Wasn’t This Supposed To Be a Strategy Game? Chapter 66

As always, the event quest window popped up without warning, and Eden’s eyes sparkled. The timing was perfect. She quickly adjusted her plan and turned to Karon.

“Commander, very soon, we’ll be facing the bandits of Reblum.”

Karon’s brows furrowed slightly at that.

“This, too, was told to me by Hamyun. He said I must obtain something from them.”

Eden cheered inwardly—Yes!

『You have accepted the Event Quest!

The event quest is now in progress.』

As the quest notification appeared, Eden smiled.

“To fulfill Hamyun’s will, I need your help, Commander.”

Karon’s eyes grew even more serious at the mention of Hamyun.

And it was immediate. The thunder of hooves rang out as unfamiliar men on horseback surrounded Eden and Karon.

Karon didn’t so much as flinch. He calmly surveyed the group encircling them—he was only noting that Eden’s prediction had come true.

“Well, well, just a man and a woman?”

One of the men, likely the leader, bared his yellow teeth in an ugly grin. Eden’s brow twitched slightly.

She’d expected some low-tier thugs, but these men didn’t look like pushovers. Still, none of them posed a threat to the empire’s top swordmaster.

“A couple daring enough to date in a place like this, huh?”

There were around a dozen of them. Eden stayed calm, carefully observing the man with the large sword. She spotted a small bundle tied at his hip.

That’s where it is.

All the bandits held threatening weapons, but Eden wasn’t remotely concerned. These borderland criminals were no match for someone like Karon.

“Commander.”

Eden called Karon quietly, and he turned to her.

“If you believe in me…”

He looked back at her with unreadable eyes. Eden met his gaze, unwavering.

“…Then clean them up.”

The bandits’ faces twisted in rage.

“You little—got a death wish, huh? Coming here, you had to know it could end this way!”

One man charged at Eden with a crude axe, but before he could reach her, Karon drew his sword.

With one clean move, Karon struck the man’s arm. The axe flew from his grasp, narrowly missing the leader’s head. Every motion had been calculated.

“…….”

The bandits froze in place, instinctively sensing the threat.

Karon glanced at them and spoke calmly.

“I’ve known for a long time that the priestess is special.”

Of course. There had been countless moments that hinted at it. Enough to make him believe she might just fulfill her divine purpose.

“And so, I’ll put my faith in her.”

His voice was firm with conviction. He raised his sword without hesitation, ready to carry out Eden’s will.

“Huh?!”

Just then, a sudden arrow struck one of the bandits in the shoulder, causing him to freeze mid-charge.

“……!”

Startled, Eden snapped her head up to see where the arrow had come from. Her face paled in shock.

Atop a nearby low hill stood Asmon, flanked by his knights.

“…….”

He stared at Eden wordlessly, like a grim reaper come to collect her soul. A chill ran down her spine.

“So you must have informed His Highness ahead of time.”

Karon assumed Asmon had been briefed by Eden and showed no surprise, but Eden hadn’t said a single word to Asmon about this.

What the hell—how did he know?!

Regardless of her panic, events moved forward.

Asmon’s knights descended and swiftly subdued the bandits. Properly trained soldiers were no match for this rabble, and within moments, the dozen or so men were neutralized.

Only after the situation was under control did Asmon dismount and approach Eden.

Unaware of the awkwardness, Karon bowed politely. Eden, on the other hand, stood stiff as a board, sweat trickling down her back.

No matter how she thought about it, she couldn’t imagine how Asmon knew she was here.

And that expression—cold enough to bite.

“…May I ask what business the priestess has in a place like this, accompanied by the commander of the Holy Knights?”

Only then did Karon realize that Asmon hadn’t been informed. His expression turned unreadable.

Eden looked flustered, clearly panicked.

“And Your Highness… you just happened to be passing through…?”

She asked tentatively. Asmon gave a sharp, cold chuckle that sent another shiver down her spine.

“Of course.”

He glanced briefly at Karon, then back at Eden, smiling.

“I was cleansing Reblum, just as the priestess requested.”

His usual gentle tone only made it more unnerving. Cleansing Reblum was their shared goal, yes—but starting with a tiny village like Horun made no sense.

Karon observed the strange tension between the two in silence.

“And during that process,” Asmon continued, “I heard that the priestess had used a portal to travel to Reblum.”

Ah.

Only then did Eden realize how Asmon had found her—using the official portal had been the problem.

“Damn it. No wonder everything was going too smoothly!”

“I see…”

Eden sensed something had gone awry. Asmon’s face, as he silently stared at her, was far too cold.

Was this really something to be that serious about?

“If you had told me, things would’ve been simpler.”

His quiet voice carried a sharp edge. That was true, technically. But the reason Eden hadn’t chosen that route was—

‘Because I didn’t think you’d come rushing over like this!’

“I assumed you’d be busy. You’ve only just taken charge of Reblum. And if you want to keep your promise to me, I figured you’d have a lot to do.”

By “promise,” she of course meant his vow to become emperor. It was a pointed way of saying he shouldn’t be wasting time here.

Eden tried to keep her voice calm and steady as she pushed the point, but Asmon’s expression didn’t change in the slightest.

“It seemed to me that the priestess had no intention of keeping her promise to me.”

Huh?

Eden fumbled through her memories, trying to recall what promise she might’ve made to Asmon.

‘What did he ask me during the hunting competition again…?’

As she searched her memory, his face from that day came back, along with the low, intense voice that had lingered in her mind.

“The priestess exists for me. So… don’t entertain any other thoughts.”

Those relentless eyes that had stared into her—she could still feel them.

“I won’t tolerate even a little of it.”

Uh…?

Eden’s expression went slightly blank. Something felt oddly misaligned here.

And then—

“The priestess must’ve had a reason.”

Karon, who had been quietly observing the tense exchange, suddenly interjected, further irritating Asmon.

“There must’ve been a reason she needed me specifically.”

Karon smiled at Eden as he spoke, and Asmon, who had stiffened for a moment, curled his lips into a slow, deliberate smile.

“When one is too full of themselves, it’s easy to fall into laughable delusions. Surely you don’t believe you’re the only one who could’ve handled this sort of situation?”

Even with that dismissive sneer, Karon merely smiled brightly, eyes crinkling.

“Of course not. But perhaps, compared to being with Your Highness, she felt more at ease traveling with me.”

At that, Asmon’s gaze turned icily sharp. He must have instinctively realized Karon was right.

Eden, for her part, was also thrown off by Karon’s insight.

“How did he know…?”

Sensing the atmosphere growing dangerously tense, Eden quickly stepped between the two men.

“This really isn’t the time for this!”

As she feigned urgency, both men turned to look at her. With their attention successfully redirected, Eden strode over to the unconscious, bound bandits.

Though both Asmon and Karon looked visibly stiff, Eden paid them no mind and rummaged through what was clearly the leader’s belongings.

Finally, she found what she was looking for in the pouch at his waist and pulled it out with a bright smile.

“Found it.”

Just as she retrieved the map, something else tumbled out of the pouch and rolled to a stop right in front of Asmon.

Eden frowned as she looked down at the object—an eerily familiar black orb.

That was when Karon shouted, voice urgent:

“It’s a cursed item! Don’t touch it!”