Wasn’t This Supposed To Be a Strategy Game? Chapter 47

Eden quickly laid out the cleaning tools as a precaution in case Serman returned unexpectedly, then hurried toward Hegenti’s castle.

She ascended the long staircase, moving through the dark corridor without hesitation this time. She knew exactly where to go—the place where she had first found him.

As she climbed the spiral staircase, a faint, ragged sound broke the silence.

“Ugh….”

Eden’s steps halted abruptly.

I was right.

Her pupils dilated as certainty struck her.

Without wasting another second, she rushed forward, her pace quickening until she was skipping steps entirely. Her heart pounded harder than her feet against the stone, her breath coming in short bursts.

“Hah… ngh—!”

Upon reaching the top, she threw open the slightly ajar door.

“Hegenti!”

Just as she suspected—there he was.

Collapsed, clutching his chest, writhing in pain.

Her guess had been correct.

Eden had remembered that the first time she met Hegenti, the night sky had been illuminated by a full moon.

She recalled the way he had stared at the moon when she asked about his symptoms.

She remembered how he had been suffering in a high tower with no windows, where no moonlight could reach.

Like many fantasy settings, the moon was an easy tool for worldbuilding.

And a full moon, especially one filled with ominous energy, was the perfect trigger for a grand sorcerer’s affliction.

Thus, Eden had theorized that Hegenti’s mysterious illness was tied to the full moon.

And now, that theory was confirmed.

“Ha…”

Unlike last time, when he had lost all rationality, this time he reacted to her voice.

He barely managed to lift his head, his hazy eyes focusing on her approaching figure.

“Just hold on a little longer! Just a little longer!”

Eden rushed to his side and knelt beside him, digging into her robe’s pocket.

She pulled out a small glass vial, her fingers trembling slightly as she struggled to remove the cap.

Finally, she pried it open and lifted Hegenti into her arms.

“Drink this. Hurry!”

The moment her hands touched him, the suffocating pain gripping Hegenti’s heart suddenly loosened.

His pupils contracted in shock.

But Eden didn’t notice.

Still holding him close, she pressed the vial to his lips.

Hegenti, his breathing ragged, stared up at her.

Then, without resistance, he swallowed the medicine.

Eden watched him, tense, waiting.

“Ha…”

A sigh escaped his lips.

This time, it wasn’t from pain.

It was relief.

The feverish flush on his face began to fade, his trembling subsided, and his body, which had been curled in agony, slowly relaxed.

His breathing steadied.

“It’s working!”

Eden’s voice was filled with triumph as she threw her arms around him.

Hegenti froze.

His body went rigid as she clung to him, her breath warm against his skin.

Her entire body was drenched in sweat, as if she had been the one suffering.

“Ha… thank God…”

As the tension in her own body finally released, Eden felt herself slumping slightly, her forehead pressing against his shoulder.

Hegenti stared down at her.

“……”

Her eyes were closed, as if just for a moment, she was allowing herself to breathe.

The medicine she had given him—

It had been stolen from the temple.

It was a high-grade pain reliever, created using divine power by the priests.

She had brought it on a whim, unsure if it would work.

But it had.

Of course, since preventing Hegenti’s rampages was a major mission, it wouldn’t be this simple in the long run.

But at the very least, she could slow it down.

And most importantly…

Eden lifted her head, finally meeting his eyes.

His silver-gray gaze had been locked on her the entire time.

His soft pink hair, drenched in sweat, clung to his pale forehead.

Faint scratches marred his skin, likely from thrashing in pain.

Eden’s expression softened.

“This time… I wasn’t late, was I?”

Hegenti’s pupils contracted.

His expression didn’t change, but she could feel the way his entire body stiffened.

Eden reached out, gently brushing his damp bangs away from his face.

The most important thing was this—

She could stop his pain.

Fifty years.

She clenched her teeth.

They had left him like this for fifty years.

The developers were cruel for designing such a tragic backstory.

Sure, it was meant to add drama, but this?

This was just too much.

