As soon as I stood before Farfalle, a message suddenly appeared before my eyes!
[Which command would you like to choose?]
And various 1:1 debate commands floated before my eyes, and I crush my opponent with a command imbued with Intelligence 100—
----Of course, no such development occurred.
If that were going to happen, a status window would have appeared when I first arrived here.
In the game, Intelligence was the most important stat in one-on-one debates.
Just as a general with high Strength would slaughter one with lower Strength in a one-on-one battle, the basic mechanism of debates wasn't about the logic itself but about a general with high Intelligence sending their opponent on a sightseeing tour via tour bus.
After all, the game itself wasn't designed with such intricate detail; it was fundamentally a simple classic game.
However, now that the game world had become reality, my high Intelligence stat wouldn't make my opponent's health bar decrease while they trembled and said things like "Hmm, I see your point..." just because I used commands with favorable matchups.
I had to genuinely persuade my opponent.
So what I needed to utilize wasn't my Intelligence stat.
It was the truth that only I could know—the rules of this world that I'd learned during my 10,000 hours of gameplay.
And striking at the right moment when they'd wonder, "How could they possibly know this?"
Those were the two points where I needed to make my stand.
Those two were my weapons.
This wasn't the Lunarienne army.
There was no one here who would readily accept my assertions that might sound like Luna's stubborn insistence.
For my story to sound plausible, I had to demonstrate knowledge of things they thought I couldn't possibly know.
'I need to create an opportunity.'
At that moment, Farfalle looked at me and spoke in a gentle tone.
"Please, feel free to speak first."
I nodded lightly to Farfalle, who had yielded the first move, and began to speak.
"At this point, invading the Aishers army isn't the best approach."
"May I hear your reasoning?"
"Before I explain my reasons, I would rather ask something of you, Farfalle—and if I may be so bold, of our noble Lord as well."
As I spoke, I looked past Farfalle's shoulder—
At Lynn, who sat on the throne, watching us with an interested expression.
She was smiling. Fortunately, she didn't seem displeased.
In that case, I could proceed.
"Why haven't you invaded the eastern Aishers army until now?"
"...I'll answer that. Because the opportunity hasn't presented itself."
"Opportunity, you say?"
"As you know, the Aishers army possesses power that cannot be ignored. Though their territory is small, they have many talented generals and maintain a considerable number of soldiers befitting the population residing in the fertile lands of Balhart. No matter how small their territory may be, for our army to attack them decisively, we would have to accept the risk of endangering our other fronts."
I nodded at her words.
"Yes, I completely agree with your assessment, Farfalle. But that's precisely why I must ask: why are you now advocating for an invasion of Balhart Castle?"
"Because when the Aishers army attacks the Alepel army, there will inevitably be gaps in their defenses."
"Is that the only reason? I believe the Aishers army has sufficient capacity to both attack the Alepel army and fend off our forces."
"I wouldn't have proposed it if that were the only reason."
In response to my probing question, she answered with barely concealed confidence.
"...It relates to what I mentioned earlier. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity has presented itself to us."
An opportunity has presented itself.
In other words, without this opportunity, an invasion would be unreasonable.
And in the current situation, there could only be one thing that would constitute an opportunity: additional external intervention.
Hearing this, I turned my thoughts inward.
Irene had mentioned that the Charam army had come here to present money.
In this game, when someone just gives money, there's a 99% chance it's to use the [Betrayal] stratagem.
Though this wasn't a prediction made with Intelligence 100—it was something I knew from playing the game for 10,000 hours.
"Once our course of action is decided, I plan to brief everyone, including our Lord, about the situation... but I cannot speak precisely about it yet."
Her additional comment added credibility to my speculation.
Of course she couldn't talk about it now. How could she say "The Charam army has agreed to attack the Aishers army from behind" in front of all these people?
She was the strategist of the Brands army. Even with such vague explanations, she would naturally gain trust based on the results she had shown and proven so far.
Just like how Kein and Tifa had gradually begun to trust my abilities during my time with the Lunarienne army.
Moreover, since she clearly stated that she would explain her plans once they were finalized, she would seem much more trustworthy to the audience than someone like me who had to ask them to trust me while serving under Luna.
In that case.
The person I needed to shake up now wasn't the audience or Lynn.
