if you had been waiting for it."
"……"

"I had been worried since you always treated her so coldly, but… it seems I was wrong to make assumptions."
There was no need to correct her and say that he had been waiting for something else entirely.
After sending the maid off with a few polite words, Jinor immediately checked the letter’s contents.

Inside—
*
A few days after reading the letter, Jinor knelt in the audience chamber of the royal palace, addressing his lord, Yuri.

"……I see. You wish to resign."
"Yes."
"The merchants in the market will be quite disappointed. You haven’t been in charge for long, yet they were delighted that you completely overhauled the system. They even joked that you must be some legendary merchant rather than a strategist."

"Unfortunately, as you can see, I haven’t accumulated such a vast fortune. But if they think so highly of my skills, perhaps I should consider switching careers after retirement. After all, war is only profitable in times of chaos."
Yuri smiled at his response.
They exchanged a few lighthearted remarks, but before long, her expression turned somewhat melancholic.

"Is it… because of Swen?"
"……."
Jinor thought for a moment.

It would be easiest to part ways with a few empty, pleasant-sounding words.
But—after all, this was the woman he had once risked his fate on.
It was also true that, ever since he joined the Aishus Army, she had granted him numerous privileges.

For her, removing Anima, someone trusted by all, and appointing him as the state strategist had been a massive gamble.
At least in this final moment, it wouldn’t hurt to give her some advice.
"Lady Yuri. What is done is done. I understand your decisions. I have served you long enough to say that much with certainty. Whether they were right or wrong… no one can say for sure."

"……."
"You must accept the consequences of your choices. Only by doing so can you move forward. That is my final piece of advice as someone who once served as your strategist."
Yuri said nothing, only nodding in acknowledgment.

"I wish you well, my lord. I will not forget the warmth you have shown me. Please, take care."
And with that—
Leaving Yuri, who struggled to find the right words, behind—

Jinor relinquished all positions and titles he held within the Aishus Army and walked out of Valharat Castle as a free man.
He had entrusted the management of his estate to reliable individuals.
He had made sure his people were well taken care of, so they wouldn’t suffer in his absence.

Now, the only question was—
Where should I go next?
‘It wouldn’t be bad to retreat to the mountains for a while.’

Before joining the Aishus Army, he had considered mentoring younger scholars in the mountains.
His body was old, but he wasn’t afraid of a hermit’s life.
The most important thing was survival.

To preserve his life, it was wiser to step back rather than stand at the forefront.
That day—
Jinor received a single-line message from Reika.

No—
From Swen.
[Seek out Lunarian Iniang.]

Lunarian Iniang.
A name he had never heard before.
There had been plenty of nameless warlords back in the days of fragmented factions, but they had long since been wiped out by Brans Army.

But this name—
This was the answer given by none other than Swen, who saw the future.
There was no way he had written down a meaningless name.

And the fact that he had sent Reika back instead of keeping her by his side suggested that trusting his words was the right choice.
He would send people to investigate, but there was no need to rush.
Even if they couldn’t find Lunarian Iniang now—

That name would inevitably emerge in the future.
‘Until the new era arrives, perhaps I really should pass the time writing books.’
In times of chaos, challenging an unbeatable opponent was foolish.

He knew better than anyone that he lacked the power to surpass a man who could see the future.
And when you couldn’t defeat someone—
The only choice was to join them.

And so—
Jinor, who had briefly carved his name into history once more, vanished from the stage once again.