Wasn’t This Supposed To Be a Strategy Game? Chapter 29

“You walked through the door. It was open.”

Hagenti’s detached voice made it sound as if he were talking about someone else’s house, rather than his own.

Eden was even more dumbfounded.

“What? You left the door open?”

“…….”

“Are you crazy? What if an intruder walks in?”

At that, Hagenti slowly turned his gaze toward her.

The look in his eyes was precisely the kind of look one would give an intruder.

Eden felt her ears grow hot.

No, but I’m not an intruder…

She was about to defend herself when Hagenti spoke again.

“I’ll just kill them.”

His calm, indifferent voice sent a shiver down Eden’s spine.

‘This guy… is seriously dangerous.’

Yet, something was off about Hagenti’s attitude.

Despite casually mentioning murder, he didn’t emit any killing intent.

And despite having an uninvited guest in his home twice, he showed neither anger nor displeasure.

Even when he asked who she was, there was no curiosity or suspicion in his voice.

It was as if he truly felt nothing at all.

“You shouldn’t just kill people so easily,” Eden said, keeping her tone firm while frantically thinking of a plan.

Serman could return at any moment—she needed to finish her business and leave.

But no matter how hard she thought, she couldn’t come up with a good strategy.

Eventually, she decided to confront the issue head-on.

“By the way, you weren’t actually trying to kill yourself yesterday, were you?”

Eden casually threw out the question, pretending it was no big deal.

For the first time, Hagenti’s gaze darkened slightly.

‘Shit.’

The look in his eyes made Eden immediately regret asking.

“If you don’t want to answer, you don’t have t—”

“I was.”

Hagenti’s voice remained flat, as if he were talking about the weather.

Eden’s heart pounded in response.

“……Why?”

If she could figure out why he wanted to die, maybe she could find a way to stop his rampage.

Hagenti stared at her for a long moment before answering.

“Because I’m bored.”

His voice was quiet, as if laced with a tired sigh.

Eden, who had been hoping for a deeper reason, was left utterly speechless.

‘Because he’s bored?’

Bored of what?

Living?

Being alone?

If that was the reason, how the hell was she supposed to fix it?

While Eden was panicking, a familiar notification sound echoed in her ears.

Ding!

『【!】 Main Quest:
The Grand Mage Hagenti has spent 50 years locked inside his castle.
Make Hagenti leave his castle.』

“…What?”

Eden frowned at the quest window, her eyes narrowing.

Hagenti, noticing her gaze flicker to the empty air, subtly glanced at his own side—as if expecting to see something there.

Of course, he couldn’t see the quest window.

“…….”

Reading the quest description, Eden was hit with a realization.

‘So… even discovering Hagenti through Serman’s office was part of the game?’

That meant her grand plan to uncover hidden content had been pointless.

She was still trapped inside the developer’s carefully designed game mechanics.

Everything—the fact that Hagenti was here, the fact that he had tried to kill himself—was all scripted from the start.

That realization pissed her off.

‘Fine. I’ll break the damn system myself.’

Eden tore her gaze away from the quest window and looked directly at Hagenti.

“My name is Eden Lilliettet.”

Hagenti’s gray eyes remained steady on her.

“Remember that.”

“…….”

“I will come back for you.”

Eden suddenly grabbed the front of his robe, pulling him close.

Their faces were just inches apart, their breaths mixing in the silence.

“Don’t die. Wait for me.”

Hagenti didn’t respond, but he also didn’t look away from her determined gaze.

***

Eden had no choice but to leave Hagenti behind and return to the cathedral.

She had half-hoped he would follow her, curious about where she disappeared to, allowing her to complete the quest easily.

But Hagenti simply stood there, watching her until she vanished.

Her plan failed spectacularly.

Luckily, Serman still hadn’t returned, meaning she had once again managed to sneak back undetected.

But next time, she might not be so lucky.

Though she had boldly told Hagenti to wait, the truth was—she had no idea what to do next.

She didn’t know how to prevent his rampage.

She didn’t know how to make him leave his castle.

And she had no time to figure it out.

The expedition to the Western Border was approaching fast.

‘At least thirty monsters are going to spawn, right?’

When she played the game on her phone, she had gone on expeditions to grind levels before.

But in the game, traveling west was just a click away.

Fighting monsters only required tapping the attack button repeatedly.

Now?

Now, she was stuck inside the game for real.

The memory of the monsters from the Founding Banquet made her shiver.

“I won’t die… right?”

Lying on her bed, Eden stared at the ceiling, unable to sleep.

Beside her, she could hear Rita’s familiar snores.

