Chapter 146
“Wasn’t this supposed to be a strategy game?”
A whispering voice crept into my ear, tinged with a strange intensity.
“The way you’re trying so hard to make me Emperor, even risking your life.”
Wet, brownish eyes met the cold, unyielding red glare.
“I couldn’t understand why you were so devoted to me.”
Light hair slipped softly through his fingers.
“…But I can’t help but believe you in the end.”
Asmun remembered Eden, who rushes in to save him time and again. The one who saves him, smiles at him, hugs him, and calls out to him—Eden, his one and only.
She made him believe. Made it impossible not to. All of Eden.
She melted away every doubt inside him, burned away his anxiety, and broke down his defenses.
Was she planning to be the only light in his world consumed by darkness and then toss him back into the shadows?
The brutal truth was unbearable.
To think she was scheming to leave him like this! That alone was her only goal.
If he thought she came to him just to abandon him, he couldn’t bear it. It felt like his heart was plummeting endlessly, crushed to bits.
“So you were going to abandon me after all?”
It hurt at every moment. Each time he spoke coldly, it felt like his flesh was being torn apart.
He had no intention of watching reality turn unbearable just by thinking about it.
He had to hold onto Eden, no matter what. Otherwise, none of this mattered anymore.
“The Saint can’t go anywhere.”
The quiet syllables turned heavy and cold as Asmun clutched the soft hair that tried to slip away from his grasp.
Never…
“I won’t let you go.”
Something precariously flickered in his eyes, holding on for dear life. Eden gazed at him, breathless, captivated by that chilling light.
Those eyes, filled entirely with him, slowly came closer. Just as his dry lips were about to land against hers, Eden suddenly turned her head away.
“….”
Asmun’s eyes crumbled at the sight of her.
A prick of pain stabbed at his heart like a blade. Seeing Eden reject him was more agonizing than he had imagined.
But he was ready to accept all of this. Even if it meant preventing her from leaving would lead her to hate and despise him, he had no choice.
Even if it was Eden who would come to loathe him, he desperately needed her.
He had already prepared himself to be hated.
Asmun gently released the hair he had been holding so tightly and took a step back to look at her.
“You should go back. We don’t have much time left.”
Eden glared at Asmun with tears brimming in her eyes at his cruel remark. She resented his calmness while discussing Hagen’ti’s fate, knowing she was the cause of it.
Even in the face of her cold gaze, Asmun’s eyes showed no sign of wavering.
“This is my final act of mercy toward him.”
“So, you intend to let Sereman go, letting Hagen’ti die, and ultimately hand the Empire over to the Dark Sorcerers?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll protect the Empire with my life. Didn’t I already mention that?”
“…….”
“I will make this place, where you remain, the best place possible.”
His decisive gaze no longer flickered.
“Your Majesty…”
Eden fought back the rising emotion, trying to maintain her calm voice.
“Now, you are the Emperor of this Empire.”
“…….”
“You mustn’t be swayed by personal feelings anymore.”
Personal feelings.
Asmun stared at Eden, who so easily defined the tumultuous emotions swirling in his heart.
“That is your mission, Your Majesty.”
“What I desire…”
Asmun uttered words he never thought would escape his mouth, words he wouldn’t have believed a year before without hesitation.
“Only the Saint.”
The twisted confession made Eden’s heart throb painfully.
“Even if that happens, I can’t stay. That’s my destined fate.”
As Eden cruelly uttered words devoid of meaning, Asmun’s gaze darkened further.
“Eden.”
He called her name softly. The ending of his trembling voice was both affectionate and resentful.
“You will stay by my side.”
He held that unwavering, resolute look. Eden turned coldly away, rising above the portal without a chance to be held back.
Asmun stood there, stiff in disbelief, watching as Eden vanished.
…….
Finally, as Eden’s figure completely disappeared, Asmun’s gaze slowly fell to the ground. Being left alone in the study where Eden was gone felt unbearably lonely.
Without turning back, Eden returned to Hagen’ti’s castle, staying locked up in her room for two whole days.
Even knowing she had no time to waste, she didn’t know how to overcome this challenge anymore.
She never thought about the flow of time where Asmun would learn all of this. Even pretending to be cold, those clearly wounded eyes haunted her thoughts, tightening her chest.
