Wasn’t This Supposed To Be a Strategy Game? Chapter 58

At the casual question, Ivatan glanced up at the sky. The sun was barely hanging on the edge of the mountain.

He turned back to Asmun and gave a nod.

“Yes.”

With that, Asmun stepped forward and declared calmly, “I would like to submit my game.”

Only then did the attention of the crowd shift to the horse he had ridden in on. Eyes widened as they noticed the chunks of monsters hanging in bundles on either side of the horse.

“Gasp…”

“Two, three, four…”

“Good heavens, it’s seven!”

“Seven? Did you say seven?”

Even Kyris stared in disbelief at the trophies, clearly marked with the symbol of high-grade prey.

So far, Caron had led with four high-grade monsters and one mid-high grade; Kyris had submitted two high-grade and three mid-grade—putting him in close contention. But in an instant, Asmun’s haul had obliterated that progress.

And to make things worse, both Marens and Eden had returned alive and well.

Blood vessels stood out in Kyris’s eyes.

“Seven? You hunted seven high-grade monsters?” the Emperor asked, visibly overjoyed, his previously grim expression replaced with delight. Kyris, meanwhile, felt faint.

Eden smiled triumphantly as she watched Kyris’s face twist with rage.

It hadn’t been hard at all to track down scattered high-grade monsters.

Thanks to the special map showing the locations of every creature in the hunting grounds.

Asmun’s skills were exceptional, so hunting the monsters was no challenge once they were located.

The clever map even showed where the soldiers searching for them were—so Eden had deliberately avoided them, steadily building up Asmun’s score until now, arriving just in time.

They had even rushed to pick up the unconscious Madam Marens, which had also been Eden’s plan.

That way, Kyris would realize he’d fallen into his own trap—and it would drive him mad.

As expected, Kyris could no longer even mask his expression. He stood pale and trembling.

Not only had Eden returned safely, but now Asmun was poised to win the entire event. Kyris must be ready to explode.

But this wasn’t enough. Not even close.

You’re done for now.

Eden clenched her fist, jaw tight.

Kyris had made a critical mistake: dragging her, someone just here to “play a game,” into his world of over-immersion.

“Seven monsters! Isn’t that a record, Chancellor?” the Emperor asked Ivatan, who had been staring at Eden the entire time.

“Yes, it is,” Ivatan replied, turning to the Emperor with practiced ease and bowing slightly.

The Emperor’s face lit with satisfaction.

“Then it’s settled. Asmun is the winner.”

At that moment, Zephar, who had been wandering the hunting grounds searching for Eden, returned just in time to hear the news. His gaze landed on Eden—filthy, disheveled, yet smiling proudly—and his expression subtly stiffened.

“…….”

From a distance, Zephar stared at her as though he could pierce straight through her.

“I must check on Marens,” the Emperor said, turning to leave but hesitated and turned back to Asmun.

“Right, there’s still the matter of the winner’s prize. Is there anything you want?”

All eyes turned to Asmun.

Even Eden tensed. She had no idea what Asmun planned to ask for, having been too frantic to consider it.

Damn… This was such an important moment, and I didn’t even prepare for it…

Eden looked at Asmun, anxious. But he, even when caught off guard, showed no hesitation or surprise. He looked at the Emperor, serene and composed, and spoke.

“Yes. I would like Reblum.”

The atmosphere froze at the firm, unwavering declaration. Everyone stared at Asmun in shock—including the Emperor, whose eyebrows arched high in surprise.

But the person most shaken was Eden.

“……”

She looked at Asmun, stunned as if struck on the back of the head. Amid everyone’s astonishment and disbelief, he remained calm as ever.

“Hahaha! You want Reblum? The same Reblum you previously refused?”

“Yes.”

“And what changed your mind?” the Emperor asked, his eyes narrowing sharply.

“I realized that I, too, am a son who has inherited His Majesty’s spirit.”

Asmun’s response was immediate, firm, and unflinching.

The answer left Eden, Kyris, Ivatan—and everyone else present—staggered in their own way.

Because what Asmun had just declared was no different than stating that he would now step forward and join the succession struggle in earnest.

“I will prove myself worthy.”

It was a confident and decisive answer.

The Emperor stared at Asmun with a hint of surprise in his gaze, but quickly broke into hearty laughter.

Both the prize Asmun requested and the conviction in his words had clearly pleased the Emperor.

