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“Wasn’t this a strategy game?”

The sound of tearing screams from Asmun caused a band of thieves to pop up from everywhere.

They were all quickly subdued by the knights.

“Ha, this place is crawling with pests.”

“Looks like they’ve been lying in wait for a while. What a bunch of nasty scoundrels.”

The knights each spoke in hushed voices as they stuffed gags into the mouths of the thieves.

“What should we do, Your Highness?”

As Ronpell asked while looking at Asmun, the mention of ‘Your Highness’ drained the color from the thieves’ faces.

They had thought he was just a foolish nobleman who had come to gamble, having heard rumors about the Reblem Empire changing hands with a prince, but never imagined he was the lowly 3rd Prince.

They had no real ties to the imperial palace, so all they had were twisted and distorted rumors about royal power struggles.

The thieves recalled the rumors surrounding the 3rd Prince: a prince born of the powerless 2nd Empress, lacking in talent and power compared to the 1st and 2nd Princes. He was quiet, timid, and avoided action, living a peaceful and gentle life…

“…….”

But the man looking down at them with cold, expressionless eyes radiated a completely different aura from what the rumors had depicted.

His eyes allowed no hint of fear or tension, sending chills compared to the openly hostile eyes around.

Then, the apathetic lips of the 3rd Prince parted.

“Kill them.”

Asmun’s dry voice added weight to the terrifying command, but his mind was solely occupied with thoughts of one person.

“All of them.”

It was Eden.

“Hah…”

Eden, with a serious face, fiddled with her chin, glaring at the laundry. A quest appeared above the white sheets dripping water that had been hung out to dry.

This quest was a bit peculiar.

‘Find Ella? Who even is Ella?’

Moreover, Reblem was a big city, far from the capital. Although the quest kindly informed her of ‘Ella’s’ whereabouts, it was far too little information.

Ultimately, this meant I had to go directly to Horum in Reblem to meet Ella.

Of course, Asmun came to mind immediately. Since he was in Reblem, asking for his help might be the quickest way.

‘But it can’t be that simple.’

Eden was catching on to the cleverness of this game; she instinctively sensed that to clear this quest, she had to go to Horum herself.

Also, Asmun would never easily agree to that.

So, she was left feeling daunted about how she could go there alone.

As an Apprentice Priest, I didn’t have a single horse to ride, and charging into that dangerous area alone would be suicide.

Eden glanced at the date. If the Reblem episode dragged out, her plans would be disrupted.

That’s when she overheard whispers while she was lost in thought.

“The Captain is in the Chancellor’s Office?”

“That’s right!”

Upon hearing the word ‘Captain,’ Eden perked up her ears from behind the long white laundry. The voice, tinged with excitement, belonged to Hernah.

“Wow, I thought the sun and moon were rising in the office! It’s blinding everywhere I look, it’s like cleaning in a disco!”

“Is that why you’re out?”

“No, the Chancellor told me to go rest today, so I came out midway…”

Hernah sighed, sounding a bit disappointed. Eden peeked her head out from behind the laundry.

“So, the Captain is still at the Tower?”

“Ah!”

Hernah and a fellow priest jumped back in surprise at Eden’s sudden appearance, and Eden smiled slyly.

Eden headed straight to the Tower. A brilliant idea had struck her.

After hiding a good distance away from the Tower, she waited for a few minutes, and just as Hernah mentioned, she spotted Karon coming out from the Tower.

“Captain.”

Eden quietly called to Karon, who halted abruptly in his tracks.

A smile slowly blossomed on Karon’s face as he turned around and saw Eden.

“Priest.”

“Have you been well?”

“Yes. I hope you have been well too, Priest.”

Karon and Eden strolled through the gardens of the blue temple, matching their pace.

“Yes. But you’re coming out of the Tower? I guess you met with the Chancellor.”

Eden casually remarked as if she had run into him by chance, and Karon’s face turned cold for an instant before he quickly regained his smile and nodded.

“Yes. He’s a busy man, but luckily I could meet him today.”

His voice was as friendly as ever, but it carried a subtle chill. So Eden couldn’t bring herself to ask what had happened.

Karon was the kindest person in this world, but ironically, he was also the clearest in terms of boundaries.

‘Perhaps the most inscrutable character in this game is the man in front of me.’

Eden grew a little nervous and hesitated but seemed to have made up her mind as she blocked Karon’s path.

