Became a Strategist with a 100 Intelligence and 100% Accuracy

"It's you, Swen. Welcome. I'll take you to Reika's room."
"Ah, before that, may I see Jinor first?"

"Lord Jinor? I’m not sure if he's available right now, but please wait for a moment."
After a brief wait...
"He’s preparing to go out soon, but if it’s something important, perhaps it would be better to discuss it next time?"

"It's fine. I’ll be quick."
I headed toward Jinor’s room and greeted him casually.
"What's going on, Swen? I heard you were looking for me."

"It’s nothing special. I was thinking of taking Reika outside the castle for a bit."
"...What?"
Reika was the first magician to appear in this world and the most powerful one who would remain active until the end. I didn’t know exactly why, but Jinor had been keeping her confined in the mansion, preventing her from going outside. Though she had sneaked out a few times, it seemed that the surveillance wasn't as strict as he might have hoped. Still, he had told me to avoid letting her leave the mansion as well.

Gaining favor with someone was simple. You just did what they wanted.
For Reika, what she wanted most was freedom. I figured that showing her some kindness wouldn’t hurt my position.
"...Can I ask why?"

"It's simple. Mana is much more potent in areas with rough terrain and less human impact. It helps to meditate in nature. While I’m not sure it would work for Reika, since she's a real magician, I know it worked for me. If the power I’ve been feeling is truly ‘mana,’ wouldn’t it benefit her too?"
"..."
Jinor paused for a moment, then murmured in a very soft voice, which I could hear clearly.

"...Swen, maybe you wouldn’t mind."
‘What?’
I wasn’t sure what he meant, but I didn’t press the issue.

"I understand. But I can’t let you go outside the borders of Valharat Castle."
"Even if it’s outside the borders, we plan to go up the small mountain behind the castle. I won’t go far. If things turn dangerous, it would only cause problems."
"Is there anything else you want to say?"
"No."

"Then, I’ll take my leave."
Just as Jinor was about to leave...
‘Ah, right.’

There was something I needed to ask him.
"Wait a moment."
"What is it?"

"About what you mentioned at the fortress. I remember you said you had something to ask me."
"..."
Without answering, Jinor turned his head back toward me.

"I’ll tell you when the time comes. Goodbye."
With that, Jinor left the room.
‘When the time comes...’

I still didn’t know what he needed, but since I had already told him that I wouldn’t take on unreasonable requests, I wasn’t worried. With that thought, I made my way to Reika's room.
***
As soon as I entered the room, Reika greeted me with an overwhelming amount of enthusiasm.

"Ah, ahhh, ah, hello...! Th-th-thank you for coming...! The, the weather...!!"
"Calm down."
I gently placed my hand on her shoulder.

"Hyaat...!!"
It took a few minutes, but gradually, Reika’s overly excited expression softened. I carefully asked her:
"Alright, are you calmer now?"

"Ah? Ah... Yes, yes, I am...!"
I looked around her room while she calmed down. There were cakes, cookies, and milk—things that looked delicious. Had she prepared all of this?
"You didn’t have to go through all this trouble."

"But...! It’s been so long since I saw you, Swen...! I heard you’ve been fighting for our country...!"
"Well, I was with the support forces, so I didn’t do much. I didn’t have any weapons I was good with."
"Is that so...? But you’re wearing that impressive sword, after all..."

"Ah, this? It’s just for show."
"For show..."
I took out the rapier I had on me. It seemed like Reika was the first person to actually notice it. Normally, it was hidden under my cloak, so it wasn’t visible.

"It’s just a decoration."
"A decoration..."
"Rather than me, it’s the generals, commanders, and soldiers who did most of the hard work."

Reika hesitated for a moment before mustering up the courage to say something, almost squeezing the words out.
"Still...! Even though you were with the support forces... I, I don’t know much... but, still, you fought for us with your life to protect us...! I think... you’ve done a great job..."
She said this, lowering her head deeply.

Yeah.
What would I gain from winning with words here? There was no way to get any wealth or honor through this.
"Reika, you’re right. Thank you."

"No...! No, I’m the one who should be thanking you... for protecting us...!"
She said this with a somewhat silly expression, smiling shyly. I hadn’t expected her to have so many different expressions.
"By the way, how has it been without me around?"

"Ah! Right!"
Reika clapped her hands and approached me with shining eyes, like a child showing off a hidden toy.
"That’s...! I have something to show you...!"

***
The garden behind the mansion.
Reika extended her hand, and soon, she created a fiery orb, just like before. But what was different this time—

"Wow."
Reika expertly transferred the fiery orb to the palm of her opposite hand. After repeating the action a few times, she threw it towards a scarecrow standing in the distance.
Whoosh!

Boom!
The fiery orb hit the scarecrow, which had been set up without me noticing. Although the destructive power wasn’t overwhelming, this was still an incredible achievement.
"Yes... I’m not panting as much anymore... and I can control it to some extent now...!"

"You've really improved!"
"Yes! I've been doing the Bufit test you told me about... every single day without missing one! So I can really feel the mana now, I think... Anyway, it’s been an amazing experience...!"
She’d been diligently doing that seemingly pointless exercise every day, huh? Well, it must have helped her health, so there’s no need to feel too guilty about it.

Honestly, I didn’t think my instructions were the real reason she was improving her ability to sense mana. I figured it was just time passing, and her abilities were naturally blossoming. Still, considering how long Reika had struggled with ‘blockages,’ I could easily tell that this was a very meaningful milestone for her. Her gaze toward me had changed, and I could sense it.
"It’s the result of all your hard work, Reika. It's not really because of anything I did."
"No, it’s because I met you, Swen... I feel like I could do anything now...!"

