Wasn’t This Supposed To Be a Strategy Game? Chapter 53

 

Faced with a perfectly reasonable point, Eden couldn’t respond immediately—her lips parted but no words came out.

Only she knew that the one to be enchanted was Marquis Ogden, and that the one to be attacked was Asmun—because she had lived through it once already.

“But he said it didn’t matter if the target wasn’t aiming for the crown—he still planned to kill him. Who else could that possibly be?”

“We cannot interrogate a royal over something like that alone.”

Ivatan replied tersely. Eden’s brow furrowed.

“…Is that really how it’s going to be?”

“I regret to say there’s nothing more I can do.”

That cold statement swept away the trace of empathy and kinship she had briefly felt toward him.

Eden scowled at his annoying face, then turned on her heel sharply. She could sense Ivatan falling in step behind her again without the slightest hesitation.

“You’d best return now.”

“I plan to.”

Her voice was clipped, and Ivatan didn’t press her further.

Eden didn’t look back, moving quickly down the hallway with Ivatan close at her heels. She had to abandon the event quest and get some sleep, to preserve her strength. She needed a plan to save Asmun from Marquis Ogden tomorrow.

The quiet corridor echoed with the contrast of her angry, hurried steps and his calm, unhurried ones.

After walking in total silence, they finally arrived at the door to Eden’s room.

Still offended by his coldness, Eden didn’t bother saying goodbye and reached for the door—but Ivatan stepped in front of it first.

“What now?”

Eden snapped, making no effort to hide her irritation. Ivatan looked at her for a moment, then parted his dry lips to speak.

“There are hidden portals scattered throughout the hunting grounds.”

“…Excuse me?”

“Where blue hyacinths bloom. If you pluck the flower, the portal will activate. It’s single-use, and it’ll vanish right after—so monsters can’t follow.”

Eden’s pupils dilated.

“Secret of the Hunting Grounds.”

Recalling the name of the event quest, a chill shot down her spine.

So this is it—this is the secret.

And it was a useful one. If she passed this information to Asmun, he could use the portal to escape even if Ogden attacked.

Her heart pounded with the unexpected reward.

“…Where do they lead?”

“Still within the hunting grounds. It’s just for emergency escapes.”

Ivatan looked at her calmly, noting the surprise on her face. This was classified information known only to a very select few—though likely the First and Second Princes also knew.

But because these portals were only installed in the high-level hunting grounds, Asmun, who had never participated before, likely hadn’t been informed.

Even if he had participated, he probably still wouldn’t know about them.

That was what Ivatan couldn’t accept—how Eden supported a prince who couldn’t even ensure his own safety.

“You’re allowed to tell me this?”

Eden asked quietly. Ivatan’s hand clenched slightly. Of course, revealing this to someone who wasn’t even a contestant but just an aide was a serious breach.

“…No, I’m not.”

“But you already did.”

Eden smirked, teasing him. A vein twitched on Ivatan’s forehead.

“Then pretend you didn’t hear it.”

Annoyed, he turned to leave—but Eden grabbed his arm.

Startled, Ivatan looked back, only to see her smiling softly.

“I understand now, Chancellor.”

Her tone was playful, like she was teasing him again.

“I’ll make sure I come back alive… and contribute to your cause.”

For some reason, that line struck something in Ivatan’s throat. He stared for a moment at that bright smile, untouched by the surrounding darkness. Then he pulled his arm from her grip and turned away.

Eden watched him go, and then a new window appeared in the dim corridor:

『【★】Event Quest Complete!

Discovered the ! A “Special Reward” has been granted.

Would you like to receive your reward now?』

***

By morning, the once-quiet palace had burst into activity.

Eden, now dressed in the hunting outfit Zephar had sent her, pinned up her hair in a high twist. The deep green ensemble he had chosen matched perfectly with her rich brown hair.

She even wore the custom-made sword he had commissioned after being inspired by her performance in the Grand Duchy’s forest. Clad like this, Eden no longer looked like a trainee priest, but a noblewoman fully prepared to participate in the competition.

Unfortunately, the sword didn’t seem to have any special attributes—her stats hadn’t improved—but she felt far more confident with it at her side.

After having breakfast with Zephar, Eden made her way to the hunting grounds.

All the people she’d seen at the banquet were there, fully geared and waiting.

Nervously, Eden scanned the area for Asmun. The morning had been so hectic, she hadn’t had a chance to see him at all.

