Yeah, he thinks so— or at the very least he thought so, till she said it like that, something about those eyes forcing him to question himself. And prove himself. She isn't taking her eyes off him so he's not looking away first either.
"I know that," he tells her, a slight frown flickering across his face. "War's not just the biggest weapons, it's about brains. Tactics and secrets and misdirection and that. Urban planning though? You, uh, you really winning wars that way?" That's not sass, that last question; he really wants to know. What war's she winning from a professor's seat? And, is it a war against Ares? Cos she's gotta be talking about Ares, right? Brute strength and firepower, right?