It was the purple-haired strategist standing before me, Farfalle, the architect of this plan.
I deliberately put on an expression suggesting I knew something.
Confidently, as if I possessed some grand strategy.
With a slight curl of my lips and in the most relaxed voice I could manage.
"Farfalle, are you perhaps thinking of a joint attack?"
"A joint attack?"
"Specifically... I'm asking if you've considered forming a secret agreement with the Charam army for a simultaneous attack."
"...!!"
Good.
I didn't miss it.
I could see her pupils contract momentarily.
She quickly regained her composure, but I definitely caught it.
The moment of surprise when she heard my words.
'That's it.'
Well, there wasn't much else it could be.
I continued speaking assertively.
"If that's the case, I must insist even more strongly that we should not proceed with the invasion. Charam Masakuru, the ruler of the Charam army, is not a particularly trustworthy person. If they were the ones who proposed this plan first, I believe there's a high possibility that this is a trap aimed at our Brands army."
"..."
This time, Lynn, who stood behind Farfalle, nodded with interest.
She seemed to be focusing intently on my words.
"Let me ask one more thing. Did you also receive the information that the Aishers army will attack the Alepel army from the Charam army?"
"..."
"If so, it would be correct to assume that the Alepel army is also in on this."
After a moment of silence, she finally parted her heavy lips.
"You speak quite assertively."
Farfalle said this, then intensified her gaze upon me.
It seemed she was surprised that I had seen through her thoughts.
"While I cannot speak precisely yet... both the Charam army and the Alepel army are not on good terms with the Aishers army. This is something anyone involved in central politics would know without difficulty. Of course, Swen, you might not be aware of this since you haven't been with the Brands army for long. The assumption that they would conspire together to deceive us lacks plausibility."
She was trying to provoke me clumsily, but it wouldn't work.
Come to think of it, in the game, Intelligence 100 was immune to the [Provocation] keyword. That idle thought made the corners of my mouth curl up naturally.
"Farfalle, I apologize for saying this, but we shouldn't place too much faith in what seems like easily obtainable information for the Brands army, which is ultimately a third party, no matter how adjacent we may be."
"Pfft."
Lynn laughed behind me after hearing my words.
Farfalle maintained her composure despite Lynn's reaction and spoke calmly.
"I understand your point, Swen. Indeed, Charam Masakuru, and by extension Alepel Jaramka, are not particularly trustworthy individuals. But precisely because of that, it's reasonable to believe they won't betray us."
"May I hear your reasoning?"
"..."
She took a deep breath before speaking.
"Assuming, as you suggest, that we are in communication with the Charam army, their primary goal is to maintain their territory as it is. They are men without ambition who are content as long as their own power is recognized. The characteristic of such individuals is that they can become the most reliable allies if you can properly give them what they want."
In other words, she was saying, 'If we guarantee their safety, they'll follow orders meticulously, so this can't be a scheme.'
"In contrast, Baranga Yuuri Aishers, the leader of the Aishers army, is not only capable but also ambitious. From her perspective, acquiring the territories of the Charam and Alepel armies would essentially provide her with the foundation to make her name known throughout the continent. Given this, I don't believe that petty rulers who desire the status quo would cooperate with her. They're not foolish enough to help a woman who is constantly eyeing their castles."
While it sounded plausible at first glance—
Upon closer examination, there were quite a few holes to poke.
Perhaps she was flustered because I had seen through her scheme?
Well.
I didn't come here to work passionately like I did in the Lunarienne army.
Though I felt a bit sorry for her, I decided to pick apart her argument.
"That's precisely the point, Farfalle."
"What? What do you mean...?"
"Baranga Yuuri Aishers is an excellent ruler. Have you considered why the Charam and Alepel armies still exist on the continent?"
"T-that's..."
Good. She's flustered.
I pressed on more forcefully.
"You can think about it simply. Imagine if you were Baranga Yuuri Aishers. Before facing a powerful neighboring nation like the Brands army, wouldn't you first consolidate your foundation by dealing with the weaker nations?"
Farfalle didn't say anything, but she seemed to agree with my point.
After all, she bit her lip for the first time, looking vexed.
But she was a smart woman. So rather than giving her time to think, it was the right choice to press further here.