“I need to tell him about the secret portal…”

Now that Kyris’s scheme was confirmed, and armed with such a valuable piece of information, she was desperate to deliver it to Asmun.

But oddly enough, even as the competition neared its start, he was nowhere to be seen.

 

Why isn’t he here yet? Did he give up?

Even if Asmun were to show up now, there were too many eyes watching—Eden wouldn’t be able to pass anything on to him. At this point, it almost seemed better if he had given up.

But right then, Asmun entered the hunting grounds.

Damn it…

Eden clenched her fists in frustration as the situation grew even more complicated.

She caught Kyris watching Asmun pass through the final inspection point with a calculating glint in his eyes, and her mind went into overdrive.

The hunting competition was about to begin.

“Wait.”

Just then, as he was preparing to mount his horse, Asmun turned around.

“I’ll switch horses.”

At his quiet statement, Eden’s eyes widened.

She had expected him to ignore her warning out of spite…

But instead, Asmun left his usual steed behind and selected one of the emergency horses prepared at the site. Eden felt a lump rise in her chest.

Ivatan was wrong. Asmun wasn’t some fool ruled by emotion, charging ahead recklessly. He was a strategist—one worthy of becoming Emperor.

As Eden took subtle pleasure in the sour look on Kyris’s face, her eyes met Asmun’s.

He looked at her silently for a moment, then turned his head. And still, just for today, she couldn’t bring herself to resent him.

In the end, she didn’t get the chance to tell him about the portal. But she had warned him about Kyris’s plot with Ogden—if anyone could handle it, Asmun could.

She had to trust him at least that much.

And soon, the Emperor appeared. He enjoyed hunting but did not participate in the tournament himself.

That was because if the Emperor entered, other participants would be too intimidated to aim for victory.

The Emperor wanted this event to serve as a political instrument. Which meant he would treat the winner of the competition with genuine favor.

“Now, all of you—give it your all, and show the might of Hesmore!”

With the Emperor’s encouragement, the hunting competition officially began.

As the starting signal rang out, the participants burst forward in a rush, and Asmun soon vanished into their midst.

“Shall we go, Priest?”

Zephar, ever composed, began riding at a leisurely pace. Eden followed behind him and entered the hunting grounds.

The real hunting competition episode had begun.

The rules for determining the tournament’s winner were as follows:

The most important factor was the rank of the monsters hunted.

The more high-rank monsters one captured, the greater the chance of winning. However, the high-ranking hunting grounds were treacherous, filled with hazards unrelated to the monsters themselves.

That left the strategy of capturing as many mid-rank monsters as possible as the more realistic path to victory.

For this reason, most participants aimed for mid-tier hunting zones. It was more efficient to bring back several mid-high-level beasts than to risk life and limb for a single top-tier target.

But Zephar, armed with Eden—who was basically a cheat code—headed straight for the most perilous high-tier hunting grounds. He was clearly determined to win.

“A fine attitude, but that leaves me no time to finish the low-rank monster hunting quest…”

Anxiously, Eden trailed behind him.

The two had barely entered the high-level area when they encountered a monster the size of a house. But with Eden’s abilities and Zephar’s swordsmanship, they brought it down in ten minutes.

After an hour of searching, they found another beast—and again, they succeeded. They already had two kills under their belt.

Back in the Grand Duchy’s forest, Eden hadn’t been able to gauge Zephar’s combat prowess. But now she saw it clearly—his skills were formidable. She was genuinely impressed.

“Thanks to you, Priest, I may just win this thing.”

Zephar offered the light-hearted joke as he cut the tail from the fallen beast. Since dragging an entire monster back was impractical, contestants were to return with parts bearing the Imperial hunting emblem.

So this is how easy it is to hunt high-level monsters…

Eden couldn’t help recalling Asmun’s comment—that the strength of high-rank monsters was lower than that of mid-rank ones. There was no way he could have known that without insider knowledge.

This world is corrupt in so many ways…

“Your Grace.”

“Yes?”

“There wouldn’t happen to be low-rank monsters in the high-level area, would there?”

Zephar glanced at her, puzzled by the strange question.

“Haha… It’s just that this is my first hunting competition, so I’m curious.”

“Not necessarily. High-ranking monsters are too dangerous to be allowed outside the designated zone, so control magic is applied to keep them contained. But for the rest, there’s no need to go that far.”

He offered a logical answer with a soft smile. Eden’s eyes sparkled.

So there could be low-rank monsters here?

“But…”

And then Zephar added, instantly crushing her hopeful spark.