Wasn’t This Supposed To Be a Strategy Game? Chapter 60

“Prophecy Book.”

Even if she knew the episode, there were always variables. Eden chose the safer path.

A familiar sheet of parchment—one she had seen many times—floated up before her eyes. Eden unrolled it and read the contents, her expression shifting to something unreadable before she rolled it back up and tucked it into her robes.

Only then did her expression finally ease. She leaned against the wall of the carriage and closed her eyes.

“Haah…”

The moment she’d nearly died from Marens Madam’s attack surfaced suddenly, and her throat clenched at the memory.

More and more, the line between reality and this world was blurring. Eden could feel it—she was growing increasingly endangered in this game-world.

But this place was still a game. And she had a way out.

「-Priestess, I’m all you need.」

As Asmun’s low voice brushed against her ears, Eden slowly opened her eyes.

Yes… Asmun was no ordinary character. Even without knowing Eden’s true desire, he grasped her innermost thoughts with an almost terrifying instinct.

「-I’m the only one who can fulfill your wish.」

And maybe he was right. Perhaps the only one who could truly grant her desire and send her back to her original world wasn’t Caron, wasn’t Ivitan, wasn’t Zephar—it was Asmun.

But there was one more person absolutely essential to achieving that wish.

Hagenti…

As the image of Hagenti, the last time she’d seen him, came to mind, a hint of worry clouded Eden’s gaze. It had been unavoidable, but it still felt as though she’d heartlessly abandoned someone who was suffering. That sat uneasily in her chest.

“I Hope he’s okay…”

Remembering Hagenti nodding when she promised to return brought a subtle ache to her heart.

Sympathizing with a great sorcerer who could potentially destroy the empire—what nonsense. But it couldn’t be helped. Eden was the only one who knew Hagenti’s backstory.

As the carriage gently bumped along, Eden closed her eyes again.

***

Upon returning to the temple, Eden was met with surprising news from Rita. Apparently, while the hunting tournament was taking place, there had been quite the commotion in the southern part of the capital.

“Demon King worshippers?”

Eden’s eyes widened as she asked. Rita nodded solemnly.

“They were using black magic. Claimed the Demon King would be resurrected and reclaim this land. They summoned high-tier monsters and—”

“What? Then what happened?”

“Oh—oh, don’t worry. Nothing major. Thankfully, the High Priest was there.”

Rita gave a thumbs-up as if to reassure her, but Eden looked even more confused.

“The High Priest was?”

“Yeah, just happened to be in the area. Those lunatics had no idea and ended up getting clobbered. Tried to fight, but got shut down fast.”

“Got shut down…?”

“Of course! The High Priest subdued the monster in one blow and tried to apprehend the black mages, but unfortunately, they escaped. Still, no casualties. Isn’t that a relief?”

Eden stared blankly at the air in front of her.

Demon King worshippers…

Even though she was inside a game, the name “Demon King” was so cheesy it made her cringe.

In fact, she was sure this game hadn’t even included a “Demon King” in its lore.

“Does this kind of thing happen often?”

The odd question made Rita blink in confusion.

“This kind of thing? What do you mean?”

“I mean… Demon King worshippers. Do they show up a lot?”

“No way. Everyone knows there are people obsessed with black magic, but making a public scene like this in the middle of a plaza? That’s a first. That’s why everyone’s in an uproar.”

“…Right.”

“Oh, and come to think of it—wasn’t that guy at the Founding Banquet also one of them?”

Yeah, he was.

Eden frowned.

But that guy was just one of Kyris’ plants.

He had nothing to do with an actual Demon King—just a minor background pawn.

Even if there were black mages involved with Kyris, causing a riot in some unrelated location during the hunting tournament didn’t seem like it would benefit anyone.

“Are there… a lot of Demon King worshippers?”

“I’m not sure. I heard from my grandma that most people who delve into black magic become infatuated with the Demon King’s power. Apparently, the root of all black magic comes from the Demon King’s mana.”

“The Demon King… he’s not real, is he?”

At the bizarre question, Rita stared at Eden with wide eyes.

Oops. Spoke too casually again.

Eden laughed awkwardly, and Rita scolded her with a huff.

“He’s sealed!”

Sealed, huh.

Eden’s expression turned awkward.

What kind of weird setting is this?

“Yeah, exactly. That’s what I mean. So why are they making a fuss if he’s sealed?”

Feigning indignation, Eden raised her voice, and Rita relaxed with a shrug.

“They dream of resurrection, obviously. Though with the High Priest around, that’s never going to happen.”

Rita popped a piece of fruit into her mouth, clearly thinking the topic settled.

Eden, however, was quietly impressed by how even a childish concept like this “Demon King” seemed to be grounded in a surprisingly detailed world-building system.

