“Wasn’t this a strategy game?”

Patriar’s robust voice had more majesty and power than I had ever heard before. His face and body were marred with deep scars, yet his eyes sparkled with confidence.

“Kiris… Is it true that everything Patriar said…?”

The Emperor asked in disbelief, and Kiris, who had been keeping his head down, slowly nodded.

Eden and Asmun’s eyes hardened simultaneously.

“So, it’s all true? You dared to use Dark Magic to swallow my soul!”

The Emperor roared in rage. Kiris seemed to silently ponder for a moment before finally parting his dry lips.

“Yes… It’s all true. I’ve long been colluding with Dark Sorcerers, and ultimately tried to use Dark Magic to dominate Your Majesty’s soul and ascend the throne.”

What a painfully simple confession.

‘No way. Someone like Kiris could never do that…’

Eden was stunned, staring at him, only to suddenly remember something and looked at Patriar. The corners of Patriar’s mouth were very slightly upturned as he knelt.

“….”

In that moment, it felt like an Anag’t tablet had fallen from the sky and struck me.

‘It was Patriar.’

It had really been the prince colluding with Dark Sorcerers. Kiris was nothing more than a puppet to him…

The sacrificial victim of the Anag’t Ritual was not the Emperor, but Kiris.

‘Damn it…!’

Eden finally understood how everything written in the Prophecy Book had been so obscured.

‘They.’

Who were they?

“The tablet.”

Eden blurted out, turning the Emperor, Patriar, and Asmun’s gazes toward her simultaneously. Eden looked at Patriar.

“Where is the tablet? The Anag’t tablet?”

Patriar stared at Eden with a blank look for a moment before breaking into a smile.

“That wicked object is no more; I got rid of it.”

Upon hearing that, Asmun realized the same thing as Eden and shot Patriar a cold glance.

“Who is the author? It looks lifeless.”

Asmun quietly pointed at a man lying dead in the center of the magic circle, dripping blood, and Patriar, with a solemn expression, answered while looking at the Emperor.

“By the time I arrived, the ritual was already underway. The poor man, blessed with Divine Power, had already perished.”

Eden looked at Patriar with disbelief.

It was Patriar who had killed that man. He had sacrificed the offering to carry out the Anag’t Ritual and had taken control of Kiris’s soul.

Kiris, not moving a muscle, bowed his head without a word, stood as his evidence.

“However, I barely arrived in time, so the ritual was not completed.”

“Where are the Dark Sorcerers?”

Asmun asked while staring straight at Patriar, who let out a small sigh.

“They fled as soon as I entered. I had no other choice. I couldn’t pursue them as I needed to stop the ritual.”

It was a flawless excuse. Almost as if it had been prepared in advance.

“Your Majesty, I subdued the brother who attempted to dominate your soul. But this is undoubtedly a crime; I am prepared to face the punishment your Majesty shall impose.”

Patriar’s act was flawless.

A shaking voice holding something indistinguishable—tension, fear, or sorrow—yet a loyal gaze devoid of regret. The Emperor, at a loss for words, looked at Kiris and soon accepted everything. Kiris truly had tried to cast Dark Magic upon him. Patriar had stopped him.

He couldn’t ignore that merit.

“Rise, Patriar.”

“Your Majesty.”

“How could I punish the one who saved the Empire? Today you rescued me, and you also rescued Hesmor. If it weren’t for you…”

The Emperor could not continue, glancing at Kiris with a mix of resignation and betrayal. Kiris still kept his head down.

His own son had tried to harm him.

In that once-empty spot, bitterness and anger began to bubble up uncontrollably.

“Immediately transport the prisoner to the underground prison of the Imperial Palace and begin the investigation! And do not cease torture until he reveals all information on the Dark Sorcerers. Not even a sip of water should be granted.”

The Emperor commanded, seemingly disgusted, causing the knights to hurry and drag Kiris away. The Emperor once more glanced around the underground prison scene.

A prince colluding with Dark Sorcerers, stirring chaos in the nation and mocking the Empire’s people. It was almost laughable.

The Emperor turned to Patriar and Asmun.

“We must return to the Imperial Palace first.”

“Damn it…”

Alone, Eden returned to Asmun’s castle, strolling down the empty corridor, finally letting out the pent-up curse.

“Damn it… that damn Hamun…”

My head, once frozen in shock, began to clear, revealing everything. Kiris never had the ability to collude with Dark Sorcerers in the first place.

