Became a Strategist with a 100 Intelligence and 100% Accuracy

"Huh?"

You mean you've lost contact with Janis?
So... he's gone missing?
"How did you find out about this?"
"Well, yesterday, a letter arrived at the estate addressed to me. It was from my brother, Janis..."

Ioline said this as she handed me a letter.
I took it from her and examined its contents.
Setting aside the formal greetings and unnecessary embellishments—
"I might have to be away for a long time..."?

Ioline nodded.
What’s going on?
"It’s possible that, just like he said, he simply needs a few more days... but for some reason, I can't shake this uneasy feeling. He wrote that he’d be back yesterday, but..."
She hesitated before continuing.
"And also... how do I put this... the handwriting feels slightly different."

"The handwriting?"
"Yes, here..."
Ioline handed me two letters.
One was the letter stating he’d return soon, and the other was the one saying he'd be delayed.
To be honest, I couldn’t be completely certain of any difference just by looking, but since Ioline, as his family, was so convinced, there must be something to it.

Watching her uneasy expression, I thought to myself.
I didn’t know exactly what was happening, but something about this situation felt like a crucial turning point.
"Swen... what should we do?"
If Janis really is involved in something strange... then maybe this is our chance to stop it before it unfolds.

Since I had already planned to investigate him as soon as he arrived...
Teaming up with her might not be a bad idea.
"Who else has seen these letters?"
"Just me."

"And you have no idea where Janis went?"
She nodded.
"Ioline, let’s take this one step at a time and verify what we can."
"Are you saying...?"

I looked at her and answered confidently.
"I think we can narrow down where Janis is."
"...What?"

***
The place Ioline and I arrived at—
was the massive bridge, the only route into Eingart Castle.
Eingart Castle was built on an island in the middle of a great river.
Unlike other territories, anyone passing through here would inevitably leave a record.
So, if Janis had left the territory, we should be able to confirm it.

Fortunately, I was an officer in Serpina's army.
I was in a position to question the soldiers about entry and exit records.
Besides, since Janis was also an officer, it was even easier to ask about him.
And the result—
"Are you saying his name isn't on the records?"

"Yes, that's correct. Janis has not left the territory."
Good.
If he had left, this would have turned into a problem beyond my ability to help.
But as long as he was still within the territory, there was a chance we could find him.

After listening to the soldier’s explanation about the records, I stepped out of the watchtower beside the bridge.
Ioline, who had been waiting outside, spoke with a worried expression.
"How is it?"

"Fortunately, it seems he hasn’t left the territory."
"Is that so? Then I should inform Irian immediately and organize a search party—"
"No. Please wait a moment."

"...Huh?"
If we mobilized a search party, Serpina would inevitably hear about it.
And if she found out—if this truly was a rebellion—
then not only would the entire Al Kasky family be eradicated, but many others involved would also lose their lives.
Punishment for treason was expected,
but if Serpina carried out the executions herself, all the resulting hatred would be directed at her.

For some reason, she attracted the resentment of everyone around her.
Yuri and Anima made disastrous choices because of their grudges against her.
Lyn considered working with her a humiliation.
Even Luna hated her because she had lost her own family to Serpina.
It was as if the whole world had been set up to despise her.
So if there was any way to keep her safe,
it was to reduce the number of people who bore a grudge against her as much as possible.
Not long ago,
thanks to my advice, Serpina had uncovered a rebellion before it could take root.
And back then, it wasn’t hard to see the malice those rebels harbored toward her.

If accumulating grudges only led to more rebellions,
then wasn’t the best strategy to minimize those grudges in the first place?
This translation is the intellectual property of .
A ruler couldn’t avoid bloodshed entirely,
but if we could prevent unnecessary deaths, wouldn’t that be the ideal outcome?
If we could stop treason before it even began,
then sparing the Al Kasky family might prevent countless future enemies from forming.

So now was not the time to make a big move.
There was still time to inform Serpina once we confirmed that this truly was an act of treason.
The only thing left was explaining this to Ioline...
I couldn't just outright say, "I suspect your brother is plotting treason."
How was I supposed to put this?

"Swen...?"
"......"
I needed to reframe this.

"If a search party is dispatched, there’s a chance Janis could be put in danger. If he really has gone missing, then the most likely scenario is that he's been kidnapped. And if the kidnappers see us organizing a search, it could provoke them."
"Kidnapped...? My brother?"
Just in case, I input the question:
"Has Janis Al Kasky been kidnapped?"

[Unknown.]
As expected.
Of course, there was no way to determine that yet.
Even if I had gotten an answer, it wouldn’t have revealed his location anyway.

"This is just one possibility," I said.
"But if we don’t organize a search party, what else can we do? And if he really has been kidnapped—"
"Ioline."

I placed a hand on her trembling shoulder.
"...!"
As I felt her body slowly relax, I met her eyes and spoke in a calm tone.

"The more urgent the situation, the more we need to stay patient. I’ll help you, so please don’t worry too much."
"Ah... okay. I understand."
Good, at least she’s willing to listen.

Now, we needed to find out why Janis did this.
I couldn’t be sure, but perhaps talking to the person he had been fixated on would give us some answers.
"Ioline. Take a deep breath and do exactly as I say."
"Tell me what to do."

"How long does it take to get from here to the Al Kasky estate?"
"Huh? Oh... It’s not too far from Eingart Castle, but why do you ask—?"
I looked at her puzzled expression and replied,

"Because we’re going to meet Irian."
*
I rode in the carriage with her, passing through the castle gates and heading toward the outskirts of Eingart’s domain.

