Became a Strategist with a 100 Intelligence and 100% Accuracy

Chapter 28

I slowly rose from my seat, shaking off the lingering fog of sleep, and spoke.

"It was just a nightmare."

"A nightmare, was it? Well, that's a relief... I was worried when I heard those painful groans, thinking you might be ill."

Airen sighed deeply, then quickly offered a faint smile. Her tone was still somewhat difficult to get used to, but she seemed to be a caring person at heart.

"More importantly, isn't the real issue something that happened on your end, Airen?"

"What do you mean?"

I asked, seeing her tilt her head in confusion.

"Or do you usually walk around your house only in your underwear?"

"...Ah."

It seemed she finally understood the meaning of my words. Her face turned bright red, and she quickly took several steps backward, awkwardly covering her chest and hips with her hands. Of course, covering up didn’t exactly make everything hidden.

"This... this... Well, I was changing into my training clothes, and then I heard your pained voice... and I just...!"

"I understand, just please get dressed quickly. I'm feeling embarrassed as well."

"...S-sorry... If I made you uncomfortable, please forgive me. I didn’t mean it...!"

"It’s fine."

It wasn’t particularly uncomfortable. Honestly speaking, she had a body worth admiring. Her large chest could have been a topic of much discussion, but even without mentioning it, it was impressively well-shaped. Her waist had firm muscles, a clear sign of her training as a knight. Her thighs, thick and sturdy, seemed perfectly suited for the battles she fought, holding up well under the pressure of constant combat. The black lace underwear and garter belt she wore added a distinct allure to her form. In short, it was enough of a sight to fully dispel the lingering fog in my mind.

After the commotion settled, she appeared in her training clothes.

"...Hmph. I’ve shown you something I shouldn’t have. I apologize again."

Now dressed, she stood before me. The issue, however, was her training outfit. It was almost the same as her underwear—only the exposure was slightly reduced. She wore something like a tank top and shorts, with a garter belt and stockings hugging her thighs.

"Is this much different from your underwear?"

"Huh? Of course it is. This is training clothes, isn’t it? Just now, I... I was in... undergarments..."

Her face turned red with embarrassment. I suppose she didn’t feel embarrassed once she was dressed in something considered an outfit? Well, in fantasy games, it’s not uncommon for female knights to wear armor that leaves their stomach exposed.

"So what are you planning to do today? Will you be handling any tasks you’ve been given?"

"Tasks, huh..."

She let out a bitter laugh.

"If I had any tasks assigned to me, I would’ve done them... but the lord hasn’t given me anything in particular."

Sigh.

Airen was an S-rank general with immense physical strength. If she were assigned tasks related to training, conscription, or even repairing the walls, she would surely be highly efficient.

But now I understood why Lyn wasn’t using her.

She’s really despised.

From sending her to her house as a female when I was in my male form, to the way the lord openly belittled her and made her miserable, it was impossible not to feel sympathy for her.

In the game, there was just a -100 relationship score, but in reality, that cruelty felt much more vivid.

"So, what now?"

"Why ask such a thing? Do you think I wore this outfit for no reason?"

Airen said, and slowly picked up a sword that was leaning in the corner of the room.

"If I have time to spare, I will train. If I waste time when there’s no task, it’ll be me who becomes rusty. So, if the lord ever calls on me, I have to be prepared to act."

"Such strong will."

"Well, do you want to join me? I have a practice sword that’s perfect for beginners."

It seemed like she had noticed right away that I wasn’t particularly strong. I hesitated for a moment but ultimately declined.

"It’s fine. I have something else to do."

"Is that so? Well, if you have something else to do..."

"Before that, I’d like to ask you something."

I pointed to the paper and ink on the desk.

"Is it alright if I use those?"

"The paper? You can use it."

"Then, I’ll excuse myself."

"Mm."

She answered briefly, then walked over to the straw dummy with her sword in hand. After taking a deep breath and exhaling, she yelled out,

"Haah!"

With a loud shout, she began swinging her sword at the dummy. Though her movements were simple, repeating them frequently would surely yield results. Perhaps this was how the abilities of an S-rank general were gradually developed.

In any case, I now approached the desk and spread out the paper. My most important task was to draw a map.

In this game, while the continent itself was always the same, the positions of the nations were not fixed every time the game started. Having played the game for over 10,000 hours, I had memorized the countries, but I couldn’t draw exactly which castles or territories they occupied. Still, it was essential to at least sketch out the area around Brans' country.

My ability only allowed me to predict the outcomes—why those outcomes happened remained a mystery. Therefore, drawing a map would help organize the information in my mind and give me some insight into why these conclusions were being drawn.

With that thought in mind, I picked up the pen.

"Haah!"

It would be a slow and tedious task, but Airen’s shouts served as a good background noise as I worked.

