Wasn’t This Supposed To Be a Strategy Game? Chapter 46

“Damn it.”

Eden squeezed the soaked laundry in frustration as she glared at the quest notification hovering in midair. This meant she had to go find Asmun again.

“…….”

But she really didn’t want to be the one to back down first.

She was still furious that he had refused Reblum.

More than that, she felt hurt.

Regardless of his reasons, she had done everything for him.

Yet he was acting as if none of it mattered.

“Go back. Once I figure out what I want from you, I’ll contact you again.”

What did he mean by that?

There was only one thing he wanted—the throne.

That was the entire point of this game.

What was he still searching for?

Fuming, Eden was lost in thought when someone suddenly grabbed her shoulder.

“Eden, there you are!”

Startled, she turned around to see Herna’s flushed face.

“Herna?”

“Eden, Grand Duke Zephar Yuren is looking for you!”

Eden’s eyes widened in shock.

Zephar? Here?

“You mean Zephar? The Grand Duke is at the temple?”

Herna nodded enthusiastically.

“Yes! He said he wanted to make an offering in gratitude for the monster subjugation!”

“…What?”

Eden blinked, completely thrown off.

She was not expecting this.

****

Eden followed the temple priest to the Maze Garden, the most beautiful part of the Grand Temple.

Waiting for her inside a pavilion was Zephar Yuren.

“Grand Duke.”

At the sound of her voice, Zephar—who had been gazing at the flowers—turned around.

His pristine silver hair shimmered under the sunlight, his handsome features fully revealed.

“Priestess.”

He greeted her with a warm smile, catching her off guard.

Herna had mentioned that Zephar had donated 500 drik.

That amount of money could completely renovate the entire Grand Temple.

Eden already knew he was wealthy, but why would he spend such a ridiculous amount for someone he had only met once?

Not knowing his true intentions, she felt uneasy.

“How have you been?”

Zephar was unwaveringly polite. It was a stark contrast to the last time they had met in the forest.

“I’ve been well. And you, Grand Duke?”

“Thanks to you, I have been well. Ah, please, have a seat.”

He approached her and personally pulled out a chair for her.

Eden hesitated, then gave a small nod of thanks before sitting down.

Once they were both seated, tea and refreshments were served.

The tea’s rich aroma suggested it was of the highest quality, but Eden was too distracted to appreciate it.

She took a small sip before getting straight to the point.

“I heard about your generous offering.”

Zephar smiled.

“Yes, though it is only a small token of appreciation. I hope it can be of some help.”

Small?

A cold sweat ran down Eden’s back.

His expression was so calm, as if he truly didn’t care about spending that much money.

Was he really just grateful for the monster hunt?

No—Eden knew Zephar wasn’t that type of character.

“Of course, I also have something specifically for you.”

“…What?”

“I made a promise, didn’t I?”

Zephar’s voice was light, but his gaze was sharp.

“I swore on Yuren’s honor that I would repay you. Ah, surely, you didn’t think Yuren’s honor was worth only 500 drik?”

He let out a soft chuckle, clearly teasing her.

Eden remembered the promise he had made.

She had planned to use it when she truly needed it, but now he was offering a favor outright.

“I didn’t do it expecting anything in return.”

Eden hated saying things she didn’t mean, but she played along with the formality.

Zephar gave her an amused look.

“I know. But you must still allow me the chance to return the favor.”

“…….”

“To be honest, I was quite moved that day.”

His words caught her completely off guard.

From what she remembered, Zephar was not the type to be easily impressed.

“…You’re exaggerating. Anyone would have done the same.”

“Oh? From what I heard, His Highness the Third Prince insisted on handling the monster himself, but you stopped him.”

His sharp blue eyes bore into hers.

Eden was stunned at how quickly rumors had spread.

She feigned humility.

“I only saw my duty through to the end.”

“That is not something just anyone can do.”

Zephar’s lips curled into a knowing smile.

Lately, Zephar had been in a terrible mood.

All because of the fifth mana stone mine Asmun had discovered.

