Became a Strategist with a 100 Intelligence and 100\% Accuracy-Chapter 148: Doubts (2)

"...Hello."

Janis' younger sister bowed her head the moment she saw me, greeting me politely.

I took a seat across from her.

"I apologize for earlier..."

"It’s fine."

I watched her carefully as she kept fidgeting, offering apology after apology.

Her face really was identical to Janis’.

Thinking about it now, Janis had always been a bit on the delicate side for a guy—

But this woman had a distinctly feminine aura that was unmistakable.

If I had to describe it, Janis had the face of a refined noble, while this one—

Well, she was undoubtedly a woman.

...Wait a second. Might as well confirm something while I had the chance.

"How long have you been staying here in Janis' place?"

"...Since yesterday."

"......."

I erased my previous thoughts.

So much for 'she has a more feminine aura'—

Because before realizing she was a woman, I hadn't noticed a thing.

Just yesterday, I had gone to sleep right here in this room with "Janis."

We used bunk beds.

And when I had returned to the room last night, "Janis" had already been asleep, so we hadn't spoken—

But never once did I suspect that he wasn't actually Janis.

Well.

Strictly speaking, this wasn’t a first meeting, but from my perspective, it might as well be.

Which meant I should start with the basics.

"I'm Swen."

"Ah, I’m Ioline al Kasky... Janis’ twin sister."

"You don’t need to tell me that. I could figure that much out."

"Haha..."

She let out a nervous laugh.

She really did look exactly like Janis.

The power of DNA was terrifying.

"So, can you explain what's going on here?"

"My brother asked me for a favor. He wanted me to stay here for a few days."

"And the reason?"

Ioline hesitated, shaking her head.

"I... can't say. But he told me it was extremely important."

"Extremely important, huh?"

"Yes... I really wish I could tell you, but I can't. I’m sorry..."

What could possibly be so important that he would go to this extent?

He could have simply left without replacing himself.

The Janis al Kasky I knew never seemed to take anything too seriously.

It wasn’t like he had any great ambitions—

He was just extremely proud of his older brother Irian and deeply loyal to Serpina’s army.

Given that, it was entirely possible this was just some pointless scheme—

But then again...

"I haven’t actually known Janis for that long."

I couldn’t rule out the possibility that his carefree attitude was just a front.

As I was thinking, Ioline hesitantly spoke up again.

"Um... Swen?"

"Yes?"

"Can I... ask you a favor?"

She lowered her head, almost pleading.

"Please... don’t tell my brother about what happened today.

Just until he returns... I don't want to be a burden to my family anymore..."

"......."

Burden?

That wasn’t something a person casually said.

It was clear something was weighing on her.

I took a moment to sort through the situation.

"I don't know why Janis is doing this, but he must have something to hide.

I should probably look into it."

At this point, there was something I couldn’t ignore.

In my 10,000 hours of gameplay, there had never been a character named Janis al Kasky.

Not only Janis—

I had never seen Ioline or even Irian either.

Of course, there were always forgettable minor officers.

The kind with generic names, bland stats, and no real presence.

The ones that felt more like clones than actual characters.

People like Jack and Silin, who had once escorted Lady Airen alongside me in Brans Army, probably fell into that category.

But still—I would have remembered them.

Irian was handsome, and capable enough to remain in Serpina’s army.

Janis—well, I didn’t know his stats,

but if he had a twin sister, their background alone would have made them stand out.

And yet—I had no recollection of them.

"Either way, if Janis is pulling something like this, it’s connected to something bigger.

I might be able to uncover something important.

For now, I should cooperate with Ioline."

If Janis was planning something reckless, it could put Serpina in danger.

And right now—Serpina’s survival was my top priority.

If this delayed my move to Airen’s residence, then so be it.

Updat𝓮d fr𝙤m ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com.

I refused to let a careless mistake come back to haunt me.

Having made my decision, it was time to act.

"Alright. I’ll help you, Ioline."

"...Really?"

Her eyes widened, as if she had just been saved by a miracle.

It was a bit overwhelming, but I needed to make sure we were clear on one thing.

"But on one condition."

"A condition...?"

"It’s nothing major.

I need you to keep it a secret that I found out about you.

At least from the rest of your family.

If this gets out, it’ll just cause unnecessary complications."

"A secret? Well, of course! I wasn’t planning on telling them anyway.

If they found out, it would mean my cover was blown..."

"Just making sure."

She hesitated for a moment—

Then nodded.

"Alright. I promise."

"Then we have a deal."

I stood up, ready to leave—

But Ioline suddenly grabbed my sleeve.

"Swen...!"

"Yes?"

