<Wasn’t This a Strategy Game? Chapter 107>

‘I can’t believe I have to deal with such a guy…’

The tension was on a whole different level than when dealing with Kiris, sending chills down my spine. Yet Asmun remained far calmer than Eden.

“It was a game already set in motion, so it would have been difficult for us to overturn it. Please don’t blame yourself.”

For someone who just had a golden opportunity snatched away right in front of them, that was an oddly composed attitude.

Eden was almost under the impression that Asmun was trying to get under her skin for not having resolved the quarrel from before, so relaxed was he.

“You don’t find it maddening? The Patriar was the real deal! How could he deceive us so perfectly? No, how could we have been so fooled? I should have caught on to it earlier…”

However, Asmun adeptly calmed the infuriated Eden down.

“It’s not over yet.”

Sure, Asmun hadn’t expected things to escalate this way, but he wasn’t surprised by the Patriar’s tricks since he had kept his guard up.

It was always the Patriar who tormented Asmun more cruelly and obsessively than Kiris ever did in their childhood.

If Kiris sent her lackeys to drench Asmun, the Patriar had secretly lured him into the lake of the imperial palace. If Kiris had carelessly thrown broken weapons in front of Asmun, the Patriar had devisively made him lose his way in a forest crowded with monsters.

At some point, the bullying stopped, and he pretended to be docile, but people don’t change easily.

Perhaps it was for the best. The Patriar taking care of Kiris meant one less opponent for Asmun to deal with.

So, Asmun had to make sure not to let this opportunity slip and seize the throne. He had to keep Eden close by his side.

“I will definitely keep my promise to the Saint.”

Eden recalled the chilling glimmer in her eyes.

“Ha…”

“What’s wrong, Saint?”

As Eden sighed, the four priests sticking to her back immediately jumped in with questions.

Eden glanced at them with wide eyes and replied, “It’s nothing. But maybe you could stand a bit farther back?”

“We were ordered by the Chancellor to keep a close watch on you, Saint.”

The priests parroted back the words they had repeated multiple times like robots.

“….”

Eden gave up on the conversation and turned to walk away again. News of her sneaking out had caused quite the commotion back at the Chancellor’s office.

Sereman didn’t give Eden a single reprimand, but he had doubled the number of guards watching her.

So now it was a real hassle being shadowed wherever she went, but Eden was no longer anxious. After all, she had Hagen’ti on her side.

“Call me anytime, and I’ll come for you.”

Hagen’ti had made her the most reassuring promise. He still refused to stay at Asmun’s castle but promised not to leave the capital.

She had the solid Asmun, who wouldn’t waver, and, if she wanted, Hagen’ti could break through the Great Temple’s barriers in one go.

Eden gathered her thoughts, took a deep breath, and stopped in front of Ibthan’s office.

“I’ll go in alone.”

“But, Saint, there was a command from the Chancellor that we shouldn’t take our eyes off you for a second…”

“At this rate, you’ll even follow me into the bathroom.”

“The Chancellor’s office isn’t a bathroom. We must accompany you wherever you go, Saint.”

Just then, the door abruptly swung open, revealing the cold-faced Ibthan.

“Chancellor.”

Eden called out to him cheerfully, but Ibthan’s gaze was fixated on the priests.

“Everything that happens in here is a matter of state secrets. Do you believe you have the right to accompany her?”

The rude remark left the priests speechless. They exchanged glances and eventually took a step back.

“Then we’ll wait outside.”

Pumped with joy, Eden slipped inside, and after a moment’s glare at the priests, Ibthan slammed the door shut.

“Thanks. My words seem to fall on deaf ears anyway.”

Eden smiled awkwardly at Ibthan, but he didn’t return the smile. Instead, he looked at her with an expression of unexpected surprise.

“…I didn’t expect to see you back here.”

As Eden casually made her way to her usual spot, she raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

“Huh?”

“You’ve become a Saint, haven’t you?”

What does that even mean?

Eden looked utterly confused. Ibthan swallowed hard and stepped closer to her.

“You no longer need my help with your work.”

Oh.

Finally, the implications of Ibthan’s vague words hit Eden.

The things she was rewarded with for assisting in the Bestiary project were precious items for an Apprentice Priest.

