Another Strategist

Raelan explained in a lower voice than usual how he had deduced that I knew future information.

,You reacted as if Roel losing his arm was impossible. You also thought that if the Demon King died, the world would be saved. But because of that, when combined with the clue that you came from another world, a huge contradiction arose.

“…Contradiction?”

,Since you’re Roel’s younger brother by one year, you must have entered the academy at the age of twenty. Since you said you were twenty, it’s confirmed that you’re a first-year student at Transcendence. And since you think it’s December, unlike the flow here, you didn’t die at Roel’s hands in July.

Raelan raised one eyebrow. As if asking if I understood up to this point, I nodded slightly, and with a faint sigh, he continued his explanation in a low voice.

,That’s the decisive contradiction. If you think about it from the point of view that you’re a first-year, there are things that can’t be explained. At a time when no one knew that the eastern border would collapse in a few years and the Demon King would descend on the continent, you thought that killing the Demon King would save the world. And you think it’s impossible for Roel to lose his arm in the fight against the Demon King. You’ve never even met the Demon King before.

It was an undeniable truth, but I felt like arguing against Raelan’s confident voice for no reason.

,What if I answered that I knew because the flow of time is different here?

At my question, Raelan snorted loudly as if telling me not to talk nonsense.

,Even if you think that the Demon King descended earlier than expected in your world because the flow of time is different, it doesn’t explain your contradiction.

“…How are you so sure?”

At my question, Raelan’s eyes gleamed. He looked like a viper with a delicious young mouse in front of him.

,If you add the assumption that you knew what would happen in the future to all your contradictions, everything is explained.

Those words felt like they were piercing my lungs. I was even afraid of Raelan, who could figure out what kind of life I had lived with a casual conversation. I had never been this nervous even when talking to Eunice, who was also a strategist, but it seemed like Raelan could manipulate me as he wanted without me even noticing if he put his mind to it.

Perhaps because I was so nervous, I took the strength out of my stiff shoulders, and Raelan, who was staring at me as if observing me, twisted one corner of his mouth.

,You already knew at that point that the Demon King would descend on the continent, and that Roel would eventually win in the fight against the Demon King… Because you knew what would happen in the future. That’s why you couldn’t help but be so flustered when you heard that Roel, who killed the Demon King, had lost his arm and that the world would soon be destroyed.

After finishing speaking, Raelan leaned his upper body and brought his face close to mine. He looked confident, without even doubting that his thoughts were wrong.

A person who blindly believes in himself cannot respond to unexpected variables. The Raelan I know is not the type to show such a hasty and confident appearance. Raelan always maintained his composure and kept a poker face that made it impossible to guess what he was thinking.

The current Raelan is deliberately revealing his emotions on his face so that I can see them. As if he read the suspicion in my eyes, Raelan chuckled.

,Judging by the fact that you think my reaction is strange, it seems we had some kind of relationship in your world. Just in case you, being the dumbass you are, misunderstand, let me tell you that the reason I can be so sure is because of your answer to my question. Do you know what it is?

At Raelan’s attitude, which was like a professor giving homework to a student, I silently recalled the conversation from earlier. And soon I realized. When I used the space warehouse, the question Raelan asked me was not simple. It was a trap with bait laid to see if I knew future information.

In December of the first year, the magic book of Patouga should have been forgotten in the world and hidden in a cave. But Raelan didn’t miss the contradiction that I had it.

Raelan, who had pointed out the contradiction, deliberately said it was Rosalyn’s magic to me, who had used the space warehouse. Raelan concluded that the fact that I didn’t react suspiciously to that and readily admitted it meant that the fact that the magician of Patouga was in my hands was not a simple coincidence, but a result of me knowing in advance the magic that Rosalyn would use in the future and preempting it.

,The fact that you answered so casually to the question of whether you had obtained Rosalyn’s magic gave me confidence.

At my answer, Raelan looked genuinely relieved.

,Fortunately, you weren’t a complete dumbass. The very fact that you knew it was Rosalyn’s magic at that point was proof that you knew the future.

