Since that day, I had officially taken on the role of advising Lin.

There were no particular commands assigned to me—I would simply provide counsel whenever she summoned me to the royal castle.

Since Parfalé, the national strategist, was still occupied managing the situation in the east, calling me instead was a logical decision on Lin’s part.

As for me, I simply followed what my 100 Intelligence dictated, giving her the best advice I could.

For now, I needed her to trust me—at least to some extent.

"Sven, I have three idle personnel. What should I have them do?"

"There are likely still a few hidden talents around Arnel Castle and this territory. Conduct a search, and you may find something valuable."

The results of the search?

A B-rank general who had yet to make a name for himself and a treasure worth 2,000 gold were discovered.

"I’m thinking of cleaning up the western region soon. I plan to invade Garammil’s forces. What do you think?"

"It’s not time yet. It would be better to strengthen the defensive lines on the border and gather more troops first."

"…Really?"

A few days later, I heard the news— Brans forces had mobilized 30,000 troops westward to attack Garammil's forces near Zeilant Castle… and lost.

An unexpected outbreak of disease had ravaged their ranks, completely crushing their morale.

On top of that, they failed to breach the fortress walls of Garammil, whose soldiers were desperately holding out for their lives.

Clearly, Lin had ignored my advice and attacked anyway.

But that was fine.

This outcome was actually convenient for me.

The more my words proved accurate in hindsight, the more she would start to trust them instinctively.

"…Sven. It looks like you were right again."

"I merely suggested reinforcing our defensive lines. There’s no need to overestimate me. This was simply a case of bad luck leading to defeat."

"Then I suppose we should hold our ground for now? Our troops’ morale is already low, and pulling additional forces from the border seems unwise."

"No, not at all. You should reorganize and attack immediately. This time, you will succeed."

"…."

And then, just a few days later—

Brans forces broke through the fortress walls and captured Hoero Castle, wiping Garammil’s army from history altogether.

"…We won. Just like you said."

Seeing Lin’s subtle unease despite the victorious news, I continued my act.

"The soldiers of Garammil’s forces never truly believed they had won last time. From their perspective, Brans’ defeat was merely due to the unexpected outbreak of disease. So even though they repelled us once, their morale wouldn’t have soared."

"And then, just as they started to believe things had settled down… Brans' forces returned in full strength. At that point, their morale must have crumbled. No matter how many times they fought, the future remained bleak for them—it was an inevitable realization."

I bowed slightly as I concluded my explanation.

"It wasn’t that my words dictated this outcome. You simply struck at the perfect moment when the enemy’s morale was at its lowest. All of this was possible thanks to your decisive leadership, Lin."

Of course, all that talk about morale was just meaningless embellishment.

The only thing I truly knew was that the first invasion would fail, and the second would succeed.

And yet, my predictions had been right again.

That alone was more than enough to leave an impact on her mind.

During my free time, I deliberately ventured into a cave outside the territory to "meditate."

I left two guards stationed at the entrance, ensuring that no one would disturb me.

The goal? To craft a very specific image: "Sven has a secluded place where he meditates alone, without disturbance."

For several days, I continued supporting Lin in this manner.

Then, one day, she asked me—@@novelbin@@

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