Wasn’t This Supposed To Be a Strategy Game? Chapter 35

“…….”

Asmun, who had been glaring at her with terrifying intensity, let out a short sigh before lowering his sword.

“…Next time, Priestess, you will also be expected to follow military law.”

Though his face still bore clear signs of irritation, he no longer threatened her horse. Eden stared at him in disbelief.

‘Did he just… let me off?’

The realization that she was still alive made her heart, which had felt frozen, start beating again with a heavy thud.

Letting out a shaky breath, Eden turned away and patted her horse, which looked as if it had been deeply wronged. She muttered a quiet apology.

Sorry, but I had no choice if I wanted to clear the quest.

“We need to return before sunset.”

Karon looked up at the darkening sky and urged them forward.

Eden finally nodded and climbed back onto her horse, gently stroking its mane to calm it.

Asmun, however, was still staring at the creature with a displeased expression. His eyes held a glint of regret—as if he wished he had struck it down when he had the chance.

Eden felt a shiver crawl up her spine.

“D-Don’t worry! It won’t happen again. Right?”

She awkwardly placed the blame on the horse, patting its neck. The poor animal simply blinked at her, looking thoroughly betrayed.

They needed to leave before Asmun changed his mind.

However—

The quest completion window still hadn’t appeared.

[Basic Quest: Exterminate the Western Monsters (29/30)]

One more.

She needed one more kill to finish the quest.

If only another monster would appear. But after the earlier chaos, it seemed that every creature in the area had fled. The eerie silence of the forest stretched before them—so still that even ants seemed absent.

But if she tried another reckless stunt now, she really might not get away with it.

The only option left was to hope that a monster appeared on their way back.

“Shall we head back, Captain?”

Eden cautiously looked toward Karon.

However, Karon, who usually responded swiftly, remained silent with a serious expression.

“Captain…?”

“We are lost.”

Karon stated this calmly.

Eden’s mind went blank.

“…What?”

“I was too preoccupied to memorize the route. This place… I believe…”

Karon’s gaze swept over the trees and terrain, assessing their surroundings with a grim look.

“We’ve wandered into the forest of the Grand Duchy of Yuren.”

Eden’s breath caught in her throat.

The Grand Duchy of Yuren?!

In a flash, she mentally commanded: ‘Quest window, open!’

As expected, the quest window reappeared.

[Event Quest]

The master of the Grand Duchy of Yuren, Zephar Yuren, is nearby! Assist Zephar in eliminating ‘Seruka,’ the troublesome monster of the Grand Duchy. Completing this quest will grant you a ‘Special Reward!’

Would you like to proceed with the Event Quest?

‘Ah. So that’s why the quest appeared’

Her reckless charge had taken them beyond the border forest, all the way into Yuren’s territory.

“What do you plan to do now?”

Asmun asked lazily, as if this were someone else’s problem.

His gaze was fixed entirely on her, making Eden’s stomach twist with guilt.

This entire mess was, without question, her fault.

“Why don’t you pray to Hamyun? Who knows?

“…….”

“Perhaps the deity will bless us with some divine guidance.”

He let out a sharp, mocking chuckle.

Karon’s expression immediately darkened, his brows drawing together in clear displeasure.

It was obvious that invoking the deity’s name so flippantly had deeply irritated him.

The air between the two men grew thick with hostility, as if a second battle was about to erupt.

Before things could escalate further—

“Rescue is coming soon!”

Eden shouted.

Both men turned their gazes toward her.

“…Here? In the middle of nowhere?”

Asmun tilted his head, clearly skeptical.

Honestly, even she knew how absurd it sounded.

They were lost in a forest where even they didn’t know the way. How could a rescue party possibly find them?

But Eden was completely confident.

And if no one was coming?

Then she would summon them herself.

“Yes.”

She smiled reassuringly and, in her mind, whispered: ‘Yes’

[You have accepted the Event Quest!]

[The event quest ‘Eliminate Seruka, the Nuisance of the Grand Duchy of Yuren’ will now begin.]

‘I knew it! Event quests even come with proper titles.’

And then—

Something unbelievable happened.

From the distance, the sound of galloping hooves filled the air.

Then, through the dense trees, a group of heavily armed soldiers emerged.

The speed of their arrival was almost ridiculous.

Eden barely had time to register what was happening before the soldiers, in a well-coordinated maneuver, surrounded them completely.

The next thing she knew, cold steel swords and spears were pointed directly at their throats.

“……!”

Unlike Eden, who had frozen in shock, Asmun remained expressionless as he stared at the blade pointed at his throat.

Then, the sound of calm, deliberate hoofbeats echoed behind the soldiers. A familiar presence emerged from the ranks.

“What’s this?”

Eden immediately recognized the detached voice.

Even in the dim forest, where thick trees blocked most of the light, his silver hair glowed stark white, his piercing blue eyes standing out even more vividly.

A man who exuded cold authority and unhurried composure in equal measure.

Zephar Yuren.

“Hmm?”

