Became a Strategist with a 100 Intelligence and 100% Accuracy

"Swen?"
"No, it's just... Please wait a moment."

So, if I go negotiate personally, it'll be resolved?
Not just anyone, but me specifically?
If someone else goes, negotiations will fail, but if I go, they’ll work?
"Why??"
The result was so baffling that I couldn’t move past it without asking the fundamental question. My brain started overheating again.

But no matter how many times I ran the question through my head, the answer remained the same.
It had to be me. No one else.
"Hah, really."

Every time this happens, I can’t help but wish I at least got a clear explanation. If I knew why, convincing people would be so much easier.
I slowly glanced around, reading the room… then carefully spoke up.
"I don’t believe battle is necessarily the only answer."

"What do you mean?"
"I mean… considering negotiation might not be a bad idea."
Even though this was the conclusion my own mind had reached, I couldn’t fully hide the uncertainty in my voice.
Because no matter how I looked at it, there was no reason for Serpina’s army to negotiate with us.

Negotiations only happen when both sides have something to gain.
We had nothing to offer, so why would they withdraw their troops for our sake?
Of course—logically speaking, this was the most efficient course of action.
Back when I was with Lunarian’s Army, it had been the same with Lyn Brans. Negotiations always happen in some form or another. That’s why I was being told to negotiate.
But.

There was one key difference this time—
"Swen?"
"Ah… yes."

Yuri tilted her head, eyeing me with curiosity.
"When you say we should negotiate, are you saying we can actually sign a ceasefire agreement with Serpina’s army?"
"Yes."
"How, exactly?"

This wasn’t Lunarian’s Army. It was Aishus.
And Yuri was not like Luna—she didn’t trust me unconditionally.
If this were Luna, she’d simply hear me say, "Yes, that’s correct," and accept it as fact.
But Yuri wasn’t like that.
If I wanted to convince her, I needed to logically explain why my conclusion was correct.
Yet no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t find the right words.

"Well… I need to think about it a bit more."
"You need to think about it? Didn’t you already think it through before reaching this conclusion?"
"I mean, I have everything sorted in my head, but… I’m not skilled enough to condense it all into a single clear sentence."

"Huh. That’s kind of a hard answer to grasp."
Yuri rubbed her chin, looking a little troubled.
"Either way, if that’s all you have to say, I don’t think I can accept your suggestion. Any argument needs solid reasoning behind it. Just saying we should negotiate, without any justification, isn’t something we can go along with. Right now, it’s not like we’re holding onto anything Serpina might want. And knowing her personality, I doubt she’d agree to any negotiations anyway."

If I had more time, maybe I could work something out.
But as things stood, I couldn’t come up with anything convincing.
If I at least had a map laid out in front of me to analyze the situation, it might be different.
But the information I had was far too limited.
Negotiation was like cooking—you needed ingredients.
And right now, I had none.
"So, Swen, your suggestion is rejected. Sorry."

"It’s fine. I understand."
Yuri gave me a faint, almost apologetic smile.
"Don’t take it too hard. Honestly, no matter what argument you made, I wasn’t planning on negotiating anyway."

Her voice turned sharp.
"This is an enemy we’ll have to fight sooner or later. Even if negotiations did buy us time, it would only be temporary."
Well, she wasn’t exactly wrong…
But considering my 100 Intelligence had predicted this as the most efficient course of action, it was more than just efficient—it was likely the correct decision for Aishus as well.

"And besides…"
In that moment—
For the first time, I caught a rare flicker of anger in Yuri’s usually calm eyes.
"I have no desire to negotiate with Serpina’s army."

"Ah."
I understood instantly.
She wasn’t as openly emotional as Anima, but she had endured the same nightmare.
The empire that had attacked her—that had slaughtered the students at Fibiola Academy—its roots led back to Serpina.

If I wanted to convince her, I wouldn’t just need logic.
I’d need something powerful enough to break through the sheer revulsion she felt toward them.
And I had nothing.
"Should I just give up on this?"

If she ignored my advice, the one who would suffer wasn’t me—it was Aishus' ruler, Yuri.
And even if we ended up fighting, we would still win.
It wasn’t the most efficient option, but it wasn’t necessarily bad, either.
Besides—
While this decision would heavily favor Aishus, I wasn’t sure if it would ultimately benefit Lunarian’s future.
If Serpina’s army managed to consume half of the central continent and become an unstoppable superpower, it would be much harder for Lunarian to unify the land later.
It would be better for multiple smaller factions to survive so that Lunarian’s eventual conquest would be more manageable.

But—
Since my predictions had already declared Luna the ruler who would unify the continent, that was inevitable.
So from my perspective, there was no absolute need to force Yuri to listen.
"Yeah. In the end, this is Aishus' problem. It’s not like Airen is in any danger, and I don’t need to stand out too much."
We had already repaid Aishus by fighting alongside them against Brans.
There was no need to push my argument. Letting it go wouldn’t be the worst decision.

"……"
Jinor gave me a strange look, but in the end, there was no further opening for me to argue.
Other discussions continued, bouncing back and forth.
Even relatively unknown officers were able to freely offer their opinions to Yuri.
She wasn’t stubborn in the traditional sense—
Rather, her problem was that she refused to compromise on certain issues, no matter what.

"Thank you all for sharing your thoughts."
Yuri stood up and stretched out her hand.
"We’ve decided to fight. I understand Jinor and the others who suggested we retreat, but if we start conceding without even trying, we’ll never move forward. We won’t be sending reinforcements immediately, but depending on the situation, that might change. Those of you assigned to battle should prepare yourselves. Understood?"

