Wasn’t This Supposed To Be a Strategy Game? Chapter 51

At that composed voice, Eden’s entire body froze.

The cold tone that had slipped from Asmun’s lips was something he had never once used in any public setting before.

At the bitter air clinging to Asmun’s icy expression, Kyris’s brow lifted, curiosity spread across the faces of the onlookers, and Eden was stricken with shock.

Asmun had shifted his gaze from Eden and now stood facing Kyris head-on.

No…!

Eden unconsciously stepped forward—only for someone to grab her arm.

Turning around, she saw Ivatan holding her back. She hadn’t even noticed him arrive.

“That wouldn’t be a wise choice,”

Ivatan said firmly, without even looking at her, speaking just loud enough for Eden to hear. Then, as if his role were done, he calmly let go of her arm.

Zephar, standing right beside them, was too focused on the confrontation between Asmun and Kyris to even notice Ivatan’s presence.

“…”

Thanks to him, Eden managed to regain her senses, stopping herself from making a reckless move—but Asmun’s own recklessness was only just beginning.

“But there’s no need to worry. After all, there are plenty of people who’ve been sneaking into the high-level hunting grounds for years without the proper qualifications.”

Gasps rang out from the surrounding crowd.

Eden, too, felt her breath catch in her throat.

“What?”

At the unexpected remark, Kyris’s eyebrow twitched upward.

“Who would do such a thing? Are you even aware of what you’re saying, Asmun? Do you realize you’re insulting the Imperial Hunting Tournament?”

“Well, it’s true the tournament has many areas in need of improvement.”

Though Kyris invoked the Imperial name as a warning, Asmun didn’t so much as blink.

“If, as you said, people without sufficient ability are slipping in through trickery, and yet no casualties have occurred over all these years, then one of two things must be true.”

“…”

“Either those people have been incredibly lucky… or the monsters in the high-level hunting ground are actually weaker than the ones in the mid-level field.”

At Asmun’s calm analysis, murmurs began to spread in earnest.

Ivatan raised an eyebrow and stared at Asmun.

He wasn’t wrong.

Just as Asmun had said, many individuals had pulled strings and cut corners to receive badges they didn’t deserve—chasing honor. And if those people started dying, the tournament, designed to ensure stability for the Empire’s citizens, would turn into a public liability. So the Imperial family had been quietly making adjustments.

They’d placed more powerful control spells on the monsters in the high-level area, greatly reducing their lethality.

So much so that even someone like Kyris, who had never once killed a high-level monster with his own hands, could hunt there alone.

The only question was—how did Asmun, who had never even set foot in a high-level hunting ground, figure that out?

“Haha… Asmun, what on earth are you going on about? You’ve never even been in a high-level hunting ground. On what grounds are you slandering the Empire?”

“I have no proof. I merely agreed with Your Highness’s opinion.”

“What? What do you mean, same opinion? When did I ever—”

“If I can gain entry without clear evidence, then isn’t that the case for others as well?”

Kyris was left speechless by the dry retort.

This flipped the situation—now it was Kyris whose judgment was in question. He had awarded a high-ranking badge to someone who couldn’t prove they had defeated a high-level monster.

Noticing this, several nobles began to glance sidelong at Kyris, whispering among themselves. Kyris clenched his fist tightly.

Asmun looked at him and continued, his voice now disturbingly pleasant.

“As Your Highness suggested, perhaps it would be best to strictly limit access to the high-level hunting grounds in the future. Though I wonder how many of the current badge holders would pass such a standard.”

Eden clenched her fists just as tightly as Kyris, screaming internally.

Please, just stop…!

But despite her desperate hope, Asmun’s voice continued unimpeded.

“Ah.”

As if suddenly realizing something, Asmun gave a quiet exclamation and spoke again, now in a tone feigning concern.

“Are you perhaps… afraid of the high-level hunting ground?”

“W-what?”

The unexpected remark left Kyris stammering, even forgetting to get angry.

“There’s no need to be ashamed. That’s understandable. I’ve never been to one myself, so I don’t know what it’s like… but hearing you repeatedly emphasize how terrifying it is, Your Highness—it’s making me uneasy.”

Despite his soft, concerned words, Asmun’s face remained eerily expressionless.

In a single sentence, he had turned Kyris into a man terrified of the high-level grounds. Kyris floundered, unable to formulate a proper response.

Eden felt her soul nearly leave her body as she stared at that unstoppable mouth.

