<Wasn’t This a Strategy Game? Episode 116>

Eden’s face froze in place, still wearing that smile.

“……What?”

Jepar, unfazed by Eden’s stiff face, smiled gently.

“I hope the Saint will become the mistress of Yuren.”

The moment his words finished, an intense silence enveloped the audience chamber as if time had stopped.

Eden, who was paralyzed by the unexpected proposal, finally came to her senses and parted her stiff lips.

“Grand Duke…”

As her flustered voice emerged, time began to flow again as her mind whirled as stiffly as her lips had.

A comment from Asmun once slipped into her ears amid the chaos.

“Jepar is not a suitable person to use. He doesn’t move without a cost.”

So, his words were indeed right.

Jepar was originally set up as such a character. If I, having become the Saint, were to become the mistress of Yuren, the Yuren family would earn the honor of being the first house in the Empire to be chosen by the Saint.

Moreover, my abilities would be the perfect aid for him to complete the Monster Bestiary and inflate his power…

“……”

But that was out of the question. It had nothing to do with clearing the game.

I didn’t know how I ended up in this situation, but I couldn’t accept Jepar’s awkward proposal.

“I’m sorry, Grand Duke.”

Eden squeezed her eyes shut and rejected his proposal.

“I cannot grant that request. Let’s just pretend I didn’t hear it. However, if there’s anything else I can assist with, I’d be willing to help at any time.”

Despite the calm rejection, Jepar’s expression showed no sign of change. He had a face that was completely unbothered.

“I thought you might say that, so I’ve prepared another proposal.”

Another proposal?

Eden, now feeling increasingly anxious, looked at Jepar as he pulled something out from his pocket. It was some documents.

“It would be better for you to see it directly.”

In the face of this unfathomable development, Eden stared at him in bewilderment before reluctantly accepting the documents to take a look.

‘What on earth is this…’

With bated breath, as she slowly read through the documents, Eden’s eyes hardened far more than when she received Jepar’s proposal.

‘What is this…’

Finally, after reading all the documents, Jepar, who had been patiently waiting for her, opened his mouth again.

“Evidence that the 3rd Prince instigated the war with the Tetalan Kingdom.”

His kind and gentle explanation neatly summarized the chaotic jumble of documents, and Eden’s breath became gradually more sluggish.

“Now, let’s propose again.”

Eden lifted her head with a dazed expression to look at Jepar. When their eyes met, he smiled gently.

“In exchange for covering him, I would like you to marry me.”

Eden stared down at the documents in shock, unable to respond to any answer. According to his words, these documents contained evidence suggesting that Asmun had attempted to instigate a war.

“If the facts within are revealed in this current climate, the 3rd Prince may not come out in one piece. If that happens, regrettably, the 3rd Prince, whom the Saint desires, will never ascend to the throne.”

His eyes, filled with certainty about the future, were calm and collected. Jepar was confident that Eden had wagered everything on Asmun. Unfortunately, that was indeed the case.

At a time when the entire Empire was on edge, if this truth were to come out, Asmun would be unable to become Emperor, and Eden would not be able to clear this game.

Above all, this was clearly treason, and Asmun’s life would undoubtedly be in jeopardy.

“Grand Duke…”

A tremulous voice called out to Jepar.

“There seems to be a… misunderstanding.”

Despite her feeble denial, the smile on Jepar’s face did not waver.

“I wonder if His Majesty would think so too.”

His voice was still gentle, but it was a blatant threat. Only then did Eden realize why such words were written in the Prophecy Book.

‘What a crazy game…’

Eden swallowed hard and barely managed to speak with a calm voice.

“Grand Duke, please listen to me. You wouldn’t know, but there are errors in the oracle announcing the return of the Saint. I may not be the Saint that the Empire desires.”

“I have confirmed the Saint’s abilities first and foremost. You need not feel anxious.”

Indeed, Jepar, who was not persuaded in the slightest, instead encouraged Eden with an easy demeanor.

Damn, I had forgotten that Jepar had seen my abilities up close. Jepar held as much confidence in my capabilities as he did in Asmun’s.

“Please don’t, Grand Duke… I won’t be of any help to you. I’m not as remarkable as you think I am.”

“That’s excessive modesty. I desperately need the Saint.”

There was nothing that could change Jepar’s mind, already calculated beyond measure. Looking into his steady eyes, Eden realized the bleak truth, and her voice was left hollow.

Jepar was seeking revenge against me for using him to elevate Asmun’s status. He was making me pay for daring to use him.