His receiving aid from the Dark Sorcerers had all been Patriar’s scheme. So, the true mastermind behind all the plans Kiris had been unfolding until now was none other than Patriar.

“I let my guard down too much.”

Patriar was also one of the key figures, yet I had overlooked him completely.

It was a mistake to underestimate Patriar, who appeared relatively quiet while fixating solely on Kiris. The truly sinister and deceitful prince had been Patriar all along.

“For crying out loud! I’ve painfully gone through all this for nothing! Argh!”

Eden couldn’t contain her frustration and screamed, grabbing her head.

Even if Asmun rushed to deliver evidence of treason to the Emperor first, in the end, the winner was Patriot, who physically subdued Kiris and etched that scene into the Emperor’s memory.

No matter what anyone said, politics were all about impact, and Patriar left an unforgettable mark on the Emperor.

“Ha…”

Eden chuckled at the absurdity. In the end, she had gone through all that pain to lead the Emperor to the scene for Patriar’s impact.

Patriar had stepped over both me and Asmun and taken another step closer to the throne.

“Calm down, Eden…”

Eden barely managed to steady herself, leaning against the wall of the corridor while trying to sort through the situation.

Whatever the case, there had been no way to avoid this development. Considering how the Prophecy Book had been written like that, it must have been a situation Hamun intended.

‘What a crazy human. No, a crazy god. Whatever it is!’

So, Kiris’s downfall and Patriar’s emergence were inevitably linked.

This meant that from now on, Asmun and I would have to face that treacherous Patriar.

“Alright, fine. Let’s do this.”

A fierce flame ignited within Eden. Her previously dormant competitive spirit was roaring to life.

At that moment…

“Eden.”

Hagen’ti suddenly appeared before Eden. She gasped in surprise, realizing he must have been waiting for her all along.

“Is it all over?”

Hagen’ti asked quietly.

Ah…

Eden felt flustered and rolled her eyes.

「We’re almost there. If we can resolve this well, His Highness will become the Crown Prince. Just wait a bit longer, and I’ll be back soon.」

She had said that to stop Hagen’ti from following her to the Imperial Palace.

‘Oh no…’

But rather than a conclusion, everything had returned to square one. No, things were likely worse than before since Patriar had left a deep impression on the Emperor.

“You see… things have… gotten a bit complicated.”

Eden sighed softly and honestly admitted, and Hagen’ti stared at her intently.

She knew why Hagen’ti had complied with her all this time. He thought that when this was over, he would return to the castle with her.

It pained her to shatter that expectation.

“…I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

Hagen’ti’s response surprised Eden; it was unexpectedly gentle.

“Really okay?”

Hagen’ti nodded.

“I’m really fine, I am.”

Such a lighthearted answer, as if nothing was bothering him at all. Eden couldn’t understand why her heart felt heavy at his nod, why her tension suddenly released.

‘Ugh, after all that hassle… and I made Hagen’ti suffer too… What a fool I am…’

In the end, this was the outcome. It felt so empty. She tried to convince herself that there was nothing she could do about it, but there clearly had been opportunities along the way.

Opportunities to realize that Patriar was the true enemy.

It was her own fault for missing that chance. It was all her own mistake for foolishly becoming too overconfident and being thoroughly deceived by this game.

“….”

Eden looked at Hagen’ti, feeling a lump in her throat.

Hagen’ti gazed at her face and slowly reached out. His long, beautiful fingers caressed her weary cheeks, worn from days of hardship.

“Eden.”

“….”

“I’ll help you. So…”

Eden watched as he said warm words, yet the gray eyes carried a persistent somberness.

“Don’t cry.”

Only then did Eden realize she had shed tears, gasping in shock and wiping them away.

“Ah, why are the tears… damn it, crying is losing.”

Eden bit her lip to keep from crying.

She shouldn’t cry over this. After all, she would take down Patriar and make Asmun the Emperor. She had no reason to cry.

Feeling embarrassed, Eden wiped her tears and suddenly glanced out the window at the rising moon. It was a full moon.

Eden’s astonished gaze turned back to Hagen’ti. She quickly approached him, cupping his face with her hands, checking him from side to side.

“Hagen’ti, are you okay? Are you hurt? Did you take your medicine? Do you have it with you?”

Hagen’ti blinked at Eden as she bombarded him with questions, his eyes wide.

“Aren’t you supposed to call me Choco anymore?”

“Huh?”

“….”

Hagen’ti fell silent again.