Wasn’t This Supposed To Be a Strategy Game? – Chapter 62

Author: B0ucha

Despite the vague sense of unease she felt, Eden’s attention was drawn to the teapot that was moving on its own atop the table.

It was clearly expensive at a glance, floating gently in midair as it poured steaming tea into the cups set before Eden and Hagenti.

A fragrant aroma drifted from the tea—one unlike anything she’d ever smelled before.

Having roamed the chilly corridor and snowy plains, Eden lifted the teacup with cold, stiff hands. Just holding it made her feel like her whole body was thawing.

The moment she took a careful sip, her eyes flew wide open.

“…It’s delicious.”

The tea really was delicious—just sweet enough, with a creamy softness like fresh whipped cream.

Surprised, Eden blinked and looked at Hagenti. The moment their eyes met, the unwavering gaze that had been silently fixed on her softened just slightly.

“There’s plenty more.”

His quiet voice seemed almost like it might break into laughter.

The tension from their first meeting had completely faded, and now… Hagenti was starting to look cute to her.

Sharing teatime with an archmage in a castle like this—certainly not a bad experience. But Eden hadn’t come here to enjoy leisurely tea.

“Hagenti, there’s something I want to ask you.”

Though she spoke with care, Hagenti didn’t flinch. He simply watched her in silence.

“Has anyone else ever entered this castle?”

After a short pause, a crisp reply came.

“No.”

So Hagenti was still unaware of Serman’s presence. It seemed Serman had successfully evaded detection, even within Hagenti’s own domain. Perhaps, in terms of the game’s mechanics, Serman’s divine power outmatched Hagenti’s magic.

Eden recalled something Rita had once said:

“If it’s Hagenti, he could probably put a shield over the entire empire.”

Of course, that could’ve been just an exaggerated rumor.

Eden moved on to her next question.

“Then… is there a reason you’re not supposed to leave the castle?”

This one didn’t get a quick reply. Eden, clutching her warm teacup in both hands, waited patiently for an answer.

Eventually, Hagenti’s thin lips parted.

“I don’t remember.”

Eden’s eyes widened in shock.

“You… don’t remember?”

“Mm.”

Hagenti’s tone was casual, like he were stating the weather.

“Since when? Ten years? Twenty?”

Pressed for detail, Hagenti tilted his head faintly. Eden quickly shut her mouth, realizing she might have overstepped.

“Not sure. I really don’t know.”

Eden’s jaw hung slack.

This was an unexpected setback.

If he truly didn’t remember, then there was no way to learn what had caused his suffering, or why he’d shut himself away, or how to stop his eventual rampage.

Though she tried to tell herself it was just another game setting, her throat tightened. Hagenti’s face had remained unnervingly serene as he spoke of his memory loss.

This game… was too cruel to Hagenti.

“I see.”

Eden forced a smile and kept her voice light. If she couldn’t get answers from him, then she had to rely on her own abilities.

Maybe that was better. It gave her a single, clear objective.

She just had to level up quickly and unlock advanced healing magic—enough to cure the mysterious ailment before Hagenti lost control again.

Still, something lingered on her mind…

“Hagenti. These pills—make sure to take them every two weeks.”

Eden suddenly stood and pulled out a bundle of medicine bottles from her pocket, setting them neatly on the table. Hagenti stared quietly at the now-familiar containers.

“That should last you three months.”

Eden smiled brightly as she spoke.

These were, once again, medicines she had “borrowed” from the temple. With her cleaning days nearly over, and Herenna unlikely to keep swapping shifts, it would be hard to visit Hagenti for a while.

But if he had the medicine, he could at least endure.

“If it hurts, don’t hold it in. Make sure to—”

“You’re not coming back?”

His quiet question cut her off sharply. There was a subtle edge in his voice that hadn’t been there before.

Startled, Eden stopped mid-sentence and looked at him.

“…Huh?”

For some reason, his expression had grown noticeably colder.

It was jarring, but Eden soon understood his feelings.

Well—anyone would be upset. After fifty years of isolation, he’d finally felt the warmth of human connection, and now she was suddenly saying she wouldn’t come back?

But upset? Hagenti?

Eden realized just how much he had changed.

Was this… a good sign?

“N-No! Absolutely not!”

Eden rushed to reassure him. If he were to lose control again here, it would be the end.

“I’ll definitely come back. I promise.”

“…”

“Next time, let’s go back to the snowfield together. I’ll show you something amazing.”

Only then did his expression finally soften.

