<Wasn’t This a Strategy Game? Chapter 112>

So this really was the entry quest for the Secret Warehouse, huh?

But wisdom, what does that even mean?

‘How am I supposed to put that in?’

Eden crossed her arms and got lost in thought. Ibthan waited patiently, casting a curious glance at her as she stared intently at the old cabinet.

Wisdom…

Eden reminded herself once more that this was a game.

‘Which means it’s an item related to wisdom.’

Here, wisdom was basically intelligence…

Suddenly, something flickered through her mind, and Eden glanced back at Ibthan.

“…?”

Ibthan, caught off guard by her sudden gaze, stared blankly at her.

After a moment of contemplation, Eden approached Ibthan with a sheepish smile.

“Chancellor, I’m going to borrow this.”

“What…”

Ibthan, who was about to respond in surprise, instantly froze as Eden’s hand swooped towards him.

“…!”

Eden’s hand brushed through his light, soft brown hair. The moment she touched him, Ibthan’s legs stiffened up.

“Eek.”

In a flash, Eden plucked a single hair from Ibthan’s head. A sharp sensation made his heart drop.

“I think I’ll need this.”

Holding up the hair, Ibthan looked at Eden, who smiled apologetically. Her face was so close that he couldn’t bring himself to get mad.

Unaware of his thoughts, Eden turned away with no remorse and wrenched the old cabinet door wide open.

Inside, there was nothing but emptiness, yet Eden’s expression was resolute.

“I’ll give it a try.”

She placed the hair she had just taken into the cabinet and closed the door. After three seconds, she suddenly flung the door open again.

‘What the heck is she doing…?’

Finally snapping out of it, Ibthan furrowed his brows and gazed back at the still-empty cabinet, where he froze again.

“It worked!”

Eden’s face lit up with overwhelming joy as she turned to Ibthan.

The operation was a success! Since she couldn’t put the embodiment of intelligence, Ibthan, in there, she had tried to put a part of him inside instead, and it had worked wonderfully.

“As expected, the world’s top intelligence!”

Even with that absurd proclamation, Ibthan remained fixated on the newly created space in the cabinet.

“Let’s go inside, hurry!”

When Eden boldly stepped into the cabinet, disbelief washed over Ibthan’s face.

“Saint!”

But despite his urgent call, Eden didn’t stop, and eventually, Ibthan had to follow her inside.

Once inside, they found a much smaller, cozier space compared to the warehouse outside. It was filled with mysterious and dangerous items at first glance, including some related to Dark Magic.

Who knew there was a place like this in the Imperial Palace?

‘And why is my hair…?’

Stunned at the thought of his hair, Ibthan quickly regained his composure and rushed over to Eden’s side.

Eden was looking around, her expression as if she were on a shopping spree.

“How on earth do you find such things?”

Ibthan asked quietly, his voice tinged with fatigue from all the surprises.

“I guess I’m just lucky.”

But finding something like this isn’t just about luck. Ibthan looked at Eden with a complicated gaze and asked, “…Do you really receive prophecies?”

“Hmm, it might be similar.”

“Might be? Come on.”

“You wouldn’t believe me even if I told you.”

Just then, as Eden casually searched the place, she accidentally reached out her hand.

“Don’t touch that!”

Just as her hand was about to brush against an old book, Ibthan managed to grab her wrist and stop her.

“That book’s got explosive magic embedded in it. It’ll take off a wrist or two.”

Ugh, that chilling warning sent shivers down Eden’s spine. She quickly withdrew her hand, and Ibthan let go immediately.

“Please don’t touch anything. You can’t afford to make mistakes, Saint.”

The intense warning in Ibthan’s gaze carried a hint of the madness she’d sensed before. He was truly a force to be reckoned with.

“Sure, I won’t die until all the Monsters in this world are wiped out.”

Even with her sarcastic remark, Ibthan didn’t flinch.

“Don’t even get near that cage. There are objects infused with Dark Magic inside.”

Hearing that made Eden gasp, and she quickly stepped away from the cage hanging by her head, peering inside.

Sure enough, just as he said, a new doll with an unsettling pattern was moving its head aimlessly.

It was a pattern that made it look like a knife was stabbed into a person’s brain, instantly unpleasant to behold.

‘Ugh…’

Ibthan seemed to know about both the bestiary and Dark Magic types like no ordinary man would.

Eden hunched her shoulders to avoid the dangerous objects and cautiously spoke up again.

“But is that really your goal?”

Taken aback by the random question, Ibthan shot a quick glance at her.

“What are you talking about?”

“Eliminating every Monster on the continent.”

“Of course.”

“Is that even possible?”

With that, Ibthan halted abruptly. Eden, who had been following him, froze in place, feeling nervous.

‘What now?’

Did I mess up again?

However, his gaze was fixed on a bookshelf behind Eden. Soon, he replied, moving his lips.

“It’s possible because the Saint is here.”

It was such an embarrassing statement. But Eden now understood that this was how Ibthan expressed his trust.

Just as she felt a twinge of being touched by his unwavering faith, Ibthan abruptly asked a strange question.

“Do you still believe that the 3rd Prince should become Emperor?”

Taken aback by the quiet inquiry, Eden paused before answering decisively.

“Of course. There’s no other option.”

Ibthan stared at her for a moment with a gaze filled with firm conviction.

“…How can one earn such trust?”

“Huh?”

As much as she tried to deny it, she couldn’t anymore. She was starting to envy Asmun, who received such trust.

Yet, despite that, Ibthan still couldn’t let go of his suspicions about Asmun’s true nature. Any desire to push him onto Eden had vanished into thin air.

Thereupon, Ibthan casually reached behind Eden to grab something from the bookshelf positioned there.

“Wow, there really is a piece of the Bestiary here.”

Gasp!

At that shocking revelation, Eden turned back to Ibthan, who was truly holding a piece of the Bestiary.

As soon as she accepted it, a notification sound and a clear window popped up.

‘That’s it!’

Calmly reviewing the clear window, Eden sighed softly, her eyes shining as she read through the Bestiary fragment.

“……”

After finishing reading the Bestiary entry, Eden felt the air grow heavy and quiet within the warehouse.

She raised her gaze to meet Ibthan’s, who was staring at her.

“Chancellor, did you know that humans can become Monsters?”

At her question, Ibthan’s eyebrows twitched slightly. It seemed even he didn’t know that.

As Eden handed him the Bestiary, he swiftly read through the contents.

“…I had no idea about this information.”

It was evidently new to him as well, suggesting that the number of such beings was indeed extremely small. Eden sealed her lips and fell into thought.

Why was this Bestiary fragment given to her?

‘Since finding this fragment was the quest, it must contain vital information…’

The knowledge that humans can become Monsters was quite an interesting find. However, it wasn’t specifically essential for her right now. There were no humans around her who had transformed into Monsters…

Just then, something flashed before Eden’s eyes.

“…!”

It was the sight of Patriar suddenly showcasing magical power at the banquet. Eden found herself gasping, holding her breath without realizing.

‘Patriar is a Kalek!’

A striking realization sent chills down her spine.

‘That madman not only did the Anag’t Ritual but also committed to this damn contract!’

Suddenly, everything made sense.

Why he, who had never been able to use magic until now, could suddenly wield such power at that crucial moment.

How he formed such sticky and twisted alliances with Dark Sorcerers!

“This guy’s completely insane.”