Became a Strategist with a 100 Intelligence and 100% Accuracy

What caught Reika’s eye was a small, frail-looking figure surrounded by a group of men.

A person with black hair—most likely a woman, judging by her delicate features—stood amidst several much larger men, giving off an unmistakably ominous atmosphere.
‘Could they be… thugs?’
Reika recalled the time she had met Swen.

Back then, strange men had approached her, making her feel incredibly uncomfortable—until Swen and Lady Airen had appeared and helped her.
The emotion she had felt at that moment—
I want to be like Lady Airen.

That thought still lingered somewhere in the back of her mind.
‘Should I help? I think I could…’
There was no need to use magic. She could just call the city guards, and that would be enough.

Using magic might only draw unnecessary attention—it would be safer to handle it that way.
‘Yeah. Instead of stepping in myself and making things worse, I should hurry and call someone—’
Just as she made up her mind and prepared to act—

"I’ll be heading in first."
‘…!’
The black-haired woman spoke, and Reika instinctively hid behind a wall.

Just barely, she managed to catch snippets of their conversation.
"Alright. Janis, don’t forget—you’ve already taken a step forward. You know what you have to do if you want to get what you want, right?"
"…I know."

‘…Wait. A woman? Are they really a woman?’
Hearing the voice clearly now, she wasn’t so sure.
It had a neutral tone—if anything, it sounded closer to a man’s voice.
"Then go on in."

"Yes."
Footsteps followed—
Thankfully, the men walked off in the opposite direction.

‘Whew…’
Reika let out a deep sigh of relief.
It didn’t seem like they were harassing the person—rather, they appeared to know each other.

‘That was close. If I had jumped in, I would’ve embarrassed myself…’
It would have been mortifying if she had dragged guards over, only to realize they were acquaintances.
‘But… something still felt off…’

That small figure—the person who looked like a black-haired woman but whose gender she wasn’t entirely sure of—
Their expression had been… unpleasant.
She didn’t know the details, but—

It wasn’t her place to meddle.
‘Yeah. If I step in carelessly, I might just end up causing trouble for Lady Airen…’
Back in the Nighhardt household, servants had protected her.

But now—
The person protecting her was Lady Airen.
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Someone who, aside from their shared connection to Swen, was a complete stranger—yet treated her with such kindness.
Reika didn’t want to make things difficult for her.
‘I should just go home.’

The sun would be setting soon.
She should tidy up the lodging before Lady Airen returned.
Sika was out on an external assignment, and as the newly appointed vice-commander, Lady Airen was always busy, often staying late to assist Lady Serpina.

Even after finishing her duties, she devoted herself to training—
So it was only natural for Reika to take care of the smaller tasks in her place.
‘Lady Airen is busy, so I have to do my part…!’

Pushing aside the strange incident from her mind, Reika turned toward home, determined to be of help.
***
That Day

The day Serpina found out I had saved her life—
The day she stole my lips, robbing me of my first kiss—
Since then, I had spent my time in a daze, unable to focus on anything.

"But I have no intention of giving you up. The blood of Eingart never relinquishes what it desires. Whether it be this continent… or you, Swen."
"I’ll say it again. The blood of Eingart never lets go of what it yearns for. And—"
…Haa.

Even now, I could still vividly feel the sensation of her lips.
The lingering taste of yuzu, the soft, teasing press of her tongue, the hazy, intoxicated gaze she gave me as she let out a deep sigh—
Just remembering that moment made my heart race.

I couldn't even lie to myself and say the experience had been unpleasant.
I thought back to her golden eyes, the way they fixated on me as if I were prey.
How had things come to this?

Looking back, Serpina had felt different from other rulers from the very first meeting.
She was unlike Lyn, unlike Yuri, and even unlike Lady Luna.
From the start—she had felt familiar.

After all, she was the same golden-haired woman who had appeared in the recurring dreams I had ever since arriving in this world.
Ever since meeting her, I hadn’t had that dream again, so I couldn't verify it any further—
But I was certain that she had been the woman from my dreams.

And beyond that—
For some strange reason, I felt inexplicably close to her.
Even when she kissed me—yes, I had been shocked, but at the same time—

I had felt an odd sense of relief.
That yuzu-scented kiss had been fascinating in more ways than one.
As if…

As if I had simply returned to where I was meant to be.
It was difficult to put into words—
But if Serpina felt some kind of pull toward me, then I could admit, at least a little, that I felt something similar toward her.

