<Wasn’t This a Strategy Game? Episode 135>

As Sereman opened his mouth to announce the start of the Ceremony of the Saint, the once-rowdy Great Temple fell silent as if it were a lie.

With the atmosphere so quiet you could hear a pin drop, Sereman began to recite the declaration once more.

Once this declaration ended, a sacred floral crown would be placed upon Lydia’s head, formally replacing the Saint of Hesmoro.

And finally, as the lengthy declaration wrapped up, Sereman’s gently moving lips closed.

He quietly gestured, and a Priest waiting behind, holding the crown, approached and handed it over to Sereman.

“Please come closer.”

Sereman respectfully requested Lydia.

Just as she attempted to move her feet, which seemed glued to the ground—

“Stop!”

A booming voice rang out from afar, followed by the loud clattering of hooves.

Those startled turned to see a group of knights rushing into the Great Temple as if conducting a surprise attack.

“Get out of the way!”

Baint, at the forefront, cleared the path, and chaos erupted within the Great Temple in an instant.

“Aaargh!”

“W-What’s happening?”

“Hurry up and move! Unless you want to get trampled to death!”

The Emperor, who had come to witness the Ceremony of the Saint, was equally startled and sprang to his feet, brow furrowed.

“What’s going on with that crowd?”

“They appear to be the knights of His Highness Asmun!”

Patriar quickly realized this fact and gave orders to his knights.

“Stop them at once and capture them!”

The Great Temple truly became a scene of chaos.

As the knights of Patriar clashed with those of Asmun inside the sacred grounds, three horses quickly rushed in, approaching the elevated balcony where the Emperor and Lydia stood.

“Lydia!”

Upon hearing that shout, Lydia turned around to see Eden, waving at me from atop a horse.

And before her…

“Sister!”

Lydia’s breath hitched. Riding with Eden and fervently waving was none other than my little brother.

He should have been captured by Akalneta by now.

Patriar’s eyes widened in realization.

How…?

“My brother is safe! All the other Fairy Tribe members have been rescued!”

Below, the Saint, who had just been on the brink of being ousted, was screaming her head off.

‘All the other Fairy Tribe members have been rescued?’

Blood rushed to Patriar’s face in the worst situation imaginable.

Asmun, standing next to Eden, was staring at me with an expression that signaled everything was over.

“Sister! Everyone is okay! This sister saved us all!”

At Leo’s words, emotions welled up in Lydia’s eyes, spilling over.

The last image of Leo remained vivid in her mind. He had been hanging from a large tree, eyes closed as if dead.

Memories of being forced to participate in that villain’s evil deeds under the threat of annihilating my brother and the Fairy Tribe flashed like a slideshow, obscuring her vision.

The power of Dark Sorcerers was overwhelming, and there was no way I could save my brother on my own.

Once again, that “real” saint, Eden, had achieved what I thought impossible.

“So now, I can finally tell the truth! Please!”

As Eden earnestly pleaded, Lydia could no longer hold back her tears.

Everything she had been holding in, unable to find a way to stop or return, spilled out uncontrollably.

“Sister, let’s go home! If you continue to help the 2nd Prince, you’re going to get hurt again!”

The moment Leo mentioned Patriar, who had been frozen in panic, he snapped.

“Arrest those brazen people who are disturbing the sacred Ceremony of the Saint!”

As if I had already become the Emperor, Patriar’s command caused the Emperor, who was equally stunned, to furrow his brows and turn to him.

The Emperor could hardly wrap his head around the situation.

It was shocking enough that the Saint, who had disappeared into the Grand Duchy, had barged in, but what was that kid doing, and why was Patriar’s name being mentioned? What truth was being revealed?

But Lydia immediately rushed over to clear those questions, kneeling before the Emperor.

“Your Majesty, I am not the Saint…”

The Emperor’s face turned incredulous at her tearful confession.

“What do you mean you’re not the Saint now?”

It was true that I had hastily pushed the Ceremony forward out of spite towards Eden, but I hadn’t tried to replace the Saint out of mere betrayal.

Lydia definitely had the qualities of a Saint and had proven it by healing patients in plagues.

She had even brought people back from the dead.

Yet now she claimed she wasn’t the Saint!

“What do you mean by that? Are you aware of what you’re saying as the Saint?”