Eden reminded herself she had spent too long here already. If she didn’t return soon, never mind Serman—even the gatekeeper would start to grow suspicious.

She quickly finished the now-lukewarm tea and reached out to grab Hagenti’s hand, which still rested on the table.

“Should we go back to that stairwell?”

Unlike the KTX-speed teleportation from earlier, this time Eden could sense Hagenti hesitating. When he didn’t move right away, she glanced at him and sighed in mild disappointment.

“Ah… well, I guess you did use a lot of magic today. If you’re tired, we can just walk—”

At her words, Hagenti’s eyes flashed with something like offense—and in the next moment, they were back in the hallway in front of the original staircase.

‘Is he… too easy to handle?’

Eden had that fleeting thought as she hurriedly swung the door open.

“I’m going now!”

But just then—right as she was about to dash down the stairs—her hand was caught by Hagenti.

Startled, Eden turned around to see his face, which looked like he had something he wanted to say.

“…When will you come again?”

His quiet voice came after a brief hesitation. Eden stared at him with wide eyes.

‘I didn’t expect that question at all.’

Feeling a twinge of guilt, Eden placed her free hand over the one that was holding hers. She wanted to reassure him and promise she’d be back soon—but seeing that expression, she knew she couldn’t lie to him anymore.

“It might take a little while… But I’ll do my best to come back as soon as I can.”

With that, she reluctantly pulled her hand free. She had to leave now. Eden quickly turned around and ran down the stairs.

Hagenti stood still, listening to the tap, tap of her footsteps growing distant.

****

As expected, Herenna no longer agreed to swap cleaning duties, which meant Eden had completely lost her means of visiting Hagenti.

She felt glad she had brought a good supply of medicine for him. She was already planning to bribe Herenna with a valuable gift next month, hoping to persuade her for one more swap.

‘A month should be fine… right?’

In any case, managing to clear the quest—barely—was a good thing. It meant Eden had now completed all remaining quests.

And so, it should have been time for a new quest to appear.

But for some reason, no new quests were popping up. Eden began to grow quietly anxious.

‘Why aren’t any quests showing up?’

Since no one had ever cleared the game before, the only way to confirm whether she was on the right path was through the quest notifications.

But regardless of the game’s progress, life in this world continued—and Eden still had her duties. She was tasked with helping complete the monster compendium by visiting the dungeons beneath the palace.

Her job was to inspect the imprisoned monsters and record their data to deliver to Ivatan.

While doing this, Eden realized that even her monster compendium skill had limits.

She hadn’t noticed with the first few, but after reading the data of more than five monsters in a row, her stamina started to drop noticeably.

“I’ll only read five monsters a day from now on.”

Ivatan silently looked at her, surprised at the sudden and bold declaration. Flinching a little under his gaze, Eden added meekly:

“It… gives me a headache. Is that okay?”

“Go ahead.”

His unexpectedly cool response took her off guard. She’d thought he would disapprove, considering his intense obsession with monster extermination.

‘So, you’re human after all.’

The smooth negotiation lifted her mood considerably.

She was receiving compensation for helping with the compendium, and once she got her payment this month, she’d be able to buy Herenna a gift—nothing too lavish, but thoughtful enough to coax her into another swap.

‘If I give her a nice gift, she won’t be able to say no. She’s a sweet girl. I’ll get her something really good.’

Smiling to herself at the perfect plan, Eden continued filling out the paperwork while Ivatan quietly watched her.

Faint scars from the hunting competition still remained on the back of her hand.

He didn’t believe for a second that Eden had simply been “rescued” by Asmon, as she claimed. That day, it had clearly been her that Kyris had targeted. She had narrowly escaped a carefully set trap.

Eden had nearly died. And she would likely face such danger again—now that Kyris had realized Eden was the true key to Asmon’s rise, he wouldn’t let her go unchecked.

While Ivatan stared at her, lost in thought, Eden finished her paperwork and looked up brightly.

“All done!”

“…Leave it there.”

Eden set the stack of papers aside, then fished something out of her pocket and held it out to him.

“Um, also—this is for you…”

Ivatan glanced at the small package she was holding out.

“I’m sorry for the late thanks. But it’s because of you that I’m still alive.”

He raised an eyebrow, as if to ask what she meant, so Eden added sheepishly:

“The emergency portal. I was attacked by a monster, and I only escaped thanks to the portal you told me about.”

“…”

“I really wanted to thank you, but this is all I have.”

She gave a bashful smile.