Wasn’t This Supposed To Be a Strategy Game? Chapter 69

Eden, who had been riding high on the excitement of finding a clue, quickly recalled Ella and furrowed her brow in thought.

‘But none of this has anything to do with finding Ella.’

Tracking down the tebel and cutting off the root of the criminal activity was important, yes—but the quest Eden had been given was specifically to find Ella.

Everything was part of the Reblum episode, so the “Secret Deal” quest likely wasn’t entirely unrelated to Ella’s disappearance. Still, it was difficult to determine the connection.

If Ella’s disappearance had been intentional and tied to the criminal underbelly of Reblum, there was only one logical conclusion.

‘Ella was kidnapped.’

To find her, Eden thought, it might be quicker to track down a merchant guild that dealt in human trafficking, rather than one dealing in drugs and monsters through the tebel.

“Would it be difficult to identify a guild involved in trafficking?”

Eden’s serious question prompted Asmon to pause and gaze at her for a moment before replying.

“We’re looking into that side as well.”

But in a chaotic place like this… could they really find Ella?

Feeling a bit defeated, Eden scowled at the untouched meat on her plate.

‘If Ella’s disappearance is directly linked to Eloch…’

Just then, someone knocked urgently on the door.

“Come in.”

Asmon’s command was met by the entrance of Ronpell, shrouded in a tattered cloak.

“Your Highness, we’ve received intel that Eloch is involved in human trafficking.”

Eden’s eyes lit up at the report.

“It appears Eloch is indeed a merchant guild. They’ve heavily invested in drugs and gambling and are now focusing on magical creature trading. However, no one knows who the head of the guild is.”

The mention of drugs made it obvious they were using the tebel to produce them.

“They originally specialized in those areas, but recently they’ve been collecting magu and reportedly buying up kidnapped children as well.”

Ha… Eden unconsciously gripped her fork tightly and bit her lip. At last, they had found a real lead.

Ella was in Eloch’s hands—Eden was now certain of it.

Once Ronpel left after the report, Asmon turned to Eden again.

“We may be able to solve both problems at once.”

He, too, seemed convinced that Ella’s disappearance was tied to Eloch.

“What could they possibly want with kidnapped children…”

Eden’s voice trembled with rage. Asmon looked at her silently for a moment before calmly replying.

“…We’ll find out soon enough. For now, you should get some rest. We have a long journey tomorrow.”

Eden knew there wasn’t much else they could do at the moment, so she nodded weakly. She finally lifted her fork to stab the meat Asmon had served her—but couldn’t help glancing at him again.

Their eyes met—Asmon had been watching her the entire time.

“You have to become emperor, so that children like Ella never suffer again.”

Eden hadn’t forgotten her mission to make this man a wise and just ruler. That, after all, was the point of this game.

To quietly reform an empire that had rotted from within.

And now, Eden truly hoped this world could one day find peace.

Asmon stared at her for a long while before parting his dry lips.

“…I will.”

Only after that answer did Eden smile softly and bite into the well-cooked meat. After a day of starving, the food filled her belly and brought her back to life.

Asmon continued to watch her eat, lost in thought.

***

Back at Asmon’s lodgings, Eden waited for Eloch’s reply.

Everything had gone according to plan—Rogix had been kept alive, the transaction staged perfectly—and now all that remained was to receive the time and location of the upcoming tuma. Once that was in their hands, the heart of Reblum’s rot could be exposed.

From there, finding Ella would be a breeze.

But Eden’s hopes of swiftly locating the tebel, catching Eloch, and returning Ella to her father were shattered in an instant.

“…They’ve acquired Palaph.”

Asmon handed over a message sent to Rogix. Eden read it with a dazed expression—it was a curt dismissal stating that Palaph had already been secured and they had no further need of his goods.

‘No…’

It felt like the last rope she had been clinging to had snapped—dragging the floor out from under her along with it.

Finding the tebel could be delayed, yes—but there was no guarantee of how long Ella would remain safe.

“Don’t be too discouraged. We’ll find another way.”

Even Asmon seemed troubled by the change of plans. The best course now would be to obtain one of those invitations. But Eloch wasn’t naive—they only gave those to carefully vetted individuals.