At this point, I have no choice but to admit it. Raelan is a type of opponent I have never met before. He is a strategist with a different perspective than Eunice, who reads the situation. It’s disgustingly creepy, but… if I could bring him to my side, he could be a great help.

But the reason I didn’t recruit Raelan as a colleague was because his madness was a double-edged sword. If Raelan betrayed me, it would be so fatal that I would lose everything. That’s why I recruited Eunice as an alternative.

But the fact that Raelan was proving his competence made me greedy. I had obtained Gongmyeong, but it’s human nature to want to obtain Pangtong as well.

“…Why did you raise my guard with an explanation that you didn’t have to give?”

There was no way I wouldn’t know the reason he was trying to prove his usefulness to me, but I deliberately pretended not to know and asked warily. Since I was the one who had what the other person wanted, I was the one who could take the upper hand. Raelan, who was as quick as a ghost, read my intentions and burst into laughter.

,Keuheuheu, you sly bastard. It’s fun because you have a different flavor than my kind-hearted liege.

Raelan gave a bitter smile and returned his upper body, which he had leaned towards me. Then he walked around the room and said.

,I realized that the moment to change lieges has come.

I frowned at Raelan’s appearance, as he casually said that he would betray Roel and stick with me.

,Are you saying you’re going to betray Roel now?

At my question, Raelan stopped walking and shrugged his shoulders with an expression as if it was nothing.

,The reason I served Roel as my liege was because I thought he was the strongest card to save the world. But the world is about to be destroyed. You can’t stop it. The game has been broken so that no more moves will work.

Raelan stared at me with brown eyes flickering with madness and asked.

,If you lose with the strongest card, isn’t it natural to choose a joker who has a chance to turn the tables?

“….”

,And it’s more accurate to say that I’m investing elsewhere than to say I’m betraying him. Just because I call Roel my liege doesn’t mean I have any loyalty that I didn’t have before.

I was dumbfounded by Raelan’s appearance as he chuckled and asked.

,Even if you become my ally, how can I trust someone who has betrayed me once?

At my question, Raelan burst into laughter with a dumbfounded expression. When I looked at him with a serious expression, Raelan looked at me with a face that he couldn’t understand.

,My new liege is unpredictable. If you were simply unintelligent and stupid, I could at least predict you. Keuheuheu.

Raelan, who had been laughing for a long time, rubbed his cheek and came to my side, sitting on the edge of the bed.

,I risked everything and tried to turn the situation around. All the survivors gathered and joined forces, but they couldn’t stop the predetermined destruction. In that situation of certain defeat, you are the only existence who can turn the tables, so do you think I would choose betrayal? Especially against you, who can read the future and cross over to another world…?

Certainly, Raelan, who is a strategist who acts based on rational judgment, didn’t seem like he would betray me. Since I was the only number he could choose, he was telling me everything without hiding anything.

,Then what do you want from me?

,It’s simple. When you go back, I want you to take me with you. If that’s not possible, then the condition is to recruit the Raelan of your world.

Then there would be two Raelans in my world…? I don’t know what would happen if they met. But if I rejected this offer, it was obvious that Raelan would immediately take action against me. He’s not the kind of person who would miss the last opportunity that’s right in front of his eyes.

Should I just take Roel and the Coordinator with me since things have come to this? Even though he’s an amputee, he’s the future Roel who’s strong enough to kill the Demon King. He’ll definitely be able to beat the Order of the Templars easily.

When I said that, Raelan shook his head with a serious expression. I was taken aback because I thought he would definitely agree with my opinion.

,If it’s the Coordinator, he would definitely help increase our power… but Roel is not okay.

Raelan is not stupid enough to reject Roel just because he betrayed him. There must be another reason.

“…Roel would definitely be a big help if he was there. What’s the reason you’re against it?”

At my question, Raelan looked at me with a strange expression. Raelan, who had fixed his gaze on me and was lost in thought for a moment, finally opened his mouth.

,Like you, there is an inexplicable contradiction in Roel.