Wasn’t This Supposed To Be a Strategy Game? Chapter 30

The fact that Asmun had chosen to join the expedition was utterly outrageous.

Eden felt a pang of irritation at his behavior.

It wasn’t like she was going on this mission willingly either.

In Last Kingmaker, if a player failed to complete the main quests, the game wouldn’t progress.

‘And here I am, going through all this suffering just to make him emperor… and he doesn’t even know it.’

Annoyed, Eden ignored Asmun’s persistent gaze and instead began looking around.

Noticing this, Karon gestured to one of his men.

A moment later, a knight brought over a horse.

“This will be your horse, Priestess.”

At the sight of the majestic brown steed, Eden’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

In her past life, horseback riding was a luxury sport, and she’d never had the chance to try it.

She tentatively reached out her hand.

“Hello?”

For a moment, the horse stared at her hand, then gently lowered its head, accepting her touch.

A brilliant smile spread across Eden’s face.

Unnoticed, Asmun was silently watching her—a rare, unguarded expression flickering in his gaze.

“Will you accept this as well?”

Karon suddenly pulled something from his coat and handed it to Eden.

Both Eden and Asmun’s gazes landed on Karon’s hand.

There, resting in his palm, was a ring—a small, mysterious stone embedded at its center.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a magic-infused ring,” Karon explained.

“It’s linked to your horse through enchantment, making it much easier to control. The horse will recognize you as its true master. The effect is temporary, but it will last until the expedition is over.”

Eden felt touched by Karon’s thoughtfulness.

If she hadn’t obtained the Rider’s Bracelet, this gift would have been invaluable.

Just then, Asmun interrupted, shattering the moment.

“It’s Blackstone magic, isn’t it?” he remarked flatly.

“There have been rumors that Blackstone’s magic has been unstable lately.”

At his indifferent voice, both Eden and Karon turned toward him.

“If you truly knew what unstable magic does to animals, you wouldn’t trust your life to it.”

His tone was detached, as if he were simply making an observation, completely unconcerned with the consequences.

“…What kind of effects?” Eden asked, suddenly uneasy.

Asmun smiled faintly at her.

“Oh, there’s no need to be too afraid. At worst, the horse might suddenly go berserk, throwing its rider off—possibly breaking their neck.”

Eden’s face turned pale.

Seeing her reaction, Karon finally spoke.

“I appreciate your concern, Your Highness,” he said calmly, “but none of my knights have suffered such an injury so far.

Blackstone is one of the most commonly used magic stones in wartime. Its reliability has already been proven.”

Even in the face of Asmun’s pointed remark, Karon’s voice remained unwavering and gentle.

But Asmun, clearly unbothered, looked as though he couldn’t care less if Karon’s men had their necks broken or limbs torn apart.

As Eden awkwardly glanced between them, Karon added with a smile:

“Of course, His Highness, who has always had access to the finest magical resources, may not be familiar with such things. That’s understandable.”

It was a polite but sharp jab.

Eden felt her stomach drop—the tension between them was already escalating.

However, Asmun remained composed.

“I see,” he said flatly.

“Now I understand the financial state of the Holy Knights.”

At that, Karon’s face finally stiffened—just slightly.

‘Here we go…’ Eden thought, suppressing the urge to groan aloud.

As expected, these two were completely incompatible.

And they hadn’t even left yet.

Just then, Asmun gestured, and one of his attendants stepped forward.

The knight presented something to Eden.

Both she and Karon looked down.

It was a small vial—filled with a shimmering liquid.

Asmun’s attendant practically beamed with pride as he explained:

“This is a magic-controlling potion.If your horse drinks this, you won’t even need to use the reins. The magic will handle everything for you.Your ride will be much smoother, reducing physical strain.And of course, there are no side effects.This is a very expensive item!”

At the added boast, Karon’s eyebrow twitched slightly.

The ring was still in his hand, unaccepted.

“…….”

Eden felt completely trapped.

She looked between the two items—the ring and the potion.

Karon and Asmun’s gazes were locked onto her, and the other knights were watching with thinly veiled amusement.

‘No matter who I pick, I’m going to offend the other.’

And she couldn’t afford to lose either of them.

After a brief moment of deliberation, Eden lifted her head.

“I appreciate both of your kindness, but…”

She stood tall and firmly said:

“I will gratefully accept your sentiments—but not the gifts.”

Before either man could react, she turned on her heel and swiftly mounted the horse.

It was so quick and seamless that the surrounding knights gasped in surprise.

“……!”

But no one was more shocked than Eden herself.

‘Holy crap.’

In the past, she would have never been able to mount such a tall horse in one jump.

But now, it felt effortless—as if she was lighter than air.