"Um... could you... just stay here with me?"

"?"

I stared at her, trying to grasp the meaning behind her words, but she spoke again, this time with unexpected seriousness.

"It's just... I don’t really know my way around the building, and I feel uneasy being here alone. I also have no idea how to act if I run into someone... I promise I’ll be fine, so if it’s not too much trouble, I wanted to ask if you could stay here with me."

I had originally planned to leave out of consideration for her, thinking it would be the best way to give her space.

But it seemed I had misjudged the situation.

Of course. From her perspective, this place must have been incredibly overwhelming.

It didn’t seem like she was officially part of Serpina’s army, and on top of that, she was stuck pretending to be her brother in a male dormitory.

"I should just cooperate for now."

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Since I wanted to investigate Janis anyway, there was no «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» downside to earning his sister’s favor.

"Alright. But if you ever need me to leave, please don’t hesitate to say so."

"...Leave? When would that be necessary?"

"For example, when you need to change clothes. Like earlier."

"Ah..."

Ioline's face turned noticeably red as she lowered her head.

"...I understand. Thank you for your consideration."

After finishing my conversation with Ioline, I leaned back against the desk, lost in thought.

"It would be good to figure this out before I move into Lady Airen’s residence..."

For some reason, a strange sense of unease lingered within me.

But I pushed the thought aside, assuming it was nothing, and began mentally sorting through the events of the day.

***

Brans Army’s Capital, Arnel Castle

"......."

Lyn Brans stood by the window of the audience chamber, gazing up at the sky instead of sitting on her throne.

She absentmindedly rubbed her thumb, which had been gnawed raw from nervous biting.

"Will things really go the way Parfalle says?"

The alliance with Serpina’s army—her sworn enemy—had been a last resort.

Ever since Elgaim Castle was seized by Hesna’s forces, hesitation was no longer an option.

For the moment, the situation had stabilized, but it was only a matter of time before Roland’s forces advanced upon seeing Hesna’s success.

And if that happened, more territories would fall in an instant.

Initially, the plan had been to hold Arnel Castle and the western continent, keeping the conflict contained to Serpina’s and Aishus’ forces.

But now that the southern nations had started moving, Brans Army had to reduce at least one front.

Parfalle had immediately proposed an alliance with Serpina.

Her reasoning was simple:

The southern region was no longer balanced, which meant the war was about to spiral into chaos.

Right now, Hesna was the greatest threat—

But if Ohana’s forces suddenly turned on Hesna and conquered it, they would need another alliance.

With four to five major factions tangled together in the conflict, there was no clear advantage in waiting.

Which meant—the safest course of action was to form an alliance with Serpina before things got worse.

Of course, hatred toward Serpina’s army within Brans’ ranks,

as well as Lyn’s own pride, had held her back until the last moment—

"My lady, abandon your pride. You cannot afford to make another poor decision."

Parfalle had been right.

Now was not the time for pride.

Allowing Brans Army—once the dominant force of the central continent—to become a minor power was unacceptable.

Pride could only exist when power was secured.

However—

"If we form this alliance... will it really keep our forces alive?"

"It’s not certain... but it will create the possibility."

That was the most frustrating part—

No one could guarantee that this was truly the best choice.

"If Swen were here, he would have given me a definitive answer."

As the thought crossed her mind, Lyn found herself once again recalling the man’s face.

But that was pointless—

He had been taken by Aishus Army long ago due to his own mistake.

And ever since her brother Chel’s crushing defeat at Aishus’ hands, Lyn had completely lost herself in aimless idleness, neglecting governance altogether.

Now, there was no time to dwell on the past.

She needed to pull herself together and move forward.

Just then—

"My lady, Parfalle has arrived."

"Let her in."

The doors to the audience chamber swung open, and Parfalle walked in,

her footsteps steady against the red carpet.

The moment Lyn saw her, she rushed forward.

"How did it go? The alliance?"

"Fortunately, they have agreed."

"Really?!"

"Yes. They have accepted the alliance."

"Thank the gods...!"

Brans Army had scraped together every last resource to make this possible.

Even then, they had barely met the requirements.

To make this deal ironclad, they should have offered even more,

but with the country’s financial state already in ruins after Airen’s departure, the treasury was dangerously low.

Technically, they could have spent more,

but that would have directly impacted salaries and administrative costs, effectively crippling the government.

"This really was everything we had."

"However..."

Parfalle hesitated.

"There’s one condition that concerns me."

"A condition? What is it?"

"Well... it’s..."

Parfalle’s brows furrowed slightly before she cautiously spoke.

"They said they will accept the alliance—

But only if you personally visit Eingart Castle."