Wasn’t This Supposed To Be a Strategy Game? Chapter 38

For some reason, seeing him walk away like that made her chest feel even heavier.

Eden broke into a cold sweat as she watched Asmun’s back, radiating clear fury.

From his perspective, she had thrown herself into near-certain death without so much as consulting him.

Of course, he’d be furious.

But this was the best option.

This was a game.

Ding.

A new notification window appeared.

Eden glanced at it.

[★ ‘Black Sun’s Blade’ has been unequipped. Your Combat Ability has decreased by -30.]

As expected.

She wasn’t particularly disappointed, but the sudden drop in power made her head spin slightly.

Fortunately, it wasn’t enough to make her collapse.

Then—

She suddenly remembered the soldier who had been captured by Seruka.

“That soldier—!”

Before she could panic, Zephar approached her.

“My soldier is safe.”

Relieved, Eden finally turned her full attention to Zephar.

His pristine, silver-white hair remained completely untouched by battle.

His icy blue eyes, sharp and piercing, exuded a cold elegance.

As expected of an important character, Zephar was breathtakingly handsome.

His features were all sharp lines and edges, his beauty almost chilling to look at.

Yet the leisurely smile he wore softened his otherwise frosty aura.

“I’m glad no one was hurt.”

Eden replied politely, forcing an awkward smile.

Everyone else was a complete mess, yet Zephar looked as if he had never even been in battle.

Just like Asmun had earlier.

For a moment, Eden wondered what would have happened if she had never accepted the event quest.

Would Zephar have struggled against Seruka?

Somehow, she doubted it.

Even if she hadn’t been here, Zephar would have found a way to survive.

“…….”

Eden’s gaze unconsciously shifted to Asmun, who was silently tending to his horse.

Unlike Zephar, who remained spotless, Asmun was covered in monster blood.

His clothes were torn from climbing the cliffs.

“Thanks to you, we’ve finally taken care of a major nuisance, Priestess.”

Zephar bowed his head politely.

Startled, Eden quickly shook her head.

“No, it was simply my duty.”

“We should head back. Allow me to escort you.”

Zephar’s demeanor was courteous and considerate, treating her with utmost respect.

His soldiers secured Seruka’s corpse using magic scrolls, preparing it for transport.

And with that, Eden, Karon, and Asmun followed Zephar out of the cursed forest.

Even as they traveled, Asmun never once looked back at her.

Upon leaving the forest, Zephar immediately deployed his forces to locate the hunting party that had been separated from them.

It turned out that the missing soldiers had been searching for them in the forest.

But as nightfall approached, they had reluctantly retreated outside the woods to wait.

Fortunately, they hadn’t strayed too far from the Grand Duchy, so they were reunited quickly.

Seeing how efficiently everything was handled, Eden fully realized the extent of Zephar’s authority.

‘If he ever sides with another prince, it’ll be a nightmare.’

Zephar offered to have all three of them stay at the Yuren estate for the night.

But Karon refused.

“We must return to the capital before the corpse begins to decay.”

At that, Zephar’s pleasant smile turned questioning.

“I’m afraid I cannot allow that.

The creature was slain within my territory.

Its body belongs to the Grand Duchy.”

A sudden chill settled over the group.

“But it was Priestess Eden who single-handedly killed it.”

Karon pointed out bluntly.

Eden flinched as her name was suddenly dragged into the conversation.

Zephar, however, simply gave her a calm, knowing glance.

“I do not deny that.”

He smiled, his expression unchanged.

“You have my word, Priestess.You will be rewarded for your efforts.On my honor as Grand Duke, I promise you this.”

Eden’s eyes gleamed.

A reward from Zephar Yuren.

That was far more valuable than Seruka’s corpse.

After all, she had no use for a dead monster.

But Karon was not pleased.

After so much effort to slay the creature, it was absurd to let it go so easily.

“We don’t know when another of these monsters may appear.We need the body for research.”

“The creature emerged within my domain.If others exist, their habitat is likely nearby.I cannot afford to sit and wait while you study its remains.”

