["...You want to ask a question?"]
["Yes."]
That’s right.
A thod I had never asked anyone to use before—one that, if successfully established, would make practically invincible.
That thod was simply having others continuously ask questions.
The core of my 100 Intelligence ability was that my words were always correct.
No matter how convoluted the path beca, no matter if a natural disaster struck, everything would always unfold as I predicted. That absolute rule was unchanging.
At a glance, this seed like an unprecedented cheat ability—but it ca with several very tricky conditions.
And among them, the most troubleso was, without a doubt: I could only make predictions if soone asked a question.
In the ga, when players consulted a strategist, they always had to propose a strategy first and then ask for confirmation.
The strategist's intelligence stat determined whether their answer was correct or not. If their intelligence was 100, they would always provide the right answer.
The fact that I needed soone else to ask before I could answer was clearly modeled after that system.
After all, this world was the ga’s world.
But outright telling soone, "Please ask questions constantly," wasn’t a viable solution.
First, explaining the chanics of my ability was beyond difficult.
If I randomly told soone, "Just ask what to do," the best I could hope for was being seen as a lunatic.
Even if I convinced soone to do it, I’d have to prove my words were always right. And even if I did, they could still dismiss it as re coincidence.
However—
Serpina was, without a doubt, the perfect person to ask for this favor.
She trusted imnsely.
She was also the one who had co closest to deducing my true ability through her own reasoning.
And most importantly, she was soone who could rationalize my ridiculous power in a way that made sense.
If it was her—
Wouldn’t she realize it?
Wouldn’t she sense that I needed her to ask questions... and help without saying a word?
Serpina held my gaze for a long ti, deep in thought—
Then, at last, she spoke in a serious tone.
["...Do you believe it is right for us to leave the rebellion in Linenheit Castle alone instead of suppressing it?"]
‘Yes!’
She had successfully grasped the essence of my request.
I quickly input her question.
‘Is it the right decision for our forces to leave the rebellion in Linenheit Castle unchecked?’
[The fate of the unified empire will arrive.]
‘The answer hasn’t changed.’
Another puzzle piece clicked into place.
Whether we suppressed the rebellion or not—
It had no effect on Serpina’s fate.
The result was the sa either way.
Which ant, if I wanted to prevent Serpina’s death, I had to approach it from a different angle.
I recalled the first question I had asked.
If taking the castle itself didn’t matter, then the only remaining variable was... the dispatch of troops.
And since Serpina was destined to die, whatever happened must be directly related to her.
["My lord."]
["...Yes. What question should I ask next?"]
She was quick to understand.
That was a blessing—but I had to be careful.
I needed to co up with a plausible explanation to wrap around this situation.
And before anything else—
I needed a new question.
["This ti, please ask: 'Would it be an effective decision for Serpina to personally lead the troops to Linenheit Castle?'"]
["You an, is it right for to personally take command of the forces heading to Linenheit Castle?"]
The wording wasn’t identical, but as long as the aning remained intact, the outco would be the sa.
I quickly input the question.
And then—
[No.]
At last—
I found the answer I was looking for.
‘...This is it.’
The conclusion was clear.
It was not an effective decision for Serpina to personally lead the troops.
That answer alone wasn’t enough to explain why—
But I already understood the reason.
If Serpina died, her kingdom—the Serpina Army—would beco the foundation of the unified empire.
That was what "The fate of the unified empire will arrive" ant.
But if Serpina survived, that fate would remain with Luna.
Every prediction I made was centered around the nation I belonged to.
And right now, I was a general under Serpina’s rule.
So naturally, missing the greatest opportunity in history would be considered inefficient from this country’s perspective.
Which ant—
["My lord."]
If I wanted to save her once again—
["This ti, it would be the correct decision for you to personally march to General Airen’s side."]
I had to convince her.
["...And what is your reasoning?"]
["I have sothing I must tell you."]
I lowered my head briefly, then t her golden eyes.
["Please understand that I do not an to offend you, my lord. But—please listen carefully."]
Serpina’s expression did not waver.
She waited.
So, I told her the truth.
["Do you rember our previous conversation?"]
I took a slow breath.
["...You were right."]
["...What do you an?"]
["I can determine the most rational decision—the one with the greatest certainty of success."]
The mont those words left my lips—
Serpina’s golden eyes widened.
"!!!!!!"
Her pupils shrank sharply.
A ans to explain this absurd ability.
Under normal circumstances, such a thing should not exist—
But if there was any fortune on my side, it was the fact that she was a woman of the Eingart royal family.
["I possess sothing called 'Insight.'"]
["...What?"]