“If only I had more teleportation scrolls…”

Then, suddenly, something clicked in her mind.

“Wait… the rewards!”

Eden bolted upright in bed.

“Ah—!”

She nearly shouted out loud before slapping her own hand over her mouth.

She glanced at Rita, worried she had woken her.

Rita’s eyebrow twitched, but she didn’t wake up.

Instead, she snored softly again.

Eden exhaled in relief—then grinned mischievously.

Time to claim her reward.

 

Eden held her breath as she quietly sat up in bed and whispered,

“Achievement window.”

Immediately, the forgotten achievement screen popped up before her.

“This function is seriously convenient.”

『【★】Main Quest Completed!

You have saved Asmun from Kyris’s scheme!

Choose your reward:

<Prophecy Book / Item / Stat Boost>』

This achievement reward was given for saving Asmun.

The fact that she had completely forgotten about it was almost a disaster.

Any sleepiness she had felt earlier vanished, and she fell into deep contemplation.

“What should I choose?”

Based on her experience so far, the Prophecy Book was by far the most valuable option.

However, since she had recently obtained a useful prophecy, the chances of getting another valuable one seemed low.

Eden didn’t want to waste her rewards.

“Then… a stat boost?”

She frowned before shaking her head.

‘Even if I raise my stats, I don’t really know what’s actually useful besides stamina.’

If everything was pre-planned, then her upcoming expedition was probably part of the storyline too.

In that case, there was a chance she might receive a teleportation scroll as a reward.

Eden quickly made up her mind and chose the item.

A reward window immediately appeared.

『You have selected Item as your reward.

You have received: “1st-Class Rider’s Bracelet.”』

“1st-Class Rider’s Bracelet?”

Eden frowned at the name.

A small, shimmering bracelet appeared in the air before her, and she quickly snatched it up.

“Rider…?”

As in horse riding?

Suddenly, Eden clapped her hands together in realization.

‘Oh, right! I need to know how to ride a horse for the expedition!’

Up until now, the only horses she had ever seen were in books or on TV.

So, this bracelet must give her exceptional riding skills.

“Nice…”

Eden gripped the bracelet tightly and stared into the air.

The fact that she received this item right before the expedition only confirmed her suspicion—this entire sequence was scripted into the story.

‘This stupid game… is unexpectedly thorough.’

Despite grumbling, she felt a small thrill at how smoothly the story was unfolding.

She was relieved she had chosen the item instead of the prophecy book.

Eden slipped the bracelet onto her right wrist, and a notification immediately popped up.

『You have equipped “1st-Class Rider’s Bracelet.”

Your Strength has increased by +10.』

“Wow.”

An extra 10 strength points made her feel much more secure.

‘I better not lose this.’

Feeling satisfied, Eden lay back down on the bed.

She was still nervous, but since Karon would be accompanying her, and even though she had reprimanded Ibtan for treating her like a tool, she knew that to Karon, she was an irreplaceable asset.

There was no way he would let her die before she completed her role.

Hagenti could wait until after this mission.

‘Alright, first, let’s deal with the monster quest.’

Finally feeling a sense of peace, Eden closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

***

The next day, Eden arrived at the rendezvous point for the monster subjugation squad, having traveled by a carriage provided by the cathedral.

However, the moment she saw the assembled group, she was completely speechless.

“Priestess.”

Karon greeted her warmly, and Eden forced a stiff smile.

But her eyes were fixed on the man standing calmly beside Karon.

A man she never expected to see here.

Asmun.

“…….”

Even though he must have noticed her staring, Asmun acted as if he didn’t and casually adjusted his gloves.

Eden’s disbelieving gaze lingered on him, and Karon—noticing the tension—spoke first.

“His Highness, the Third Prince, has decided to join us on this expedition.”

Though he delivered the news plainly, Karon himself looked slightly puzzled and surprised.

It was highly unusual for a royal to join a dangerous Holy Knights subjugation mission—especially one at the hazardous border.

At last, Asmun looked up and met Eden’s gaze.

He had given her no warning, yet his face was perfectly composed.

“Yes. I have decided to accompany you.”

His lips curved into a smile—a cold, calculated smile that never reached his eyes.

“Ha.”

Eden swallowed a sarcastic laugh.

‘This bastard?’

“…I see. With the Holy Knight Commander and His Highness accompanying us, we’re truly in safe hands.”

Eden hid her true feelings and politely bowed.

But she knew exactly why Asmun was here.

He still didn’t trust her.

He was still suspicious about where she got the teleportation scroll.

‘That paranoid bastard.’

Eden masked her frustration with a pleasant smile.

“I look forward to working with you, Your Highness.”