After all, to persuade the people watching this debate, showing that I 'seemed to have the upper hand' was as much a debate strategy as actually having it.
"So why didn't she do that? If we assume she's not a foolish woman, there must be a reason, wouldn't you agree?"
"A reason... do you have some idea?"
"I have some suspicions, yes."
Of course, that's a lie.
But there was no need to reveal my hand by saying, "I don't know."
"Then please tell us your reasoning."
"Farfalle, please recall what you said earlier. Didn't you yourself say, 'I cannot speak precisely about it yet'? I believe there's a reason you said that. The same applies to me."
"..."
Just as you have things you're hiding, I have the right to hide things too.
Understanding what I was getting at, Farfalle fell into thought for a moment—
Then she questioned me.
"Let's assume, for the sake of argument, that you're correct. Let's say that the proposal for a secret joint attack is some kind of scheme, and we're being deceived. Wouldn't this be a perfect opportunity to turn the tables and strike the Aishers army from behind? We've essentially discovered the plot in advance. If that's the argument you're making, I would agree. However."
Her voice became clearer.
I felt that she was finally addressing me sincerely.
"Your opinion isn't 'let's turn the scheme to our advantage.' The opinion you endorsed—Irene's opinion—is to send troops to the north to strengthen our defenses. Do you still maintain that position?"
"..."
Come to think of it, that's right.
I came up here to push for Irene's opinion.
Is she touching on this topic because she feels she's losing ground on the previous subject?
It seems her position as strategist wasn't obtained without merit.
I couldn't rely on the power of prediction, and they wouldn't blindly trust me like Luna did, so I had to somehow manage with rhetoric...
But Intelligence 100 had only said it was "nearly correct," not that it was the most efficient method.
In fact, what's the difference between "that's right" and "nearly correct"?
'Is it that the action itself is correct... but the conclusion is different?'
It's not the answer, but an opinion that's somewhat close to the answer.
The fact that a mechanism that only makes 100% correct predictions gives an answer like "nearly correct" clearly reveals one fact.
It meant that Farfalle's "turning the scheme to our advantage" wasn't such a good method.
If it were, when asked about Farfalle's opinion rather than Irene's, it would have said "nearly correct."
Since it's an action related to the Aishers army.
To summarize, "using 56,000 troops to do something with the Aishers army" itself was far from the most efficient method.
That leaves Irene's opinion.
I apply the same logic here.
'The action itself is correct, but the conclusion is different.'
Here, the phrase [nearly correct] appeared.
'So, sending troops to the north... itself is correct?'
It was more plausible to judge that "sending troops" rather than "defense" was correct.
It was difficult even for me to argue against the opinion that defense itself wasn't necessary yet.
So let's say that sending troops is the correct conclusion.
There were only two things that could be done by sending troops.
Either strengthen the castle's defenses.
Or gather them for an attack.
And—
'...!'
As soon as I realized this, cold sweat ran down my spine.
It's close to a deduction based on my reasoning, but if so...
'If saying "let's strengthen our defenses" isn't the answer but close to it, then the answer is...!'
The compass's result was unexpected.
But I know this compass speaks the truth.
I slowly opened my mouth.
"...We need to send troops to the north. I still agree with that opinion. However—"
"Then you're advocating for defense? I have much to say about this as well. First, including the forces already building fortifications, the number of troops in the north is currently—"
"Farfalle, please forgive my rudeness. I just wanted to point out that I haven't finished speaking yet."
Though I interrupted her, Farfalle nodded, perhaps acknowledging that she had interrupted me first.
"...I apologize. I seem to have gotten a bit excited. Please continue with your opinion."
"It's correct that we should send troops to the north. However, we shouldn't focus solely on defense. No, sending troops merely for defense is not enough."
"...Pardon?"
My words surprised Farfalle.
Lynn, who had been watching the debate with a relaxed expression, was also surprised.
The ministers within earshot were all surprised.
And... even Irene, the originator of this policy, was surprised.
But.
When you exclude all the "incorrect answers" based on prediction, what remains.
No matter how absurd it might seem, that's the answer.
Beyond the logic of how it could be possible, the shining answer predicted by Intelligence 100.
I confronted her once more with that absolute "answer" as my weapon.
"We should gather troops in the north and invade the territory of the Serphina army."