The fifth mine contained more high-grade mana stones than Yuren’s Lunmirt Mine, which had been the empire’s most powerful source.

For years, Yuren’s wealth had made even the emperor cautious.

But now, with this new discovery, the value of Lunmirt had plummeted.

Even though Lunmirt Mine still yielded plenty of mana stones, the emperor had become noticeably more relaxed.

Before, he had always been cautious not to upset Yuren, as their control over the mine gave them enormous leverage.

But now, with the discovery of the fifth mine, the emperor had options.

And for Zephar, this change was not welcome at all.

His sharp gaze lingered on Eden.

A prince with no backing, no power, no resources… yet somehow, he found a hidden mine in the depths of Lebeim?

Neither the First Prince nor the Second Prince had found it—only the Third Prince.

That alone was strange.

Asmun had spent years lying low, invisible, yet recently, he had begun to move.

And in those unnatural movements, Zephar kept noticing one common factor.

Eden.

Smiling in front of him as if she had no idea how much she was influencing things.

At a glance, it all seemed coincidental.

But she had already saved Asmun twice.

A useless third prince and a novice priestess—and yet, together, they kept catching his attention.

Of course, if Eden had been completely insignificant, he wouldn’t have bothered coming all the way to the Grand Temple.

But he had seen her power in the Yuren forests.

A priestess who could read monsters’ weaknesses…

That was valuable not only to the imperial palace but also to Yuren.

Now that the value of mana stones had plummeted, a complete bestiary could be just as powerful as a mine.

And so, Zephar had personally come to meet Eden.

“I owe you a great debt, Priestess. I came to fulfill my promise, so please, allow me to uphold my honor.”

His sincerity was clear, and Eden hesitated.

It wasn’t bad to have him in her debt.

But at the moment, she didn’t need anything from him.

There was nothing she wanted Zephar to do for her—

…Wait.

Eden’s eyes widened.

“Grand Duke.”

“Yes?”

“You’ll be participating in the hunting tournament, correct?”

Her sudden question made Zephar pause, watching her curiously.

Hunting tournament?

He studied her expression for any clues but found none.

“…Of course.”

His answer was short.

Eden’s mind clicked into place.

This was it.

“Grand Duke.”

“Yes, Priestess?”

Zephar smiled, thinking she had finally thought of something she wanted.

His gaze carried absolute confidence—as if to say, there is nothing I cannot grant you.

That confidence pleased her.

Eden grinned.

“I want to participate in the hunting tournament.”

…Huh?

Zephar’s brow arched slightly at her unexpected request, but before he could respond, she continued.

“As your retainer.”

The faint smile on Zephar’s lips vanished completely.

****

As she walked toward the East Tower, Eden thought back to Zephar’s expression.

That moment of pure surprise—where he had been so caught off guard that he even forgot to smile.

Even so, he hadn’t looked bothered or troubled.

That made him a unique man indeed.

She paused and tilted her head upward.

Though it was still early evening, the moon was already visible—perfectly round and brighter than any moon she had ever seen before.

This world’s moon always felt too large.

Like it could come crashing down at any moment, destroying everything in its wake.

Watching it, she was reminded of how strange and unreal this world still felt.

“……”

But then again, back in her old world, she had never had time to look at the moon at all.

In that sense, maybe being here was a blessing.

Shaking off her thoughts, Eden continued walking and soon arrived at the East Tower’s office.

“I’m here to clean.”

By now, the gatekeeper had grown used to her presence and let her through without fuss.

She climbed the stairs with familiar ease.

Even though she already knew that the High Priest had been away for days, she still felt the urgency in her steps.

This was a rare opportunity.

Convincing Herna to let her keep the cleaning duty had been difficult enough.

At first, Herna had been happy for the break.

But as time passed, she had started to grow anxious.

“Being near the High Priest allows us to receive his divine energy,” she had insisted.

It was ridiculous, of course.

But a devoted priestess like Herna wouldn’t keep giving up this duty forever.

Which meant—Eden had one month left to complete her real mission.

She had one month to bring Hegenti out of his isolation.