‘This bracelet… is incredible.’

Even though she had never ridden before, her posture adjusted instinctively.

It felt natural, as though she and the horse had become one.

An unshakable confidence settled into her bones as she took the reins.

‘So this is the power of a First-Class Rider.’

Eden couldn’t help but be deeply satisfied with the item’s effect.

After all, she had saved Asmun—it was only fitting that the reward was worthwhile.

“I’ll handle my own horse.”

Eden, now firmly seated atop her horse, grinned at the two men.

Asmun stared at her intently, his expression unreadable, while Karon, clearly entertained, curved his lips into a slight smirk.

“Then, shall we set off?”

Eager to ride ahead, Eden cheerfully suggested their departure.

Just like that, the tense standoff between the two men ended anticlimactically.

Neither Asmun nor Karon argued further, instead preparing for departure.

Both men mounted their horses.

“Then, Priestess, you should follow behind me—”

Karon turned to Eden, about to instruct her to stay behind him for safety.

But before he could finish, Eden suddenly shot forward like an arrow.

Everyone was momentarily speechless, watching her flawless riding posture as she dashed ahead.

Eden, thrilled by the experience, galloped far ahead before expertly pulling her horse to a halt.

Turning around, she saw the bewildered expressions on the others’ faces.

“Let’s go!”

***

Meanwhile, in another part of the empire…

“Do not attempt to contact him for the time being,” a subordinate reported.

“I’ve also assigned additional spies to monitor him. There’s no need to worry, Your Highness. They’re highly trained—there’s no chance they’ll be discovered.”

Kyris let out a frustrated sigh.

“Damn it…”

His fingers trembled with suppressed rage before he finally slammed his fist onto the armrest of his chair.

“How the hell did Asmun manage to defeat that monster?!”

Grinding his teeth, Kyris turned his sharp gaze to his subordinate.

“The reports confirm that the golem’s core was in its foot—the only weak point. Unless that specific area was struck, it should have been impossible to destroy.”

The subordinate hesitated before continuing.

“We conducted multiple inspections… The golem has definitely been eradicated.”

Kyris clenched his jaw.

That was the real problem.

The fact that the golem had vanished without a trace meant that Asmun had completely destroyed it.

He had expected Asmun to act self-sacrificial, pretending to fight while ensuring the emperor’s safety.

In fact, Kyris had specifically set a trap to finally kill him.

The ‘they’ his subordinate mentioned were, of course, the dark mages who had summoned the golem.

Kyris had been certain that Asmun would not survive.

“Retargolem is a creature so savage that even we struggle to control it after summoning.

To survive it, one would need both extreme luck and immense skill.”

Kyris’s eyes narrowed into slits.

The only person at the scene had been Asmun.

Nobody knew exactly how he had defeated the ancient golem.

They only knew that Asmun had stayed behind alone to fight, ensuring the emperor’s escape.

But Kyris refused to accept it.

‘How?’

How had Asmun, a mere third prince, managed to slay a high-level, ancient monster?

The possibility that Asmun was hiding considerable strength was now becoming more than just suspicion—it was nearly confirmed.

“Damn it!”

Slamming his fist against the armrest once more, Kyris pressed his fingers against his temple, feeling a splitting headache coming on.

And now, since the incident had occurred in front of the emperor, it wasn’t merely an attempt on a prince’s life.

It was an assassination attempt on the emperor himself.

The emperor was undoubtedly impressed by Asmun’s actions.

Not only that, but the furious emperor was now actively investigating the mastermind behind the attack.

Which meant that Kyris had no choice but to lay low for now.

“That bastard’s luck is too damn good lately,” Kyris muttered, staring coldly at the ceiling as he retraced Asmun’s recent fortunes.

The incident at the founding banquet could have been dismissed as sheer luck.

But his escape from the Retton Count affair?

That had been unexpected.

“No leaks should have been possible.”

Retton had been completely under his control.

The plan had been set in motion with utmost secrecy.

Yet, somehow… Asmun had escaped unscathed.

And then there was Lubeim.

Just thinking about it made his blood boil.

‘Who would have thought there was a mana stone mine hidden there?’

Kyris refused to believe that Asmun had the skill to navigate all these obstacles.

‘No. It’s just luck.’

It had to be.

Something—or someone—was bringing him this luck.

And Kyris had to figure out what.

‘I need to get rid of him as soon as possible.’

Just then, a knock echoed through the chamber.

“Your Highness, Prince Patrian is here to see you.”

At the mention of his second brother’s name, Kyris’s eyebrow arched in interest.

“Let him in.”

A moment later, the door swung open—and Patrian, the second prince, entered the room.