Opportunities to visit the imperial palace, compensation that was several times larger than what an Apprentice Priest earned, and though minor, the honor of being someone who aids the country.

All those things lost their significance the moment she became a Saint.

Eden could now visit the imperial palace whenever she wished without Ibthan, and she would gain treasures that couldn’t even be compared to the rewards he offered. What about honor?

She didn’t have to help finish this tedious and torturous Bestiary anymore. So, Ibthan probably thought she would never come to his office again.

But Eden’s answer was far too simple.

“I promise to assist you, Chancellor.”

That was a disappointingly lackluster reply.

Just to keep her word?

That wasn’t even a promise. As Ibthan continued to stand there watching her, Eden reluctantly spoke again.

“Actually, I’m grateful.”

“…What do you mean?”

“You believed in me.”

Eden smiled softly as she said that.

If it weren’t for Ibthan on the day they stormed Kiris’s castle, she might have never even met the Emperor.

Moreover, Ibthan had summoned troops just in case. Simply because he believed in her words.

“I know you summoned troops in advance. I guess I did end up helping someone else…”

When Eden sighed self-deprecatingly, Ibthan’s gaze darkened.

Ibthan was also growing suspicious about the Patriar’s staged appearance. Plus, he couldn’t shake off the feeling that Eden and the magician discovering the mine wasn’t a coincidence.

“How do you know that Gold fellow?”

“…Who’s Gold?”

Eden’s puzzled reply made Ibthan’s eyes narrow even further.

“The magician. The one who exposed the mine’s corruption with you.”

Oh, Eden’s face went blank for a moment, realizing Gold must be the magician’s name.

“Ah, Gold! Right, it’s Gold. We just happened to meet. Somehow we ended up collaborating.”

Eden hurriedly brushed it off, but Ibthan’s gaze didn’t soften a bit.

“Really. As you heard, Gold was investigating the mine before I did, right?”

After hearing that, Ibthan finally dropped his suspicious look.

The magician, Chediak, had left the capital without a second thought right after everything wrapped up. He said he had some business to attend to, and that discovering the mine was just a byproduct of that.

Since there was no reason to detain a busy person, Eden bid a reluctant farewell.

She probably wouldn’t see him again.

Dwelling on that thought, Eden pulled out the Bestiary she had left unfinished the last time.

Eden stared at the Bestiary for a moment before blurting out.

“Chancellor, please tell me there are no monsters that lay colorful eggs?”

Ibthan stared blankly at Eden’s sudden and bizarre question before answering.

“…Not that I know of, not yet.”

“I see…”

Eden let out a small exhale. She wanted to burst into complaints about how Hamun made the game like this, but there was no way to acquire eggs.

‘Could they only be obtained through quests? As special rewards for hidden quests?’

Just in case, she tried tossing an ordinary egg, but it had no effect, and every time she threw one, it was automatically purified, which only added to her frustration.

But an Easter egg was just that—an Easter egg. Even if she couldn’t meet Hamun again, it wouldn’t affect her ability to clear the game.

“Once this Bestiary is completed, we should be able to wipe out all the monsters of the continent, right?”

Ibthan looked at her with an utterly bewildered expression at words that were a bit inappropriate coming from a Saint.

Eden met his gaze and smiled.

“I’ll only trust you, Chancellor.”

For a moment, Ibthan froze, staring at her before inadvertently averting his eyes and grabbing the paperwork on the table.

Eden, too, while not expecting a reply, began jotting down notes without a hint of annoyance.

Because of this, she remained blissfully unaware that Ibthan’s ears were a shade redder than usual.

Since the 1st Prince, the closest heir to the emperor’s throne, had been eliminated for treason, and the whereabouts of the dark sorcerers, the source of evil, remained elusive, a dark shadow loomed over the Empire of Hesmor for quite some time.

If this continued, the morale of the Empire’s citizens would surely decline, significantly affecting the Empire. Therefore, the imperial palace had to make efforts to shift this gloomy atmosphere.

“Even so, holding a banquet at a time like this?”

Eden asked back in disbelief. It was hard to see the connection between boosting the citizens’ morale and a palace banquet.

Furthermore…

“Must I really attend such an event…?”