“Very well. I will grant you Reblum.”

With the Emperor’s decree, Asmun bowed his head and gave a formal thanks.

Kyris, now red from the neck to his ears, looked as though he would explode at any moment—forgetting entirely that the Emperor was present.

“Let us go check on Marens,” the Emperor said, turning away.

 

The Emperor’s expression, somehow lighter than before, led his entourage and turned away.

Once the Emperor left, the scene grew immediately chaotic. Kyris, visibly enraged, stormed off, and the whispering around them only intensified. Everyone seemed excited by the unexpected outcome.

All those murmurs pressed in on Eden’s ears, but none of them pierced her eardrums. They echoed vaguely, breaking apart in the haze. Eden remained frozen in place, staring at Asmun.

At that moment, Asmun’s gaze turned toward her.

He was still a mess, his attire in tatters, but his eyes gleamed with an unshakable nobility. Meeting those eyes, Eden’s heart began to race again.

Ding.

A quest completion window lit up above Asmun’s head.

『【★】Basic Quest Complete!

3rd Prince Asmun Declan has become the winner of the Imperial Hunting Tournament!

Please select your reward.
<Prophecy Book / Item / Stat Boost>』

Eden didn’t even check the quest window. Her eyes remained locked with Asmun’s. When he gave her a faint smile, her heart ached with a strange tenderness.

“……”

Her emotions were so wildly shaken that she didn’t even notice the other three men watching her.

****

The Hunting Tournament episode was finally nearing its end.

Kyris, having lost both control and composure after his plans fell apart and Asmun claimed victory, tried to question the circumstances of Lady Marens’s collapse. But the recently recovered Marens herself had calmly confirmed that she had simply fainted from exhaustion, and thus there was no overturning the outcome.

With Asmun’s victory officially secured, Eden received another reward.

She had also completed the quest to defeat a single monster during the tournament, meaning she had earned two rewards from this episode alone.

There was one more reward as well—a level-up.

『【★】Congratulations! You’ve reached Level 5.

As a reward, a new special skill has been unlocked.』

『【★】You have acquired the special skill “Mid-Grade Monster Erasure.”

You may now erase monsters of mid-grade and lower.』

Thanks to assisting Zephar and Asmun with their monster hunting, she had apparently gained enough EXP to level up.

Mid-grade monster erasure…

There was no need to look it up in a manual—Eden already knew how powerful this ability was.

To think that with just these feeble hands, I can eliminate even those terrifying monsters.

Judging by the way Zephar and Asmun had reacted, it was likely that this ability, like the Monster Codex, was unique to her alone. Eden was finally starting to realize just how powerful this hidden character build truly was.

This is insane.

She almost felt embarrassed now to think back on how she used to complain about being a powerless novice cleric.

As the event came to a close, Eden thought of Zephar.

She’d learned that after losing track of her, Zephar had immediately descended the mountain to request a search party. That fact alone made her feel deeply guilty.

The only monsters Zephar had managed to hunt were the two high-grade beasts they’d taken down together—meaning he had essentially given up on the tournament entirely to focus on finding her.

She had claimed she was joining the tournament to help him, and yet in the end, she had only hindered him.

“Duke.”

Eden stood up abruptly when she saw Zephar enter the infirmary where she had been resting after receiving some basic treatment instead of attending the award ceremony.

The ceremony shouldn’t be over yet…

He must’ve left in the middle of it just to come check on her.

“You don’t need to stand,” Zephar said, gently stopping her and coming to stand beside her. Contrary to her expectations, he wasn’t visibly angry—his face was just as kind as always.

“Are you feeling better?”

“Yes. I’m fine. Really.”

She had bruises and scrapes from falling and tumbling off the horse, but luckily nothing serious.

Zephar had already heard the official story—that Eden had fallen behind due to a horse mishap and was lucky to run into Asmun, who had helped her escape the monsters. So he didn’t press her with any further questions.

“You must have been so worried,” Eden said softly, guilt in her voice.

Zephar looked at her silently. His deep blue eyes turned momentarily icy, so cold that Eden swallowed dryly without meaning to.

He is upset, after all…

“If something had happened to you, then yes—I would’ve been angry,” Zephar said with a faint smile.

Despite the chill in his eyes just moments before, his voice was warm and gentle.

“If you’d been truly hurt, I think I would’ve been very angry indeed.”