Those eyes that must have felt betrayed by her.
…….
Knowing he was the kind of man who would look at her like that when she left, she couldn’t even boldly guess what would happen after she was gone.
What troubled her even more was the feeling that she might understand a man willing to sacrifice the Empire to keep her from leaving.
She was the one who had made him that way. Perhaps there was a 90% chance Asmun would become a tyrant…
‘…I was the trigger.’
Overwhelming emptiness surged through her, rendering her unable to act. No matter how hard she struggled, she couldn’t escape from this perfectly fitting puzzle of a world.
She was simply walking down a predetermined path. Could she really save this world?
Then it happened.
Pip, pip, pip.
Crouching down with her knees drawn up, Eden heard a squeaky noise prancing across her ear.
“…?”
In confusion, Eden lifted her head to search for the source of the sound. Then she spotted a little snowflake hopping through the slightly ajar door.
As its eyes met Eden’s, the snowflake stopped, tilting its head while making a cheeping sound.
“!”
The moment Eden recognized what the snowflake was, it bolted upwards, flapping its tiny wings before landing right on her hand.
“Oh no…!”
Eden flinched, tensing her shoulders. But even after several seconds passed, the creature that had settled on her hand did not dissolve.
Only then did Eden recall the note attached to her last-ditch monster destruction skill.
『You can now dissolve all existing monsters at will. Chant the ‘Maves’ spell, and all monsters within 100 meters will dissolve.』
Unlike before, when everything dissolved at mere touch, she had been given the ability to control it.
“Haa…”
Finally letting out a breath of relief, Eden lifted the monster without worry. This sight melted her heart; it was an adorable creature she’d seen before.
“Rutata.”
It was the monster she had encountered on the snowy plains while completing the quest to lead Hagen’ti out of the castle.
「Ahh, so cute!」
Recalling how she had returned without being able to dissolve it due to its overwhelming cuteness brought an unconscious smile to Eden’s face.
But how did a monster from that snowy land end up inside the castle?
Considering that, Eden realized something and lifted her gaze to the slightly opened door.
Spotting the toes peeking from the door that hadn’t fully concealed themselves, Eden’s heart tightened.
……
It was Hagen’ti who brought it. Remembering how she had been delighted to see Rutata back then… to cheer her up for being cooped up and sad…
Surges of pent-up emotions rushed to her throat, stinging painfully.
Eden placed Rutata on her bed and moved toward the door.
Squeak, she gripped the doorknob and swung it open, revealing Hagen’ti leaning against the door, waiting for her.
Seeing Eden, Hagen’ti neither smiled nor frowned; as always, he just stared at her with his expressionless face.
In that gaze, the things that had been bundled up in her chest melted away warmly.
If Asmun’s twisted obsession was meant to be, then she had to overcome that too.
If Hagen’ti’s memories were buried somewhere, she had to find them.
To ensure that the Empire he had struggled to protect wouldn’t crumble and that he wouldn’t fall apart—and to prevent Hagen’ti from dying in pain.
She had that obligation.
“Hagen’ti.”
Eden quietly called out to him.
“Yes.”
The usual flat response returned, but it felt less indifferent than before. Eden realized that the gray eyes staring at her were now filled with things she hadn’t been able to find before.
She had the duty to bear what was contained within those eyes.
“I will succeed.”
Hagen’ti gazed at her silently as he listened to her unrecognizable determination. His sorrowful eye now flickered with rekindled warmth, dancing like a flame.
Just looking into those eyes, it felt as if a crack was forming in some cold corner of her heart that had been frozen for so long.
“I will definitely succeed.”
Eden swallowed all the despair and frustration that had gripped her heart moments ago and made a firm resolution.
And that night, Eden opened Hagen’ti’s diary, which she had kept hidden in her drawer.
『【!】Event Quest
: This contains Hagen’ti’s memories. Enter the buried memories of Hagen’ti and rescue him. You will receive a ‘special reward’ upon clearing the quest.
Would you like to proceed with the event quest?
※Warning: The difficulty of this quest is top-tier, and the danger level is high.』
As she opened the diary, an event quest window appeared on the white paper, the bright red warning messages unchanged.
However, this time, Eden didn’t hesitate.
“Yes.”
