Became a Strategist with a 100 Intelligence and 100% Accuracy

Chapter 27

I was slightly taken aback by the unexpected voice of a woman.

But after double-checking, this was indeed the correct house on East Arnel, Street 32.

I slowly opened my mouth to speak.

"I have come here under the orders of my lord, Lady Lyn."

There was no immediate response—

But after a brief silence, the door finally opened.

"……."

Before me stood a woman wearing what appeared to be a simple white nightgown.

Pale skin, as white as frost.

Long red hair cascading down her shoulders.

Violet eyes that gleamed in the dim light.

I knew this woman’s name.

Airen Juliet.

A warrior known as both a knight and a siege specialist, thanks to her rare [Siege] trait—an S-rank ability that made her unparalleled in the art of castle warfare.

Her combat stats were exceptional, and her loyalty to her lord, Lyn Brans, was absolute. She would never betray her.

And yet, ironically, Airen was fated to die by Lyn Brans's own hands.

Their compatibility score in the game was nearly -100—so much so that whenever the CPU controlled Lyn, Airen would almost always meet a tragic end, executed by the very ruler she had devoted her life to serving.

The only way for players to truly utilize Airen’s talents was by personally selecting Lyn and manually altering their fate.

Back when I was still with Lunarian’s Army, Airen had led the Brans Army’s siege against Zeilant Castle while I was away as an envoy.

Lunarian didn’t show it at the time, but had I returned even slightly later, the castle would have fallen.

Given how siege warfare required far more troops than standard defensive battles, Airen had undoubtedly been Brans Army’s best possible choice.

Despite her immense talent, her fate was already sealed.

Airen Juliet was destined to die by the hand of the lord she served.

The thought made it easy to understand why I had been sent here.

"Lyn and Airen have an inherently bad relationship."

That alone explained everything.

Lyn was simply mistreating Airen.

She had essentially dumped me here, saying:

"Take in this new 'male' officer as your roommate. What, you don’t like it? What are you going to do about it?"

It was blatant mockery.

This wasn’t the kind of treatment a promising young female general should receive.

Even in this medieval-fantasy world, the basics of etiquette and respect hadn’t changed that much.

Airen blinked her large violet eyes.

Then, as if she had already figured everything out, she nodded.

She didn’t even sigh.

Her self-restraint was remarkable.

"You must be the new recruit…?"

"Yes. My name is Swen. As of today, I serve Lady Lyn Brans. My lord has ordered me to reside here as a roommate for the time being."

"I see."

Her response was short and to the point.

She then silently studied my face.

It felt odd to call it returning the favor, but I decided to examine her as well.

I hadn’t fully realized it in the game’s pixel graphics, but this woman—

Her chest was insanely large.

She was carrying two things that were practically the size of her own head.

If she had been wearing armor, it might not have been so noticeable.

But right now, dressed in loose, comfortable clothes, her figure was impossible to ignore.

"How the hell did she manage to fight on the battlefield carrying those around? And she still earned the title of ‘Knight’? That’s actually impressive."

I couldn’t help but admire her in a strange way.

After a moment, I decided to clarify something.

"…I did not expect the resident here to be a woman. If this arrangement makes you uncomfortable, I can stay at an inn instead. Please speak freely."

To be honest, I was the one feeling uncomfortable.

Living with a woman I barely knew?

That was bound to be a hassle.

But Airen shook her head.

"No. It is fine. If my lord has given an order, I shall follow it. You may enter."

"……."

I didn’t want to waste time arguing, so I nodded.

"Then, excuse me."

And just like that, I ended up living under the same roof as Airen Juliet.

A large city. A fine house. A beautiful, well-endowed roommate.

To an outsider, this might have looked like overnight success.

*

Airen’s home was incredibly simple.

She had an elegant face and an almost regal presence—

But at her core, she was a warrior.

Where most women might have decorated their homes with fancy furniture, Airen had—

Two training dummies covered in blade marks.

Nearby, I spotted several unknown devices that seemed to be strength training equipment.

There were no wardrobes.

Instead, a few sets of armor were haphazardly hung along the walls.

"Feel free to sit wherever you like," she said.

I pulled out a chair and sat at the table.

Meanwhile, Airen stepped into the kitchen, preparing something.

Soon, she returned with a tray, sitting across from me.

She had brought hot tea and a plate of light refreshments.

"Huh. They have tea here too."

It wasn’t surprising, but it was still amusing to see.

"If I had known you were coming, I would have prepared more… I apologize for the meager hospitality," she said.

"No, it’s quite alright. I arrived unannounced, after all. More importantly—do you always speak this formally?"

"My speech?" Airen raised an eyebrow. "I do. Is it unusual?"

In the game, I had always played as the lord.

I had never seen how Airen spoke to her subordinates.

Hearing her like this now, it almost felt like I was talking to a monarch.

Honestly, if she and Lyn switched speaking styles, it would probably feel more natural.

She took a sip of her tea before continuing.

"My name is Airen Juliet. In informal settings, you may call me 'Lady Airen,' if that is more comfortable."

"How could I dare to be so casual, Lady Airen? I prefer addressing you with proper respect."

"Well, do as you like."

She took another sip of tea.

Then, her violet eyes locked onto mine.

"Swen. I heard you were with Lunarian’s Army until recently."

"That’s correct."

"I also heard that Lunarian abandoned you and fled."

"Yes. For some reason, she was convinced that I had been conspiring with Lady Lyn Brans. No matter how many times I denied it, she refused to believe me."

