Wasn’t This Supposed To Be a Strategy Game? – Chapter 56

Author: B0ucha

Asmun had taken the sword for her—he’d come to save her. That fact alone stirred something so overwhelming in Eden’s chest that tears spilled out uncontrollably.

As Eden wept, Asmun slowly reached out to her.

“There was no chance of that happening.”

Though his voice was firm, his gloved hand gently brushed Eden’s tear-streaked cheek. His cautious touch contrasted with the intensity of his words.

“From now on, you are not allowed to go anywhere without my permission.”

It was impossible to tell whether it was meant as comfort or a threat—it was a statement of sheer possessiveness.

Eden let out a breath of a laugh between tears. That kind of biting declaration didn’t even scare her anymore. Maybe she really was starting to go mad.

“Your shoulder… sniff… let me see it…”

As Eden reached out, Asmun gave her a puzzled look.

She shifted to her knees, then, instead of waiting for him to move, simply embraced him again. She grabbed his shoulder and gently pulled his hand away from the wound he had been pressing to staunch the bleeding.

Asmun froze. He didn’t understand why she was suddenly hugging him, nor did he dare move.

Unaware that he was holding his breath, Eden carefully touched the wound through the torn cloth of his uniform.

Keeping her arms around him, she placed both hands firmly over the injured spot and applied pressure.

As her fingers met the open wound, Asmun winced, his brows furrowing in pain.

“Just hold on a little longer. It’ll be over soon.”

Eden whispered as she concentrated every ounce of her will.

Can I even heal something this serious?

She had no way to be sure. But with this much blood pouring out, she couldn’t just do nothing.

She closed her eyes and imagined the wound healing beneath her hands. The effort made her head spin slightly—clearly, it was draining her stamina far more than minor injuries had.

But she didn’t care.

If she could just heal him…

“…….”

Asmun, tense with confusion at first, soon realized what she was doing. The deep pain in his shoulder was slowly fading.

His eyes widened as he stared at Eden.

Pale-faced and visibly shaken, she was examining the wound now, checking to see if it had closed. The bleeding had stopped, and fresh skin had begun to form over the wound.

Seeing this, Eden finally relaxed.

“I think it’s okay now, right?”

But even though the pain was gone, Asmun’s expression didn’t ease.

“…Are there more?”

The abrupt question caught Eden off guard. Her tear-reddened eyes blinked up at him.

“More hidden abilities, I mean.”

Ah.

Eden’s face fell slightly as she drew back from him. Her gaze flicked away, avoiding his. But Asmun’s eyes stayed locked on her, expectant and unyielding.

Eden recalled the moment just before the madness with the horse—the moment Chupi had disappeared beneath her hand.

The word “disappear” was more fitting than “defeated” or “slain.”

Low-Rank Monster Annihilation skill.

Thinking back to the expression Zephar had worn after witnessing it, a sense of unease crept in.

As expected, she’d never heard of a skill like that before. All the abilities she’d gained as this hidden character were powerful—and rare.

Once, that might’ve thrilled her. But now, as more unknown skills kept revealing themselves, a strange fear began to seep in.

“…….”

Eden glanced again at Asmun. His gaze still hadn’t wavered.

Normally, she wouldn’t hesitate to lie. Revealing all your cards to anyone was always a bad idea.

But now…

Eden realized just how shamefully dishonest she could be. It was enough to make her cheeks burn in embarrassment.

All because he saved my life once…? How ridiculous.

“…I can annihilate monsters.”

Finally, she confessed—revealing even the secret she hadn’t known until just yesterday.

Asmun’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

“What did you say?”

“I said… I can annihilate monsters. Though only low-rank ones, for now.”

Still, he didn’t quite seem to understand.

Eden, now desperate to explain, lifted her bloodied hands—the very hands she’d just used to heal him.

“When I touch a monster with these hands, they disappear. They glow white for a moment, then vanish completely—into light.”

Only then did Asmun’s expression freeze.

He now wore a look eerily similar to the one Zephar had shown—and that made Eden uneasy. She quickly lowered her hands.

“Is that… strange?”

His expression was too serious. Eden instantly regretted saying anything.

Damn it, I shouldn’t have told him.