Of course, that didn’t mean I had any intention of changing my allegiance.
But—
This feeling—this small, inexplicable stir within me—

It was something I had never felt toward Lyn, nor Yuri, nor even Lady Luna.
It was something that unsettled me, shaking my very core.
"If we were to mix your talent with the noble blood of Eingart… what kind of creation do you think would be born? Fufu…♥"

Right… she said something like that, didn’t she?
It didn’t take much thought to understand her implication.
She wanted my child.

Even I wasn’t dense enough to miss that.
So…
Was that a proposal?

The whole thing was happening too fast. It was too sudden.
And more importantly—
There was a huge problem with it.

I had always assumed—if I ever married—it would be Lady Airen.
"Excuse me…"
The thought was absurd, of course.

But what happened if I rejected a ruler’s proposal?
Would she have me executed?
Serpina was unpredictable.

She had a tendency to do as she pleased, which was honestly terrifying.
Though she had proven to be surprisingly logical and pragmatic in her decisions—
She had thrown me into prison when we first met, hadn’t she?

And she had once told me—if she could not have something, she would rather destroy it.
And knowing Serpina, those weren’t just empty words.
"…Excuse me, Swen?"

Then what should I do?
Should I just propose to Lady Airen first?
This continent allowed men to take up to four wives, so perhaps I didn’t need to outright refuse Serpina’s proposal.

Wait—
Was that even a formal proposal?
And could I even take someone of her status—a direct imperial heir—as a secondary wife?

"Swen!"
"…Ah?"
Sitting at the table in my lodging, completely lost in thought, I snapped back to reality at the sound of Ioline’s voice.

She looked at me with concern.
"Are you alright? You seem completely out of it."
Damn.

I had been so deep in thought that I hadn’t even realized she was speaking to me.
"No… it’s nothing. Just something personal."
"I see… Well, as long as you’re okay."

"What is it?"
"Actually…"
She hesitated for a moment before finally continuing.

"I got a letter from my brother. He’s returning tomorrow."
"Ah, I see."
"Yes."

As she nodded, I replied,
"Understood. It must have been difficult for you in the meantime."
"It’s nothing. I was the one ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ who insisted, and besides… if not for you, Swen, none of this would have been possible."

Ioline then bowed deeply, a full ninety-degree angle.
"Thank you so much. On behalf of the Al Kasky name, I will never forget this debt."
"Don’t mention it. I’m not really one to keep track of things like that."

"But… once I return, I’d like to compensate you—at least financially—"
"No, no. I already get paid well enough as a state official."
Well, in truth, I did keep track when it mattered—

But there didn’t seem to be anything of value I could gain from the Al Kasky family, so I figured I might as well let this one slide.
Besides, once Janis returned, my next task would be investigating him.
Receiving gratitude from Ioline while secretly digging into her brother would feel a little immoral, even by my standards.

"…I see."
Ioline smiled faintly.
Unlike her brother, her expression carried a much more delicate, feminine charm.

"You’re a kind person, Swen. Thank you."
"……."
And once again—

I found myself wondering why I had no prior information on the Al Kasky siblings.
I could only hope it wasn’t anything too serious.
Because, despite our short time together, neither Janis nor Ioline seemed like bad people.

"I’ve been a great inconvenience. Please, take care, Swen."
"You too, Ioline."
After exchanging farewells, I turned my thoughts toward my next move.

How should I handle Janis’s return?
Should I tail him?
Or should I set up a situation where he would have to talk?

If he really was plotting something, he certainly wouldn’t admit it outright—so forcing the issue might be dangerous.
As I pondered my options, I let Ioline go on her way.
*

The Next Day
But—
For some reason—

Janis never showed up.
That night, I stayed up in my lodging, thinking over how I would approach him once he arrived.
Then—another day passed.

And when evening fell—
"……?"
"Excuse me…"

The person who appeared at my door wasn’t Janis—
It was Ioline.
After spending several days around the two of them, I had begun to notice subtle differences between the twins.

"Ioline? What brings you here? Where’s Janis?"
"Swen… Has my brother come here at all?"
"No."

I had been waiting here all of yesterday and today.
No one had come.
"I see…"

Ioline’s expression grew troubled as she spoke.
"I think… I’ve lost contact with him."