Being locked away in agony, completely isolated…

Only to eventually succumb to madness and be blamed for the empire’s downfall.

It was inhumane.

“‘Hegenti’s rampage destroyed the empire.’”

That was how the game described it.

That was all it said.

Eden had never known the full story.

No one had.

That was why, for the first time…

She felt genuine sympathy for a character.

Even though she knew he was just a game character, Eden genuinely wanted to help Hegenti.

To her, this was a game—but to the people in this world, it was real.

If this story was meant to end perfectly, if the ending had to be a happy one, then Hegenti deserved to be happy too.

Eden gently clasped Hegenti’s hand, giving him a reassuring smile.

“See? I told you I’d take responsibility.”

Her voice was full of confidence, and at her words, Hegenti’s breathing slowed.

It was strange.

The suffocating pain in his chest was gone, and yet somewhere deep inside his heart, a dull ache remained.

“Ugh, look at all this sweat.”

Hegenti, dazed, stared at her.

She looked at him with pure concern, wiping the sweat from his forehead with her sleeve.

“You should drink some water.”

Eden moved to stand up, intending to find him something to drink.

But—

Hegenti suddenly grabbed her arm.

Eden turned back to him, startled.

His parched, bloodied lips moved slowly.

“…I don’t need it.”

His voice was hoarse, cracking from exhaustion.

“Just… stay here.”

His tone was quiet, but there was a fragile, desperate plea beneath it.

Eden hesitated, then silently sat back down.

Hegenti still held onto her arm.

“Look at me.”

Eden reached out with her free hand, tilting his chin up to make him meet her gaze.

Then, softly, she touched his wounded lips.

The open cuts were still raw, the skin torn. It must have stung, but—

He didn’t flinch.

His expression didn’t change, his silver-gray eyes simply watching her.

Slowly, a faint white glow emanated from her fingertips.

As the healing magic spread, the wounds disappeared without a trace.

After repeating the process several times, his pale face was finally clear of injuries.

Hegenti had remained perfectly still, but the moment her hand pulled away, his body tensed slightly.

“It’s much better now.”

“…….”

“Don’t worry. I can’t do much yet, but once I level up—”

Eden gasped and clamped her mouth shut.

Hegenti’s face remained unreadable.

Oh right… He has no idea what ‘leveling up’ means.

Feeling awkward, she quickly corrected herself.

“I mean, once I train harder, I’ll be able to heal you completely.”

“…….”

“So don’t think about anything else—just wait a little longer. Okay?”

She placed her other hand over his, covering it completely.

“…….”

For a moment, she worried he might pull away and disappear like before.

But to her surprise, Hegenti simply stared at her for a long time—

Then, slowly, he nodded.

It was so small—so barely noticeable—that it barely counted as a response.

But for Eden, it felt like a triumph.

Did this stubborn bastard finally acknowledge my efforts?

It was the same feeling as earning the trust of a stray cat that had spent months running away from her.

Suppressing the overwhelming emotion welling up in her chest, she smiled warmly.

“Good boy.”

Without letting go of his right hand, she reached out her left hand and gently ruffled his soft pink curls.

The moment her fingers touched his hair, Hegenti’s grip on her right hand tightened slightly.

Just a little.

But that was all.

He didn’t pull away.

He simply let her stroke his hair, his eyes never leaving her face.

Eden was so relieved, so caught up in her own thoughts, that she didn’t even realize the way he was looking at her.

At least I don’t have to worry for now.

For a long time, dealing with Hegenti had made her feel like she was playing two games at once.

But now—

Now, she had figured out how to ease his suffering.

And on top of that—

She had successfully secured her entry into the Hunting Tournament.

The preliminary banquet was tomorrow night.

Of course, the full moon would happen just before the tournament…

The game developers had clearly intended for that to be significant.

But they hadn’t accounted for her figuring it out first.

They hadn’t expected her to steal temple medicine and calm Hegenti down before things got worse.

It was the perfect move.

A deliciously satisfying twist.

Eden couldn’t stop the grin creeping onto her lips.