"Yes, ma’am!"
Following the others, I bowed my head to Yuri and responded.
So, they were going to resist after all.

Since my predictions said they would win, I wasn’t too worried…
But for some reason, I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling in my gut.
"For now, return to your usual duties. Unless I give special orders, continue as normal."
And as I stepped out of the castle—

"Swen."
Airen approached me, a worried expression on her face.
"Lady Airen."

"Do we really need to negotiate with Serpina’s army? Is that the most efficient course of action for us?"
"Yes, it is."
"I see… well, if it’s you saying so, then it must be right."

Thinking about it, Airen was probably one of the few people who would trust my words without much doubt.
She had witnessed, ever since our time in Brans’ army, how all my seemingly absurd claims kept turning out to be correct.
"In that case, I’ll try convincing our lord."
"Convincing her?"

"Yes. Lady Yuri is the type to listen to the opinions of her commanders."
"But how?"
"Well… now that I think about it, why exactly is negotiation the most efficient option? Do you have some kind of leverage over Serpina’s army?"

I hesitated for a moment, wondering how to answer.
"Yeah. There’s no need to lie to Airen."
So, I simply told her the truth.

"Honestly… it’s just a gut feeling."
"A gut feeling?"
"Yes. I just know that this is the right answer."

"I see…"
It was a vague and irresponsible thing to say.
But instead of questioning me further, Airen simply nodded with a serious expression.
"I think I understand why you weren’t able to convince our lord."

"My apologies."
"No, it’s fine. Well, Swen, if your instincts are as sharp as ever, then I’ll trust you."
Hearing her unwavering faith in me, I couldn’t help but think of my former lord, Luna.
Airen hadn’t trusted me this much at first. It had taken time—after fighting together and experiencing countless battles, she had naturally come to believe in me.

But Luna?
She had trusted me completely from the very moment we met.
The moment I was recommended to her, she had placed absolute faith in me.
"How was she able to do that?"
For some reason, I suddenly found myself wondering how she was doing now.
Was she holding up well?

"Thank you for your concern. In any case, we won’t be losing this battle, so there’s no need to worry too much."
"Mm. Alright, I’ll see you in the evening then."
After parting ways with Airen and leaving the castle, I tilted my head back and gazed up at the sky.

For some reason, today of all days, Luna’s face kept appearing in my mind—
The face of someone who had trusted me without question.
She had always been fragile in personality, but her crimson eyes… those had always burned with unwavering intensity.
Are you well, my lord?
I, on the other hand, have had to change masters twice now, struggling just to survive each day.
Until the day you return to stand at the center of history once more… I’ll find a way to survive.

With that thought, I stepped out of the castle gates.
***
When Swen had first suggested negotiations—
The one who took his words the most seriously was Jinor, the chief strategist standing beside Yuri.

"Negotiations, huh…"
Why had Swen even brought up such an idea?
It was Swen we were talking about.
Jinor held him in incredibly high regard.
After all, the moment Brans’ army began to collapse had been the very moment Swen abandoned them and defected to Aishus. That was undeniable proof of his impact.

Swen had told Yuri that he didn’t know why negotiations were the right choice.
But Jinor wasn’t convinced.
"It’s not that he doesn’t know… he just can’t say why."
And if he couldn’t say—
Could it be because he was in secret contact with Serpina’s army?

That was unlikely.
After all, it was Serpina’s army that Swen had once bombarded with those devastating attacks from the sky.
Even if he were some kind of double agent, no spy would deliberately inflict such catastrophic damage on the enemy just to maintain their cover.
If that was the case, then there was only one possibility—
A possibility that made sense precisely because it was Swen.
"Magic…?"

Swen claimed that he was "reading the will of the heavens."
But Jinor had seen him sense mana before. He had personally witnessed Swen dramatically boost Reika’s magical abilities.
Jinor was convinced—Swen was a mage.
He simply chose not to bring it up, since he had no desire to turn him into an enemy.
After all, Swen was a potential future son-in-law.
There was no reason to ruin their relationship by interrogating him unnecessarily.

So then—
Could it be that Swen, and only Swen, knew something that no one else did?
Something akin to a magical power that could… convince Serpina’s army?
Magic was a mystery.
Its full capabilities and effects were still largely unknown.
Who was to say Swen didn’t possess some kind of mystical power capable of resolving this situation?
"If that’s the case, then this is a golden opportunity."

If they could successfully negotiate with Serpina’s army, they could end this conflict without losing a single fortress or soldier.
But if the method truly was magic, convincing Yuri would be difficult.
Which meant—

"I’ll have to step in."
A mere commander’s suggestion could be dismissed.
But a proposal from the chief strategist of the nation carried weight.
Yes, Yuri harbored deep resentment toward Serpina’s army.
But she was, above all else, a practical ruler.
Jinor knew her better than anyone. If explained properly, she would listen.

He stole a glance at Yuri’s profile.
She was deep in thought, absentmindedly biting her nail.
A habit of hers when she was feeling uneasy.
As her strategist, it was his job to recognize these things.
She was worrying about the upcoming battle.

"Now’s not the time. I’ll wait until she’s calmed down… then I’ll make my move."
And so—
In Jinor’s mind, Swen was gradually transforming into something akin to a great archmage, wielding an incomprehensible power capable of manipulating even the hearts of men.