The sun had already begun to set, casting long shadows across the land. I felt a slight sense of unease at traveling so late, but fortunately, as she had said, the Al Kasky estate was not far.
"We've arrived."
Stepping down from the carriage, I took in the grand mansion before me.

Though it was technically on the outskirts of the castle, owning such an estate within the domain itself meant that the Al Kasky family held considerable influence. Just as I had expected.
"Um… this way, please."
Following behind her, I noticed the estate's servants greeting us with the utmost courtesy.

"Welcome back, Lady Ioline. If I may ask, who is the guest accompanying you?"
"He is a guest of my brother, Irian."
"I see."

The elderly maid immediately adjusted her tone, speaking with even greater respect.
"In that case, allow me to escort you—"
"It's alright. I'll take care of it, so there's no need to trouble yourself."

"Understood. Then, regarding dinner—"
"We ate before arriving. We're fine."
"If that is your wish, my lady..."

With that, we were able to enter the mansion without issue.
*
The interior was… ordinary.

Or rather, it was too luxurious to be considered the residence of a fallen noble family.
Given how most noble houses had lost their former prestige in these chaotic times, the fact that they maintained such a grand home was impressive.
Following her through the halls, we soon arrived at what seemed to be a reception room.

"We can wait here."
"Irian hasn’t returned yet?"
"No. He’s been working tirelessly."

Agriculture, trade, military training—those were the typical concerns of a noble in this world. I found it a bit ridiculous that he was so busy, but considering the size and development of the territory, there were probably many affairs that required his attention.
As for me, I had been frequently summoned by Serpina over the past few days, meaning I had no other assigned duties. If anything, my role was simply to provide her with counsel.
How much time had passed?

The sound of a door opening drew my attention, and from the far end of the hall, a tall man with black hair strode toward us.
A familiar face.
"Irian!"

Ioline called out, her voice filled with relief.
Irian turned to her, his expression unreadable.
"Ioline? What’s going on? I was told I had a guest."

"Yes, that is..."
She glanced toward me, signaling that I was the one.
"......"

I stood from my seat and gave a polite nod.
Irian returned the gesture before speaking.
"So you’re the one who came to see me?"

"Yes."
"My apologies for keeping you waiting. Your name was Swen, correct?"
"That’s right."

"Alright, Swen. What brings you here so suddenly?"
"Would you mind if I explain everything in detail?"
"Of course. Ioline, could you step out for a moment?"

"Ah, well..."
"No, she can stay."
"Hmm?"

"It will be easier to explain if she’s here."
Irian raised an eyebrow at my words before crossing his arms, his gaze growing sharper.
"Swen… don’t tell me…"

"...?"
Then, without any hesitation, he spoke words that I would have never expected.
"You’re not here to propose to Ioline, are you?"

"Brother—!!"
Ioline gasped in shock, her face turning red.
Meanwhile, I remained composed and responded with the utmost politeness.

"That is not the case."
"Ah, good. I wouldn't want to make such a major decision lightly. I’ve heard of your accomplishments, Swen, but suddenly arranging something like that would be a bit much, wouldn’t it?"
"......"

As Ioline sat there, blushing furiously, I took the chance to observe Irian more closely.
A young lord, rising in prominence on the battlefield, ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ recognized as a promising talent within Serpina’s army.
But considering he wasn’t in my memories… it was clear he would be dead before long.

"Let’s get straight to the point, then. Ioline, could you explain?"
"Ah..."
Still flustered, Ioline took a deep breath and relayed the situation just as we had discussed beforehand.

"So, you’re saying Janis has been acting strangely?"
"Yes. He’s been angry all the time, refusing to even acknowledge me... I thought maybe you would know if something happened to him."
"And you came all the way here because—"

"As his roommate, I was concerned. He’s been absent from our quarters more often, and when I ran into Ioline while she was searching for him, we decided to come together."
"Is that so? …No matter how I look at it, this all seems rather suspicious."
"…!"

Irian's gaze flickered between Ioline and me several times.
Was he still doubting our relationship?
I truly felt sorry for him, but I already had someone waiting to be my wife.

Crossing his arms, he fell into thought.
"I can’t say I have any guesses."
"Is that so?"

"Yeah. Janis was never particularly ambitious."
"But he often spoke about you, Irian. He admired you greatly. Given how visibly depressed he seemed, I assumed something must have happened involving you."
"I appreciate that he looked up to me, but a man of the Al Kasky name can’t spend his life simply admiring others. He has to live for himself."

"Regardless, is there anything that comes to mind? Anything at all?"
"Hmm..."
Irian pondered for a moment before slowly parting his lips.

"This may not be related to his recent behavior... but there was one rare occasion where he actually raised his voice at me."
"What was it about?"
"Yes, if you don’t mind sharing..."

"......"
Irian stared at the cold tea sitting on the table before speaking.
"...Swen. It’s a bit difficult to talk about in front of you specifically."

"Excuse me?"
"What do you mean, brother?"
"Hmm..."

Irian let out a few short sighs before continuing.
"You must have heard about the new deputy commander of the occupation forces, haven’t you?"
…Ah.

The moment he said it, I immediately understood why he was hesitant to bring it up.
Airen Juliet.
A red-haired knight, the one who had taken the position of deputy commander—a position many had assumed would go to Irian.

I didn’t expect her name to come up here.
Perhaps seeking out Irian had been the right move after all.