<Wasn’t This a Strategy Game? Chapter 155>

He pulled out his sword and aimed it at his own neck. Without even tasting the air like Eden, he had a blank expression as he intended to drive the blade straight into his throat.

“No! Don’t do it!”

If Hamun hadn’t quickly intervened in shock, Asmun would have truly lost his life, and that would have been the end of the game right there.

Thanks to Hamun’s quick reflexes, the sword was deflected and failed to pierce Asmun’s neck.

“This guy’s completely nuts!”

Even after setting it up like that, Hamun yelled in surprise. The clear was so close, and he couldn’t let it end in such a ridiculous manner.

Asmun was well aware of him.

I had no idea what wager Eden and Hamun were making, but it was clear that both of them aimed for me to become the Emperor and protect the Empire.

Seeing Hamun acting all crazy like that confirmed my suspicions.

“What kind of idiot would threaten a god? Seriously, this is absurd!”

“……”

“Where do you think you’re threatening a god from? Are you out of your mind?”

“I’m just asking sincerely.”

Asmun said this with a straight face, causing Hamun to let out an exasperated snort.

Hamun realized that Asmun had him wrapped around his finger.

Asmun was a character who instinctively understood what his opponent feared and desired, and he had been engineered by me.

I never thought it would work on me too!

“This is ridiculous! I’m being toyed with by a character I created!”

The creator being manipulated by their creation was just embarrassing. Hamun trembled, fearing that someone might discover this and began negotiating with Asmun.

“Fine.”

Finally calming down, Hamun sighed and replied, and Asmun’s eyes glimmered with intrigue.

“But you should know that he’s not someone I created, and I can’t do whatever I want with him.”

“……”

“If Eden chooses to stay here, then I’ll try my best.”

At Hamun’s words, Asmun’s previously firm gaze began to waver. Seeing this, Hamun crossed his arms and shouted.

“You need to agree to that much! Eden has free will!”

Asmun took a long time to ponder over the conditions proposed by Hamun before eventually nodding. There was no denying that this was the best option.

“Alright.”

Upon Asmun’s acceptance, Hamun sighed in relief. However, Asmun’s audacity didn’t end there.

“One more thing.”

Hamun’s expression twisted in disbelief at that brazen and nonchalant voice.

What? More?

“If this game fails….”

Softly stating this, Asmun paused briefly, seemingly considering something.

Soon his deliberation ended, and another audacious statement came forth.

“Then you must send Eden back to her original world.”

Hamun’s eyebrows shot up in annoyance at those words. It was a condition he hadn’t anticipated.

“That’s the end of this deal.”

With that blunt statement, Hamun looked intrigued as he stared at Asmun. This was a completely different development from the character values I had configured. Hamun had never bestowed such a setting on Asmun.

“Hah….”

Hamun’s lips slightly curled in amusement.

Humans are indeed amusing.

“So we agreed to give you a choice,” he said.

As soon as Hamun finished speaking, Eden’s expression turned blank. Only then did I understand why such a sword had been raised against me back then.

Asmun…

A hollow chuckle escaped Eden’s lips at such a typical display from him.

“Of course, if you go back, that audacious new Emperor will ruin everything here.”

Even after thinking about the matter, Hamun snorted in frustration, trembling in anger.

Being blackmailed by Asmun was annoying enough, but now he was being threatened by Eden too. The life of a great game developer was fraught with difficulty; everyone should acknowledge this hardship.

“So think carefully about your choice. Do you really want to stay? If you do, the you over there will vanish. Are you okay with that?”

Hamun asked with his arms crossed. The thought that I would disappear over there did tug at my heartstrings.

However, the answer had long been set.

Since a long time ago.

“I….”

Eden looked up at Hamun, who awaited her final answer.

Recently, the Hesmoro Empire had been enjoying an unprecedented peace.

The princes colluding with Dark Sorcerers had been successively eliminated, and the former Chancellor, who sought to resurrect the Demon King, was also gone, effectively wiping out Dark Magic, and the new Emperor’s exceptional abilities were ushering the Empire into its first-ever renaissance.

Yet, what had most calmed the hearts and minds of the citizens was the new Chancellor.

“The Shield is spread throughout the Empire. I still can’t believe it.”

“Ah, of course it’s someone that Hamun personally chose!”

“Moreover, isn’t the Emperor capturing all the monsters beyond the borders for research?”

“Who would have known those pesky monsters had such diverse uses?”

“That’s thanks to our Chancellor! They say every monster’s information is revealed! Truly impressive!”

“And didn’t they even heal the late Emperor with that mysterious healing power?”

Across the Empire, praises for the new Chancellor were incessant.

The Chancellor’s abilities were so remarkable that they could not be measured, casting shields across the Empire to prevent any monsters from entering.