"……."

Airen went silent for a moment.

Then, as if making up her mind, she spoke firmly.

"I am not skilled in deception, so I will be frank. I do not believe you."

"Is that so?"

I took a sip of tea, unfazed.

"May I ask why?"

"Lunarian is not the type of ruler to make such petty decisions," she said without hesitation.

"But you only met her once—during the siege. That was the only time you spoke to her, wasn’t it?"

"That is true. However—"

Airen’s violet eyes gleamed with certainty.

"You can tell from a person’s gaze. She has the eyes of a true ruler. Even in my presence, she did not falter.

"When we clashed swords, I felt it—she had the aura of a warrior."

Her voice was resolute.

"That is why I suspect this is all some kind of scheme.

"I apologize if this is rude, but I do not trust you."

"That’s quite alright," I said calmly.

"My lord told me the same thing, after all."

"Is that so? Then why—"

She trailed off for a moment before abruptly cutting herself off.

"No. Forget what I said."

"…Regardless, Lunarian has a weak temperament unfit for a ruler. I don't know about the look in her eyes, but as you've described, she is not a steadfast person. For some reason, there must have been circumstances that led her to suspect me, even though I had only just joined… or something along those lines. But it's not an important matter anymore."

"Is that so?"

She closed her eyes, took a sip of tea, and then lightly bowed her head toward me.

"Regardless, I apologize for bringing up such matters the moment we met. It was weighing on my mind, and I was afraid that if I didn't ask, I might end up treating you unfairly without realizing it. I hope you'll be generous enough to overlook my behavior."

"Of course, Lady Airen. You are my superior. Since we will be living together for some time, I agree that it's best to talk things through in advance."

"I'm grateful that you see it that way."

For the first time, Airen smiled at me.

She was beautiful.

If Lunarian’s beauty was like warm sunlight, then Airen’s was like delicate glass—fragile, almost sorrowful.

Wait.

So Airen… would remain under Lyn's command… and ultimately be killed by her?

That would be a waste.

Airen was one of the few S-rank generals. If I could bring her over to my side, she would be an invaluable asset.

Her loyalty to Lyn was undoubtedly immense, but that didn’t mean I would give up so easily.

I needed to slowly build favor with her.

"Well then."

Airen stood up and pointed toward a corner of the room.

A single bed was placed there.

"It's already late, so you should get some rest. You can use that bed."

This room had only one bed.

And there were no doors leading to other rooms.

Which meant—there was nowhere else to sleep except for that bed.

"And you, Lady Airen…?"

"I'll sleep on the floor. I don’t want to make things difficult for a newcomer."

Normally, I would have said, "No, really, I’m fine," and refused, but—

Given my absurdly low physical strength, I was already exhausted from walking all the way from Zeilant to join Brans Army.

If the march had been any faster, I probably would have collapsed along the way.

Sleeping on a bed was obviously better than the floor.

"…In that case, I gratefully accept your kindness."

"Think nothing of it."

She smiled again.

Her manner of speech aside, she was actually a rather charming woman.

Seeing her in regular clothes instead of armor made it even more noticeable.

I slowly made my way to the bed.

It wasn’t that soft, but compared to the pathetic excuse for a blanket I had back at Zeilant, this was nothing short of a heavenly sanctuary.

For some reason, it even smelled oddly nice.

"Good night, then."

"Sleep well, Lady Airen."

She extinguished the lantern and settled into a comfortable position against the wall.

I felt a little guilty, but—right now, recovering my strength was my top priority.

And so, my first night living with Airen Juliet came to an end.

***

…Huh?

When I regained consciousness—I found myself standing in an unfamiliar place.

I looked around.

The surroundings consisted of white brick walls and blue rooftops—a beautiful coastal town.

"Where… am I?"

The question weighed heavily in my mind as I scanned my surroundings.

There was no one here.

The town was filled with picturesque buildings, yet not a single person was in sight.

It felt eerily empty—like a deserted film set.

I wandered through the empty streets, climbed a hill, and eventually arrived at a plaza.

A plaza that overlooked the entire harbor town.

At the center of the plaza, beneath four stone pillars supporting a domed roof, she was sitting.

"……Swen."

I stepped closer.

She wore a simple white dress, pristine and elegant.

Golden eyes blinked at me.

Sunlight caught in her golden hair, making it shimmer in the wind.

And that hairpin—

It stood out, unmistakably unique.

She was—beautiful.

More beautiful than any woman I had ever seen.

"Swen. Come here."

Her voice was like a siren’s call.

As if hypnotized, I slowly walked toward her.

But—I couldn't reach her.

The closer I got, the further away she felt.

And then, the ground beneath me—collapsed.

I plunged downward, unable to grasp anything.

Why?

Why… can't I… reach… ????—

***

"Swen, are you alright? Swen, Swen! Wake up!"

Consciousness returned, slowly.

The first thing I recognized was—the voice of my new roommate, Airen.

I sluggishly opened my heavy eyelids.

…A dream?

Was it… just a dream?

If so, it was one hell of a nightmare.

I was still in a half-dazed state, but my back was soaked with sweat.

As my eyes adjusted to the sunlight streaming through the window—

The room came into focus.

And then—

Hah.

I let out a short breath.

For a brief moment, I genuinely wondered if I was still dreaming.

Because—right before me—

Airen Juliet, clad in nothing but her undergarments, was leaning over me, shaking me awake.