*

The day slowly came to a close.

With no official duties, Airen lived a life that seemed almost superhuman. She would wake up, wash up briefly, and then start her training. After that, she'd have lunch. The meal she prepared was simple: just rye bread with a bit of butter to spread on it. Alongside that, she always served some tea, though I couldn’t quite identify what kind of tea it was. It could have been black or green tea... or maybe it was just some kind of leaves steeped in water. It wasn’t bad, though. The aroma was quite pleasant.

After lunch, she’d return to her training, and then, finally, it would be time for dinner. The evening meal consisted of dried fish, bread, and a salad made with a mix of vegetables.

It wasn’t until after dinner that her training would come to an end. It was like watching a monk quietly walk the path of the sword, unrelenting and disciplined.

After finishing my dinner and taking a bath, I came out, water dripping from my hair, and asked her.

"Are you resting now?"

"Hmm? Yes, I suppose so."

"Do you train like this every day?"

"Whenever I don’t have any duties, this is my usual routine."

"Impressive."

Airen didn’t respond directly to my compliment but instead slowly tore off a piece of bread before asking.

"By the way, I noticed you were drawing a map."

"Yes, I was. I wanted to get a clearer understanding of the situation around Brans' territory."

"Your map looks quite detailed. Have you ever done mapmaking before?"

It was only natural that the map was accurate. I had seen that map thousands of times during my years of playing the game. I had clicked on it countless times.

But of course, I couldn’t just say that out loud.

"Well, a little."

"Is that so? You have quite an unexpected background."

At that point, I saw an opportunity and decided to ask her something.

"Speaking of which, Airen."

"Hm?"

"You seem to know the geography of the continent well, but... I haven’t figured out the countries around Brans’ territory yet. If you know anything about it, could you help me out?"

She nodded in response.

"Are you asking me to help with the map?"

"Yes."

"Hmm. I’m not sure if I’ll be much help, but..."

"Anything you can offer would be appreciated. You’re quite a talented person, Airen."

I said it without thinking, but it seemed that she thought I was just flattering her. She gave a subtle smile.

"Flattering me won’t get you anywhere. But, I can’t say it’s unpleasant."

Hmm? Her words didn’t match her expression—she seemed rather pleased. Maybe she was someone who craved acknowledgment more than I thought. After all, it was hard not to be when the person who should be showing you the most recognition—the lord—was constantly putting you down.

"Why wouldn’t it? You’re someone who deserves it, Airen."

"...Do you say that to just anyone?"

"Of course not."

I said with a grin. Airen looked at me, her smile softening, and slowly walked toward me. It had only been a day since we met, yet it felt like we communicated effortlessly. It seemed like she didn’t have any deep reservations about me either.

"If I can be of help, I’ll do so."

She stepped closer to me. Inevitably, her large chest brushed against my body. It wasn’t an unpleasant sensation.

"Well, to the west, there are several small nations, but... it seems you've already marked them."

"I identified them when I worked under Lunarian."

"Then, let’s move to the east. There are three major forces here. The country bordering the eastern border is the Aishus Army. I would say that Aishus is the only country worth paying attention to here. Beyond that, there are the Charam and Aleffel armies, both small nations ruling over minor territories."

Charam and Aleffel—those were familiar names. Both were insignificant small countries, with limited talent and rulers who were barely above commoners. They wouldn’t leave any historical footprint unless a player took over them.

In the world I had entered, it seemed like they had respawned around Aishus’ territory. It was definitely better than respawning near Serpina’s forces, but still, those countries would have no way of defeating Aishus.

But...

"Hmm?"

Two small countries... still alive?

It was a bit surprising that they were still around. Typically, one of them would have already been crushed by Aishus’ forces by now. Given Aishus' overwhelming strength, they would have consumed these countries if they could. Like Serpina’s forces, Aishus would have absorbed their neighbors if they could get through the initial three months.

Could it be that these two small countries formed an alliance, establishing a delicate balance with Aishus?

If that were true, it raised one major question. Aishus would now have two fronts to fight on, which was why Brans hadn’t invaded them yet—it would have been a major strategic disadvantage. Aishus’ response would be slow if their forces were divided.

"...Something’s off."

I wasn’t sure what exactly, or whether this was important enough, but it was definitely something unusual that was happening.

I decided to ask Airen for clarification.

"Airen, are the Charam and Aleffel armies still in existence on the continent?"

"Yes, they are. Recently, Charam sent gold as a tribute to our army."

"...What?"

They sent gold?

While diplomatic gifts were a thing, no one had used that command so far. In this game, boosting relations didn’t mean much unless you were forming an alliance.

And when nations sent gifts like that, there was always another agenda behind it. They would boost relations just to set up a joint attack...

"They must be planning to stab us in the back," I thought.