His gaze flickered as he recognized Karon and Asmun.

“What brings the two of you here…?”

Then, his sharp eyes landed on Eden.

At the same moment, a profile window popped up.

[Zephar Yuren]

• Intelligence: 70

• Combat Ability: 70

• Authority: 90

• Magic: 50

• Divine Power: 10

Trait: Grand Duke of Yuren, the Empire’s sole Grand Duke

‘Wow. Authority: 90…’

Eden swallowed dryly.

Even Asmun, a prince, only had 50 authority.

Sure, Asmun was a prince without power, so that made sense.

But even Kyris—the first prince—had never reached 90.

“…….”

Zephar studied her for a moment before his brows knit together.

With his keen memory, he must have been recalling where he had seen her face before.

At the same time, he seemed to be piecing together why a novice priestess, the third prince, and the Holy Knight Captain were in a place like this.

Then, a recent rumor surfaced in his mind.

A priestess who could read monster information.

As if fitting the last piece of a puzzle, his gaze toward Eden grew even more intrigued.

“How long do we have to stand like this?”

Asmun’s indifferent voice broke the tension.

Only then did Zephar finally look away from Eden.

“Ah. I forgot.”

He flashed a charming smile that clearly indicated he hadn’t forgotten at all.

Then, he casually gestured for his men to lower their weapons.

The pressure of steel at their throats finally lifted.

“So, it was the Grand Duchy of Yuren’s forest after all.”

Karon noted, glancing around.

Zephar nodded.

“Yes, it is. However…”

“We were hunting in the western border forest when we lost our way,” Karon explained. “We didn’t expect to run into Your Grace, but it is a fortunate coincidence.”

Asmun slowly turned his gaze toward Eden.

It was clear he was doubting her “prediction” about a rescue party.

But Eden avoided his gaze, feigning ignorance.

“And Your Grace…?”

Karon’s eyes flickered toward Zephar’s fully armed soldiers.

“We were also on a hunt. Recently, a certain monster has been causing us quite the headache.”

Zephar spoke easily, his smile unbothered.

As if whatever monster he was talking about was nothing but a minor nuisance.

Karon responded with an oddly amused expression.

“If it’s the unknown monster terrorizing the western forest, we’ve already dealt with it.”

“We were on our way back after taking care of it.”

Zephar’s eyebrow arched.

“That creature? It’s not one that can be taken down so easily.”

“Of course, it wasn’t easy,” Karon admitted.

“However, thanks to Priestess Eden’s remarkable ability, we were able to uncover its weakness.”

At that, Zephar’s gaze immediately returned to Eden.

Feeling awkward under his scrutiny, she tried to avert her eyes.

But before she could—Asmun stepped forward.

His movement was subtle, but it was clear—he had positioned himself directly between Zephar and Eden.

Effectively blocking Zephar’s view of her.

“Apologies for interrupting such a pleasant conversation,” Asmun said dryly, “but if we linger here, we’re all likely to become monster food. Shouldn’t we focus on leaving first?”

Zephar’s cool blue eyes lingered on Asmun for a moment.

Recently, his mood had been particularly sour.

All thanks to this prince standing before him.

Because of Asmun, a newly discovered mana stone mine had fallen into imperial hands.

Zephar’s irritation was thinly veiled as he smiled once again.

“I’m afraid I must also apologize. We just received a report that the creature appeared nearby.”

“I intend to capture it tonight.”

“I trust Your Highness understands?”

As he spoke, his smile sharpened.

And the expressions of all three of them—Asmun, Karon, and Eden—hardened for different reasons.

Eden, in particular, suddenly recalled her event quest.

‘So we have to kill this monster before we can leave, huh?’

At this rate, she felt like she was going to be slaying monsters forever.

Just then, Karon unhooked a small enchanted capture net from his horse and held it up toward Zephar.

“Is this the monster Your Grace was searching for?”

“We’ve already captured them. If you give us a moment, we can send another hunting party to assist you.”

Zephar’s eyebrows twitched—just slightly.

For a fleeting moment, his expression warped into something unreadable.

Then, in an instant, he regained his composure, smiling again.

“Ah. So you captured Chupi.”

All three of them—Asmun, Karon, and especially Eden—froze.

Eden was the most shocked of all.

‘Wait… He knows about Chupi?!’

Zephar seemed to read the question in her expression.

“Our Grand Duchy’s scholars identified the Chupi just a few days ago.”

“Looks like we were a little faster than you.”

He smiled.

And Eden felt utterly defeated.

Her unique knowledge had been overtaken.

However, neither Karon nor Asmun looked particularly surprised.

After all, it was an open secret that the Yuren family possessed a vast collection of lost monster records.

It seemed Chupi’s entry had been among them.

Karon narrowed his eyes.

“Then, the monster Your Grace was referring to…”

“Ah. I see.”

Zephar sighed theatrically, as if realizing something.

“The rumors haven’t reached the capital yet, have they?”

His icy blue eyes gleamed.