Chapter 141
“Wasn’t this supposed to be a strategy game?”
I could feel the end of the game creeping up on me.
Eden set aside her unanswered worries for a moment and accepted the rewards she had been saving. It was the price she paid for keeping the Saint’s position.
“Chancellor Sereman Laock has vanished to an unknown place. To find him, he must reveal himself, and his current obsession is with Hagen’ti. Hagen’ti’s memories crumbled along with his emotions. To find those memories, we must restore his lost feelings, which are currently being awakened by you, the player. Search for a way to entice him by locating Hagen’ti’s memories.”
Having no clue what to do next, the chosen reward was yet again the Prophecy Book.
However, even after reading the Prophecy Book, Eden still couldn’t figure out what she needed to do.
‘His memories crumbled along with his feelings…?’
Eden recalled Hagen’ti as he once was. His expressionless, calm gaze that felt devoid of any emotion.
To think that nothing could be read on that innocent face because it truly held nothing…
“……”
‘His feelings are being awakened by you, the player.’
Eden understood that well. It was her that provoked Hagen’ti, who was just waiting for death in his emptiness.
So it was also her who could recover Hagen’ti’s lost feelings.
With a heavy sense of responsibility, Eden headed towards Hagen’ti’s castle.
“Hagen’ti.”
As she pushed open the door, there he was, waiting for her just like yesterday, glued to the door.
Seeing him made her heart tighten with an ache.
Eden knew well that at some point, she had become his one and only.
“Why are you out here? You could wait inside.”
When Eden reproached him with concern in her voice, Hagen’ti stared at her blankly.
His gray eyes were so different from the empty ones she first encountered. Something that had been frozen beyond breaking appeared to be thawing in the gentle light of spring.
“I wanted to wait.”
His quiet reply tugged at her heart again. Would searching for Hagen’ti’s memories and feelings mean he wouldn’t have to wait for her anymore? Would he no longer have to feel lonely…?
And then it happened.
“Did you ask for the Chancellor’s Office’s authority to come here?”
Eden stiffened at the cold voice behind her.
Hagen’ti’s earlier warm gaze vanished as he glared at Asmun, who was coming up from the basement with sharp eyes.
“A castle connected to the Chancellor’s Office…”
Asmun made no acknowledgment of Hagen’ti’s piercing stare as he apathetically scanned the castle.
So the castle, which no one could find, was connected to the Chancellor’s Office. Only then did Eden realize how she had managed to find Hagen’ti.
His calm and cool gaze swept toward Hagen’ti.
“So the author is connected to the Chancellor…”
“No!”
Eden quickly blocked Asmun’s path as he seemed to form a guess. Asmun regarded her with eyes full of curiosity.
“I understand your suspicions based on the circumstances, but Hagen’ti has nothing to do with Sereman!”
“…Are you sure?”
At his leisurely question, Eden’s heart skipped a beat.
Hagen’ti was not disconnected from Sereman. The new Quest was proof of that.
But there was no way Hagen’ti was part of Sereman’s forces or behind him. If that were the case, Sereman wouldn’t have watched Hagen’ti so secretly for so long.
Moreover, it was clear that Hagen’ti had lost his memories.
‘It even says so in the Prophecy Book.’
Just then, Hagen’ti took hold of Eden’s hand and pulled her closer.
“I didn’t ask you to come into my castle.”
Asmun, who was treated like an intruder, retorted while gazing intently at Hagen’ti.
“I have no desire to stay in this old castle, so worry not. I’m merely here to find the Saint.”
Coolly spitting those words, Asmun spoke leisurely to Eden.
“We’re soon to have the coronation.”
Eden’s eyes widened at the unexpected statement.
“The… coronation? You just said coronation?”
Asmun nodded slowly. Eden found herself staring at him, mouth agape.
The coronation meant…
“I’m going to be the Emperor of this Empire.”
Eden held her breath as she saw the calm expression on Asmun’s face even in such a moment.
It was a declaration that the incapacitated Emperor would finally hand over the throne to Asmun.
To accomplish this, Eden had not used her Divine Power on the fallen Emperor. That cruel plan had finally hit its mark.
‘Goodness…’
If Asmun became Emperor, it really meant the game was getting closer to completion. She had indeed succeeded in one of the main missions of this game.
“So you must prepare.”
“Me too?”
“With the Chancellor’s position vacant, you’re now the highest-ranking clergy member, Saint. You need to bless me. Unless you intend to make me a half-hearted Emperor.”
Only then did Eden understand all of Asmun’s words.
