Wasn’t This Supposed To Be a Strategy Game? Chapter 64

The piercing scream caused by the severed arm was mistaken for Asmon’s, and bandits burst out from every direction.

But they were all subdued in an instant by the knights.

“Ha, this place really is swarming like flies.”

“They must’ve been lying in ambush for a while. Nasty bastards.”

The knights, their voices clearly tired and irritated, stuffed gags into the mouths of the captured bandits.

“What should we do, Your Highness?”

Ronpel looked to Asmon for guidance. At the word Your Highness, the faces of the bandits turned deathly pale.

Sure, Asmon looked a bit more refined than the average traveler, but they’d assumed—like so many times before—that he was just another foolish nobleman out to play cards or slum it in the border towns.

They had heard a rumor that Reblum was being overseen by a prince… but they’d paid it no mind, assuming it was about the pitiful, powerless Third Prince.

Now, realizing the man in front of them was indeed that Third Prince, a cold sweat trickled down their spines.

They were all men with no ties to the royal court, so their understanding of princes and succession battles came only through twisted, exaggerated rumors.

The Third Prince—born of the weak Second Queen. A man with neither strength nor power, utterly outshone by the First and Second Princes.

A prince who barely spoke, lacked boldness, and stayed quietly out of the spotlight in all matters…

“……”

That’s what they’d thought.

But the man now staring down at them with chilling indifference radiated an aura completely alien to the rumors.

His eyes, which allowed no trace of fear or hesitation, were far more terrifying than any overtly murderous glare.

The Third Prince’s lips parted with frigid calm.

“Kill them.”

The command came in a dry voice, but Asmon’s thoughts were focused elsewhere—on one person alone.

“All of them.”

Eden.

****

“Ha…”

Eden let out a troubled sigh, rubbing her chin as she stared at a pile of soaking white laundry. Water dripped heavily from the sheets, and a quest window floated in front of them.

『【!】Basic Quest:

Find ‘Ella’, who lives in the small village of Horun in Reblum.』

This quest was a little unusual.

‘Find Ella? I don’t even know who that is.’

Reblum was a large city far from the capital. Of course, the quest had at least been kind enough to specify that Ella lived in Horun—but that still wasn’t nearly enough to go on.

In the end, Eden would have to go to Horun herself and meet this “Ella.”

Naturally, the first person who came to mind was Asmon. Since he was in Reblum, asking for his help seemed like the most efficient option.

‘But it won’t be that simple.’

Eden was beginning to understand the trickiness of this game. Something told her that this quest wouldn’t clear unless she went to Horun directly.

She also knew Asmon wouldn’t easily accept such a request.

Which meant she’d have to go there on her own—but how? The prospect was daunting.

As a novice priest, she didn’t even have a horse, and going alone to such a dangerous area was essentially a suicide mission.

Eden checked the date. If the Reblum episode dragged on too long, it would throw off her schedule.

At that moment, as she groaned in frustration, a hushed conversation drifted to her ears.

“The captain is in the High Priest’s office?”

“That’s what I said!”

Eden’s ears perked up behind the dangling sheets. The slightly giddy voice belonged to Herna.

“I swear, I thought the sun and moon had risen inside that room. Everywhere you looked—shine, shimmer! I couldn’t even clean properly, it was so dazzling.”

“So that’s why you came out?”

“No, the High Priest told me to leave for the day…”

Herna sighed with disappointment. Eden peeked her face out from behind the laundry.

“So that means the captain’s still in the east tower?”

“Eek!”

Herna and her fellow acolyte screamed, toppling backward at Eden’s sudden appearance. Eden just grinned cheerfully.

And with that, she set off for the east tower. A brilliant idea had struck her.

Hiding at a distance from the tower, she waited several minutes until—as Herna had said—she spotted Karon exiting the building.

“Captain.”

She whispered softly behind him. Karon’s steps halted immediately.

He turned and slowly smiled upon seeing her.

“Priestess.”

“Have you been well?”

“Yes. And I trust you’ve been well too, Priestess?”

They walked side by side through the blue temple garden.

“I have. I noticed you were coming from the east tower. Did you meet with the High Priest?”

Eden asked the question casually, as if she’d simply run into him.

Karon’s face briefly chilled, though he quickly returned to his usual warm demeanor and nodded.

“Yes. He’s a busy man, but I was fortunate enough to see him today.”

His tone was kind, as always, but there was a subtle frost beneath the words. Eden didn’t dare probe further.

Karon was perhaps the kindest man in this world, yet paradoxically, the one with the clearest and firmest boundaries.