Because of that, the damage from monsters had been completely eradicated, and now even those outside the capital could sleep peacefully without worry.

A group of men gathered in an old tavern to share news about the Imperial Palace.

“Did you all hear that news?”

“What news?”

“That the Emperor became a fanatic follower of the Chancellor!”

The man sharing the news whispered with a lowered voice.

Recently, a secret rumor had been circulating throughout the Empire. It was about the new Emperor becoming a fanatic follower of the new Chancellor, seeking them out daily.

“Isn’t that obvious? What’s so surprising about it?”

“Oh please, it’s gone beyond anything you can imagine! They say he spends more time in the Great Temple than at the Imperial Palace! But here’s the bizarre part: no one knows how he gets into the Temple. The priests claim they’ve never seen him enter, yet somehow he’s already inside!”

“Could the Emperor be using magic? Well, considering how well he handles fire, teleportation shouldn’t be impossible! And sure, the Emperor would sufficiently deserve to receive the Chancellor’s blessings, anyway. Hesmoro is experiencing an unprecedented renaissance!”

“But isn’t that unfair? No matter how much of an Emperor you are, monopolizing the Chancellor’s blessings is just wrong!”

Just then, a man who had been quietly listening to the conversation interjected with a frown.

“I heard it’s not just the Emperor? They say Grand Duke Yuren is also itching to receive the Chancellor’s blessings?”

This time, another man chimed in.

“What? I heard it was the Prime Minister though?”

The last man, who had been silently listening, finally spoke up.

“Aren’t you all mishearing the story about the Commander of the Holy Knights?”

The men exchanged puzzled glances, looking at each other in confusion.

While the citizens far away were talking about me, Asmun was on his way to the Great Temple to investigate the truth behind the rumor.

Entering the bedroom and opening the secret space hidden beside it, a glowing portal was revealed.

“……”

This was a portal connected to Eden’s office in the Great Temple.

Every rumor was true, and the reason why the priests couldn’t spot Asmun entering the Great Temple was all thanks to this portal.

Asmun had been maintaining a secret routine where during the day, he handled state affairs at the Imperial Palace, and at night, he visited the Great Temple to meet Eden every other day.

Today was the day he would spend with Eden, so having wrapped up all state affairs, Asmun stepped onto the portal that had been weighing on his heart all day long.

Eden had chosen to stay here. A place where they could meet again anytime.

Just that alone was gratitude enough, and he decided not to wish for more.

Asmun kept his promise to Eden, and he could see her as unchanged as ever. How I appeared to others mattered not at all.

But what angered him was…

“……”

Standing on the portal, yet feeling no movement, Asmun’s eyes turned icy. The muscles in his jaw visibly tightened.

Asmun got off the portal and turned on his heel immediately.

Honk honk.

Eden watched the cute Rutata honking on her hand with a melting smile.

“So cute!”

The sight of the Rutata waddling joyfully was so adorable it could melt anyone’s heart, but Hagen’ti had little interest in the Rutata and only had eyes for Eden.

“Should I bring more?”

At those words, Eden’s gaze shifted toward Hagen’ti.

“No. You gotta send this one back too. We can’t get caught.”

If it were to be found out that even a lowly monster was present in the Great Temple, things would get complicated.

Only last time, when Rita came to visit the office, she discovered the cute monster brought by Hagen’ti, causing quite a minor uproar.

At Eden’s request, Rita kept her mouth shut about it, but if someone else were to find out, it wouldn’t be an easy fix.

When Eden gently patted the Rutata with a hint of regret, Hagen’ti quietly added,

“If you ever want to see it, I’ll bring it anytime.”

At that, Eden burst out laughing. For some reason, it felt like she saw a tail behind Hagen’ti as he said that.

Eden knew exactly what Hagen’ti desired.

“So sweet, our Choco.”

Following his wishes, she put the Rutata down, cupped Hagen’ti’s cheeks with both hands, and gave him a peck. Hagen’ti then embraced Eden tightly and kissed her deeply.

Hagen’ti too had portals connected to both the Castle and Eden’s office, visiting her every two days. It was a silent agreement they had made.

Hagen’ti had also learned everything that had transpired, and could not deny Asmun’s contribution to Eden’s choice to stay.

However, today wasn’t Hagen’ti’s scheduled day. He had come under the pretext of visiting the Rutata because he simply could not help himself from wanting to see Eden.

After holding Eden for a while, Hagen’ti finally released her and whispered.

“Eden. My head hurts. I think a side effect is kicking in.”

Hagen’ti knew Eden’s weak spots well.

“What? Where? Let me see.”

Surprised, Eden quickly checked Hagen’ti’s forehead. As he gazed at those overly worried eyes, longing to the point of love, he added,

“Can’t I stay in your castle tonight?”