Oh my God…

“I will give you time to think, as the Saint may need it. But I hope it won’t take too long.”

With that, Jepar stood up without a hint of reluctance.

“Whatever choice you make, I will respect the Saint’s decision.”

His polite voice sent chills down Eden’s spine.

After Jepar left, Eden remained seated in the quiet audience chamber, reading and rereading the documents he had left behind. She even skipped dinner.

“This can’t be happening…”

Yet no matter how many times she read it, the contents of the documents didn’t change at all. Although they were disjointed, when put together, they clearly painted a conclusion.

‘Damn…’

Just as Jepar said, Asmun attempted to instigate a war to reveal himself while gaining merit from that war.

And in doing so, he aimed to funnel the funds generated from the war into his own hands to actively participate in the struggle for the throne.

“Ha…”

Eden clutched her hair and bit her lip. The sacrifice Asmun had marked for the war with Hesmaro was the Tetalan Kingdom beyond the western border.

The Yuren Grand Duchy was caught in between, and if the war had gone as planned, the damage to the Yuren Grand Duchy would have been considerable.

That was also a part of Asmun’s plan. Weakening the Yuren Grand Duchy would be the bait that would attract the Emperor’s interest.

Given the scale of his ambition, Asmun was thorough, but he couldn’t overcome Jepar’s power, who intended to uncover Asmun’s weaknesses.

‘It’s my fault.’

Jepar had been searching for Asmun’s weaknesses to ensnare Eden, and in the end, he’d caught the tail.

So it was only natural that Jepar, having realized this, would harbor a fierce grudge against Asmun.

‘…So, that’s why he was trying to meet Retton?’

Having uncovered this huge hidden agenda, Eden recalled Count Retton, who had appeared earlier.

The Retton family was the largest arms supplier in the Empire.

Asmun, who hadn’t caught on to Retton teaming up with Kiris, had obviously intended to meet him that night and test him out.

Everything aligned like puzzle pieces, adding credence to the evidence brought by Jepar.

Eden felt dizzy and squeezed her eyes shut, but soon something came to mind, and she opened her eyes wide.

‘Now that I think about it, when I played as Kiris… there was a time when the war broke out and Kiris was assassinated!’

It had indeed happened. Kiris attempted to achieve merit in the war but was assassinated, resulting in a game over.

“Gah…”

This meant that if I hadn’t shown up to disrupt things, Asmun’s plan could have succeeded!

Eden examined the documents again.

Not only Retton but also everyone mentioned in the documents Jepar brought stood on the opposite side of Kiris and his faction, yet they were all in a position to gain significant benefits if a war broke out.

They all had some sort of contract with Asmun.

Among them, the most chilling target was the Mosmorokan Kingdom beyond Tetalan. That was precisely where Asmun had managed to persuade the Hesmaroan businessmen.

‘Providing unofficial trade routes through Pasarham…’

The mounting sense of despair tightened around Eden’s heart as she brushed her forehead gently.

The Mosmorokan had promised to actively collaborate if Asmun instigated a war, and in exchange, Asmun had agreed to provide part of the Tetalan Kingdom region post-victory and immediate unofficial trade routes.

Jepar seemed to have had no idea what the unofficial trade route was, but upon spotting the name ‘Pasarham’, Eden immediately recognized it.

‘…An unofficial Tevel operation.’

So Asmun was plotting to use the unreported Tevel operation that was already seen as a grave crime.

When examined closely, Asmun’s plan was quite plausible.

Mosmorokan, the only channel to supply goods to Hesmaro through Tetalan, which imposed exorbitant taxes, was bound to participate actively in Asmun’s plan.

Asmun had persuaded the Hesmaroan businessmen based on the contract with Mosmorokan.

And I had apparently emerged amidst this risky plot.

“…”

There was no need to confirm with Asmun. Just as Jepar’s character was inherently calculated like this, Asmun was also a twisted ambitious man ready to do anything for his goals.

Additionally, if I recalled that Kiris had been assassinated during the game over while playing as Kiris, his plan had indeed been successful.

‘The problem is that my emergence altered the plan, and Jepar caught on to that tail.’

Eden ran her hands over her pale face and sighed.

Her chest felt tight, but it wasn’t exactly incomprehensible.

At that time, Asmun would have needed a much larger turning point, and without this method, there was no way for him to reveal himself.

For Asmun, this was the best method. It was rather I who had interrupted him.

He had trusted only me and overturned this massive plan he had built for years.