‘He might just be the hardest person in this game to read.’

Feeling slightly nervous, Eden hesitated—then, with newfound resolve, stepped in front of him.

“Captain, I have a favor to ask…”

Eden’s expression suddenly turned serious, and Karon paused, looking slightly puzzled.

“I have a favor to ask. Would you be willing to help me?”

At her quiet request, Karon looked a bit surprised—then nodded.

“Of course. If it’s a favor from you, Priestess, I’ll help with anything.”

There it is, Eden cheered inwardly. She’d expected nothing less from Karon. Of all people, he likely still carried a sense of guilt over what had happened with Seruka.

“What kind of favor is it?” he asked gently.

Eden hesitated for a moment, then spoke cautiously.

“I need to go somewhere.”

She gave a sheepish smile.

“Would you come with me?”

Karon blinked, clearly not expecting such an odd request.

He asked where she needed to go, and Eden answered honestly—it was a village called Horun in Reblum.

She had prepared several excuses in case he pressed her further, but to her surprise, Karon didn’t ask a single question and simply agreed.

Since Grand Duke Zephar had donated 500 drek to the temple in Eden’s name, the temple was actively encouraging her to go out more often, so obtaining permission to leave wasn’t difficult at all.

And thus, Eden was on her way to Reblum with Karon.

Why is everything going so smoothly?

It was going so well that she was starting to feel uneasy.

“There’s a portal we can use that leads directly to Reblum. We’ll take that route.”

“Wait—just anyone can use it?”

“Not normally, but since you’re with me, you’ll be able to.”

Karon smiled, and Eden was overwhelmed with gratitude.

Safe passage and time saved!

Traveling with Karon had been the best choice. That certainty only grew stronger when they arrived in Reblum.

“……”

The two rode silently. Karon, already familiar with the city, wasn’t surprised—but Eden, seeing it for the first time, was at a loss for words.

Reblum was in ruins. Seeing the destruction firsthand was nothing like reading about it in a few lines of text on a screen.

Collapsed buildings, cracked and barren land where no crops would grow anymore, and people who, driven by fear of strangers, immediately scattered and hid inside their homes at the sight of Eden and Karon.

Her earlier eagerness to clear Reblum’s episode and move on now felt utterly foolish.

“Horun should be this way.”

Noticing Eden’s shock, Karon refrained from saying anything further and gently guided her toward the small village.

Their horses slowly entered the village of Horun.

It was such a small place that it seemed to have escaped the attacks of bandit raids, but despite that, a suffocating sense of gloom still hung over it—no different from any other area of Reblum.

Even in the middle of the day, not a soul could be seen on the streets, so Eden and Karon headed toward a nearby inn.

They tied up their horses and stepped inside the half-abandoned building. It was hard to tell if the inn was open or not. As they entered, the dozing innkeeper jumped to his feet in surprise and stared at them.

“People…”

He stood frozen, dazed, until he realized he was looking at a man and a woman—his eyes lit up with a wide smile.

“Welcome! Are you here to stay the night?”

“Um, not exactly. I was hoping to ask you something.”

The moment Eden made it clear she wasn’t a paying guest, the sparkle in the innkeeper’s eyes dimmed—but she pressed on.

“Do you happen to know someone named Ella? She lives in this village.”

“Ella?”

The innkeeper yawned exaggeratedly, frowning as he thought.

“You mean the daughter of Tethes?”

Eden’s eyes widened at the name.

“Who’s Tethes?”

“He’s the blacksmith who lives at the base of the southern mountain. His daughter’s name is Ella.”

“And… how old is this daughter, by chance?”

At the strangely specific question, Karon—who had been watching the innkeeper quietly—turned his gaze toward Eden.

But she was too focused on the answer to notice.

The innkeeper finally replied.

“Let’s see… Maybe about ten years old?”

Eden’s expression turned complicated. She had considered multiple possibilities, but she hadn’t expected a quest that involved meeting a ten-year-old girl…

She began rapidly sorting through the new clue in her mind.

“Are you travelers?” the innkeeper asked, curiosity piqued.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Eden shook her head.

“No, I’m here on business. Thank you.”

With the innkeeper calling after them, offering cheap rates if they needed a place to stay, Eden and Karon stepped out.

“I think we need to go to that blacksmith’s place.”

Karon looked as though he had questions but, as before, didn’t voice any of them and quietly followed Eden’s lead.

Following the innkeeper’s directions, they headed toward the base of the southern mountain—where a blacksmith’s forge indeed stood.

“It doesn’t look like it’s in operation.”