My Strategist

"That concludes my explanation."

Sebas finished his thorough explanation.

Vin and I were in the room, along with Erna and Leo.

Erna and Leo looked grim, while Vin calmly took notes on Sebas's account.

After reading through the notes he'd finished compiling, Vin gave a single nod.

"This is no good at all."

He then began pointing out everything wrong with it.

I had expected Vin to say that, so I wasn't particularly surprised. I asked him a question in return.

"For reference, could you tell me what was wrong with it?"

"The opening move was the worst possible one. You chose to oppose the nobles who wanted to eliminate you. That was a bad move."

"Then what should I have done?"

Anyone can simply say no. To meet even the minimum standard for a strategist, you have to present something beyond that.

Of course, Vin had cleared that bar with ease.

"If it were me, I would have left the Azure Gull Princess's side as instructed."

"Then a flood of nobles would have descended on Fiene?"

"We should have let them. Those fools who don't even understand the difference in status between themselves and the imperial family would eventually insult the Azure Gull Princess and start fighting among themselves. If I then settled things and proved my worth, the nobles would have no choice but to keep quiet."

"Vin, that sounds to me like you should have used Fiene as bait."

Erna directed a sharp gaze at Vin.

Vin met her glare without flinching and answered.

"You're not mistaken. That's exactly what I meant."

"That's despicable... Fiene isn't a tool, you know?"

"Then is it all right for Al to stand in the line of fire? I'll have you know that this situation grew so large because Al is a member of the imperial family. If we'd used the Azure Gull Princess as bait from the start and waited for the nobles to blunder, we could have kept the confusion to a minimum."

"Waiting for the other side to make a mistake is awfully passive. What if they treated Fiene respectfully? We'd lose any reason to exclude them, and Al would simply be unable to stay by Fiene's side. Then Fiene's position would become ambiguous."

"Leo can simply stay by her side. That alone would prove that the Azure Gull Princess is in Leo's faction. It would also keep persistent nobles at bay. We could even announce her engagement to Leo."

Erna frowned at Vin's plan.

It was a strategist's plan that gave no thought to other people's feelings. If efficiency was all that mattered, it would probably have been the best option.

Unlike when we were a minor faction, we now maintained a faction of considerable size. There was little benefit to gaining allies through Fiene's popularity.

Announcing an engagement would earn the resentment of the younger nobles, but those who could truly be called Fiene's devotees would join our side.

"I've thought this for a long time, Vin, but you're not popular with women, are you?"

"What good is popularity with women? By eliminating useless things as much as possible and making the best choice, I inevitably arrive at my strategy. You, Al... surely you understood that? It's what you always did. Why didn't you push everything onto the people around you?"

"That's true... It's not that I never considered it. But I rejected it immediately in my mind."

"What was the reason?"

"...If all the nobles of the White Gull Alliance descended on Fiene at once, she would surely be frightened. It's possible that nothing would happen. But it is equally possible that something would. The mere possibility would mean exposing Fiene to danger. I promised Duke Kleinert that I would look after her. I decided I couldn't use that strategy."

If I adopted a plan that ignored Fiene as a person, Duke Kleinert would never remain silent. He would probably forcefully take her back.

That would deal a major blow to our faction.

"Well, that's only half the reason."

"What's the other half?"

"Why should I obey nobles who offered no guarantee of joining my side and were acting solely on their own desires? That was far too little to justify trading away what I have now. So I chose to oppose them."

I was sure I would regret it.

If I left Fiene's side and used her as bait for the men swarming around her, I would never be able to forgive myself.

There is no room for leniency in a struggle for the throne. There are times when you have to be utterly ruthless.

But there are also things I refuse to give up.

"Vin... Leo and I are different from the other candidates. We're determined to win the struggle for the throne. But... we don't see any value in a throne won by surrendering the things we refuse to give up."

"That's right. We're challenging the throne to protect the things that matter to us. Throwing them away would defeat the entire purpose."