At that, Eden’s face grew troubled. She also knew that today was the day she would meet Asmun.

‘Now that I think about it, Asmun should be arriving soon…’

Feeling a little anxious, Eden cast a glance toward the wall behind her. There wasn’t a sound coming from the wall that connected to Asmun’s bedroom.

Maybe…

Just then, in that moment of anxiety, she heard,

“Chancellor! The Emperor has arrived!”

At that, Eden turned back to Hagen’ti. He was expertly petting the Rutata and feigning innocence.

“Hagen’ti, you again….”

But before she could confirm the truth with him, Asmun knocked on the door. Eden hurriedly walked over to open it herself.

“As.”

“…….”

Asmun glanced at Eden’s face and then shot a glare at Hagen’ti, who was peeking over her shoulder with sharp eyes.

Just as expected, that pesky sorcerer had blocked the portal connected to Eden’s office.

“Hagen’ti. Apologize right now.”

Noticing him, Eden commanded Hagen’ti, but he refused.

“No.”

At that, Asmun’s eyes turned even colder.

“Hagen’ti is just feeling sick today.”

Eden did her best to defend Hagen’ti. Asmun swallowed a cold sigh at the blatant tone reflecting not a hint of illness.

Now, Asmun knew how to defeat Hagen’ti. The way was to expose that vile creature’s ulterior motives.

“Oh dear.”

With a face appearing to worry yet devoid of concern, Asmun sighed.

“Then you should hurriedly return to the Castle and rest. If necessary, I can send over medicine and a physician.”

He then looked at Eden with a calm smile.

“And I….”

“…….”

“Must not waste any more time.”

Asmun wrapped his arms around Eden’s waist and stepped into the office, then kissed her on the lips.

Hagen’ti, who had just witnessed that directly, jumped up and used magic to separate Eden from Asmun.

With that signal, a fierce battle began between Asmun and Hagen’ti.

Boom! Boom!

Bang!

The office turned into chaos with all kinds of tremendous sounds in an instant. Meanwhile, both men surrounded Eden with shields, as if they were both protecting her.

“Ugh, seriously….”

Now used to watching the chaos with an astonished gaze, Eden raised her hand and subdued the mayhem in an instant.

The office returned to normal, and both men’s magical powers were nullified.

With a furious expression, Eden shouted.

“Both of you leave!”

Thus, both men were kicked out of the Chancellor’s office. They had received the thunderous punishment of not being allowed to return for several days.

Asmun and Hagen’ti were both filled with an overwhelming desire to kill each other, but they both knew that if they acted on such impulses, they would never see Eden again, so they could only glare fiercely at one another and ultimately chose to leave.

Finally, left alone in the now quiet office, Eden sank into the plush sofa and let out a tired sigh.

“What a hassle…….”

Who knew living with so many men would be this tiring?

Moreover, Jepar, Karon, and Ibthan were all making excuses to visit the Great Temple whenever they could, and my head was starting to hurt even more.

Since their favorability levels had all already hit 90, there was no way to reverse it.

If this continued, I might end up connecting portals outside their bedrooms too. I could feel that their favorability was soaring at an alarming rate, even without witnessing it.

The favoritism that was rising uncontrollably was now far beyond my control.

“Is there no way to lower favorability?”

“This game doesn’t have such a system, does it?”

At my desperate question, Hamun only chuckled as if referring to someone else’s matters.

“What if those three hit 100?”

At that, Hamun simply replied concisely.

“Enjoy it.”

Such a simple reply. But would both Asmun and Hagen’ti accept it…?

Eden sighed deeply, pressing a throbbing headache, and finally took out what she had hidden under the sofa.

“Well, since this has happened, should I enjoy some free time for a change?”

What Eden held in her hand was a game console obtained as a reward for completing the final quest.

Hamun personally descended to give it to her, requesting that she become a tester for all the games he created in the future.

Having witnessed Eden’s clearing process, Hamun created a new dating simulation game based on that.

Eden, who still loved games, readily accepted his request.

“Well made.”

Eden rolled around on the sofa, genuinely enjoying her long-awaited leisure activity.

While engrossed in her game, a new notification popped up on the screen.

Eden’s eyes widened at the notification.

“Has it really been 200 days? Time is just….”

Eden clicked her tongue but rose from her seat, staring intently at the rating window. She worried that Hamun would change his mind, so she decided to leave the rating after 200 days had passed.

‘200 days, huh…’

There had been times when she worried she might regret staying here after 200 days, but thankfully, with the headache caused by the men, she had no regrets whatsoever.

Finally, after leaving the long-awaited rating and review that Hamun had eagerly desired, Eden stood up, letting out a large sigh, and smiled.

It was a happy smile, free from any burdens.