Became a Strategist with a 100 Intelligence and 100\% Accuracy-Chapter 175: Gilded (4)

As I stepped out of the audience chamber, I recalled the last words Serpina had spoken to me.

"The regular strategy meeting will be held soon. I will be adopting your proposal during the session, so I would like you to present your opinion there."

"Is it necessary to go through such a process?"

"Wouldn't it be wise to quell any unnecessary rumors that I am secretly absorbing your counsel in the shadows? Even here, I have no choice but to depend on you."

She had said that with a smile.

Show me your ability, Swen.

'Ability' might be an exaggeration.

But I understood her reasoning.

Unlike Yuri, who could unilaterally side with her closest aides due to the nature of the Aishus Army, such favoritism would lead to political complications here.

Many generals were certain to push hard for an invasion in the upcoming meeting.

So, was she asking me to convince them otherwise?

'I'll have to refine my abilities into something more palatable.'

Serpina had come dangerously close to fully uncovering my secret.

At this point, I needed to wrap it up in something more digestible.

Not only Serpina but also Jinor had managed to catch onto certain aspects of it.

I had to determine exactly what clues they had used to piece it together.

With that in mind—

There was only one place I needed to go.

*

Following the maid’s guidance, I arrived at a massive building located within Eingart Castle’s city district.

At a glance, it was at least three stories high—a grand structure.

"This is the place."

"Thank you."

The maid, dressed in a crisp white apron, bowed politely before asking,

"When should I return to escort you back?"

"No need. Now that I know the location, we can find our own way back."

"I see. If that is your preference..."

The maid gave a graceful bow as a farewell.

But—

"A-Ah, u-uh... G-Goodbye...!"

The awkward farewell came from Reika, who had been standing beside me.

She had been tense throughout the entire exchange, making a fool of herself with a nervous farewell.

The maid simply smiled and departed.

This place was a library.

After my private meeting with Serpina, I had decided to personally investigate a few things.

Since Reika had nothing else to do, she had tagged along.

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.

Airen had gone out for training, so I figured she would be bored alone anyway.

I had no real reason to reject her company.

"Wow... It's huge!"

"Indeed."

The Grand Library of Eingart.

A three-story structure filled with countless ancient tomes.

It was said to house the greatest reservoir of knowledge on the continent.

I had learned of its existence before I was even transported into this world—through the NPC dialogue in the game.

In the game, clicking on minor NPCs would trigger random lines of dialogue, like:

“Farming is at the mercy of the heavens, after all.”

“I hope the chaos ends soon so that we can live in peace.”

Meaningless filler dialogue, mostly.

But I had played this game for over 10,000 hours—

So I had memorized every single one of those lines.

And among them, there was one I distinctly recalled—

"There is a Grand Library in Eingart Castle, filled with ancient tomes and vast knowledge."

Since it was just flavor text, the library itself had no actual function in the game.

But the fact that it was mentioned at all meant that it was part of the game's world-building.

And if that game world had become reality—

Then logically, this library had to exist as well.

And so, after inquiring with a household maid about the library’s location—

I had arrived here.

I turned toward Reika, who was still gawking at the sheer size of the building.

"Shall we?"

"H-Huh? Ah, y-yes...!"

We stepped inside.

At the front counter, a refined-looking old man, wearing a monocle, greeted us.

"What brings you here?"

"I would like to browse the books."

"To access the Grand Library of Eingart, one must be affiliated with Lady Serpina's army."

"My name is Swen."

"Please wait a moment."

The old man retrieved a thick ledger from the drawer and carefully scanned the records.

After checking my face several times, he finally spoke.

"Swen... Yes, you are permitted entry. However, the lady beside you...?"

Reika flinched.

Before she could fumble her way through an introduction, I calmly cut in—

"Tell me, do territorial civilians have access to this library?"

"No, they do not."

The librarian's response was firm and absolute.

I responded just as smoothly—

"What about family members?"

"?!"

The old man hesitated.

"You are asking about... family?"

"Yes. She is my wife. She is accompanying me today as my attendant."

"S-S...!"

Reika inhaled sharply, about to protest—

But before she could speak, I gently squeezed her hand, signaling her to stay silent.

Play along.

Whether she understood my message or was simply too flustered to argue, she remained quiet—her face burning red as she lowered her head.

"Must I leave my wife outside while I enter?"

The librarian pondered for a moment—

Then, with a slow nod, he relented.

"...Very well. You may both enter. My apologies, madam."

"Ah... y-y-yes! Th-Thank you...!"

And so, without any difficulty, I secured Reika’s access to the Grand Library of Eingart.

*

"The book you’re looking for is this way."

"Thank you."

As I thanked the librarian for his guidance, I finally turned to Reika—who had remained completely silent the entire time.

Feeling a bit guilty, I offered a quiet apology.

"If I made you uncomfortable, I’m sorry, Reika. But I couldn’t just enter alone when we came here together."

"H-Huh? Oh, no...! I-I wasn’t... upset. I just, um..."

She fidgeted, her voice shrinking into a whisper.

Lately, she had grown more comfortable around me and Lady Airen, speaking clearly and confidently—

Yet now, she had completely reverted to the awkward, stammering mess she had been when we first met.

"I mean... i-it’s not... w-wrong, exactly..."

"Hmm?"

"B-Because... w-we..."

Her face flushed so deeply that it rivaled a beet.