The Empire of Hesmod had a strong priestly power due to the existence of Divine Power, and only through the coronation could one be acknowledged as a true ruler.
Thus, Asmun intended to replace the ascension ceremony with the coronation, and it all rested in the hands of Eden, the highest-ranking clergy member.
At that moment, Eden realized the hidden meaning of this mission.
‘A true kingmaker…’
This was indeed a matter of making Asmun Emperor with her own hands.
Her heart raced, excitement and anxiety blending together.
“When is the coronation?”
“Given the chaotic times, I plan to hold it as soon as possible. If the Saint permits, I could do it as early as tomorrow.”
Tomorrow?
Eden was in shock but had no choice but to agree with Asmun’s words.
With Sereman having vanished in the manner he did and the Emperor incapacitated, it was essential to crown a young, capable Emperor swiftly to ease the people’s anxieties.
‘And then next…’
With her thoughts concluded, Eden nodded resolutely and faced Asmun.
“Alright. Let’s proceed with the coronation quickly. But I’d like to request something.”
With that conditional response, Asmun’s eyebrows rose slightly.
“You’re planning to waste time here during such an important period?”
“Waste? I can’t explain it now, but it’s crucial for the Empire.”
“That’s hard to believe.”
Despite his calm voice, madness glinted in his red eyes.
“Right now, the important task for the Empire is capturing the escaped Chancellor and suppressing Dark Magic. You just said Hagen’ti has nothing to do with Sereman, right?”
With his methodical questioning hitting the mark, Eden fell silent, diverting her attention back to Hagen’ti.
“See? Hagen’ti, also, you can’t leave here until I return after the coronation. Got it?”
At her words, Hagen’ti immediately nodded.
“Okay.”
Waiting was nothing new to him. Since Eden would return to be with him, he could afford to wait a little longer.
Eden gazed at the obedient Hagen’ti with affection before turning her tense gaze back to Asmun.
Asmun stared at her with a look as if his insides were flipping.
Once, he had begged to make her Emperor, risking his life, but now he was toyed with her, who had taken the power to make him that Emperor.
She was truly an unpredictable woman.
The desire to possess everything while wanting only her continued to gnaw at his throat.
Struggling to suppress the icy surge of possessiveness, Asmun parted his dry lips.
“…Alright. Let’s do it that way.”
Eden, who had been trying to act bold, was now surprised, eyes wide.
“…Really?”
“Is it that displeasing for me to agree?”
At his cool reply, Eden quickly shook her head.
“Ah, no! So, you promised then?”
Asmun didn’t bother to answer twice, but he also didn’t impede her further.
Eden looked happily at Asmun, who unwittingly had given way to her.
Just two days later, the coronation was set.
With the Emperor’s mandate and by Asmun’s words, Eden had not only withstood the forces within the Great Temple that had crumbled in half but also managed to prove her qualifications as the Saint by retrieving the Holy Sword.
There were no longer any forces left in the Imperial Palace or the Great Temple to oppose Asmun’s ascendance, and the people of the Empire cheered widely for the swift coronation of the prince who had saved the Empire multiple times.
Eden returned to the Great Temple, spent a chaotic time preparing for the coronation, and finally found a moment to breathe the night before.
“I’m dying here…”
Completely exhausted, she wanted nothing more than to fall asleep, but knowing that tomorrow was the day she had longed for made it hard to doze off.
“Asmun becoming Emperor…”
It was an outcome no one in the Empire could have imagined just a few months ago. Thinking that she had made it happen with her own hands filled her with a rare sense of pride as a gamer.
Ultimately, Eden gave up on sleeping, choosing instead to stroll through the disheveled garden of the Chancellor, which was under investigation and search.
“Huh…”
Tomorrow, Asmun would become Emperor. It meant clearing one of the main missions of the game.
Yet, even after making Asmun Emperor, there remaining missions awaited her. She needed to stop Hagen’ti’s rampage and deal with Silverstone…
‘Speaking of which, I almost forgot about Silverstone.’
As Silverstone popped into her mind amidst her scattered thoughts, Eden’s face clouded with worry. Where on earth was she supposed to find that?
But above all, it was urgent to stop Hagen’ti’s rampage.
「What happens if Hagen’ti rampages?」
「What kind of question is that? Of course, he’ll die.」
Thinking back to Hamun’s cold response, it felt as if a stone had settled somewhere in her chest.
‘Am I really going to let Hagen’ti die?’
As Eden stared faintly into the air, releasing an anxious sigh, someone spoke to her.
“Are you happy thinking about the coronation?”