"Still... I consider the fact that there were casualties a failure. They were more foolish than I could have imagined. I never thought they would challenge us to a duel in Father's presence. If they did it at all, I expected it to be after everything was over. That's why I deliberately acted provocatively. If they challenged us to a duel after the reconciliation and lost, I could have spun it any way I wanted. The fact that my provocation backfired was my mistake."

After hearing what Leo and I had to say, Vin propped his chin on his hand, looking displeased, for a while.

It was a habit of his whenever he was thinking. Vin had looked intimidating since childhood, and this habit made those around him think he was frightening.

Well, he was certainly frightening, but Vin was also intelligent.

"You soft-hearted fools."

After a long silence, Vin finally muttered just those words.

At that, Erna could no longer contain herself. She stood up and pointed at Vin.

"You've done nothing but complain! Who do you think you are?!"

"The strategist."

"You're not a strategist yet!"

"I am now."

"What? You've done nothing but complain, and now you're becoming the strategist? How convenient can you get?!"

Erna glared at Vin and spoke in a bone-chilling voice.

Scary, scary. Someone timid would probably have fainted.

But the opponent was Vin. A threat like that had no effect on him.

"Prince Erik's faction is powerful, and Prince Erik himself is capable. But the two soft-hearted twin princes don't seem likely to win against him. So it seems appropriate for me to lend a hand."

"How arrogant... Besides, you said at the start that you wanted to see what Al could do! If you object to what Al did, that means you won't acknowledge him, doesn't it?!"

"Hear me out to the end, flat-chested Hero. If you can't nourish your chest, at least nourish your brain."

"...You want to die?"

Maybe anger had driven Erna mad; with a faint smile, she began drawing her sword.

Leo restrained her as he asked Vin a question.

"Now, now... Vin. I'm curious too. What did you see in my brother that was worth taking note of?"

"...The final position. Once Her Majesty the Empress appeared, the situation had completely slipped from Al's hands. But even though he had his mother's support, he managed to reclaim the initiative and find a workable resolution. I couldn't have done that. Even the Chancellor was at a loss in that situation."

"Is that what you're lacking?"

"That's right. When an opponent goes beyond anything I imagined, I'm not good at reworking the situation on the fly. This time, the opponent was a fool beyond anything I could have imagined. And the Empress ended up acting because of that fool. You can tell from the account alone how chaotic the situation was. Creating an outcome everyone around him could accept from that chaos was Al's skill. If things had remained at a stalemate, the casualties would not have been limited to the nobles."

Vin's analysis was accurate.

If the Empress had continued to hold out, Father might have executed the nobles by force of authority in the worst-case scenario.

There was also a chance that the damage would have spread in every direction.

Including to us, of course.

When I accepted the duel while posing as Leo, I spoke of taking responsibility; if things had remained at an impasse, I might have been made to answer for it.

In that sense, my proposal at the time could be called a masterstroke. Even if I do say so myself.

"I see. Brother is quick-witted, after all."

"That quick wit of yours can be a liability, too. Al, from now on, refrain from switching places with Leo."

"I know. I probably shouldn't use it anymore."

"Because a trick that has been exposed can't be used again?"

"That too, but switching places too often breeds suspicion. Suspicion erodes both trust and loyalty. Even so, you used it because you wanted to make others believe that you were incompetent while Leo was a prince who could do anything, didn't you?"

"It's easier to operate when people underestimate me."

"If that's what you want, then you can maintain that stance. But you no longer need to force yourself to improve Leo's reputation. I'll take care of that role for you."

With that, Vin stood up.

He looked back and forth between Leo and me, then quietly said,

"This knee... I don't intend to offer it so cheaply."

"Of course. I understand."

"I see... Can you promise me that someday you'll become like Crown Prince Wilhelm? It was my wish to serve under that man."

"I may lack talent, but I swear I'll do my best."

Hearing those words, Vin quietly knelt.

And then.

"I, Winfried Trales, swear to serve His Highness Leonart. From this moment on, I will stake everything as your strategist. I will support your path to the throne with my wisdom."

"Yes, I'm counting on you, my strategist, Vin."

Thus, Leo finally gained the strategist he'd been longing for.