It all looked slapdash at first glance, but in this game-world, everything happened for a reason. There must be one here, too—and Eden had a guess.

It was all to constantly reinforce the High Priest’s power.

Which meant…

If black mages could only be defeated by the High Priest…

Then if Kyris was colluding with black mages, Sereman would be someone Eden absolutely couldn’t afford to lose.

Eden mechanically popped a grape into her mouth as her mind kept churning.

Whatever the motive, the reason the black mages had chosen to cause a disturbance during the hunting tournament was obvious—they had struck at the perfect time, when all the top-level personnel were preoccupied.

“Too bad they ran straight into the High Priest and got wiped out.”

Black mages who worshiped the Demon King…

Was this a part of the narrative Eden was meant to confront? Or just a background element of the world?

As the headache grew from overthinking it, Eden gave up on speculating any further and shook her head. She didn’t have the luxury of worrying about future unknowns just yet.

She still had a quest glaring back at her, unresolved.

Eden raised her brows slightly and glanced at Rita.

“So, the High Priest isn’t at the temple right now, huh?”

Rita, clearly unaware of the spark in Eden’s voice, nodded.

“He must’ve gone to the palace. He has to report to His Majesty.”

Eden was increasingly convinced that some unseen force was purposefully keeping the story flowing along. Coincidentally, tonight was the day she was scheduled to clean the High Priest’s office.

“I see.”

Even without a quest window popping up, Eden knew what her mission was. There was only one thing left to do—complete the final quest still pending.

『【!】Basic Quest
“The Archmage Hagenti has not stepped outside his castle for 50 years. Lead Hagenti ‘outside the castle.’”』

Eden popped another grape into her mouth while recalling the daunting quest. The fruit burst under her molars, leaving a refreshing sweetness coating her tongue.

****

As Rita had guessed, the High Priest was indeed away, and thanks to that, Eden slipped into Hagenti’s castle with ease.

They say you get used to anything—Eden no longer felt a shiver of anxiety even when using the secret portal hidden in the office.

But she knew this world wouldn’t keep offering her convenient chances forever.

Her assignment to clean the office didn’t have many days left. Herna would no longer swap shifts with her. Which meant she had to lure Hagenti outside soon.

Yes, she knew. She knew everything.

“But how on earth…”

She pictured those emotionless, stubborn eyes. The cold grey irises that looked as though they couldn’t care less about the world. Thinking about them made her wish she were back at the hunting tournament instead.

“This is worse than that ‘dance with Hagenti’ quest…”

Muttering complaints, Eden climbed the last of the dark stairs and instinctively opened the door—only to scream at the silhouette standing silently before her.

“Ahhh!”

Startled enough to nearly fall backward, Eden suddenly felt her body lift, suspended mid-air by some invisible force. She hovered for a moment before slowly being lowered to the ground—right in front of the unmoving figure.

“…Hagenti?”

She had no idea how long he’d been standing there, but there he was—Hagenti, completely still.

Eden stared at his face in a daze, then her eyes widened in realization.

He’d known about the secret passage all along.

Just then, her floating body stabilized and gently landed. She stood right in front of him.

“….”

Eden forced down her nerves and studied Hagenti’s face. Unlike the time he’d been wracked with pain, he looked fully recovered now. Apparently, the treatment had worked well.

Seeing him in good condition at last eased the lingering guilt that had been clinging to her chest.

With her heart a little lighter, logic kicked in—and she was suddenly struck with an overwhelming curiosity:

Why… was he just standing here like this?

No way…

“…Were you waiting for me?”

Hagenti stared silently at Eden before giving her a small nod. Eden’s face twisted into a complicated expression at the gesture.

She wasn’t sure whether to be touched… or just completely confused.

“You’re not in pain anymore, right?”

She asked softly, and Hagenti finally spoke.

“…Yeah.”

Just one word, but it marked a massive step forward. It meant Hagenti’s attitude toward her had genuinely changed.

All her sneaking around, risking trouble to visit him, had finally paid off.

“Hey, have you ever gone down there?”

Eden cautiously pointed at the stairs she’d just come up from. Hagenti gave the long, dark stairwell a brief, indifferent glance.

“No.”

His voice was flat—devoid of even the slightest interest—and that gave Eden pause.

A normal person, upon discovering a suspicious space like that in their own home, would at least be surprised.

They would’ve felt threatened, startled, or at least curious enough to check it out—to see where it led.

But Hagenti didn’t seem to feel anything at all.

Just like when he caught her sneaking in, there was no sign of curiosity, no trace of suspicion in his expression.

Still, something about his eyes now…

“….”

No, wait. Something was different. Just slightly… but enough to notice.