“If so, it’s still not too late. You should bring an aide with you when you enter. Don’t you have many skilled knights at your disposal?”

Everyone was stunned speechless by this side of Asmun they had never seen before, and Kyris—humiliated—flushed bright red.

“Then I wish you the best of luck.”

Asmun gave a faint smile—but it didn’t look like a smile at all.

“Asmun…!”

Kyris finally found his voice, calling after him with a tremble of rage—but Asmun didn’t respond. He simply turned away and, without hesitation, locked eyes with Eden.

“…”

That unspoken stare seemed to say it all: This is all your fault.

And just like Kyris, Eden found herself utterly speechless.

“…”

Even after creating such a scene, Asmun stared at Eden with an unreadably cold gaze before turning and walking away without a trace of hesitation.

“His Highness the Third Prince seems to have changed a little.”

Zephar spoke in a tone of mild interest, clearly having enjoyed the show—and Eden felt like crying.

Apparently, Kyris wasn’t the only one rattled by Asmun’s sudden shift. The entire banquet hall buzzed with quiet commotion.

Kyris glared at Asmun’s retreating figure, face flushed with rage, before abruptly turning on his heel and leaving the hall.

It’s really over now.

At that exact moment, the booming crack of fireworks—the highlight of the prelude festival—resounded from outside the windows.

Bang—!

Even as the brilliant display lit up the sky, the one event Eden had actually looked forward to in the hunting competition, she found herself entirely unable to smile.

****

After the prelude had ended, the expansive detached palace was eerily silent.

Eden lay on the bed in the room assigned to her. The ceiling above her soared far higher than any room in the temple.

“……”

Sleep wouldn’t come. Asmun’s cold gaze kept flashing through her mind.

It was ridiculous—but at the same time, Eden couldn’t deny understanding the sense of betrayal he must’ve felt, which left her uneasy.

“Then I must win.”

Still… even so, winning?

“Since the priest is so concerned about my well-being, I must survive at all costs until I ascend to the throne. So, I’ll win the competition and ask for the Crown Prince’s seat as my reward.”

Even while convincing herself he’d said that out of anger toward her, Eden couldn’t shake the unease.

No, was that really something to be that angry about?

“I didn’t even betray him…”

Eden muttered bitterly—then quickly clamped her mouth shut.

Right. If she had betrayed him, she’d already be dead in the most horrific way.

The place near her chest where the mark lay gave a dull, phantom ache.

Though the game never specified it, Asmun was clearly a character with intense possessiveness. Perhaps his backstory included an obsession with anything he deemed “useful” to the point that he would never let it go.

Suddenly, Eden found herself wondering what Asmun would do once she had outlived her usefulness.

Once he became Emperor, would he heartlessly discard her without so much as a backward glance?

The thought of that unblinking gaze losing interest in her left an oddly bitter taste in her mouth.

“That arrogant bastard…”

Irritated by the imagined scenario, Eden tried to shake it off—then corrected herself.

No, if things ended like that, it might actually be for the best.

But if Asmun did become Emperor and, before she could intervene, turned into a tyrant…

“…He’d kill me.”

The horrifying thought sent a chill down her spine.

No matter what, I have to turn him into a wise and benevolent ruler—or I’ll face a bad ending.

Which meant there was only one path left.

Clear the game perfectly.

And to do that, she first had to get through the hunting competition episode unscathed. Eden forced herself to try and sleep, squeezing her eyes shut in determination.

—Ding!

A crisp chime echoed in her ears, and her eyes shot open.

Here?

She bolted upright in bed and saw a quest window floating in midair.

『【!】Event Quest

— The Chancellor of Hesmore, Ivatan Reinberen, is nearby! Enjoy a secret nighttime stroll with Ivatan. Clearing this quest will grant you a special reward.

Would you like to proceed with the event quest?
                                                                                                                           』

“Ugh, now it won’t even let me sleep.”

Grumbling to herself, Eden quickly grabbed her coat. It wouldn’t affect the storyline if she didn’t accept the quest—but remembering that the last event quest reward had been the key to the study in the Grand Duke’s office, this was not something she could ignore.

With the hunting competition tomorrow, and with Asmun having provoked Kyris to the extreme, she needed to seize anything she could get her hands on.

Eden slid out of bed, slipped into her shoes, and shouted:

“Yes!”

『You have accepted the Event Quest!

The event quest <Secret of the Hunting Grounds> will now begin.』