“Um, Captain.”

As Eden’s expression turned suddenly serious, Karon looked at her, somewhat puzzled, and paused again.

“I have a favor to ask, can you hear me out?”

Startled by the quiet question, Karon looked momentarily surprised but soon nodded.

“Of course. If it’s your request, I must comply.”

Exactly, Eden thought while silently cheering. She had expected Karon to respond like this. After all, he had felt guilty during the Seruka incident more than anyone.

“What is your request?”

As Karon gently inquired, Eden seemed to pause for a moment before cautiously answering.

“I need to go somewhere.”

Eden smiled awkwardly.

“Could you accompany me?”

Karon blinked in confusion at the unexpected odd request.

Karon, upon hearing the request, asked where they were going, and Eden replied honestly that she needed to go to Horum, a town in Reblem.

She had considered several answers in case he asked why, but Karon simply agreed without any further questions.

Since, after Zepar offered 500 drik as a reason for Eden’s visit, the temple had been actively encouraging her external activities; getting permission to go out was no trouble at all.

Thus, Eden was on her way to Reblem with Karon.

‘Wait a minute, why is everything going so smoothly?’

The overly smooth progress was making her feel anxious.

“I know a portal that can take us directly to Reblem, so we can go through there.”

“Gasp, is it a place anyone can use?”

“Not really, but since you’re accompanying me, you should be able to.”

As Karon smiled broadly, Eden felt a surge of joy.

‘Not only safety but also cutting down time!’

Going with Karon was the best decision. That assurance grew stronger as they reached Reblem.

“……”

Karon and Eden rode in silence. Karon, already familiar, wasn’t surprised, but Eden was at a loss for words at the sight of Reblem.

Reblem was desolate in every direction. Witnessing a city that had fallen to crime was a completely different reality than reading a few words on a monitor.

Collapsed buildings, dry land where no crops could grow, and people who ran away to hide for fear of strangers the moment they spotted Karon and Eden.

It made Eden feel foolish for being in such a rush to clear the Reblem episode and move on to the next quest.

“Horum should be this way.”

Karon didn’t add any more words to comfort the stunned Eden; he kindly guided her instead.

The two horses entered the small village.

Horum seemed quite small, as it didn’t appear to be attacked by thieves.

However, the gloomy atmosphere enveloping the entire village felt no different than any other town.

Though it was bright daytime, no one was in sight on the streets, so Eden and Karon headed to an inn nearby.

After tying up their horses and stepping into the somewhat ambiguous inn, the sleepy innkeeper jolted awake and stood up straight upon seeing them.

“People…”

The innkeeper’s face, briefly dazed, quickly recognized it was a pair of a man and woman, and he beamed a wide smile.

“Welcome! Are you staying?”

“Actually, I’m not, I just have a question to ask.”

Eden asked in a somewhat awkward tone, causing the innkeeper’s excited eyes to dim immediately.

Eden pressed on. “Do you know someone named Ella? She lives in this village.”

“Ella?”

The innkeeper, suddenly uninterested, yawned deeply and furrowed his brows.

“Are you talking about Tetes’ daughter?”

At the vague mumble, Eden’s eyes lit up.

“Who is Tetes?”

“That blacksmith living on the southern foothills. His daughter’s name is Ella.”

“Do you perhaps know how old she is?”

Upon receiving the strange question, Karon, who had been watching Eden closely, quickly glanced at her.

However, Eden didn’t have the leisure to notice him as she focused on the innkeeper’s response.

Then the innkeeper opened his mouth.

“Hmm, she should be about ten years old?”

The indifferent answer left Eden’s expression complicated. She had kept various possibilities in mind, but a quest to meet a ten-year-old girl…?

The newly acquired hint made Eden’s mind race.

“By the way, are you travelers?”

The curious innkeeper asked in return, prompting Eden, who had been serious, to quickly shake her head.

“No, I have some business to attend to. Thank you.”

As Karon and Eden stepped out of the inn, they heard the innkeeper call after them, saying they would give them a discount if they returned for a place to stay.

“We need to head to the blacksmith.”

Karon looked like he wanted to ask something, but this time, he also simply followed Eden’s lead without asking anything.

Following the innkeeper’s directions, they headed towards the southern foothills. Sure enough, there stood the blacksmith at the edge of the mountain.

“Looks like they’re not in business.”

 

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