Zephar’s logic was airtight.

Even so, Karon’s expression hardened.

His pleasant smile remained, but his eyes darkened.

“Does the Grand Duke not consider the Grand Duchy part of the Empire?”

His words hit directly at the core of the issue.Yet Zephar did not even blink.

“Perish that  thought.It wound me, Captain.”

His smile did not falter.

But the air was growing colder.

“I understand, Grand Duke.”

“Then I will relay your exact words to His Majesty.”

Even with the emperor’s name invoked as a subtle threat, Zephar’s smile did not waver.

“I only hope my words are not twisted in translation.”

Eden watched the tense exchange between the two men and tried to piece everything together.

So—to research monsters, they needed the corpse.

But Zephar wasn’t willing to give it up.

Because he needed it too.

Now that she thought about it, she recalled from her previous playthroughs that House Yuren also conducted monster research.

If that was the case, Seruka’s body was probably an indispensable research subject for Zephar.

In this world, monster corpses were valuable.

At least—they were before she arrived.

Eden cleared her throat and called out to Karon.

“Captain.”

Instantly, all eyes turned to her.

Even Asmun, who had remained silent until now, finally shifted his gaze.

“We don’t need to take the corpse to study it.”

Zephar’s eyebrow lifted slightly.

“I already know everything about that monster.”

Eden smiled confidently.

Asmun watched her closely, realizing exactly what she was doing.

Karon, at first stunned, quickly let out a small laugh.

“Ah. Right.For a moment, I forgot about your remarkable ability, Priestess.”

With a single statement, Eden had completely flipped the situation.

Karon, now fully in control, turned back to Zephar with a mocking grin.

“To be honest, we weren’t sure how we were going to transport such a large corpse.

This actually works out perfectly.Since you’re so eager to keep it, we’ll leave it to you.”

Zephar’s icy blue eyes darkened.

“Then, we’ll be taking our leave.Oh, and thank you for providing the carriages.”

Karon spoke pleasantly, as if completely unbothered by Zephar’s reaction.

He then turned to Eden with a charming smile.

“Shall we go, Priestess?”

Eden bowed politely to Zephar before following Karon.

Even as she turned away, she could feel Zephar’s gaze still locked on her.

As Karon graciously escorted her, Eden couldn’t help but notice—

Asmun’s expression had grown even colder.

“Your Highness, shall we…?”

Ronpel, Asmun’s knight, cautiously approached.

But before he could even finish his sentence—

Asmun strode forward.

Straight toward the carriage Eden was about to enter.

“Your Highness…?”

Ronpel called out in disbelief.

But Asmun didn’t look back.

Instead—

He wordlessly climbed into the carriage.

Karon, who had been holding the door open, watched curiously.

After all—

There were three carriages.

It was unexpected for a prince to share a carriage when he could easily ride in one alone.

But Asmun simply took his seat across from Eden without a word.

“I will ride at the front as escort.”

Karon, entirely unaware of the freezing tension, cheerfully said the worst possible thing.

“Huh?! N-No, you should ride with us!”

Eden panicked.

Being left alone with Asmun—who looked ready to murder someone—

That was a death sentence.

But Karon dismissed her concerns.

“It’s fine.Monsters sometimes appear on the road. We’ll need guards.”

Then, with a smile,

He shut the door.

“…….”

“…….”

The carriage fell silent.

The only sound was the creaking of wheels as they began to move.

Eden stole a glance at Asmun.

He was staring out the window, completely ignoring her.

Even though there were three carriages, he had chosen to ride with her.

It was obvious.He was doing this to make her suffer.

‘Is he really this mad?’

Eden thought back to how he had protected her in the forest.

She had dragged him into her reckless schemes just to complete her quests.

And as a result, his once-pristine appearance was ruined by monster blood and dirt.

‘…Okay. Maybe he has a point.’

A bead of cold sweat ran down Eden’s neck.

Sure, she had been willing to risk her life for the quest.

But from Asmun’s perspective, it had been meaningless suffering.

“Um… Your Highness.”

Eden finally spoke.