Asmun seemed to be thinking deeply. Finally, he opened his lips with a clenched tone.

“…Does the Duke know?”

The sharp question made Eden’s heart lurch.

Zephar had, of course, discovered it at the same time she did. Had she not joined the tournament as his aide, she might never have uncovered the truth about the skill at all.

But the intensity in Asmun’s gaze made her reflexively shake her head.

That softened his expression slightly.

“Don’t tell anyone else. About this.”

His voice was quiet—but it was a command, not a suggestion.

Eden simply nodded. The silence between them stretched long and awkward.

Then Eden realized—the place where they’d landed after escaping was even more remote than where they’d been ambushed.

There was no sound. The mist had thickened. The air was colder. The forest, utterly still.

Eden was still wondering what they should do next when Asmun suddenly spoke again.

“…Why didn’t you ask me for help?”

Eden glanced around at the sudden question, but her eyes quickly returned to Asmun.

The way he was gazing only at her—unlike her—was enough for Eden to sense that familiar displeasure from the banquet resurfacing in his expression.

She realized immediately what he meant.

He was still angry that she had chosen to accompany Zephar instead of him.

And frankly, Eden couldn’t deny it—it was her fault. She began to fumble through an excuse.

“Y-you wouldn’t have agreed if I’d asked…”

But that excuse clearly didn’t satisfy him. His eyes, still fixed on her, were frighteningly cold.

“I’m asking why it had to be Duke Yuren.”

Each word was laced with quiet irritation, making it impossible for Eden to respond.

Because… Zephar is one of the targets I need to gain favor with and eventually use…

But there was no way Asmun would accept that reason. And no way she could say it out loud.

“I thought joining Duke Yuren would help avoid suspicion.”

She came up with a believable excuse and offered it cautiously.

And to be fair, it wasn’t a complete lie. Duke Zephar didn’t side with any of the princes, so appearing at the tournament with him might’ve helped redirect some of the growing attention Eden had been attracting.

“Though… it seems I failed miserably at that.”

Now that Kyris had clearly caught on to her secret, none of it mattered anymore.

“That’s the only reason?”

Asmun pressed.

“There’s not even a hint of another reason?”

His voice remained quiet, but there was a sharp edge to it—like he was trying to suppress something. His red eyes were tense and unrelenting, and Eden could sense a subtle desperation behind them.

What other reason would there be?

She blinked in confusion.

“What other reason could I possibly have? I’ve barely even spoken to the Duke…”

“…….”

“That’s really all it is.”

Trying to prove her innocence, Eden widened her eyes and nodded firmly.

Only then did something loosen in Asmun’s tightly wound gaze.

Even as she saw it relax, Eden kept her thoughts racing.

The hunting tournament episode still wasn’t over. She recalled the urgent quest that had triggered right before everything went haywire.

『【!】Main Quest
: Make Third Prince Asmun Deckland the winner of the Imperial Hunting Tournament!』

This might actually be her chance. By some roundabout path, she now had the opportunity to assist Asmun directly.

But once the sun sets, the tournament ends. What can I even do before then…?

Even after spending half a day with Zephar in the high-rank hunting grounds, finding prey had been difficult. And now, Asmun had lost his horse—along with all the tokens he’d gathered from his hunts.

Then—something clicked in Eden’s mind.

Hurriedly, she dug into her clothes and pulled something out. The reward from last night’s event quest: the Hunting Grounds Map.

『Special Reward “Hunting Grounds Map” has been granted.』

When she first received the notification, Eden had been furious.

“What? Are you kidding me right now?!”

No matter how she looked at it, the map had seemed utterly ordinary. To call this a “special reward” had felt like an insult. Still, she’d brought it along—just in case.

At the time, she’d thought it would be useless without knowing where they were anyway. But now, she was willing to grasp at any straw.

“Your Highness, one moment.”

She asked for his understanding and unfolded the map.

Then her eyes froze.

Wait… what?

This wasn’t the same as before.

“…….”

Eden stared, wide-eyed, at the icons moving across the surface.

The map showed not only the locations of all the participants—but also the monsters. And it was updating in real time.

Gasp…

Only then did she realize—this was no ordinary map.

Of course it wasn’t!