And among Asmon’s contacts, there was no one left who could easily wrangle an invite.

Just then, Eden—who had been stunned into silence—suddenly clenched the crumpled message and looked up, her eyes sharp.

“Then we’ll just have to get an invitation ourselves.”

Her determined words mirrored Asmon’s own thoughts, and his expression turned pensive.

“But it won’t be easy. You need to be a noble flashy enough to catch their attention, with the right connections to express interest in joining.”

At Asmon’s coldly logical analysis, Eden clenched her fists. Of course, he was right about everything. And that’s exactly why this was something Asmon couldn’t resolve himself.

Those people would never be interested in the third prince, the one least favored in the succession struggle. Nor could they turn to nobles who distanced themselves from Asmon out of fear of Kyris.

Even so, there was someone.

Someone who fit all of Asmon’s conditions—and someone Eden could still ask for help.

“…”

Eden glanced furtively at Asmon, then gave a solemn nod.

“Since we still have time, we should… consider other possibilities.”

Muttering those half-hearted words, she turned around and slowly walked away, looking dejected.

Asmon, still gripping the crumpled message in his hand, silently watched her retreating back.

And the very next day, it happened.

“Your Highness, Duke Zephar Yuren has come to visit.”

Hearing the aide’s baffled report, Asmon—who had been reviewing documents—froze. He looked up with a chilling expression, as if he couldn’t believe what he’d just heard.

“…What did you just say?”

“D-Duke Zephar Yuren, sir… He’s currently waiting in the drawing room…”

Asmon sprang to his feet. The startled aide quickly stepped back as Asmon headed straight for the reception room, his expression now rigid with a dark premonition.

When he arrived, Zephar was leisurely enjoying tea.

“What brings you here?” Asmon asked coldly, not bothering to sit.

Zephar looked up and offered a smile.

“Have you been well, Third Prince?”

“I asked what business brings you to this place.”

Seeing Asmon’s unusually sharp demeanor, Zephar smiled knowingly. He understood exactly why Asmon was so sensitive.

“I was invited.”

Before he could finish the sentence, the sound of someone running toward the room echoed from the hallway. Moments later, the door burst open and Eden appeared.

Asmon slowly turned his head to glare at her.

“I’m the one who asked him to come.”

Startled, Eden still didn’t flinch and held his gaze.

“Priestess.”

Zephar stood up with a smile, greeting her enthusiastically—making Asmon’s already tense expression tighten further.

“How have you been? I was actually planning to visit the temple soon. But what brings you to a place like this…?”

This place.

The host of said place, Asmon, sharply raised a brow. Eden, nervously gauging his mood, cautiously explained.

“It’s a bit of a long story. Could I speak with His Highness privately? It’ll just take a moment!”

“Of course,” Zephar said with an easy smile.

Eden quickly grabbed Asmon’s arm and pulled him away. Zephar’s brow twitched slightly at the contact, but no one noticed.

Down the hall, Eden looked up at Asmon’s clearly displeased face and started explaining, albeit sheepishly.

“Your Highness, as you know, the duke is the most optimal person for what we need right now.”

“…”

“With his power, there’s no way he can’t reach those involved with Eloch. And Eloch wouldn’t pass up the chance to entice a heavyweight like the duke.”

Of course. The moment Eden heard that invitations were being sent to nobles, she had thought of Zephar. He was one of the Empire’s top power players—and importantly, he didn’t have to worry about imperial politics like others did.

Eden didn’t know the details of his personal life, but his image wasn’t exactly clean either, which made him a good fit.

She had wanted to avoid involving him, knowing how displeased Asmon was with Zephar—especially after the incident at the hunting tournament—but she had no choice now.

If they didn’t find Ella, Asmon couldn’t become emperor.

“Duke Yuren in Reblum… I almost had a heart attack from the shock,” Asmon said icily, though his face betrayed no surprise.

“It would’ve been nice if I’d gotten some kind of warning.”

Since this was clearly her fault, Eden averted her eyes to avoid his piercing red gaze.

But she knew—if she had told him in advance, he never would have agreed. And if she said that out loud now, things would only get worse.

“I thought of it suddenly, and there wasn’t time to discuss it.”

“How did you even get a message to him? You know this manor is under tight surveillance.”