And then, in an almost inaudible murmur—

"W-We’re... discussing marriage proposals..."

"...Ah."

I blinked.

Was she... actually serious about that?

"Wait... you’re really taking that seriously, aren’t you?"

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

"W-What?! O-Of course I am!"

Her voice cracked toward the end.

I sighed.

"You don’t sound very confident for someone who’s serious about it."

"A-Ah, um... w-well, ugh..."

Watching her curl into herself in embarrassment, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

At this point, even her flustered demeanor was starting to seem endearing.

"Just take your time and think about it properly. Whatever you decide, I’ll respect your choice."

"A-Ah... y-yes! O-Okay...!"

If she truly wished to marry me...

I’d have to speak with Lady Airen first.

But if she ultimately chose not to, that would be fine as well.

Reika cherished her freedom—she might not want to be tied down to a single man.

At the very least, I wanted to respect her decision, regardless of her abilities or any external pressure.

Either way, it wasn’t a matter that needed to be settled right away.

"Now, let’s see..."

More importantly—

I was here for a reason.

And my book was right in front of me.

I pulled out a few volumes, flipping through their pages—

And sure enough, they contained exactly what I was looking for.

The "Sage of the Divine Eye."

This was the only reason I had come to the Grand Library—

A key piece of information I needed in order to properly obscure my abilities.

When Jinor had begun theorizing about my abilities—

And when Serpina had come dangerously close to uncovering the truth—

There had been one commonality between them:

They both referred to me using the term "Divine Eye."

Jinor had interpreted it as foresight,

While Serpina believed it to be an analytical ability.

But regardless of their differing interpretations,

The fact that both of them had drawn the same connection meant that this term was likely the key to how they had formed their theories.

Yet I knew nothing about it.

Which meant I had to investigate.

And that’s why I had come here—to Eingart’s Grand Library.

As I skimmed through the historical texts, I condensed the most relevant information:

"Centuries ago, during the reign of the third emperor of the Eingart Empire, Kaltus von Eingart, there existed a man known as the 'Sage of the Divine Eye.' He was a brilliant strategist and an astute politician, rising to the position of imperial tactician and earning widespread reverence for his many achievements."

It seemed that the books did contain information about this so-called sage.

However—

While it described him as an exceptional tactician,

There was no concrete information that seemed particularly relevant to me.

At least, not until—

"Swen, are you looking for something specific?"

I looked up from the book to see Reika approaching me.

"Ah, well..."

Since there was no reason to hide it, I told her about my search for information on the "Divine Eye."

Reika tilted her head slightly.

Then, as if recalling something—

"Are you looking for the legend of the 'Sage of the Divine Eye'?"

"...Huh? You know about it?"

"I read about it in one of my family’s books a long time ago."

...Ah.

Right.

I kept forgetting—

Reika Nighthardt.

She was the adopted daughter of Jinor Nighthardt, a former imperial tactician.

Of course she would be familiar with this legend.

This tale was directly related to the imperial family.

Anyone connected to the empire would have heard of it at least once.

And that was exactly why both Jinor and Serpina had been able to make the connection when theorizing about my abilities.

Jinor had been a former imperial strategist,

And Serpina was imperial lineage itself.

It made perfect sense.

"Could you tell me more about it?"

"Of course. In simple terms—"

Thanks to Reika’s careful explanation,

I was able to piece together the full picture of the legend.

The Sage of the Divine Eye

[Every piece of advice he gave ultimately proved to be correct, which led the emperor to recognize his ability and grant him the title of "Sage of the Divine Eye."]

"...So that’s it."

Now I understood why Jinor and Serpina had reached their conclusions.

This historical figure may have had numerous talents,

But the main reason he was called the "Sage of the Divine Eye"

Was because all his predictions turned out to be right.

That’s why, to people who had this information in mind,

I—who always gave accurate answers—

Would naturally appear to possess the same ability.

"But..."

Reika continued with a slight frown.

"There’s no actual proof that such a man ever existed. Nowadays, most historians consider him to be a mythical figure."

"Is that so?"

She nodded.

"Yes. In fact, only the title 'Sage of the Divine Eye' remains. There are no surviving records of his actual name, even though he was supposedly a key imperial strategist. That alone makes it seem more like an invented legend—possibly part of the empire’s founding mythology."

"That makes sense."

I nodded thoughtfully.

Even so—

The only reason people like Jinor and Serpina had linked me to this mythical tale

Was because another supposedly fictional concept—magic—had proven to be real.

If magic existed,

Then there was no reason the "Divine Eye" couldn't be real as well.

And given how eerily accurate their assumptions about me had been—

Perhaps I truly did possess something similar to that power.

Even if my ability wasn’t exactly "foresight"—

It did align somewhat with the idea of seeing only the final result.

With this information, I now had a way to defend myself if I was questioned again.

By leaning into this myth,

I could create a plausible explanation for my abilities.

If I did this correctly—

I would secure Serpina’s complete trust.

And once I had that—

Returning to Luna’s army would be easy.

But then...

"Would that mean lying to Serpina?"

The thought troubled me.

For a brief moment, her image flickered in my mind.

But I shook my head.

This wasn’t the time ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ to hesitate.

Not yet.

"Alright."

With this, my task was complete.

Now, it was Reika’s turn.

"Would you like to pick out a book?"

***

And several days later—

The morning of the Strategy Meeting had arrived.