"Really?"
I said it in the most natural tone I could muster.
"Then, shall we move on to the next step?"

"The... next step?"
"Yes. I think it’s time we step outside."
"Outside...?"

Reika’s eyes widened in surprise as soon as she heard the word "outside." Her pink eyes shimmered as if they held the stars.
And then, after hearing my following words, the light in her eyes flickered with starlight.
"Let’s go outside the mansion. Into the world beyond."

***
"Wow...!"
We were now at the small mountain behind the castle, not far from the mansion. Reika seemed overjoyed, surveying everything around her as though it was all new to her.

"It’s really been such a long time... walking outside like this."
Come to think of it, she had been an orphan. When she was a child, she probably never had the luxury of leisurely exploring the world—always searching for food and trying to protect herself. After being taken in by Jinor, she had essentially been confined and unable to go outside. It made sense that even just walking up the small mountain like this would make her so happy.
"It was worth bringing you out here."

"Did you bring me out here on purpose, Swen...?"
At her words, I decided to make up a playful lie.
"Mana is much richer in places where nature is well-preserved."

"Oh...!"
She nodded enthusiastically and then closed her eyes. After a few deep breaths, she went silent, as if meditating. Suddenly...
"Hah!!"

She opened her eyes wide, and a fiery orb appeared in her hand. It was much larger than the one she had conjured before—at least twice as big.
‘...!!’
Just as I was about to be surprised by the sight, the fiery orb slowly dissipated from her hand.

"Wow... It’s real! Just like you said, Swen... As soon as I came out here, I can feel an incredibly abundant mana flowing through me...!"
‘...Is this really happening?’
For real? Why?

I had just casually thrown out some plausible-sounding words. But why was she growing so much stronger all of a sudden?
Did mana really exist in such abundance in places close to nature? Well, thinking about it, it did fit the fantasy world tropes—mana and other mystical powers often existed in abundance near nature in such settings.
Anyway, I wasn’t about to be baffled by all of this.

I nodded knowingly, putting on a strange expression, as if I had predicted this all along.
"Didn’t I tell you? After meditating here, I always hear the voices of the heavens more clearly."
"I see...! You’re amazing, Swen."

Reika looked at me with eyes full of admiration.
...That innocent look in her eyes pressed down on my shoulders with a weight I wasn’t quite used to. It reminded me again of how I wasn’t yet accustomed to telling so many lies, despite having done it for so long.
"Now, let’s get to work. We’ll just repeat the usual routine. Are you ready?"

"Yes! I’m ready!"
She raised her hand with enthusiasm. Her sleeveless outfit revealed her smooth armpit, which caught my eye for a moment.
I quickly erased the image from my mind and spoke.

"Then... let’s start with meditation."
"Yes!"
We proceeded with our meditation. Afterward, we did some light exercise and spent the day in a fulfilling way. Reika, feeling good from getting outside, eagerly followed along, making the entire experience quite enjoyable for me as well.

Honestly, beyond the meditation and exercises, it was just nice to relax and spend time freely after the intense battle. For me, that in itself was a precious time.
***
A few hours earlier.

Having just left the mansion, Jinor was deep in thought about the young white-haired man he had encountered earlier.
"The surprise attack was correct. That man... everything has unfolded exactly as Swen predicted."
He recalled the conversation where Swen had confidently stated that the Brans army’s strategy was a surprise attack. Jinor, unwavering, had expressed his confidence in the face of the national strategist, and now, that very confidence had proven true.

After the battle, Jinor pondered deeply.
Though he wasn’t a magician, this man had claimed to feel mana and communicate with the heavens, even performing miracles like the falling stone. Now, he was demonstrating remarkable tactical skills as well. And to top it all off, he had even boldly asked Jinor, the national strategist of Aishus, why he was still in Aishus’ army.
Jinor, who had lived a life where he was constantly reminded of how little he knew, could now say with certainty that his one strength was his ability to read people. And the more he thought about it, the more he realized that Swen was no ordinary man. He wouldn’t be satisfied with just rising to a prominent position in Aishus—he was destined for more.

"If he stays with our army, it would be great, but long-term, he could end up being Aishus’ enemy."
If that happened, it would be troublesome.
Turning such a talent into an enemy would not be a wise choice.

While most people were focused on Airen as the face of betrayal, Jinor believed the true loss for Brans army wasn’t Airen—it was Swen. And after turning him into an enemy, hadn’t Brans army started collapsing almost immediately?
Though Airen had contributed, it was Swen who had first detected the surprise attack.
Without Swen, it would have been Aishus that was defeated by Epinnel’s stubbornness.

‘So, what should I do?’
Jinor, while currently following Yuri, didn’t necessarily believe that Aishus must unify the continent. He was ready to offer his wisdom to any wise and kind ruler who didn’t wield tyranny like Serpina.
As such, he didn’t want to make an enemy of a man like Swen, even if their lords were different.

Jinor recalled a passage from a military strategy book he had read recently.
[If you cannot defeat your opponent, join them.]
‘What if there’s a way to form an alliance beyond just sharing power...?’

At that moment, the thought of his adoptive daughter, Reika, crossed his mind.
Objectively speaking, she was a young lady, barely twenty, still inexperienced in matters of men. He had taken her in when she was very young and had hardly ever let her out of the house, so she could make a fine bride.
Jinor was a clever man, and this was a chance he couldn’t overlook.

He thought about asking her to explain things to Reika. After all, Swen, a man full of energy, surely had things to teach her.
Jinor, despite his age, was constantly scheming to survive in this turbulent world.