["By closing my eyes and focusing on the question I am asked... I can derive the most efficient answer. This 'Insight' is the ability I have been keeping hidden all this ti."]
The final condition needed to wrap all my ridiculous abilities into sothing believable.
That was this keyword—‘Insight.’
Of course, I had to prepare a safeguard as well.
["Of course, not all questions can be answered, and sotis the results are unclear depending on the situation, my physical condition, the movent of the stars, or even the weather. However... in most cases, I can reach a conclusion that is nearly 100% accurate."]
I made sure to deliberately leave room for loopholes.
Both Jinor and Serpina had co close to deducing my ability because they were familiar with the legend of strategists possessing 'Insight.'
Of course, that was just a myth.
Under normal circumstances, people would have dismissed such claims as utter nonsense.
But things had changed.
Ever since I was mistaken for summoning a teor, the existence of mages—a concept previously confined to legends—had begun to spread across the continent.
It wasn’t just that.
When Reika and I destroyed a fortress wall, countless people had witnessed it.
Yes.
Mages existed.
Reika herself—who always greeted with a smile whenever I returned ho—was proof of that.
A select few, including Jinor and myself, knew this fact.
Even during the rebellion, when I used magic while rescuing Janis, it was impossible to prevent even a single person from leaking that information.
So, at this point, it was safe to assu that the continent was slowly beginning to accept the existence of mages.
And in a world where one legend had proven to be real—
It was the perfect ti for another legend to take root.
It was ironic.
In the end, I had created this situation.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
Or rather, the 100% accuracy of my predictions had led everything down this path.
Had I foreseen all of this from the very beginning?
Or had my small predictions simply accumulated until they naturally reached this outco?
I had no way of knowing.
But—
["So please, listen to , my lord. This is the best possible path for our forces."]
At the very least, I was confident that I could convince Serpina, who already had her own suspicions.
Serpina remained silent.
She simply stared at , her expression as still as ice—
And then, carefully, she parted her lips.
["...Did you know?"]
["Pardon?"]
["Does General Airen... also know about this ability of yours?"]
The question felt slightly out of place given the situation.
But it wasn’t sothing I couldn’t answer.
["Lady Airen does not know."]
I t her gaze and continued.
["You are the first person I have told."]
["...I see."]
She fell into silence.
And then—
Her voice trembled.
["Why?"]
["...What?"]
["Why...?"]
Her tone was strangely unfamiliar.
She always spoke in the grand language of a sovereign—
But now, she was speaking as though she were simply a person—asking another person a question.
It felt... personal.
["Why did you tell sothing you wouldn’t even share with General Airen, soone you hold dear?"]
I froze.
Now that she had said it—
What had I been thinking?
Even with all my precautions, revealing such an outrageous ability was undeniably dangerous.
At worst, she could have locked away and forced to answer endless questions.
I had no power to resist.
So why had I taken this risk?
For the sake of my true lord, Luna, and her destiny to unify the continent?
'...No.'
I needed to be honest with myself.
That wasn’t the only reason.
If that were the only reason, I wouldn’t have needed to reveal my ability at all.
The truth was—
I just wanted to save her.
I didn’t want her to die.
Setting aside all logic and calculations—
That single thought shone brighter than anything else.
["My lord—no, Serpina."]
I slowly spoke from the depths of my heart.
["I wanted to save you."]
"!!!"
["That is all."]
The mont the words left my lips, I felt sothing ignite in my chest.
It was the first ti I had ever experienced such a sensation.
What was this feeling?
As I gazed at Serpina—her face flushed, her body trembling as she stared back at —
I was overco by an emotion I could not understand.
["..."]
Serpina said nothing.
She rely stared at , lost in thought.
And then—
Slowly, she turned away.
["...You are saying I must personally lead the march?"]
["Yes, my lord."]
["Very well."]
She exhaled softly—
And then—
["Swen. I will follow your judgnt. However—"]
She turned back toward .
The faint scent of citrus from her presence seed to soothe the heat burning within my chest.
["You will have to [N O V E L I G H T] tell more in detail later."]
["...What do you an?"]
["Everything."]
Her cheeks tinged slightly red.
And then—
She smiled.
A soft, delicate curve—like a crescent moon.
["You will have to tell everything, Swen."]
Ah.
That smile.
For a brief mont, my mind flashed back—
To that dream.
To the way she had smiled at so tenderly.
It was the sa smile.
Not the commanding, regal expression of an absolute ruler—
But the genuine, joyful smile of an ordinary girl standing in a field of flowers.
'You have a beautiful smile... it would be nice if you could always smile like this.'
It was an impossibly sentintal thought for soone who had just exposed a part of their hidden ability.
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