The Emperor questioned incredulously, to which Lydia lowered her head and spoke as if to apologize.

“Yes, I am not the Saint. So please, halt the Ceremony at once!”

Ding!

As soon as Lydia’s confession poured out, a achievement notification appeared.

Upon confirming it, Eden finally swallowed her rising anxiety and let out a sigh of relief.

While she had extended her life in this perverse game by clearing a quest, it was still far from over.

This damn game never solved everything just by clearing quests.

“Your Majesty, the plague occurring in the Empire is all a fabricated disease.”

Lydia’s tear-soaked confession continued. She was trembling, yet her voice did not falter.

“It’s not a disease, it’s a curse. All of this is orchestrated by the Dark Sorcerers…”

“Lydia!”

Just then, Patriar, having finally realized what Lydia was doing, tried to rush over, but it was already too late.

The head of the Royal Knights, recognizing the seriousness of the situation, blocked Patriar with his body, while Lydia’s desperate confessions flowed uninterrupted.

“It’s a scheme by the 2nd Prince…!”

At those words, gasps echoed around the Emperor, the Chancellor, and all present.

‘They orchestrated the plague? Is that even possible?’

Everyone was flabbergasted by the unbelievable accusations, but everything Lydia said was true.

The disease spreading in the Empire was a concocted illness and was, in truth, a curse by Dark Sorcery.

The monster, Huldabi, which transmitted the disease, was a trap, and those afflicted were indiscriminately caught in the curse.

Lydia’s ability to heal them was only due to the Dark Sorcerers being present everywhere, secretly lifting the curse, and the resurrection of the dead was simply a staged play.

The very people Lydia had brought back to life were never truly dead.

Patriar had been using Dark Sorcery to meddle in state affairs.

“What do you mean by that? A Dark Sorcerer? Are you saying Patriar has colluded with them?”

“That’s correct.”

“…That can’t be. No way…!”

The Emperor denied with a stone-cold face.

It was Kiris who had colluded with the Dark Sorcerer. Patriar was, after all, the one who captured him. So how was it that he was now accused of colluding with a Dark Sorcerer?

As he tried to deny it, a feeling surged within him, unsettling his heart.

Just then, the balcony doors burst open, and Eden entered.

“Your Majesty, if you dismiss me, you will surely regret it.”

At her confident voice, all eyes turned toward Eden. Something was glimmering behind her, casting light and giving her an appearance as if a deity had descended from the heavens.

Following her was Asmun, covered in blood from head to toe, and Karon, having knocked down all of Patriar’s subordinates trying to block their way.

The three had led their forces to Akalneta after finding the Holy Sword, and they had once again annihilated Patriar’s army, which had grown in number after being defeated.

They had finally cut the heart of Akalneta and rushed to disrupt the Ceremony of the Saint.

“I will now reveal the wicked and vile true nature of the 2nd Prince.”

At that, a fierce glare settled in Patriar’s eyes, who was now trapped and unable to move an inch due to the Royal Knight Commander’s sword.

‘That little brat…!’

Patriar barely swallowed the boiling rage and forced himself to regain composure.

“What on earth are you talking about? Ha ha… This is just ridiculous. Are you accusing a royal family member?”

Eden smiled with one corner of her mouth raised, looking at the blond prince, whose face flushed red as if it might burst.

Denying it so shamelessly was pointless.

I found the Holy Sword, used it to cut the heart of Akalneta, saved the Fairy Tribe, and Lydia has confessed.

Not to mention, Patriar etched undeniable evidence on himself that couldn’t be evaded or denied.

“What brings you to a place you ought to be in the Grand Duchy? Did you come running upon hearing the news of your dismissal? At this late hour?”

“Yes. I was so astonished to hear that someone would dare to try to dismiss me that I rushed here.”

At Eden’s vexing retort, Patriar’s eyes glinted dangerously.

Not wanting to speak any longer with Eden, he turned to the Emperor.

“Your Majesty, you cannot trust what that woman says. Look! She rushes here as soon as she’s in danger of losing her position. How can you trust someone from such unscrupulous origins?”

“That may be so,” the Emperor replied, with himself remaining composed as he faced Eden.

“Your Majesty, I implore you to take a look behind the 2nd Prince right now.”